4843 Tasting Notes
This is really tasty.
The flavor of the rooibos is a perfect union for the root beer flavor… and the flavor seems to nicely off-set that funky, saccharine-ish flavor from the rooibos that I generally find so off-putting when it comes to rooibos.
I am very pleasantly surprised by this blend. I didn’t try it with milk this time around, but, I think when I brew up the last of my sample, I will froth up some milk and serve this latte style to see how/if that enhances the “float” part of the flavoring.
Preparation
I must really be happy with me today, because not only did I have Norbu Oolong tea, but I’m treating myself to some Jasmine Pearls.
Now, a little explanation – these are “custom” because, well, I get my jasmine pearls from various sources. There are some perks to being a tea purveyor. Anyways… as I haven’t really found much difference from brand to brand, I just keep them in my pretty little washi paper tin, combining them as I get them… and to be honest, I really don’t know which source(s) I received these from.
Anyways, until I find the “perfect” pearl – if it exists – a pearl is a pearl is a pearl… and all are equally lovely in my eyes.
When it comes to pearls, I have found that a moderately low temperature and extended brewing time works wonders.
The flavor is amazing. Jasmine. Smooth, delicious, sweet green tea leaves, delicate in flavor. Sweet, floral jasmine tantalizing my palate. Delightful.
Preparation
Good idea! Now that you made this listing, I may use it as well once I try each one separately once. Do you combine pearls of different sizes/types?
Well, most jasmine pearls (green tea pearls) I’ve come across are basically the same size, or vary only slightly, so I combine the pearls I receive from my various sources. They might call them jasmine pearls, or jasmine pheonix tears or jasmine dragon thing-a-ma-bobs, or whatever, but basically, I’ve found no real difference between one company’s jasmine pearls and another company’s jasmine pearls. And I do try them before I combine them… to see if there is a difference… because I am searching for the perfect pearl. However, these… are very, very close to perfection.
If you want a good jasmine pearl, Harney & Sons’ Dragon Pearl Jasmine is excellent IMO, and I’ve heard a lot of people rave about Samovar’s Jasmine Pearl Green.
I’ve only had oolong pearls… combining them w/ green pearls (which is what I meant by “type”), might be kinda interesting.
Cofftea: No, I haven’t combined Oolong pearls with green pearls. By Oolong pearls are you referring to the rolled “greener” Oolong leaves?
I’m refering to oolongs like Adagio’s Jasmine #12.
Ah…yes, that is definitely a pearl… although I haven’t tried it – I imagine it’s a bit larger than a green pearl. I think I must try this one the next time I place an order with adagio. I do love jasmine Oolongs… this one sounds right up my alley.
The jasmine pearls (also oolong) in the maestro collection are quite tiny.
LiberTEAS, I have a sampler tin of jasmine #12 if you’d like it I could send it to you?
Take her up on it LiberTEAS, it’s yummy!
I must warn you both I have an ulterior motive.:) I want to send her another Oolong my favorite oolong ever and see if LiberTEAS has ever tried one similar and if SO what she knows about it. I buy mine locally and the shop owner doesn’t tell me much about it (I think she just orders it and doesn’t know much about it).
SoccerMom: I’d appreciate that a great deal! And I’d be happy to try your oolong and see if there is one similar. Is there something I can send you in exchange?
Finishing up the last of this sampling that Doulton sent me. Thank you! You are so kind!
I really like this tea – I think I may even like the smoky quality to it! And that’s not an easy feat. I notice that the smokiness is more in the aroma than in the flavor though. If I smell the tea before I sip (which I normally do) the taste is much smokier than if I sip without a deep inhale. But… I don’t find the smoky flavor here unpleasant – quite the opposite, actually.
I use a little extra leaf and steep a little less time than the brewing parameters suggest… and the tea comes out perfectly for me.
Preparation
Now that I’ve steeped the last from my Oolong, I thought I’d have some Vienna Green.
On a slightly unrelated note, I wish that teany included photos of their tea on their website. It would make life so much easier for this tea reviewer!
This tea is yummy. Chocolate is well pronounced in the cup, but I can also taste the green tea – pleasant, fresh, and only very slightly vegetative. A toasted sweetness from the nuts. I can also taste a slight buttery flavor to the overall blend – a very rich, creamy taste. Very decadent. YUMMY!
This is a tea that absolutely requires a low temperature for steeping. Too high a heat will give this tea a really blah taste…
Preparation
i sooooooo want to try anything from teany….jealous…lol…
I also increased my rating for this tea. The last time I steeped this tea and rated it, I think I had my water too hot, because it did have that blah taste I mention in the note. Now… it’s just delightful!
I am sending you a sampling of this one, I think and also the green chai. I am really low on the golden nepal otherwise I’d send you some of that too.
yay…thanks…u r too good to me…hugs
Nice review this seems so interesting hope to try this eventually.
Oolong! It’s been a couple of days since I’ve enjoyed Oolong – I’m overdue!
So to make up for it, I chose one of my favorites. This Oolong is amazing. Buttery, rich, floral. Almost jasmine-esque but not quite… maybe like a cross between jasmine and orchid, and maybe even honeysuckle. So… amazing.
And… already gone. I need to steep again!
Preparation
Another sample from the order I received last week.
In reading the ingredients, one might think that this is kind of like a green chai tea with peppermint, but, it doesn’t taste like a chai to me. The peppermint is the strongest flavor here, and the other spices in the blend act more as an enhancement or an accent for the peppermint than as the basis for a chai blend.
Either way, it’s quite tasty. I like the ginger in this blend especially, it has a pleasant, peppery kick to it – a nice contrast with the crisp, vibrant flavor of the peppermint. The green tea base really is just that – a base, but not much definition to it.
