Samovar

Well I bought this tea because it was on clearance and I love all of the ingredients. When I smelled it for the first time it smelled like a baked plum. When I brewed it I could smell the hibiscus and licorice more then the plum. With the first sip I would taste the plum right away then the licorice towards the back of my mouth.

Then came the hibiscus and the licorice again. The plum disappeared on me.

The aroma definitely stays true to its name. Spices of all sorts come to mind, almost like a good potpourri.
Taste on this steeping is a little lacking. Perhaps I should have steeped it longer than just 3 minutes. Also, mixing it with some rock sugar and some soy milk would have really done wonders for this.

Aroma has a very earthy sense to it. Hints of smoke and things of the sort. Taste is very similar. Dark and earthy.

This is the first time I’m seeing these kinds of leaves rolled into a ball. It’s quite amazing, actually, to see them unravel during the steeping process. I’m using my travel mug so I couldn’t see through the cup to see it all in action, but amazingly the leaves started at the bottom of my infuser when dry, and ended up filling it up all the way to the top when the steeping was done.

The flavour profiles are pretty accurate to both what Samovar notes on their description and also to what people here have noted. Smooth, with roasted notes. I’m not too experienced with oolongs so I don’t have a point of reference to compare to, but this is a fairly darker flavour than I was expecting after seeing how light coloured the infusion was.

The complexities of this tea make it appealing. I’m enjoying this one. =)

I got this tea at the wrong time of the year. This is a fall tea.

This was definitely a surprise for me. It has a really powerful kick in both the smell and the taste, all the way down. It’s all kinds of complexity mixed into one tea and I don’t think I’ve tried a Samovar tea that has been this powerful before.

I haven’t experimented with too many herbal teas since I’m a bit more of a fan of straight-forward tea leaves, but this one is definitely unique. The colour of the brew was a surprise at first (a ruby or purple hue), but then you realize that it’s normal given the ingredients. It’s smooth going down, even if it can be a bit on the sour side, and the taste is not too similar to the smell which is interesting. It’s very soothing and I can tell it could make anyone feel warm on a cold winter night, which is why it’s a shame that I got my hands on it just as the weather is getting warmer.

I’m going to have to play around with this one more to see if shorter steep times or less tea might reduce the overpowering flavours, but this is one to try for sure. I’ll have to serve this to some friends and see what their opinions are.

I love this tea. This was my first Samovar tea, enjoyed on a cold San Francisco evening after a long day at work. The pep and bite was exactly what I needed.

I bought a tin of this some time ago and when it was empty, I got sad. I’ve finally gotten around to replenishing it and I’m grateful to have one of the more delicious herbal blends out there once more.

I have to say the marketing on this blend is really top notch. Against my better judgment I ordered a tin of this, knowing full well that I have a strong aversion to hot fruit.

Well, I brewed this and it smells great, but yah it falls on the tart side which doesn’t really work for me.

I’m fairly new to white tea so I was eager to try out this one from the sample set from Samovar. This tea is very fragrant, but there’s something about it that doesn’t jive with me. I liked the delicate flavor, which leads me to believe I’ll enjoy the other varieties they offer, but not sure I would buy this one again.

I had this at the Samovar in MC and it was OK. The color as fantastic but as a genmaicha iri matcha fiend, I wasn’t really impressed with the flavor. I was looking for a more nutty taste, but it fell a little flat.

Did not like this one. I love rooibos tea, but for some reason this was not good to me. I tried it twice. Once with nothing added and another time with a little sugar. It tasted and smelled like wet wood. I just could not get passed it.

Having the last of my sample of this. Still love this blend. Although Samovar is a little on the expensive side I have never had a tea from them that I did not love.

Wow…love it. I can taste everything that is in it. After reading the reviews I was skeptical so I ordered a sample. I might have to order a whole tin. My new night time tea.

So. I really really wanted to be blown out of the water by this tea. I read all of the reviews on it and wanted to prepare on the stove top. I was a little disappointed with it. I wanted it to be spicier, a little more kick. I had half hot off the stove and the other half chilled over ice. I felt like it was missing something. I still have 2 teaspoons left that I am going to make by the cup instead of stove top.

