The Spice and Tea Exchange

I’m not sure if my tastes have changed, or perhaps the tea. But this, well it just tastes different. Certainly not like cake. Highly astringent, to the point of being downright sour. In fact, I could be convinced that this was some kind of lame attempt at lemon flavouring.
I’ll leave the rating as is, in honour of how spectacular my last batch was… but this one? well it’d get around 55.

Mmmmmm. If I’m ever craving a chocolate fix, this is the place to go!!
It’s like drinking cocoa tea! So yummy. Trouble is, I so badly wanted to try this with a spot o’ milk… except when I opened the fridge, someone drank the last of it this morning! oh well, something to look forward to next time. I’m sure it will be worth the wait :)
I’m surprised that with this being a black and all, I am really enjoying my cup. When I had intended to sample this with milk, I had divided it into two cups… one of them with some agave in it just to see if it made any difference. I think it did, but not in a good way. In fact, I prefer it without. Nonetheless, when the missing dairy incident occurred, I combined the two samples and so now I have agave in it. Maybe the trick is to just use less.
Somehow, I can actually taste the maltiness and the astringency!! Once in awhile I get blessed with a “good” tea day and well it seems this is one of ‘em! hallelujah!!!!!
Only my friends here on Steepster will understand how happy this makes me :):):)
Maybe it’s the cocoa? or the fact that I had a cat-scan yesterday (I dunno ‘bout anyone else but whenever I go get tested/to the doc for some medical issue or other, the problem seems to miraculously clear up on it’s own! ha. Am I a hypochondriac? it’s possible!!)
In any case, the chocolate is nice and deep. Rich, like I’m eating cake. It’s better when piping hot, but then I find most teas like that. The astringency comes out more as it cools. Heck, I don’t mind. I can taste the astringency!! :P

First, I am thankful to Indigobloom for sending some of this my way. I LOVE the subtle flavor of coconut in this tea. Sometimes coconut teas can make you feel like you just drank your suntan lotion by mistake but not this one. It is a perfect balance of oolong and coconut. I have been waiting for a chance to try this. To me, it is silky like a milk oolong with the added extra deliciousness of the tropics. I bet this would be good iced, but I doubt my sample will make it to warm weather. :) Thanks again Indigobloom!!!

Looooove! such love for this tea.
It’s not harsh or biting at all, like so many other versions I’ve tried. The smokiness in a Lapsang tends to give it a scratchy sensation but not here, thankfully!
I added a bit of agave(maybe 1/2 tspn) this time around and it’s really picked up on the sweet note. I’m getting alot more marshmallow now.
Too bad I have a headache blooming. Maybe time for a chammy after this!

warm campfire in a cup. with marshmallows, alot of them!
I love this tea. Love it!! when I am done with this packet I will be going to buy more.
Like with the STE Darjeeling, I had my doubts but I really should have more faith because both of them are amazing!!
I forgot my notes at work again but will update this with my next review.
or not… since I got through three steeps and they were all lovely but more or less the same if not a tad weaker as it went, and maybe a bit sweeter/less smoky. I just mean that I didn’t see any extra layers of flavour come out!
Oh and one day I’ll try it with milk. I think that would make it caramel-like. Mmmm

I had this iced today. The first time I tried it that way, I used the cold brew method… ie dumping the leaves in cold water and then leaving it in the fridge.
Well, I was highly disappointed. That plastic taste I get in greens came popping right out.
If I hadn’t been out n about I would have ditched it, but I was thirsty and needed a drink.
This time though, I made it hot and then let it cool. Better. But I let it sit for a bit too long thinking that because it was to be iced, it might be better that way. Boy was I wrong.
Next time, I make it my normal way (90 seconds) and ice it. Hopefully that will turn out better. I might even go with icing the second steep instead.
Oh and I’m lowering the rating a few points. To me, this is pretty similar to Long Life Oolong in the fruity aspect. It goes so much deeper in the flavour. With every sip, I kept thinking… not terrible, but LLO was so much better. Yeah, they are different species and all… green vs oolong, and I’m not typically a green girl so perhaps this is my bias coming out? or maybe I just had one of those randomly “bad” cups!
Methinks I just need to steep it again with my usual method. shrugs
Who knows.

