The Spice and Tea Exchange

Thanks to Pia M for this sample. I made a pot and shared it with a coworker.

This is an interesting tea. I can definitely taste the hazelnut although as it cooled down, it got somewhat bitter. Much better while hot.

Very nice strong coconut flavour without any chemically aftertaste…Mmmm. It is nicely balanced with a green oolong base. Tropics…or at least as close as I am going to get to being in the tropics :)

Sipdown! That’s really all I have to say, haha.

That and… I tried half of my cup iced. I may have made it a little weak, but it was still pleasant. Though for some reason, it seems to have made the bitterness come out a bit more.

I’m having a very blueberry morning today; oatmeal sweetened with TSTE Blueberry sugar and a hot cup of Blueberry Black (also sweetened with said sugar). Delicious. And the smell… I could huff my pouch of this tea all day long. It’s better than a scented candle.

See previous tasting note for details.

Finally getting back to Steepster after a week away… Blueberry Black makes for a nice morning cuppa. A medium flavored tea, that – as long as you’re careful not to over steep – doesn’t have any bitterness.

See previous tasting note for review.

The dry leaf smells heavenly. Lots and lots of blueberry notes bursting out of the package. The blueberries in this blend are small pieces, unlike the big, full blueberries in DavidsTea Blueberry Jam (the DT version is still my favorite blueberry tea, to date.)

The steeped smell is different, however. There’s almost something…perfumy? about it. Maybe a little floral? I’m not sure what it is, but it doesn’t make me think “blueberry” like the dry aroma did.

Without additions, the taste is certainly Blueberry Black, with the emphasis on black. It does taste like blueberry, buts it’s not like the IN YOUR FACE blueberry of Blueberry Jam. But, I also picked-up some blueberry sugar (it’s sugar mixed with dehydrated blueberry puree) when I was at the TSTE, so it’s time to try it out!

Now that it’s sweetened, the blueberry really pops. Each sip is awash with the taste of juicy blueberries. Much better. And it’s even better as it cools. My cup’s lukewarm at this point, and blueberry is now at the forefront.

The base tea is good; no bitterness detected at a 2.5 min steep (and I’m especially sensitive to bitterness) and it sits nicely with the blueberry flavors.

ETA: Wow, I used the word “blueberry” a lot in this note. Blueberry.

A lovely blend of Asian greens with strawberry and Rhubarb plus an unexpected addition of the Mallow flower, which I didn’t know about until I tried this tea. The dry smell of the tea is sweet and relaxing. It’s quite a smooth tea with the plant, berry, and flower combo. One must be careful to not let it over steep or the green tea will overpower the rest and as usual become bitter.

We went out to dinner tonight, so I decided mint tea would be just the thing right now. This tea is probably a little older, I can’t remember exactly when I got it but it has to have been a while, since we don’t have a Spice & Tea Exchange in our town. I was surprised to see when I was making this tea that it has gunpowder green tea and mint in it – not just mint. It smells really strongly of fresh mint, but the tea itself has a nice green tea and mint aroma. This is a nice balance of flavors. It’s not too overwhelmingly mint, and it’s a heavier sort of tea. There is a nice little cooling mint aftertaste, but again, it’s not in-your-face mintiness. The label says that it’s great as an iced tea too, and I can believe it. I think it would also be good to have on hand for when you’re not feeling well. It’s a nicely refreshing cup.

-Dry blend has a mixture of small pieces of green tea and mint leaves.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of fresh mint. Tea liquor aroma is of green tea and mint.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark yellow color.
-Heavy vegetal and mint flavor and finish. Light cooling mint aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. A nice refreshing balance of mint and green tea.

Meh. Of course, my definition of a yummy chai is to simmer a lot of freshly cracked spices, of my own mix, in whole milk for about 15 minutes, then throw in some darjeeling at the end. But even discounting the butterfat content of my own mixture, this just seems too bland by comparison. Hubby agrees. Our taste buds prefer my bold recipe.

After we went to a very lovely French bakery for tarts (oh my, those tarts), my sister picked this one out on her birthday (because I’m slowly getting her into tea).

I just got around to making it, and I was skeptical, but it was ridiculously good. My sister complained of a slight astringency so I might lower the steep time just a tad.

I agree with LiberTEAS, I’m getting a slight “spiciness” off of this tea, but not in a chai sort of way. It’s more like… well if you’ve ever walked into a Spice and Tea Exchange store, the scent of the shop, it kind of tastes like that. It’s a very savory sort of spice, like eating pumpkin soup.

