Samovar

I’m a bit of a snob now when it comes to Earl Grey – it’s my first choice for my morning cup and I absolutely love it with some soy milk (just a little splash, any more and you’ll completely get rid of the taste of the tea) and brown sugar, steaming hot!

My friend first got this for me for Christmas, a small 1 oz tin and I devoured that quickly. After, my boss surprised me a few weeks ago with a larger tin of Earl Grey which I’ve been drinking religiously.

The flavor is quite light and fragrant yet not too floral. I can normally get 2/3 cups using the same batch of tea leaves.

A delicious blend of black peppers, cardamon, and cinnamon is found in this Chai. I don’t often use cream/milk in my teas, so this tea is quite pleasant just by itself. I bought a larger quantity of it as it was on sale when I did, and I’m glad I did! Delicious. :)

Delicious heavy malt, thick brew. Smooth, lingering finish. One of my favorite breakfast blends when I want something thick and with a heavy mouthfeel.

The scent: I remember this smell from when I was a young lad and in a room filled of old ladies pinching my cheeks of cuteness. It is simply the smell of old-lady perfumes. I do not like the smell, but as I’ve noticed it doesn’t come out in the taste.

The taste: Nothing like the smell. It has a nice floral finish with a subtle reminder of earl gray. I don’t mind its flavor at all, and will surly try it again and again.

So incredibly smokey in flavor it was overpowering in smell and lacked gratification to finish the first glass let alone a second helping. I found the smell to be of cheap liquid smoke and the aftertaste to be of a dark woody portabella mushroom. I’ve since trying this tea given it to someone else to try and rate.

This is my ‘special’ tea. I drink it when I really want to relax and indulge in my passion for tea. A delicate jasmine, the perfect complement to the smooth taste of the tea leaves.

This tea is amazing. As in Ahhhhh-mazzzzzzz-ing!

I ordered a sample of this tea when I placed my order for the Breville. They also included a free sample with my package, unfortunately, the seal on the sample package was broken and tea (or perhaps I should say rooibos as it was a rooibos blend that they sent me) was all over the place in the box. I wasn’t distraught about it though, because I had already tried the blend (thanks to the samovar herbal sampler deal they had some time ago), and I’m just glad that this sample was intact and unharmed.

This is quite possibly the best Yunnan I’ve yet to taste. I am getting the bittersweet cocoa notes. Smooth, deep, rich. Malty. Pleasantly sweet. Savory tones. It’s just so good. Yesterday, I was quite sad that the last of my Dawn (The Simple Leaf) was gone and I was unable to replace it – but today, I feel like I can go on without Dawn thanks to teas like this.

Awesome. Like in Ahhhhhwwwwwwe -some!

This is another tea I’m revisiting after a long period of time in which I have tried a lot of different green oolongs. I think I appreciate it better now. It’s vegetal, it’s floral, it’s a little buttery, it’s a little nutty, it’s got that honeyish note that ties it all together. It’s also a hint astringent, but not in a bad way… it’s just on that end of the spectrum rather than the creamy mouthfeel side of it. All in all a very nice tea and I’m definitely enjoying it a lot.

Another day, another oolong. QuiltGuppy showered me in oolongs, which have always been the tea I was most likely to enjoy unflavored, but never had never gotten around to trying some of the really high quality oolongs out there. I feel like I got a mini oolong tasting course from QG, which is awesome!

The dry tea on this one smells vegetal and a little spicy. I looked over the previous tasting notes and chose a semi-consensus brew time and temp for my first cup. The leaves just about completely unfurled in two minutes, which was actually surprising, as It seems like most rolled teas take a second steep to unfurl, at least in my Kati cup (I know, I know, not the best oolong brewing conditions, but I drink tea primarily at work, and I’m not going to be keeping a tetsubin at work). Initially the brewed liquor, a lovely golden yellow color, smelled very much like the dried leaf, but as its cooling way more floral notes are coming out.

This definitely has the complex flavor profile I’m coming to expect from good oolongs. It’s primarily vegetal, but it’s also got sweet floral notes with a hint of nutmeg or other such spices. As it cools, I get a hint of smooth butter, but notably not any bready or milky notes.

The second steep, at 3 minutes, is similar, but this time with a few bready notes. I’ll probably steep this a few more times, but I’m not going to write about them here. In any case, this is a very nice oolong, and I’ll definitely enjoy my sample. It’s probably not on my must-buy list, mostly because I still prefer more strongly-flavored teas, even ones that are all natural (see ATR’s Milk Oolong). Thanks again, QuiltGuppy, for the opportunity to try it!

