Teapigs

I’m tasting sweet blackcurrents more than anything else. Very fruity. The aroma of the dry temple wasn’t too pleasing though.

Many Thanks to Tea Sipper’s Traveling Tea Box for this tea!

I was Home Alone and had a Grand Plan to throw caution to the wind and drink a caffeinated tea in the evening so I could stay up and read The Hound of the Baskervilles late into the night under a blanket with my cat. Wild times. I made this one because I love chai :) and I had a single bag from TSTTB.

It was not the most distinctive chai I’ve ever had, but it was very good! There was nothing to dislike about it. Nice spices, nice tea base, good with a little honey and milk.

You know what happened though, don’t you? Yes, I fell asleep reading around 9pm, woke up at 2 am and tossed and turned because of the caffeine! This happens Every Time, yet every couple of months I do this thinking I’m going to stay up during the right part of the night rather than the wrong part of the night. Sigh.

Tomorrow is the big day! I could use something to help me wind down! Chamomile to the rescue!

The pyramid sachet was mostly whole leaves with a little bit of dust. Not enough to result in sediment resting at the bottom of my cup.

I’m not usually a big fan of Chamomile all by itself. In blends, its ok, but, by itself, it’s usually pretty lackluster. But, this one is pretty good. I can taste a distinct apple-y note. Sweet and pleasant.

I’ve decided not to rate this one numerically, though. I like it for what it is. But I don’t generally like what it is… if that makes sense.

After picking up a few tips from the forum, I took their advice and used 1tsp or just under of leaves, dampened with cold water, then added boiling water. I added cinnamon (prob 1/2 tsp) and it tasted okay. On the four steep, it’s tasting nice even without the cinnamon, but it’s only very weak now. It’s still not my favourite, but it’s a big improvement on what I had before and I will probably finish the 50g I bought before I retire (in 35 years’ time)

Light and floral. No surprises here but this is a good everyday tea.

Finally found a local stockist for Teapigs! An alternative green tea, plus the light scent of Jasmine works as an effective calming agent. I like that there isn’t a bitter after-taste. Subtle, light and fragrant!

I like to drink this after lunch. The caffeine helps to keep me awake at work. Best tea to stock up in the office. ;)

Oh my god, this tea is delicious! An unexpected revelation!

It’s got a nutty, corn-like aftertaste that is absolutely delicious! I’m not usually a big green tea fan, but this had just the right strength and balance for me. It smells like plain popcorn too!

I found three-four minutes to be my ideal steep time, to bring out the real rich flavours of this tea. I’ve finished up my supply at the moment so I’m going to have to rush out for more! Too delicious for words.

If I had the money, I would buy this tea and drink it every morning instead of my usual PG Tips that I buy. These “tea temples” create a lovely-tasting, strong English Breakfast tea which just hits the spot. Naturally, I added a little milk and the orange-colour of the tea was wonderful. I love strong tea and sometimes with commercial teabags, you have to leave the tea to steep for a long while before getting a decent colour to it! This is a definite recommendation to anyone who loves strong English breakfast tea!

If you’ve read my other notes, you will know that I have a sweet tooth! I love sweet teas, and this one ticks that box. This tea is deliciously fruity and sweet and you can truly taste all the different berries that have gone into making this tea. I would definitely recommend it to someone who likes fruit teas, but if you don’t, I’d steer clear. The sweet taste may be overwhelming to some. I left the teabag in until I’d finished the pot of tea and the taste never became bitter.

I was sent a sample of Matcha powder from Teapigs for their Matcha May campaign that they did in May (oh what a surprise…)I did a review on this tea on my blog and also my YouTube channel (where I upload regular tea reviews) and I was disappointed in this tea. It has been so hyped up, I thought it was going to be amazing. This tea has an incredible number of supposed health benefits. I made a cup of this tea in my mug, and the tea leaves just didn’t disappear. This could be due to lack of whisk (it was a student house after all!) and the taste was extremely bitter. I saw after making the reviews that people were just doing a shot of the matcha, which makes a lot more sense! You wouldn’t make this tea for enjoyment, it’s definitely just for the health benefits.

This tea was ok. I usually like Rooibos tea, and I have an extremely sweet tooth, so I was excited to try this tea from my sample box that I received for Christmas. I firstly tried the tea without milk. There was a distinct lack of sweetness in the tea, which I found odd considering it’s supposed to be a crème caramel flavoured tea. I then added milk and was still disappointed. Although the taste was slightly creamier, the tea itself still wasn’t as sweet as I would like and, to me, didn’t taste like a crème caramel at all. My housemate tried my tea, and she has less of a sweet tooth than myself, and she disagreed with me, saying it did taste like a crème caramel, so I suppose it’s all up to personal preference!

I was disappointed by this tea. After reading some of the other comments about it, maybe I didn’t steep it for long enough. For me, and I do have an extreme sweet tooth, the taste really wasn’t that chocolatey. I will try it again and steep it for longer, but my first impression wasn’t brilliant. The taste of the tea itself was delicious and I did add milk, which improved it slightly. I was tempted to add a sweetener in it to see if it made a difference and maybe in my next cup I will try that. It’s definitely worth a try, it just didn’t taste how I expected it to.

