1214 Tasting Notes

78

I wanted a green tea this morning considering the day (Happy St. Paddy’s! It’s my turn in the March Steepster Birthday Madness today. Happy birthday to all the rest of you tea-drinking March babies!)

The dry leaf smelled fruity and spicy and hit that certain mix of fruit and spice that read to my nose as bubblegum (which is not a bad thing for me, I love pink bubblegum aroma and flavor). The aroma from the brewed tea doesn’t quite it that, though… the apple comes out more and it smells like baked sweet cinnamon apples.

I get the apple cider reference… the flavor is appley with a hint of tartness (I could do with even more bite, but my favorite apples are tart green varieties) and I can pick out the cinnamon and allspice (oddly enough, not the clove) adding a very mild and gentle spice. Some sips I get that bubblegum effect, but it is fleeting and doesn’t happen every sip. There is a nice grassy green undertone that works well with the flavors. Very enjoyable cuppa!

Flavors: Allspice, Apple, Bubblegum, Cinnamon, Fruity, Spices, Sweet, Warm Grass

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 12 OZ / 350 ML
ashmanra

Happy birthday!

gmathis

Hope it was a great day, from the top o’the morning on down!

52Teas

Happy Birthday! I hope you had a wonderful day!

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80

I’ve prepared this tea hot and plain a few times and enjoyed every cup; the strawberry flavor is rich and a little candy sweet, with more subtle sweet vanilla undertones. The honeybush does have that peppery note, but otherwise is very smooth and doesn’t give off any medicinal flavors, which I sometimes have issues with when berry flavors are paired with rooibos.

I debated stretching a few more cups out of the available leaf packet or doubling up for an indulgent latte, and this morning the latte won out. I used sweet vanilla almond milk and that has really brought out a “strawberry ice cream” vibe. The strawberry is still there but the vanilla notes are amplified and the drink is really creamy. Indulgent, indeed!

Flavors: Candy, Cream, Fruity, Pepper, Strawberry, Sweet, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 4 g 12 OZ / 350 ML

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67

I’ve been working through a bad chest cold all week (I’m suspecting a bad case of bronchitis, but I haven’t had the time or money to get that confirmed) so I’ve been drinking TONS of tea. I went through my entire 100g tin of T2’s “Mulled Wine Magic” over the week and have instant regrets, because they are gone now and I’m too tired and out of it to go looking for a hibiscus chai spice blend replacement that ships from the US. So then I decided to turn to this tea, only to discover I only had a single teabag left. Siiiiiiiigh. Where did all the tea go?!

I always expect elderberry teas to be more like hibiscus teas for some reason… dark and syrupy berry. They never are and then I have to reassess my expectations. I do like this though. The echinacea is the main flavor and it’s such a hard one for me to describe… It’s a little floral, but leans more on the herbaceous side than the flowery side. There is a bit of a minty flavor to the tea but it is not strongly menthol and doesn’t overpower the other flavors. I don’t actually taste anything I’d attribute to “berry” or get any fruity notes from it. It is very licorice root sweet, which I know would be a turn-off for many, but I like licorice root and it is greatly appreciated now while by body is trying to cough my lungs straight out of my ribcage. Sweet, minty, floral, could do a lot worse for a sick tea, but the flavor is probably not for everyone.

Flavors: Floral, Herbaceous, Licorice Root, Mint, Sweet

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 12 OZ / 350 ML
ashmanra

I am in that small group of people that doesn’t mind licorice root. I shouldn’t have much of it because of my blood pressure but I generally like the way it tastes.

ashmanra

Hope you start feeling better very soon!

Mastress Alita

Mmm, sweet tasty expectorant…

Michelle

Feel better soon!

MadHatterTeaReview

Feel better! My wife just recovered from pneumonia…definitely need to not allow it to go too far without checking.

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83

For the last few weeks I’ve really been craving fruit/chocolate combos, and have been making a lot of choco-berry smoothies. Looking through my tea, I only had this and Lupicia’s Strawberry and Chocolate pu’erh that fit the bill, so I decided to try this.

I always forget that Lupicia often uses a CTC base on their blacks, so I’ve been a bit mindful to not overleaf or oversteep. It is still quite a rich black tea, but not so much as to hide the flavor. The chocolate is a little softer than I was imagining, but is more cocoa sweet/bittersweet than that strong chocolate liquor flavor usually found in teas, and the raspberry is simply lovely… a little jammy, a little candy sweet. I’ve had many nice hot ’n plain cups of this in my work thermos the last few weeks.

