Mercuryhime select Send Message

So it seems that the disgustingly humid New York summer has officially begun. For that reason, I currently have two different teas cold brewing in the fridge. I had a liter of Swampwater in the fridge two days ago. Most of it was consumed in one day. Now I’m looking for a more traditional flavor. Mmmm gyokuro to the rescue. So delicious. So unbelievably refreshing and quick to cold brew. It might be because the leaves are a bit cut up but this was ready for drinking in less than an hour of cold brewing. The leaves had turned a lovely bright green. Sniffing the wet leaves, you’d swear you’re holding a handful of fresh bruised leaves. So green and vibrant! And the color! Japanese tea makers know how to make tea beautiful!

And even though this was a cold brew steeped for under an hour, the flavor was all there! Green and sweet and and smooth. It’s a bit vegetal and slightly oceanic.

My husband, drawn in by the bright green liquid, eagerly took a sip and made a disgusted face. “Is this Japanese green tea? Why are they always so seaweedy?” haha I happen to love the oceanic aspect but he pretty much hates all Japanese greens. So while I think this tea is lovely, it’s not for those who aren’t fond of oceanic flavors. :)

Also, since the first glass was cold brewed so quickly, I used the same leaves for another glass of cold brewing. This second glass is lightly flavored and more of a yellow green but the taste is still refreshing and delicious. I get more of a minerally/vitaminy flavor now. I love this!

Next cold brew in my fridge: a pitcher of 52 Teas’ Cantaloupe White tea. Can’t wait to get to that one!

Oh my! This is good. The last yellow tea I had was medicre and I sort of wondered what the big deal was about. This tea though! Amazing! Thank you for sharing this precious tea with me Azzrian!

I think used too little leaf but it’s still wonderful! It has the fruity floral complexity of an oolong but the light freshness of a white. Love this! More leaves next time though!

Thank you DJ Booth! This is really tasty! Of course I added rock sugar and bailey’s to this for dessert and it was decadent! My husband was pining for ice cream but this seemed to quell his cravings. :)

The rooibos seems to be really good quality. It’s smooth and rich without that yucky sour wood flavor some rooiboses get. And the flavor! Yum! Well done! It was like a melted sticky caramel. I have to try it tonight without additions. I’ll be needing to get more somehow. Great dessert tea!

So i took a trip to Davids today to pick up a replacement lid for my perfect glass tea mug. I got the bamboo one intended for the noble mug though. I’d like to see the lid shatter on me now! Hah! The glass mug itself is so pretty though and the bamboo lid matches well enough. I had wanted to pick up some samples of Luscious Watermelon, Mango Diablo, and Tropicalia while I was there but they wre all sold out! Apparently they are super popular! They took my email and told me they’d let me know when more comes in so hopefully I’ll get to try some of those teas soon!

Not wanting to walk out of there without tea, I ask for a recommendation on a fruity iced tea to go. After sniffing a bunch of teas, I settled on this. It’s pretty good! I don’t think I’d have enjoyed it hot. And I definitely would never have wanted to try it from the description! Minty citrus? Weird… But actually, the mint is very subdued. I tasted citrus and apple and then a smooth cakey vanilla at the end of the sip. Tasty and refreshing.

I always thought of teas as a primarily hot drink, but I’m beginning to see that some are only good cold. I foresee an expansion of the tea cabinet now that I’ve overcome my tea prejudices. :)

Wow! I’ve said that I don’t much like darker oolongs, but clearly I’ve been drinking the wrong kinds! This tastes amazing! I love that this weather allows for me to enjoy my teas both cold and hot. Had a nice cold brewed lemon green tea in my thermos for a long walk in the park with my puppies. Frozen blueberries make an awesome substitute when you are lacking ice cubes!

And now, the evening has turned chilly and I’m turning to a hot beverage to relax me and warm me up for bedtime. I had originally planned on some Neapolitan Honeybush (yummy!) but I was also in the mood for something new. Time to break into some samples form Azzrian! I know it’s late for a caffeinated tea, but what the heck.

This tea is fantastic. I can’t believe the flavors here! It’s like roasted chestnut, sweet and creamy. It’s also very floral. I suppose it’s supposed to be orchid, but to be honest, I’ve never known an orchid flower to smell like anything. Am I smelling the wrong orchids?

What a wonderful comforting tea. I hate to add another tea to my must buy list, but this is definitely permanent collection worthy. So few teas have that honor since I’m all about variety.

I just had my husband try it out. I’m trying to train his tastebuds. :) He says it tastes like caramel and vanilla. He also says it reminds him of Japanese tea only not bad (He dislikes Japanese teas). Awesome. :)

Off to try my second infusion now!

