440 Tasting Notes
Oh yum. This is a staple in my collection but one that I often overlook because I keep it in a seperate area to the bulk of my collection. When I do grab it though, especially on mornings where I need a kick, it is like a bear hug from a good friend who I’ve known forever. Comforting and uplifting and just delicious.
Continuing my trend of reviewing my backlog at 4am when I have insomnia! I finally dived into my sample of this one today after losing it at the back of the basket for a little while. Pineapple is not a favourite fruit of mine, be it in spears, cubes, or on pizza (SHUDDER!). But sometimes teas change things into marvelousness, and so the oolong had to be tried.
And I am really glad I did. This was a lovely mellow tea with pineapple notes but they didn’t override the tea. The first cup was much more pineappley but second steep was perfect for a non-lover like me. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this one will blend with some of my other oolongs, especially other fruit flavours. I think it’ll be a great tea to highlight others!
I have a feeling that what is supposed to be the main star of this tea is what is going to make me not buy it again. I really enjoyed the spice mix of the chai, cinnamon is always a winner with me (my favourite chai tea is the Cinnamon Rooibos Chai at David’s), but it couldn’t compensate for the other ingredients. At first I thought what bothered me was the stevia, since the tea had that fake sweetness to it that tends to turn my stomach. Imagine my surprise when I tried the straight guayusa and found out that was part of the problem here. Sadly guayusa isn’t for me, so neither is this chai. On the bright side it has made me fall in love with mate after re-visiting them.
I went into this one with trepidation, having so far very bad luck with any of the teas David has done with “brittle pieces”. Dry the scent doesn’t match what I have ever had as a toasted marshmallow, but really, how much of a scent does one have other than burnt sugar?
First sips I was . . . mixed. It didn’t suck, so I sipped on, adding a half teaspoon of sugar. This brought out a few flavours but still it wasn’t my toasted marshmallow. It was more as if the marshmallow’d been cooked in an oven with spices rather than open a fire. It was missing that smokey amazing goodness which was the whole reason I’d roast marshmallows in the first place. I’m the queen of doing them so they’re just ever so lightly brown and are soooo delicious and no burnt taste to be found, just smoke.
I’m still on the search for my summer marshmallow tea. I have the custom adagio mix here still, which has the smoke but not the sweet, so I may try them together to see what that gives me. Maybe my marshmallow dreams still can come true?
I didn’t expect to like any of the new teas in this collection, and dang am I being proven wrong. This is why I always get some to try, just in case. This is a lovely fruit tea! I think I prefer this to any of the orange greens I’ve had, the mate just seems to blend better with the fruit flavours. I drank my cup unsweetened and didn’t even mind since there is a natural sweetness that comes from the fruit chunks.
If you’re a fan of any citrus type teas, especially whites or greens, I really recommend trying this one. As for the energy boost, I’m drinking this at ten at night so we’ll see how I feel in a couple hours :D
Preparation
Got this one in store today on ice. I love it, but that isn’t the review I’m going to post today. I was in the store with my friend and her three year old son, who I let try my tea. (Like a three year old wouldn’t be fascinated by a cup of green murky stuff, right?) His review can be summed up in three words. “Yum. More please.” I think I’m creating another addict. :D
After four cups, I’ve decided there is no way possible for me to brew this and actually enjoy it. There are notes there I adore for the apple, but I can’t seem to get the brew right. Still on the search for a perfect apple tea I guess.
Preparation
How have I never rated this tea? My mind boggles. This was my absolute first looseleaf tea and I still love it. I just finished up my stash tonight and am very sad to see it go. The flavour is creamy and tart and this is possibly the only pear tea I truly enjoy with every cup. Plus its affordable, so its even better!
Preparation
I used to think that I was a huge fan of honeybush. Now, I’m not so sure. I find that a lot of the ones I’m trying these days are a lot darker and more earthy than the ones that inspired my initial love, and this tea is not an exception. I had to add sugar to be able to remove the harshness of the roasted bush, and be able to enjoy the hazelnut flavour that is there and pleasant.
Overall not a great cup, and one I’m not planning on buying again.
ETA: Halfway through and the artificial flavouring is making my stomach queasy. Definitely not one for me.
