Samovar

After yesterday’s day-long-pot-of-oolong extravaganza, I thought I’d try the same for this tea (I had a sample of it to finish up as well). And I have to say, it just makes me miss the Hawaiian Oolong. It’s good, and it’s clearly an oolong, but it just lacks a hint of the sweetness and butteriness that I came to expect after yesterday. I won’t be ordering more, though I am minutes away from caving and making another pot of the Hawaiian one.

(I could tell this tea wasn’t hitting the spot when I was tempted to make a cup of blueberry green Republic of Tea, which is perfectly fine, but not something that would normally compete with a Samovar tea for me.)

Today I picked back up the sample of this I ordered from Samovar, since I’d been having McNulty’s version for a few days. This one is noticeably lighter and sweeter. It’s different enough, though, that I wouldn’t have guessed it was in a similar family.

So I’ve switched gears and am having a cup of this now. 30 second wash, 1/2 teaspoon tea, 4 oz teapot, 2 minutes to start.

It’s good! Not quite as floral (feminine?) as Four Seasons. It strikes me as much more what I expect out of an oolong: roasted, woodsy, strong. It’s a good cup of tea!

A pu-erh tea that’s great for beginners. Rich and slightly earthy, but not too strong, it has smooth honey and floral undertones and almost no bitterness, even when over-steeped.

So After 4 cups of this I have finally finished this nice sample. I love it, it is the perfect way to end a stressful night. At first I did not think I would like it, but after the first sip it might be a buy :)

Finishing off the sample, and it still tastes weird. This time around I used hotter water and a little longer steeping time. But I could barely finish the cup and didn’t go for a re-steep. The fiancé concurred that it tasted weird.

Dried fake baby food is not my cup of tea. Lowering the rating from 70 to 66. I guess I’m not a fan of Osmanthus. :-/

Okay, a little anecdote before I get to this tea.

When I was little, I had a baby doll that you could feed fake food and then it would “go” in its little diaper. It also came with a tiny potty you could sit it on. I know, kind of gross now that I’m typing it here. But I thought it was the coolest thing ever when I was growing up! It was like a real baby!

Haha, anyway. The fake food you gave it came freeze-dried in a package. You rip open the package, add water, and voila! Fake baby food! Well, now I’m getting to the point of why I’m telling this strange story. This tea (I think it’s the Osmanthus) smells like that baby food.

Now, I’m not necessarily saying that’s a bad thing, but it’s definitely a weird thing. I mean, I probably haven’t thought about that baby doll in 10 or 15 years. But with one whiff of the dry leaves, the memory came flooding back. Funny how aromas can do that, isn’t it?

So, on to the review! The dry tea leaves have tiny dried Osmanthus flower buds in between classic Silver Needles. The brewed aroma is basically nonexistent, which I found surprising. Usually Silver Needle has a nice brewed aroma.

The taste is also a little unexpected. I can definitely taste Silver Needle along with that same weird dried baby food from my childhood doll. I feel like I shouldn’t be drinking this…after all, my mother told me that I couldn’t eat the food I was giving to my doll!

But the overall flavor of the tea is very quiet and subtle. Maybe it needed to steep longer. I’m still surprised and a little bit disappointed that I’m not getting more of a floral Osmanthus note. I’ve tried an Osmanthus-flavored oolong by Lupicia in the past, and I recall that one being very floral without this strange baby food thing going on.

I’m going to have to try this one again later. For now, I think I’ll give it a medium rating. I don’t hate it. But I had high expectations for this tea, and it’s not living up to my hopes.

This is the tea I wanted to try second most in the black tea sampler from this company. After smelling the leaves, I felt like tossing this into the samovar, but I don’t have one, so no zavarka as suggested on the Samovar website. I steeped two well-rounded teaspoons for 5 min at 205F in a 12 oz cup instead.

The dry leaves are in longish pieces and dark in color. The aroma of the tea in the pouch is smoky, reminds me of new shoes in the box, and hints at anonymous fruit.

