Tiesta Tea

From SkySamurai a while ago!  Thanks so much.  An invigorating cup of matcha.  I added some matcha to the bottom of a mug then waited for the kettle water to cool about an hour (longer than I wanted) and then whisked the matcha with a fork while slowly pouring the water into the mug.  (It probably would work better with a dry mug.)   It’s tasty!  Like fresh green tea with a bit of a creamy note.  Lingering delicious flavor.  No clumping!  It passes the matcha test anyway. 

I have found a new favorite show:  Motherland: Fort Salem.  I have only watched two episodes but it is good stuff.  Hooked me within the first twenty minutes. Witches in war from historical times.  I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Thanks so much for this sample, Tiesta Tea!  I’m always up for trying any Earl Grey Cream I can get my hands on!  Those blue flowers in the blend were really making me nostalgic for my favorite Earls from the past.  It seems like good ones are hard to find these days. This one is middle of the pack of my favorites – not the best I’ve had but not the worst!  The short leaves make a robust base, which is necessary for any Earl I gravitate towards.  The bergamot is fine – not strong enough for me and also not the preferred flavor type.  I wish there was more cream.  It seems any EG that is supposed to be cream is just so very faint with the cream now.  I’m talking about every tea company.  I wonder if companies had to switch to a more natural flavor these days… I don’t prefer it.  I like the obvious thick cream notes of older blends.  To be fair, I have had this tea for almost eight months now and the flavor of the bergamot did seem stronger before… but still no cream either way.  Got to have that cream.  It is odd however, when a tea has bergamot I cannot usually pick out any flavors from the actual base.  I like this, but still on the hunt for a GREAT Earl Cream.  Especially in these sad times.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 15 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // just boiled //  3 min
2020 Sipdowns: 30 (Bird &Blend – TEA Wells)

Another tea from the box! This blend has that same fake lime flavor that lots of lime teas have, and I’m not a fan. So if you like other lime teas, it’s likely that you’d like this one. It wasn’t super chemically or anything. It was perfectly drinkable, just not to my tastes. Lime flavored food is fine, but I’ve only found one lime flavored tea that I like, sadly.

Another tea box tea. When it’s warm, there’s a strong unpleasant flavor that’s difficult to pinpoint. I can taste the peach also, but that secondary flavor is enough for me to not enjoy this cup very much. There’s supposed to be ginger in here too, but I don’t notice that too much. Once it’s totally cooled, the artificial flavor dissipates and I can taste the peach better and even a little of the ginger. This one turned out to not be so bad after all. Not great, but not bad. Just drink it cool.

I had to buy a tin of this on sale BECAUSE THERE ARE TINY BABY LEMON JELLY SLICES IN THE TEA. I love those jelly slices.  I was dubious that there were even jelly slices in the tin, for a clearance tea.  But then I spotted one and made sure to get one in the infuser!   So it was a jelly slice, a big lemon slice (that looks like blood orange which is odd) and a whole teaspoon of other goodies.  There are also supposed to be yogurt granules here which I didn’t spot too many of.  Those would add a lovely layer to the flavor.   I tried it once without a jelly slice, and the flavor did seem very tart, but tasting it with that jelly slice and it adds a much needed sweetener aspect.  I’m not sure if it all melted in the first steep.  So it’s tart and sweet.  The lime flavor isn’t exactly authentic, which is too bad.  But they needed to add the artificial lime because otherwise there are a bunch of lemon ingredients here, not lime. And the name is LIME.  The blackberry leaves are noticeable and I never really like those in a blend…. the second cup was overpowering, to the point of tasting mostly like children’s vitamins.  I love the novelty of this and it will be fun until I sip down the tin. 
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 12 minutes after boiling  // 3 minute steep
Steep #2  // 6 minutes after boiling //  4 min
2020 Sipdowns:   15 (Bird & Blend’s Bristol Breeze)

This tea is everything I was hoping it would be and more. If you are craving blueberries, this tea is perfect for you! It’s tart and SO full of blueberry flavour; there are more subtle hints of elderberry, apple, and there is just enough hibiscus. This tea is great to chill out with, and I drink it often because I don’t feel the need to add any sugar.

Additional notes: Note to self: Make sure you only get ONE pepper in a mug per steep session. And if you steep for 15+ minutes, get ready for fire.

