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Bagged tea sipdown. I usually just drink Lipton Iced, as I hate bagged teas hot. But I did this one at 212 degrees, let the water cool 5 min, then steeped for literally 60sec. Tastes fine. Pretty cheap flavor, but not strong or bitter.

Scent of leaves/stems: very strong notes of roasted edamame, straw, and grain/nuts

Infusion: golden amber with a scent of popcorn kernals

Potent brew. The tea is good, but the flavor is a bit powerful. Makes the room smell heavily of edamame and popcorn kernals. Tastes about the same. Smooth with no bitterness or astringency, but very powerful. I’d drink it if it was offered, but I wouldn’t brew this myself…way too aromatic

Another pick from the Steepster Select box.

Pretty standard. Was expecting more of a coffee/bitter brew, but was pleasantly surprised by what seems as a normal breakfast tea. A little astringent, but not too overbearing. I’m getting more of a note of wood than any fruit. The after taste at the back of my tongue is slightly reminiscent of grape skin…a little tart/bitter, but not too fruity. I’m not picking up on the grapes though. Doesn’t need milk or sugar, as it is pleasant on its own, but I will try a little sweetener to see if any more notes come out…

1 sugar in the raw packet seems to make it taste of sweetened wood (huh?) with the slightest note of chocolate toward the tail end. But that might just be the natural molasses in the sugar cane.

2nd sample from the steepster select box. Never had a Keemun before, so I lack the knowledge of what I should be looking for.

Didn’t really care for this one all too much. I found that towards the end, it was getting rather bitter, and the smokey wood taste was starting to get to me. I’ m not a big fan of smokey tea (Lapsang Souchong…blecchhhhkkk). Not sure if it was just this Keemun that was smokey, but if they are all like that, I’m definitely gonna have to pass

First sample from the Steepster Select box I won! Woohoo!

I chose this as a sample because I was at a nice folksy-hipster restaurant the other day and they had a wide assortment of loose leaf tea. I always try to get a pot to finish my meal with, and I wanted to try their Organic Darjeeling FTGFOP from the Makaibari Estate. It was TREMENDOUSLY delicious, and so I bought some…don’t know what it is, but it tastes like low quality tea…I’ve been messing with the temperature and duration, but have yet to find a combo that yields as good a result as I had in the restaurant. I went back the next day and ordered another pot, and it was just as delicious as the first, so I don’t know what I’m doing wrong….but I digress….

Anyways, this brewed up a beautiful red. Initial scent was of pine nuts or chestnuts? I’m not sure, but something a little nutty. Since this is my first actual Darjeeling (well, second I guess…), I don’t know what to expect or look for. Tastes like black tea to me! Haha. But in all seriousness, I’m not really picking up the muscatel notes. The Darjeeling I had in the restaurant was almost malty and grapey…it was fruity, with the mouth-feel of eating grapes. I swear, I understood the whole “muscat grape” description. I’m not really getting that with this one. It’s a little astringent towards the back end, but that might also just be because I was eating cinnamon Life cereal earlier (whoops!). Definitely will have to edit and give this one another chance with the 2nd packet they supplied. Decent tea, but still unknowing of what to expect.

EDIT: After nearing the end of the cup, I definitely notice the strong aroma of grapes and wine, but I am not picking up the flavor

Initial scent of brew: metal, earth, wet sticks, and a little smoke (incense?).

Smooth and slightly vegetal; not very grassy, and not strong like other greens I’ve had. I’m not picking up on the citrus that everyone talks about, but that’s ok. The vegetable flavor seems to be more muted than others, which I actually appreciate. Seems fairly standard, but that’s ok by me :)

Initial scent of cup: earth, leather, roasted nuts

Wow. Never really experienced a tea quite like this. It’s different…robust and hearty. Definitely full-bodied. I never really knew what that meant but I think this is a cup that sums it up. Rich. Astringent towards the back of the mouth, but not bitter…another key note I’ve never experienced in a cup before! It packs a little bit of that astringent bite, but it doesn’t linger, which is nice. A great cup of tea to wake you up in the morning if you’re needing that caffeine kick, but not a tea I would like to drink all day long as I get more of a “get up and go” punch than a “kick back and relax” feel.

Again, great cup to wake you up, but not something you’d want to relax with.
EDIT: Takes sugar very well

Golden yellow brew. Smells of vegetables and iron..? Some sort of metallic earthiness to it.

Brewing turned out great! Was unsure how long I should steep this as the samples didn’t come with instructions, but I think I did well considering there was no bitterness. This isn’t like a typical green tea, which I think I like. I’m not the biggest fan of greens because they usually taste very vegetal, but this one is a bit more complex. I pick up hints of metal/copper at the forefront (but not in a bad way), which is followed by an almost sea-weed type flavor mixed with steamed broccoli or fresh green beans. An interesting cup, and I honestly don’t mind the different profile. I may not be dying to keep this in stock, but I will definitely drink the rest of this. For some reason, this seems a bit easier to go down than most green teas I’ve had. I would describe the mouth-feel as rich and smooth.

EDIT: As I sit with the cup a little longer, the metallic notes seem to die down a bit and aren’t as pronounced. Delicious cup; possibly changes my views on green tea!

This sample came with the Almond Plum Perfection I bought. 1oz of tea suggested for 16 ounces of water…typical Teavana! Loads of sugar and a large tea-to-water ratio. Oh well, Teavana knows best!

Tastes just like the samples you’d get in the store! For not being a big fan of flavored teas and herbals, this one was actually really good. A little heavy on the sugar. But the flavor is really nice and warming. Cinnamon, spice, and everything nice. Chai. Kind of velvety on the tip of my tongue.

Pretty good, but I can taste some of the artificial flavoring at the back of my mouth. My mouth is really sensitive. If someone offered this to me, I’d drink it. But I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to keep it stocked and on-hand. Pretty good, would be interested in tasting it without the sugar.