California Tea House

This one is ok, Way too peachy tho.

Wow. I was expecting something more from this tea. I wanted Earl grey. I wanted vanilla. I wanted Creme. I thought I was cheated on all 3 parts of that name. The bergamot was lacking and was too mellow…and the vanilla was almost non existent. Where did the Creme go?
The name of a tea should tell a guy what he’s about to drink & it didn’t
I’m disappointed

Once again, California Tea House delivers on amazing flavor!

Oh how I love this tea!

First off, there is a wonderful vanilla floral smell when I opened the bag. I am only sad to say it’s a sample bag & not the biggest bag humanly possible…well, for now anyway. But there is that wonderful aroma of delicious vanilla & something floral behind it. I thought it might be lavendar, but according to the ingredients it’s sunflower. Either way, it’s inviting.

It offers a promise of amazing flavor & once again, California Tea House delivers!

I made this today at work, which means I have to use a tea filter bag. No problem. I filled the filter bag generously with this wonderful smelling tea. As always my coworkers are complimenting me on the smell I am sharing with them. And it does give off a wonderful smell as it’s brewing.

And then there is that first sip…oh…so warm & so yummy! It’s offering me a wonderful experience this morning & a great way to greet the start of another crazy work week. Oh yes, this is a great way to start a crazy week.

So yes, I am rating this a perfect 100.
The smell before brewing is wonderfully vanilla with the floral hint behind it.
The smell during brewing is enough to invite others around you to want it.
The taste is perfect! The vanilla is definitely creamy & soft & not too overbearing. The Earl Grey is delightfully wonderful! And that floral note plays well with the vanilla & Earl Grey.

Overall, I am going to have to order more of this tea. It was perfect!

So simple, so aromatic & so delicious!

I love white teas. I have been getting more into them lately & this flavor peaked my interest when I was at the California Tea House site. The reviews on their site were as positive as they are here on Steepster, so I picked up a sample bag.

I love the smell when you open this bag. There is something amazing about it. It smells sorta Earthy & yet there is something else, but I can’t quite name it. Maybe a light floral scent?

So I brew a pot. During the process a friend calls to say they are dropping over. No problem. I’ll share.

And then the first cup…delightful. Very light & inviting. Warming on this chilly NY night. Very flavorful even if I can’t quite name the undertones. But it definitely is a white tea, there is no doubt about it. And it’s a definite keeper.

I’ll be adding a bigger bag to my next California Tea House order.

Once again I bought a sample of a tea based on the name…Buddha Hand. Come on…sometimes we all get a giggle out of a name!

First off, this tea is truly resteepable. I used one tea filter filled with a teaspoon & was able to get four 16oz cups out of it! I probably could have gotten a fifth cup, but decided I wanted a different flavor tea this afternoon. So for this, the tea is definitely worth the price!

As for the flavor…I would describe it as mellow, but a strong tea. I didn’t get too much citrus like others are claiming. There is a mild citrus taste. So maybe I didn’t make it strong enough? However I did get a bit of a buttery flavor that everyone keeps mentioning. It felt very creamy & smooth. And I only added a pinch of sugar. No milk.

This is my first Oolong tea, so I can’t compare it to anything just yet. But I did enjoy it & I did get a little energy boost from it.

I would definitely buy this tea again. And I will definitely now try other Oolong teas.

The smell alone made me love this tea before I even tried it. A very, very solid green tea. Wildly delicious while natural at the same time.

More lime than coconut. Sweet, juice, fragrant. Probably great iced. Fun.
I like it. In the world of citrus flavored greens..this one shines. I’m going to wait until summer to have it iced!

I’ve been drinking Golden Monkey Paw for about a year now and so far it’s my absolute favorite tea. I’m branching out and trying new teas, but this one has set the bar high.

Tried this flavor just because of the name. I’ll admit it. I thought it was funny. Come on, how many of you read this name & didn’t start thinking of the song? Bet you’re thinking of it or even singing it now, right? ;)

So I had found the link to California Tea House thanks to various reviews of their teas here in Steepster. I ended up deciding to treat myself to a little sampling of their teas & this one of the flavors I picked. Again, based mostly on the name…

I love limes. I love the smell, the taste, the acidity & I love lime flavored things…jello, cookies, pie…it’s all good! So I bought this tea looking for lime flavor & I got it!

First off, the smell when you open the bag is amazing. You can smell the lime & the coconut. And of course, you can smell the green tea. It’s all amazing together. Then there is that wonderful smell during brewing. Still strong. Still delightful to the senses.

For the first cup, I always leave it unsweetened. I like trying tea in it’s bare form. I can always add sugar or whatever later on. I ended up adding a drop of agave for the fun of it. Just a little dark amber & a little drop & it seemed to awaken more of the lime for me.

I am definitely going back to the California Tea House site for more of this tea. It’s going to the top ten list of must have for me. And I’m going to try this iced as I can only imagine it getting better! I bet on a hot summer day this is going to refresh me.

Definitely glad I bought it. Thanks to all that bragged about California Tea House! Great stuff!