The aroma over the dark liquor (on the red side of black coffee in color) is sweet and strongly smoky (to me, but this is my first smoked tea), but not like hickory BBQ. The smoke is like a piney wildfire smoke.

I brace myself, nose above cup, for a powerful cup of smoke. The taste is instead silky and out of proportion with the smoky aroma. The sip tastes of bitterness in the back, in balance with up front flavors that include a strong sweetness, a tongue-tickling bitterness, and some smoky sweetness or sweet smokiness. This taste reminds me more of hickory smoke than the aroma. The sip finishes with a smoky, lingering sweetness aftertaste. The sip is moderately astringent.

As the cup cooled, the flavors seemed to soften. The sweet flavor became more fruity.

The smoke breath I experienced after this cup is exciting, but I’m not sure whether I like it.

This strikes boldly and then follows up with subtlety. An intriguing cup of tea.
I want to try it with lemon and try multiple steeps.

The entire time it was cooking, I couldn’t help but hover over the saucepan taking deep breaths. It smelled amazing!!!

I followed Samovar’s directions exactly. Two cups of water and one tablespoon of Truvia went into my saucepan. I brought it to a boil and added the entire Samovar Chai sample and one bag of Twining’s English Breakfast. It boiled for 10 minutes. I then removed the Twining’s bag because I was afraid it would become too bitter. But I left in the Samovar Chai sample and added one cup of whole milk. I brought the mixture to a boil and immediately removed it from heat (I have an electric stove) and covered it. I returned 10 minutes later and strained out the tea and spices.

Finally, it was time to taste it! Mmm, good but not what I expected. The aroma is MUCH stronger than the taste. It’s still delicious, but it also tastes kind of diluted. It’s missing that piquance I get in the Starbucks Chai Tea Latte.

I really thought this would be the perfect chai tea. The spices in the aroma are lovely, strong, and intoxicating. The spices in the taste are significantly lighter and more in the background.

The lacking black tea base didn’t bother me. Samovar gives you mostly spices, and I think that’s a pro. You can add whatever black tea you want to it, making an infinite number of chai tea possibilities.

But I wish the taste was as fantastic as the aroma. Truly, the aroma of these spices could not be better. I wonder why it doesn’t translate into the taste better. Maybe there’s a better way to cook it. Perhaps I did something wrong? Lots of other Steepster users describe this as spicy, strong, peppery, and almost chewy. But I’m getting a pretty light cup of spices myself.

For that reason, I’m giving this tea a little bit lower of a rating. But I would still recommend it because maybe someone else can figure out the best way to prepare it. Others definitely do seem to get more out of it than me.

The aroma of the cup reminds me of the tea base of Zhena’s Gypsy Rose, but with a light fruit aroma in place of the sharp, floral rose of the rose tea. The tea aroma is spicy. From this aroma, I am expecting a taste from the tea that is biting.

I am surprised to taste a so-smooth, and more importantly, soft tea flavor. By this I mean that the bitterness is soft and faint (sides of the tongue, nothing in the back, no sharpness up front), and there is no astringency to speak of. I get some malty and sweet flavors from the tea.

The lychee flavor is there, but it is so light it is like a reminder of a flavor that reminds me of lychee. Lychee is not one of the most commanding flavors in the fruit world, so this light tea is a great match. The whole package is quite relaxed.

The aftertaste is, surprisingly (to me), of the tea flavor, with some stronger lychee flavor, not a bitter or sweet aftertaste.

I shared a small pot of this. One of us thought this was the cat’s pajamas.

I should really make this iced next time. I hear so much how everyone loves this tea iced, but I always brew it hot. I wish it were summer. Oh, how I love the heat! But on to the tea.

This is a perfect lychee tea, in my opinion. It tastes exactly the way I would expect a lychee black to taste. No disappointment here!

I wonder what those rose notes are that everyone else is tasting and Samovar includes in the description. I’m not smelling or tasting rose at all. It’s just very strong lychee to me.

Either way, this is a strong black tea that requires a little bit of milk added. Maybe I’ll use a shorter steep time next time. I think I’ll like it better that way. Although as it stands, it’s still a pretty great tea.

