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My first day without any tea (or non boring food) and so far a mild improvement, sadly the complete and utter lack of caffeine has turned me into a grumpy slug. I haven’t bothered to change out of my PJs and have spent the entire day playing Terraria and glaring at anyone that is at all ‘peppy’ it turns out I am not a pleasant person without caffeine in my system. But have no fear, I can reign in my snarly sensibilities to talk about a tea like a civilized person.

Today we are looking at Aged Earl Grey by Numi Organic Tea, I originally bought a box of this tea for my Earl Grey obsessed boyfriend in the constant search to find different Earl Grey variants that he would like, of course I wandered off with a bag for my own nefarious reviewing purposes. The aroma of this tea is very bergamot heavy with a sweet edge to it, there is also a malty undertone that makes the aroma very pleasant, it is certainly a tea that will wake you up!

The brewed tea has a bright and brisk aroma, typical of an Earl Grey, with strong notes of bergamot’s citrus tones. There is also an undertone of malt that add an extra bit of briskness to the cup’s aroma.

The taste is sadly not spectacular, there is an initial wonderfully bright zing of astringency, but after that fades I found I was left with a mouth full of nothingness. The bergamot aroma from earlier is not present in the tasting, but there is still a very mild hint of malt as an aftertaste. Sadly this tea is not for me, even if it does smell delightful.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/numi-organic-tea-aged-earl-grey-tea.html

Well everyone I have good news and bad news, the bad news is my stomach ulcer is just awful so not only do I need a bland diet (yay) I also need to take tea out of my diet for at least a week. I am pretty sure I can survive without tea for a week but it will not be fun. The good news is that I have tons of teas in my notebook still so I can blog daily during my trials and tribulations.

Today’s tea is Bourbon Vanilla by Kusmi Tea, a Chinese Black Tea flavored with Bourbon Vanilla from Madagascar. Fun fact, the name Bourbon Vanilla comes from Reunion a French controlled island that was previously called Ile Bourbon after the House of Bourbon. The aroma of this tea is fairly mild for a vanilla tea, it is sweet and creamy similar to vanilla bean ice cream. There are also notes of almonds, oak wood, and a very faint hint of strawberry that I honestly am not sure where it comes from. The aroma is pleasant and dessert like.

Once brewed the vanilla aroma practically disappears from the wet leaves but the base tea’s aroma is very bright and a touch malty. I also notice a fruity tone that has changed from strawberries to cherries in the wet leaves, it blends well with the malty and bright aroma. The liquid has captured the aroma of the vanilla from the leaves and is sweet and creamy.

The taste is subtly sweet and brisk. The vanilla is creamy along with notes of nuttiness and a midtaste of oak wood. I added a touch of cream and it really accented the already creamy undertones of the tea. There was no need for sugar since it is already sweet. I feel this tea is good for waking up or for dessert, but I doubt I will seek out more. It is a pleasant tea but not really outstanding.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/kusmi-tea-bourbon-vanilla-tea-tea-review.html

Happy after the Holidays (almost, still New Years) everyone, I had a good one, and a good little vacation, I hope you all didn’t miss me too much. Sadly though my stomach ulcer is acting up, so all the yummy holiday food cannot be eaten by me. Luckily though I discovered that copious amounts of Oolong tea soothes my stomach. Today I am reviewing some Oolong from Taiwan sent to me from the lovely people at Eco-Cha, I decided to bring out the gaiwan (like I ever put it away?) and my bubble cups for brewing.

Organic High Mountain Oolong Tea by Eco-Cha Artisan Tea is an Oolong tea picked from the He Huan Mountain in Taiwan during the Spring of 2012. I suggest giving their website a view, they give lots of useful information about their teas which I certainly appreciate. The aroma of the loose leaves is sweet and floral with notes of honey and lilac. There are also notes of mild vegetal, spinach in this case, and a very faint fruity note that is evocative of scuppernongs. The aroma of this tea is enticing, not overpowering and heady but like a spring breeze bringing distant aromas through an open window, this tea makes me want to go outside and explore.

Once I give the leaves a steeping in their gaiwan the aroma becomes even fruitier with honeyed notes of scuppernongs and floral hyacinths. There are also vegetal notes and a very mild whiff of pepper. The aroma of the brewed liquid is very mild and sweet, like honey and a hint of orchids.

The first (of several) steeps blends sweetness and floral flavors together for a very mild tea. The taste is like candied violets and honey with a mild vegetal midtaste ending with sweetness again. The mouthfeel starts out buttery smooth and finishes with an abrupt sharpness that wakes up the mouth. The first steeping starts off relaxing and soothing and ends with a crescendo making me excited for the next steep.

