New Mexico Tea Company

I’ve been pretty much drinking the same few teas in rotation the past few days. I haven’t been to my apartment in a week and a half, I just know there are at least 3 boxes of tea there and it’s torture not being able to open them ;~; To make myself feel better, I just ordered some tea to come to my parents’ house, which of course is not the best solution but hey, I want new tea! I maaaay have a problem.

I’ve had this a few times before, but always the same way—hot, with milk & sugar. I’ve found that I really like floral teas cold, so I iced this one with a pinch of sugar and it’s fabulous! Light, sweet, the bergamot seems to come through more this way as it’s bright and citrusy with a floral undercurrent. Iced Earl Greys are quite nice, more so than I expected. Sadly this tea isn’t mine, it’s my mom’s, and I think she’d get annoyed if I burned through her whole stash while I am here!

It’s Mother’s Day, and I am making my mom a lemon loaf. It’s her favorite baked good but she usually gets it at Starbucks, which is good if you’re in a rush but good lord do they overload it with sugar and also use lemon “flavoring” instead of the actual, well… lemon! So I decided to make her the real stuff with much less sugar, heaps of lemon zest, and cream instead of oil. Well, I ended up with a ton of extra cream for some reason even though I only got one of those teeny containers so of course I decided to put some in tea! I never put cream in my tea (milk or nothing) so I thought it would be a decadent treat perfect for Mother’s Day!

This is (fittingly) my mom’s tea—I also placed an order at NMTC but passed up this blend even though I love rose because I thought it would be too similar to my Princess Grey. Sadly, I was wrong—but not so sadly, they still have free shipping until May 31st so I feel like some of this will be coming home to me. I thought this would be a good “converter” for my mom—you can have it with milk & sugar and it’s pretty strong. She’s a coffee person but is trying to switch to tea to cut down on both caffeine and sugar (she puts in so much!).

When I opened the bag I was hit by a very, very strong rose flavor—it was almost overwhelming. I love perfume-y teas but not when they taste like perfume (if that makes any sense)-and this really had an “essential oil, gonna rub it on my wrists” kind of smell. Thankfully it mellowed out a lot once it was brewed, and is nice and richly floral. The rose actually isn’t nearly as prominent as I thought it would be, and there’s still the bergamont flavor from the “earl grey” part of this tea. The base is nice and gentle—I like assertive teas, but not for a soft tea like this. It’s so… ladylike! It makes me feel like a fancy British lady, though I am not at all British. The cream makes it soooo good, even though I used a teeny bit. I already have a straight-up rose tea so I don’t really NEED this one, but it’s good enough that I want to get it anyway.

Tea of the afternoon….(SRP #24)

I added this one to my order because it is an Earl Grey with a Keemun base and one of my favorite Earl Greys is similar. I also love rose teas, so I figured it was worth a shot. I am definitely not disappointed! This is super yummy. The notes of rose and bergamot are a little on the strong side, but it really works with the slightly chocolatey and subtly smokey tea base. Such a perfect afternoon tea! It is a little heavier of a tea than the Rosy Earl Grey from Teas Etc. and I really like them both. If I had to pick one of the two…..well, I don’t, so I won’t go there! I may have to order more of this one and the Earl Grey Jasmine Monkey King…… Not sure how soon that will be, but it is looking like it might be May 31st-ish….. If I still like it by then, I will probably cave.

Usual mug method.

Edit to add…..after a few cups, I decided that I like my other Earl Grey rose blend better. There is not enough cupboard space for two versions!

Second tea of the morning….. (SRP #22)

This is pretty good. I love coconut teas. I can tell this has a different tea base to the Black Jasmine Cream. This tea base complements the flavor rather than competing with it. I will definitely enjoy what I have in this sample. Sweet and slightly nutty.

Usual mug method.

Tea of the afternoon….. (SRP #20)

Yes, new tea samples from a new company for me. New Mexico Tea Company is currently having a free shipping offer until May 31, 2012. I decided to jump on that and try a few things, so I got this, Black Jasmine Cream, Rosie Earl Grey, and a free sample of Coconut Dream. Since I am on a jasmine and Earl Grey kick, these seemed fitting. They offer their teas in 1 oz amounts for sampling, plus 4 ,8, and 16 oz amounts, and they send a free sample that is probably a half ounce of your request. The service was prompt and shipping turnaround was very fast. The samples are packaged in a silver cello bag with a resealable zip closure. So far, I am impressed. I also ordered a round latch tin that will hold about 4 oz. of tea. I like the tin, too.

