615 Tasting Notes

82

The dry package smells green, but not necessarily like broccoli. It does smell a bit like freeze-dried veggies of some sort. I definitely get a parsley-like vegetable, and onion, a little pepper, and celery.

Once the water hits, though? Mmmm, broccoli.

This one has more garlic and onion-y flavor than some of the others, and a definite brocolli vegginess to it. There’s a little bit of cilantro zip in the front of the sip and then in the aftertaste, but the flavor itself it really muted.

I’m seriously enamored with how different these are.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more
Stephanie

I’ve been enjoying your reviews :) they do sound so unique!

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80
drank Black Orchid by Mariage Frères
615 tasting notes

Ooooh, this smells just like the small container of vanilla pods I have downstairs. The beautiful vanilla aroma sort of spills out of the package when I open it; it’s really nice.

Once steeped up, this offers a rich vanilla flavor, with some malt from the black base. It feels smooth and almost creamy like a good vanilla tea seems to. A tiny touch of Truvia woke up more vanilla flavor and seems to round out the base (which had just the tiniest twinge of bitterness), and made the aftertaste like a vanilla milk candy.

I still haven’t really found a vanilla black tea that has blown me away yet. Even so, this one is very good.

Thank you so much Dustin!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Fjellrev

I’m on the hunt for a fabulously perfect vanilla black and this has been on my list. Sounds good to me. :)

CelebriTEA

It does sound luscious

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88

I’m still surprised how much I like this. I’m so-so on pu-erh and don’t seem to care for most chocolate flavorings in tea, so I thought maybe the first time was a fluke.

Nope.

This still delivers a really satisfying rich dark chocolate cup of tea. It even smells like a dark chocolate cake.

Unfortunately, this was the last bag that Fiance had nicked for me while on one of his business trips.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
CelebriTEA

I would love to try something like this.
I didn’t care for chocolate in tea, but lately I think I am having a change of ♡
And while I cannot imagine chocolate in just any tea~
It seems like it could really work with the earthy taste of puerhs.

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65

This has been my least favborite of the savory teas I’ve tried so far. And I actually like beets.

This was the least broth of them as well, in that I found it texturally more watery feeling. There’s definitely an element of cabbage, while the beet and apple lend a sweetness to the cup. I think you have to like cabbage for this one, and I just don’t care for cooked cabbage of any kind really. It’s definitely savory and the spices work well with what’s here, though.

But man does this brew up a gorgeous scarlet color.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more
TheKesser

I have never heard of a Beet Cabbage flavoured tea before! How peculiar!

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This tea is apparently ‘Of Flowers’ from Postcard Teas in London and came my way from justnord (thank you!), but I can’t find anything on here or online, so I’m cataloging it here.

It’s really a gorgeous blend, with huge flowers in it. Rosebuds, marigold, chrysanthemum yellow cornflowers and a whole lot of stuff I don’t recognize. But chunky and gorgeous, basically.

I used a full tablespoon per 8 oz because of the size, and steeped for 10 minutes. It smells rosey and almost chamomile-like. And pretty much tastes exactly how it smells. Chryanthemum is the dominant flavors, with a bit of rose in there.

This one isn’t really for me I think, as chrysanthemum isn’t really my favorite.

Stephanie

Sounds pretty, but perfumey :)

moraiwe

I liked how it looked more than how it tasted for sure.

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56

I’ll take the stress off Shmiracles and do the first review, which is probably only fair anyway, because I sent it to her!

Unsweetened, it’s mediocre at best. I don’t get much orange, and the cranberry is kind of a generic sweet-tart cranberry flavor lacking any real depth.

However, a little sweetener goes a long way in here. It sweeteners up the cranberry and gives it kind of a cranberry relish flavor. It still retains its tartness, but rounds out and smooth the flavor. Also some orange peaks up and has a presence in the back of my throat.

It’s still nothing special, and I won’t be getting it again, but I won’t have much of a problem finishing off the other 6 bags either.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec

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76

I don’t actually know that I’d call this chai. Spiced yes, chai no.

But for that reason it’s quite good without milk and sugar. I can’t say that about most chai blends, because I find the spicing is too much for me without being tempered by those elements.

This one is dominantly coconut with a gentle amount of cinnamon and ginger in the background. The almond is very subtle and more in the later part of the sip.

I liked this one a lot more when I was first starting my tea journey, but it’s still a pretty easy cup to relax into and I’ve reupped my supply it several times over the years. I might still.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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69
drank Grenada by Lupicia
615 tasting notes

My brain initially took this as a cherry tea based on the name (I’m not really sure what I was thinking either. It’s grenadine not Grenada, but whatever), so when I took the bag out and it smelled strongly of tropical fruits and just the slightest bit floral I was a bit surprised.

This is a very fruity tea, with guava being the dominant flavor. There’s some papaya in the aftertaste, but otherwise it doesn’t seem to have a presence. While I don’t find the guava flavor subtle, and maybe eve a little overwhelming, it’s a nice flavor and natural tasting.

