The Tea Spot

For a red rooibos, I like this. There is a creaminess and yet a tartness to it. It definitely has that woody tobacco scent, but that doesn’t carry over into the flavor. I can’t say I love it, because I really am not a red rooibos fan, but I will drink the rest of the small amount that I have.

Just when I was lamenting the lack of chai blends in my cupboard, I came across this one. Hooray, cozy time! :D

I find most pumpkin spice things to be terribly disappointing, as they’re usually just the spice part with no pumpkin. Luckily, this tea has a lovely creamy pumpkin flavor along with the somewhat gentle clove, cinnamon, and allspice. The base is a little brisk but I’m okay with that, as I tend to steep my black teas below boiling and for less time than recommended anyway.

I’m not a big chai drinker but I’m so happy to have this in my cupboard for when these fall flavor cravings hit. A small splash of milk really oomphs up the creamy pumpkin-y goodness! Cozy and tasty, and aging very well! I bet this would be fab with a drizzle of maple syrup, too. Next time!

Home – 6:00 PM

Another one from The Tea Spot. This must have been the one I placed the order for, as I have a full 100g or so of it. I really love that they use whole allspice in this blend, it’s unusual and it looks gorgeous in the dry leaf.

Yum, this is definitely the best pumpkin spice black tea I’ve had. It actually tastes pumpkin-y and has a slight creaminess to it. The spices meld together very well, but I think I can pick out cinnamon, clove, ginger, and perhaps nutmeg. Looking at the ingredients, there is no nutmeg, so perhaps it’s the allspice I’m tasting. The base tea is a bit brisk – I think this would perhaps be better with a Chinese black tea base. Next time I’ll try to remember to steep this one a little shorter or at a slightly cooler temperature, as it did come out a touch bitter and astringent.

I added a drizzle of maple agave and a splash of soy milk to the rest of the pot after drinking the first cup plain. Delish.

I’m not a great lover or chai or pumpkin spice, but this here is a good ’un.

Work – 12:00 PM

Happy November, everyone! I’m officially allowing myself to listen to Christmas music now. (Yes, I know that it’s still almost two months away…) Christmas happens to be my favorite holiday, so I tend to start early with the holiday spirit. But hopefully not in a way that annoys other people!

Anyway, this tea was a sample size. I ordered several samples from The Tea Spot a few months ago for some reason. I think it may have been because I liked something I got in my Sips By box…?

This is super yum, by the way. It reminds me of the black dragon pearls from Teavivre that I tried a few days ago, but with an even stronger cocoa flavor. Delicious!

It’s thick and satisfying, with a great mix of malt, cocoa, and baked bread notes.

Of course, it looks as if The Tea Spot doesn’t offer this blend anymore… Typical…

Also, is the name meant to be sexual…? Seems a bit odd, rofl.

Sipdown (587)!

Once of those late night sipdowns that kind of kicks your ass; not because of the flavour but because of the amount of caffeine consumed right before bed. I guess I’ll never learn. Doomed to repeat my crazy tea mistakes…

This was fine flavour wise; kind of beany and grassy. Not the best or the worst. Another one that is just better off removed from my cupboard.

Discovery Tea Box – Tea Eleven

Another pull from the box and I don’t really have a reason for grabbing this one. It just sort of spoke to me? Which I guess is reason enough. I made it up today as an iced “tea lemonade” though. It’s kind of a drizzly/dreary day here – and I liked the idea of adding something bright, sweet and summery into a tea that’s name feels kind of weather related/matches the crappy weather we’re experiencing.

Depending on your perspective, this either tastes like a brighter and sweeter version of a straight green with a big burst of sweet and tart lemon at the top of the sip OR it tasted like a much more mellowed out and natural lemonade with a less sweet finish that appears to cut out a lot of the sugary/cloying elements. It was good, as a whole, but didn’t have that “wow factor” that I was looking for.

Sipdown (640)!

Another VariaTEA share – this one has been sitting on my sipdown counter for all five days of my vacation and I’ve just completely put off drinking it. Something shinier/fancier always caught my attention and I made that instead.

I’m glad I did finally brew it up though because it’s pretty soft and delicate and the gentle touch of florals has created this really relaxing break inbetween the afternoon and early evening. I need to go out to the mall at some point today and I’ve just been putting off doing that; but I think after drinking this tea I might finally be ready to head out.

Rose and jasmine notes, and a soft, sweet fruity undertone. I can’t tell if the white/green tea in the blend are just really naturally fruity or if there’s been fruit flavour added into the blend – I guess, if it is flavour, that’s a good sign? Points to the quality of flavouring used if I’m unsure if it’s there or not. Basically the fruit notes are very lychee like (probably because the blend is so floral) but with a really mild white peach element as well. There’s a bit of a sour grassy taste; from the base tea(s) – maybe I pushed my steep time a touch long…

I’m really enjoying this! It’s creating its own moment of zen.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ganswibyZtU&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=54

This is unlike any chai that I have ever tasted. In fact, it spurred me to look up the definition of chai. Then I found out that “chai” is the Hindi word for “tea” and that “masala chai” refers to what we Westerners redundantly often refer to as “chai tea” (“tea tea”)—black tea with a mix of spices, usually starring cardamom and cinnamon.