I don’t feel qualified to review this tea. It smells SO good but somehow, it tastes just like every other fruity green tea I’ve sampled, albeit very smooth. The fruit does blend well together as well so I can tell it’s a well executed blend… I just don’t know how to describe it properly, other than the few notes I’ve given!
Well, there is that astringent sour note I keep getting in other teas.
I’ll leave it unrated, for now. Maybe I’ll try it iced, as recommended in the other review here.

EDIT: First time ever folks!! I like a tea better cold than hot!!! the flavour profile completely changes that way. It’s much sweeter and brighter. A tad bitter but I kinda like it. Yay!! I have a tea to cold brew and love now xx
(also, I’ve now rated it… based on the cold tea)

Backlog #8 – my last for today. I drank more tea than I thought!
Yay, a hibiscus tea that isn’t overtaken by sour notes! :)
Except instead, it’s all about the cinnamon. No plum… just spice. I’m still undecided. Well, it does seem to be a mood tea. and I do appreciate a spot of cinnamon now and again. and it’s loads better than the Kampai :)
Bah, Toronto water will save it. yes it will!!

Dear Toronto Water:
YOU SUCK!!!… all the goodness out of Darjeeling tea. You leeched out the lovely deep fruity round and delicate notes and left me with soggy flowers and mulch.
Please leave my innocent Darjeelings alone. I offer you my White teas in lieu. Deal?

Sincerely,
your neighbourhood tea lover IndigoBloom

Backlog!! #9- because I don’t feel like renaming all of them and I missed this one :P
Oh sweet heavenly Darjeeling!! So delicate, so deep, so sweet… so perfect!
This is indeed a bit fruity, but I almost mistook that for a honey flavour. My palate isn’t strong enough to determine anything more distinct, but if I had to guess I would say it’s in the melon or cantaloupe range. This comes out more in the later steepings. The first one was less sugary, and more roundish, kindof like an oolong if that makes any sense?
Also, I must remember to let this cool before tasting. When piping hot, the first two steeps were VERY floral- overwhelmingly so.
I think I’ll reserve this one for reading books. It’s perfect for curling up on the couch and getting lost in a tea/plot-line.
NB: the last time I tried teas with Florida water, they brewed up somewhat differently at home. I’m curious to see what happens with my next cup now that I am back!

This tea creates a great deep purple color with many flavors with the berries adding to the greatness.

Thanks so much to Indigobloom for sending me a generous sample of this tea.

I like cinnamon and almonds so I was pretty sure I’d like this too. It smells incredibly like a cookie! It’s sweet and nutty and even a little bit fruity, not sure where that’s coming from but I like it. I’m having this as my after lunch treat with a bit of soymilk and it’s yummy for a dessert tea. It looks like this was discontinued, too bad it is kinda tasty. Like I need more tea! Well of course I do!

Popped Rice is nice! I love the toasted and roasted base. The description says brothy…and THAT it is! This isn’t overly “fried” or “roasted” or “toasted” as some Genmaicha can be. I think that is just fine. This is a goodie!!!

Unique is RIGHT!
This is a nice surprise!

My parents picked this (and two others) up for me while their were in Annapolis last week…I have tried very few of their offerings but remember liking the ones I have tried so far! I can add this one to my LIKE list!

This has lovely citrus notes throughout and the citrus flavors are most memorable for me in this blend of flavors. I’m thinking this flavor is because of the grapefruit and apple combo! Paired with the Mate – this works well in itself. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE! The fruity notes and spices work well too! And they aren’t over done. I like that. There are hints of floral here and there, too! And I really like the tiny bits of mint that are more into the aftertaste than anything. The mint is barely there but when all together it all works here!

