Mighty Leaf Tea

Less leaves, and it is surprisingly chocolaty. I steeped it at fifteen seconds. It’s still a little strong for me, but better than it was last time. Overall, a malty, borderline chocolaty black tea with the rose, cardamom, and saffron in the background playing into a sweet cup. I’m half tempted to add cream since it is so strong. Sugar, however, would not do it justice.

Very sweet and creamy rosy black tea. I taste a little bit of the cardamom making the rose sweeter. A little bit on the astringent bitter side for me, but its a pretty delightful tea. It is pretty similar to Turkish coffee or even Turkish delight (though completely different nationalities). Thanks to Evol, I sampled it. Not sure if I’d keep some since it is a bit strong for me. Maybe less leaves next time.

GCTTB V1

Daily Cold Brew!

I was looking for something fruity in the box to try cold brewed and low and behold there was this both oddly specific and at the same time nondescript tea kickin’ around so I figured why not.

I had a really, really hard time placing the fruit flavour in this. At first I thought maybe some sort of strawberry (or other berry) and currant combo? Then I was thinking more on the stonefruit side of things. Turns out it’s passion fruit!? I mean, this was tasty and I guess looking back on it I sort of see that but it’s definitely not any sort of defined passion fruit flavour nor anything comparable to other passion fruit blends I’ve tried.

The base was pleasant enough; I’m gonna guess Ceylon black tea just ‘cause of the overall floral flavour and sort of mild/almost neutral malt sort of flavour that’s just barely present and mostly lends itself to be an non-intrusive canvas for the added flavours.

Nice enough to try; enjoyed the brew but overall I’m guessing will likely be forgettable.

EDIT: Apparently the base is some sort of Chinese black; curious what type because the profile is much like Ceylonese blacks – but ultimately doesn’t change my opinion of the tea.

The last remaining sample from my swap with Evol Ving Ness, thanks again, it was fun!

I enjoyed this fruity chai and I can see why it is called holiday blend. It would make a delicious latte during the Christmas season on a cold day wrapped up in a warm blanket. Maybe not my favourite during the spring/summer months but still good!

I was very surprised to find I actually enjoy this blend. Most peach teas taste artificial to me or are sickly sweet (stevia) but this one tasted natural and was not too sweet or overpowering. I could even taste the pleasant tea base.

I can taste several fruits, most notable stone fruits like apricot and peach. I also taste some other fruit, but I’m not sure what it is. They served my tea super hot (boiling) so I burnt my tongue and couldn’t taste as much. There is a bit of sweetness, like nectar and ripe fruit. I find this adds to the overall appeal.

I may try this iced some day, I think it would be fantastic served cold.

Absolutely divine. Tasted just like those chocolate orange slices that you can get around Christmas time. Perfect with milk. It was good as a dessert tea. The chocolate was very strong and the orange was kind of like an afternote. It was very very nice.

I really liked this one! The flavoring is the most genuine fruit flavoring I’ve ever tasted. I’m not sure which fruits are Brazilian, but this tasted like stone fruits and watermelon to me. Very sweet, but not cloyingly so. Very refreshing; must try it as an iced tea.

Oops, I looked under my bed and found this box of samples that I had stored under there…..forever ago!
Thanks again for the sample Evol Ving Ness
This tea is fairly tasteless for me, but it is an old sample now!

Thank you Evol Ving Ness for the sample!

This was fruity but I wasn’t able to pick out the specific fruit until I read the description here. It tasted fairly natural though and not too sweet. Very enjoyable. I will ice or cold brew it next time

I drink this a lot, so I’m actually surprised I have not rated it. I read through a lot of reviews and thought I must have the wrong name, however when I checked the label I was indeed correct. Maybe it is my batch, but I do not taste flowers, citrus fruit, or bitter/tart flavours. My steeped liquid has always tasted mostly of basic rooibos-y rooibos (woody and sweet) with a unique undertone sort of like…bubblegum? It isn’t exactly like candy/sugary and also isn’t quite fruity or vanilla, I can not really describe it. Maybe it is because I am a HUGE rooibos fan, but I find it extremely pleasant. I was surprised to learn there is hibiscus in this tisane because I do not taste tart or floral.

