Teapigs

The Chilli hit with this Teapigs tea is a really great twist on Chai. Sometimes I find the spices in Chai a bit too mellow- this pepps them up without burning your mouth, or any other after-effects. Works really well as a Chai Latte too- I’d recommend the Teapigs Latte mug/ frother set

Reading the back, this is White Peony, and is probably the best example I’ve tried. I do like the lightness and freshness of white tea, but this had a tad more malty flavour, which is what I want in the mornings. I could drink this all day!

Tastes like a mild green tea with some smokiness. I’m not usually a fan of green teas, but am enjoying this one. Definitely also provides a nice little kick to wake you up in the morning.

I have recently been dipping my feet into black teas. I haven’t try a lot of them but this one has become my favorite. I tend not to like the aftertaste of some black teas, i fell some of the lower quality i have try tend to be bitter, i read somewhere that the dryness on the back of my throat is probably from astringency of black teas. But not this one its perfect, i don’t fell it dry or bitter not even as my cup cools down. LOVE IT.

Sipdown (133)!

Hmm, I could maybe see myself buying this again…

Finished it off last night while I was bingeing some Netflix – they just put all of season two of How To Get Away With Murder on Netflix so of course I watched all fifteen episodes in one day. Honestly, once I started I just could NOT stop watching. Many cups of tea were enjoyed in between and during episodes.

This was good; vegetal with specifically buttered artichoke tasting notes and then a light peachy fruity undertone and whisps of smoke. If nothing else, it makes me more interested in trying a higher quality Mao Feng now that I’m done with this one.

First tea of the morning;

I’m starting my morning off right today with a nice big breakfast (a meal I usually skip). Scrambled cheesy eggs drizzled with raspberry syrup, a blueberry bagel with cinnamon brown sugar cream cheese, and a hot mug of green tea! Mmm! This feels like good life choices.

The tea is great; very grassy and vegetal with a snap pea like sweetness to it. Maybe just a whisp of smoke in the finish and a bit of background nuttiness overall. I’m almost at a sipdown for this tea (mostly because I use the teabags for tea baths a lot), but it’s one I’d definitely consider getting again.

Not a tea bath.

I finally bought a travel mug type thing to replace the one that accidentally got thrown out at work a few months back. Don’t worry, it wasn’t one of my really nice DAVIDsTEA ones or anything: it’s just one of those coffee type ones that doesn’t keep my tea boiling hot for five fucking hours, that way I can drink something on the commute to work. Which is what I did with this one. I quite enjoyed it; everyone knows I’m not a big green tea fan but I could see myself drinking this almost as equally as I’m using it for tea baths.

The first thing I noticed about this was that it has a whisp of a smoke note to it. It’s subtle, all things considered, but definitely one of the top notes. The rest of the flavour was a pretty nice buttery artichoke kind of flavour complimented with a grassy tone. I definitely don’t get the marine-like notes commonly associated with Japanese greens; this is very much a typical Chinese green. Additional things I noticed were a very light peach note, but only after the tea had significantly cooled down. I found that the hotter this was the more I picked up on the smoke notes and artichoke qualities. Anyway; I enjoyed it overall. It’s pretty good for grocery store green tea, albeit more high end grocery store green tea.

I bet it would make a good soup stock…

This is a queued note.

So, I loved having my Sencha tea bath so much that I decided to go out and buy some tea specifically for tea baths. And, at the same time, I wanted to nab something I could drink and not feel awful about (like bulk no name green tea bags) so I grabbed this! I’ve been curious about it for over a year now – Sobeys carries this brand, and something about the packaging must really appeal to me ‘cause I’ve had to fight the urge to just impulse buy the whole collection so many times even though I know I wont like most of the teas.

The tea bath was lovely; the sachets turned the water a really beautiful shade of emerald green and the aroma was very much a fresh, late-Spring/early-Summer sweet floral grass. It made it very easy to melt away into the bath water and just… relax.

