Tealish

I’m glad I finally got the chance to try out my Bodum double-walled glasses that I got for Christmas. The blossom was quite well-formed and lovely, though I think the glass was slightly too shallow for it to expand to its fullest height.

Flavour-wise the tea doesn’t taste any different from your basic – if good quality – green tea. The flavour is grassy and lightly astringent with some nutty notes that are more notceable on the re-steep. It holds its flavour nicely through several steeps and it almost seems a shame to throw the spent tea blossom out because it’s so pretty. Ah well, all good things must come to an end, I suppose. The Bodum glasses worked out great by the way – they were comfortable to hold and displayed the flowering tea very nicely.

Cold steeped this, not impressed. It tasted bitter and like an ordinary green, I didn’t get any taste of strawberry or rhubarb at all. Sadness. It was alright, but I think I’ll save it for the wife, who likes it hot.

My this stuff is Super Good!
Thank you Indigobloom for sending a sample of this may way!
Absolutely going on the shopping list for a bright fruity and smoothly chocolaty morning brew!
I was very surprised as I was only expecting this to be your average every day black tea.
It really is so much more!
LOVE IT!

Thank you to DaisyChubb for sending me some of this tea. I am really glad to be able to try it.

I find myself wanting just a little bit more from this chai… The cinnamon and ginger seem to need an accomplice… cardamom or cloves or both. It just is … lacking in the spice department, and while I acknowledge that chai means tea … in Northern America I think we’ve come to accept chai as meaning a spiced tea or tisane… and this tastes seasoned but not spiced … if that makes sense.

The coconut and the cream part of this is really delicious though. And this makes a really yummy latte. I just feel like the spices were overlooked. It is good, but it could be so much better.

I think DaisyChubb sent me this one a while back! Thanks!!!

It smells like Cinnamon/Almond/Apple…pleasant enough! I’m hoping it tastes like it smells.

OH NO! Hibiscus! The liquid is a cloudy grapefruity-pink color.

I under-infused on purpose! Because of this – it seems I am able to handle this flavor combo!

First apple, then almond, with a little cinnamon and a little lemon trying to hide underneath.

This is alright! Better than I anticipated. I think the almond and cinnamon flavors save this flavor combo!

Another sample from Indigobloom… thank you Indigo!

This… uh… well… no sir, I don’t like it.

Something about this blend really comes across as ‘off’ to me. We gave it the full five minutes, but it is a CTC, so that may have been overkill, and be part of the problem with the overwhelming MEH! I get from this tea.

So… yeah, glad I got to sample it (thanks again, Indigo!), but I don’t think this is a keeper.

Another nice fruity green! only that is all I can really say about it.
Two good steeps and then the third lost flavour, and I can’t say there was anything specifically strawberry but I did get a hint of something unique, which could have been the rhubarb.
I doubt I’d buy this again but it was lovely nonetheless.

Thank you DaisyChubb for sending me some of this rooibos! YUM!

This is really good. The strawberry notes are especially strong, not just from the strawberry I suspect, but also from the kiwi which in my opinion tastes a bit like a cross between a strawberry and a melon. I taste hints of floral in the background, not strong, but, just enough to keep the palate interested in what’s going on back there. The overall cup is light, juicy and refreshing.

Really very nice … very tasty rooibos blend.

Drank the last I had of this, a gift from Azzrian a long while ago. It has lost most of the fruit flavours, but gave a pleasant, kind of malty taste. That may not be anything this tea is supposed to taste like, but I still like it. I think mostly it just tastes like black tea now, and since I added cream it tasted good with that. I can slightly taste the orange and cranberry in the after-taste, now that I think about it.

I seriously need to put a dent in my tea collection. I haven’t gotten a chance to drink or review any more Teavivre greens because I just have so much other that I need to GET RID of. It’s not that I don’t like my tea—but I have no room. NONE.