One thing I noticed is they pointed out this is GREEN Anise they are using. I don’t see that too often. Usually it’s just “regular anise”. I will have to google how GREEN differs but I will say…I like what I am sipping on that is for sure!

This is a great flavored mate!

This is seriously the Mango Flavored Green tea I have been craving for YEARS! True Mango – juicy and topical with a sweet green tea and a slight floral hint within. NICE!

Backlogging from over the weekend and I LOVED this! Perfectly flavored for my taste buds! Will review more later when I have another cuppa!

It always seems that when I come back, that a layer of dust has covered my Steepster account…. and man, it’s been a minute since I’ve posted on here…. Lots of stuff has been going on lately, lots of crazy, hectic stuff… I still drink tea during my hectic schedule, but I don’t get much time to do so. Most of it is at work, with unfiltered water and using tea bags…. Quite sad actually… I still find time to drink the good stuff at home, but it doesn’t happen as often as I’d like…. But I’m off of work today for a change, trying to relax…. and as I sit here writing this, drinking this Blood-Orange Smoothie Tea, I can’t stop this sense of jitters that I have… No, it isn’t from this tea that I’m drinking, it’s caffeine free… These are more of a nervous type of jitters…. I just made the final few design contestants in Adagio’s tea shirt contest. I’m both excited and nervous about it at the same time. I’m not going to lie, one of the reasons I wanted to post about this tea I’m having is to ask you, my fellow Steepsterites, for help in this contest… If you could possible head over to the facebook album page for the contest and vote for my design, I would greatly appreciate it (it’s ok if you don’t like it and choose to go with another design I guess, thanks for taking the time to vote at least). If you do give me a vote, I greatly appreciate it… Maybe even ask friends and fellow tea lovers to do the same? ;) …

My design on there is #2. I went for a Wabi Sabi thought process and aesthetic with the design I chose. There is a rough feeling with the brush strokes of the cup design to mimic that of an uneven surface. It is simple, yet so in depth. The simplicity touches on the notion of Less is More. With Wabi Sabi, you learn to find the most simple object to be interesting, fascinating, and beautiful. It can change your perception of the world to the extent that the individual, uneven brush strokes makes it a more interesting object and gives it greater meditative value.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150814106620495.751070.368656650494

Once again, thanks very much if you vote for my design. I really appreciate it. :)

And now, on to actually rating this tea and talking about it more in depth! Brittany recently went to San Francisco to check out a grad school, and she happened to come across The Spice & Tea Exchange and stopped in to pick up some stuff for me. She got me some of this Blood-Orange Smoothie Tea, some Coconut Oolong Tea, some Green Tropical Tea, and some Green Tea Mints (Lychee flavored!)… This tea instantly reminds me of a dreamsicle when I smell the dry leaf. One thing about this tea that I wish they changed though was to put steeping instructions on the bag. They give a general steeping instructions card, but I didn’t realize that I had this card until after I had steeped my tea. I just went with a general steep for rooibos with this tea to play it on the safe side. This tea tastes quite good. It is naturally sweet, naturally tart. It has a strong orange taste to it, but that smell of dreamsicle that I get from the dry leaf, doesn’t translate very to the taste very well. If anything, there is a slight dreamsicle taste to it, much less than I wished it to have. Don’t get me wrong though, it is still a very good tea. I want to try it served latte style like the bag recommends, that might give it more of the dreamsicle taste that I am wanting. It is a great night time tea since it is caffeine free. I enjoy this tea so far, I just need to experiment a little more with it. I can’t wait to try the other Spice & Tea Exchange teas…

It’s miserably warm outside but I’ve decided it’s time for a cup of tea regardless. The Spice and Tea Exchange’s Pear Caramel is the last tea I have yet to try from a recent outing, and I’ve been eager to taste test it.

