Todd & Holland

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56
drank Rooibos Truffle by Todd & Holland
95 tasting notes

I was a bit surprised by the recommendation to brew at 185. Most rooiboses (rooibosi?) I make call for 200-boiling and a longer steep time (this called for 3-5 minutes but I went along with the brewing instructions. Now, I can’t say for sure how this tastes as I had it after eating a truffle flatbread pizza (Trader Joe’s and A-MAZING!) so I’m sure that was influencing my tastebuds a little. It just tasted kinda weak and flavorless. There was a pricing discrepancy and this isn’t part of their regular catalog (I added the description based on what I could recall from the bag) so I wonder if the steeping instructions weren’t a misprint too. I’ll try it again with hotter water and a longer steep time and see if that helps (couldn’t hurt since it’s a rooibos).

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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46
drank Amaretti Cookie by Todd & Holland
95 tasting notes

I tried this one again today with a lower temp (200 degrees) and a 3ish minute steep time (I say ish because my husband was using both the oven timer and the microwave so I had to estimate). The dryness is gone, however, there’s something in the finish that I just don’t care for – it’s almost chemically (yes, that’s a technical term). I wonder if, in addition to the almonds, they used some sort of artificial almond flavoring and that’s what I’m tasting? It’s not terrible, but it’s not good either.

I did discover earlier in the week, however, that it’s excellent when added to Matevana (I had two sets of leaves that needed to be resteeped or tossed so I steeped them together to avoid wasting one of them).

I do have a cold so I’ll hold off complete judgement until after trying this one more time on it’s own minus the post-nasal drip, but I might finish this one off in a matevana blend.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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46
drank Amaretti Cookie by Todd & Holland
95 tasting notes

I don’t know why, but Todd and Holland black teas leave my mouth feeling like the Sahara but I may have figured it out. Their steeping instructions call for boiling water and a steep time of 3-5 minutes. My other black teas (primarily Teavana) call for a shorter steep and slightly lower temperatures. I think next time I’ll try a lower temp and shorter steep.

Otherwise, this tastes pretty good, albeit a little bitter (probably overbrewed). The almond notes are subtle but they are there. A nice addition to my tea cabinet.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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97

I had to bump the rating on this up. I spent a lazy day just rebrewing this over and over. I gave up after 7 since it was bedtime. It was delish each time. I had time to enjoy the slight changes. Smooth, silky, and a light caramelized milk flavor.

It’s very pricey, but I think I could drink this all over again. One for enjoyment.

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97

This is my first milk oolong. I’m onto my 3rd brew…this is some good stuff! The rebrews aren’t getting weaker…yay. Very smooth. I didn’t get the milk flavor until it cooled down. I let it sit til it was cold, and it came out even more. I think for the price, I am not sure it’s worth it. This style is likable, I wanted to taste more butteryiness to it!

I am glad I tried it.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 30 sec

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89

I LOVE this tea! The fragrance is nice and delicate and it tastes amazing, like a little celebration in a cup (I even drank it on NYE in leiu of actual champagne!). I brew according to the directions on the bag and it turns out perfectly. Since I’m a sweetie, I add a little splenda, but not much as the flavor is delicate too and I don’t want to overpower it.

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87
drank Cocoa Cay by Todd & Holland
95 tasting notes

This tea shop is right near me so after discovering Teavana and wanting to explore more tea I headed there. This was the first non-teavana loose tea I bought and I was not dissapointed. Delicate in aroma and flavor, great with a little sugar (total sweet tooth here). I have not tried brewing it since I got my variable temperature kettle and before then I would just put water in a mug, put that mug in the microwave set it for about 2 minutes and hope for the best. I’m sure once I actually have the right temperature it’ll be even better.

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94

Thanks to Mel for the sample of this!
I am very skeptical about milk oolong. Not because I’ve had one before, but because I’ve heard so much ‘controversy’ over them, whether you can find a genuine one or whether it is artificially flavored.

Well, I am on my 5th steeping (I think?) and it is still delicious. Actually, in some ways I think it might be getting better!
I didn’t preheat the pot, but simply used the quick rinse with boiling water to preheat it.
I started with steeps just under boiling for 15 seconds, 15 again, 25, 30, and now 40.

The aroma of the heated leaf was delicious, and the color of the liquor was a very clear yellow/green. The taste/aroma was like sweet cream + butter of popcorn. SO good.
The 2nd and 3rd steeps were somewhat muted; I was at this point wondering whether it was genuine or not. Again, not that I’d have anything to go by other than the milk flavor giving out after a steep or two. The 3rd one in particular made my mouth dry, it was somewhat parching, almost like sand paper? It was still decently good though, so I drank it up.

