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I had this on Wednesday during the snow storm, gong fu style. It is creamy and has the taste of aromatic spices, tasted almost just like the pumpkin pie I had the night before for Christmas dinner with the in-laws.

I got 8 steepings out it before I had to continue to work on grad school applications and return to the real world. I also think I am going to save this one for when I need to unwind once classes start back up.

This tea tastes just like the no longer me safe brownies (Foods by George), I used to get. Chocolatey, malty, creamy, and a hint of something bright.

I have been filling my thermos with this before my hellish Tuesdays (classes from 11.30AM-9.30-10.00PM, thankfully finals are next week) for a few weeks now. This tea is also what helped me survive process for applying to my first graduate school one down three to go. This is not as smokey as I would prefer, but for casual sipping throughout the day it is more than adequate. The pine smoke is there in smell but weakens once brewed, however the woody element from the pine is there full force.

Once more the weather here is gray and wet, good thing I typically prefer rain over sun most days. On top of the cold wet weather today was the first day of finals and lucky me had my worst two on the first day, History of Soviet Russia and a lab practical for a lithics (stone tools) analysis class. But after two more finals (North American Archaeology and one for a women’s studies class on wild women having already finished my independent study last week), I will be home and starting my internship two days later. After the long day of tests and a weather induced migraine I curled up with a mug of this and an article on a possible ritual associated assemblage of cattle skulls at a Viking Age Icelandic farmhouse.

This tea is not too malty and has a cocoa and somewhat raisiny or other fruity note to it. The mouthfeel is creamy but does have a slight bitter note when cool. It also paired well with a few oat flour cookies with cranberries, raspberries, and apple puree baked in. A nice end to a rather stressful day. It is something that is relatively light in flavor and can be sipped mindlessly while doing work.

I have had this a few times this semester and it compliments the dreary weather here quite well.

The heavy smoke smell of this lingers in my dorm for hours afterwards. Which isn’t a bad smell or thing but it is probably a good thing that I do not have a roommate to complain about the “campfire”. I really enjoy how smokey and piney this tea is and it reminds me of the summer when we have campfires on the site of an abandoned Christmas tree farm. The smoke is rich, thick, and cloying with the drying pine peaking out every few sips.

While these arrived at my house a few weeks ago, I have finally gotten them here at school. I love oolongs and so far my only other experience with Wuyi is the one I get from the bulk teas at Wegmans. The smell is a nice roasted nuttiness that just errs on being burnt. The taste is much like the smell but smoother and mellows during further steeps. It has a few sweetish notes coming out to play in later steeps as well.

I love ginger and I love peaches (we get a bushel every summer from one of the local Mennonite families) this tea reminds me this annual event with the ginger reminding me of spiced peach crisp. The flavor is nice and smooth peachy goodness with a delicious hit of ginger at the end. The tea base is there but is subtle under the fruit and spice. The peach and ginger are for my tastes nicely balanced. Delicious, when the Steepster Select pouch is empty, I might get more of it.

This is one of the few tisanes I like, while a little too tart for me at the start it mellows as it it slowly sipped while it cools. The cranberry orange combination is one I have always enjoyed and is mainly the reason why I chose this tea, the other is so that my grandfather would have something caffeine free when he decides he is going to steal some of my stash. Plus this rooibos will always be associated with one of my favorite professors who is always up for me dropping by her office with some of this and good conversation. So while it may never be a prefect “tea” flavor wise it will be memory wise.

I usualy drink this when I’m working on a paper and pulling marathon sessions. It is a bit of an odd tea for me to get into wrting mode with since most of my paper topics tend to be less lavender earl grey-y, and more puerh-y, if they were tea (like the Viking torture paper). Anyway enough babble, the lavender can sometimes be a bit overpowering the first time ‘round so I typically brew this twice, doubling the time. The bergamont to me is mostly only noticable at the start of the sip with the lavender gradually taking over. This tea isn’t perfect, but since I just noticed my tin is less than half full puts it as one of my most drank.

YUUMM… It’s been ages since I have had a smokey tea, and oh how I’ve missed it. After a raging migraine for the last 2.5 days caffiene has become a necessity. Firstly is the beautiful smokey taste that reminds me of the smoked turkeys on Thanksgiving (yum), next is the subtle smell of smoldering pine needles, then a very small pop of something that tastes like caramel, and finally the delicious smoke lingering on the back of the throat. I guess I should visit poor Jackee more often.