I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to actually drink this – I might use up all the sachets on tea baths before I get a chance to!

This one was a little different than I expected it to be—the rhubarb is definitely raw rather than cooked, and with all of the sourness you’d expect of straight rhubarb sans sweetener or strawberries or anything to mellow it. It’s about equally as strong a flavor as the ginger, and, unsurprisingly, this classic flavor combo doesn’t fail. It’s quite strong, in its way, between the pungent ginger and puckery rhubarb. I appreciate the simplicity of the ingredient list—just rhubarb and ginger, nothing else. It seems like it’d be a nice tisane to have around for sick days, and probably a healthy one too.

I really didn’t enjoy this tea unfortunately. I didn’t like the taste or aroma which was somewhat fishy. Further, I steeped for only 2 minutes and it became really bitter. I prefer my green tea smooth.

This tea and I had a misunderstanding, so the first thing I have to do is apologise; sorry tea! When I read “Earl Grey Strong” I immediately thought of a strong Earl Grey (i.e. lots of bergamot). Apparently, that’s not what was meant. The black tea base is strong, and the bergamot level is the same. Actually, the bergamot is less prominent than usual because the base tea drowns it out more than it usually would. So it turns out that this could actually be one of my favourite Earl Grey blends, because it’s not strong. Or at least, not in the way I thought.

So now we have an understanding. The base tea here is pretty good – a blend of Assam, Rwandan, Ceylon and Darjeeling. It’s malty, sweet, a little zesty, and it takes milk well. I’m a bit of a heretic and usually drink my EG with milk anyway, so this suits me well. The bergamot is barely a presence, if I’m honest. There’s a hint of it kicking around in the background but it’s not the main flavour like it usually is. I could actually take a bit more bergamot, which is a rare thing for me to say, because without it this is really just a breakfast blend. It strikes a pretty good balance, though, and I was happy to have straightened things out with this tea. It’s a good ’un after all.

I saved this Teapigs sample until second last (last will be Earl Grey Strong because I think I’ll need milk with it and I have none this week. Also because I’m just a tiny bit scared of it for reasons mostly unknown). The reason this one got bumped is because it’s ginger, which I’m not massively keen on, and it contains liquorice root which is my absolute nemesis. Why did I buy it, you’re thinking? Well, because new tea is like a challenge. I have to try it. And because if I never question my ideas about taste, I’d probably never try anything new…also, my tastes might have changed. I doubt it, but you just never know. I might only put myself out of my comfort zone with tea, but at the moment that’s absolutely enough.

So. The tea. I gave the bag 4 minutes in boiling water. As expected, I’m not really a fan of this one. The flavour is stem ginger and sticky sweetness, with an underlying chai-like flavour. I actually don’t mind the ginger too much. It reminds me a little of ginger cake, and it’s not too hot or overpowering. The cinnamon is pleasant, too, and the sweet/spicy aspect works well. What I hate with a passion is the liquorice root. For me, it absolutely ruins what could have been a nice cup. The ginger/cinnamon combo is up front and quite nice-tasting, and then the over-sweet liquorice hits me in the back of the throat and stays there in all its artificial sweetener-like glory. It’s just too much, and I rarely say that because I’m quite a fan of sweet in general. Liquorice root is the devil, I tell you. I wish it wasn’t in this one.

Continuing with my old “new” Teapigs, today I picked out Rhubarb and Ginger. It’s described on the box as “crumble in a cup” and at the moment that’s really appealing because it’s colder today than it has been recently. It’s a pretty tea to look at – just creamy white ginger pieces, and pinky red rhubarb, and it’s also pretty simple with just the two ingredients. I gave the bag 4 minutes in boiling water.

I wouldn’t say this one reminds me instantly of crumble because it doesn’t have the sweetness I’d associate with that. It does have a wonderful tart tanginess from the rhubarb, though, and a warming, spicy kick from the ginger. Possibly a piece of crystal sugar would help to put this more in line with my expectations, and I might give that a try with my second bag.

