2264 Tasting Notes
Well, the tea smells great in the bag. I’m pretty sure I got this one over the summer to ice, but I don’t think I was that impressed with it, because there’s still quite a bit left! I used the super cool random tea chooser thing (found a link in the forums!) and it suggested that I drink this one. So I’m trying it again.
It smells of apples and spice, and that weird cherry flavour you get from cherry blasters (yeah, IDK). I’ve had to add a fair bit of sugar to it as it’s really quite tart, and basically tastes like hibiscus when plain. After adding a lot (Well, for me. 1.5 tsp of honey to 8 oz of tea. Yikes!) of honey to it, it tastes like sweet hibiscus tea with a hint of apple and spice. I agree with other reviewers that say the aftertaste is kind of perfume-y and floral. Not really getting cherries out of this.
Definitely won’t be repurchasing, and I might not actually make it through the rest of the bag. (As I’m sipping, I’m not even going to get through the cup. Maybe more dilute and thinned with lemonade it’d be good, but I can’t be bothered.)
Preparation
This tea smells amazing – like delicious cinnamon apple crumble or cake baking in the oven.
I had 64g of this tea, and this is the first cup I’ve made that actually has tasted good. Honestly, it’s pretty delicious made this way, tasting like baked goods and oats. I used over 1 tbsp of the nuts and apples in an 8 oz cup, and added some almond milk and honey. Since I only got 4 or 5 cups of tea out of 64g, and this is the only cup that has impressed me, I’m not ever going to buy this one again. The cost is extremely prohibitive, and the outcome just isn’t always worth it. It’s too bad because it smells SO good.
Preparation
I was Christmas shopping on Granville Island and decided to stop in and see what they had for strawberry black teas. This is the one that was recommended to me, and I trusted the salesperson as all I could tell is that the tea was a bit sweet and fruity. I’m really annoyed with this cold!
I’ve had it a couple times, and although the lemon addition means it’s not quite as strawberry-y as I wanted, it’s pretty good. I just made up a mug, and now that I’m not as sick I can taste and smell the lemon. I oversteeped at ~4 minutes and it’s turned a little bitter, so I’ll have to remember to do a 3 minute steep in the future. After adding a touch of honey and a splash of soy creamer, it’s tastier… but it’s still not exactly what I was looking for. I really wanted a black tea with a strong, natural strawberry flavour for strawberry tea lattes. One with no raspberry leaves in it!
Edit: As my smell comes back even more, this tea is more lemony than strawberry-y. There’s a scent of strawberries, but the taste is more a delicate fruity lemon tea. Nice, but totally not what I wanted. Rating stays, because it’s a nice flavour. I probably won’t repurchase it, though.
Preparation
I’m starting to feel better, and I can (mostly) smell again! This is exactly what I was looking for in a peach-ginger tea. Juicy peaches (yes, kind of like the jelly candy) that hint towards being spiked with some sort of alcohol. The ginger isn’t as strong as I was expecting, but it is there, and it imparts a warming feel. I oversteeped this time and it hasn’t become bitter, which means that the base is something I should investigate. I love me some strong black teas that don’t get bitter (it is somewhat astringent)!
I drink this in a soup bowl with 1/2-to-1 tsp of honey and a splash of soy creamer.
Preparation
Still sick, unfortunately, so again I’m waiting to rate the tea until I can actually smell.
Dry, the leaves smell strongly of fresh peach (dare I say Fuzzy Peach candies?) and black tea, with a little ginger. Brewed for 3 minutes, the tea is a lovely reddish colour, and still smells of peach.
I tasted it without sweetener, but it was a little bitter/astringent (honestly I can’t tell the difference right now) for me. I’ll have to try it cold brewed without sweetener in the summer, as that might be tastier than iced. After adding a little honey and soy creamer, this is exactly the tea I was after when I purchased it. A little warmth from the ginger, more of a smell of peach than a taste (possibly due to my cold), and a nice black tea that holds up well to my favoured additives. Yay!
Preparation
I feel your pain. I’m sick with a cold too, and as of today my sense of smell is nearly gone, which sucks because I mostly brought new-to-me teas home, which now of course I don’t want to drink since I can’t smell them! Should have packed some flavourful standbys as well, sigh.
I’m drinking new stuff, just for the sake of drinking new stuff! I just hope the cold goes away soon so I can actually start enjoying it all, especially since my tea order should be here this week.
Hahaha, fair enough! I kind of have been too, because I can’t resist! But I’m trying to choose strongly flavoured teas so maybe they taste like something!
This is the first oolong I’ve ever tried, so I had no idea what to expect. I brewed as suggested, with 1.5 tsp of tea in 250 ml of water. A 10 second rinse, followed by a 1 minute steep.
I… actually really like it. It’s not bitter at all, it smells kind of green, and it tastes really smooth. My sense of smell is impaired due to a cold, but once I’m better I’m going to try it again, and probably go buy 50g to share with my mom. This won’t be an every day tea for me, but I do like it.
I’m going to hold off rating it until I can smell.
PS. I’m down near the bottom of mug 1 now, and I’ve figured out what it smells and tastes like. Seaweed. No, really. In a good way. Fresh and green.
