Steepster

This was a lovely, rich oolong that I received as part of my first Steepster Select box. I loved the roasted, nutty flavor of it and confess that I sucked it down. I was also thrilled that the envelope told me how many times I could resteep the tea – so exciting! I’ll be enjoying this one for many days.

Got another one from the TTB. The description on this was, “Sweet and smooth with notes of caramel and sour cherry”, so I figured I’d try it. This one had only a tsp left, so I figured it was safe to take.
It says “sour cherry”….but honestly…it tastes like sour wood. xD It’s like wood…with a bite to it. xD
This is just….weird. xD Apparently I did not pick out good teas from the TTB. XD

Backlog:

A very smooth Assam. A bit smoother than I usually expect from an Assam. Assam usually is a hefty tasting tea, robust and just bordering on the edge of becoming bitter, but I didn’t get that from this tea, in fact, it might be a little smoother than I want my Assam teas to be. At least my “breakfast” type Assam teas.

Don’t take that as my saying I didn’t like this, because enjoyed it and it’s a really good Assam, but its not one I’d reach for as the first cup of the day. I like my first cup to be just a wee bit edgier than this one is, but again, that’s not to knock this tea because I really, really enjoyed it. It’s smooth, rich, delicious, malty and just … wonderful. I’d save this one for late morning or early afternoon!

Vegtal, spicy. Very green like. Pleasant.

I got this tea as a Steepster Select member and my wife and I loved it! The sample they send is perfect for brewing a full pot of tea and it went great with honey. I usually don’t like green teas, but I love oolong and this really did the trick for me.

When I went to India, I loved the chai they would serve in their homes and on their streets, but when I came back to the US, I realized I could not make this tea on my own and that I could only handle so much sugar and milk. This tea strikes a good balance but tasting similar to the chai I had in India, while no needing sugar or milk to add to the flavor.

I am not a big fan of oolongs that are this lightly roasted, but this one was pretty good. Nice for a change.

For a Chinese green tea, I was surprised at how much I liked this one. It was pretty good.

I was surprised at how much I liked this tea. The flavors blended well. I don’t normally drink herbals, but am considering repurchasing for late night usage.

This is a good chai, but I prefer mine to be more spicy. Recommended for new comers to chai.

Lemony fresh and uplifting with a ginger finish makes for a refreshing cup of tea. While the taste was great, I felt it was lacking substance. Generally I tend to blend herbal teas with other types of teas, as herbal teas always seem to be lacking something. As such I have paired this with a chai and blended them together, and they seem to cover each others weaknesses beautifully.

Lemony citrus with subtle spice on the nose. Very clean smelling. Visually fun with small bits of ginger and turmeric interspersed with fine green sprigs.
Taste: Ooo. This is very different from what I expected. Earthy, creamy and sweet with a lingering sweetness. Less bite to the ginger than I expected. I get a little brightness in the overall flavor as well. This could be a herbal alternative to hot cocoa, perhaps.

Pleasant, but like others noted, not overpowering, even though I accidentally oversteeped it on the first brew. Mild but indistinct floral notes, not much finish, but again, may be altered by accidental steeping for almost 2 min.

Nicely balanced flavors. Not overpowering. Man the aromas from the pouch are impressive. Subtle citrus notes. Spices: cinnamon, clove, some cardamon.

I just got back to my office after a few minutes and upon entering the space was greeted by this chai’s spiced aroma. Very pleasing.

As some reviewers have noted, this is not a strong knock your socks off, concentrated chai that you might mix with milk. I found the it just right, without any additions. If I were making my own blend, I’d shoot for something similar to this blend.

While the leaves themselves smell of seaweed, the tea itself has a fuller body and tastes more of the earth, with notes of nuts and honey.

not a very strong tea, I didn’t detect any of the fragrances that were listed.

A very fine Oolong from Taiwan with a lightly sweet and floral aroma—without being cloying or overpowering. Multiple steeps yield consistently good cups of yellow/light green liquor. After 3 steeps, the flavor gets noticeable notes of osmanthus flowers and melon. Very pleased with this tea, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Taiwan High Mountain Oolong of TeaVivre.

(1st steep: 4 min) This tea is sweeter than I was expecting. You do get a slight warming from the ginger. I imagine this would be a great tea during the winter when your sinuses are acting up. You get more citrus zest in the tea than citrus fruit flavors. My first guess would be orange. A good amount of spice from the ginger with a little bit of pepper. I am hoping the ginger spice is present in the second steeping.
(2nd steep: 4 min) This tea is a good deal less intense in the second brewing. If you are thinking of a second steeping, I would recommend increasing the time by a minute to a total of 5 minutes. There is still some spiciness from the ginger, but it is more mellow. More of the sweetness from the citrus comes through in this steeping. I feel comfortable in saying that it is orange zest flavor. However, it was better in the first steeping.

Cautionary note if you are using a plastic steeping vessel it will get dyed yellow from the turmeric. I recommend using stainless steel for this tea.