Cuppa'T Specialty Teas

This tea kind of surprised me. It is better than I thought it would be. The flavours actually meld pretty well together and the licorice isn’t too strong. The lemongrass makes it taste “fresh” and the pepper gives it a little bit of a kick.
It is also good cold brewed.

I made this tea a couple of days ago hot, then put it in the fridge overnight to chill. I also added a little bit of sugar because of the tartness. With the addition of the sugar, it is a much better tisane. Refreshing, but I am still not getting much in the kiwi department.

As much as I don’t like to add sugar, this tea kinda needs it.

This was ok. I cold brewed this.
There is good strawberry flavour, but kind of lacking in the kiwi department. It is also a little bit tart. I don’t like to add sugar to teas. But, I guess I could try some stevia next time I make it.

Sipdown!
I sweetened this with 1tsp of sugar, which is now a little too sweet for my tastes. It is good though, tastes like cranberry cocktail now!

This tea is getting really old. Time to drink this puppy up. I chilled this overnight. It is a little more tart than I remember but it was very refreshing. Or maybe it’s just losing sweetness with age

I cold brewed this.
It is not as tart as I was expecting. There is sugar added, so it sweetens it a lot. I am definitely getting the cranberry taste. It tastes like a store-bought cranberry cocktail.
I really like it, but I don’t like the fact that sugar was already added.

Sipdown
This is a very refreshing tea. Almost like lemonade but not too sweet. It’s slightly tart from the hibiscus but not overly so. Each cup tastes a little different depending on what fruit pieces end up in the scoop but that’s ok.
I would like to re-stock this but I think my local tea shop has stopped selling this tea :(
That’s the worst when you find a tea you like and then can’t restock it! Oh well, I enjoyed it while I had it

My local tea shop labels this as a sun tea, so the first sun tea I am trying I guess.
The process of actual “sun tea” kinda freaks me out a bit, just leaving it out in the sun for hours. So instead, I cold brewed this.
This was really good. I was worried about the hibiscus which can sometimes be a mean ugly dragon and spoil a good tea.
The hibiscus didn’t steal the show, so it was ok. The orange was the superstar, and I could definitely taste some strawberry and lemon. This was very refreshing for a mild spring day. I can see myself making this alot this summer!

Also, I tried it in one of my tea smoothies with vanilla yogurt and frozen strawberries and it was very delicious!

This was one of their valentine’s teas, but I just got around to buying it in April.
This was just meh, I could certainly taste the chocolate, but it tasted like a cheap bitter chocolate. I don’t think the rose really melded with the flavour either.
That is ok, there are many other good black teas my favourite local shop stocks!

Note: I paired this with a tad bit of vanilla green
Smell: very refreshing minty
1st steep: very smooth, minty, refreshing, almost a smooth creamy quality. I guess the creaminess might be coming from the vanilla.
2nd steep: 85degrees, 2.45minutes, brewed then left in the fridge to cool here since it is such a nice sunny day today, tastes delicious and refreshing, just as good as the hot first steep!
The only thing that kind of turns me off of this tea is that it is mint oil and flavours instead of actual mint leaves. That is too bad

Tons of chores today to get ready for a work trip to Ottawa. So I need a good pick me up. Today I made this with 16 oz of steeped tea, 8 oz of hot soy milk and 2 tsp of rock cane sugar. And yes my tea mug can hold that much; it’s a wonderful handmade mug I bought in Orcas Island, Washington years ago.

The tea is still good, not great. I think I’m really missing the cinnamon, and I’d like the ginger and cloves to be kicked up a few notches. This is a nice chai for someone just getting into chai and is afraid of drinking something too spicy. Which I find a little funny given the name of the tea.

In all, it’s a decent chai. I’ll experiment with what’s left in my stash, but I probably won’t buy it again. Particularly since I don’t know when I’ll be in Regina next. ;P

Oh, and taking a cue from tunes&tea, I’m listening to a mix of fave soundtrack songs: A Love Before Time (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Deliver Me (Brokedown Palace), Distant Worlds (Final Fantasy XI), I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow (O Brother, Where Art Thou), Walk Through the Fire (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and more.

Just have time for a quick note before I take off for the airport and fly to Moncton for work. This is a very nice chai. I made it with 1/3 hot milk and 2/3 steeped tea with a couple of teaspoons of sugar. Nice and relaxing. I don’t find it much different from other chais in my stash; I was hoping for more of a ginger kick. Still, I enjoyed this very much.

I made this iced today and made a tea smoothie. How refreshing! The peach notes are definitely shining through here today.
Smoothie: iced tea, banana, frozen mango, low fat vanilla yogurt

This is the first decaf black I have had. It is interesting. The black base tastes a little different than usual blacks. I am certainly getting the peach taste in this tea.
I guess I just feel like something is missing from this tea. haha….I guess it is the black tea!
I still like it and will certainly finish the 25g I have.

Sip down
I have enjoyed the last of this tea cold brewed with my lunches at work. I would say that this tea is a little sweeter cold brewed which is enjoyable for me.

Mmm so happy to have this back in my cupboard.
Chamomile is one of those ingredients that I don’t have too often, but I do enjoy it in this blend. The peach is also very tasty in here. It all blends fairly well together with the white/green base.

Yum
Dry leaf smells like a fresh peach
Colour: light yellow
Smell: light peach flavour
1st steep: very delightful. I get the green and white tea tastes. At first, I could taste the peach and the chamomile seperately but then they blended together for a nice smooth taste.
2nd steep: 85degrees, 4minutes, less peachy and more chamomile taste with the white showing through more and the green less.
I can see this one becoming one of my favs from my local tea shop!

One thing that I love about green/white blends is that the second steep hardly ever tastes the same as the first. I like that!

I finished off this tea on the weekend with the inlaws. It is very sweet and good for a treat. Goodbye for now, we might meet again sweet lips.

Re-visiting this sweet, smooth tea from my local tea shop. A splash of milk really brings out the sweetness. Good stuff, could be a little more chocolatey though.

This is nice and smooth.
It tastes very similar to DAVIDsTEA Read My Lips. I would have to say it is a little creamier but less chocolate-y that DT’s version though.
Colour: nice light brown/yellow
The smell is just divine…..and the taste is good too. Light notes of chocolate, I taste a little of the black tea, and the mint coming forward in each sip.

My first tea party day!! My friend who grew up in England and I had a picnic in the park and lots of tea throughout the afternoon. She brought some tea back to Canada from Turkey. We had 4 different teas today I think!

So on to the tea….I cold brewed this to have as an iced tea. This is not my favourite. It has a weird artificial taste. The aftertaste cold is slightly tropical, but only ok. Decreasing the rating a little.

This is pretty fruity, a nice light white tea taste.
There is a slight chemically aftertaste though.
I will have to try this cold-brewed as well to see how I like it

This is a bit spicy, and I am not a regular chai drinker.
I have to be in the mood to drink it.
This is decent but there are other chais I would prefer. I did finish my sample though.

Backlogging: I finished this bag off and haven’t written anything until now. So I haven’t had it for awhile but wanted to log it.
This isn’t as sweet as I thought it would be. It is a tad bitter and astringent but I do really enjoy it.
It does smell very yummy vanilla.