226 Tasting Notes
I have never ever tried any Mate type teas before…
1st smell steeped. Truthfully the smell was a bit off putting. It smelled really grassy. And not even a sweet grassy smell.
1st taste: Not bad really. It almost tastes like it has mint in it….might be the lemongrass. I know that might sound weird, but lemongrass has some of the fresh, reviving taste to it that mint does to me, so that is probably why I am associating the two. Note: Because I have never had a Mate tea before, I decided to go lower then the recommended temp (Teavana’s recommended temp is 208.) I went with the ‘French Press’ setting on my kettle, 200. I think next time I will try it at Boiling, see how it handles. I suspect I might like it better.
Preparation
1st smell: Lovely. sweet.
1st taste: This is my 1st H & S tea, to my knowledge anyways. I like it. Not sure if I will like it enough to want to buy a full sized tin for it, but certainly to get another sample case of it from my favorite tea shop. (Little round ‘box’ comes with about six large pyramid bags. ) I did 1 resteeping….The flavor was very noticeably less, although I still enjoyed drinking it I felt that a resteep after that would be pointless. But there was so much of it that I thought it could handle a resteep.
1st smell: Odd. Berry-ish. an undertone of something not quite appealing. Maybe it was the basil? though I do like basil, just not expecting it with a fruity tea.
1st taste: Same mostly.
The only thing distinctive about this tea is that it’s marginally better then the Watermelon Mint Chiller.
Preparation
1st smell: barely anything
1st taste: same
Now this is the 1st time I’m having this, and it maybe that I did something wrong in the prep. But got to say….I am not in anyway impressed with this tea. It would probably taste alright as an ice tea….I’ll let it cool down and then see how it tastes. But at any rate, since my Dad has been showing mild interest in fruity teas, I think I will give him this. Truthfully I expected a more dominant taste from the fruit. I can definitely taste the mint, and I am glad it doesn’t over power…of course considering the fruit is barely there, over powering mint wouldn’t be that big of an issue, would it?
Preparation
The Shanghai Orchid was one of the teas I got at Teavana’s the day after Christmas. I mixed it with Peach Tranquility, (Which I got a lot more of.)
1st smell: Light and Flowery.
1st Taste: Not bad. If you like flowery teas, then see if you can get this one. If not, well if by chance you do get it, be best to drink it fast in a smallish cup. Once it cools, the flowery taste gets stronger. This would not make a good iced tea. Not a terrible one though. Just rather boring.
Preparation
It has been a long while since I’ve been WOW!ed by a tea:) I had gotten a semi ridiculous amount of tea today, due to the After Christmas Heavenly sale at Teavana’s. Ok on to it:)
1st smell: light, and sweet but not terribly distinctive.
1st taste: As was the sample in the store…I thought it was awfully dry tasting, and I am not generally a dry taste fan. (Dry as in doesn’t quench the thirst, or would sooth a sore throat.) But I kept coming back to it, and figured, what the hay..? I’ll buy some and see how much I like it by the time I finish the bag.
Preparation
My second cup of tea today;) Trying to convince myself to start cleaning, because we (My Dad and StepMom) are hosting Christmas Day Dinner and I foolishly volunteered to clean, so I am deliberately having plenty of caffeine. Anyways….(In case it doesn’t say…I’m the one who added this tea. The shop in question is Tranquilitea, in Plymouth Michigan. It is my favorite shop and all the staff that I’ve met are terrific, and their prices are reasonable. Sorry but I cannot supply the link to the shop website, but it is easily googled.
1st Smell: Light and flowery.
1st taste: Coconut. LOL I am not sure why I am getting the impression of coconuts, as that is not among the ingredients. But that is ok, I like coconuts. It also tastes flowery. Not in a overly heavy flower taste, but like the smell, light, unassuming. Definitely going to get this again.
Preparation
Wooo! I do not know if this tea is actually from Perennial Tea Room, as where I got it, the shop owner prefers to not reveal the origin of the teas.
1st Smell: Mmmm. Lovely. Bergamot with the sweet light smell of roses.
1st taste: Just as lovely as the smell. I love the smell and taste of roses in tea. I think the next time I make this, (Which probably should be in a pot.) will be with a splash of vanilla syrup, as I’ve gotten used to EG cream, and miss that, to slightly blunt the intensity of the Bergamot.)
Preparation
2nd tea testing today! lol. I got this along with the Twinings Pumpkin Chai.
1st smell: Peach! Some tanginess which I assume is the ginger.
1st taste: Again peach. I had to add plenty of sugar, and even then this tea is quite dry. It isn’t bad and a fair tea to have on hand. I think I might make a few pitchers of ice tea with this, so I will use up more….I am afraid I won’t drink enough of it before it gets stale. I wish ROT had smaller canisters of like 25, I know they do of some flavors, and I wish it were possible to buy them in the stores, or at least the stores that I frequent.
Preparation
Got a box of this at my local fruit market, they have a fair tea section…(Which includes Republic of Tea! Woot!
LOL. Anyways….
1st smell: spicy, warmth
1st taste: same. This is a tea that I would definitely have after an hour or so of shoveling snow. I love pumpkin pie, and so the spices remind me alot of that, though have to admit that I am missing the heavy pumpkin taste. But not a problem really. Be nice to try this as a latte