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Steep Information:
Amount: 7g
Water: 750ml 195°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: light toasty, not strong
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, toasty
Flavor: smooth, sweet, slightly toasty
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: slight astringent after
Liquor: translucent light orange brown

lovely black tea

Re-Steep Information:
Water: 750ml 195°F
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

stronger brew, but same taste

Placed leave in fridge over night

Re-Steep Information:
Water: 750ml 195°F
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

lighter brew, but still good

Placed leave in fridge over night (again)

Re-Steep Information:
Water: 750ml 195°F
Steep Time: 4 minutes
Served: Hot

lighter, sweeter but still good

It kept on going, even after suffering through time in the fridge (repeatedly)I decided to stop as it got very light and I wasn’t sure it could take another steep.

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2012/01/thepuritea-loose-leaf-black-tea-hong.html

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: lime, pomegranate
Flavor: sweet, lime, vegetal
Body: Light
Aftertaste: pomegranate

Really good iced tea with flavor (as opposed to fruit juice with some tea in it)

I would buy it again!

It is nice to find quality ready to drink teas.

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2012/01/steaz-ready-to-drink-can-white-tea-lime.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 12 ounces hot tap water
Tool: kati loose tea system (my Review here.)
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: sweet, roasty, delicious
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, roasty, delicious
Flavor: sweet bakey
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: toasty
Liquor: translucent dark brown

Delicious, from the smell you knew it would be a smooth toasty black. It has its own sweetness, and just enough toast to be soothing but not an astringent black.

Resteep: 2 minutes, 12 ounces hot tap water
Lighter body, but still delicious

This tea puts up with poor preparation (at work) and has been a once a week treat on my first day of work. The smooth mouthfeel and gentle toasted sweetness wake you up gently and not with the vicious shake sometimes given by an assam.

Solid performer, I have been drinking this at work and it has been hard to mess up, and consistently delicious without being jarring. This is not a kick you awake tea but a tea to perk you up with friendly soothing sips.

Rating: 4/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2012/01/teavivre-loose-leaf-black-tea-bailin.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 5.6g
Water: 750ml 175°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: toasty, then vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: roasty, light vegetal
Flavor: smooth, sweet, a little vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: toasty
Liquor: translucent brown-green

Other Names: Iron Goddess of Mercy, Ti Kuan Yin, Ti Kwan Yin, Tie Guan Yin, Monkey Picked Oolong

A smooth and sweet Ti Kuan Yin, I even had a leftover cup from the refrigerator and it was good. Not all Ti Kuan Yin ice well.

This was smooth, but not as silky a mouth feel as some very nice Ti Kuan Yin I have had. It is on par with the one from Teavivre. The better Ti Kuan Yin I have had was from Chicago Tea Garden. This would do far be my second favorite.

Resteep Information: 3 min
same as first

Resteep Information: 3:30 min
lighter than first

I gave up on the leaves so I could sleep. This is one of those darling teas you really get your money worth, and it keeps on ticking, just add a bit more time and voila! If you drink a lot of tea start your day off with this and it will keep going all day for you.

My apologies for not getting pictures of resteeps and spent leaves.

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.net/2011/12/teas-etc-loose-leaf-oolong-tea.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 2tsp
Water: 500ml 175°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: coconut, runts banana
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal, barky, roasty
Flavor: coconut, roasty, vegetal, hints of runts banana
Body: Full
Aftertaste: astringent, roasty
Liquor: translucent dark brown-red

meh…I wanted more banana and coconut, it’s hints of favor in a roasty vegetal brew.

Post-Steep Additives: sugar
brings out the coconut flavor

It’s an OK cup, but I really haven’t been fond of any hojicha teas.

Blog: http://amazonv.net/2011/12/52teas-loose-leaf-hojicha-tea-coconut.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 2+ tsp
Water: 500ml 195°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strong cinnamon apple, minds me of a nice mulled apple cider, hints of roasty tea
Steeped Tea Smell: cinnamon black tea, hint of sweet apple if you sniff hard
Flavor: sweet black tea, spice notes and a subtle sweetness
Body: full
Aftertaste: cinnamon, apple
Liquor: translucent dark reddish brown

It’s a smooth and lovely tea. It doesn’t call to me in such a way it’s going to be an addiction but I am enjoying this and hope it gives me another couple steeps. I should warn you I am suffering from a head cold so scents and flavors may be muted.

Resteep: 500ml 195°F 3 minutes
resteep weaker, but not bad, perhaps adding 30 seconds would have done better?

A warm, comforting, fall feeling cup of tea.

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/12/teas-etc-loose-leaf-oolong-tea-cinnamon.html

Served: Cold

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: sour, green tea, faint coconut
Flavor: Sweet (passionfruit?), bitter, pineapple, coconut
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: Sweet, then bitter
Liquor: Translucent green

If I had to guess it’s the yerba mate I don’t like

Rating: 1/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/12/bazza-ready-to-drink-bottled-green-tea.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 500ml 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: cucumber, vegetal, hint of perfumy strawberry
Steeped Tea Smell: cucumber, vegetal, sweet, hint berry if you try
Flavor: crisp cool (but its hot!?!) Cucumber, then a hint of sweetness that might be strawberry
Body: Light
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent honey yellow brown

Post-Steep Additives: German rock sugar
not an improvement

Resteep: 500ml 185°F 2 minutes
more vegetal, and cucumber no berry, slight bitter tang

Rating: 2/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/12/52teas-loose-leaf-white-tea-cucumber.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 heaping tsp
Water: 500ml 175°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strawberries, vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: strawberries and bread
Flavor: sweet strawberry, vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: bread, astringent
Liquor: translucent yellow-green

Delicious sweet green tea, slightly gritty mouthfeel. The pancake seems to be in the end / after the sip with the sweet strawberry upfront, and a strong vegetal flavor in the middle.

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/12/52teas-loose-leaf-green-tea-strawberry.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Water: 12 ounces boiling water
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: lapsang souchong (campfire smoke)
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, lapsang souchong (campfire smoke), bake-y, citrus
Flavor: smokey, bakey, citrus, astringent back tea
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: astringent
Liquor: translucent dark brown

I am not a huge smoke-y fan, but I do love how this combines earl grey into the smoked flavor.

I love the quality of packaging on Kusmi products.

Rating: 2/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/12/kusmi-teabag-black-tea-earl-grey-smoky.html