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Ever since TeaSource discontinued their Black Mao Feng, I’ve been on the hunt for a replacement. This one isn’t quite what I’m looking for (I’m not getting those baked bread notes promised on the label) but is quite a lovely tea in its own right! The leaves are unbroken, long, dark, and twisted. The primary aroma is molasses and I get strong notes of molasses, honey and raisins in the sip with a lingering fruity sweetness in the aftertaste. It’s very robust and full-bodied and holds onto its flavor through multiple re-steeps with no bitterness or astringency. At the price, I probably won’t be re-purchasing but I’m glad I gave it a try.

I was in Dallas this weekend and got to visit The Cultured Cup’s storefront for the first time. While their prices are on the high side, the quality is outstanding! This one is a beautiful mellow, nutty oolong that’s been flavored with real lemon oil (not that awful furniture polish-tasting artificial lemon flavor) and just a hint of basil. The resulting flavor is sweet and creamy but not too cloying and it holds up beautifully to multiple re-steeps. I would definitely re-purchase this one!

Another new-to-me blend from my latest TeaSource order. My first couple of sips were disappointing…all I could taste was cinnamon. But as it cooled down, the flavor started to pop and I ended up being impressed! This actually does taste like carrot cake, or at least a spice cake with cream cheese frosting. I don’t really taste carrot, but I get the cakey flavor, the spices, a bit of sweetness and even a hint of sour creaminess in the aftertaste that reminds me of frosting. So glad I gave this one a chance!

I don’t remember what prompted me to add this one to my last TeaSource order, as senchas tend to be a bit too assertive for my taste. This one’s actually nice and smooth and not too grassy, but I do wish I were getting more strawberry from it. There’s definitely a fruity flavor here, but it’s not distinctively strawberry. Their website recommends drinking it iced, so I’ll have to try that this summer! (It was -2 Fahrenheit when I woke up today, so definitely not iced tea season right now.)

I’ve never had bourbon, so I’m not sure if this blend tastes like it or not! What I taste is caramel and a hint of smoke, which doesn’t sound like it should work, but it does. A delicious and high quality dessert tea. August Uncommon keeps impressing me!

Everyone should have tea friends who order samples and split them with you! Huge thanks to my friend Elizabeth for an opportunity to try 3 new-to-me August Uncommon teas. :) This one may have been my favorite of the bunch. It’s super rich and malty with chocolatey undertones. No bitterness or astringency and re-steeps beautifully! Wouldn’t mind adding this one to my cupboard.

TTB #31

This is the final sample I grabbed from the Traveling Tea Box before mailing it on to Michelle yesterday. It tastes kind of like the classic Bigelow Constant Comment tea, except with a white tea base instead of black. Orange and cinnamon are definitely the dominant flavors. There’s a bitter aftertaste that I can’t quite pin down, but which is significantly reducing my enjoyment. This one wasn’t a favorite, but overall I very much enjoyed my experience with this traveling tea box! Such a treat to get to try so many new-to-me teas and tea companies. I hope others enjoy the teas that I shared from some of my favorite companies!

TTB #30

A huge THANK YOU to whoever put the Tea Side oolongs in the traveling tea box! I’m a pretty casual oolong drinker and had never heard of this company, but both of the ones I tried from them were outstanding. This one somewhat reminded me of a milk oolong, as it had a very creamy flavor and silky texture, but it was sweeter than most with notes of caramel and berries. The second steep was just as delicious as the first and I’m guessing I could get several more good steeps out of these leaves before they give out. I may be placing an order with this company in the future!

TTB #29

Before taping up the box to mail to Michelle last night, I removed a couple more samples that only had 1-2 cups left, including this one. I don’t really know much about GABA tea, but I will say that this is a very nice oolong! It’s super smooth and buttery with a delicate floral flavor. It actually reminds me quite a bit of a green tea (except smoother), which surprised me based on the dark brown color of the leaves. Not sure if it actually has any magical health benefits, but it was a fun tea to try!

TTB #28

Unfortunately, I’m not really getting cream or vanilla notes from this tea…it’s just coming across as a pretty average breakfast blend. Maybe I need to add some actual cream to pull out those flavors?