canadianadia Send Message

The hubby and I absolutely adore our real estate agent, so we end up talking about him to everyone we know. So today our agent sent us a message to thank us for the referral but I had no idea what referral he was talking about. I was drinking this tea while trying to figure it out, and I got careless and accidentally spilled a bit of it on my shirt, it’s distracting, but in a good way…mmm…it smells glorious.

This tea is light and chocolaty with a light little kick of spice at the end. If you are not a fan of milk chocolate bars like 3 Musketeers or Mars, I can see how the chocolate taste in this tea might be disappointing. The chocolate taste reminds me more of these cheaper quality chocolate bars, definitely not the high quality stuff. Well, that sounds too negative. Hmmm…o.k. let’s put it this way, it tastes more like the kind of chocolate you can buy in a fun size. Fun size is never a bad thing. I’m fun sized!

Sip…Right now the taste is actually reminding me of the smell of an empty Smarties box. I still wish the spiciness was more prominent in this tea. It lacks the oomph that I want in a tea with Chili in the name and described as a Chai. But I still enjoy it.

I need to get going, we’re going out and I probably shouldn’t leave the house in a tea-stained shirt, no matter how good I think it smells.

I didn’t enjoy this tea as much as last time.

When I tossed my post-steep leaves I realized that the reason was most likely the gigantic cardamom pod that was in the mix. I’m not a huge lover of cardamom, so I preferred this tea the first time when cardamom was more of a complimentary flavor rather than being a dominant aspect.

It’s still a good rooibos, but I’m decreasing my rating. Damn you cardamom!

The hubby came home from soccer practice last night and said “Whoa it smells like chocolate in here, is that chocolate tea?” I applauded him for not assuming I’d been dipping into the Halloween leftovers. When I told him it was Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Honeybush tea, he proceeded to jam his face into my mug like a bloodhound on a hot trail. “Dude! Seriously! Just take a sip” It always astonishes me that he will stuff his face into my teacup, love the smell, but I can rarely coax him to try even a mouthful.

This tea definitely has that dessert thing going. The smell is extraordinary, and while I wouldn’t describe the taste as an obvious peanut butter cup flavor, if I didn’t know what it was, my guesses would likely land in the general area of some kind of chocolate dessert.

I can get a couple of good steeps out of this tea, but successive steeps lose some of the dessert flavor, and tastes more like a plain honeybush, which is still pretty darn delicious.

Dry, this honeybush tisane smells so strongly of cinnamon that it could quite possibly take down a pterodactyl. I opened up the package and was almost knocked over by the cinnamon aroma rushing into my nostrils. As I steadied myself and wiped the tears from my eyes I thought, whoa, this must be cinnamon’s response to pepper spray. I brewed it up with some feelings of trepidation.

I braced myself as I took my first sip, expecting my poor taste buds to be accosted by the fiery onslaught of cinnamon.

…sip…
…slurp…
…gulp…

Imagine my surprise… it wasn’t overpoweringly cinnamon flavored… it was good!

I must say that I can’t taste the baked roll portion of this tea, but the cinnamon does play nicely with the honeybush. At least I’m assuming it’s the honeybush that I taste. This is my first Honeybush tea ever, (well, as far as I know). How ‘bout I describe it to you, and you can correct me if my assumption is wrong: So, accompanying the cinnamon there’s a lovely honey scent akin to homemade beeswax candles, sans wax, of course. Logic is telling me to assume that’s the *honey*bush. I wonder if the baked roll taste might come out more as this tea ages? I will have to see, well, assuming I can hold off on drinking it all in the next little while. Hmmm, speaking of which, I could really use another cup.

I decided to grab a pack of this when Davids was having their $1 straight tea special. I figured it was a good opportunity to try something that I wouldn’t normally buy from Davids.

I steeped it as directed (74 degrees for 2-3 minutes). I used a teapot with the strainer basket, but when I pulled out the basket at the 3 minute mark I noticed that there were a lot of broken tea leaves in the brew. It looked kind of like a cheap snow globe where they were skimpy on the snow. mmm…I think if I ever had to live in a snow globe I’d want it to be made of tea.

My first few sips were delicious, exactly what I would have expected of a green tea – grassy, vegetal (yay! look at me, learning the fancy tea words). I’m uncertain whether I’ve had a Korean Green tea before, but I must say that at first, it managed to impress me as much as some of my beloved Japanese greens. I did find a slight touch of bitterness seeping in as the tea cooled. I’m wondering if that’s an effect of the cooling, or if it was caused but the wee flurry o’ tea leave crumbs that were left behind when I pulled out the basket? The tea crumbs, or sediment, or whatever it’s called, is not excessive but is definitely noticeable.
The second steep was much more bland and disappointing. I was expecting a bit more longevity from a straight tea, but for one dollar, I can’t really complain. I’m glad I’m giving these $1 straight teas a try, but I think I’ll always favor Davids flavored selection.

Last night we went out for dinner with a friend we hadn’t seen for a long time. The food was alright, the tea was disappointing, but good company always makes a mediocre meal so much better. The hubby and I tend to prefer Japanese or Indian or other restaurants of the like, but the friend we were visiting with is a self-proclaimed fussy eater; we let him choose the eatery. I remember the last time he came to visit at our house, I offered him some tea, and when I showed him my cupboard of selections he said they all smelled like flowers –hahaha! He wanted a bagged Red Rose or Lipton, which I had none of, so he eventually settled on an earl grey Tazo that I acquired from some hotel. When I asked him what he thought, he took another sip and all he said was “flowers”. XD

So the restaurant he selected was The Cactus Club, which I tend to find is a bit hit and miss, with more misses than hits. But I was happy when the waitress brought over a tea menu for me. I needed something without caffeine, so I thought Mint was a wise choice. She brought over the hot water and the tea bag and I was pleased to find that it was something I hadn’t tried before. Unfortunately, the tea blend was just not my thing. The description on the back of the package says that the verbena leaves are balanced with a hint of mint, but it was not a nice balance at all. The mint was buried in verbena, and ironically, when our friend asked what I thought of the tea, it was my turn to say “flowers”.
I’m surprised at the higher ratings this tea has received so far; I guess it’s just not for me – meh!

