New Mexico Tea Company

I’ve bought a couple sampler pouches of this as gifts for people before, but I’ve never tried it myself, for some reason. Finally got around to snagging a 4 ounce pouch from Ohio Tea Company when I was there. The dry aroma is absolutely heavenly, like strawberry lemonade gummies and naturally sweet black tea. It doesn’t carry over as strongly to the drink itself, but that’s fine! You can’t expect it to. I’m glad I bought a big portion of this right off the bat because I can see myself drinking it again and again as a non-fussy afternoon tea. I almost never put anything in my teas to alter the taste, but it seems like it would be fantastic with a bit of sugar and lemon juice. A prime candidate for iced tea lemonade.

Something different, and something good. Lemon lands first but is swiftly obliterated by smokey dry pine. It’s easy to think of brush piles around this stuff. The juniper shakes loose at the end, and that berry note neatly caps the experience. It’s unlike any other tisane I’ve ever had. Plus, it’s snazzy looking stuff. Holds its own paired with lunch and dinner, too.

This is one of the first white teas I ever tried. I took a whiff of the little sample tin at the Ohio Tea Company store and bought a couple ounces to test. The dry leaves have a delectable sweet grape smell that’s complemented by the light, dry, tannic aroma of the white tea itself. It’s the aroma of a refreshing ice cold spring drink.
When you brew it, the taste is pleasant while hot—a classically delicate white tea with prominent grape notes—but it’s a completely different animal when you allow it to cool to room temperature. Icewine is an accurate descriptor, although the only sweetness comes from the natural honeyed notes of the tea leaves. There’s a touch of white florals somewhere in there, almost like a perfume note. Saving the rest of my bag for cold brewing this spring and summer. I have a hunch that it’ll be fantastic when it’s properly chilled and the flavors have been slowly extracted.
On a side note: this actually holds up to grandpa-style brewing when you use a smaller amount of leaves. The taste of the liquor produced by soaking a teaspoon of leaves in a 12 ounce mug filled with hot water for an hour is extremely similar to that of liquor from a quick steep in a filled gaiwan, if a tad more tannic.

This tea is weird. Not in a bad way, but if you go into it thinking it’ll be an ordinary herbal, prepare to be thrown for a loop. I distinctly remember my grandma bringing me back “Native Tea” from the Southwest as a souvenir when I was a little kid, and I absolutely loved it, but my mother thought it tasted like burnt grass and threw it in the bin.
Well, this tea is a less burned and more pine-heavy version of that tea I remember, so surprise! What I got hooked on as a 5 year old was cota and I still like it however many years later. The dry cota needles are so pointy that I had one splinter up into the skin of my foot when one escaped onto the floor, and they’re long and stiff which makes them hard to measure.
Once you brew them, though, dang. Southwestern Christmas in a cup. Light yellow liquor that reminds you of an unsavory liquid and the leaves are good to brew again and again until you get tired of drinking the stuff. Juniper berries are the perfect complement to the dry pine of cota. You know how gin has that dry taste to it? Yeah, so does this tea. The juniper builds on that and makes it taste slightly less like sipping on a liquidated alcoholic-but-not pine tree.
I have to say, though, I do love this tea. It’s delicious in a terribly weird fashion.

I blindly bought this tea online based on the picture alone. The beautiful combination of lavender buds, cornflower petals, mallow blossoms and bits of rose and hibiscus had me sold.
From the moment I unzipped the little grey packet, this tea had me hook, line, and sinker. It’s even prettier in real life where you can properly appreciate the colors and textures of the blend, and my god, that smell. Lemongrass and lavender and mango and a sweet kick of florals.
I’d highly recommend steeping it loose in a glass teapot or jar so you have the experience of watching the liquor turn hot pink as the tea expands and the little flowers pop open. It’s deliciously tart from the lemongrass and lemon notes, sweet from the mango, and floral from the lavender and rose. You can taste each individual component and the medley they create at once. The longer you let it steep, the more intense the tartness becomes, and it goes from a light fruity floral at 2 minutes to a near lemonade at 7.

I got this on the way to the Botantic Gardens. There is a very nice cherry scent. When brewed, I get more of the rose aroma. The flavour is sweet cherry, and nicely floral.
Very good spring tea.

My tea while playing Harvest Moon.

One of my new teas for spring. There is a very nice orange scent. The flavour is a creamy citrus, with floral notes. Good on rainy afternoons.

Tasting note of the beast.

“It’s those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of our running, and all of our cunning
If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane”- Jimmy Buffett

One of my recent teas from the local shop. There is a nice mild mango aroma. The flavour is lightly sweet and tropical. Would probably be good iced.