So, this was the first time I actually tried Yerba Mate and I know this is Samovar’s twist on it, but yeah… it was super intense and kinda weird. I eventually got used to the flavour somewhat and I really enjoyed the experience of the metal straw and cool clay pot to drink out of, but wow, SO intense!!!! It was a bit like trying Lapsang Souchong for the first time. Kinda weird, too intense, but kinda fun for the same reasons. Interesting, but wouldn’t rush to order it again. Would be keen to try a different Yerba Mate somewhere else to see if Samovar’s was just made too strong.

I think I may have to add this one to my shopping list. I only had a wee bit of this to try, and I’m liking what I’m trying thus far.

Nice vanilla flavor. Very creamy and smooth. The Yunnan adds a nice peppery tone to the cup. It’s a wonderful contrast from sweet to a little bit spicy. I’m liking this a lot.

Thank you to Geoffrey for sending me a bit of this tea … sorry it took me so long to get around to trying it!

This tea is just so good! It has tons of actual vanilla beans!

My first experience with this tea was using my new owl mug (click here to see how cute it is: http://tinyurl.com/3rcj6ko). It has a dark brown inside, so this observation eluded me then. But today, I used my lime green mug because I was at work.

I noticed a bunch of little black specs at the bottom of my empty cup. At first, I thought the leaves had been chopped up too finely and had gone through the strainer. But then I realized they’re vanilla beans!

How can anyone think this tea doesn’t taste like vanilla when there are real vanilla beans floating around in it? I’m going to have to place an order now that my sample has run out. Welcome home, Vanilla Blossoming! :)

The aroma of the dry leaves is everything vanilla: vanilla bean ice cream, vanilla cake, vanilla wafers, vanilla extract. Yum! You can see where my mind is right now.

Once brewed, the tea’s aroma has a more natural vanilla scent. I’m so excited to try this tea for two reasons: 1) it just smells so delicious, and 2) it’s the first cup of tea I made in my brand new owl cup!

My boyfriend and I celebrated our 5th year anniversary yesterday by going to the Maryland Renaissance Fair! I’ve never been to a Renaissance Fair before, and it was so much fun!!!! I dressed up in a padded petticoat, green linen skirt, white chemise, and floral corset. It was such a blast! Everyone is dressed up and calls you “milady”, all the food is fried, the shows are hilarious, and people drink all day long! It was quite entertaining. We saw jousting and archery and my boyfriend bought a real, combat ready sword!! I bought this cute little pottery owl mug. Click here to see it: http://tinyurl.com/3rcj6ko

So, now we’re back to the tea. It should have cooled off by now. Mmmmm!! This is really good! It has a very nice black tea base that complements the vanilla flavoring well. Or maybe it’s the other way around, and the vanilla complements the tea base. Either way, this is delicious!

After sipping it with no additions, I added a little milk & sweetener. Wow! Now it really tastes like vanilla sweets! I kind of chugged it down actually. Time for a second infusion! The second cup is just as good as the first. This might be the first Samovar sample that I go for more than two infusions with.

I’ve had vanilla as a second or third flavoring in a tea, but never as the main event. With that said, I think this may be the best vanilla tea I’ve ever had!

Of course, it could also be the owl mug that makes it so good. I guess we’ll never know. :)

Yum! I was a little scared to try this because of the hibiscus (and it brews up deep, ruby red and I thought for sure it would be very hibiscus-y), but, as it turns out that while the hibiscus does contribute a lot to the color of this tisane, it doesn’t contribute quite as much flavor to it. Oh sure, I can taste it, it just isn’t off-putting the way hibiscus can sometimes be.

What I taste more than the hibiscus is the flavor of cinnamon, plum and currants. And it tastes yummy! It is reminiscent of plum cobbler which was a favorite dessert from my childhood.

I don’t know if Samovar has discontinued this blend or not, though, because I can’t find it on the website. Oh well… it’s enjoyable, but I don’t think it is something that I must have in my tea collection.