The second steeping gives a slightly darker liquid with a sweet aroma and a note of lemon verbena giving it both a citrus and herbal tone. The first thing I notice is the incredibly smooth and buttery mouthfeel, the taste is mild with subtle notes of honey and lilacs with a finishing note of chestnuts. As it cools there is a hint of cherries as an aftertaste.

The third steep brings a more floral aroma from my little bubble cup and it is quite heady. The taste is sweet like honey with a rich orchid note. The mouthfeel is still very buttery smooth and delightful to drink, I feel very soothed. There is a fruity aftertaste that lingers for a bit.

The last steep is subtly sweet with more of a vegetal note than floral with a slight midtaste of chestnuts. The mouthfeel is still extremely smooth and soothing, it is definitely one of my favorite aspects of this tea. This tea is great for sipping Gong Fu style and reminds me of early Springtime, it also is soothing to my angry stomach so that is a huge plus.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/eco-cha-artisan-tea-organic-high.html

Today has been a chill day, and I do not just mean it is freezing cold and we are under a Winter Storm Warning (oh please, please let us get snow!!) Today I have spent mostly relaxing before the inevitable onslaught of holiday cheer. I spent the day working on a massive castle in Minecraft, so far I have the outer walls and part of the turrets complete, it will be my biggest build yet. Plus my shoulders and wrists needed a break before I get back to finishing all the crafty gifts I need to make. All this holiday business puts me in the mood for Spring, so it is time for a Springtime tea from the annals of my notebook.

Sakura Sencha from Wegman’s Food Market (originally by Ito En) is a Japanese treat evoking the delicate blossoms of spring, blending Kagoshima Sencha and Sakura blossoms. The aroma is tart and sweet with an undertone of fairly mild vegetal and a touch of grass. The sakura blossoms add a gentle floral tone with a touch of citrusy fruit that reminds me a bit of dragonfruit. The aroma is very much so reminiscent of springtime blending new growth and flower blossoms, overall the aroma is very delicate.

Once brewed the aroma, while still being fairly delicate, increases the intensity. Not only is there the floral aroma but now I notice notes of cherries and freshly mown hay and it blends wonderfully with the aroma of the sakura blossoms. The liquid has a sweet, fruity aroma with undertones of freshly mown hay and a hint of almonds. The aroma is still delicate and fairly enticing.

The flavor is sweet and floral with notes of almond and cherries. The mouthfeel is smooth and the aftertaste is that of fresh grass. This is probably one of the few times I will offer advice like this, but do not follow the directions on the website/tin. I found that if I brewed the tea at 175 degrees it turned out a bit bitter, very much so the flavor of a tea brewed at the wrong temperature. I brewed the tea again at a lower temperature (150 degrees) and all the bitterness was gone and I was left with a smooth and pleasant tea. As the tea cools the sakura flavor becomes stronger and the tea becomes sweeter, it is a wonderful reminder of springtime and perfect for a relaxing sipping experience.

I should note there is a slight chance that I might miss a few days posting a blog in the upcoming week. There are a lot of very social events I am supposed to attend and being an introvert these things kinda wear me out. Hopefully I will have a blog out everyday but if not, now you know why. Happy Holidays!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/wegmans-food-market-sakura-sencha-tea.html

I have spent most the day hunched over my perler boards spriting out gifts for people, now that I am stretched out in bed, propped up on a pile of pillows I can certainly say I am a happier person. I plan on spending the rest of my evening watching Let’s Play videos, sipping tea, and nibbling on snacks before I inevitably fall asleep. This of course, has nothing to do with the tea I am reviewing today!

Wild Flowers Blooming Tea by Primula is a blooming tea made from Chinese Green tea, Jasmine and Globe Amaranth flowers. The aroma of this tea is all flowers, intensely heady jasmine flower aroma drifts out of this interesting little ball of green. There is also a mild hint of earthiness, but the green tea is mostly indistinguishable and took some serious sniffing before I noticed the barest hint of vegetal.

Steeping the tea is an experience, and lets face it, the real reason we are all here. Watching the ball of tea bloom into a spiky flowered ball (that will forever vaguely remind me of Cthulhu but I am a nut) is an extremely enjoyable experience. The aroma is entirely jasmine flowers, which is all fine and dandy but not really nuanced. It smells like one very specific flower, no tea or other notes, just jasmine. The liquid without the leaves is the same, just jasmine.

The taste is heady jasmine and a touch of sweetness and the barest touch of vegetal green. It is an unremarkable drink with a beautiful viewing experience. There is a reason that I pull this tea out at events where there are no tea drinkers, it provides a wonderful show and a pleasant warm drink to sip on. I wish the base green tea had a stronger flavor, I think it if were it could knock my socks off, but since it isn’t I will just continue using this tea mostly as a visual treat to impress guests with.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/primula-wild-flower-blooming-tea-tea.html

Today has been an overwhelming day! I got some amazing gifts in the mail from my wonderful family which made the fact that I feel like utter and complete garbage a lot more tolerable. Even though my body is a wreck my spirit is practically vibrating with happiness, ’tis the season after all. Today though we have a tea that is evocative of Summer, for those living in warmer climates.

