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I think this is the last new tea I’m going to try tonight – I’m getting increasingly more sleepy and after thing one I think I’d rather stick to something familiar that I know will be comforting.

Honestly, I’ve never had plum pudding and haven’t the faintest idea what it should taste like – but this seemed like too interesting of a tea idea to pass up when I put in my order, and I’ve had nothing but success with the oolongs I’ve tried (I got a lot of the oolong blends – five in total) so I’m sure even though I have no comparison basis this will be great regardless.

Dry, the leaf smells absolutely exquisite. There is something oddly familiar and homey about the smell, but I can’t for the life of me place what. I can smell the spices – specifically the allspice, but it seems to be pretty well balanced with the fruit in the blend as well so I’m not worried about a spice overload. It’s definitely an interesting smell.

For steeping, I used 1 tsp. for 8 oz. steeped in about 70 degree celsius water for four minutes. The smell of the tea is pretty different: it actually strongly reminds me of another blend I’ve recently had but I’m having a hard time racking my brain to figure out which one. It was another blend with lots of kick from spices in it, though…

Taste wise, I am getting a bready type of cake taste from this, but only when I take larger sips. The spices are coming through pretty heavily for me, even though in the tea description it says they were light on the spice. I also get the orange peel relatively strongly too – which is something else that is supposedly light. The two more main notes I feel I’m supposed to be getting (plum and rum) are not terribly strong and I feel like I’m sort of grasping at them. It’s the same idea with the bready/cakeyness: I’m pretty much only getting a taste of it when I take large sips (closer to a gulp, really).

Although, I’m finding as this cools I’m getting slightly stronger notes of plum, rum, and cakeyness – and milder spice. Still basically the opposite of what I was anticipating, though. Really, it’s NOT a bad cup of tea, but I do think it’s my least favourite I’ve tried so far and I’m not immediately sold on this being one I’d need to keep stocked.

I think I need to try it a few more times so I can wrap my head around it – I’m really quite undecided at this point.

Third white tea of the day – I’ll have to pick out something else to try after this one. Although, maybe I’ll take a nap first – I think all this tea sipping has put me into a serenely relaxed and sleepy mood.

This blend came to me from RiverTea as part of my prize package for winning their “What would you do for 100g of your favourite tea” contest. First time I smelled it was prior to reading the ingredients list, and I was just so confused by what I was smelling. Don’t get me wrong – it smelled incredibly and sweet and kinda caramel like but there was other stuff too that I just couldn’t put a handle on.

Dry, I got notes of caramel and something floral. There was also something very fruity about the blend, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It smells incredibly fresh. This is probably one of the weirdest comparisons I’ve used thus far (and only people who play Pokemon will probably get it). But if I had to describe the smell – I’d say it’s bang on for what I imagine the Pokemon move Sweet Scent would smell like. Basically, this gentle kind of breezy aroma with a delicate but full bodied sweetness to it.

I’ve read the ingredients list now – and I can say it sorta makes sense. It’s a very interesting compilation of ingredients and I don’t think I’ve seen or heard of another tea that encompasses this sort of combination (let alone tried one). If I was shopping online, I’m not totally sure if this is something I would have wanted to try for myself but now that I have it and have smelled it, it seems like the perfect blend for me!

I think it’s obvious I’m getting the caramel type smell from the mulberries similar to how I get that out of DAVIDsTEA’s gold rush, and now that I know what they are I totally see how there’s apple and papaya in the blend. Although, it’s not a granny smith or any kind of green apple type smell – it’s that juicy red delicious or gala apple kind of smell! And, the jasmine makes sense too – it’s just weird smelling it alongside caramel or juicy gala apples, so I think that’s part of what threw me in the scent.

For steeping, I used 2 tsp. of leaf in 8 oz. of water, steeped for 4 minutes (the high end of the suggested spectrum) in about 70 degree water – very close to what RiverTea recommends. I should have used a clear mug but instead I just used the dark red one I’ve been using all day – so I can’t really see the colour of the liquor. The smell is very delicate; much more so than in the dry leaf. There’s fragile notes of caramel (mulberries), gala type apple, papaya, and muddled marigold/jasmine. The white tea base is also present in smell, but it’s quite gentle and delicate as well.