Just got around to my sample packets of this tea. Very pleased with it. Loved the Fennel in it…and the minty finish.

YUM!

Backlogging…This tea is a very nice black tea, but I’m not sure I would order it in bulk.

When I first tried it, I thought it was very bitter. I waited a day and brewed it again, this time in the afternoon. I found it wasn’t bitter at all. Maybe my drowsy, morning tongue thought this was bitter, but I can’t comfortably assign that quality to this tea now.

However, it is definitely strong! You can’t call this watery. This kind of reminds me of Twining’s English Breakfast, just as Samovar’s Breakfast Blend reminded me of Twining’s Irish Breakfast.

I can taste faint cocoa notes. But there’s definitely nothing malty in this, especially when compared to Samovar’s Breakfast Blend. Now, that tea is malty!

Nor is it particularly shocking or surprising. It’s just a good, standard black tea. But lately I’ve been preferring more subtle, white teas to loud blacks.

However, I fear I’m being a little too harsh on this tea. It’s smooth, strong, and even-tempered and handles two infusions with ease. I can readily say it’s a high-quality Yunnan.

So, don’t let me deter you from trying it out. I think it’s just not my cup of tea.

I read E Alexander Gerster’s review here, and I either got the same shipment or this tea is just bad to start with.

The leaves looked just like Samovar’s Breakfast Blend, but there was a weird yellow tinge to the packet. I didn’t think much of it and assumed it was from the bergamot oil.

I opened the packet and took a deep whiff. Phew!! What is this? It smelled heavily of lemon-scented, toxic cleaning chemicals. Not what I was expecting from Samovar, and I had been warned by the reviews here that it’s heavier on the lemon than most Earl Greys.

Now let me explain the setting when I first tried this tea. I just received a permanent job offer and have to attend a New Employee Orientation. It’s 5am, and I am not a morning person. The only reason I’m ever up this early is if I never went to sleep in the first place.

So, it’s 5am and I am in dire need of caffeine! I decided on a classic Earl Grey & steeped this for 3 minutes. I was already wary from the aroma of the dry tea leaves, but I took a tentative sip. Blech! It was extremely bitter and nasty and had no redeeming qualities. I added a little bit of Stevia and it only made the toxic lemon bitterness more pronounced. I added some milk and literally had to force myself to finish the cup. After all, I needed the caffeine.

So now it’s two days later, and I’m brewing the second half of the sample. I made myself follow the same steeping parameters. It yielded a gross, bitter cup of toxic lemon. I promptly poured it out and went on to the second infusion, hoping it would be better.

Well, it is a little bit better. I only steeped it for 2 minutes this time and immediately added milk, no sweetener. The toxic lemon effect is less pronounced but still present. It’s much easier to drink this cup without gagging.

But really Samovar, what happened? This isn’t Earl Grey; it’s Hurl Grey.

Sipdown!
I’ve had this oolong for 2 years now according to my Steepster notes. I finally decided to finish off the bit I had today and this still seems really good to me, very buttery with sweet vegetal notes. I shall miss it, but I think I have a good excuse to purchase some more green oolongs soon since I don’t have too many more left. ;)

This is equally good prepared gong fu or western style.

I accidentally let this steep for 10 minutes because I forgot about it. I figured it would be ruined but it’s still good! It got a bit more buttery and a tad more bitter than I remember, but I still like it. yum!

Someone gave my bf one of the Teavana glass tea makers so I’ve been trying it out, I cold brewed this in the refrigerator for 48 hours and it works well, I think I prefer this tea hot, since it became lightly vegetal and slightly astringent instead of sweeter like I was hoping it would.

This was the very first Taiwan oolong I had ever had at Samovar. At the time it really blew me away so I bought 50 g of it!

I think this was less than 6 months ago but now I’ve tried so many more oolongs I have the benefit of a bit more experience. I still think this is great, very lemony, creamy and light. A slight feeling of asparagus and butter. Today I steeped this in the gaiwan.

I am feeling like I need to get with the program and drink more of my older green oolongs and green teas because they will go stale before the others. Cheers!