Despite the odd name, this was on sale in summer and I had to order it along with the Pina Colada oolong I adore.  I LOVE the idea of cocoa shells with black tea and spicy pepper and this is exactly that.  The tin is FULL so even if I’m trying to mix it, for now it seems the larger goodies will remain in the top of the tin.  HUGE cocoa shells and whole tiny peppers.  The flavor is a lovely balance of spicy and chocolate — just what I was hoping.  The black tea is light now, but I’m sure it will get deeper the further down the tin I go, as the black tea is smaller than the cocoa shells or peppers. The second steep was much lighter, sadly, but MUCH more spice was apparent.   I’m very glad I was able to nab this one.  This will not just be a Christmas tea.  
Steep #1 // 1 heaping teaspoon (plus one whole pepper) for a full mug // 16 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4-5 minute steep   
2019 Sipdowns: 90 ( Fusion’s Roasted Pumpkin Mate & Kim’s Homemade chai)

This was a free sample from Tiesta Tea with my order a while back!  Thanks so much, Tiesta!  It’s an unusal mix of ingredients:  apple pieces, hibiscus, rose hips, ginger, peppercorns, honeydew melon, rose blossoms, orange blossoms.   The name says spice but I think the only “spicy” ingredient is ginger.  I’m not sure why they include peach in the name when melon is the fruit in the ingredients.  However, neither fruit is noticeable in the flavor.  Sadly, this is a TART cup though the brew isn’t that telling hibiscus scarlet — it actually is the color of a white peach.  I must have steeped too long… the tartness was like drinking lemon juice that tastes like children’s vitamins.  I have enough to keep trying… so next time I will try with a cooler temperature and less steep time.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // just boiled // 5 minute steep

Tiesta Tea sent me a couple samples with my order! Thanks so much, Tiesta Tea! If you are a passion fruit fan, hoping to find a passion fruit tea, LOOK NO FURTHER. Whoa. Upon opening the pouch, I was hit with the definite fragrance of passion fruit. So tasty and satisfying on a hot day. The black tea base is light, but that is fine with me, to showcase the passion fruit. There are other fruits here too, pineapple bits and raspberry bits, but really I can’t taste the other fruits under all this passion fruit. But the passion fruit is the star here, and it’s such a unique flavor to find in any tea! I thought I steeped it perfectly on both steeps. Both steeps had equal passion fruit goodness.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 24 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Additional notes: Steepster is being slow today. I’m just thankful it’s still with us! Thank you wizards behind the curtain!
This tea was weaker at 1 1/2 teaspoons but it’s a little better at two teaspoons. I think I’d prefer to steep it like this in the future. It’s more chocolatey and deeper. A perfectly calming hot chocolate type tea this way. OR I should have saved this for Easter… it tastes more like a chocolate cream egg candy. At least it doesn’t taste like alcohol! So uping the rating from 74.
My sore throat seemed to go away after about a week. It was the mildest sore throat.. could barely tell it was any different than usual, and I wasn’t coughing or sneezing, so not sure if I had Covid19 or not. But I’m in the NY state crazy zone so it’s a possibility right after going to the store/post office. I was/am isolating myself anyway. I found a new calming band today: Dreams We’ve Had. I hope everyone is doing okay out there! Please stay safe in these crazy times.

From my Tiesta Tea order. I had to grab a sample of a blend called a “bold chocolate black tea”. Probably because I miss so many chocolate teas that are no longer sold. But this isn’t really bold… I was really hoping for a DEEP DARK full chocolate tea but this doesn’t quite meet my expectations. I’d love if this was a murky black cup, but the brew is mahogany. The flavor is definitely chocolate, but with a weak black base, I can’t be too thrilled. The ‘creme’ in the name is also misleading… I wish it was a creamy chocolate tea. I wasn’t seeing too much chocolate in the blend: the description says both “cocoa shells and chocolate chunks”. My sample looks like mostly black tea with coriander. The coriander is interesting… I haven’t seen that in too many blends, but I have no idea how coriander should taste anyway. Wiki says “lemony” so I guess I’m glad I wasn’t tasting lemon with the chocolate. I guess the expectation of anyone can’t be matched with this one…
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 18 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep

Thanks to AliceG for this favorite. I think this tea is the same at TeBella’s mango melange. The flavor is much more orange than mango, which is too bad since I’ve been unable to find many accurate mango flavors in teas. However, this is one of my favorite fruit teas. It’s sweet, refreshing, and not at all sour. I enjoy it at room temperature best. It has a light orange flavor that is really addicting. Love it.