I still enjoyed this one, even if it wasn’t quite what I thought. The flavours are clear and well balanced, and it’s nice to have a tasty caffeine free option to hand. I might repurchase this one in the future, if my cupboard if ever under control again.

After Friday’s success with Chocolate and Mint, I pulled out another old “new” Teapigs to try this morning – Apple and Cinnamon! It has a picture of a muffin on the package, and I’m feeling like muffins might be a good idea this morning, so hopefully this will capture the spirit of that in liquid form. Sadly, I have no actual muffins. I gave this bag approximately 4.5 minutes in boiling water, having taken a couple of sips to determine that the flavour level had reached a point of happiness.

As with Chocolate Mint, this is another happy tea for me considering it’s bagged and herbal. The apple flavour is surprisingly accurate – baked, a little mushy/floury, with the tiniest edge of sharpness. The cinnamon pairs well with it and is nicely balanced – by no means overpowering, but adding just a nice, warming, comforting edge of spice. The overall flavour reminds me very much of apple pie filling, or, indeed, an apple and cinnamon muffin. This is another herbal I’d keep around.

These “new” Teapigs have been in my stash so long they’re not new any longer! Fortunately they’re packaged and wrapped, so they’ve not deteriorated at all in the time it’s taken me to get to them. I’m pleased I only bought “Piglets” (2 bag sample boxes) also, because I think my instinct at the time was to buy the full box of 15 and in hindsight that would have been a bad idea. Not because I don’t like this tea – actually, on first acquaintance, I’m really impressed. Just because of all the other stuff I’ve got going on, the more limited amount of tea I seem to be drinking at the moment, and the size of my cupboard.

The tea, though. It’s a herbal, and those aren’t always my thing. It’s a really, really GOOD herbal, though – the kind I could make an exception for. I left the bag for 5 minutes before I took it out, because tiny sips told me that I was happy with the balance of flavours at this point. The early sips were really just peppermint, but as the chocolate chips melt this becomes something far more indulgent. After 5 minutes, it tastes like liquid After Eight, and that’s no exaggeration. The chocolate is dark, intensely rich and a touch bittersweet, with a slightly dry cocoa-like edge. It pairs really well with the mint, which is fresh, cooling, and even a little sweet-tasting against the chocolate. I’m also reminded of mint choc chip ice cream, largely because of the cooling effect the mint is having.

This is a herbal I’d keep around. It’s bagged, which isn’t my preference, but that does give it added convenience. I can see myself drinking it all year round when the occasion for caffeine-free arises. There’s nothing else like this in my cupboard, and the flavour is amazing. A total (and unexpected!) win.

Very enjoyable - fresh flavor and delightful aroma. I took a tip from some website or other about pressing the hot water out of the leaves, and was able to get three or four good steeps per teabag. I poured the hot water into my mug, then added the teabag once the water was at 176 deg. F (measured with a candy thermometer).

Edit Just noticed I reviewed this before - I think they may have changed the formulation or directions somewhat. I did notice the sachet was somewhat cramped after the second steep, but it did OK without switching to a basket.

Worthwhile! Tear the sachet open, though, and infuse it in a basket. The sachets are too small, especially for the second infusion. Steeped just off the boil per package directions.

Drinking this one at work. Really pleased with the hearty vegetal body and slightly tangy aftertaste. Strong and plain green teas are one of my favourite types! Smells lovely and grassy while brewing, I would say like dry mowed grass on a hot summer day. Light greenish yellow when brewed. Very delightful.

I got this tea on my lunch break at work today since it was on sale and I’ve been eyeing the Teapigs teas for a while now. I actually quite enjoyed it! The last green tea I got (from Two Leaves and a Bud) was quite disappointing, so I was really excited when I tried this one and it tasted really nice. The favour profile is quite light: a little bit grassy but fresh and not too overpowering. It’s overall quite smooth and leaves a delicate green tea aftertaste. I would say that it is very comparable to Emperor’s Cloud and and Mist from Teavana, which I also really enjoy. Looks like I’ve identified my personal favourite green tea “profile”!

