Samovar

I jumped straight onto the Samovar website when Kevin Rose tweeted the special tea sampler that he was doing with Samovar – it had Maiden’s Estacy, Ryokucha, and this Wuyi Dark Roast. It’s been so long since I’ve had a wuyi oolong. My last one was the Wuyi Ensemble from Adagios (very delicious)! I can’t really compare the two since it’s been so long since I’ve the Adagio one. But I’m a big fan of the roasted/nutty taste of any wuyi tea.

There’s not much I could add to the 83 descriptions of this Pu-erh that precede my entry other than to say:

Yes, it is a balanced and slightly-on-the-sweet-side Pu-erh.

I’m on the 7th personal-sized steeping of the sample that came in my purchase of the Samovar Pu-erh sampler and it’s still a delicious brew.

If you’re sitting on the fence about whether Pu-erh is for you, this is one to try. If you find it to be “too” something or other, you’re probably not inclined to enjoy other varieties of Pu-erh.

In the descriptions I’ve seen in Samovar’s videos – this is named Maiden’s Ecstasy because it’s reminiscent of tea traditionally given in a bride’s dowry. I now understand why a Pu-erh with this flavor profile would be so prized.

I’ll be purchasing more of this when my sample leaves are exhausted.

I boiled the water to a yummy 160 degrees using my new Pino Digital Pro!

Genmaicha is one of my favorite teas there is. But there’s something about the genmaicha in Samovar’s that makes their ryokucha super addicting. I always try to convince my budget to let me restock this one whenever Samovar has a sale. Delicious, but not too friendly for a college student budget.

Received this as part of Samovar’s Pu-Erh sampler. I’m already sold on Pu-Erh, it’s among my very favorites, but had not really tried it blended with other flavorings before (just the strawberry Teavana variety, which is sort of a Pu-Erh junior, more flavoring than tea).

Wow. Surprising from start to finish.

The aroma upon opening the storage packet is a citrusy, earthy ginger ale. Sweet, not tart. Followed the directions on the packet for the first steep.

Flavor – just wow. A brothy, woodsy sweet orange. Woodsy as in you’re passing over a patch of mushrooms after a rainfall. Not strong or even musty, but earthy. The ginger kicks in at the finish and is unexpectedly piquante. It tickles the throat. The mouthfeel is much heavier than I’m accustomed to. I keep thinking of broth and stew as a texture comparison.

Pleasantly surprised and will be purchasing for my cupboard again soon. I appreciate Pu-Erh, but I feel like my palate’s been educated and tweaked a notch or two to know that Pu-Erh can be blended so well and retain its own charaacter.

OK… I really… don’t like this. And I’m surprised, because I love licorice, and I have never been disappointed by Samovar before… but this… is just horrible.

Licorice and Yerba Mate do not go well together.

Just say no.

I really did not think I would like this as much as I do. I mean, I like peppermint ok. I like yerba mate ok. But these two are made for each other! The peppermint makes the yerba mate taste better and vice versa! The earthy and bitter qualities of the mate go together so well with the crisp flavor of the peppermint. There is a natural sweetness to this that is so pleasant.

I am drinking this in my Libre Mug, which has become my “gourd” and “bombilla” all in one.

I like this one! Then again, I don’t think there has been any tea/tisane that I’ve disliked from Samovar…

Wow! I really like this rooibos blend! One of the best rooibos chai blends that I’ve tasted in a long time. Very comforting and warming.

I am imagining that it would be very good as a latte, but to be honest, I am so enjoying it without the milk or cream that I don’t see the need to try it that way. Everything comes together very well. I noticed one of the tasting notes on this tisane said that it tasted like spice cake, and I can really see that comparison. The nutty flavor of the rooibos ties in well with the spice cake comparison, too.

This is sweet, warm, and yummy!

Been a while since I’ve logged a tea! It’s winter time again, so I expect my logging to ramp up… hopefully.

Anyway, coming back to this one I remember now that I really like this tea. I have way too many teas in my cupboard so sometimes I forget to come back to the ones further in the back. I found this one again this afternoon and I was pleasantly reminded of why I need to get more of it eventually.

Such a smooth, warming, yet pleasantly powerful tea. It has enough kick to satisfy even my mom, who is a typical black coffee drinker, yet soothes the throat with lemon. I love yunnan teas.

Yup, drinking this one again and I have the same sentiments as last time. A well rounded cup that balances the fine line between lemon zest (this tea’s dry leaves smell amazing) and a strong black cup.

Granted, I’ve been drinking a bit more coffee these days than tea (I know, I know, shaaaame) so my first reaction was to wonder where the zing was. Needless to say, I got re-accustomed to it in no time.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from this tea. I’ve had a sample of this sitting in my cupboard for a while now and this morning I decided it was finally time to try it out.

The dry leaves were notably interesting to look at, with a nice mix of black and green.

I have to say, I’m actually impressed. I’m normally not a fan of overly flavoured black teas, but somehow Samovar pulls it off again and again. I’m not getting an overpowering punch of any one particular flavour, but I’m getting a nice rounded cup that I think I can actually see myself drinking every day.

Colour me impressed. A lemon tea that I actually like? Oh, Samovar. Only you. =P

Steep Information:
Prepared in store, and bought some for home.

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: (lapsang souchong) smokey
Steeped Tea Smell: (lapsang souchong) smokey
Flavor: sweet, smoky, black tea
Body: Full
Aftertaste: none
Liquor: translucent dark orange oaker

Lightly smokey, less than a lapsang souchong, with the nice hint of fruit.

