Steven Smith Teamaker

This tea is not too fruity and not too rooibossy – it’s very smooth and well blended so that not one flavor stands out.

This tea became a good friend of mine over the past few days while I had the flu. It really was comforting, and because I could keep resteeping, I didn’t have to do a lot of work when it came to brewing another pot of it.

This is definitely one of the nicest jasmine teas out there.

I notice that many who have tried this tea have tried it in Sachet form … mine is loose leaf.

This is an excellent jasmine green, but then, that should come as no surprise, as everything that I’ve tried from Steven Smith has been awesome. Sweet, lovely floral essence, but not too overpowering. The jasmine is gentle. The green tea has a lightness to it… after my Keemun just a bit ago, which I would consider to be a very winter-y kind of tea, this tea is very much like springtime, when everything is fresh, green and new.

Loving this.

This is the perfect black tea. With just a dash of 1% milk, it tastes creamy and rich. It goes perfect with breakfast. Yum!

In general I rather dislike bergamot, so was quite surprised to learn that I really enjoyed this brew. It’s smooth and mellow with a citrusy nose and a slightly sweet finish. The assam is definitely in there, but is not overpowering and gives the cup staying power.

Not recommended for resteep.

This oolong is gorgeous. The dried tea leaves look like little bundles. It smells very similar to a good genmaicha (Japanese popcorn tea): slightly sweet, woody, delicious. Once brewed, its flavor is hard to describe, just like the last oolong I tried (Townshend’s Tea Company’s Wuyi Mountain Oolong). The color is lighter, but the flavor (after the first brew) is pretty similar. I’m looking forward to the next steep.

Laziness in action is having a ton of tea to choose from…and going with one you brewed yesterday. Even further laziness in action is brewing a tea tailored for icing – hot. I brewed a pot of this just as a normal tea. Strong yet smooth, lightly bergamotty, and a bit of a head-rush. Perfect for the lazy sort running on five hours of sleep on his day off.

I’ve had this stuff for quite awhile, but the only time my brother/roommate and I ever brewed it up was in order to make sun tea. While it handled that A-MURR-ican like a champ, I figured it was time to do it like the instructions said – brewed concentrate, topped off with cold water, then poured over ice.

I think I almost got it. Something tells me I brewed it a little light. However, even with my flub-up, it was still just as “exceptional” as the presumptuous name suggests.

I had it in mind to duck outta traffic and make a pit stop at Smith HQ today. It was the first such stop in – oh – a month and a half, and I’d heard rumblings about their new line of iced teas. I figured, “It was a summer day, my mood is horrible, and I’m under-caffeinated…ice me.”

The gal at the counter was kind enough to brew up a new pitcher of the stuff and pour me a pint. She had mentioned that it had a sweeter profile than most, which I found odd given that the blend possessed no Keemun, but…whoah…she was right. This was not an iced tea that needed anymore sweetening. Okay, some Southerners will say ALL iced tea needs sweetening, but whatever.

A sweet tang dominated the forefront followed by a robust interchange between malt and floral characteristics. It was like the blend was dueling with itself on my tongue. An Indian muscatel/spice lean was felt along with mild astringency on aftertaste. By golly, what a good blend. Perked me up somethin’ fierce.

This was the third gin-infused/scented tea I’ve tried from Smith Teamaker’s in-house blender, Tony Tellin. The technique used was a different one; Mao Feng green tea was basted in gin for a period of time then re-dried. Or at least, that’s how I understood it. The result was a green tea with a very damp, deeply juniper berry scent. Taste-wise, it had more in common with a freshly-plucked, early spring Long Jing with a lemony/winy presence. Quite fantastic.

Full Write-Up Here: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2011/05/04/mao-feng-gin/

Today, I ventured out to Smith HQ to try their Bai Hao Oolong. Why? I dunno, it was a craving. The last three (or so) I tried, I liked. And it was the one thing of Smith’s I didn’t remember having. One of the blenders also finally cleared up an confusion about Taiwanese/Chinese Bai Haos for me that I greatly appreciated. Taste-wise, it possessed a smooth front, no mineral/chalk consistency, and a subtle, yam-like sweetness to the body and finish. By golly, I liked this Bai Hao.

I am loving this chai… It is pleasantly spiced without being too spicy (now, I love a good, spicy chai too, but, sometimes it’s nice to have something this well-balanced). The Assam is the strongest player in this blend, and I like that. It is rich, malty and really a very hearty tea. YUM!