I still very much taste the pumpkin though and I quite enjoy the savoriness of the spice behind it. I think, though, the most incredible part of the blend is the caramel flavor.

I’ve noticed that the caramel comes out more once its cooled a little and the pumpkin/spices are a bit more subdued. It’s crazy though. I’m transported back into a time when I was very young, eating caramel drizzled ice cream at The Macaroni Grill (why does that look way less meaningful than it is in my head…)

Anyways, upon cooling a bit, it tastes just like caramel. Silky smooth texture and all. I’ve never experienced such a thing in a tea until now, so this impressed me the most.

My only regret: Not buying more.

I got this in my Christmas Stocking (yep, I bought this one too, and stuffed it in my own stocking. Sad … but true) This is the second time I’ve tried it, the first time was less successful. I wasn’t getting a whole lot of pumpkin or caramel in the sip, just spices and bitterness. It wasn’t bad … exactly, but, it wasn’t as pleasant a cup as I hoped for. This time, it’s better. I found that a splash of milk really improves the taste here. the caramel is accented, the pumpkin comes out a little more, and the spices are not as prominent, but instead provide pleasing background notes to the caramel and pumpkin flavors. It’s not as good as 52Teas Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake … of course, but, it is certainly enjoyable, and this one has a bit more of a spiced taste to it than the cheesecake version.

This is one of three teas that I received in my holiday stocking … of course, I had to buy them myself to stuff them in my stocking. But my husband did take me to the Spice and Tea Exchange knowing full well that I intended to buy tea … so, I’ve got to give him credit there. Usually he won’t even entertain the idea of taking me to a tea shop, as he claims I have enough tea. I don’t even understand this concept, sounds kind of crazy to me. “Enough” tea? Ha! As if there were ever enough tea.

Anyway, I really like this. It’s better if you let it cool for a couple of minutes … still warm and comforting, but not piping hot. The flavors really have a chance to meld and they come through nicer than when it is piping hot. I like the way this tea is put together – the cranberry, orange and cinnamon is not a new holiday type blend, it seems that every tea company has one of these! But the chestnut flavors is what makes this one stand out, and it gives it the sort of crumb cake kind of taste. The raspberry leaves brighten the tartness of the cranberry. The ginger and cinnamon give it warmth but this isn’t an overly spiced blend … kind of like the spices would be in a crumb cake … accentuating the cake without overwhelming it.

Really yummy!

This is THE tea that I can’t live without. I can get two great steepings from it, which makes it an even better value. The Bao Zhong base perfectly complements the coconut flavor. It’s truly a delightful mix of fruit and floral flavors. I’ve only tried it hot. It might make a nice iced tea, but I have to wait until it’s much warmer to try it out.

Brews up a delicate yellowy orange. Smells of a flowers dipped in peppermint in the bag.. the tea itself brews up much more floral, with almost a peppery note.

The flavor is mellow. Very floral, and the peppermint takes a backseat to the bouquet on my tongue.

I thought I’d use up the last bit of this that I have left… now I have to go get more.

This is the first oolong I’ve ever ventured to try. I really love the smooth buttery taste of this tea. The coconut tastes very natural as well, and I adore coconut flavor so much. It’s like liquid Almond Joy, but way, way less sickly sweet and fake. I’m kind of obsessed… :)

I never tried it with milk, but come to think of it, it probably* works very well with milk… probably.

I’d love to try other oolongs, but so far this has given me a very good impression of oolongs on the whole.

*Maybe…

Rose takes the forefront in this delicate tea. I’m not typically a huge fan of rose flavored things, but of course none have ever been as natural tasting as this.

The white tea lays a nice and sweet foundation for the other ingredients to play on. Another reviewer mentions mint, and to be honest I couldn’t really detect it on the first few times I brewed this tea, it’s very subtle.

I’m in love though, and I plan to get my hands on some more soon.

This was my first experience with a Lapsang Souchong and I fell head over heels with the warm and deep smokey aroma. I could just sit and inhale this all day long (but then people would stare and my tea would get cold…)

I’ve dubbed this my favorite black tea so far and I personally enjoy this one over Adagio’s Lapsang Souchong.

A nice flavor with a lot of spice. I drink mine with a little milk, but it needs to be brewed strongly to compensate.

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this. I could tell as soon as I took a sip that this was a decaffeinated tea, it has that slight metallic twinge that is apparent in the aftertaste. It isn’t strong, and it doesn’t disrupt my enjoyment of the tea, but it is definitely there.

A nice level of mango flavor, the green tea has a nice amount of body and a tasty vegetative tone … I’m enjoying it, a nice decaf.