This morning I decided to make a latte, since I figured the strong CTC base would be up to it. 3 parts tea (double the leaf), 1 part warm frothed vanilla almond milk, and it is very nice! It’s very creamy and full of sweet raspberry, but still has a nice classic black tea body in the undertones.

Flavors: Candy, Dark Bittersweet, Dark Chocolate, Fruity, Jam, Malt, Raspberry, Sweet

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 12 OZ / 350 ML

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80

I spent four hours cleaning house yesterday and every part of my body hurts… so today is dedicated to tea, books, YouTube videos, and naps. I’ve been on a big “pirate” kick with my media lately, so while this tea isn’t the most seasonally appropriate choice, it did seem to fit nicely thematically.

It smells divine. I’m a big fan of 52Tea’s pineapple flavoring. The oolong is really silky and floral, and accompanies the pineapple flavor so nicely. It’s not as tangy as I’d like from pineapple, but there is something very satisfying about the soft sweetness of this flavor as well. Oddly enough, I’m not really getting any ginger… a soft aftertaste of it at most. But this is really nice. I imagine it would be great iced, as well.

Flavors: Floral, Fruity, Pineapple, Silky, Spices, Sweet

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 4 min, 0 sec 3 g 12 OZ / 350 ML
Daylon R Thomas

I wonder if this one will ever return. I’d be happy to try it.

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68

Whenever a 52Teas packet recommends 4g when there are 15g total in a package, I tend to leaf-up a gram so the leaf will split evenly and I won’t have a weird amount left over. I’m not sure that was the best thing to do in this situation as the yerba mate was very strong… or maybe it’s just that I haven’t had any in such a long time, I’ve forgotten what a strong green flavor it has. It is very vegetal, in a fresh grass sort of way, and a little smoky ala Gunpowder Green. It’s not my favorite flavor, but it’s drinkable. The raspberry cream flavor is spot-on, as usual, though. Very creamy and sweet, like a raspberry dessert. The mate is just overwhelming it a bit much for my liking, and because it is so strongly vegetal, I’m getting more of a “fresh raspberries right of the vine, stems and leaves intact” sort of vibe instead. It’s fine, but I definitely prefer this particular flavor on other bases… the energy boost sure is nice, though!

Flavors: Cream, Fruity, Grass, Raspberry, Smoke, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 5 min, 0 sec 5 g 12 OZ / 350 ML

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70

I had stored this packet sealed, but I fear that age may have still taken its toll, because I’m not getting much flavor from it. It smells quite nice in the bag, but even overleafed and steeped for a very long time, I am not getting apple or caramel. I do pick up a fruity note that is probably the apple, but somehow I’m tasting it as pear instead. The spices are nice and quite present, particularly the cinnamon and allspice. I’m not getting caramel at all. The tea is pretty rooibos-heavy in flavor, which is fine for me (I like red rooibos) but would probably be a bit much for others. It was tasty, but I definitely got “spiced pear” instead of “caramel apple cider.”

Flavors: Allspice, Cinnamon, Fruity, Pear, Rooibos, Spices, Sweet, Woody

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 5 g 12 OZ / 350 ML

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70
drank Well Rested by Trader Joe's
1214 tasting notes

My boss got some teabags of this inside a Christmas gift and prompty gave them to me since I’m the “tea person” in the office. The teabags didn’t come in any packaging with ingredients, so I had to look it up when I got home, and was hesitant because chamomile was the first listed ingredient and I’m just not a fan of it. However, peppermint hides a world of hurt for me, and there is enough mint here to take the edge off the chamomile, so I actually found this pretty pleasant. There is a bit of a floral background note from the chamomile but mostly it tastes minty and a little grassy. The mint is the pulverized teabag sort so a bit dusty/dirty tasting, which isn’t my favorite when better mint is out there, but it’s drinkable. Didn’t take me very long to use up the teabags, either. But I’m not particularly sad that there are no Trader Joe’s near me and thus I can’t restock it. There are plenty of other evening choices I like better.

Flavors: Citrus, Floral, Grass, Herbaceous, Mint, Peppermint

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 12 OZ / 350 ML
Michelle

Peppermint can hide plenty of unpleasantness :)

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79
drank Holiday Pudding by 52teas
1214 tasting notes

Lately I’ve been working through a large package of a white chai, but this morning I was really more in the mood for a black tea and pulled this one out. The smell in the package is lovely… it really does give a strong “holiday spice” vibe and the fig adds a sweet fruitiness to the aroma.

The steeped aroma is similar, though there is something a little citrusy about it, despite no citrus in the blend. The flavor is very warm and cozy… the spices are gentle, and I think the citrusy note I’m getting is from the clove, which has a nice aftertaste. The flavor overall reminds me a lot of the “Tea and Scones” blend, just less grapey, and I think that’s because dates, figs, and raisins all sort of hit the same “sweet and fruity” notes to me. Perhaps just a hint of something reminescent of vanilla or cream. It’s a nicely balanced chai between warming spices and gentle sweetness.

