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So the little man has been struggling with eczema. He’s been itching and it’s been affecting his sleep which of course makes for long nights for us. My wife and I have been reading how putting rooibos in a baby’s bath can help with eczema. We’ve been trying everything until we can get him into a pediatric dermatologist. So this was on sale at the grocery and wife asked “you’ll drink it too right?”…..but of course. So we put a few bags in with Mr. Zeke’s oatmeal bath, and one in a cup for daddy :) I really like the fact that since it’s rooibos this one is full leaf and not dust. You can see it through the bag. Smelling the pure rooibos here I understand better why David’s tea did have add too much to make the Oh Canada blend. The dry leaf has a sweet woodsy maple aroma. Same with liquor in the cup. A cedar like woodsy flavor almost even wine like. There’s a little sweetness too without any sugar. This is really good and I hope it’s helps t the little man too.

So for Christmas we received a Keurig from my parents. Since the only way for me to make coffee for the past year and half has been instant or french press since my drip maker hit the fritz. We were pretty excited. First of all I love the Keurig for coffee it’s been awesome to have. So my wife and I bought a few boxes online since we could get two free, and the shipment came today. So of course what do I do…yes break out the tea. So I tried the medium cup setting. Whoa! That is a strong cuppa. I feel guilty saying this but I actually had to water it down a little. Malty and tanic…more so tanic. So for dinner I decided to try it again over ice. Perfect proportions. A little strong for hot but great iced. I so do like the new addition to our kitchen.

I tell you I’m starting to come around to green. For a long time I couldn’t stomach greens I was a black and Pu man. However if you have a quality green then it is smooth and palatable. It’s light, grassy, kinda make you think of spring in the dead of winter. Thanks Infussion for allowing me to try this one.

So I’ve had this one for a bit from a swap with Dinosara but you know sometimes it takes a while to get to some teas…or your cabinet is overflowing and your wife says no more tea till you finish what you have. This one has been in my work stash. I have liked all the Wuyi teas that I have tried and this one is pretty good. A little nutty and since the leaves are half oxidized I’m getting a little bit of what I would call that sometimes cherry like flavor and honey hints that at least I pick up from the fully oxidized Oolongs. That you don’t get from green Oolongs.

I can’t believe I’m the first to rate this one. Thank you Rachel for sending me this one. I’m a huge fan of roasted mate. I like the roasted flavor on this one. The leaf is quite small almost like dust rather than full leaf. There’s not just mint in this one but full mint sprigs, which adds a nice touch to the roast flavor of the mate. However in steeping this one a few time I have yet to pick up any berry flavor to this one. I’ve even let it steep for ten minutes and still can’t pick up the Elderberry. Still this one is tasty. I would love to try more from handmade but unfortunately monthly subscriptions are not in the buget.

With the price as cheap as it was I decided to pull the trigger on this one and get a pound. Ah the aroma on this one is intoxicating especially since I love curry! The mate and pu-erh combo I like as well. It kinda reminds me of a curried Tang. This one is especially good with a little straight Pu-erh mixed in as well. I fear I may be one to get the last of it with the sell off of Teavana teas as of late. If you added some cinnamon this would be Christmas tea.

So thank you to Infussion for sending me the samples. This is the largest pouch in the shipment. I must say after reading up this I’m very intrigued. I’m not sure if the aphrodisiac properties, antidepressant, or properties are what I’m looking for but I don’t mind trying something new. By itself I am reminded of shredded cedar chips. The taste of the straight up bark is the same. It’s not terrible or great but I would say it’s an acquired taste. However I have noticed a few things with mixing it with other teas\tisanes. Straight up I didn’t notice anything difference in mood being lifted or something else…wink wink nudge nudge. Mixing it with plain Nobleza Gaucha Mate I have found is my favorite so far. Somehow they negate each other flavor wise in a teaspoon to teaspoon ratio. Yesterday morning I mixed it with Teavana Zingiber Ginger Coconut Rooibos. Again it was pretty good. However I felt kinda spacey for most of the day and had trouble concentrating. I don’t know if that is part of the “buzzy” effects. Regardless I’m going to try this with mixed with a few combinations and see what we get.

So I picked this up on a whim cause the grocery store was out of the peach white tea that I was digging. I wanted white tea so a combo? Why not. The dry bag has a little bit dusty aroma to it. A little sweet too, and if you breathe in too deep get ready to sneeze. So after brewing this the aroma of honey and lemon are very nice. The taste. After a few sips I was trying to figure out what it reminds me of. Then it hits me. Warm summer shandy! I have enjoyed this tea so much that I’m on another box. Everyday after lunch this is my brew. I have noticed that the Siberian ginseng help in fending off work stress. Loving this one.

So I’ve been sitting on this one for almost a year thanks to Tamm. I’ve tried some here and there and well…it’s one of those teas that you don’t want advertise that it’s in your cabinet. I also have realized that after being a steepsterite for two years now and that The Simple Leaf ceased to be before I became an avid tea drinker. To my dismay, but I’m also realizing the freshness window might be waning. I’ve been making cups here and there just saving it for special time or when I just really want a good tea(like the Imperial Pu-Erh I keep on hand). Today I felt like I needed a pick me up. It’s been really crazy at work. Which happens every year at this time because we are a station that goes all Christmas music for a month. Oddly enough we are one of three radio stations that goes all Christmas music every year. How Cleveland became a Christmas music battleground…I don’t know. It also means it takes me longer to get music logs done as the music director because I have to look over the logs more with a fine tooth comb. Besides that this is time of the year that things get tight financially in our house(which also means drink what ya got because not too many new purchases are going to be made). This year more so than others since my wife is working part-time instead of full, and there aren’t nearly as many wedding gigs as there are during the summer. The wee man has been battling his first cold the less sleep he gets the less sleep mommy and I get. This seemed like a good idea this morning to make a full pot. So I pulled out the pouch and breathed in the goodness. I breathed in an aroma of cocoa that was just outstanding. I could feel an endorphin rush that brought a smile to my face. I have seen this one compared to a black oolong, beans, raisins, chocolaty. Yes it’s all the above. Like Assam and his cousin Ceylon were hanging out a swanky jazz club. Listening to the band do their best rendition of Brubeck’s-Take 5 and throwing back Scotch on the rocks(Macallan not Glenfiddich). So what I needed today. Normally I’ll make a cup of Mate, Pu-Erh, and Coffee in the morning. Today only the coffee and Dawn. I don’t know if there is too much to say but this is just an exceptional tea. After searching the internet high low for other places that carry tea from Arunachal Pradesh sadly there is only one. It is very much like an Assam Oolong. So good.

Hmmm so I have had this one for a while but unfortunately I have not written a note about it. So getting back into the swing after the break has been a challenge. The baby had a fever so being up numerous times last night I needed a good kick in the butt. The mate is always good for that. Though sad that my enjoyment of this tea has come to an end…I’m still glad I got to sample it. The dry leaf smells like halls honey lemon cough drops. Which I like so that is not a bad thing. Anytime I’ve brewed this one my wife says that it smells weird but I find this one quite tasty. I have not had the pleasure of tasting mead, but this is what I would envision it to be like. Smooth and sweet and really can’t taste the mate. Every time I’ve had this one I just think of Blake Shelton’s song :) http://youtu.be/xZjosn2u1gA