Overall, though, a pleasant and soothing cup.
Preparation
I just finished submitting my review of this tea for the Tea Review Blog and have finished my second infusion of the leaves – I think I like the second infusion even more than the first!
I love drinking this tea and actually crave it at times.
This is one of my all time fave raves so far. It was the beginning of my Samovar love.
I’ve had a few different Earl Grey teas lately, and they’ve all been quite good. This is definitely one of my favorites. I don’t know if I like Lupicia’s Earl Grey better… one of these days I’ll have to do a side by side on the two and see which one I prefer. But, even if Lupicia’s is first, this one would probably be second. Although… I’ve not tried A&D’s Earl Grey yet (Maybe I’ll try the sampling that Doulton sent me later today), so… that could change after tasting that one.
Wow… I feel like I’m rambling!
OK… what makes this Earl Grey so great? Well, it’s the blend of tea, for one thing. Not just a Ceylon, but, an excellent blend of Ceylons as well as a delightful Assam that provides a very pleasing malty touch. Bold and brisk, yet, smooth. A very well rounded blend.
The bergamot flavoring is strong but not perfume-ish. It’s been flavored perfectly.
YUM!
Preparation
Not sure why, but when I see the name of that tea, it makes me think of someone sinister. Like Lord Voldemort tea. I’m glad you liked it though.
LOL – I hate to admit this, but if someone made a Lord Voldemort tea, I’d probably buy it – so long as it’s not snake flavored or something.
Voldemort tea … wouldn’t that be smoke, mold, and bug flavored? :o)
eww…….
it’s all your fault my cupboard is going to fall on me ;) i caved and bought some (ok so it isn’t hard to convince me to buy tea…) steven smith teas, including this one
AmazonV: Trust me, you won’t be sorry. I’ve tried three of his teas thus far (this one, Bungalow and Mao Feng Shui. The Mao Feng Shui is amazing and one of my favorite green teas. This is definitely one of my favorite Earl Grey teas.
I knew that I would be staying up this morning – although a nap would be nice – so I decided to start the day with a tea that would get me going. I usually like to make this one a latte – complete with steamed, frothed milk (yes Cofftea, I do have a frother, I just don’t like to get it out and use it all the time) – but milk just didn’t sound good to me this morning. So I drank it sans steamed milk, but with a nice dollop of honey!
Mmmm… I love how honey enhances the flavors of chai. It really gives a nice definition to the spices of chai. I know that sugar can do this to (and when I’ve run out of honey, I’ve used sugar) as can agave nectar, but, there is just something so perfect about honey and chai.
Preparation
Haha! Mmm… chai… if you ever decide to open your business again you should make lots of killer chais, I’d be your friend for life:) I have a frother too, but I’ve never used it cuz I’m such an amazing klutz. I’m sure my chai mistos would be much better if I did though.
I don’t like honey, but I’ve always wanted to try ROT’s chai honey- have you tried that yet?
OoooooooO…100!? Excellent! I’m intrigued!
Cofftea: I haven’t tried the chai honey. When it comes to honey, it’s probably the ONE item in the entire supermarket that I wouldn’t go looking for something unusual. For me, I just look for raw honey, local if at all possible.
Chai is a great love of mine as well.
TeaEqualsBliss: Well, it is my own blend. LOL! So therefore I created it to my specifications. :) So, yeah, maybe I am a little biased. Now you know why the Guru won’t let me review my own teas on the tea review blog! haha!
I would review it!!! :P
Did I send you some of this when I sent you the Teapigs Licorice and Peppermint? I thought I did… if not, I certainly intended to.
Cofftea: I just visited the ROT website…and that chai honey does look yummy… I bet it’s absolutely awesome on toast. I think it might be a little overkill in chai, but, what a great breakfast – toast with chai honey! YUM!
I agree about the honey and chai! I never had it that way until Golden Moon recommended honey with their Kashmiri Chai, and now I’m HOOKED! Now I’m craving it for tonight :) :) :)
LiberTEAS, if you’re afraid of over kill the vanilla bean looks yummy too- both have actual tea in them. The blackberry sage jam looks yummy too!
JacquelineM, I don’t think I could put it in a chai that was green based… even in part like GM’s Kashmiri… but then again I don’t even really care for milk in my green chais. But you should totally give into that craving:)
I ordered this one a while back, but I hadn’t tried it yet… so I thought it was about time!
I have a tremendous fondness for white tea. And this one is very good. I have read of many a displeasure on Steepster when it comes to white pear teas, but this one has a very pleasing pear flavor, and it is nicely accented with cinnamon and cloves.
Very good tea. I don’t know how this would fair as an iced tea – the flavors might be a bit too delicate for iced tea. But it does make a pleasing hot tea for later in the evening.
Preparation
It actually tastes like pear?
Yes, it actually tastes like pear with cinnamon and cloves… like maybe a baked pear with spices.
As someone who has flavored/blended teas for quite some time, I can say that pear is a difficult flavor to achieve because if you think about it, the flavor of the fruit itself is rather subdued. But I think that 52 Teas did a really good job with this one.
i totally agree! i’ve tried several teas that are supposed to taste like pears, but i keep striking out. i’ll definitely try this, though!
Erin: If you’d like, I can send you a sampling of it. :) Just PM me with your address.
Matcha – oh how I love thee!
This ginger Matcha from Art of Tea is delightful. The ginger flavor is quite subtle until you get to about mid-bowl, and then the flavor develops. Every once in a while, you’ll get one of the itty bitty ginger pieces and I love biting into them to release their peppery goodness! YUMMY!
Smooth, sweet, a little spicy. Pleasantly vegetative. I really like how the ginger contrasts with the matcha’s grassy flavor.
oooooo sounds neat!