1120 Tasting Notes
It’s probably worth mentioning that the smell of this is extremely strong and orange-y; when I got it I had a friend of mine sniff it and they practically jumped away. I happen to love the smell, though.
This is yummy! I love the combination of the various fruits here, and the mint adds a little something special. I only wish that I had more of this, or that I’d gotten it a few months ago. It seems like it’d be a perfect summertime iced tea, and it’s highly unlikely it’ll last that long!
After a little bit of experimenting with steep times, this doesn’t seem like it benefits from steeping more than the recommended 5-7 minutes.
Preparation
This currently stands as my favorite tea as well as the tea I’ve drunken the most of — I’m about halfway through my second 4oz bag, and relieved that even though Specialteas is gone, there seem to be several companies with similar or identical blends.
The almond and cinnamon flavors are a perfect combination. It doesn’t remind me of a cookie, necessarily, but I can see the resemblance. I like to add sweetener or brown sugar for extra oomph, but someone with less of a sweet tooth probably wouldn’t need to. Unlike some flavored teas, the taste doesn’t need to be coaxed out, and even when it’s made poorly it’s still yummy. It’s amazingly soothing, perfect for a cold day. Joy and warmth in a cup.
Absolutely crazy about this tea. If it sounds even remotely intriguing to you, get some, you won’t regret it!
Preparation
This one smells pleasantly spicy dry, and rather almond-y after steeping. But once again, the taste isn’t half as nice as the scent. It’s more flavorful than my other sample, but that flavor seems very fake, even chemical-y.
Two samples from Design a Tea, two failures. It’s a shame; it could have been such a wonderful and unique option for tea shopping.
Preparation
Design a Tea sounded like fun, so I decided to try a few of their samples! This one is the first of two.
This one has a pleasant smell both dry and after steeping; I was happy to be able to pick out the scents of both chestnut and hazelnut. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the taste. It was difficult to taste any flavoring, and as the tea cooled it became impossible. In fact, the cooled tea barely reminded me of tea at all; it seemed more like warm water with a vaguely tea-esque taste.