Steven Smith Teamaker

Morning tea today…so delicious! I’ve been hoarding the bag i split with terri but since i had a small sample from her that came in the travelling tea bag, i splurged by drinking from that sample. I still really enjoy this assam!

Oh man….this week was crazy. So i treated myself yesterday to a couple of teas that i love dearly but have been saving and holding off on until i could sipdown my stash a little more. Terri and i jointly purchased more of this one and i am SO GLAD that i did. it will for sure be one of my staples in my cupboard until i someday find another tea to replace it…which isn’t likely.

SIPDOWN! Yeah that’s right. No hoarding! So i had this today while getting ready for work, something i normally don’t indulge in. Lookingforward to June when i can pick up more of this as it’s a really nice assam. Of course that depends on whether or not I can get my cupboard to amanageable state by June as well. I’ve got something waiting for me at the post office today AND if my tea mule is at work today, that’s my three orders from May that have arrived. Not to mention the tea with Raritea and Kittenna lol Ah well…at least i’m sort of hovering at the 200 mark (227 to be exact at the moment). We have a release weekend on saturday so i’m sure i’ll be drinking plenty of tea from 9pm until 3am. yeah that’s right… party at my place! woot woot!

Anyway, i digress…if you like assams, this tea is for sure worth picking up and trying :) Thanks again terri!

Damn you Terri! No orders until June! WANT! MOAR! NAO!

Holy hannibel, i had this in the morning and let me tell you, i have a single normal person cup’s worth left and it might just be hoarded. Because i am trying to commit to no tea orders until June. It’s going to be hard because i have been thinking about this tea most of today. This is a great assam! mmmmm i have no words beyond “now accepting donations to get me through the month of may” lol I kid! but seriously? This has me wanting to try many more Steven smith teas since this was my first taste of their teas.

Many kind people have sent me sample, but I can’t remember exactly who sent this sachet of Kandy. Whoever you are, thank you! This brewed up nice and strong, with bright floral notes and astringency. It reminds me of the sun tea my mom used to make. I bet it’d kick ass with a little honey and lemon.

Good cup, would drink again—though I would probably not order it for myself.

Nice and citrusy. Lots of chamomile, of course, but there is some other stuff going on here. a nice blend for relaxing.

A very balanced Earl Grey. Soothing, elegant, ideal for sipping and enjoying slowly while relaxing. Almost no bitterness and very light on the bergamot.

Thanks for the sample, Sara!

This one came in a nice sachet and was a decent cup of tea. Slightly astringent, brown in color with mild flavors of the breakfast tray: buttered toast and a tiny bouquet of wildflowers. I wouldn’t buy it, just because there are so many other darjeelings out there I love more (I miss the big floral, big orange-squash flavors), but it hits the spot well enough.

I liked that the steeping instructions on the box literally says to play some opera in the background. I played “the Diva dance” from the fifth element because that totally counts.

I like it. dark tea without the bitterness, nor an overwhelming taste of bergamot like so many earl grey teas have. very smooth and easy to drink. love it. will definitely try with some honey next time.
I steeped it to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit and steeped for 3 minutes rather than the 5 minutes recommended on the box and it tasted perfect for me. I would definitely drink this tea again. :)

Having another cup of this today … so nice. I am really glad that I decided to pick this tea up the last time I was at Steven Smith’s tea shop. It is sweet, grape-y with notes of currant, savory herbs and a touch of deep oaky flavor … very nice… relaxing to sip

I really like this.

I got this tea during my last visit to Steven Smith’s tea shop, I know that these teas that he scents in aging barrels are of limited quantity, so I grabbed one.

I’m glad I did … this is remarkable. It tastes like Ceylon tea, but, the flavors of the wine are also present, it’s beautifully subtle, but at the same time, so very wine-like. It’s really beautiful.

I was planning on writing a full-length review on this one today for the SororiTea Sisters blog, but I think I need to spend more time with it before I do that.

Morning Light for this Sunday morning. I love how convenient tea bags are and this is an excellent sachet tea bag. Makes it easy for me to enjoy tea at church. Sad to see this sample gone. Thank you again, LiberTEAS for sharing.

This is an amazing malty and rich black tea. I love how smooth it is. It’s also very convenient because it’s in a sachet. I took it to my small group gathering this evening and steeped it 3 times. All three were absolutely delicious. Gonna try for a 4th in the morning :) Thank you so much for sharing this LiberTEAS!

Really enjoyed this after a long day after the holidays. The mix of chamomile really made this a very relaxing and soothing experience.

This tea reminds me of warm, buttered toast on a crisp fall day.

The osmanthus flower really makes this a fine cup, and a very relaxing experience. A superb way to end the workday!

Sturdy and pleasant

smooth, not bitter

Smooth, not too assertive.

Been a really busy morning and early afternoon so far, this is my first cup of tea! I chose it because I wanted something fast and easy … and since this is a sacheted tea, it is definitely easy. While that is the one “con” as far as this tea goes (Obviously, I’d rather it be loose leaf), because it’s one of those silky sachets and not a paper tea bag, I don’t taste paper (a plus!) … and really, this is so good. I love it.

Having this tea again today. It’s kind of a busy day for me, it’s our thanksgiving in my household (Hubby works every Thanksgiving, so, we postpone ours until a more convenient time), so I’ve been busy preparing the bird and trimmings.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/09/no-25-morning-light-from-steven-smith-teamaker/

Enjoying another cup of this today … I was about to say “this morning” because I did just wake up an hour or so ago, but, yeah, it’s not morning anymore. ha!

Anyway, this is just as delicious the first time I enjoyed it. I love the combination of teas in this blend as well as the touch of Douglas Fir. It’s so lovely!

As I mentioned in my previous note, I visited Steven Smith Teamaker in Portland today … my husband was surprisingly affable earlier this week when I asked him if he would take me to Portland to visit not one but TWO tea shops. He usually grumbles (loudly) when I make such a request, and these grumbles are usually followed by comments such as “you have enough tea” or “you don’t need more tea” or “you’re going to spend more money on tea?” … something like that. Basically stating that he isn’t going to take me shopping for more tea.

But, this week, I think he may have had some residual guilt over spending a lot of money on his Christmas gift (an early gift) – a new PS3 because his old one went kaput – so, he was, as I said, surprisingly agreeable to taking me where ever I wanted to go. And I wanted to go to Steven Smith because they had a new holiday blend – this blend – that I had to try!

First of all, this is a bagged (or should I say sacheted?) tea. It wasn’t made available in loose leaf, and if I had any complaint about the blend at all that would be it. But even as a sacheted tea, it’s amazing. I like that it’s a silky sachet and not a paper bag, because … well, I don’t taste the paper bag in the finished product.

This is incredibly yummy. The black tea blend is rich and smooth … even a tad creamy tasting. Nutty, malty, sweet, and comforting. Some astringency, yes. And then you have the touch of Douglas Fir needles … and this adds a hint of refreshing, exhilarating, pine and mint taste. It’s so crisp and wintery, and yes, very Christmas-y.

I love this and am so glad that my hubby took me to get it. He’s a keeper.

Last time I held off rating this one because I didn’t steep it long enough and it was weak. This time I steeped it four minutes, so hopefully that should be good enough!

Yes, now that this has been brewed stronger it is quite delicious. The base is lovely and caramelly and honeyed, sweet almost, with the bright bergamot on top. The bergamot is particulaly bright in this one, but that’s just about all I get from it… brightness. I wish the bergamot was a bit stronger, or at least a bit more well-rounded. Still, this is quite a delicious cup of Earl Grey and I wouldn’t hesitated to buy it again in a pinch.