Arbor Teas

The evening tea……

I really am getting sensitive to decafs. This one is about as decaf tasting as I can handle. A good decaf should taste natural in my opinion, but I know that is hard to find. I am not sure if it is the flavoring or the tea itself. It is good, but just good. I originally bought this one for a little variety, but I am thinking it is a variety I won’t miss when it is gone.

Coconut notes are light, tea base is average. I am afraid to steap a shorter time because it will make the coconut notes even lighter.

The last bit of evidence from my weekend coconut kick. As far as decafs go, this one is good, and still good on a resteep. I think it is possible that this one will go on the rebuy list, but it depends on how quickly I drink it and miss variety in my decafs…

Another new tea! This is my first from Arbor Teas. Holding off on a rating until I have tried it a few times.

As far as the tea goes, this one is pretty good and different from anything else I have in the decaf black tea category. For the first cup, I had it with milk and sweetener. I can definitely taste the coconut, but it is pretty subtle. It was good, but nothing really great to report. Need to do more research……..

I’m finally going through a black tea phase, so I cracked this one open! I like it a lot – went great with breakfast. The bergamot is lovely, and not too overpowering. This one is probably my second favorite Arbor Teas black tea so far – my favorite being the Irish Breakfast.

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 12 oz boiling
Tool: kati loose tea system (my Review here.)
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes (http://steep.it/)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strong bergamot
Steeped Tea Smell: strong bergamot
Flavor: black tea, smooth
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: slight astringency, bergamot
Liquor: translucent dark brown

OK, not anything amazingly unique. On the stronger side of bergamot flavoring for an earl grey, in my opinion.

Nice solid morning tea.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/01/arbor-teas-loose-leaf-black-tea-earl.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 12 oz boiled and then cooled for a minute
Tool: kati loose tea system
Steep Time: a little over 1 minute (http://steep.it/)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: nori, rice
Steeped Tea Smell: nori
Flavor: sushi, well nori and rice
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: a little bitter
Liquor: translucent honey yellow-green

I am not a big green tea drinker in general, but I found that I do love genmaichas. It may be because they remind me of the rice and nori in sushi. It is a nice soothing cup, not as good as the Teaflection Loose Leaf Green Tea ‘Japanese Genmaicha Tea’ but a close contender. This tea has more of the green tea flavor than rice flavor is why I favor the other one personally, if you wish for a higher green tea to rice mixture you’ll prefer this one.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/01/arbor-teas-loose-leaf-green-tea-organic.html

Finishing up the last little bit of this chai that I had left, and having it as a latte this evening – peaceful and calming and absolutely wonderful.

Here is my full length review of this chai: http://sororiteasisters.com/2011/02/04/organic-masala-chai-from-arbor-teas/

This is a chai that I’ve been wanting to try for a long time now. Yay!

It has a very good level of spices – but if you’re a spice wimp this is not the tea for you! Those spices stand up well to the addition of steamed milk… YUM! This is a delightful chai latte that isn’t overly sweet (the way they do at the coffee shop). Yummy yummy!

Very good.

Enjoying a cup of this as I mentally prepare myself to go into the kitchen and start fixing dinner. A very enjoyable cup of Earl Grey. Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2011/01/18/organic-earl-grey-black-tea-from-arbor-teas/

This is a delicious Earl Grey!

I just got finished writing a full-length review for this tea, it will publish on 1/18/11 at noon Eastern Time here: http://sororiteasisters.com

This has an amazing aroma, and a delicious flavor. The black tea is brisk and bold – strong enough to stand up to the strong bergamot flavor without overwhelming it. The bergamot is crisp and clean and does not taste perfume-y.

Yummy! This is exactly what I needed after spending the afternoon at the convention.

A truly lovely Ti Kuan Yin. Sweet, floral, and slightly vegetative, with a pleasing earth tone. The sweetness is reminiscent of honeysuckle blossoms. Excellent flavor and many delicious infusions! But then, I’ve come to expect this from Arbor Teas – definitely one of my favorite tea companies!

Oh… so lovely! I do love a good Oolong, and this one is good! It has done a remarkable job at tempering my palate after eating a very spicy Caribbean jerk chicken too. (extra bonus points since I don’t need to break out the kefir)

This is one that I plan on spending a little more time with before I write a full-length review. I hadn’t originally planned on it, but, after tasting it, I find that I just wish to enjoy it right now, and not write so much. Good Oolongs tend to have that effect on me.

And this is a good Oolong! (Did I mention that already?)

Strange. Dry…this smells like grapes and Jasmine! At least it’s pleasant enough.

Post infusion it smells like, well, green tea and Jasmine.