I appreciate that this tea is impossible to over steep. I usually do three steeps and leave the teabag in the whole time. This also makes an amazing iced tea with a squeeze of lemon and some sugar. It also makes an awesome latte, although I usually drink mine hot and plain. I find it very versatile.

I just don’t think rooibos holds flavorings as well as camellia sinensis leaves. That said, I did actually enjoy this one, despite the flavorings not being super strong. The chocolate was definitely the most elusive; it kind of cameo’d as a sweet note in the aftertaste. The mint was weak, too, but it was definitely there. I wanted more “truffle.”

It was just something nice to sip on while the wind howled outside.

I kind of agree with everyone else’s assessment of it— inoffensive, but not cupboard staple status. I prefer H & S’s Chocolate Mint offering, even though that one has a black tea base (and therefore caffeine).

My very favorite black tea ever. I’ve been mainlining it because I have caught my first cold of the season. It’s amazing straight up. It’s amazing with milk and honey. It’s just toasty and warming and perfectly balanced.

I hope they never stop selling it.

Had this with a splash of skim. It accompanied a toasted plain bagel with veggie cream cheese, and I have to say, it was probably the best possible pairing I could have come up with yesterday morning. The toast notes in the tea worked really well with the toasted bread itself.

Chinese black teas are my favorite because they’re so smooth and non-astringent. This particular blend is half Chinese, half Indian, so it has those smooth characteristics I mentioned, plus a good firm bite of “pick-me-up” characteristic of Indian black teas. It’s been blended phenomenally and wakes me up like coffee does, but without the jitters and coffee breath.

This is easily my favorite loose breakfast tea. I love the orangey color and the rock-steadiness of it. A staple tea for sure!

I absolutely adore this one. It’s VERY bready, which makes it perfect as a breakfast tea. It has the smoothness of Chinese black tea with the robust flavor of Indian black tea. Steeps a gorgeous ruddy brown color and mixes famously with skim milk. Floral notes in addition to bread/ toast notes.

Thank you for the sample Evol Ving Ness!

Rose isn’t generally a flavour that I enjoy in tea, but I like to try them now and again to see if my tastes have changed. Nope, I still don’t like rose. It is a perfectly good tea, just not for me. I’m glad to have tried my tastes again, so thanks for that Evol!

Herbal and Decaf TTB.

I really didn’t like this mix of flavors. It tasted sour, fruity, and grassy to me.

Drinking this like a boss. One reason for this is that it is a rare occasion that I happen to have cream handy, and chai is especially nice with cream.

In addition to the life stuff of the past few days, it’s been a bit of a challenge to get a decent night’s sleep here in my world. Last night, baby began shrieking at about 3 am. I am guessing that this wasn’t the first time baby woke me last night as it was impossible for me to get back to sleep after being awoken. And so I dozed lightly. At 6 am, the questionable neighbour on the other side, rumbled her garbage carts out over the bumpy brick covered with even bumpier ice. A 7, her tenant’s cellphone went off as he walked past my bed. And baby started up again at about 6 or so as well. And yeah.

Drank more of this as the day went on. One needs a punchy cardamon tea for days like this. I drank it with cream and had a vanilla macaroon alongside. And then an almond cranberry cookie too.

The past couple of days have been exceptionally difficult, but I have been most fortunate in having encountered many many kindnesses which have done so much in terms of softening the hard edges of challenges. Little things, people. Gentleness, well-intentioned things from kind hearts.

Anyway, cliche or not, such things need to be said to remind that the smallest things, that require very little effort on our part, can make a significant impact on a person who is struggling.

And tea. The frisky cardamomed Keemun, with various spices, continues.