Christina / BooksandTea Send Message

Repost from last night: some of what I wrote was missing, even though it showed up when I tried to edit it.

And finally, we have the last of the flavoured oolong teas that I ordered in my sample pack from Teavivre!

I tried to brew this gong-fu style: a 20-second rinse with hot water to wake the leaves up, then 4 steeps of 1 tsp with 8 oz of leaf in ~85°C water. The first steep was under 1 minute, steeps 2 and 3 were about 1 minute, and steep 4 was 2 minutes. Even after 4 steeps, the leaves hadn’t completely unfurled, which I think is pretty remarkable – it speaks to how many steeps are actually possible with this tea.

I’ve never had ginseng, so I didn’t know what to expect from this tea. The leaves were tightly curled into nuggets and looked like they were coated in a fine dusting of dark green powder – I assume this was the ginseng flavouring.

All four times, the tea was strongly nutty, and had a musty, earthy flavour which I assume was the ginseng. It was distinctive, I’ll give it that. The earthy flavour wasn’t quite vegetal or bright in the way that green teas are, but there was a taste to it that reminded me of cooked spinach – or rather, I had a spinach and feta pastry for dinner tonight, and the mix of the two flavours reminded me of the tea. Something very deep green like that.

It’s not a bad oolong tea, but I don’t think it’s right for me. I can see why others would appreciate it though. Of the 4 flavoured oolongs in my sampler pack, I think I prefer the osmanthus oolong first, then the flavoured milk oolong after that, both of which I would prefer over this variety.

That said: would anyone here like to receive the remaining sample of this tea that I have available? Feel free to comment or send me a private message.

I got this to-go at the David’s near Union Station on the path.

This tea, both dry and brewed, smells heavenly – like orange with a hint of cream. However, even with a bit of sweetener, the taste of the orange is very muted, and it’s even a bit medicinal. Perhaps it’s best to describe it as ‘subtle’, but what I was hoping for instead was something a bit…bolder perhaps? Even a bit more like an orange popsicle?

Sample sipdown!

Thanks again to aisling of tea and De for providing me with a sample of this. This was a pretty nice blend! Large, fluffy leaves, hints of orange and mint – quite refreshing. The orange and mint were much more noticeable in this cup, and were much more blended together. I’m not sure if I’ll keep restock this, but it’s certainly satisfying.

Sample sipdown!

The second steep this time wasn’t as sweet as I remembered it. In any event, I have one fewer variety of tea in my cupboard, and considering the number of teas I should be receiving soon in swaps, that’s a good thing. A nice simple tea to round out my Sunday evening, after watching a few Shakespearean BBC productions.

Thanks again to aisling of tea and De for sharing a sample of this with me.

This tea brews up soft light, and there’s an intensely floral/fruity smell to it. I can smell raspberries and grapes, but there’s also some rose (?) going on. Not quite sure how to put my finger on it.

Anyways, the taste is quite similar: floral and fruity, though I suspect the fruit would be even more apparent if I added some sweetener.

A nice way to start off Sunday morning: a very fragrant, soft tea. Unfortunately, this tea appears to be discontinued, so I wouldn’t be able to restock it if I wanted to.

I’ve been eyeing this tea for a while after De and aisling of tea gave me a sample, and I decided to try it this morning.

The leaves were quite fluffy so I don’t know how many teaspoons I used, but I think it had to be at least 4. The first sip when the tea was hot was a pretty neutral flavour – I could taste the green and some of the white. But as the tea cools down, the mint really comes out to play.

This isn’t an intensely minty tea, but it does have a nice sharpness to it that is accentuated by the citrus. The citrus itself is extremely light (I think I only found one piece of orange peel in my leaves), but everything plays together like good little children. I don’t know if I’ll have time to resteep this before I head out though.

I officially “broke in” my Sweet Indulgence package of teas from David’s by trying this blend this morning.

Given that I don’t drink much black tea, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is a really nice, smooth cup! Right after steeping, the strongest smell and taste was of the vanilla, especially in the aftertaste. As it cooled, the bergamot came out a bit, but vanilla still seems to be the strongest flavour, both scent and taste-wise. As it cools down even more, I can smell deeper notes, like chocolate, which merges nicely with the vanilla. I added about half a spoonful of agave syrup to bring out the sweetness, and it really works. A lovely way to start the day.

Backlog from yesterday evening:

I got this from the Balzac’s Cafe at the Reference Library and just stared off into space for a bit while drinking it. It was a nice mental holiday.

This is a very smooth blend, with no one spice taking predominance over the others. I could taste the cloves, pepper, and ginger, and the cinnamon seemed like a little platform underneath it. The cloves were strongest in the scent and at the beginning of the sip, with the pepper being strongest in the aftertaste. Overall, a nice, relaxing cup.

Backlog from yesterday afternoon:

I got this to-go from the David’s Tea at Yonge and Dundas, and chose this one after also considering their Orange Blossom and Currant Affair teas. I asked to have some agave syrup added, but I don’t think they did, because I didn’t taste any sweetness at all.

Anyways, this tea brewed up a lovely summery yellow and smelled very citrusy. Oddly enough, I thought I smelled a pop of licorice underneath, making the citrus smell even deeper, but perhaps that was the mint.

The taste was mild but tart. I think the strongest taste was the gooseberries, rather than the citrus. The rose was also present, I think. This was pleasant enough overall, but I’m not sure if I’d want to stock it in my cupboard.

I woke up craving this tea, even though I probably need something with more caffeine. I opened the packet containing this tea, and inhaled the glorious, sweet jasmine scent. I boiled the water. I checked the temperature. I watched the clock as it brewed, waiting for my first taste of jasmine ambrosia….

And then I was disappointed. This tea tastes flat today somehow. The throat drying sensation of the jasmine doesn’t really pop, and it’s not as sweet as I remember.

Here’s the thing: I’ve been trying a lot of new teas lately. And I’ve been disappointed that the flavours were flat, dusty, nothing special, whatever. But when that same feeling happens with a tea I’ve had before, that I know I like? There’s got to be something else wrong. Maybe it’s not the tea’s fault.

Is something wrong with the water? Do I need to clean out my kettle? More investigation is necessary.