Samovar

I’m so excited that I get to try this Hawaiian tea! Thanks so much to takgoti for sending it to me. I’ve read about it in books and online and daydreamed about lazy afternoons spent drinking Hawaiian teas, but had no idea where to find it. Once she sent it to me I’ve looked and looked at it and longed to try it. But there was never a moment when I was healthy enough to taste it properly, had time to dedicate to it, was not running to a meeting, had a thermometer, and hadn’t had my taste buds corrupted by other teas previously. But today is the day!

The leaves are beautiful, big, full leaves wrinkled into variegated colors of green, dark green, and brown.The tea itself brews into a golden liquid that smells like flowers along with some sort of dark flower. Here in Memphis there are flowers that scent the air at night. This tea’s fragrance is reminiscent of walking through a Memphis summer in the moist flower-fragranced night. There is a slight undernote of resin as well.

The taste is light and flowered as well with a sweetness that doesn’t cloy. This is a really nice oolong with none of the strange boiled vegetable taste that some oolongs have. There is a very slight grassiness, a brief flirt with the taste of green tea, but not strong enough or lasting enough to be anything other than a tease. Mostly I taste flowers and a whisper of honey. It is splendid!

Scarlet Sable is a name that is completely fitting to this tea. It is definitely not something that everyone is going to like, and on most days it’s not going to be something that I instinctively grab. However, if you’re looking for something different with some complexity to it, she might be the lady for you.

The rooibos in the blend feels like a base flavor to me, while the black tea that they use wraps smoky tendrils around its core. The smoky taste is very reminiscent of lapsang souchong. Even as I type this it doesn’t sound very appetizing, but it’s not bad. It’s one of those flavor combinations that makes me pause momentarily and go, “Huh.”

The part that makes it really interesting to me, though, is the supporting cast in Scarlet Sable. There is a light, citrusy note that almost seems to pulse gently through it all. At times, lychee briefly presents itself in soft explosions. Little poofs of flavor that hit at the back of the tongue to remind you that it’s in there. Almost like it’s trying to escape.

It’s an extremely interesting tea, but again, not something for everyday drinking. If you don’t like smoky teas, avoid it, because that aspect is very prominent. Good for centering the mind and bringing things back into focus.

A beautifully delicate white tea. A slightly sweet aroma is hidden at first, but when immersed in hot water the aromas come out full bodied and honey like. Very light and crisp, but naturally sweet. This tea is relaxing and reminds me of a forest after a late spring frost. I can only appreciate that comparison having grown up around the woods. Overall a very nice white tea. I will be adding more to my collection.

A great beginner’s pu-erh tea. It is dark, smooth, and hearty with strong earthy notes.

Nice creamy tea with a good mouth feel. It has a delightfully roasty aroma that carries through to the taste, but gently. It has the vegetal of the sencha and the beautiful thick green liquid of the matcha all combined with the sweet roastiness and not a lick of bitterness or astringency. It’s very yum! Much thanks to Takgoti for this lovely tea.

My first experience in Pu-erh, and definitely not a bad choice for a beginners Pu-ehr.
This tea is great for it’s modest level of complexity. Change steep times by 30 seconds, and find entirely new flavors.
The downside to this tea is that it IS a beginners tea, and as such lacks some of the maturity of other aged Pu-erhs, but still a great introductory Pu-erh.
I find that this tea brings me to a plateau, so it’s a great “long day working” tea.

An interesting tea. This was my first foray into such a potent green. This tea is a hit or miss with me, I love it sometimes, and sometimes I just couldn’t imaging ever wanting another cup of it.
This tea was also very temperamental, at least for me. It requires a fairly precise steeping time: Too short a steep and the matcha overtakes the other notes of the tea, and too long creates a rice taste I would rather not experience more than once.
The great redeeming feature of this tea, and the reason I keep it around, is the matcha. This tea is enough to wake you up and keep you going for quite some time.

I bought a small tin of this tea while I was ordering a second Yixing teapot for the office (Samovar has a very nice one btw). It’s light and the blood orange flavor is strong but not overpowering, though it definitely all but masks the taste of the Pu-erh completely. That probably isn’t a bad thing though, because the overall quality of the actual tea leaves looks fairly low, mostly small broken pieces broken and a lot of fine dust. Still, I have a soft spot for orange flavored tea (I religiously drank orange spice as a kid), so I found this tea enjoyable.

Taking Maiden’s Ecstasy for a voyage this morning. Simply a wonderful way to start the day.

Moorish Mint actually has a nice backbone to it, unlike many other mint teas which are either liquid Altoids or simply greenish water.

A nice balance of simplicity and flavor.

Less obvious and harsh than many other Earl Grey teas I’ve had. It’s quite floral and light for being a black tea, and never attains any bitterness or unpleasant taste if left to steep too long.

Possibly a bit weak-tasting, but I prefer my teas extra-strong.

Best chai I’ve ever had, a must try!

By far my favorite Oolong tea. Great for multiple steeps. I absolutely LOVE it!

One of my favorite teas!!!