m. lane Send Message

Roses. So much roses. I don’t really like the smell of rose much, so I wasn’t really sure how much I would like this one. Turned out it wasn’t too bad, at least, once I started drinking it and doing other things I didn’t find myself hating it, and I did drink the whole pot. But I don’t think I’ll be purchasing this again once I finish the sampler.

Supposedly there were other flavors blended, but while it did seem to mute the rose to a tolerable level for me, I wasn’t able to pick out anything distinct. But I’m definitely biased on this one.

Had this sitting around for a while and finally made a cup the other night just because it was the first one I pulled out that said caffeine free— I really liked it, though! Fruity, tasted like berries and slightly tart. Warm and pleasant for sitting about chatting with my friend as I was doing that night. I was worried I might have fallen in love with a limited edition, but it looks like it’s available from Dryad, so I will probably pick up a full package.

Especially as I apparently did not close the sample packet well and picked it up wrong and ended up losing half of it to my counter today.

I didn’t actually realize I hadn’t tried this one before, since I’d grabbed it randomly. I thought it was one I had had previously. So I’ll have to do another tasting to see what other flavors I notice since I wasn’t paying full attention. But it was notable enough that I remembered liking it quite a bit, so there is that.

After the sadness of the Celestial Seasonings version earlier in the week, and since I am working from home today (where I keep this tea), I had a cup of this one today. It doesn’t always register as particularly good tea, especially if I’ve been drinking a lot of the loose leafs, but this is one really nice bagged tea, actually.

It’s a lovely cozy winter tea when warm, but even if I let it cool it tastes good. It’s bitter but smoothly blended with the citrusy bergamot, kind of ends with a hint of sweetness to me.

I’ve not had a huge variety of Earl Greys but this is definitely my favorite that I’ve tried.

I’ve been drinking this a lot at work lately because I’m trying not to run out of my Taiwanese green tea too quickly and it’s free at work. It’s very… generic. When it’s hot it’s okay, but after it cools it’s really apparent that it’s just not very flavorful. There’s kind of a teaishness to it, but it’s basically a lackluster and somewhat tea-scented water.

Wouldn’t recommend this unless you’re desperate for something warm (as I often am at work).

I took my steeper home for a bit so at work I was drinking the tea they have stocked in the cupboard. Usually I drink the green if I have to resort to the teabags at work, but I thought I’d try the earl grey…

Makes me seriously appreciate the Harney & Sons.

It was just flat and dissonant and generally unappealing. More or less drinkable when it was hot, but after cooling was even worse, and I finished the cup only because it was in my hands already.

I always kind of want to like Celestial Seasonings more because hey, state pride for local tea company, but I generally do not like their teas much.

Last bit of a sampler I had from years ago. Not really sure I actually had a whole teaspoon, I just dumped what was left in the sampler bag into the brewer, and it’s brewed up very light and has almost no scent. Also didn’t let it sit as long since I wanted my breakfast.

Taste is extremely light, hardly any flavor, which could be the age or the lack of tea, I’m not sure. I remembered liking it when I had it before, though this particular cup is nothing special. Literally I can’t find anything of note to say about it, it hardly tastes like tea. I might get a new sampler to try again fresh later.

Also in the stack of samplers I had at work and forgot about, though this only had one teaspoon left.

I sort of ruined it because I didn’t completely wash out my mug, so there’s slight lingering scent of mocha nut mate, too. That’s what I get for being lazy.

But anyway, I’ve always liked sencha, which I guess gyokuro is part of, or at least similar to. Part of the process of logging all these is to learn the differences myself, heh. I’ll need to get some other sencha to try, as well as more gyokuro.

As for this specific cup, it’s lightly grassy and “green”. There’s a hint of metallic taste to me, too. I’ve had a lot of Japanese greens, but since at the time I really didn’t know any more than “this is tea” I have a hard time comparing it other than— it certainly tastes like a Japanese green in a general sense. Which is nice, reminds me of being there.

To be honest I forgot I had this sampler. I’d taken in the mate sampler set along with the rooibos sampler set to work and then always end up drinking actual tea-leaf teas at work.

But today after my jasmine in the morning/early afternoon, I felt like something sweeter that would wake me a up a little, so I made a cup of this one. I actually haven’t tried the other mates at all yet, so I almost put in one of the others, but the mocha nut smelled really good, and I remember liking it.

The hazelnut is the strongest flavor to me, which isn’t unpleasant, but is unexpected. It reminds me a bit of weak coffee this time, and I’m not sure what to think about that. I don’t usually drink coffee.

I could see this growing on me, and right now I’m not disliking it, but I’m not wildly enthusiastic either. I am really curious to try the other mates, now, though.

Made two cups from one teaspoon of tea… first one was great, a nice smooth jasmine. Second cup was alright, a little weak given I’d steeped the first one for a couple hours in a tumbler first, but seems like it’d otherwise hold up well. I’ll have to try the two cup thing again sometime when I use a teapot or something instead of the bag, but I just wanted to have some hot tea on my way to work.

First time I tried a gunpowder green I was in love, and this, being a loose leaf instead of a packet (first one I had was Numi’s), is so much richer and complex, which I love.

Although it’s a green, the color you get after steeping is generally pretty dark for a green. It’s pretty much a rich red-brown.

The scent is not overpowering, at least not to me, it’s just a hint of smokey flavor when the cup is close to my face. I think the smokiness of the scent is more prominent early in the brewing process when the water is hotter. It has a pretty smooth taste, not much bite after a long steep, but it’s fairly rich for me, so I only have it occasionally when I want something that feels a little more ‘filling’.

It’s very much a ‘comfort tea’ to me, to be enjoyed while wrapped up in some blankets relaxing in a comfy chair. Or, as is often the case, to be enjoyed in lieu of being able to do such things as I’m at work.