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Thank you Ian for this sample! I’ve taken some time getting to the bottom of my sample box so I’m sorry to keep Ian waiting. Now I’m in an hurry waiting for new deliveries to arrive from my April purchases (I’m an addict) and want to start with all the waiting reviews finished.
For Happy New Year, I followed regular steeping regulations for a Bai Mu Dan which was a mistake. Too short on the steeping and too cool a temp. I should have read the vendor review in this case first because it says steep 7 minutes and much hotter water. Explains why my first pot was flat and weak at 2 minutes. Not giving up, the first extraction was so poor that most of the tea essence was still inside the leaves ready for a proper second go.
Now the second (almost first) steep at almost boiling and 7 minutes. If this is highly forgiving tea like the vendor says, then I must agree that any other tea would have gone all bitter and this didn’t. There is a little vegital flavor but I can’t taste any floral notes. Maybe if it cools a bit. I’m waiting. And waiting. And waiting. No floral notes.
Not very impressed to tell you the truth. I’ve been spoiled with other Bai Mu Dan’s that are so beautiful that maybe I’m looking for the same here. This is just flat. There is a bit of astringency and vanilla cookie on the finish sort of. I’m feeling that I’m in a wind tunnel with this tea wanting to like it because everyone else does…but I don’t. Every time I walk towards the wind…I get pushed back to the wall. This is not good to me.

Second Review. This is one delicious flavored Pu erh! The Strawberry is super rich and holds it’s own next to the Chocolate and Pu erh flavors. Dessert, Dessert, Dessert!
If you had a big chocolate 6 layered cake with a thin layer of mocha caramel cream and some strawberries piled between the layers and plopped whipped cream on the top (I added cream and sweetening just a bit) this is what you have in a cup of this Pu erh (well not exactly but close to it). And… being a pu erh, you get to keep pouring and have some more…(I now laugh my feverish mad laugh…wah ha ha).
You have surmised that I do in fact like this tea a bunch!

This is NOT the first time I’ve reviewed this tea. Somehow it disappeared from my cupboard even though I have a good stock. It’s one of my basics. Trickery I say!

This morning I was rummaging through my big tea cupboard. Come to think of it, I’ve never explained how I’ve used recycled items usually tossed into the garbage for use as tea bins. Here goes…well, you know the big plastic containers that are used for washed bulk salad greens like baby spinach? That’s what I use to hold envelopes of tea. I cut off the tops and stick a canning jar label on the front with the name of what’s located in the bin: ‘Oolongs’, ‘First Class Black Teas’ or what the bin title is and then place the bin up on the shelf. When I need tea it’s easy to grab the bin and bring it down from high above. I have a ‘New Tea’ bin, ‘To Be Reviewed’ and ‘Samples to Send’. No way could I keep track of 80+ tins (I do have a few tins) in the cupboard since it’s pretty tall. Crazy huh!
My morning cuppa smooth creamy sweet Earl Grey never disappoints me. This is so comforting and reliable. There is something about a good Earl Grey that makes you want
to throw a wrap around your shoulders and watch an old movie with a dog on the couch by your side. No harsh lights…golden low-light. The fragrant bergamot perfumes the air
in a subtile way, waking up my senses slowly and gently which is a good thing because I am not nice if jolted awake quickly in the morning! Not nice at all! This is so good and truly one of my must have favorites. Classic and timeless!

I received this sample from someone somewhere and I have no idea. It was awhile ago. Sorry and thank you mystery person! I had no label to read when I did my brew. There was just the Teavana and the name of the tea so I wrote what I tasted without checking the ingredients first. Here is my honest review.

The first steep was 4 minutes when I began to pour. Since this is a fruit Mate I added sweetening..just a bit… and took a trial sip. I tasted creamy apple and the heat of ginger, some sort of nut background and a little lemony pineapple. The flavors being not too strong or spicy are a little strange which I can’t explain. I had not taken the brew basket out of the teapot so I poured a little stronger brew which was still tasty and a little more hot on the tongue and lemony. By the third and forth mug the tea was very lemony and had picked up more ginger heat. Don’t get me wrong, these cups were highly drinkable…just more potent and just the sort of cuppa you want to cure your sore throat. Tasty. The fact that you can take one big tablespoon of Mate from the first flavor profile to another and another without it getting wierd or bitter is pretty spectacular don’t you think? I do. This is something I might try again just for fun! (Now back to my TV show!)

