No. 67 Meadow

My favorite chamomile to crown off my day. A contented sigh.

Sipdown!
Tea. Good.

Roommate wanted to use her coupon for a free drink at Starbucks so I just ordered hot water and this was the only caffeine-free tea I had with me haha.
Beating the system aww yiss :)

((Look at previous notes for the actual tasting note bit of this. Grande sized hot water, drank it all the way back home. Decided to roll out my yoga mat and sleep on the living room floor as my roommates watched tv. Oh it was great.))

I got this sample from one of my Steven Smith orders. Ever since I got the electric tea kettle I have been drinking tea like mad as long as I’m at home. I guess that’s okay, it’s fun to have a new toy to play with, right?

This isn’t much to write home about for me… chamomile is something I drink when I have a stomachache or I can’t sleep but I’ve never been drawn to the flavor of it much. The blend does have a nice flowery taste and a bit of lemon which is nice. As far as herbals go, I guess I am more of a ginger, lemongrass or tulsi type of person but this is nice to wind down with and seems very soothing.

Tail ends of samples tend to be a little lopsided…lots of dust and whatever the “small” ingredient is; not as much of the big, good lumpy things that tend to give a blend its flavor. Definitely the case here; whole and new, it’s a nice, slightly fruity herbal, but this last cup tasted more like dandelions and that’s about it.

Oh, well.

Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp
Water: ~500ml filtered, 212°
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (Herbal, Strong)
Steep Time: 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chamomile, mint, floral
Steeped Tea Smell: rooibos
Flavor: delicate chamomile, rooibos and a hint of lemon
Body: Light
Aftertaste: vegetal, astringent
Liquor: translucent orange-brown

Chamomile overpowers everything in this tea, it’s not a bad tea, I am just finding it to be too boring for me. There is a hint of lemon and rooibos, but where are the other flavors?

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/05/steven-smith-teamaker-loose-leaf-herbal.html

T&C Box 4/18

I like the packaging on this one—the wrapper is attractive and easy to read, and the instructions are adorable: “steep 5 minutes while pretending you’re Van Gogh painting in Arles.” Don’t mind if I do!

I don’t know how I feel about this one. There’s a lot of chamomile, but as it cools the other flavors become more obvious. There’s definitely a floral note and a citrus note, as well as a very slight rooibos taste. Chamomile can be too much in blends, but this one isn’t bad.

ETA: As this cooled down it got much better. The chamomile is less overpowering when it’s cool, and the citrusy and floral flavors are more present. I think this would be good iced!

Meadow is magic.

There, I said it.

Full review: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/23/snooty-tea-review-steven-smith-tea-round-3/

I’m wondering if this blend has changed over the past few years based on reviews. For me: it was an unusually nice cup of camomile. I don’t normally love that herbal, but the other herbs in this balanced it well. It was also really pretty steeping: several flowers that expanded to fill the teabag.

Mastress Alita’s Monthly Sipdown Challenge: a sleepytime tea

Sipdown 4/29

Not really sure why I bought this…because this isn’t really something I would drink. It basically tastes like chamomile with a tiny bit of lemon myrtle. Not getting any of the floral qualities of the rose or linden flowers. Meh.

It’s very pretty in the bag with all the flowers! It smells like chamomile. It tastes a little sweet, with the lemon myrtle standing out a bit above the chamomile. It’s a bit floral too, with a little minty note.

I’ve been going through my Steven Smith sampler at work one tea at a time. I know it’s a bit silly to drink this as a “wake up” tea in the morning… but it is very tasty.