One of my tea samples earlier this year. It has a nice cardamom scent. There is more bergamot when brewed. The flavoured is a nicely spiced earl grey.

Very good with my gingerbread cookies.

Trying this for the first time. It has a nice malt to it, and a hint of that leather flavor that seems to show up a lot in this type of tea. I am not crazy about the leather, but at least it’s not too strong.

I drank this whole bag before I realized I never stopped to write a tasting note. This tea grew on me pretty quickly. It’s a bit light compared to most Irish breakfasts, but still hefty enough to be a breakfast tea. I liked the flavor, and since it wasn’t as acidic as the average breakfast tea, it sat a lot better on my stomach.

Enjoying this one. The ginger, orange, and peach are about evenly balanced. The base isn’t noteworthy, but it sits well with the other flavors.

No. Just no.
This tea arrived in a pretty black tin with a Klimt label, so that’s good – I’ve got that. As for the tea inside the tin, I cannot recommend it to anyone.

I’ve brewed up a little bit of it again today alongside some very good Jasmine black tea from another source for comparison, and the difference is striking. The fragrance of the dry tea is overwhelming and does not change/evolve with the addition of hot water – it remains a strong scent that is NOT floral, much less jasmine – it took me a long time to place the scent but it reminds me of the fruity fragrance often added to lip balms meant for the teenaged girl market. Surprisingly, this overripe-fruit essence does not come through in the taste – the tea doesn’t have much taste at all, either of Tea or Jasmine/Whatever. Brewing it using different methods or for different durations doesn’t change the taste profile for me – it remains understated for tea, per se, but with a definite mustiness that is unpleasant. I perceive no jasmine scent/flavor present.

This blend lists black and green teas with jasmine and vanilla, and states both natural and artificial flavorings are used. I have to assume that both the jasmine and vanilla additions include artificial flavorings in rather large quantities, and it certainly degrades the taste of this tea. The tea leaves are in small, broken pieces with lots of stems and may also be of less than stellar quality – it would make sense…why use excellent tea if you’re going to add artificial flavorings?

If you’re unfamiliar with Darjeeling, especially first flush, it’s not like most other black teas. You can really tell these leaves are young, there’s even a notable difference between the first and second flushes. Steeps light, delicate vegetal and slightly floral taste. Amazing just as it is.

My first sample of the year. There is a very nice coconut scent. The flavour is mainly coconut, with some mango. It makes me want to visit the beach.

Had while trying to catch water Pokemon in Hoenn.

The weather is wintery, so I’m visiting Hoenn. Mainly for the fishing.

Decided to try this tea. Really like the passionfruit scent. There is a nice fruit flavour. It is mildly sweet and very good.

The cardamom in the bag smells SO STRONG, but actually there’s just a nice hint of it in the tea. I think I might prefer this to the chai, but I can’t decide yet.

So I don’t particularly get vanilla in this, but it is a nicely balanced chai. The spices are present but not overwhelming, and the base is smooth. A good tea to have around now that it’s gotten chilly.

Hooray, got a small order in from NMTC, so the cupboard doesn’t feel quite so bare now. This was a little sample they threw in. It tastes very much like English Breakfast, but a bit lighter and mellower. It’s fine enough, but probably not going to become a staple around here.

What a nice surprise on this rather bleak day. I got this as a sample who knows when and forgot all about it, but when I was rummaging through my tea box, hey presto! This is the first long ding I’ve tried. The leaves look very similar to long jing, long and narrow, but they are a darker green and sort of curled in on themselves. It tastes quite mineraly — none of the green bean taste I’m used to getting from long jing. Not my favorite, but interesting. I think I might go poke through that box some more.

Have let this languish in the back of the drawer for a while and I’m not sure if it’s a bit past its prime or what, but this steep is not tasting very peppery. It seems a lot grassier than this style of tea normally tastes.

Got this as a sample. There’s a nice balance to it — strong without being too astringent, and it doesn’t bother my stomach, as some other gunpowder teas have. Basic good tea, even if it seems a bit one note.

“Tea. Earl Grey. Hot!”- standard order while watching Star Trek. A new blend I picked up as my winter sample. The scent is fantastic. Mostly chocolate, and mild citrus. There is a nice sweet cocoa flavour, which goes well with the bergamot. Pairs well with shortbread.

My winter tea. Nice orange scent with some vanilla. The flavour is certainly citrus. Strong, a little sweet, and slightly tart. There is a also some vanilla.