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We have back to back winner teas this morning!

As many of your may know, I’m not really a fan of black teas, usually. There’s only a very few that I enjoy and all of them are flavored. I’m not versed enough in black teas to even pin point the reasons some are tastier than others, which is something I’d like to remedy, but I never find myself wanting to familiarize myself with unflavored blacks as this will take time, money and drinking of a tea I don’t generally enjoy. :/

In any case, this tea! Oh my. so tasty. I can’t say much for the smell since it sort of absorbed the smell of the other teas it was stored with. I’m pretty sure that muscat aroma isn’t from a chestnut flavored tea. :) Once brewed, it still has a bit of a fruity aroma but the taste is something else. There’s a smooth barely smokey sweetness in the front of the sip, like roasted chestnuts. Then as you swallow, there’s the bitterness that reminds me of biting into the fuzz around the chestnut meat, but it quickly dissipates and you are left with the comforting impression of sweet roasted chestnuts. It’s like a winter morning in a forest cabin.

I’m reminded of chestnut creme desserts in France and I wonder if this would be good with sugar and cream, but I am usually disappointed when I mess with a tasty tea like that. I think I’ll just leave it like this. Chestnuts are under-appreciated around here. In France, you’ll find chestnut flavored everything. Chestnut yogurt was pretty darn good.

Anyway, thanks again for another great tea Azzrian! Every time I try another tea from Lupicia, I find myself desperate to make an order with them.

Edit: Having no French skills, I used google translate to figure out the meaning of “Chaud” and now I know that “Chaud Les Marrons” simply means “Hot Chestnuts.” The name of this tea is elegant in its simplicity. :)

Mmmm… nummy! Azzrian, you did it again! Another winner from my wonderful swap partner. This tea is so refreshing. It’s got a savory vegetal quality like asparagus or raw green beans. It’s toasty, but barely. It’s also somehow sweet and fragrant like citrus flowers. Beautiful lovely tea. It is a bit light though. I suppose I could use more leaf or less water next time.

Also, not really a good tea to go with food! The flavors are so delicate!

The oolong also makes a lovely fresh appearance making the peach not too candy-like. Oh, Lupicia. Why can’t you be on the east coast? whhyyyy???

So I’m trying this awesome sample from Azzrian in my brand new glass mug with strainer and lid. I can drink tea at work without those paper filters now! Awesome! I also love how lovely the tea looks through the glass. I want to just look out the window and drink tea for the rest of the day.

I’m quite enjoying this one. It’s not as creamy and milky as other milk oolongs I’ve tried. I think I’ve only had David’s and the three from Tea from Taiwan. It’s also quite it bit more drying on the tongue, though not unpleasantly. This may be because I’ve always brewed my oolongs with below recommended temperatures. I tend to prefer them that way, but I followed directions this time. Hmm… I guess I’ll try a cooler temp next time and see how it goes.

As it is, this oolong is very nice for a daily brew. The first steep was sweet and floral with a light milkiness. This second brew is more vegetal with an aftertaste of unripe melon. There’s a heaviness in the mouthfeel but the lightly floral scent in the back of the sip keeps things balanced.

Not my favorite to be honest, but it makes a good everyday tea. I wonder if I’ll like the flavored one more. :D

Thank you again, Azzrian, for the chance to taste this!

Hmm, this tea seems to be a bit polarizing, judging from the reviews. Oddly enough, I rather enjoyed this one. I would have guessed that I wouldn’t like it due to the hibiscus, but I sort of used a lot more water than recommended so whatever sourness is likely drowned out. I can still detect juicy strawberry and warm ginger though. Very nice. I imagine this would make a good base for lemonade. Strawberry ginger lemonade. Yum. I am brilliant! Too bad I only got a sample and it’s gone now. I’m not willing to order it either. hah! It’s not really that good even if it is enjoyable. For a strawberry tea with a spicy element, I’ll stick with Blazing Strawberry, which I recently got 50g of. yaaay.