I’m having the last of my sample of this tea. Maybe I’m just down because of the short days and cloudy weather. A nice coating of snow usually cheers me up, but it’s been unseasonably warm lately. Anyway, this is a robust tea that begs for a bit of milk to soften it up. I graciously complied and added a tad too much sugar as well. It’s a nice comforting cup. Even if my palate is a bit lacking in sensitivity at the moment, I can still enjoy the stronger more straight forward or flavored teas. I’ll save my unflavored greens and oolongs for another time. :)

I’ve been working on building my caffeine free collection. It’s still puny compared to everything else, but we are getting somewhere. Anywho, I got a sample of this to try before committing. It’s a nice dessert tea. Smells very sweet and somehow coffee-ish. It’s got something harsh. May be a simulation of alcohol? It tasted rich and toffee. The medicinal rooibos flavor is strong but I’m getting used to it.
An enjoyable cup after dinner. :)

Edit: I’m drinking what’s left from the pot this morning. Cold, it is much more like tiramisu. It’s much more enjoyable, creamy and sweet. I suspect that this is because the strong rooibos flavor has decreased now that the brew is cool.

I was sipping this whilst tasting some quirky dim sum, it was perfect just cleansing my palette, I need to buy this again..

Yum!
I still had a lot of this from one of my first swaps way back when with Dinosara! And so – I made a small pot of it.

It has a hint of chocolate taste to it surprisingly – and I definitely get pistachio! There’s a hint of bitterness, even though I only used 160 degree water – but it’s very tasty. I’ll probably make the rest into iced tea so we’ll see how it fares then!

So this is the fate of a tea that has been with me at least 10 months, simply because I was saving it for an occasion. I went geocaching, that’s occasion enough! haha

Yum!
Thank you Dinosara , I had a feeling I would be all over this tea. I would love to try it with a splash of milk , but I’m out! Also… definitely prepared this as if it was a black tea by accident. o_o

I blame the coming migraine and the just-waking-up from-a-nap-ness , as I’m a little confusing and in pain, but I just wanted to come on and yum! before I left.

What a great tea, not bitter at all, even though my water was a little hot. Nice and smooth, creamy and mm pistachio, and I’m taking a tiny bit of lime as well. What a treat!

Wow, no wonder this one does so well on steepster! I love serving this one to house guests and hearing them say “… Whoa. That’s really good! What tea is this?” Such wonderful depth and smokiness. No edge, no astringency, just dark velvety richness. I suggest buying as much of this as you can—it’s good at any time when you in pretty much any mood. Bravo, California Tea House!

The aroma smells very clean and pure right out of the bag. Its got a solid taste to it and I like drinking my black teas straight with no sweeteners, and this tea really hits the spot. It tastes really healthy. I steep no more than 2 minutes with 1 teaspoon per cup. I havent tried it iced yet, but if I do I might add a little lemon wedge.

This chai smells so wonderful! I love that it’s an herbal chai so you can drink it anytime day or night, and of course I’m a fan of cocoa nibs.

At first sip, I get a rush of chocolate that mellows into a very nice, (not too strong), spicy flavor. The finish has a punch of cardamom to it that lingers in your mouth.

I quite like this tea. Unfortunately, after I had my first cup and I visited the CTH website for more information, and I found that white chocolate pieces had been added to the ingredient list for this tea. D’oh, white chocolate often has a dairy component and I can’t have the dairy in my teas. I’ve emailed CTH in the hopes that the white chocolate they use is non-dairy which isn’t common but does exist. I really hope I can have this tea again because it’s delish.

This is a tasty apricot black tea but I’m not getting much of a chai flavor from it. I can taste a the very natural apricot flavor, bold black tea body, and just a bit of ginger for the finish. I’m not tasting the spiciness of a chai.

Read my full review on Teaviews http://bit.ly/plOaam

Check out our video-tasting here: http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/2011/07/19/the-tea-show-episode-22-california-tea-houses-tiramisu-rooibos/

Check out our video-tasting here – http://blip.tv/the-tea-show/the-tea-show-episode-22-california-tea-house-s-tiramisu-rooibos-5399045

This is another ancient tea in my cupboard, and one I mostly keep around for when I’m feeling somewhat ill (lemon, ginger). Fortunately, even though the creaminess of the “lemon drop” and even the flavor of the green tea has faded over the years, the lemon and ginger notes are still pretty strong, perhaps even stronger now than they were before. I apparently brewed this one without checking the temp on my kettle so I brewed it a bit hotter than I normally would, but it didn’t seem to effect it. Guess it’s still a good one to keep around for sick times!

I’ve been having some stomach discomfort today throughout the day so I grabbed some of this one this afternoon. I really need a strong lemon and ginger tea, but until then this will have to do. This is one of the oldest teas in my cupboard, and it has definitely faded in flavor, but all in all it’s holding up pretty well. I still have a ton of it, too!

The sun came out for about 2 seconds and now the snow is all gone. Oh, southern Ohio.

I suddenly started feeling off and kind of nauseous for some completely unknown reason, so I had to quick think if I had any ginger teas in my stash here at work. I should have remembered this one! It’s been so long since I’ve had it, but it has been my go-to sick-feeling tea at work for a while. I still have a ton of it left. Fortunately it is still pretty flavorful and soothing, although I admit it is getting a little old and the flavors aren’t quite as bright. Well, I guess it’s time for overleafing this one whenever I need to brew it!