My very first order of 52 teas arrived today – Hooray!!!

I gasped in excitement when I saw my poor mailman trying to stuff the package through our little mail slot. When I opened the door to assist him, and I confirmed my suspicions as to what it was, I had to fight the urge to hug him – partially because it’s inappropriate to hug unwilling strangers, but mostly because he scurried away so quickly, that nothing short of a rugby tackle would have slowed his pace.

Sometimes I think I should wear a shirt that says “just because it’s your job, doesn’t mean I won’t try to hug you if you do it well”. But I suspect if I do that, my mailman would whip my mail at me and sprint off as if I was a rabid dog. The last business person I hugged was my real estate agent. He’s the best. Thankfully he’s far too sweet and polite to say anything, but I’m almost certain he thinks I’m at least a little nuts.

Damn you Charlotte Diamond for making me a crazy hug addict – lol! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkhBgmGUo7k

As for this tea, Graveyard Mist is the tea that started my fascination with 52teas and eventually led to this first order. I loved how unique the online descriptions of their teas are, and when I saw that there was some of this one available I jumped at the chance to give it a try (along with a few others).

To be perfectly honest, when I caught the first whiff of this brewed tea while taking my initial sip, I expected to hear the whirrrr whirrr of the dentist’s office. Upon the first sip, the association of the minty sweetness went even further and made me lightly tap my teeth together in anticipation of that sandy grittiness of the toothpaste my hygienist uses. Thankfully there was none.

Thankfully, I was braced for disappointment when I took my first sip. I had suspected that there was no way this tea could ever live up to my high expectations. I have been so excited about trying it, that I built it up in my head to be like some kind of magical elixir.

Sadly, no magic… well, unless you count being mentally transported to my dentist’s office.

I won’t say that I was completely disappointed, because I wanted something different, and this certainly meets that criterion. I’ve also read on other tealogs that many 52teas blends get better with age, so tearing it open as soon as I got it is not likely a good way to give it a fair trial. It’s minty and sweet, and I get the feeling that I will enjoy this tea increasingly as I draw closer to the bottom of the package and make my peace that no tea can possibly ever live up to my crazed imagination. So if you see my rating for this one slowly inching up, it’s because I’m getting back in touch with reality.

Until next time, hugs to every one of my Steepster friends!
♪ 4 hugs a day ♫ that’s the minimum ♪ 4 hugs a day ♫ not the maximum ♪

I’m not sure what happened with this tea. At first it seemed as though the first steep had a lovely green oolong flavor which quite enjoyed, but with each successive sip I tasted an increasing bitterness which made my forehead crease with confusion and crankiness until reached the bottom of my up. By time I finished it, I looked like the Grinch.

I didn’t leave the tea leaves in and I didn’t change anything in the cup (other than some natural cooling of course). I’m guessing something happened to my taste buds between my first sip and my last one? I’m not sure? I’m really trying to get a better appreciation for straight teas, but sadly this one didn’t win me over – oh well!

It’s only November and I’m already getting antsy for spring. The days seem so gray and dreary, and the nights are already so dark and cold. On the bright side, at least this cold weather is a perfect backdrop for a tea like this one.

I expected this one to be more of an in your face tea with the chili and the peppercorns, but it was surprisingly mellow. The ingredients complimented each other nicely. It was a fabulous first steep, but there was notable deterioration with each following steeping. It’s still a lovely seasonal treat, especially as an alternative to sugary hot chocolate or hot apple cider. This will certainly be a seasonal repurchase for me.

I’ve flip-flopped over whether I was ever going to try David’s straight teas. I mean, I’ve always intended to, but I can never quite get my mouth to name any of the classics, when it has the option to say something like Bamboozled. As much as I admire my fellow Steepsterites who can actually taste and describe all the aspects of a straight tea, I do not have such distinguished taste.

Me likes me sprinkles

In all honesty, for me, the true appeal of Davids Tea has always been their jazzy flavors with the quirky little names. It’s just too difficult for me to ask for something classic when I can try something called Kiwi’s Big Adventure, Big Apple, or Cookie Dough. Every time I plan a trip to DT, I tell myself that I’m going to try at least one of their straight teas just to see what it’s like. But once I get in the store, I lose all focus and before I know it I’ve ordered a counter full of fun flavors and I eventually leave with nary a straight tea in sight. Seriously, sometimes I have the attention span of…

…

…whoops! Sorry, got distracted…

..Where was I? Oh yes! So Davids Tea had a $1 deal for their single serving packets of straight teas. It was as if that deal was catered to make me finally bite the bullet and give ‘em a go. I think I bought about 4-5 different types, and this is the first one I’ve tried so far. Just as I suspected, I get far more steeps out of this tea than I would out of my fun teas. And it really does taste delicious, it’s fresh and traditional. It tastes like fancy, you know, if fancy had a taste.

If I can manage to maintain focus for long enough during a future trip to David’s Tea, in the sea of jazzy fun-time teas, I would definitely repurchase this one. It’s tasty, it’s classic, and it’s a great option for my guests who are overwhelmed by the crazy flavors in my tea cupboard and ask “don’t you have any normal tea”. I’m sure they mean the commonplace bagged stuff, but if I serve this to them, I’m sure no one will complain.