A touch of white agave instead of sugar and a dash of milk. that’s the sweet spot

When I first opened the sample packet it smell of rolled oats. After brewing it the smell of oats intensified but with the added grassiness. When tasting it I get the grassiness wright off the bat followed by the oatmeal taste. The licorice root follows soon after with a bit of sweetness. This is an acquired taste for sure. I would not mind drinking this with a hot muffin or scone. In the past I have always had a lemon or berry variation of yerba mate. It was nice to go old school with almost nothing added to it, just straight.
I will say that it gave me a nice shot of energy.

Wow! Just opened the sample packet, smells amazing. I used my duck eggshell gaiwan and filled it with 12 pearls. Nice and sweet. In the past I have had blends with jasmine pearls in them, but never buy themselves. Samovar is in the lead for being my favorite tea place.

Steamed gardenias. A very light, floral cup. Super delicate. Just a hint of cream and toast.

This is a very light herbal from Samovar. I’m used to them being a little heavy on the hibiscus or licorice root that they use as a base or to “sweeten”. With some of their other herbals the licorice can sometimes over power the tea. With this herbal it does not over power. This tea reminds me of my Aunt when I was little. She would always cut up some fresh ginger root and lemon peel and simmer it on the stove for hours. It would make the whole house smell great. I swear that just the smell would help me get rid of the cold that I had. This tea taste just like it without the ginger BURN in your throat and chest. Although I do like the BURN…:)

This tea is very simple. Yunnan tea and vanilla bean=amazing. I have had black tea and vanilla bean before that did not taste like this. I guess it is the quality of Samovar’s ingredients. This is a tea that you can give to almost anyone and they will like it :)

Well, I’ve done it. I finished the entire box of this, my now-favorite black tea. I’m glad Samovar has a coupon code right now so I can order more. I can’t bear the thought of the cold fall and winter days ahead without this in my tea cupboard. I don’t know what is in this, but it’s addictive.

You know how I know I really love a tea? When it’s my first choice, several times a week. That’s how it’s been for me with Ancient Gold. When I first tried it, it struck me as a very good black tea, but nothing outrageously great. Well, my perception is evolving, because whenever I’m in the mood for black tea, this is what I reach for. Even though there is a little voice in my head saying, “You just drank this yesterday. Don’t you think you should be trying X tea from the sampler you got from X company, or using up some Y tea from Z company?”, I stifle the the voice and drink Ancient Gold anyway.

I seem to be craving its rich, dark, smooth flavor. It goes well with everything. The color, the smell, the taste — they all really hit the spot. So I’m upping my rating.

This is a smooth, delicious, flavorful black tea. It differs from some other Yunnans I’ve tried in that it lacks astringency and the flavor is not as “raw” and harsh as some. I’m not getting any spicy or peppery notes. It’s almost too easygoing to be a Yunnan.

There’s some kind of dark fruitiness in here that I can’t quite make out — perhaps that’s the “raisin” note others have mentioned. I do not find this malty, bread-y or biscuit-y. I’m not getting any vanilla, chocolate or pastry notes, either, or anything roasty or smoky. It’s just an excellent cup of smooth, silky black tea.

OMG so good iced! I let it steep in the fridge for a long time (~20 hours) but the result is just the right amount of tea flavor for me, plus a pronounced floweriness, with no bitterness or darkness. The tea is a lovely light yellow. The jasmine has crossed over almost into orange-flower territory, it’s so sweet. This would be sooo good with dessert, or with a middle eastern or Thai dinner. I think I’m going to be making this a lot!

The jasmine smell was almost overpowering when this first came, but has calmed down since then (but not disappeared, which I was afraid of because it’s SUCH a gorgeous smell!). I totally agree that the jasmine doesn’t drown out the tea; it’s very balanced, though certainly if you don’t like jasmine this isn’t the tea for you. I’ve enjoyed this several times; a second infusion is tasty but has less flavor/more wateriness. I’m wondering if this would be good iced…

Bought a sample of this. It diffidently has a raisin sweetness to it. I did not believe the description when I first read it, but it stands true. I have been getting used to the honey, and musky undertones from other black teas. This was a surprise. I will probably order again with my next samovar shipment.

Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp
Water: Boiling
Tool: Bee House Ceramic Round Teapot
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: berry, perfume, rooibos (woody), sweet
Steeped Tea Smell: strawberry, blueberry
Flavor: Strawberry, Blueberry
Body: medium
Aftertaste: woody (rooibos)
Liquor: translucent dark red-brown

Post-Steep Additives: 1 tsp honey, brought the berry out more as a sweet berry

Resteep: 10+ minutes, weaker, but still a good cup of tea

Recieved from JacquelineM in the Hoppitea swap

http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/05/samovar-loose-leaf-herbal-tisane-berry.html