In taste, the first thing I noticed was the mulberry/notes of caramel. It was very similar to Gold Rush, but then I was kind of flooded with a whole other group of flavour notes that make the two really different. My immediate thought was actually “Hmm, I bet VariaTea would love to try a cup of this” (probably because of your review on Gold Rush from earlier today). The next thing I noticed was the apple, and then the papaya. In an incredibly gentle and delicate was I was reminded of a candy apple – and yes, a candy apple not a caramel one. Even though there’s caramel notes present, I’m getting sweet candy apple with that rock hard but yummy red coating and then caramel in addition to that. Does that make sense?

The jasmine and other floral aspects are here, but they do a great job of blending in with the other flavour notes so they’re not obvious and instead create a sensory experience with a lot of depth and layers. Definitely not perfumey. This almost feels, to me, as subtly complex and gentle yet powerfully flavourful as many of the Butiki blends I’ve tried. Maple Pecan oolong and Cantaloupe & Cream come to mind (not in similar flavours – but in the way they’re powerful in flavour and have a layered taste profile while not being cloyingly sweet and retaining a gentleness).

I believe it was KittyLovesTea who is the other person (that I know of) who received this blend too, so I’m excited to see her take on in since she’s likely the only other person who’ll have the chance to try it before they launch. I’m really enjoying this cup though – and I’m excited to resteep and see what else I get from the leaves.

I’m happy I had the time today to sit down and review this properly and fully appreciate it!

EDIT: Resteeped, and while this isn’t too bad it hasn’t held up exceptionally well to a resteep which is sorta disappointing. Mostly, I’m getting the apple notes from before and the white tea base. I’m sipping while eating some apple slices with peanut butter, which is enjoyable. Not a bad cup though, just not as good.

Ok – so not my best cup of this but that’s totally my fault :/ I decided that I really wanted a cup of something sweet, fruity and white (it’s just a white tea kind of day, I guess) so why not drink some of my Champagne Cassis? It’s a beloved part of my stash.

However, I’m really tired and loopy and not totally there so I had all the prep done and leaf measured out – and the water was boiling. However, after the kettled had boiled I kind of instantly reached over and poured the boiling water over the lead without giving it time to cool, and this is definitely a tea that needs a lower temperature of water to steep in. Urgh.

So, today it’s kind of a little bitter – although not as bad as it could be. Still an overall good cup, but just not great. Although, I’ll admit to getting more champagne notes this way and less of the sweet currant jam flavour I love (expect I was totally craving sweet currants and not really banking on strong champagne notes).

Also, my internet is being stupidly slow which is really frustrating since I’m trying (unsuccessfully) to watch Degrassi online. Boo.

Next up? I think I’m gonna try the white tea I received from RiverTea!

Mmmm, I’m heavily enjoying having a day off and not being responsible for anything work related or having any sort of errand/domestic duties to attend to. So, breaking out a few familiar teas and a few new ones to enjoy.

Starting off the day, I decided to finally try this blend which I was kind enough to receive in a swap from LovelyLotus.I was rather ticked a few days ago when Tre had the chance to try this one out (he definitely likes coconut teas) before I could – and then I got swept up in trying my new Butiki teas and sort of put off trying this one out.

Dry, the smell is super coconutty (Robyn would just hate it – she can’t stand coconut) with smooth and silky vanilla. Those two notes are so powerful that I can’t smell the tea base at all.

For preparation, I steeped 1 1/2 tsp. in 10 oz. of water for five minutes. I was just going to do three, but Tre said the cup he had (which was steeped for three minutes) had been sort of weak so I changed my mind and let this steep a little longer. The smell of it steeping is super coconutty with the same creamy vanilla smell – but milder. Not any of the tea base – this one is all about the coconut.

Taste wise, this is a very nice coconut tea. The coconut taste is very full, and certainly not weak at all. I’m wondering if the two minutes really made that significant of a difference or if Tre was just being kinda stupid like usual, and not really knowing what he was talking about. The vanilla is really silky and nice too. What I’m really liking, is that this is not overly sweet but definitely doesn’t require the aid of a sweetner like sugar or honey. It also has that sorta yummy “unrefined” coconut taste that’s more tropical and natural. And, surprisingly, the white tea base does come through just a little mid sip.

