440 Tasting Notes
Chocolate mint was one of my first teas from the Tea Haus, and is one of my favourite flavours to have in tea. I haven’t had this one in two years, though, and my chocolate mint cravings have been met for the last while with Read My Lips from David’s Tea. Lately I’ve been curious about how this one would compare to RML, and so when we roadtripped up recently to the store I got a small package to re-try.
Sipped black, the mint definitely dominates in this tea. I got only a slight chocolate note, but it was still nice. I knew that I used to drink this one with milk and sugar, so I added some sweetener, and curiously it only heightened the mint. I still couldn’t find the richer chocolate notes I remembered. Determined not to give up, I added a little milk.
AHA! There was my chocolate! With milk and sugar, this tea became the most delicious combination of mint and chocolate and finally rivalled my RML. I’m going to have to do a side my side next time to figure out which I like better and will remain a constant in my cupboard.
Preparation
Did this one up as a cold steep Saturday evening at the request of aisling so she could try it. It is interesting iced . . the fruit notes definitely become more prominent, and they themselves are lovely. The tea notes though seem . . . not quite right. And my stomach reacts to it in an unpleasant way. I don’t think I’ll be cold steeping this one again.
Haven’t had this one since I reviewed it ages ago, and so I’m revisiting it tonight. Dry, the leaves smell almost chocolate like! I didn’t notice that before and it made me smile as I scooped it out of the tin. Once brewed the broth is a beautiful colour, almost that of a dark brown brandy with just hints of red notes. I’d seriously serve this just because it looks so pretty.
First impressions on first sip is . . malt. Definite strong malt although still a light broth. It’s interestingly unique that way to me. As I sip a bit more I get almost . . barley? Oh, and there is the astringency I remember from last time.
If you like Assams, this is definitely a great tea to try. I’m offering samples if anyone’s interested!
Preparation
This is definitely a great example of an Assam. It is deep in flavour and very malty, with an astrigency that only hit after I was more than halfway through my cup. It brewed to a beautiful dark brown and I’d almost forgotten that an Assam could actually taste this way after a few weaker ones I’ve had lately. The first sips took me by surprise, they were so full of flavour.
That said, apparently I’m not the biggest Assam fan right now in my tea journey. I used to love them but I know despite this being an absolutely amazing quality tea, I just won’t be reaching for it. So, it is up for trade. If you’re interested, just drop me Steepster message! I’m not rating it solely because its my personal tastes and not the quality that would give it a lower number.
Preparation
I want to like this one. I want to love this one. But I can totally understand where Aisling was coming from when she said she couldn’t really finish her thermos of it. There are blueberry notes, and the black tea is prevalent, but I just felt like the combination wasn’t . . . exactly what I was looking for. I shall have to play.
Preparation
So a person at work here got the 24 days of tea for Christmas and has barely touched it. Shocking horror I know! But we benefit since she brought it into work and has let us go to town with it. Since I was in the mood for something slightly soothing and caffeine free I grabbed an old favourite. Like always it was just what I needed to get through what has quickly become a hellish night at work. You’d think being a librarian meant happy people with smiles, not downright b****es who think the world is owed to them on a silver platter and lie to get whatever they want.
This was a nice cup tonight before bed. Hints of mint mixed with natural raspberry notes! It was nice and mellow and relaxing, which after a weekend of work and tea party sleepover, was exactly what I was looking for in a mug. As I drank I debated if I was going to try this one iced but ultimately I decided that it might get a little scary if I cold steeped it. The mint is nice and an undernote when brewed hot, but I suspect a cold steep would bring it out in focus, contrasting against the fruit. Still though, a lovely tea overall!
Preparation
I finished this cup about half an hour ago and my mouth and throat still feel extremely dry. I have no idea what exactly is causing the reaction but since I tend to run toward dry mouth naturally, I am not enjoying it.
The tea itself wasn’t bad. I didn’t get much jasmine (which is good since I don’t enjoy it) and the tropica flavour is nice. But the tea as a whole wasn’t memorable for me. Considering how pretty it looks in the cannister, I expected more from the steep.