Now to the 5th steeping, the sweet, subtle flowery aftertaste is powerful and fills the throat. We’ll see if it will continue further. Though I’ve had Tie Kuan Yin many times, for my first experience with specifically a ‘milk’ oolong, this is a very good one.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 45 sec
Geoffrey Norman

If it’s a Ti Guanyin from Quanzhou Province, China, chances are it’s an authentic milk (or silk) oolong. If it’s from Taiwan, it’s a “Jin Xuan” and is merely scented with milk.

Shinobi_cha

I don’t know for sure, because I got it in a swap and it looks like the info. on the tea here is very limited. However, based on the fact that it really had lots of flavor through many infusions, I’m guessing it wasn’t scented or flavored.

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78
drank Purple Rain by Todd & Holland
335 tasting notes

I had to bump up the rating since it is very tasty iced. The sencha in it was so tasty. If only I liked grape!

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78
drank Purple Rain by Todd & Holland
335 tasting notes

Not going to lie, I bought this tea for the name. I love me some Prince! When I bought and smelled it at the store, I didn’t realize it was grape. I read the ingreidents, and thought it sounded good. If I knew it was suppose to be grape, I probably wouldn’t have bought it.

Anyways, I tried it iced. Before I sipped it, I could taste grape! I was hoping for the other dried fruit to come out, but it didn’t. It is naturally sweet, no sugar needed for this one. I did like the sencha in this, too, like Sarah. If the flavoring wasn’t grape, but cranberry or raspberry, I would love this tea. Being grape, it’s just ok. If you love Concord grape, this tea has it!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 0 sec
JacquelineM

I once bought a nailpolish simply because it was called Purple Rain :)

Sarah Ruthven

I feel the same way! The ingredients seems wasited because all I could taste was the grape. I guess I always feel this way about grape things though :) Now if there could just be a tea called Raspberry Beret!

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82
drank Brazilian Delight by Todd & Holland
335 tasting notes

I just figured out, from googling the ingredients of the tea, that this is White Acai Luminesence by SpecialTeas. http://steepster.com/teas/specialteas/10638-white-acai-luminesence?post=68442

I still love this tea…even though SpecialTeas has decided to go and leave me.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Sarah Ruthven

I love teas that can be rebrewed, seems like it is worth a try and a trip to Todd & Holland is never a bad thing ;)

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97

My first loose leaf tea experience was with a green tea at Todd & Holland’s Tea Merchants shop in Forest Park, IL. This green tea is bright and aromatic and truly delicious. I really get into the flavorings but this tea simply does not need them. Grassy and robust, I salavate when brewing (too much info possibly?) I also love the education that comes with stopping in and sipping tea. That is where I learned that I like early picked green tea right after the rains (said in the most snobbish voice I could muster). It is pricey thus not making it a 100 but worth the money for such a quality tea.

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84

I upped my rating on this tea after trying it again today. I just recently got a tea thermometer to better gauge my water temp and it made all the difference in the world for me. It did not need honey after all, just needed to be steeped correctly! It still reminds me a lot of the holidays with such a good balance of sweet and tangy!

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84

This one challenged my tastebuds in a good way. I was unsure at first about green tea with chocolate but once I sipped it all made sense. It is a pretty tea as well with the little stars generously sprinkled throughout. Not sure I would drink this all year round like I normally would with a good green tea but I do think it makes for fun winter and holiday sipping. I like it with just a tiny bit of honey.

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51

This is a great green tea (in terms of quality) and the fruit flavor has a good balance with the tea. The grape flavor is good but I think a little too sweet. It is good for sipping when it is pipping hot, as it cools the flavor gets out of balance. I like it brewed one hot cup at a time. I have not had this tea cold but I would imagine it would be yummy cold!

Mel

I just bought this, maybe more because I am a major Prince fan. I smelled it at the store, didn’t realize it was grape flavor. I am going to try this cold…

Sarah Ruthven

I have to admit I bought it for the Prince reference as well! My sister really likes it…you’ll have to review it here so we can discuss :)

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85

Sipdown no. 141 of the year 2014. I’m still one sipdown behind to keep up with the daily count, but I have another one lined up. If only I can get to it today.

It continues to be a good, strong breakfast blend with a lot of brightness to it from the darjeeling. It’s going on the shopping list.

Things are continuing to be rather crazed on this end. Several emergencies at work, plus little league season, plus no. 2’s after-birthday party coming up on Sunday.

Continued apologies for not reading/commenting as much as I’d like.

keychange

It’s ok—you take care of you and yours right now. We’ll be here when the dust settles :)

__Morgana__

Thanks :-)

I am worried I may have O.D.‘d on tea a little and that’s why I’m not craving it/drinking it much these past few days. I need to remind myself to do things in moderation.

ifjuly

i’m the same way, and have had those times too. i think we all understand. (:

__Morgana__

That’s why you guys are so awesome!

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85

As part of the project to sip down open sample packets (which is frankly not going all that well because I keep opening more), I’m turning to this one which has been sitting in the “to be drunk soon” sample box since my original note. At least it’s an older open sample, so it fulfills the primary goal of the project better than sipping down something I opened yesterday. Not that this is in a position to be sipped down… yet.