It’s like a better form of those cans of coconut water (and, no weird jelly/pulp either – which is a huge plus)!

If this were to be available at my local DT store I’d probably pick some up – maybe another 25g on top of the 20(ish) grams I already have.

I was reading the reviews, and Lala tried this as a tea soda and seemed to like it. I have everything in the house that I would need to make this up as a tea soda, so I might actually try doing that (I want to try Root Beer Float as a tea soda as well, so next day off maybe I’ll do a tea soda day). I bet this would be incredible cold brewed too.

I haven’t the faintest idea why, but I’m in a serious “everything is better with milk” mood these last few days in regard to tea. First the Cranberry Pear, and Love Tea #7 too – and now this one. I wasn’t even intending to add milk to this, but next thing I knew I was walking back to my cozy couch and tucking myself into a burrito of blankets all the while holding a mug of this with milk in it. Hmm… Maybe it’s because I’d essentially gone dairy free for two weeks – and now my body is bulking up on it? Or something to that effect?

Anyway – for preparation I steeped 2 tsp. in 8 oz of boiling water. I’m not exactly sure how long the steep time was since I was really zoned out. Basically, I let it steep until it felt right? I also had to seriously shake up my tin, because all of the spearmint had sunk to the bottom.

Taste wise, I’m getting light spearmint which is refreshing and a whole lot of gooseberry (I’m happy about this, too often the gooseberry is hard to find under all the orange). The milk is contributing a thick, creamy mouthfeel and a slightly creamier taste but since this is usually pretty creamsicle like there’s not a whole lot added that wasn’t at least somewhat present before. The sip finishes off with a lingering orange taste that works its way into all the crevices of the mouth. Very relaxing.

In picking a herbal tonight, I realized I actually have a fairly limited selection of herbals – both in fruit blends and otherwise. And, next to nothing on its way to me is herbal either. Something to consider next time I go into DAVIDsTEA or Tea Desire, I suppose. I do have Guava Cadabra on my Christmas list (and if I don’t get any I’ll buy some for myself) and will be getting a sample of Forever Nuts sometime from Robyn. I could also take a trip to McQuarries and look for a herbal blend or two. Anything else I should try from either place?

Oh! And I’m not officially caught up on Supernatural! One hundred percent it feels weird not have more episodes to get through… Time to watch something else, I guess. Do I finally cave and watch all of Doctor Who (and actually in order this time)? I don’t think I’d want to get into Classic Who.

Part of my breakfast for supper feast! Definitely was in a chocolate mood when I picked this out, and added milk for a touch of creamy goodness (fought off the urge for another yummy cup of Cranberry Pear though). Today, this tastes heavy on the strawberry and milder on the chocolate with a rich black tea flavour. It has a thick, creamy mouthfeel.

Taste wise, this is definitely a good breakfast tea and it’s going quite well with my Nutella covered Holiday bread and strawberry jam hashbrowns :)

Ok, so Tre has been looking at me right now with this face of just absolute disgust. I told him I was gonna have breakfast for supper, and that I was making a glorious supper feast – which is what I did and am eating right now.

In front of me is:

- Two slices of Holiday bread (sans raisins – I picked them all out) slathered in Nutella
- A large plate of hashbrowns with melted cheese, an egg scrambled into them, and strawberry jam mixed in with them as well
- A bowl of Golden Grahams cereal
- A bowl of peaches and cream oatmeal
- A mug of Love Tea #7, with milk added in,

and lastly,

- This mug of Lime Chiffon (which is a resteep)

I think my breakfast feast is delicious. Mostly, I think he’s disgusted by my hashbrown concoction, though – and not the rest.

Anyway – this resteep is lovely. It’s nearly as creamy as the first steep was (I should have added milk but it slipped my mind) which makes me feel further justified in ordering 2 oz. of it. I steeped it 1 tsp. (resteep, like previously stated) in 8 oz. of boiling water for around 9 minutes. I was gonna just do five or so but I lost track of time while I was fixing up the Love Tea #7. Still great though, and I think maybe the extra long steep time helped.