Anyways, this tea was delish, and I will be reviewing more green tea in another week or so, as I am going out of town tomorrow.

Sipping it now…and contemplating…these first few sips make me wonder about it. As always, so far, thanks Azzrian.

Smell: It was kind of fruity, but also a bit weird since all my teas are in one place, so I smell a lot of just…tea. But this did have a cranberry/other berry/kind of orange-y smell. Steeping I smelled more orange than anything. Not strong citrusy orange, but the smell of orange when you bake it in something, kind of.

takes a few more sips

Taste: I taste cranberry a bit, though that may be raspberry, or both, though I definitely taste raspberry and orange. It’s light orange, but orange. It says blueberries, but I have yet to recieve that. And blackberry, I can taste that sortof. The cherry isn’t that strong, which for me is good, because I do NOT like cherry. more sipping It’s all very light, but I like it personally. May have to get a bit more, so I can have a few more tries with this one….I think I only have enough for one more cup. Over all, I think it’s yummy!!

Thank you IndigoBloom for this big Sample

In my younger lady days (1977), I had no idea at all how to prepare tea. My neighbor was from Ceylon (Sri Lanka now) and went home for a visit, bringing home a big quantity of very superior tea as a gift for me. I ruined it…not knowing how to properly steep tea. I threw some leaves in a pot, put boiling water in and after awhile drank the tea (never removing the leaves). Of course the tea became bitter right away.

IndigoBloom has supplied me with a do-over! The forgiveness of my former tea sin!

I do love black tea. Most of the ones I taste are from China, a few from India but none really from Ceylon. This lovely tea was quite vanilla floral and cocoa smelling. There was astringency but no bitterness. Adding sugar and cream inproved the tea and increased the chocolatey malty taste. I didn’t taste or smell raspberry which others have commented on.
My response to the tea itself was that it was clear, bright, light with an almost sparkling quality that reminded me of a freshwater spring. I know that sounds strange, but it had a quality of freshness that made it a perfect tea for blending with heavier black tea’s. It was also what makes this tea perfect for iced tea. It was CLEAN tea!

Thank’s Indigo-B

Thank you to DaisyChubb who sent some of this to me!

It would seem that this one is a hit or miss here, I happen to like it. It tastes very much like Butter Truffle from ESP Emporium. Nutty, sweet, and nicely spiced. I don’t really get a pastry taste from this, but, I do get a buttery note which kind of plays toward a pastry taste … not quite the bread-y part of a pastry but definitely the buttery, rich part. As I continue to sip, though, I notice the bread-like flavor develop.

I like this.

This tea is evoking some lovely memories – I just love when that happens. There used to be these amazing cookies called Coconut Cream Cookies by McCormicks – sadly, the brand was bought out by Dare, and they discontinued this amazing cookie, because, they felt their own version was better (they are sadly mistaken. I have never forgiven Dare for this or for what they did to our Girl Guide cookies, but that is a rant for another day)
Well, I never thought I would smell that cookie again. This evening, I did smell it and when I closed my eyes, I really thought I was going to chomp into that crunchy biscuit once more.

I am even more thrilled to report that the tea brews up to smell very nearly the same as it does when dry – another pleasant surprise. The liquor is very light, the colour of a fair, white wine.

First taste – oh, the raptures. Tastes just as it smells, light and dancing on my tongue. Has a sweet coconut finish, and really reminds of me of how my beloved cookie would taste after I nibbled on it. I think I’m in love.

I believe this lovely tea will be happily ensconced in my cupboard for some time. And I guess one small comfort is that, unlike the cookies, this will be one treat I can indulge in without worrying about the calorie content.

Damn, I am sure missing those cookies right now. ;)

This was my second experience at Tealish, and to be honest? I wasn’t expecting much, considering how poor my first one was.

