690 Tasting Notes

90
drank Red Queen Cupcake by Butiki Teas
690 tasting notes

YUM!!! This is my first Butiki tea and I love it. Sweet strawberry flavor with rich chocolate notes and a nice black base. Teas with chocolate don’t generally re-steep well, but I tried it with this one anyway. Definitely less chocolate flavor, but still a nice strawberry vanilla taste the second time around. Stacy suggests to add sugar, but I found mine really didn’t need it. I will savor every teaspoon of this one for sure!

Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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65

This is one of those “teas” that’s really just a bunch of different dried fruits and flowers. In spite of having both rosehips and hibiscus, this one wasn’t too tart for me. However, I also didn’t find it terribly flavorful. I agree with Leah Naomi that it has a “generic berry flavor”…it’s pleasant enough (and would probably be better iced) but it’s nothing special and nothing I feel the need to re-purchase.

Flavors: Berry

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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75

I’m always wary of rooibos blends, as they can be quite nasty if they’re not flavored well. But Great British Tea store seems to do them quite well! This one probably needs to be sweetened to really have that gooey sweet flavor I associate with pecan pie. But on its own, I still find it quite tasty! A nice nutty/pastry flavor with a pleasant aftertaste and none of the offensive woodiness often associated with rooibos. I also smell some caramel in the blend, but I’m not really tasting it in my cup.

Flavors: Caramel, Pastries, Pecan

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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30

I’m not quite sure where the mischief came in on this one! It was quite bland, with only a hint of fruity flavor. It was also surprisingly astringent for a white tea. Overall, I wasn’t a fan.

Flavors: Astringent, Fruity

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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95

In general, I’m not a big fan of straight green tea. But this one was a pleasant surprise! It wasn’t bitter or grassy or astringent like others I’ve tried; it was sweet and flavorful and had a wonderful creamy, silky mouth feel. Adding this to my wish list. Thanks for the sample, carol who!

Flavors: Butter, Creamy, Spinach, Sweet, Umami

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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55
drank Pumpkin Spice Chai by Twinings
690 tasting notes

Brewed, this smells just like a slice of pumpkin pie. And it has decent flavor, considering that it’s a bagged tea. Not very spicy, but a nice cinnamon/clove flavor and I think I’m even getting a bit of pumpkin.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Clove, Pumpkin

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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90
drank Caribe by Harney & Sons
690 tasting notes

Another sample from carol who! This one smells like a tropical vacation in a tea bag…so fragrant and fruity! And I was pleasantly surprised to find that the flavor lives up to the scent. I taste the guava and strawberry as I sip it and then just a hint of the black tea in the aftertaste. It’s quite a delicious combination…in fact, I may just have to add this one to my wish list!

Flavors: Guava, Strawberry

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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80

Great British Tea Store seems to have figured out how to do flavored rooibos teas well. This has a nice fresh, natural lemon flavor without the offensive woody taste I tend to associate with red rooibos. And despite the name, it’s not too tart, just nice and fresh!

Flavors: Lemon, Lemongrass

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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65
drank Bluebery Cheesecake by Art of Tea
690 tasting notes

Another sample from carol who! This one was okay, but not great. I definitely taste the blueberry, but nothing that even remotely reminded me of cheesecake. And the rooibos base was very woody.

Flavors: Blueberry, Rooibos, Wood

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
carol who

I was sort of disappointed, too. :-(

Inkling

Oh well. That’s the point of samples, right? To find out what you like and what you don’t? I’m having so much fun sampling teas from these companies I’ve never even heard of before! :)

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80

Thanks to carol who for the sample! Up to this point, all of the Yerba Mate I’ve had has been roasted. This is green and mixed with green tea, which gives it a completely different flavor! It’s surprisingly fresh-tasting for an almond tea and I think I’m getting a bit of a fruity flavor as well…maybe cherry? An interesting, complex tea blend.

Flavors: Almond, Cherry, Fruity, Green, Sweet

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Profile

Bio

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ~ C.S. Lewis

I was introduced to loose leaf tea by a roommate in 2012, but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon Steepster in 2014 that I discovered a world of tea that went beyond Teavana and the grocery store.

My tastes continue to evolve, but black tea is currently my favorite. I am especially drawn to strong, malty breakfast blends to wake me up in the morning and flavored dessert teas to sip throughout the day.

Just about everything in my cupboard is available to swap, so feel free to ask!

Location

Milwaukee, WI

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