Culinary Teas

Yummy! This has such a lovely raspberry flavor, and I agree with the description, it does taste a bit like raspberry jam! It’s really tasty.

I bought the loose version of this, not the bagged as pictured. This was purchased on a whim; I love honey, I love tea, I’d like it, right? (Hence my purchase justification…) I tore open the bag and was immediately greeted with a deep whiff of honey – sweet and delish! (I imagined a bee flying right out of the bag…no worries, nothing did.) I brewed for five minutes, as it is a black tea and you know me, I like my teas bold, strong and hearty. While brewing, the honey smell was still fragrant and strong, but turning a bit floral… The first sip tastes like honeyed tea, like two teaspoons of fresh honey was dipped into a cup of floral-like tea.

OK, floral tea haters, you can breathe easy – it’s just slightly like floral, like honeysuckle, ironically. The taste is pure honey and pure delicious, there is only a twinge of honeysuckle on the end of the sip.

I did add one packet of Splenda, but I think the flavor is enhanced by that additional dose of sweetness.

I don’t know how this would taste iced and I think I would shy away from it iced anyway. A honeyed cup of warmth this is; it reminds me of autumn, and colder months approaching. It also reminds me of my youth; I would dip spoons into honey all the time. Now I just use the packets! :-D

This is soothing on my throat, too, not that I need that. But I can only imagine how wonderful this would be on a sore throat, with added honey for an extra throat soothing effect.

Yeppers, this is a new cupboard essential!

Second infusion: just as delightful as the first, although I wouldn’t steep for a third infusion. This is such a refreshing blend, perfect for summer.

I can never resist a mint green tea, so of course I had to obtain this one during my most recent Culinary Teas order! This minty version is unique; it’s made with gunpowder green, so it’s minty with a hint of smoky flavor. I’m a nut for anything gunpowder green…or gunmetal gray for that matter! ;) But this is refreshing and yummy. I’ve tried the cold brew version as well and it is a pantry staple. This is wonderful as well; even brewed hot, the refreshing taste of peppermint cools you. A new favorite!

LOVE!

This is a fantastic Earl Grey. The black tea base is solid yet pliant, and the bergamot is flavored skillfully. The citrus-y tones pop out first, and then there are simple notes of the floral aspects of the bergamot. Very rich, very flavorful. So very nice.

Prepared 1/2 gallon according to package directions and then iced.

So there is a nice sencha background to this tea. But I’m not getting the pear. It’s going to sound really weird but when I opened the bag all I could smell were those circus peanuts – you know, the orange marshmallowy candy shaped like peanuts? It was strange. And it also, unfortunately, didn’t go away – I feel like I’m drinking circus peanut flavored sencha. Not quite what I wanted.

I’m glad I only got a sample size of this – I’ll stick with the peach black or strawberry sencha instead. Now to talk myself into finishing that half gallon…

I’m surprised I’m the first to review this tea. I purchased it in the loose tea version, and splurged on the 4 oz size. I love anything cinnamon so while it appeared to be a gamble, it really wasn’t. ;)
This is crazy spicy! I’d love to mix this with plum in the winter time for a cinnamon plum tea (which I love). First sip was strong – almost bitter, like I brewed too long. I added Splenda and ta-da! It’s delicious, perfectly smooth. Spicy. Delicious hot. Reminds me of autumn, which is the only season I really enjoy around here in MD. I don’t think I could drink this all the time in the summer, but come fall this will be a trusted staple.

Mmm…strawberry sencha, it’s been too long. The smell of the leaf, both steeped and dry, is very strong on the strawberry, but that’s fine by me – it’s one of my favorite fruits.

Brewed 2 heaping tsp. at the below parameters in my Breville, with no additives. I’ve found that 2 minutes is the sweet spot for this particular tea – it strikes a balance of tart strawberry and sweet sencha – which makes me happy because I’m drinking tea to taste tea, not just the fruit.

I like this both hot and iced – one of the few teas I own that has that distinction. A wonderful choice for tonight!

Cold brewed 1/2 gallon today for 6.5 hours, using 8 level tsp. tea.

I wanted something fruity and iced today – and this was a great choice, especially the steep time used. The liquor is a pale green and the scent/taste is very strawberry. The green tea taste that is present is more toward the back of the sip, but it is grassy and sweet, with no astringency whatsoever.

A nice choice for what will likely be my last cold brew for a while.

Made 1/2 gallon iced using 16 g. leaf at parameters stated below.
I think a shorter steeping time might actually have been a little better – it seemed to get a little astringent towards the end of the sip. I left it unsweetened and added it into a fabulous smoothie after my run, though, and the astringency was lost, thank goodness.

