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Thank you so much for the sample, ashmanra! This tea was sweet and light, with absolutely no smokiness whatsoever. Very good choice for the afternoon, just as ashmanra recommended! This is only my third Keemun, but I’m amazed by how different they were from each other. It seems like there’s a Keemun for every occasion!

I always seem to overdo it on the leaves with Ceylon teas…time to get a scale, haha. Anyway, this tea was stronger than I expected; malty, with a good bite. It was not as smooth as most Ceylons that I have had, but I’ll back off on the leaves next time to see how it turns out. I completely enjoyed it, and it gave me a nice jolt this evening.

This is another satisfying Harney & Sons tea. It’s a little light for my liking…probably the lightest and sweetest sencha I have ever had, and slightly grassy. It’s definitely the best bagged sencha I have ever had, and I will enjoy drinking it when I’m looking for the convenience of a bagged tea.

This is the second Keemun I have tried. I was going to buy the loose leaf version, but I noticed the bagged version at Wegmans yesterday and thought I’d give it a try. It’s very good, as expected. It seems milder, sweeter and smoother than the other Keemun I tried, and less smoky as well. It’s marketed as an English Breakfast, but I think I would go with it for my third or fourth cup of the day…I’d like something stronger to start out the morning. I’ll get some of this tea in the loose leaf version after I finish the bags and my other Keemun. :)

I have added several new teas to my list of favorites recently, but Japanese green teas were my first love and will always be on top of my list. I have not had genmaicha in a while, and I was excited to see a genmaicha/matcha mix in the loose leaf tea section at the Wegmans near my sister’s house. The roasted brown rice/popcorn flavor is dominant, as with all other genmaichas I have had, but the matcha adds to the smoothness and creaminess of the tea, and it makes it a nice dark green. I think the matcha also helps to round out the tea as well, as that roasted flavor is not overwhelming, like it can be with straight genmaichas. I purchased 4 oz, but I may have to go get more before I head back home! Wegmans always impresses me, quite a high quality neighborhood grocery store chain!

This is my first Keemun, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It tastes similar to Golden Monkey tea to me, but not as smoky or malty, and a bit sweeter. I’m not sure where this company gets their teas, but the quality of the teas always seems very good to me. I’ll have to get the Harney & Sons English Breakfast to compare.

I’m visiting family, and saw this in the cupboard. I was happy to get a cup of green tea, but I won’t be drinking this one again. It tastes like a mixture of honey and ginseng, as the name implies, but they do not mix well together, in my opinion. I am not able to taste the green tea at all.

I love Ceylon black teas. Yes, I’m easily impressed, but it’s hard to understand how such a bold tea can also be so smooth. This was given to me today as a gift from a coworker, and I wasted no time trying it out. I had never heard of this London company before, but this tea is almost as good as the Ceylon black tea from their neighbor, my beloved Ahmad.

I have made matcha part of my regular weekend routine, and I find myself looking forward to it during the week. I think I’ll have to either make matcha first thing in the morning or transport the matcha kit to work, because 2 days a week may not be enough. :P Anyway, this is a nice, slightly grassy, creamy tea. I go with one-half teaspoon for 16 oz, which seems to be more than enough, as it is dark green and packs a nice punch.

I have purchased so much tea and had no restraint whatsoever in the past few weeks. However, I have absolutely no regrets. When I go to sleep I think about which tea I’m going to have the next day, and wake up excited to start steeping. I’m glad that golden monkey tea is in my current rotation…very rich, slightly sweet and smoky, peppery, and very smooth. I think Keemun is next for me, but I’ll have to work through my current inventory a little bit first…not too long though, the sale for Harney and Sons English Breakfast at Fresh Market ends in 2 weeks. :P