Michelle Butler Hallett Send Message

1.25tsp for 250mL tea @82C, steeped 1 minute 30 seconds.

Creamy for a green, though not the least buttery. Nutty. Slight mineral finish with a sweet aftertaste. Potent leaves are good for several steeps. A favourite.

2 tsp for 250mL tea @ 90C, steeped 5 minutes, drunk bare.

I feel terrible. I sat down with my family for lunch and nearly hurled at the table. Broke out in a sweat. Got dizzy. All round nastiness.

I knew I needed tea. I’m craving the new Ginseng Oolong from DavidsTea, but I’m in no fit shape to go out. Wuyi Rock is too dark for the moment, and the Tung Ting Vietnam’s buttery notes will just send me right over the edge.

So I made Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Makes no sense to me, either.

I’ve forgotten how much I like this strange, sweet blend. Normally I ice this one, but hot, it’s soothing on the stomach— probably the mint. The odd citrus thing this tisane boasts is distracting me from being nauseous. And the gooseberries give it a note that no other tisane’s got. I’ve been researching Elizabethan England and what they ate and drank; they liked to stew almost anything with fruit and berries. I think they might like this one, pun on the title aside, especially in winter.

This is a weaker tisane. The packet copy recommends 2 tsp for a cup, and yeah, you need at least that much. And a decent steep time. Herbals need a bit of coaxing.

1.5 tsp for 250mL water @90C, steeped 4 minutes, drunk bare.

I was hoping for a that high note, almost a fruitiness, but this Tung Ting tribute is more of a buttery oolong with a distsnt whiff of tart plum. And that’s fine. Sweet and steady but definitely buttery.

1.5 tsp for 250mL water @ 90C, steeped 4 minutes, drunk bare.

I hardly know how to describe this one.

Sweet and crisp, as the write-up goes. Lingering. Almost floral — really hard to describe. Really good. This one shoudl be good for at least two more infusions.

Three pearls for 250mL water @ 94C, steeped 4 minutes, drunk bare.

The packet copy reccommends a 5-minute steep, which is probably worth trying … or using 4 pearks at a time. My first infusion here is a bit weak …

Sweet black Hunnan with a clean finish, and some gentle honey and jasmine notes. Not a ravishing jasmine, but refreshing, and a lovely change from a green jasmine. A slightly stale note on the finish, as if either the tea leaf or the jasmine got exposed to too much air. Not sure this one lives up to the hype, but it is lovely.

Made for me at a DavidsTea location. Steeped 3 minutes.

I didn’t know what to expect, but I can say I fell backwards into a tea-gasm.

Lots of Hunnan-like notes: oak, some wineyness, plums … clean finish … some Darjeeling-like earthiness without much astringency … definitely worth trying, if you like a good black tea.

1 pyramid bag for 250mL water @82C. Drunk bare.

Oh. My. God.

My local teashop, Britannia Teas and Gifts, is a little low on jasmine right now, but they did have these little pyramid bags. (The owner had maybe 2tsp of my beloved Dragon Tears left and gave me those — yesss!) I needed jasmine. I really needed jasmine. I probably would have tried to eat dried petals our of a bride’s bouquet. Dunno what it is with me and jasmine tea, but when I want it, I want it bad.

I was a little dubious about the pyramid bags, because I’m a snob. But the leaves are long and twisty, and the aroma is strong. It’s a China green base, and a fairly grassy one — no broth or brine here. The balance of jasmine is freakin heavenly. I did oversteep the first infusion at 3 minutes — 2 would have been better — and got some soapiness from the flowers, but it was so good I didn’t care, just drinking it down til I could add some water. Second infusion at 3 minutes, 3rd at 3 min 30 seconds. Golden green liquor and a great jasmine hit each time. I think Dragon Tears are slightly better, but this Golden Dragon is very, very good. If you placed a cup of each in front of me, I’d have trouble telling which was which.

Good jasmine tea makes me feel relaxed and a bit goofy. I also find — and this is just my own observation, not in any way medical advice — it takes some edge off my arthritis pain. Maybe there’s something mysterious about the jasmine flower that medicine should look into. There’s a lot of bad jasmine tea out there; this is one of the good ones, I promise.

Made for me at a DavidsTea store. Steeped 3 minutes. Drunk bare.’

You’ve got to seriously like floral teas, and especially, like the scent of roses, to enjoy this tea.

Luckily, I was right in the mood.

A good balance of rose and a mild China green. By the end of the cup, I got more roses than tea.

I expect a 3-minute steep is as much as this tea can tolerate. There was a slight soapiness to the rose by the end.

It tastes of green tea and roses. A bit perfumey. Might be better enjoyed 125mL at a time, versus 250mL or more.

1.5 tsp for 250mL water @ 90C, steeped 5 minutes, drunk bare.

Yes, water at 90C. I’d set the Breville for oolong but changed my mind. I didn;t then change the setting because I thought water on the rolling boil would scald the sweet stuff in here.

It smells and tastes like red velvet cake. This is exactly what they intended. I catch the faintest touch of black tea on the back of my tongue.

I’m generally not a fan of flavoured teas, but I keep trying them. The DavidsTea Buttered Rum really appealed to me earlier in the week, so I took the chance on Red Velvet Cake. I’ll keep it on hand for when I want to eat something sweet and see if taking this tea instead saves me a few calories.