My mom recently fell in love with Teavana’s Peach Tranquility. She has been going to Starbucks to get it for some time now but recently decided she liked it enough to stock her own supply of the tea. Unfortunately, Starbucks doesn’t sell this tea in tins for whatever reason (even though they do for some of their other teas). You can’t buy it in any grocery store either, so my mom was disappointed that she would have to go to Teavana to get some. There is not an easily accessible Teavana around here, hence her disappointment at thinking she wouldn’t be able to get her own stock of the tea. Fortunately I happened to be in the area of a Teavana store last weekend and got her a nice stash of it. She was then miffed at the fact that I got her the tea in loose leaf – she wanted it bagged because she drinks it at work and it’s more convenient. She does have tea bags for loose leaf tea at home, so I thought of just pre-bagging like 5 or whatever bags of tea and putting it in a ziplock. Viola – bagged loose leaf tea! I felt like a genius; then I thought, why don’t I do this? I have a stainless steel strainer that I bring with me to work, which is a bit of a hassle to clean, but it doesn’t create any waste. Oh well, at least I saved the day for my mom. :)

Today’s matcha is a latte, made with actual Teapigs matcha (for a change). I felt kind of bad doing their challenge but not using their matcha, but there you go. Now I am. I hasten to add that I only have a sample sachet containing 3g, at least for now. Their matcha is pretty expensive, and it doesn’t have the best reviews…

This was actually the first matcha I ever heard about, and it’s got to be at least 3 years ago now. I just didn’t get around to trying it until recently, largely because I wasn’t all that keen on green tea and so matcha just wasn’t something I was up for trying. It probably still wouldn’t be if it weren’t for my current health issues. I’m appreciating the energy boost if nothing else!

I used 1/4 tsp of matcha for my latte, whisked into hot water and then topped up with hot milk. It seems a lot more potent in terms of both colour and flavour to Grace & Green’s Morning Organic Matcha, which is what I’ve been using for my plain matcha up to now. It’s mellower, with less of an outright grassy taste, but somehow also more…savoury? It’s hard to describe. I think it’s reminding me of samphire, but I haven’t eaten that for a long time so I’m not 100% sure that’s what it is. Maybe it’ll come to me.

Anyway, it’s palatable. When it comes to matcha, that’s what’s important to me. The only flavoured matcha that’s easy to come by in the UK is Bluebird, and I’ve not tried those yet. I definitely feel that flavoured matcha is the way forward for me, though. I’d love to try more Red Leaf flavours, but I can’t find a UK supplier at the moment, which makes me sad. I’m currently considering offering my first-born as a trade.

I picked up this today – I was torn between this and a Rishi peach one, they were both the same price so I figured I’d give teapigs another shot at my heart.

It’s okay, definitely not the best thing since Harney’s Strawberry Kiwi but good enough that I’ll probably finish off the box. For the cost, it’s probably not worth it but meh.

Onward with real tasting notes:
It’s very drying and tart, hibiscus makes a strong appearance here and is outweighs a bit of the blueberry. The berry flavors are…meh, blended and mushed together, supposedly there’s cranberry but I can’t taste it terribly well while the blueberry is a little more prominent.

Big mistake: almond milk!
Made this with 2 cups volume total: 2:1 parts water:almond milk.
Boiled / 93F for 10 mins. Great colour, almond milk totally overpowers the tea.

Second steep with only water for 10 mins, good colour but mild taste. Next time: no milk steeping!

I grabbed this tonight for my sweetie’s place, as we’re running low on non-caf teas. I was a little worried that it would be all tart hibiscus and generic berry flavour but it’s actually really good. The tart isn’t overpowering , and the berry flavour is complex – I pick up primarily blueberry.

A nice, soothing tea for a rough day.

Finn likes this; and I think it’s pretty good.