This tea is Springtime in a cup. There are jasmine notes intermingled with a light bergamot. It is definitely light and airy, floral and lightly citrusy. I definitely like it!

Brewed at about 160 for 2 minutes by the mug method.

Roasted anything will win points for me. I’m loving the flavor of this one. Prior to receiving this sample I had yet to experience a twig-like tea, so I was excited to open the little pouch. Even the scent of the tea itself is lovely; a somewhat smoky, nutty fragrance. Yum.

I steeped it a little too long, because I forgot to put on my timer, but it’s still great. It’s not bitter at all, despite the oversteep, and it’s smooth and nutty. I see here that it can be mixed with juice? I must try it.

Tastes like heaven. Or better.

I steeped this for one minute to take off some caffeine and to get a great flavor. I’m never disappointed. This tea is smooth with a nice toasted flavor and a touch of malt and leaves behind a very light aftertaste of toasty-goodness. It’s an ultimate oolong in my book. Organic too? Can’t be beat.

I opted for the unusual today, so I cracked open the green and let it fly. I gave it a minute to steep to leech out as much caffeine as I could, then let it sit for a good three minutes. Very light toasty flavor, very smooth overall, and a pleasingly “green” aroma. Not bad at all.

I’m not a big drinker of black teas, but this one is absolutely wonderful. It’s smooth and has just the slightest hint of coconut. Dry, the smell will fool you into thinking you’re about to eat coconut flakes, but after the brewing – it’s heavenly. If you look at the surface of the tea, you will see little dots of coconut oil – almost like a starry evening right in your cup. It’s a very nice tea.

A fruity African assam with the muskiness I’ve come to expect from African teas.

Out of the bag this smells like … bubblegum. It wasn’t what I expected, but I figured, hell, I’ll try it! I brewed it up and still got the heavy bubblegum scent. I took a sip and thought, “It’s like bubblegum, Flintstones vitamins, and rooibos had a baby.”

The fruity flavors tasted artificial and somewhat medicinal (like Flintstones vitamins & cherry Benadryl syrup.) I got no hint of the florals because the other notes overpowered them. I’ve loved everything I’ve gotten from NM Tea Co. thusfar, but this tea was just … not at all for me. :’(

This is the last tea for me to try from November’s Steepster Select box … representative of the “Twigs” of the box’s Migration theme.

I’m loving the aroma of the dry leaf… very toasty! Not so much a smoky scent but a roasty-toasty scent.

It’s a really nice Kukicha, lightly sweet, and very lightly roasted flavor, much lighter roasty-toasty taste than the dry leaf scent would lead me to believe. A delicious Kukicha, one of the nicest I’ve tasted.

I have been playing with the flavors found in this Kukicha. Since it is my last infusion, I wanted to stretch it further. I brew half of teaspoon with full cup of water; not boiled but mild. While it was a lightly steamed cup of tea I found it to be a richer brew with sweet mellow notes.

I took the remainder of what was left and decided to brew it fully and just let the steam rise from the pot-filled water. With more water and less tea, it is milder in taste and at the same time richer in the scented steam rising upward out of the cup.

I am trying to say with what was left for me to brew and play with I ended with a lightly steamed fine cup of tea.

Thank you Steepster for allowing to become familiar with this tea. I am saddened that I have finished it. I have added it to my wish list.

I am learning as I go, finding that there are some very good teas out there.

Review of Roasted Kukicha (2nd steep)

I have decided to make this Roasted Kukicha my day drink in order to better appreciates its nuances and because I like the taste.

Kukicha is described as twig tea, which is a Japanese blend of green tea, made of stems, stalks, and twigs and has a nutty, slightly creamy flavor.

I boiled the water much hotter, closer to full boiled. I place one heaping teaspoon of the twigs in the strainer and poured the water over the leaves into the cup. I left it to steep for five minutes. I am thinking longer steeping time will result with more aroma and nuttier in flavor.