I think this would be a delicious cold cup, but I only had the one bag and it’s gone now. I don’t think I’ll be seeking this one out for my collection, but I wouldn’t turn down a cup that was offered to me.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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86

I don’t know how, but I had forgotten I had these.

Honestly, they are a bit hard to review because they’re more than teas, but not quite soups. They’re a bit brothy and definitely heartier than tea. But I’m finding all of them super flavorful and enjoyable for what they are.

I love, love, love fennel as a spice, so I had a pretty strong inkling I was going to like this one. And I definitely did (though I think the Carrot Curry might still be my favorite) The cup is just a touch licorice-y, with a lot of onion and dill in the background. The finish is peppery and just enough to tickle the back of my throat.

These are so weirdly tasty.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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67

I’m finding I can deal with Lapsang Souchong in small amounts and when it’s not the dominant flavor, so primarily in blends, I suppose.

This one, while it definitely has a smoke element, and smells quite strongly smoky, it muted heavily by the assam and then the spices, while kind of muddled, come out mid sip. I get a little cinnamon and clove, but neither is very strong. The lapsang pokes out at the end of the sip, and lingers in the aftertaste; it’s my least favorite part, but it’s not overwhelming and isn’t enough to make me dislike this tea.

I don’t think I’ll ever completely warm up to LS, but our relationship is definitely getting better.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 45 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Terri HarpLady

Lapsangs originally freaked me out.
“Where’s the Fire?”
“You BBQing?”
But then I started noticing caramelized brown sugar notes, at least in some of them, & maybe on days when my tastebuds were more lively or something. There are still some lapsangs I just can’t really get behind, & sometimes a little Maple Syrup helps, sometimes not. The Maple really brings out the brown sugar flambee element, but most of the time I drink them unsweetened, & sometimes I really love them that way.

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Profile

Bio

Intro:

Name: Lauren
Location: Wisconsin (previously a Chicago girl)
Occupation: Student by day and super hero by night
Super Hero? Yep!
Which One? I can’t tell you that! Secret identities and such. Just know I’m not the hero they want, but the hero they need.
Sidekicks: Fiance and two budgies, Skitter and Gandalf

Hobbies:

Reading, writing, cooking, video games, computers, drawing, crafting, papercraft. Oh and tea.

A brief history:

I grew up in a family where the only working coffee maker was in my dad’s office. So the name of the game for my mother and I quickly became (bagged) tea. In 2004/2005, I discovered Adagio Teas. I don’t remember how it happened, or why I decided to pursue a purchase but here we are. I haven’t looked back.

My tea tastes have changed over time and I’ve moved from liking solely flavored teas (mostly black and white) to enjoying Darjeelings primarily, though malty unflavored blacks, fresh tasting greens, and lightly oxidized oolongs come in pretty high on my list, too. Of course, I still enjoy a good cup of flavored tea. I prefer caffeinated teas, as I have a horrible caffeine addiction that I don’t plan on kicking any time soon.

Red rooibos and lapsang souchong (or other strongly smoky teas) are my arch nemeses and I will see them defeated and removed by force from my cupboard. Like all thing, there are exceptions, but I assume they’re guilty until proven innocent.

I really don’t like negatively rating things, because I feel like if you don’t have something nice to say, you probably shouldn’t say it. But in the interest of non-biased tea reviews I’m going to give it a shot. I view every tea as a potential adventure so I’ll try most things at least once.

I love trading and swaps are always welcome! Please note, though, what it in my cupboard includes amounts ranging from a couple cups to 4 ounces or more, so please PM me to find out if what you’re seeking is available in that trade amount.

According to my spreadsheet, I also have about 100 other 1-4 cup samples that are not in my cupboard.. Feel free to message if you’re interested in see the spreadsheet for possible swap options as well.

Tea Ratings:

100-95 Nectar of the teagods that has been bestowed upon my unworthy tongue. I will never let this tin run empty.

86-94 These are the teas I would like to keep regularly stocked, but sometimes life gets in the way. Lovely teas, but not quite god tier. I still get cravings for these.

74-85 Good teas, but not amazing. I enjoy these, but may or may not restock once they run out. I would still recommend these to others.

60-73 Not bad. I’ll gladly keep drinking my cup, and wouldn’t say no if someone offered me this tea. I probably won’t rebuy these as there is likely something else that is comparable and better.

47-59 Certainly drinkable and might even have some characteristics that I enjoy, but I won’t pick it up again

30-46 I’ll probably finish my cup, but this tea isn’t to my taste OR it’s just overwhemingly mediocre. Life’s too short for bad tea.

11-29 This cup is in the sink now and I will never willingly consume this again. If you see a tea rated this way, I probably followed it with mouthwash.

0-10 Please say a prayer for the cup I destroyed in the process of disposing of this tea in the quickest manner possible. I may need tea therapy before I drink a similar tea again.

Location

Wisconsin, US

Website

http://atinyteapot.tumblr.com/

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