I do so love this tea cold!

Oh, steepster! I’ve missed you!

I went on a last minute cruise with my family to the bahamas and sadly, cruises have terrible drinking water that is not fit to waste tea leaves on. While the beaches were great I will definitely travel there by some route other than boat next time – it was hard being tea less for a week!

Anyway, just before I left I cold brewed this (3 tsp. to 27 oz. water) to drink on the car ride to the boat. It was SO GOOD, even unsweetened. The tea smelled wonderfully strawberry and yet still had a strong green background and I have a feeling that adding sweetener in my traditional amounts for an iced tea will be amazing!

I have a bunch of this to use up and I am SO, SO GLAD!

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea – I’ve tried it before … here’s my full-length review: http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=8536

This is a good one and one I don’t mind enjoying again!

This has been getting me through those really tough days at work. You know the ones where all you really want to do is be home… The mint is very refreshing and a bit calming too. Which is just what I’ll need this weekend. The college I work for is hosting Reunion this weekend. So there are a lot of wonderful women returning to campus BUT sometimes they have some interesting requests that cannot always be granted. So mint green take me away!

This is mighty yummy and refreshing on what is turning out to be a HOT day in Upstate, NY, thank you KeenTeaThyme for sharing! I’m loving the mint flavor with each and every sip. The hint of matcha is also hitting the spot too. I would def. pick up some of these asap and I might do just that right now!!

First of all, after buying from Teavana so often, this was deliciously cheap. I got 4 ounces for 10 dollars with shipping.

That said, this is one of my favorite teas. (Nostalgia may color this review. This is the first proper tea I ever had.) I don’t think it’s for everyone, though; for one thing, it smells kind of like cherry cough syrup, but I probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much if it were subtle. You can smell the roses and you can taste the cherries and I don’t think the green tea is overpowered. Definitely buying more once my bag runs out.

I only got an ounce of this to try iced – I have been wanting some fruity iced teas lately and ordered this with the long island strawberry sencha and pear sencha to hopefully enjoy over the summer.

I made half a gallon of this (using 8 level tsp. of the tea) and added about 8-9 tsp. of sugar to the 8 cups of tea once steeped, which is how I traditionally drink my iced teas. Before steeping the leaves smelled peachy – very naturally and pleasantly so. My boyfriend smelled the leaves when dry and remarked that he wanted to eat them because it reminded him so strongly of a peach.

It was SOOOO good! I used enough sweetener that it really just managed to bring out the peach to the foreground. I may have overbrewed just a tad as there is some slight astringency on the tongue, but overall the taste is a combination of peach juice and black tea. A definite winner, and a definite re-buy during the remainder of iced tea season!

This chocolate and cherry wonder hit the spot for me today. I’m so ready for a vacation, even if it’s just one precious day off from work when I am not sick! I’d love to try this iced, but it’s so cold in my office today I just need warmth.

I really do enjoy this sweet cuppa. :)

Chocolate and cherry – what a great pairing! This tastes like those cordials from chocolate boxes, more dark chocolate than milk, which is my preference. The cherry is slightly artificial tasting, but sometimes that’s the taste you get in a box anyway! It’s delish regardless and the black tea base is a great AM wakeup.

I love that you can re-infuse these. I’ve been working on one all day; I’m on my second infusion and will finish up soon, infusing for a third time and the ride home. I cold brew in a 20 oz cup, so that’s even more than a usual mug size. These are perfect for summer!

These are ingenious and delicious! I placed my first order from Culinary Teas last week and opted for these as they are on sale in May. These work well – I also mixed with matcha powder (more on that later). I actually don’t let them sit for the recommended 4-5 hours, I just brew for an hour or so and go. Delish! Cold mint green tea has to be one of my favorite things on Earth.

I’m not that impressed with this tea. :( First, it doesn’t taste at all like buttered anything, let alone rum. The black tea doesn’t even taste all that great. Second, it doesn’t smell like anything! Butterscotch is normally a stronger scent – think Butterscotch Lifesavers – but this is Weak. I’m finishing the cup, but I’m glad I opted for a sample size over a larger version. The other teas I’ve had from Culinary Teas are delish, but this misses the mark.

OMG – I love this iced, but right now I’m enjoying a hot cuppa. This blend of strawberry and green tea is just HAPPY. :) Please see other notes, this is a fave of mine!

I love, love, love this one! I haven’t had it in a while – didn’t want to run right through the tin – but opted for it this morning. So glad I did. The strawberry flavor tastes real (not like an additive, or artificial flavor) and is real strong.

Please see other notes – this is one of my faves. :)

Tried this one iced today! Yums! :) (Please see other tasting notes.)