This was my breakfast tea this morning. Today is a beautiful Spring day and warm again’ Temperature is going up to 61 degrees with NO SNOW not even a hint that it came by yesterday! What a trickster the weather can be at 5000 ft.
I’ve never had a Darjeeling, just read discriptions. I know millions have this tea regularly for breakfast or midday tea with milk and sometimes sugar.
I don’t turn on my computer until later in the morning…but I take my Kindle Fire with me to the couch so I can check Steepster…and my cloth covered tea tray with glass pot covered with a paisley tea cozy from April Cornell (I like that they are reversable and $14 when they go on sale). I stay in my Big Brown Hooded Zippered Robe that makes me look like an old craggy monk… because I’m Retired! After 4 minutes steeping the liquid pour has become dark like coffee which is what I want! No insipid weak morning tea for Bonnie. Not bothering to drink this straight up I put a bit of cream into the tea and took a sip…toasty and lightly malty ending with a clip of tannin at the tip of my tongue to pop the flavor. Reminds me of Rome in the morning and me having a creamy perfect cappuccino. Bold, rich and beautiful in taste and color. I added a little sweetening and caught a lightening bolt of cream brulee with the maltiness. Very nice cuppa and not a thin tea but one that coats the mouth with richness. Perfect for breakfast. I finished the whole pot wanting more!

Second Review. Sample thanks to Angel at Teavivre.
I mentioned in another review that Sunday the temp. here in the Rockies was 81 and today when I woke up it was SNOWING! Good Grief! Right away I know I wanted a great Pu-erh and decided to review this one a second time. I used my PIAO I glass pot which is easy to brew Pu-erh and observe all the color and action of the leaves. I sat my tray by the patio window watching the snow when a huge robin joined me…sitting and watching for a long while. (later the snow went away and turned into light rain…the first in 7 months…and the forcast for the next 10 days is back to the 70’s). All the steep times 4minutes.

1. The small Toucha with the rosebud on top has a hidden world inside. Who could guess what after one quick rinse and a 4 minute steep such an extra-dark beef-broth colored liquor could extract from such an innocent looking pebble. There isn’t a fishy-foul smell or sour odor or bad taste to this clean, gentle Pu-erh. For the first time ever I am NOT running to add sweetening or milk to temper the earthiness on the first steep. This is very clean tasting and has an bit of earthy, dark and musty cave scent and flavor with a slight mineral finish. I can’t taste any rose but I do taste a little caramel.

2. The leaves now smell like hot, wet leather.(That will get you to buy Pu-erh!)…so now that I have your attention, the liquor is still dark Chocolate Brown. The rosebud is floating at the top of my steeper like a submarine and the Pu-erh leaves are heavily sinking to the bottom like wet mulch. Oh the flavor is beautifully mellow even more than before. Slightly sweet with the perfect level of Pu-erh earthiness that lovers of this type of tea crave. Straight up this is a delight. The slightly astringent finish is not bitter or dry. I added sweetening to see what would happen and the caramel jumped out as a surprise. I added cream and decided that this is THE perfect choice for latte’s…the one I would share with my best friend!

3. The color has changed to a lighter Whiskey Brown…with a very light and gentle taste. Hints of earthiness are now very fresh and clean straight up. The flavor is sweet and medium juicy with a little tannin. There is a little smoke. I caught another scent and had to think about it for awhile….hum….the scent is like when I wash and clean Kale…when I am ripping off the leaves from the stem. (Sorry, best I can do on that one).
This was a nice morning ritual. Great tasting snowy/rainy day Pu-erh. Delicious!

I just drank about 24oz. of Pu-erh in less than an hour so I’m done at 3 steepings for now…gurgle…but this is so delightful! Teavivre is sending me some more Pu-reh’s to review which is exciting for me! I do so want to learn more about them! I have found that they take my appitite away and I need to drop some weight. Good side effect!

Last Note For lunch I made a Vietnamese Sweet Yellow Curry Soup with coconut milk and green peas and cilantro for color. I needed some added richness, ah ha! I still had Pu-erh from the morning brew. I steeped a quick one in the pot and poured about a cup of weakened Pu-erh into my soup. Um! Then I sprinkled some very dark black Urfa smoky chili flakes on the soup and the belovely bowl was ready. Yellow and bright green, noodles and speckles of black smoked and sweet chili, an undertone of Pu-erh and coconut curry. Come on over and have a bowl!