Tastes like Jasmine with a hint of pepper. This is decent. I’m VERY happy this doesn’t leave a nasty aftertaste. YAY!

Great. The blackberry wasn’t too sweet or too bitter. Not obnoxiously fruity either. I’d love to try it iced now! I’ll definitely order more.

Smells like mud and worms. Doesn’t that really make you want to read the rest of my review for this!? LOL – Trust me…it gets better…

The taste is earthy but almost sweet and semi-syrupy – I’m quite surprised, actually. The syrup is more like a watered down syrup and not super thick. I only went 1.5 minutes…maybe a little less. For my pu-erh tolerance I don’t think I would go anymore with the infusion. As it cools I am liking this one less because it seems to be gaining strength. It seems to be tasting more like worms or fishy or something…As long as I chug this one hot – it should be ok…I’m not really digging it as it cools tho.

First tried this long ago, and am now realizing I never completed the tasting note.

This smells amazing. The cherry flavor is nice without being too fake, and while I don’t really care for fruity teas hot, I did enjoy this one. A little sugar rounds it out nicely, but isn’t necessary. I think I end all of my fruity tea reviews this way, but I would love to try this one iced, once the warm weather comes back around.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tsp
Water: boiling, 12oz
Tool: kati loose tea system
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes (http://steep.it)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Cardamom, clove, POW!
Steeped Tea Smell: cinnamon, peppercorn
Flavor: bake-y, cinnamon, cardamom
Body: Full
Aftertaste: ginger
Liquor: barely translucent dark brown

+ honey stick

You can see all the spices, whole cardamom pods, whole cloves, it looks lovely.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/12/arbor-teas-loose-leaf-black-tea-masala.html

1 tsp is as good as 2 tsp, delicious!

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: boiling, 12oz
Tool: kati loose tea system
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes (http://steep.it)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Cardamom, clove, POW!
Steeped Tea Smell: cinnamon, peppercorn
Flavor: bake-y, cinnamon, cardamom
Body: Full
Aftertaste: ginger
Liquor: barely translucent dark brown

You can see all the spices, whole cardamom pods, whole cloves, it looks lovely.

I wish I had soy milk at work to make a latte with this.

When I received this with some other packages for review it came with a handwritten note. I love that i got a hand written note! It makes me smile when people include notes in packages. The note gave a little information on the Arbor Teas commitment to the environment – including information about their 100% backyard compostable packaging. The note was printed with vegetable-based ink on FSC-certified paper containing 100% post-consumer waste and processed chlorine-free.

This tea is organic and Fair Trade Certified. That would be worthless if the tea was not good, but this tea is delicious so it’s an added bonus for everyone. It is a lovely tea and only missed out on a 100% rating because it’s not something I MUST keep stocked at all times.

Post-Steep Additives: +2 honey sticks

Cha/chai is/means tea to most of the world, so I’ll say spiced teas are my favorite, I have one at Starbucks every day

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/12/arbor-teas-loose-leaf-black-tea-masala.html

I really am liking this!

The coconut flavor is strong, but the black tea flavor is stronger. It is very luxurious tasting – smooth and rich and creamy, but at the same time it is soft and light. That is to say, it doesn’t have a very heavy presence even though it is smooth and rich and creamy.

One of the better coconut black teas that I’ve tried!

I don’t love coconut, but I don’t hate it… and I think that translates pretty well to this tea.

The flavor is soft and pleasant, not overpowering. It’s sweet and tropical. If you like coconut, you’ll probably like this tea. If you don’t, this isn’t going to win you over.

I am now finishing up the last of what I had on hand of this tea. The spicy teas are always welcome when I’m feeling like this because I can actually taste them, even though my taste buds are impaired somewhat. I am feeling a lot better though, and hopefully I will be able to start tasting properly again! But in the meantime, I really must thank Arbor Teas for this delicious tea to help me through that rough time!

This is yummy.

Backlog: This one is extremely comforting as well. It is a bit like a warm, fluffy blanket fresh out of the dryer when I’m feeling icky! Thank you Arbor!

The aroma of this tea is fantastic. One of the best orange spice teas that I think I’ve ever had the opportunity to smell! I almost want to set a bowl of this out in the living room so that the house smells like this! Orange-y, cinnamon-y and cloves! It smells divine!

It tastes good too! The orange and spices are strong but do not overwhelm the cup. The black tea is strong and delicious. The overall effect is very comforting which is nice after spending the afternoon at the mall.

Yummy!

HEY! I remember you! We used to be friends! Perhaps you will make some news ones, soon! Sipping on a cuppa before passing it along :)