However, I was proven wrong! A couple of days ago I ventured over to Tealish with a friend of mine. She got the Lemon Meringue and I got the Coconut Bongo. It was good! REALLY good! It was smooth, warm, and almost creamy? Even though I took it black. It was a pleasant surprise, and it was quite enjoyable. The coconut flavour came through quite nicely, and there was another flavour in there too that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it reminded me of buttered popcorn! Odd, but not bad.

Honestly, my only real issue was that the tea was a bit too bland for my tastes. Though that’s probably because the person serving it didn’t let it steep long enough. Either way, it’s good enough that I might consider getting some to take home the next time I visit Tealish.

I received my order from Tealish today – quick shipping and packaged great! Really pleased with the customer service. Needless to say, having a bunch of new teas to try has brightened my day considerably! :)

So, onto the tea experience. It’s quite late. I’m soaking wet from a long walk in the rain, so I grabbed this to try, as it sounded like a lovely, warming treat before bed. It’s herbal, so I’m assuming there wouldn’t be any caffeine in this (do correct me if I’m mistaken) I like the packaging on these Tealish teas – shiny silver bags, and they’re sealed up until you crack them open, with little ziplock closures on them. The labels are nice too – bright and cheery – includes a description of the tea, as well as brewing instructions.

With a name like Toasty Almond, I’m expecting it to be quite nutty. Dry, I do smell sweet almond, but also a cinnamon-baked apple pie-brown sugar mix. Definitely smells delish from Tealish (I know, I know, I’m brutal with the lame puns lol) It’s pretty “chunky” as I watch it brew. Lots of big stuff bobbing around. Not sure what they are but they smell good. Maybe beetroot? I have no idea really LOL. Lots of almond pieces too which pleased me. It really looks like some sort of cool trail-mix.

Brewed, it is a rich reddish-orangey colour. At first sniff, I am totally getting baked apple pie. Lots of cinnamon and brown sugar. Just the way I like it. I can smell a slight nutty smell, but it really is second to the baked apple pie aroma.

Wow! Took a sip, and it was a quick tartness on my tongue, with an even quicker finish to pure sweetness. What a pleasant surprise! Definitely tasting the apple and cinnamon with a light brown sugar finish. I have to reach for an almond taste to be honest. It’s just not as nutty as I was expecting it to be. Maybe it’s just me, but I would have called this Toasty Apple Pie Yummy Happy Times (or perhaps something more eloquent) instead of Toasty Almond. Either way, it’s definitely toasty, and quite yummy.

ETA: Just not getting any nut flavour out of this brew. A bit of a bummer as I was expecting more nutty goodness. Dropped my rating a bit because although it is quite good as an apple pie alternative, I’m still expecting more almond/nutty taste and it’s just not delivering. That being said, I will keep trying and see where it takes me. After reading other reviews, I’m concluding that it must just be me, as other reviewers are noting the nutty flavour in this tea.

Thank you to DaisyChubb for sending me this … this is a tea I’ve wanted to try for a while now, so thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!

This is so yummy! Berry sweet, chocolate-y rich and it has a satisfying baked cake kind of taste to it too. Very smooth, not overly astringent, very rich and delicious. Decadent even.

This is one to add to the shopping list when the holiday season arrives.

Thanks DaisyChubb for sending me a bit of this tea.

It would appear that this tea has had mixed reviews, some like it and some really do not. I’m really enjoying it! The sweet, buttery tones of the Oolong meld quite well with the rich flavor of caramel.

It has an overall, lighter flavor and texture than most caramel teas that I’ve tried, but, I kind of like that. I do think I’d prefer a caramel flavored black tea over this Oolong, but I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a cup of this if it were offered.

Not a bad cuppa, quite enjoyable.

Wanted something a little easier on the stomach… although if I want caffeine for the ride home, I’m going to have to finish it quickly to get something going! So thanks for the sample of this tasty-smelling one, Indigobloom!