Brewed it’s a lovely translucent amber color, and smells like…. tea. Hm. Upon tasting, it’s sweet, but not the dripping with juice, wet pear I was hopinh for. There’s a very very subtle burnt sugar flavor, which I’m assuming is the caramel. There’s also something very floral about it, though I can’t pin point it.

I’m underwhelmed. I’m going to try a second steeping on the leaves once I’m done with this pot and let them sit longer and see how that goes.

It’s a beautiful collection of herbs and flowers, that turns the most striking color as it steeps. Once brewed, it tastes of oranges, roses, apples and some vanilla.. almost like candy. Absolutely phenomenal.

I’ve never really considered myself a fan of coconut, but for some reason it has become somewhat of an obsession recently. I knew after smelling the Coconut Oolong I had to have some. The coconut is strong and creamy, definitely something you get on the inhale and exhale as you drink. There is a slight bitterness to the tea, but I found that to be gone on the second steeping. As a note, on the second steeping definitely let it steep longer than the first, and taste test it for flavor. What you’re left with is intense, super creamy coconut and yummy oolong and absolutely no bitter taste. I ended up chilling it and it was incredible on a super hot summer day.

This (unfortunately discontinued, but Teavana sells a suspiciously similar variety I’ll have to try..) wonderfully sweet tea has to be one of the most heavenly scents I’ve ever smelled. The tea itself is gorgeous to look at, with bits of red cinnamon and white almond slivers amongst a generous amount of black tea.. honestly, I could just leave this tea in a bowl on my table to look at and smell and be happy without bothering to taste it.

A tad bland on its own, a teaspoon of honey and a dollop of milk (almond milk in particular does the trick!) makes this tea live up to its look and scent. There is little tea flavor to be found here, the creamy vanilla flavor of the cinnamon and almond completely dominating both the nose and the taste, but that’s not a bad thing at all for a dessert tea. I’d prefer this to a real almond cookie, honestly. It’s particularly good on a snowy winter night but I find myself making a cup of this once a week even in the middle of our humid DC summers.
-Cash

One of my favorite teas from one of my favorite shops. I try to keep this one on hand, and particularly enjoy drinking a cup right before bed to finish my night. (Yes, I know this is a mate – caffeine does nothing for me..!)

It’s great right from the first step: big chunks of dried fruit (licorice and pineapple), gorgeous blue cornflower petals, and a fresh-looking bright green mate base exude a pleasantly spicy cinnamon apple scent. I definitely recommend putting this in a tin; the ingredients are very different sizes and you want a balanced scoop.

The steep releases more cinnamon apple scent, this time emphasizing the fruit. I love watching this tea steep, as the liquor very slowly and very gradually becomes its ready-to-drink pale gold.

Generally, I like my teas to have a very bold flavor. Rainforest Mate is unique because the sip initially tastes very watery, a notable tart sweetness creeping around the edges of your tongue and throat as it sits and finishing up with slight anise notes. It’s confusingly weak and bold at the same time, the latter definitely aided by heat; I’ve never iced this tea but having tried it nearly cooled I don’t particularly want to.

Writing this overdue tasting note, I’m realizing that I have plenty of flavored mates (nearly all of which I love) but have never tried the stuff plain. Any brand recommendations?
-Cash

Now, I’ve only tried (to date) one other variety of genmaicha to compare this to (which greatly paled in comparison), but this tea’s perfectly toasty, smooth green flavor and strong pleasant scent was enough for me to declare genmaicha one of my favorite varieties of tea right from the first sip. I’ve drank a cup of this every afternoon since first discovering it months ago and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon, though I may switch to other brands’ genmaicha.
-Cash

This made for an unimpressive hot cup, but as soon as I poured it over ice I was in love. There’s unfortunately not much tea flavor to be spoken for here, but the fruit flavors come out in a perfectly mild manner with – most importantly, and the biggest downfall of iced greens in my experience – just the right amount of astringency. I haven’t purchased this again since running out of that initial bag, but I’d definitely recommend this to a friend.
-Cash