There’s not a trace of cardamom in this one and the turmeric is the key player. I find it pretty darn delicious. It’s really making me want Indian food, though. Like I want to be drinking this with a big old plate of palak paneer.

I think this is only the second pu-erh tea I’ve ever tried and it’s both been in blends, so I’m not totally sure what the pu-erh tastes like in this mix, but overall I find it really nice. It’s a bold black tea that makes a good substitute for a black cup of coffee in the morning.

And a sipdown!
I may very well get this again, it was a really nice breakfast blend. Strong, with solid flavors, but it never felt like you were drinking something too bitter.
Farewell, Shagadelic!

I was really dragging yesterday, and wanted something solid to drink. Bingo!
This is a really nice breakfast blend- strong without being overwhelming, and that is just the ticket when I am feeling that worn out.
I’ve been fighting a bit of a cold, and had some trouble getting to sleep lately, a bad combination. So, nice tea to drink is absolutely essential.
I’m almost done with this! I’m absurdly pleased about that.

And that is the end of the play!
It’s always a relief and a bit sad, at the same time. I had fun, and it was really, really good to be acting again. I won’t let as much time go by until the next acting.
Now I can drink a leasurly pot of tea and get back to my regularly scheduled life.

So I live in a part of the world that is currently experiencing a lot of wildfires. I’m not in any immediete danger, but my town has been covered in smoke for days. Every time you go outside little piles of ash get kicked up.
Its bad, both because of the damage to nearby places, and also because no one feels well in all this smoke. Everybody is having some breathing problems and everyones head hurts.
I am no exception. Its hard to have any energy, as I’ve had this tiny headache for weeks. Plus its still 100 degrees.
Ugh. Strong tea is called for.
This is really nice stuff. Not overpowering, but a firm presence in the cup. Just what the doctor ordered.

Breakfast blends are the order of business.
Its Tech week, so the rehearsals run late, and I still have my day job, so I have to wake up early.
Uuugh. Help, tea!
This is a solid breakfast blend. Its not quite to the same level as Malachi in strenth and depth of flavor, but its a really good breakfast blend.
And I need all the help I can get today.

This is a really nice breakfast blend, which is very good news. I have an absolute ton of it!

Wait….. what do you mean I’ve reached my sipdown goal? Whhhhhhat?
Er, well, go me? To celebrate I shall have one of the teas that I have not yet tried.
So far so good! Its a nicely balanced breakfast bread, a good companion to toast, and generally pleasant.
I’m glad I feel that way, as I have an absolute ton of this.

And a sipdown!
This is, I think, a perfectly nice blend, but its not the blend for me.
Still, it was really nice to try!

So, I think this is a good blend. The base and the chocolate notes are actually really well blended, and I can tell that the general flavors are well balanced.
But I must say that I am not a big fan of either Pu-ehr or of chocolate teas, so this blend is never going to be a favorite.
But its doing very well as a work tea, where its getting sipped down quickly.

New tin on the work desk is this fella!
I picked it up in my Black Friday Frenzy, and I perhaps should have read the description a little more carefully. A puher, and a chocolate tea? Neither are really my thing, but hey, I’ll give it a shot.
It needs a light steep, or else the whole thing gets too earthy for my taste, and it smells more strongly of chocolate than it tastes…
Hmmm.

I immediately distrust anything that promises a “flat belly”, or tries to act as an appetite suppressor. Not good things, generally speaking.
But I got a sample of this with a Tea Spot order a while ago, and its leaf smelled alright, so I figured what the heck.
What the heck is right .This blend was a very weird, tart, unpleasant thing, but now its gone from my cupboard, so thats all good.
Eeesh.

A pretty tea to look at and to taste. I can taste the jasmine and rose. I steeped it too hot forgetting that it was a white tea, but after reading the reviews I was glad I did use hotter water than suggested. The taste is not overwhelming but is prevalent. I thoroughly enjoyed this tea, so glad to have a second steep of this coming.

This was okay, but I’m not the right audience for rose teas or white teas. I found I liked this better as it cooled down, there were sweeter notes in the tea leaves that came forward and make the florals feel more like dessert toppings rather than perfume or soap. A small thing, but I liked that the samples I received were loose leaf tea in little single-serve packets. Cute and travel friendly.

In general, I prefer my tea unadorned, but like all chai’s, I don’t care much for it unless I add a little maple syrup and some form of creamer/milk (in my case, coconut milk. It’s not pretty, but it tastes good). With these additions, this tea is mighty tasty, and definitely has an authentic pumpkin taste & enough spice to make it a chai. Some Chai’s have one overpowering spice or another, but this is a nicely balanced cup, maybe just a little heavy on the cinnamon, but I like that.

I don’t drink chai often, because I have a reaction to some of the spices: my cheeks turn red & blotchy, and my face gets a burning sensation, and if I drink too much it irritates my guts… Sadly, I have the same problem with curry, which is a real bummer, because I love a good curry! I feel that reaction coming on, So this is going into the box for Sil, and there is plenty to share with the Canadian Crew! Enjoy!

This was undrinkable for me. I usually don’t like pumpkin spice anyway so maybe that was it but had to throw it down the sink.