Sipdown! Finished these off today. I think white tea is just about the perfect summer tea for me. Not too heavy when the weather’s hot, but satisfying nonetheless. This one is so light and delicate, it almost doesn’t have a colour once brewer. It’s beautifully, airily floral, though. Probably one of Teapigs’ best imo.

I’m pleased how fresh this tea looks. It’s a lovely silvery-green, unlike some I’ve had recently, and it really is just silver needle. When brewed, the liquor is really, really pale. I didn’t think anything was actually happening at first, but obviously it was as the taste is there.

As I’ve come to expect from unflavoured whites, this is very light and delicate in taste. It’s a perfect spring/summer tea. Easy to drink and refreshing even when hot (or warm, considering I let the water cool substantially). It’s mildly grassy, maybe very slighty floral. This is one of those white teas that reminds me why I like them so much in the first place. Flavoured might be more interesting sometimes, but a plain white this good can be just as inspiring.

Sipdown! From yesterday, this time. Another duo of bags from the pick n’ mix box polished off. I’m getting along with oolong a lot better than I have been in the past. I remember when I actually couldn’t drink this, but not I can quaff it happily and appreciate the flavour. It’s a touch on the mineral side for me, but tolerable. Not my favourite oolong, but then there are very few that have ever made it into the class. A reasonable effort from Teapigs.

Sipdown! Finished the last of these this morning. I liked them more than the first time I tried them, which probably shows that my tastes have developed since I started drinking whole leaf tea in earnest. They’re never going to be my favourite, though. There’s too much of that slightly metallic taste I dislike most in oolongs about them for that.

I’m going to be brave and give this a try today. The first time I tried it, which was a good few years ago now, I could hardly finish the cup. This kind of oolong still isn’t really my thing, but it came with a gift pack (the ultimate, no less) so I feel I really ought to give it a second chance.

The dry leaves in the packet give off that typical oolong scent — kind of earthy and slightly mineral. It’s a scent that used to turn my stomach, but I understand it a bit more now. I gave it three minutes in water I’d let cool a little, and the liquor is now a pale yellow. It smells the same as it does dry, which isn’t hugely encouraging considering I’m very picky about oolongs. It’s this exact scent that I dislike, yet it’s hard to accurately describe. Adagio Wuyi Oolong was the same, and I had to ditch the rest of my sample of that as I just couldn’t face it.

I shouldn’t judge before I’ve tried, though. The first sip isn’t too bad. Maybe because I’ve gone lightly with the brew time and temparature, or maybe just because it’s a more delicate tasting tea than I was expecting. It has a faint mineral taste, and a more prominent grassiness, rather like a mild green tea. I can’t exactly claim to like it, but it’s okay. I’ll be able to finish this cup, and the rest of the box, anyway.

I think my relationship with oolong is going to be a bit hit and miss. I loved the milk oolong I tried, and I’ve got a couple more of those in my stash to try now. The idea of flavoured oolong appeals, too, and the same goes for those. I would like to determine what my preferences are when it comes to oolong, so I’m going to keep trying. While drinkable, though, this clearly isn’t it.

I remember when Teapigs used to claim that this tea would stay green, and not turn a muddy brown like every other mint tea going. I can’t remember whether it was ever true, but it certainly isn’t now. Swampy it is. It at least smells fresh, though, and is very strongly minty.

To taste, this is one of the more pleasant mint teas I’ve tried so far. There’s never all that much between them, but I suppose this one has quite large leaves still, so it doesn’t become over strong too quickly. I gave this about three minutes, and was rewarded with a cooling, refreshing, definitely minty tea, but without the resemblances to toothpaste and mouthwash that can sometimes prevail.

I always find drinking mint tea an interesting experience, as it’s both hot and cold at the same time. On a moderately warm spring day, though, it’s quite a welcome sensation. Peppermint tea (and by this I only mean the herbal, rather than blends that include mint) will never be top of my list of favourites, probably because I’ve disliked so many of them. As they go, though, this is by no means a bad one. It’s not outright stunning (can a mint tea really be that anyway?), but it’s certainly better than average.

Drank up two bags of this at the start of the week. I’ll never really like unflavoured Yerba Mate, I don’t think, but I do appreciate its energy giving properties. I’ve said it before, but flavoured is the way forward for me here.

A sipdown to end the working week. I’m glad, in a way, because I was getting a little tired of the green murkiness this tea added to my morning routine. It’s definitely flavoured for me from now on!

200th tasting note, by the way. I suppose it’s a significant one in that I have come to an understanding about my relationship with Yerba Mate. The journey of discovery goes on!

I’ve been drinking one of these every morning at work, and I do feel it helps to boost my energy levels a little over the course of the morning. I’m really not a morning person, so I need all the help I can get not to be a grouchy monster. This goes some way towards achieving that, so it’s a welcome addition to my daily tea rotation. I’m not over keen on the flavour, but I can’t fault its effect!