Arbor Teas

Jasmine teas all taste the same to me and this is no different. Dark. Floral. Brisk. Nothing new. Nothing different. And not for me.

Check out my full review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2019/01/25/jasmine-from-arbor-teas/

I got this in my Sips By box and was thrilled, as it’s been on my wishlist here for like 5 years. I just never got around to trying it.

And it’s exactly what I was afraid of. Another reputable tea company trying to create Thai Tea naturally. The spices just never come out recognizable. All I can taste in this is very loud cardamom and maybe a tiny bit of vanilla. It’s unfortunately nothing like what you would get in a Thai restaurant.

Also, I want to mention that this tea is super granulated and fine, so your spoon is going to get a dense, hefty amount. I know this is to keep it from being watered down too much by the milk, but it’s still something to consider during preparation.

This was a sipdown from yesterday, but I thought I’d write a proper review of it now that I remembered to look on the empty bag and find which company it was from.

I’m a very big kukicha fan (and houjicha too) because I love the sweet, woody, toasted grain flavour. This wasn’t a great kukicha as a few of the cups were bitter. It was about 50/50 on the bitter vs not bitter over the 6 or so cups I made. I still enjoyed it, but do remember this needs a higher steep temperature. Steeping at lower temps (80-90 C) will get you weak flavoured tea or tea with flavour that is bitter. Go with more leaf, hot water, and a moderate steep time for the best flavour.

This is a pretty basic black tea, very suitable for sugar and milk. Two infusions is all it can do.

The smell of this mixture is so comforting, like a potpourri that I had as a child. The taste is more mild than I expected from the description. I certainly didn’t get a “wham” of chili. There is a small buzz of it as an aftertaste, if anything. I can imagine this may be pleasant iced.

Buttery and refined. A very subtle green tea.

There are two things in life I refuse to discuss with anyone, religion and politics, but since today is the presidential election I thought at the very least I’d mark the occasion with a special tea grown in the US. I’ve been fascinated by the handful of teas I’ve seen grown in America, but because they’re grown in small amounts and have a limited availability I’ve only managed to sample a few—most of which have been from Arbor Teas. This one in particular is a green tea, grown on the Mauna Kea Tea Farm in Honokaa, Hawaii. The volcanic soil of this region produces a tea that’s nothing like the more widely available green teas from China or Japan. The flavor is brisk and astringent, with hints of hay and a mild floral finish. Because the level of astringency is so high it has a tendency to leave behind a dry mouth, so it’s not a tea I would enjoy during the summer when I’m constantly parched, but it’s very well suited the cooler months of the year.

I was pleasantly surprised by this tea. There’s nothing too complicated about this one. It’s just a plain black tea with some light tropical fruitiness going on. It’s pretty high up there on my list of favorite flavored teas.

Extremely disappointing. I was expecting a kind of dark sweet fruitiness, somewhere between plum and currants. But all I got was hibiscus and tart. I ended up throwing the sample pack away, it was so unappealing to me.

This tea is amazing. It’s got this wonderful, almost buttery mouthfeel that is incredibly smooth. The flavor is somewhere between green and black – it’s got the lightness of the green without the vegetal notes, and the boldness of a black tea. The only down side is that it is very unforgiving with variations in water temp and time, and quantity of tea leaves used.

Wow! The flavors of the spices really come through on this tea. So much better than the pre-prepared powder.

The robust, spicy flavor of this tea makes it one of my top picks for fall, but since it’s lightly sweet, it also makes an excellent iced tea— one that requires no added sugar. I’ve been struggling with my love of sugar my entire life, so finding teas that are naturally sweet has been a huge priority to me. It means I can still enjoy sweet tea and not feel guilty about what all the added sugar is doing to my heath.

You can read the full review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2015/10/6/tuesday-tea-organic-vietnam-nam-lanh-estate-black-tea-arbor-teas

I don’t care for hibiscus on its own, but do use it when making my own blends. The hibiscus adds beautiful color, ranging from light pink to crimson red depending on quantity used. It also lends a nice tart flavor to tea, that pairs well with other herbal teas like chamomile.

Decided to finish off a few remaining tea samples and started with this one. Plainly put, I did not care too much for this tea. It is earthy and has a a swampy-vegetal taste which doesn’t feel pleasant going down. Doesn’t even come close to some of my favorite silver needle teas.

Made some iced tea out of a sample i received a whiiile back. It’s got some good points, the raspberry is bright and juicy without being tart and astringent, and the green tea is an excellent bed of vegetal fun. A decent iced tea, but I can’t see myself needed or wanting it ever again.