Flavors: Citrus, Clove, Cream, Fruity, Spices, Sweet

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 12 OZ / 350 ML

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86

I’ve really been enjoying this tea. The aroma of stonefruit and lavender is so complimentary. The flavor is too! The apricot is a little more subdued to the lavender, which is pretty strong in this tea. I like lavender and am fine with it, but I think it might be a bit much for those more sensitive to florals. I think a little more balance between the apricot and the lavender would elevate this a lot, especially if the apricot had more of a “juiciness” to its flavor. Still a very relaxing evening tea and a shame it was recently retired on Plum Deluxe’s website.

Flavors: Apricot, Floral, Honey, Lavender, Stonefruit, Woody

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 350 ML

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Profile

Bio

Hi! I’m Sara, a middle-aged librarian living in southern Idaho, USA. I’m a big ol’ sci-fi/fantasy/anime geek that loves fandom conventions, coloring books, simulation computer games, Japanese culture, and cats. Proud genderqueer asexual (she/they) and supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. I’m also a chronic migraineur. As a surprise to no one, I’m a helpless tea addict with a tea collecting and hoarding problem! (It still baffles me how much tea I can cram into my little condo!) I enjoy trying all sorts of teas… for me tea is a neverending journey!

Favorite Flavors:

I love sampling a wide variety of teas! For me the variety is what makes the hobby of tea sampling so fun! While I enjoy trying all different types of teas (pure teas, blends, tisanes), these are some flavors/ingredients I enjoy:
-Dessert/chocolate/vanilla/caramel/cream/toffee/maple
-Sweet/licorice root/stevia
-Vegetal/grassy
-Floral/lavender/rose
-Spices/chais
-Fruity
-Tropical/pineapple/coconut
-Bergamot (in moderation)
-Roasted/nutty
-Tart/tangy/hibiscus/rosehip

Disliked Flavors:

There are not many flavors or ingredients that I don’t like. These include:
-Bananas/banana flavoring
-Hemp/CBD teas
-Smoke-scented teas/heavy smoke flavors (migraine trigger)
-Perfumey teas/extremely heavy floral aromas (migraine trigger)
-Gingko biloba (migraine trigger)
-Chamomile (used in blends as a background note/paired with stronger flavors is okay)
-Extremely spicy/heated teas
-Medicinal flavors/Ginseng
-Metallic flavors
-Overly strong artificial flavorings

With the exception of bananas and migraine triggers, I’ll pretty much try any tea at least once!

Steeping Parameters:

I drink tea in a variety of ways! For hot brews, I mostly drink my teas brewed in the western style without additions, and for iced tea, I drink teas mostly brewed in the cold brew style without additions. Occassionally I’ll change that up. I use the https://octea.ndim.space/#/ app for water-to-tea ratios and use steep times to my preferences.

My Rating Scale:

90-100 – Top tier tea! These teas are among my personal favorites, and typically I like to keep them stocked in my cupboards at all times, if possible!

70-89 – These are teas that I personally found very enjoyable, but I may or may not feel inclined to keep them in stock.

50-69 – Teas that fall in this range I enjoyed, but found either average, lacking in some way, or I’ve had a similar tea that “did it better.”

21-49 – Teas in this range I didn’t enjoy, for one reason or another. I may or may not finish them off, depending on their ranking, and feel no inclination to restock them.

20-1 – Blech! My Tea Hall of Shame. These are the teas that most likely saw the bottom of my garbage can, because I’d feel guilty to pass them onto someone else.

Note that I only journal a tea once, not every time I drink a cup of it. If my opinion of a tea drastically changes since my original review, I will journal the tea again with an updated opinion and change my rating. Occassionally I revisit a tea I’ve reviewed before after a year or more has passed.

Inventory:

My Cupboard on Steepster reflects teas that I have sampled and logged for review, and is not used as an inventory for teas I currently own at the present moment. An accurate and up-to-date listing of my current tea inventory can be viewed here: https://tinyurl.com/xjt9ptx3 . I am open to tea trades (within the United States only!) at this time. Note that I will not trade teas that I currently have in a quantity less than 50g (samplers, 1oz packages, etc.) or any teas that are currently still sealed/unopened in my cupboard.

Contact Info:

Feel free to send me a Steepster PM, or alternatively, check the website URL section below; it goes to a contact form that will reach my personal e-mail.

Location

Idaho, United States

Website

https://teatimetuesdayreviews...

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