Now, silly me forgot how much rooibos gets into my cup when I make a rooibos with my tea ball. Sigh. So there are floaters everywhere. Icky. But I guess I’ll drink around them…

Dry, the smell is definitely blueberry rooibos. Unmistakeable (well, except for rooibos of another dark berry variety. Perhaps blackberry. I digress.)

Steeped, the smell is really… odd. Tart, and not… not really in a good way. Maybe there is hibiscus in here, Indigobloom??

The flavour is definitely pretty tart, which I wasn’t really expecting, since the blueberry teas I’ve had lately have been more of the hot baked blueberry variety, not the tart fresh wild blueberry variety.

I should also note that although the water impacted this morning’s cup of Jane Austen Mafia, it’s not a factor in this one – I used filtered water out of my waterbottle this time instead of tap water. I had to gag down the last of my earlier cup because it was murky and cloudy and… yeah.

Egh, the more I drink of this, the weirder I feel about it. I don’t know if it’s the rooibos or the blueberries, or something else lurking in there, but… egh. I think I’d rather brew up some 52teas Coconut Cream Pie quickly than finish this one. So into the sink it shall go.

On the plus(?) side, it’s nowhere close to beating the nastiness of that Pina Colada tea from Saturday evening….

Thanks again Indigobloom for this sample!

At Church today, Mr. Finger and his family (the choir director…love the name) celebrated a clean bill of health from the Doctor after treatment for Bladder Cancer. The Orthodox tradition is to bake 5 big round loaves of sweet, spiced bread then prayers of thanks-giving are said and the Priest Blesses the bread and it is cut up for all the people to eat. This began a day of eating more than I usually do, smoked chicken, salad, greek yoghert and honey (wait there’s more). I do not feel guilty either.

I stopped on the way home at the neighborhood French Bakery (little bigger than a walk-in closet) and bought 2 chocolate and 1 hazelnut macaron. (and an apricot croissant).

I was now prepared for TV and TEA!

My evening choice of tea…after finishing the macaron’s was this Winter Blend. The evening had cooled off to the 40’s and this tea seemed appropriate. Being an herbal blend I was confident to let it steep 5 minutes for optimum flavor. Noticing the scent of hibiscus, I did not hesitate to add sweetening right off so that the first sip was sweet and full bodied. The ripe berry, spice, almond and vanilla is such a peculiar blend! Who would think to or dare to put such components together? But it worked! Instead of being a mash of confused flavors there was an intriguing “what was that?” delightful series of discoveries. There was warmth without overdone spiciness.

Sweet, little Winter Blend! And ok, I did eat too much!

Boo. Brewed up the last of this from Indigobloom (sipdown!), and although I thought that I had a good water:leaf ratio, this cup is waaaaayyyyy too watery :( I attempted to drink it, but it just tastes like mildly spicy water. I do see that I wasn’t the hugest fan of this chai the first time around either, so I suspect that age and my poor brewing combined to make this an undrinkable cup. Oh well! I’d definitely try this again fresh if given the chance, although I doubt I’ll find a coconut chai that I like better than Zhena’s Gypsy Tea…

Dry, this tea really doesn’t smell like much. Steeped, it smells like a fairly standard chai. Perhaps with a bit of creaminess.

Hmm, ok, while I think it could have used an extra minute or two, it’s good, albeit rather weak! I can taste the spices, although they are rather subtle with only 3 minutes of infusion time, but there’s a lingering coconutty creaminess which is nice. I don’t usually like chais without milk/sugar, but this one might be an exception.

Not a tea that I think I’d rush out and buy (mostly because I have tooonss of chais right now), but it’s nice! Thanks Indigobloom!

ETA: Second infusion for five minutes definitely tastes less creamy, and stronger. I’m getting an orange flavour, but that might be from something I just ate. Will have to wait another moment to try… Ok, this infusion tastes much more like a regular chai. Maybe there’s a bit of coconut/creaminess at the end of the sip, but not a ton. Not bad, but I don’t think we’ll continue to a third infusion tonight. I want to try more teas!

My favourite tea so far!