When I removed the saucer, used as lid, from teacup I find that the tea color is a dark red and the twigs are fuller with a greenish color. The stalks/twigs were darker prior to brewing.

The longer infusion make the tea nuttier when tasting it and the air smells of the roasted aroma that I have come to associate with this Kukicha. I am thinking of a large oven baked cookie slightly on the burnt side; the longer steeps made the tea in fact sweeter and nuttier. It seems nicer somehow with the longer brew; the smokiness is not so contained in the cup or the pot of tea.

This is another tea that I received from the November Steepster Sampler pack.
My review of the Roasted Kukicha:

Brewing Instruction:
Bring spring or filtered drinking water to 160 Fahrenheit. Add 1 tsp of tea leafs to a cup. Always pour boiling water over tea leafs and let steep 2 minutes.

Kukicha is described as twig tea, which is a Japanese blend of green tea, made of stems, stalks, and twigs and has a nutty, slightly creamy flavor.

What I noticed right away from opening the package of tea is the smokiness likened to burnt wood out doors; that expression wait until the smokes clear come to mind. It is a lovely scent for those who smoke or savor the smell of smoke. I am saying that at times the smell is like cigarettes piled in an ashtray. This is not as bad; I am just saying it smells of smoke.

Tea color: dark reddish-brown
Tea is full in body, malty, with a dry palette feel to it and full of smoky aroma. The nose can fully appreciate this tea.

I find that I have enjoyed this tea. It is rich and conveys a presence not to be discerning from first sip to last. I have been able to get three infusions and each time they are the same with the third infusion not as smoky in the flavoring.

I am thinking this would be a good tea to put next to China’s Dà Hóng Páo (Big Red Robe) and that Vintage Oolong tea I so enjoyed, which is similar in aroma and character.

I was asked to describe what I liked about tea and I said its warmth and this tea is certainly that; like chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

I was running out the door to get to an audio session and realized I would need some tea (audio work is thirsty work) to lubricate my words. I grabbed this with faith that anything the Steepster guys had picked out for me must be good. I wasn’t sure that it would tolerate the extra hot water, but I figured it was worth a chance.

Happily for me it tolerated the water well and was a perfect companion in the audio booth. At once soothing and clearing it enabled me to do my work in a minimum of takes. I love the mild roasted taste and the soothing tea that is neither bitter nor drying even when brewed under difficult conditions. I don’t have any more audio sessions scheduled for quite a while. If I did this tea would be my go-to tea. However it can still be my go-to tea for calming winter evenings.

This smells like orange juice! Super sweet citrus. I sniffed it once and knew drinking this straight would NOT go well — I love citrus in moderation, but this blend would have been too much for me! I mixed it with some floral Tie Guan Yin and … sigh it was perfect.

The tea carried a nice fresh orange flavor into the vegetal qualities of the Tie Guan Yin. Almost candyish, but not quite! The aroma was subtly sweet and not overly cloying or artificial.

Lovely tea for me to mix into my other oolongs when I need a little bit of a pick-me-up, but certainly not for me to drink straight. I’m certain my citrus-loving friends would enjoy this one unaltered though!

This is a wonderful green chai! I brewed some up last night and was surprised by the almond flavor. It is a strong note in this blend, and it plays well with the spices. I’m not really accustomed to drinking green chais (I prefer mine strong and dark) but this was enjoyable! Light on the tongue with a good snap of spice at the end. I added some raw honey which really highlighted the almond flavors. Good for cool nights where you don’t want the heartiness of a black chai, but want a good spicy blend.

I brewed this completely wrong and it was still delicious. I never ever did get a handle on green teas, they just don’t suit my palate. So I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but gentle roasted sweetness is really a good descriptor. Despite reading “6 oz” as “6 min” on the package as I struggled to get my morning going, the tea didn’t get bitter, and was truly a delicious treat. I may actually even use this to start a “tea time” tradition with my kids – low temperature for impatient kiddos and pleasantly sweet on its own, right out of the pot.

Next time, I’ll try brewing it properly and maybe some of the more complex flavors will be salvaged, but quite frankly I’m already sold.