Yesterday I had to pick up my Aerobeds from my daughter Annalisa’s house so I brought her favorite fruit-flavored green tea (Blackberry Mojito) to share with the family. Everyone in my family loves tea! My 3 teenaged girl grandkids were not around but the little boys were ready for yummy grandma tea! My daughter is a tea pro! She has a beautiful large white porcelain teapot (among the many) that she chose to use this day. While the tea was steeping she prepared a tray with a pretty teatowel and teaspoon for stirring agave into each persons cup…for sweet tea. She ordered us into the living room…grandma (me) in the easy chair…baby foster boy on a blanket, foster toddler (3) in line with the other 3 grandsons each holding their cups impatiently waiting for a turn at pourings of tea and agave. I was served first.
“Ummmm.” You could almost see the boys quiver…leaning towards my cup to smell my tea. “Ummmm this is good. Like real blackberries!” And each one got their fill and refill until the whole big pot was empty! At the end of their second cup, and while I was still enjoying my delicious truly berry yummy brew,…the boys turned on the Music Channel on the TV to the 80’s Retro Channel and began dancing. The 11 year old was the leader and the other two (9 and 7) did their best to copy him! So cute and funny. Being a grandma with such a little thing like blackberry tea is pretty neato!

Second Review. Playing with Tea.
Today I’ve been in a playful experimental mood. This is not an infrequent state of being for me. Usually I whip up a new dish in the kitchen…and now and then I create a tea infused recipe like hibiscus tea honey or earl grey vanilla pudding. Tonight I was cold! With the temperature dropping from 81 at 5pm yesterday to 34 at 9pm tonight…I wanted some non-caffeine tea that tasted good to warm me up! The gears began turning. Ah, I have this Oh Canada tea but it’s a little too sweet for me. Maybe it’s too maple for tonight. What will I do? Light-bulb! Bing!
I went hurridly to my Spice Cupboard…picked out my Cube brand Applewood Smoked Salt (really good) then went to my Tea Cupboard and pulled down the Black Tea/Lapsang Souchong box picking out the Lapsang Souchong. Now ready for action, I was set to steep a pot of Oh Canada adding a small pinch of Lapsang Souchong and another pinch of Applewood Smoked Salt to the brew basket!
Steeping done, I poured the brew into my mug, added some sweetening (I’ve had this tea before and knew that even though there is lots of maple flavor, adding sweetening brightens the flavor) and took a big sip. This is a winner! Not too strong but just right! The slight salty smokiness really brings a fabulous sense of campfire pancake breakfast with syrup feeling to this tea that I find is better than the 52 tea’s version of pancakes. (I know that sounds conceited…but this has more smoke so I mean it at least for me!).
Try mixing this recipe if you have this tea!

Thank you to Emilie for this big sample! This really smells like candy canes and a bit of cherry…like the chocolate gooey cherrys from Christmas that you pop in your mouth as a kid and almost get sick on…yes those ones!
Well, today it LOOKS like rain. We had 81 degrees yesterday and today it might rain for the first time since the end of August!!! Skiers will be glad to get some new powder snow in the higher up’s! Good weather for peppermint tea. I brewed this fragrant pot up and took a big sweet slurp (add sweetening please). Tasted like a paper dry peppermint stick with a cherry finish and was less cherry than expected. Fell kinda flat. This tea needed something more. When a recipe needs tweeking you tweek it right?! I KNOW you guys add stuff to your not-so-great tea. Spy’s are watching! I add things too. The comments about “Oh I wish it had a little more lemon”, or “Why isn’t there some chocolate?”…well, I see you scurring to the cupboard for the chocolate and to the frig for lemon. Can’t fool me! I went to the DARK SIDE! (where else would you expect me to go?) I added a pinch of Lapsang Soochong. I wanted to make the peppermint cherry SMOKIN! It was just small enough an amount to make it interesting and give depth. I liked it. This is something I have done before to play with my tea. Call me crazy. (I know you do!)

Second review. I’ve been running through my box of tea’s to be reviewed religiously and now I am done – pooped out. Pie-Yow! Time to have a good ol dessert tea that I don’t have to be too serious about…just enjoy. Like a pair of comfy slippers. An easygoing tea you drink and kick back…without watching the leaves and all that. Thus I steepeth and poureth this rum by gum and I’m delighting in the nectar like flavors. This is creamy like DAVIDsTEA Cream of Earl Gray but without Bergamont and you can taste some coconut and vanilla with this rummy cocktail worthy of the beachs at Isla Verde. Stick an umbrella in it and call it deliscious-scrumptious!