I have a lot of breakfast blends but I haven’t had any in a while? Seems like my order in the morning has gone: Earl Grey, flavored black, another flavored black or an unflavored single tea black. I’m reminded of how much I enjoy good breakfast blends.

This one has the heft of a cup of coffee without an unpleasant throat bite and indeed, rather a smoothness to it. The Darjeeling addition really makes it interesting as it adds both a softness and what I called before a “perkiness” to the flavor.

Very enjoyable morning eye-opener.

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85

Clue No. 1

Ever since Geek Pride Day came and went, I have been feeling guilty for not doing it justice. I just couldn’t get it together to do anything prior to or on the actual day. I was too busy being on vacation. But Rabs and Ewa inspired me, and so I’m going to take the position that every day ought to be Geek Pride Day and therefore, this little homage isn’t late at all.

It’s a little mystery game. Here’s how it will work.

This is the first tasting note in a series of four. The names of the teas tasted, taken together, provide clues that are intended to lead to the answer. The correct answer is something likely to be known to geeks of a particular stripe and of a particular era, i.e., it’s a little dated, but then so am I.

There is no prize. It’s just for fun and bragging rights if you guess correctly. If no one guesses the answer after the fourth note, I’ll either try to come up with additional tea names for clues, or will at that point provide further hints. Feel free to guess at any time — you don’t need to wait for subsequent notes. To start you off, in addition to the name of this tea, I will tell you that the fact that this is structured as a mystery game is no accident.

Now, for the first tea (in case you’re actually here to find out what German Breakfast is like).

In the sample packet, it smells delicious — very aromatic black teas in this. It’s roasty and earthy and has a hint of sweetness. The leaves are small and I can see some tips in there.

The aroma of the tea is sweet and malty. It smells smooth. Very inviting. It’s a medium/dark black tea colored liquor. Reddish more than orange.

Yum. It’s billed as T&H’s strongest breakfast blend, but at 3 minutes of steeping it’s very tasty without any additives. I don’t feel I’m being slapped around. More like forcefully coaxed into wakefulness. It has an interesting mouthfeel similar to what I found in the Yunan from LeafSpa. It’s thick in a similar way, but not quite as thick as the Yunan.

There’s a bright, almost bubbly note to it from the darjeeling that gives it the illusion of being less full bodied than I think it is. I’m starting to think of the word “perky” when I taste darjeeling. But the taste is mellower and without the distinctive darjeeling flavor that can tend toward the sharp. This is rounder and softer. I wouldn’t call it sweet, but it tends that way, and tends even more that way in the aftertaste. A malty, grainy sweetness.

This will get into at least a semi-final breakfast blend round. I could see it going all the way.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Adham

Yay, more fun and games! Looking forward to the other clues/tasting notes -

Rabs

Castle Wolfenstein? :D

Rabs

Oh! And most importantly: this is a brilliant idea :D

Ewa

Yeee, this is so cool! And you are totally right, every day SHOULD be geek pride day :D

__Morgana__

Thanks, I’m glad you like the idea! Hope it turns out to be fun. Rabs, good guess with Wolfenstein, however, it isn’t Wolfenstein. Try again. :)

RachanaC (Rachel)-iHeartTeas

Surly you can’t be serious… LOL too cool “Geeks rule, nerds drool.”

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67

Brewed this strong, using 1 1/2 tsp to 12 oz hot water. Intense flavor, green tea and olives. Had a sharp taste and was quite tannic, leaving your mouth feeling clean. Was not as complex in flavor as some other Darjeelings…the tannins were a bit strong. Nonetheless, was a good morning wakeup. Alas, I’m out…so this is the last cup.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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67

Ok, yes, I’m running through my library of tea. This is something completely different from my usual fare. 1 1/2 teaspoons in a 2 cup pot. Steeped 3-4 minutes. Light straw color. Fresh mowed grass smell. Light, tannic, cleansing in the mouth. Best drank hot…as it cools the tannins seem to become overwhelming. A little reheat and its good to go.

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100

Drinking this wonderful tea this morning. Just a nice good quality tea to laze away a Sunday with.

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100

The leaves are red rooibos leaves with very visible pieces of chocolate. I’m saying that I could’ve picked out the chocolate pieces and eaten them. The bag mentions there’s also supposed to be sour cherry, but what I saw was just rooibos and chocolate. I brewed according to bag directions (5min, boiling water, etc.) and then poured. The chocolate cherry smell rose from the cup into a wonderful, comforting smell, with just a hint of rooibos. On first taste, I got the subtle hint of sour cherry on my tongue that faded into chocolate. A delicious blend of sour cherry, chocolate and rooibos. Definitely ordering again once I’m out. So in love with this tea!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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75

I enjoyed a cup of this tea this evening after dinner. It’s a lovely light apricot flavor. I should have had a slice of apricot bread with it — my mother-in-law brought some today.

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