I decided that I wanted to switch it up a bit. I reused the 2 tablespoons of the chai, but added 1 tablespoon of Teavana’s Rooibos Chai and 5 cardamon pods. I did steep it longer, for almost 15 minutes by itself and 5 minutes with milk. Wow, that hit the spot. I might be buying more, but I have not tried Adagio’s chai yet. I still have the sample packet on the table. We will see….:)

I accidentally let this brew a little too long, but was surprised that the actual tea was not very strong. Used a teaspoon for one mug…will need to try increasing amount of tea leaves. Overall, was nice with some milk and sugar.

The small green tea pearls unravel into long, beautiful leaves after steeping. I like my tea a little strong, so brewed to a slightly darker color than what is depicted in Samovar’s picture. Nice floral taste. Light green tea. I had this a day after my cheapo Jasmine green tea, and while it is nice, probably not worth the price difference for repeat orders

I’m dealing with the end of a cold so my sense of taste isn’t what it should be. But I can’t say this thrills me. It’s not horrible but no out of this world either. Just pretty average.

Had this at Samovar lounge in Zen Valley. First time I’ve had loose leaf pu-erh, which was an interesting experience having each small cup brew individually. Brewed to a dark amber color, earthy tones but very smooth. No bitterness even when I accidentally left a half cup brewing for probably 5 minutes. Very nice, but definitely not worth the prices in the lounge. (One pot of pu-erh, one pot of earl grey, and a brownie — sadly one of the worst brownies I’ve ever had — $27 + tip).

Tea Note #100! And what a beautiful one it is. Although I’ve had a fairly interesting black tea from time to time, I tend to prefer flavored blacks as I’m not such a fan of traditional black teas. This tea, however, has changed my thinking. It is the most extraordinary black tea I’ve ever experienced.

These leaves, when dry, are like a huge tangled mass of extraordinarily long black fingers that cling to one another. They’re beautiful and almost a deep violet-black color. They remind me of ravens’ feathers. The scent didn’t remind me of anything other than what I’d pick up as a regular black scent. Perhaps very slightly peppery, but that could have been my imagination as I was thinking of a way to describe the color and pepper came to mind.

205/30 sec – The flavor is simply extraordinary. It is amazing! I love it. Really. It’s a rich flavor with an almost honey-like sweetness, kind of a dulce de leche flavor without the fullness. Raisins. I can taste raisins and I think that’s the flavor that fills my mouth first and most fully. There’s a very slight spiciness to it and I’m thinking that may be that pepper scent I picked up earlier. There is NO bitterness to it at all. It is slightly vegetal. It’s a really wonderful black tea. It is an expensive tea, but it’s such a wonderful treat.

My second steep of this tea will be for about five minutes, which, for me, is really going out on a limb. I detest bitter black tea, but having read the other reviews, I get the impression that this one will not let me down.

Update: I just tried the resteep at 4.5 minutes and I’m not liking it as much. I’m getting a marked astringency although no bitterness… yet. I think it makes sense as the shorter steep time pleased me so much. Samovar recommends 45 sec for the first steep, but as the Breville only works in 30 sec increments, I went with the lower time.

I love supporting anything from the US! This is a for real Oolong. You lose nothing by leaving Tiawan with this Oolong. Nice work, would buy again.

Yummy yum yum.. after a hard 6 hours at work! ok, and suffering from a mild headache.. but this herbal is fantastic.. simple, creamy with an essence of sweetness. Great for bedtime or relaxing any time of day. Also, made it with my Breville Tea maker.. perfect!

This reminds me a lot of the Peach Blossom tea that I had last night with the exception of the osmanthus… which helps bring out the peach flavors even more. The citrus tones are very delicate but offer a nice tangy note to the cup. The white tea is a very soft taste.

A really lovely tea.

Smells amazing! Although, the tea that it makes was less amazing for me. I’ve tried making straight tea and adding milk and sugar, which i don’t usually do to tea. Might take a little experimentation to get it right.