Maracuja Flavored Tea from Upton Tea Imports is a China Black Tea flavored with Maracuja (Passion Fruit) Essence, Sunflower blossoms, and Sugared Peach bits. The aroma is very sweet and tropical fruity, not tropical like coconuts and palm trees but more like exotic tropical fruits. There is a tart citrus tone to it and mild notes of floral that make me think of dragonfruit or soursop.

Steeping the tea gives the leaves a maltier flare with bright citrus notes and a tropical flare. I can definitely tell that this tea has the essence of passion fruit and peach since both are noticeable. The liquid is malty and bright with sweet, fruity notes. It smells very dessert like and exotic.

The taste is mildly malty with a bit of tartness and citric tones. For all the tea’s sweet aroma the flavor is not very sweet so adding a bit of sugar does not cause it to become saccharine. After I added a bit of sugar I noticed the taste of passion fruit and a tiny hint of peach. This tea is not bad, not spectacular but certainly enjoyable. I found that drinking this tea iced was also enjoyable, making it a good choice for summer sipping.

For blog and photo: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/upton-tea-imports-maracuja-flavored-tea.html

I slept for twelve hours yesterday, it seems excessive but clearly I needed it since I feel much better today and I have flipped back to being diurnal again. It is a constant struggle, I am naturally nocturnal but since I live with other people (making it hard to do things at night for fear of disturbing sleepers) I try to keep myself diurnal. Time for a tea review, another from my notebook of backlogged awesomeness.

Today’s tea is Hand Picked Autumn Tieguanyin from Verdant tea. Before I get too far into my review I should apologize, something weird happened to my camera (I have fixed it) where some of my photos were not storing on my SD card and sadly I did not notice till after my tasting was finished and I did not have more of the tea to photograph. Sadly that means no photo of the loose leaf, but I do have one of a cicada on the package. The aroma of this tea is very rich and heady mixing floral, nutty, and slightly fruity notes. The floral notes are the strongest blending orchids and lilacs with a gentle note of honey and freshly mown hay. I also detect a slight note of scupernong sweetness and as I pull the leaves away from my nose I get a really light hint of apricots.

The steeped leaves have a green aroma, like standing in a field of flowers and you can smell the aroma of broken leaves and flowers. There are also fairly strong notes of chestnut which blends very well with the notes of orchid and vegetation. Even though this is an Autumn picked Tieguanyin the aroma reminds me of high summer and makes me feel warm just thinking about it. The liquid’s aroma is mild and refreshing, mostly floral notes that are not at all heady. It reminds me of a breeze carrying in the aroma of flowers from the garden outside your window. There is also a note of chestnut at the finish.

The taste is exceptionally mild and very sweet, it is like drinking a cup of very warm honeysuckle nectar with a gentle chestnutty aftertaste. Nothing about this tea overwhelms, it feels very much so like a ‘hug in a cup’ and just soothes everything.

The aroma of the leaves used for a second steep are much richer, which makes sense since they have unfurled more. The orchid notes are headier and the chestnut notes are stronger, it is one of those teas that the steeping aroma fills an entire area rather than hiding in the cup. The liquid also is much headier while still retaining some of the mildness that the previous steep had. The taste is similar to the first cup being very smooth and sweet with strong notes of honeysuckle. The mouth feel is buttery smooth and the flavors are a little more rich with the second steeping. I like this tea a lot (but really, have I ever had a TGY that I didn’t like?) it is one that I can see myself sipping before sleep or when I want to do something relaxing because it has such a soothing quality. Someday in the future I will have to procure more of this tea and give it a Gongfu brewing review.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/verdant-tea-hand-picked-autumn.html

Everyone, brace yourselves, I am about to use the the phrase ‘is whack’ in a sentence unironically. My sleep schedule is whack because instead of sleeping last night before my friend’s graduation I decided to stay up all night. It was all good though, the graduation was a ceremony, I got to be a photographer, and the University Dean thought I was a Grad Student because I am so knowledgeable. I think my nerd score just went up a level on that one. Today we are looking at another of of my backlogged journal entries from earlier times!