Mmm.. still good!

I want to thank Butiki Teas for sending me this wonderful tea. I really didn’t expect such a generous amount. Thank you!

The dry tea is so cute. It’s whole dark leaves compressed into a thickish coin shape. I could tell from the smell and appearance that it’s a cooked puerh before even reading about it. The smell was woodsy and puerh-y. haha, I don’t know how to describe that particular odor. :)

The first brew is a bit light, which is to be expected, but I could tell it was going to get better. This tea is warm and smooth. I can detect leather and wood with a cocoa aftertaste. Hmm… I’m on the second steep now and it is so much better. More cocoa. I’m loving this aftertaste! I suppose one might even say this is a bit tobacco-y, which I’d only know because dad refuses to quit smoking. :(

As the cup cools, I’m tasting something bright like lemon. Refreshing!

I sometimes think puerh is the cabernet of tea. I hate cabernet. I really like this puerh. :) I’m rarely if ever in the mood for puerh, which is a shame since this one is so good. I can’t imagine wanting this tea too much as the weather gets warmer either. Then again, my desk at work is right under the air conditioning vent so maybe I’ll have good cause to drink this at work. :)

Listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra radio on Pandora. :)

I feel like this is a tea that would do well as a seasonal Halloween item, but hey, I’m pretty happy that it’s available now so I’m not complaining.

First, the appearance. The dry leaves look and smell fruity and innocent. Then you steep tea and remove the filter basket only to find that someone has replaced your evening tea with a mugful of swamp water. I am amazed at how swampy this tea looks. Only instead of smelling like the accumulated poo of a million amphibians, this smells like an exotic fruity juice. Oh man. But look at this! It’s a dark murky green with an oily orange ring on sides of the mug. Most unappetizing looking tea ever!

The taste of this…well, it’s rooibos-y but in a good way since it’s green rooibos. I don’t know why red rooibos is so overwhelmingly prevalent when green is so much better. Fruity, but in an ambiguous way. But to be honest, I wasn’t paying too much attention to the flavors of the fruit. I’ll pay more attention next time. Anyway, it’s definitely something I’d be happy to drink again, cold brewed maybe.

Overall, good stuff! I even love that it looks so gross!

Fridays at work are soooo slow! I have plenty of time to sip on my tea. :)

I got a free sample of Ali San from Harney the other day. They are doing this thing where they’ll give you a sample size to take home if you Check In with Yelp while you’re there. I chose this tea to take with me since I can always do with more oolongs. And I had such fond memories of the ali shan from Canton Tea.

This one is quite good even if it’s not getting the gong fu treatment I usually give first tries on oolongs. It starts out light and floral. Sweet and a bit vegetal. Typical green Taiwan oolong, only more floral, I’d say.

The flavor gets stronger and more vegetal as we get into the third steep. The flavor is going strong. My scant teaspoon full of leaves have taken over half my 12 oz mug. holy cow can these things grow!

I’m really liking this since I’m always a fan of Taiwanese green oolongs but I have to say that Canton’s ali shan is better. I love this floral veggieness here though. very tasty!

On an unrelated note, a couple of people are getting sick at work here and I’ve been offering people tea. One of them mentioned that he’s been trying to get into green tea for health but hasn’t liked any that he’s tried. Opportunity! I don’t know if I should offer a flavored green or an awesome delicious unflavored Japanese or Chinese green. I happen to have all those options in my drawer by my desk… Please tell me this is normal!

I think I’ll go with the Chinese green and hope for the best!

I was having a cup of this for the second time this week at work, still trying to figure out what that familiar flavor was…then it hit me! Fresh juicy papaya! I am so relieved! I’ve been trying to figure it out since the first cup. So tasty!

I think I also need to revise my opinion of this tea. I figured out that I used a bit too much leaf the first time. Also, I’ve stopped hoping for that buttery cream flavor in milk oolongs. Much better without the flavor of disappointment. I’ll just stick with calling these oolongs Jin xuan and appreciate them for what they are. Smooth and delicious papaya. :)

I think I’m learning how to deal with hibiscus-y teas. Brew them weak and then chill. that’s what I did with this and heck, I think I’d do it again if I had any. It pretty much tastes like grapefruit. Very refreshing and citrusy and tasty. THis makes an excellent iced tea. Still, I prefer cold brewed oolongs and greens. I wouldn’t spend money on this tea, but I’m thankful for the sample. It’s actually the sort of tea that the husband would enjoy. I love that he pretty much likes what I don’t. :)