I noticed that the summer collection just came out, btw! I’m super curious about Luscious Watermelon but I’m also pretty sure I won’t really like it too much so I’m hesitant to buy it. Anyone want to swap some for Blazing Strawberry or Swampwater? :)

OMG. Is this really green tea? I’m brewing this in the little yellow pot I usually use for oolongs and I suspect I’m somehow drinking an oolong instead of a green. Is it possible for green tea to have such sweet complexity and floral savory smoothness? This lightly colored liquor is absolutely lovely. It’s got this bright exotic citrus zestiness and an underlying vegetal deliciousness. Mmmm…

Steep two is more vegetal with a ghostly hint of limey flowers. It’s pleasingly drying. Mmm..brothy…

I can imagine this being so good lemon pound cake or thai food. versatile and so very good. I totally get why people are crazy over these Verdant Teas.

Hey! This is my first Verdant? I think I’ll have to explore further…
Thank you Azzrian for this delicious sample! so good!

I think I got this from Lindsay? I’m not sure. sorry! Well, anyway, I got this maybe a month or so ago and I never got around to trying it. Something about roasted oolongs are a turn off for me. I know that all oolongs are pretty much roasted or cooked or something, but the ones that promote roastyness…I dunnoooo. I like my oolongs green and fresh. So yeah, I was a bit nervous. But then, I was asked for this in a swap and I figured I’d better try it before I get rid of it. :)

I make myself a small tasting sized pot of this and hmmm…it’s not bad. It’s not as green as I prefer my oolongs but still, it’s got a bit of a honeyed note along with more traditional ti guan yin flavors. Quite good in fact. I probably wouldn’t buy it myself, but it’s good enough to enjoy. The second infusion is so average tasting though. There’s some creaminess in there, but I’m not sure if that’s left over from the coconut pouchong I was sipping earlier.

In any case, good experience!

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve been drinking tea all morning without a bit of food in my stomach…

This tea was absolutely delicious. I got off work a little early yesterday. It’s eerie when you’re the only one left in the office at 3:30. So I thought I’d make a little excursion to SoHo to use the ScoutMob coupon someone posted on a discussion thread.

I get there and these all sorts of noisy construction going on right outside. Then you enter a quiet, dimly lit interior filled with the smells of baked goods and tea canisters all around the walls. Is this heaven? :)

While I’ve always been a fan of Harney’s teas, I rarely ever bought from them because I always felt they were a bit over-priced. Maybe the flavored blacks were decently priced, but I’m not a fan of blacks so it wasn’t for me. But this coupon for 50% off makes it all worthwhile! Figuring I’d make the most of the coupon, I asked to look at three of the more expensive oolongs they have. Ali san, Li shan, and Wenshan Baozhong. The first two smelled amazing. I was pretty sure I’d love it even though I haven’t tried it yet. This Baozhong however…very intriguing scent. Like savory herbs and vegetables. Yet, my experience with baozhong (also called pouchong (?)) has always been creamy and sweet. Since they only let you sample one tea from the shelf, I picked the one I wasn’t sure about.

Let me tell you, this tea tastes nothing like it smells. It’s creamy and sweet with light fruity/floral notes. yummy first infusion. They made a second infusion for me upon request and that one was also wonderful. More creamy, less fruity/floral and more vegetal.

If I ever get another chance to buy a fancy expensive oolong from Harney, I’d get this one. But yesterday, I bought the Li Shan, the most expensive option. I’ll be writing a review for that one when I get to drinking it. :)

This tea is exactly what I hoped it would be. It’s my favorite Japanese Kasugai brand Muscat gummies. Only it’s liquid and not going to rot my teeth. I’ll have to invest in this oolong for health reasons. Mmhmm. Health reasons.

The base of this tea is pretty light. It seems like a light black, or a slightly roasty and autumnal oolong. The flavoring is so right. It’s floral and raisin-y and sweet and nectary. I love this. Love this sooooo much. Muscato is actually my favorite wine, and muscat grapes tie with kyoho grapes for being my favorite. All those things are expensive. This oolong is is cheap by comparison. Cheap, and delicious and so much better for me than gummies. I love gummies. haha I bet this would make an amazing cold brew.

I am so amazed at this tea right now. So. Amazed. When is Lupicia coming to the east coast????

Thank you sooooo much, Azzrian for this delicious sample! When I finally get to ordering from Lupicia, I am getting some of this!

Edit: Steep two and the oolong base is stronger now with weaker muscat flavor. It is still really tasty. This tea shows no signs of being bitter or astringent. I think I’m liking this infusion more than the first because the flavor and tea is more balanced.