Young Hyson from Upton Tea Imports is a Chinese Green Tea of the Chun Mee family (meaning it is a small, twisted leaf) and is known as Yu Chin Ch’a in China. There is a bit of contention about the name Hyson though, it is not clear if it is named for the English tea merchant Phillip Hyson or if it is a descriptive name (flourishing spring) for its time of harvest. The aroma of this tea is vegetal and sweet mixing notes of artichoke, white grapes, and a hint of citrus. It is mild and refreshing, the aroma is very much so something I would want refreshing me on a warm day.

Once the leaves are introduced to their watery bath the aroma become much sweeter and citrusy. I notice that it is no longer a vegetal aroma but a vegetation aroma that wafts out of the steeped leaves. It is very much the aroma of things growing in springtime. The liquid is surprisingly mild, there is very little aroma except for a delicate hint of vegetal, specifically spinach.

The taste is mild, mixing fresh spring green with a touch of bitterness that is similar to arugala. The comparison to bitter greens is actually not far off with this tea, it is a touch bitter, a touch savory, and a touch vegetal. There is also a gentle smokey aftertaste that fades fairly quickly. This tea is not a bad tea but it is also not one to write home about, I found it unspectacular and would choose other greens over this tea. I did find that as it cools it takes on a sweet and floral note which makes me curious as to how it would taste as an iced tea. Perhaps I will have to give this tea another visit when Summer comes around again!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/upton-tea-import-young-hyson-tea-review.html

I am going to admit it, I have not had a good day. I blame it on insufficient tea, insufficient snow, and really annoying Lupus/RA flair in the making. Even though my day has been less than stellar I am somewhat grateful for days like today, they help keep life in perspective. Life is all about balance, and today I will balance my life by making my tea journal’s backlog one entry shorter.

Today’s tea is Yunnan Jig by Adagio Teas and is one of those beautiful Black teas filled with beautiful golden tips. I am such a fan of tippy teas, the aesthetic appeal is so strong. The aroma is sweetly muscatel with notes of oak and summer berries. The aroma is very mellow and fairly soothing, fairly delicate for a Black tea.

Once the leaves are steeped their aroma takes a turn for the malty with strong notes of oak. Less sweet now and more of that punchy aroma that Black teas are known for. The aroma is much brighter and richer now with very subtle notes of muscatel as I pull my steeping basket away from my face. The liquid is sweet and muscatel with a delicate note of malt and a hint of fresh berries.

The taste is bright and clean! It is a great feeling to take that first sip of a black and feel not only refreshed but have the flavors come across as being pure. The flavors are sweet with notes of muscatel and a gentle hint of dark chocolate. I also detected an aftertaste of mineral leaving a slightly tingling mouthfeel which finished the sipping experience with the same refreshing feeling as the beginning. This is a great afternoon tea that I found tasted wonderfully straight, but adding a hint of cream and sugar was also delicious.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/adagio-teas-yunnan-jig-tea-review.html

I seem to have flip-flopped back into a nocturnal sleep schedule again, and I am ok with that because it means I am super creative. Not sure why that goes hand in hand but I seem to be much more keen on spending hours on various craft projects when they are in the wee hours of the morning. Last night I discovered that mixing Perler Beads and embroidery makes for some awesome designs, of course these observations were made with the help of copious amounts of tea.

Today’s tea Organic Superfine Keemun Fragrant Black Tea by Teavivre is a beautiful Red tea (or Black tea to us Westerners) from Huangshan in Anhui, China. Fun fact, Keemun is one of China’s Ten Famous Teas and is one of the prominent ingredients in English Breakfast. The aroma of this tea is a wonderful blend of earthy, floral, and muscatel. It combines the rich, loamy aroma of the forest with freshly harvested grapes and a gentle hint of squash flowers. This tea has a very pleasant and gentle aroma, even though they are all very distinct it feels more like an olfactory caress than a bombardment.

While the leaves are steeping I notice a lovely muscatel aroma filling the room, it is honey sweet and reminds me of scupernongs. The leaves out of the water still retain their muscatel aroma with notes of honey and wildflowers. The earthy notes are less pronounced in the steeped leaves, and there is a mild yeasty note at the end. The liquid’s aroma is warm and sweet reminding me of honey, apple butter, and sun-warmed scupernongs. The aroma very much so reminds me of warm summer days in my Grandparent’s garden.

The first thing I notice about the taste is the strong muscatel note, it is sweet and rich, again reminding me of scupernongs. There are also notes of earthiness and a slight hint of oaky astringency at the mid-taste that adds a wonderful brightness to the flavor. There is a honey sweet aftertaste that becomes more prominent as it cools. I also noticed a very slight note of squash as well which was surprising but enjoyable. As the tea cools the earthy mid-taste fades to loam which compliments the oak notes. This tea is wonderfully complex and enjoyable! I certainly recommend drinking it straight as additives would not blend well with the flavors.

For Blog and Photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/teavivre-organic-superfine-keemun.html