This is another one from AliceG. I’ve had some pretty great watermelon teas, but this one is a bit weak. Even overleafed, it’s still weak. The flavor is pleasant, if a bit artificial. So I like it, but I would choose a watermelon blend from DavidsTEA instead. Still pleasant enough, though the artificiality is more obvious as it cools. Definitely not my favorite Tiesta flavor.

Despite previous poor reviews (all 2 of them), I’m finding this tea to be pretty interesting and tasty. I sweetened it a bit, and added milk, which may have helped. It’s very fruity with a definite black undertone. I can’t taste the yerba mate that is supposedly in it, thankfully. I wouldn’t say it’s a spectacular tea that I’d buy again (it came in one of my Sips By boxes) but it’s interesting that I’ll keep the rest and drink it down.

Large chunks of dried fruit and flower petals comprise the dry leaf.
Steeps a cheerful yellow-orange color, like an egg yolk.
Perfume on the liquor is very fruity, almost candy-like.
Tastes mostly of oranges and mango— very juicy and sweet.
Yum!

First day back at work after a head cold. Still recovering. Feel lightheaded and congested. Dry office air is exacerbating sinus irritation and coughing.
Planning to down copious amounts of these Immunity teas; my timing on ordering this dry flight sampler pack of them could not have been more perfect.
This is the perfect citrusy, juicy, anti-inflammatory, Vitamin-C loaded brew.
Down the hatch!

Dry leaf is comprised of pleasingly large chunks of dried fruit, pieces of fruit peel, and hibiscus. Very pretty!
Steeps a gorgeous orange-red color.
Smells pleasantly fruity and crisp, as one would expect from citrus.
Liquor is sweet and sour— reminiscent of orange juice.
Tastes mostly of oranges.
Feels very… healthy going down. I can tell that this is loaded with vitamins and minerals and will kick any cold’s butt.
Perfect!

Additional notes: I just love this one and I just happened to visit their website and they have some teas on a 40% discontinued sale. And this tea is one of them! Which is odd because I thought it was already discontinued. But I certainly had to buy some! It was too much of a coincidence to visit the site at such a convenient time. It’s a balanced blend, fruity and creamy and when the oolong shines through in later steeps, it is the most interesting oolong. Unless it’s the soaking coconut and then the pineapple fading to the background, but the later steeps evolve into something interesting. I just want to keep steeping the same leaves. I HOPE the harvest I’m buying now is even remotely similar to the sample pouch I have. Raising the rating from a 94. If anyone wants a $10 referral code for Tiesta, let me know.

Thank you for the sale, Ost! This blend sounded dreamy – oolong, coconut, pineapple. Couldn’t resist trying it. LUCKILY it turned out very similarly to what I was imagining! The coconut isn’t bad yet, which is a great sign. BIG coconut shavings. Chunks of pineapple. The flavor is an even balance of pineapple with hints of coconut. There is a sweetness to it, which is nice. All on a base of oolong which is a great idea. I can tell looking at the leaves in the infuser that the oolong isn’t the best quality, but hey, it’s a blend and the additional ingredients are tasty enough. The third steep is ridiculously creamy and smooth somehow, while still having a ton of pineapple flavor and now I wish I had saved the leaves before tossing them for a fourth cup. It’s a shame – no other tasting notes for this one.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 9 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min

The trick with this one is to drink it when it’s extremely cooled-down. The flavor really develops as the water temp lowers.
Steeps a muddy pinkish red color.
An oily flim forms on top of the liquor.
If you sip it while it’s still hot, it tastes like water with a twinge of hibiscus tartness.
Once it cools, it tastes of raspberry tartness, fruity, and not super chocolatey, which is surprising because there are huge chunks of chocolate in the dry leaf.
It has an oily, thick mouthfeel.
Not my favorite thing in the world as a hot beverage. But it would definitely be good as an iced tea.

Another tea from my “dry flight” Immunity variety pack.
I really, really liked this one!
Liquor is a ruddy, brownish- red color.
Dry leaf and liquor both smell of chocolate and ginger.
Brothlike/ creamy mouthfeel.
Notes of cocoa, wood, wet earth, and ginger.
Lightly spicy and very warming.
Yum!