I was talking to the cashier working at the yogurt bar today (next to my kiosk), and we ended up on the topic of tea (I swear it wasn’t me who brought it up!). I asked her what kind she drinks, and she said she really likes green and white tea, especially fruit flavoured. She expressed a desire for Watermelon tea and I excitedly told her about Butiki’s Watermelon Xylophone and promised to bring in a small sample size for her!

She asked me what tea I wished existed, and boy did that get me thinking (which is nice because I ate up an hour of time brainstorming) of all the fun blends I’d love to commission Stacy to make if I was a wealthier person…

But these are some of my favourites from my brainstormed list ;)

- Butterscotch Earl Grey
- Something with a really creamy peanut butter taste
- Saskatoon Berry Milkshake(!!!)
- Dr. Pepper
- White Chocolate and Kona Coffee Beans
- And a tea that turns BRIGHT FREAKING BLUE

One can dream right?

Anyway, this one came to work today because I wanted something Christmas-y, and molasses sounded like a good idea as well. For steeping, I used 1 1/2 tsp. in my 12 oz. timolino steeped for five(ish) minutes. Right now I’m drinking it with banana chips, just like I was drinking Blueberry Jam. I have to say, the banana chips don’t really work as well with this one.

On a more positive note, the tea itself is hitting the spot a lot more than the Blueberry Jam was. Interestingly, the ginger isn’t really tickling at the back of my throat like it normally does, but instead it’s sitting on my tongue and my tongue feels all tickley instead. Ginger and I have an occasionally tumultuous relationship – but today we’re mostly on good terms.

Usually Blueberry Jam just hits the spot for me, but today it’s just kinda alright. I mean, it’s absolutely not bad and I think I hit a real sweet spot steeping it today (1 1/2 tsp. in my 10 oz. mug – boiling water for 6 minutes) – but I can’t stop thinking of that incredibly creamy and delicious cup of Cranberry Pear I had last night. That cup just put me into an incredible state of relaxation, and I can’t help but want another!

Oh well – I chose to make this for work today, not Cranberry Pear – so I guess I have to live with my choices. I still think this would be awesome sweetened with Maple Syrup or, at the least, some maple agave. Too bad I have neither.

I’ve broken out the banana chips now, and if I sip on this with some banana chips in my mouth too it’s a lot more satisfying.

I don’t know – maybe it’s that I’m drinking it lukewarm? Luke warm is not really my ideal temperature to drink anything: I want just less than piping hot or nice and ice cold. Oh well.

To follow up my Pink Flamingo, I decided I wanted something black and creamy. During my most recent trip to DAVIDsTEA to buy tins for my new Butiki blends, I finally ended up catching them on a day where they had this in stock! I’ve been super stingy with the last 10g or so that I had left from my first purchase of it, but now that I’ve got 75g more I can drink this guiltlessly!

For preparation, I used 1 1/2 tsp. (I always overleaf this one just to get enough actual leaf – with all the giant cranberry and pear chunks I find sometimes you’re not getting a lot of the actual tea) for 8 oz. of boiling water, steeped 4 minutes with my RiverTea musical note steeper. I’m finding with it that, while it’s incredibly cute, it doesn’t have a ton of space for the leaf to expand and the holes are definitely too large for anything fine (like a rooibos blend), so mostly I’ve been using it for herbals with large fruit chunks.

Tonight, I’m drinking my cup with milk in it because A) we finally have milk in the house and I’m taking advantage of it, and B) I wanted this cup to really play on the creamy aspects of this blend since I just finished a cup of more tart/sour tea. With milk, the tartness of the cranberry is tapered while still allowing it to be present, and the natural creaminess of the pear is exaggerated. The first thing I taste is the fruit, but then I get a pretty good taste of the black tea base.

I was watching season nine episodes of Supernatural while scrolling through Tumblr – but then I got distracted by a gif of Misha Collin’s Youtube show Fast and Fresh Cooking With West (West is his son), and ended up on Youtube watching all the episodes. I haven’t laughed that hard in days! Tre and I have both decided we want to try West’s Spaghetti and Jam Sauce. Anyway, I’ve made it back to the episode now – so hopefully I can finish another one or two before bed.