17 Tasting Notes
Nice concept for a bagged green tea. When you open the jar you will find matcha powder dusted over all the tea bags, which is a pleasant experience and smells great. The matcha tastes great too.
However the leaves are cut and thus the strength is rather weak. This is a bit of disappointment and makes the taste experience underwhelming. I find myself wanting a stronger green.
Steep it for at least three minutes for a stronger flavor.
Preparation
The flavor is mild, similar to most white teas that I’ve tasted. As it cools a bit though, the peach flavor comes through very nicely with no over-steeped sensation. It smells great, and I like the blend of flavors very much, as I can imagine peach, pineapple, and floral notes. It just takes a while to get there; for the first few minutes it tastes like hot water.
Preparation
Wow. Lapsang is my new love.
Peet’s offering doesn’t seem as strong as Xanadu’s, but it offers more in complexity. It’s toastier, with more presence of wood and carbon rather than smoke. If I must compare the two brands… Xanadu’s should be drunk by those with giant mustaches, and Peet’s should be enjoyed by those with neatly trimmed beards.
With so many interesting aromatic elements, it’s equally enjoyable to smell as it is to drink. Let me rephrase that… it’s wonderful to smell!!
Update: tastes better at around 2.5 minutes rather than my usual 3.5 for black teas. Not as papery (what I refer to as carbon).
Preparation
Consistent with the Dilmah name, this tea is comprised of delicious, high quality ceylon tea leaves. The cardamom flavor is strong, but not overwhelming. Easy to drink, with no tannic aftertaste.
Highly recommended, especially if you like pure spice flavors.
Preparation
I’m convinced that Celestial Seasonings does great blends :)
Although this tea tastes more like caramel than chai, it’s really good! It’s like drinking dessert with a little spice kick. Smells and tastes great.
Definitely gets my recommendation.
Preparation
This tea is good. Even when drunk black, it has no bitterness and few tannins! Not as bright as Lipton but I detect maple and a papery, slightly earthy flavor… interesting. Easy to drink until the last drop. But it’s also great with milk and sugar.
This box of tea was given to my wife as a very nice gift from a Sri Lankan student. I don’t know where to find it again.
Preparation
It’s a staple in my tea cupboard… but I can’t say that I enjoy it black. It’s bitter, tannic, and incredibly strong.
But it’s great with milk and sugar. It’s English Breakfast’s stronger, meaner brother. For when you feel like punching Lipton in the arm.
Preparation
Eck.
As soon as the tea started steeping, I thought I smelled an old trash can. It was drinkable at first, but a few minutes into it, my wife and I realized that it was bad.
The “tea for sweethearts” idea was cute, but it didn’t work. Someone else commented that a black tea base rather than rooibos would have been more successful, and I agree.
I would have a difficult time choosing between drinking this tea again and licking a dog’s butt. Unfortunately, the cup of tea doesn’t afford the benefit of a cute dog face at the other end.