MilitiaJim had this for breakfast at the Yerba Buena Gardens location. It was a part of the “Russian Service”

Tarragon-Marinated Beets, Smoked Whitefish & Horseradish, Devilled Egg with Caviar, Herbed Crackers, Fresh Fruit, Chocolate Brownie. They say that Tolstoy fueled his creativity by drinking Russian tea from the samovar. See what it does for you. Start with our zavarka, dilute it with a tad of hot water and add milk and sugar.

MilitiaJim experimented with it plain, milk, sugar, milk and sugar. The tea came from the samovar and then was diluted with hot water in a kettle on the samovar.

The location has comfortable benches, outdoor seating, huge windows for natural light and is very cozy. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.

The box we purchased was a nice recyclable cardboard, containing a plastic bag containing the tea, held shut by metal clip. There was also a sticker included. Not sure why.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/12/samovar-loose-leaf-black-tea-russian.html

Wonderful! This is delicious and fragrant and tastes absolutely exquisite. Smooth, sweet, and beautiful. The white tea is light and fresh, with hints of a peppery quality. The rose is distinctive and flavorful… but doesn’t taste perfume-y. It is really quite wonderful.

If you haven’t heard, there’s a mega SNOWPOCALYPSE going on in NYC. Serious snownage.

It’s the second day of snowing, and they still haven’t plowed my block. It’s a bit depressing, knowing you used vacation days to be trapped inside of your house… but it’s a pretty good excuse to drink up some chai, the old fashioned way!

takgoti sent me this forever-ago. Yes, probably a year ago. I am very behind on these samples. It’s disgusting, I know. But she packaged everything in cute little snap-close Tupperware, so it all stayed fresh!

I made this one on the stovetop, and let it sit for a good ten minutes before the pour. On the nose, this blend is really very spicy. Chewy-spicy, almost. Like spice cookies. There’s lots of cardamom and cinnamon and glove. And the heat of ginger.

This chai steeps up with all of the spice of the dry blend, and then some. The correct word here is heady. It almost threatens to be overly potpourri-like, with the heavy-handed, assertive spicing. And at first sip, it almost doesn’t work. My taste buds were overwhelmed. There’s even a slight burn to this one, a heat that develops slowly on the tongue from the pepper and ginger. It’s a bit overpowering, to say the least. Strong chai coming through!

But it goes down really smooth, and the rawr-worthy spices almost become addictive after a few sips. I was able to finish quickly a mug and a half of this without even batting an eye.

I wish that the stovetop, traditional way of making chai was faster, because the results can be really very satisfying. Especially when you’re buried in 20+ inches of snow. I think I like Golden Moon’s Kasmiri Chai better than Samovar’s – it’s more gentle than the loud blast of flavor in store for you with Samovar. But I can’t help but love this chai-beast as well, for daring to be so flavorful and punchy.

Steep Information:
Prepared in store. Served in a teapot without leaves and a small cup.

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: Honey and black tea
Flavor: Black tea, sweet
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: none
Liquor: hard to see in the dark lounge

MilitiaJim ordered this tea with the Wasabi Caesar Salad w/ Wild Smoked Salmon (Organic hearts of romaine, wild smoked salmon, shaved parmesan, garlic, croutons, & Caesar dressing w/ a wasabi kick)

Post-Steep Additives: MilitiaJim experimented with both the provided brown sugar and cream.

Ordered at the Zen Valley location for dinner with Squash Dumplings w/ Dipping Sauce (Handmade vegetarian squash dumplings w/ spicy sesame-soy sauce).

We were seated in the upper area in the back at a table for two. The back area was dimly lit. The place was a very relaxed atmosphere with an attentive staff. We purchased a tin of Russian blend and tea oil to take home (sadly the tea oil was confiscated by the TSA because we forgot to mail it home or check a bag). The place was not very busy, there were two other couples there when we first arrived for dinner Saturday night.

I enjoyed the other Samovar lounge location more and would prefer to return to Yerba Buena Gardens rather than this one. We did not get to try the Mission-Castro location.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/12/samovar-loose-leaf-black-tea-breakfast.html

I’m still exploring the white teas and generally don’t care for peach flavor but could not resist a pot of this one with the honeysuckle. It is a very nice, light tea but with a full flavor. I highly recommend this one. I’m adding it to my shopping list!

This is really delicious. It’s very minty, and very sweet. I checked the ingredients list thinking there must be sugar or stevia or something in here, but no. The spices are quite spicey and warming. Sorry, nothing sensible to say. It seems to be putting me to sleep. Delicious.

I’m drinking a pot of this before bed. It’s a really nicely balanced rooibus.

I’m trying to be sensible about caffeine but I added 1/2 tsp of breakfast blend. It’s good! I’m working on the theory that if I can maintain a constant level of caffeination I’ll sleep better. When I was growing up I drank tea all the time, and I slept just fine. Even the dog drank tea. Ha, I’d forgotten that. Maybe I’ve just got out of practice. This is a delicious way to maintain a low level caffeine infusion.

I recall someone previously saying this tea was like crack cocaine? A worrying thought that crack fiends might have entered the tea industry and started putting more unwanted additives in tea along with the pesticides and whatnot. What a combination, that along with our now poisonous water supplies in the US!!! Regardless, I’m happy to say I have no idea what crack is like and this tea is pretty good nonetheless. Not nearly as good as the blend I make myself, though!