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This is a great spicy chai. I can’t wait to try it traditional style with a bit of milk over the stove. The spices settle on your tongue and leave you with quite the tang. Almost a bit mineral too. The amalgamation of cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, etc dances around with the black tea base.

Tea samplers are my bane. A good, good bane. But I have a hard time passing them up.

Smooth with a bit of astringency that makes it somewhat more potent. It is a briskness that is awakening but turns smoothly to umami and bits of vegetal notes. There is a bit of silt at the end with a lingering briskness.

In our world Ravens in the library would be absolute chaos. But in the world of Houite Ravens frequent the library and good tea is always provided. Ravens are companions to those lucky enough to have been accepted. They share an affinity and a certain pair loves Earl Grey. He is the master of the library. Takes his tea every morning at 160 F. No milk or sugar. Though if it’s a humid day he will spot chill it using frost glare. A spell he must be careful not to use on the teen crows. He loves the blend a bit over steeped. With a bit of puckering astringency. The creaminess takes him away to his younger years and that white Raven he hopes to find again one day.

This was a perfect moment to take out my blue lotus Kyusu from Zerama. If you want to properly brew a Japanese green you need to get one of these. I steeped 3 grams for one minute. The dry leaf is a nice glossy dark green with flecks of light green. Fine like flattened pine needles. The wet aroma is buttery, clean, and crisp. Very pliable to the touch. Smooshing is very easy. Dry aroma grassy. The liquor color is light amber with slight green hues. Slightly like glacier water which settles to reveal clarity. Ah, wonderful flavor. Grassy. Creamy. Sweetgrass. Nutty. Very fine sesame undertone. Mouthfeel smooth. A bit astringent.

Mindfulness. What does it mean to you? To be mindful of others? To be mindful of how we think / act can affect others / ourselves? Either way. This is an Earl Grey. For those of you who enjoy London Fog Lattes, you will really enjoy this blend. It has lots of creamy notes. Vanilla. Heavy Cream. Milk. And of course, all topped off with glorious bergamot citrusy goodness. The woody notes of the base tea come through nicely after the other notes pass over. Wet wood and dark mahagony.

They must have used a Tie Guan Yin as the base. You are hiding with the cinnamon like an angsty teenager but like any good mom (of tea) I know you’re there. If you focus on the minerality from the oolong the rice pudding notes get a little weird but overall this is a relaxing blend. I could see drinking this at an Inn sitting on a pillow near the fireplace while my little dragon lounges next to me.

The problem with having two places to store tea is that the one that is further away won’t be looked at as much. This is a sample, thanks Vallhallow, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before but it was probably because I repackaged it right away. The minerality is amazing. The flavor, the mouthfeel, and even the aroma both wet and dry. It is like a wet granite rock drying in the sun. But it also has some unique fruit notes. And a slight lemony but also a brightness with tropical floral notes. There is a bit of astringency but nothing like a black tea.

All right Steepster here comes your Cured Leaves tea number two! This tea starts off strong with a gloriously sweet aroma that reminds me of the passion guava shave ice I used to get in Hawaii. Fruity notes and hibiscus. Lemon myrtle shines in the wet leaf aroma with a smell herbacous notes and an overflowing of sweet lemon drops. This tea is best steeped in something clear in order to enjoy the color shift of the butterfly pea flower (that is really its only purpose). On the package it says 4 -6 minutes and that I can declare as true. Anytime before it is simply too tame of taste. The flavor is lemony and fruity with a slightly earthy undertone. The black currant shines along with the hibiscus, which can be hard to tame. Also, save a bit 2-3 oz and put it in a separate cup with the leaves after your initial steep. The intensity of the lemon, currant, and hibiscus gain new traction in a slightly sour but delicious fashion.

It also needs to be mentioned that purple tea is in fact not a type of tea like white, yellow, green, oolong, black (red), and dark. The reason is that Purple tea is actually a cultivar that is the result of a genetic mutation. This mutation is called anthocyanin which results in a purple color. The six types listed above are named because of their processing styles. Thus purple tea is not a style of processing like the others but instead the result of genetic mutation.

No reviews for this yet? That is very surprising knowing that they were the winner of the 2022 Devan Shah Tea Tycoon Unique Customer Relations. Well, let me be the first to introduce you Steepster friends! This black, women-owned company is focused on African blends. The first thing that caught my eye was the packaging. The tribal patterns are fantastic and inviting. But what about the tea? I ordered two samples, the Currant blend and this one to review. This is a great non-tea chai. Perfect amount of spice for the palate but with the calming creaminess of rooibos. Perfect on its own but also wonderful with milk. If you prefer it with an even spicier kick, like I do, steep it longer. It will knock your socks off without making you stay up for hours.