I guess this first flush Darjeeling is technically cheating, since it is a blend of both first and second flush leaves. That said, I wanted to try it anyway. I was at Smith HQ with my mother (which seems to be the recurring pattern), and noticed it was one of the black teas I didn’t remember trying. Why that is, I know not; for it possessed a character that was surely memorable. Like other Marybong offerings I tried, it was strong in it’s “jalapeno”-spicy notes and floral lean. I prefer my blacks on the light side, and this certainly was. Time went by so fast, I didn’t realize I was finished ’til I poured drips out of the pot. A habit-forming Darjeeling.

I read Geoffrey’s post this morning and thought this was a perfect tea for today. To be honest, I’d be happy with this tea any day. I love this. So smooth – and just so DARN good!

Malty. No bitterness. Delicious sweetness. So VERY GOOD!

Oh… wow! A few weeks ago I was able to get to Steven Smith’s Tea Shop in Portland, and they only had 2 packages of this (they may have had more stashed away, but only two out on the shelf). I greedily grabbed one because it was the tea I had hoped to find there.

And, yes, I’m only just now trying it. What can I say, I have enough tea to fill the pacific ocean.

This is so good. So very very good. I should expect no less from the rock star of tea (Steven Smith, of course). Anyway… did I mention this is good? Yes, it’s very good.

A full-length review is forthcoming…

This isn’t actually an item that’s for sale. Heck, it isn’t even an item that’s considered ready yet. Rather, I received notification from Smith HQ that one of their lead blenders was playing around with infusing Ti Kwan Yin leaves in actual gin. I love trying knew chimeric creations, especially when alcohol is involved. The taste for this was quite unique. The foretaste was all oolong, but the middle was vastly dominated by the juniper berry tang imparted by the gin. My other favorite aspect was the aftertaste. As in, there really wasn’t one. I’m not a fan of the cotton-mouthy sensation some Kwan Yins leave me with after sipping. This had nothing like that. It was smooth, berry-ish, floral, and light. An excellent first try. Just thought I’d share.

Full musing: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/24/tea-musing-ti-kwan-%E2%80%9Cgin%E2%80%9D/

Sunday, my husband was overjoyed and all giddy that the Steelers won their game and were headed to the Superbowl, so it was the perfect time to ask him to take me to Steven Smith’s shop on Monday. I pretty much could have asked him for anything at that point, but, at the time, all I could think of is tea and visiting Smith’s shop.

I am so glad I went! I was able to procure some of the Rogue Whiskey Black tea, some chai and some of this! Yum yum yum! They have three different RTD teas, and Amy, the Tea specialist who assisted me was nice enough to give me a tasting of each one, and this is the one that I decided to take home with me based on that tasting.

Amy described the process of making these teas: First, the filtered water is infused with the fruit, and then, they use that infused fruit water to steep the tea. The sweetening is very light here, the fruit provides most of the sweetening to it. It’s really delicious, and the best – THE BEST – ready to drink tea I’ve ever tasted.

Unfortunately, it’s not available online, I don’t know if it can be purchased at other locations carrying Steven Smith’s tea. For those of you in the Portland area, though, I highly recommend stopping by Steven Smith’s and trying these!

Brought friends with to Smith HQ. While they were having their respective tasting flights, I ordered a full pot of their Yunnan. I didn’t remember trying it the last three times I’d ventured there. While not explicitly stated as being a Dian Hong, it had the earthy, and mid-astringent character of one. There was a bit of a nectarine nuance there, but not as much as a Yunnan Gold. Still, I enjoyed it quite immensely.

PS ~ It only took me ten minutes to down the (almost) 24oz pot. Make of that what you will.

Had a pot of this with my mother this morning at Smith HQ. I remembered sampling it, but didn’t remember exactly what I thought about it. This gave me an opportunity to reacquaint myself with it. It was an interesting blend of Assam and two regional Ceylons. The forefront was notably astringent (likely the Assam), but settled into the Ceylon floral tone soon after. Bergamot scenting seemed a bit understated this time ’round. Not necessarily a deal-breaker, just a surprise given the moniker. Still liked it quite a bit, though.

I sampled this on a visit to their teashop and immediately picked up a bottle. That’s how much I loved it. I finally cracked it open while at work. I’ve had pear-flavored white teas before, but never paired with apples. The flavor lived up to my wildest imagination…and that’s pretty vivid. Pear dominated the foretaste, while apple and mildly-astringent Bai Mu Dan dominated the middle. The aftertaste was toasty, almost Riesling-like. This is an iced tea I’d pour into a wine glass to “fit in” at a party full of sommeliers. Looks the same and almost tastes the same. Simply awesome.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/22/review-smith-teamaker-no-71-white-petal-rtd/

It being St. Patty’s Day, I decided to make this my morning cup. Gah! SO good. Still! While it’s been pointed out to me that a “true” Irishman would have “actual” whiskey in his tea for the morn, I will settle with a mildly peaty substitute. Love this grand experiment.