thepuriTea

Very tasty, I am noticing that trend with this company. I also am finding that all their teas have one thing on common. They are all well balanced and taste like what they should, at least so far. I found this on to be a solid tea. The Yunnan and Jasmine do so well together. You have to try it to understand it and it will be going into my “Shopping Cart”

This one isn’t as good today as it has been recently. Still pleasant, but not good.

(Backlogging)

The tea seems less masculine today, more delicate. Yum.

A more astringent and jasmine-y tea than other jasmine pearl teas I’ve had. The word that keeps coming to mind is “harsher” but that conveys negativity. It’s not as smooth nor as delicate as others, but it’s not a bad thing.

Maybe I should say it’s a more masculine jasmine pearl. It’s good. Almost powerful. Yummy.

Had this again today, and it was very fruity without being sweet today. Lovely.

Wow. This tea has awesome mouthfeel. Very creamy with a little astringency on the back end. I think I didn’t use enough leaf, because the flavors are very delicate. What I can get is lemony and floral. Slightly nutty.

I’m enjoying this very much. I think I may need some more of this after I finish off this sample. And I definitely need to play with the leaf amounts.

A bright, juicy tea with a nice malty bottom end. The “fall leaves” comparison may be a nice way of saying “slightly brassy with a middling flavor profile”. It’s actually a good tea for those who do not prefer any real pronounced flavor or characteristic. It is well rounded though just not quite enough of anything to blow my mind.

Backlogging from yesterday.

Yesterday, I decided to crack into my sample set from thepuriTea. I have to say, that I ordered this one last week when they had the sampler set with the pot and mug. The samples come in little cardboard pouches that contain two individual servings of the tea, so you can try it at least twice. I added on quite a few more samples and accessories and the savings was astronomical (insert sales pitch here)…onto the tea…

The dried tea is fragrant, oh man, is it fragrant, it smells very strongly of passion fruit – a sweet, almost sickening, slightly floral, very fruity and intensely tropical with a very natural honey/nectar smell. I do not think I have ever smelled a passion fruit that smells this fragrant, but it is not overpowering, it smells delicious. The tea smells so sweet I decide to not add anything to it, no real shock there, but I also cut my infusion time for black tea – this one I brewed hot for three minutes (no additives as I said).

The fresh brew mimics the aroma of the dried leaves. This liquor is shockingly dark, I know it is a black tea, but this is apparently a strong black tea, and strong at an abbreviated brew time. The tea continues to taste how it smells, sweet and rich, with no additives. I do not remember too many fruit flavored black teas in my many reviews, but this one stands out and will continue to do so. I plan to use the second half of my sample as an iced tea, but I also have the rest of the flavored black tea collection from thepuriTea, I will let you know how those go.

This oolong lasted 5 infusions. Naturally sweet and this is one w a discernible flavor and no background vegetative taste. My favorite so far….

Finally!! I have tried the following oolongs w/no satisfaction: milk oolong from Puritea, Plum Oolong from Teas, Etc. , Chicago Tea Gardens competition grade, and Upton’s Formosan oolong. Either they seemed tasteless or too subtle or too vegetative- but finally! This is an oolong that I like.

As it is more highly oxidized- that could be the trick- to bring out the flavors. But there is a subtle floral flavor in this – almost like rosewater- really rosewater- But do not be wary if you don’t like jasmine or other perfumed teas- this is quite a subtle, subtle , sophisticated flavor.

This tea has a drying/astringent feel to the mouth but nothing that requires sugar or milk to conceal. As soon as I opened the screw top tin, a floral aroma wafted to my nose- (and I am not sensitive to smells)…

But this is very wonderful! And I am quite suprised I am the first to review this one on Steepster….

This tea totally smells like honey. The taste is really light, a little earthy with more of that honey flavor and creamy. I actually quite like it for breakfast since I don’t like heavy things in the morning, but I see how pairing it with food would overwhelm the light flavor.

A very stoney tea with a cedar wood bitterness. . . church pews. Florals and earthy spices and a juicy aftertaste strike an elegant balance with the rock-like character.

The aroma of the liquor is pleasantly reminiscent of that fake opium stuff some of us may or may not have ran into.

All in all, the jasmine comes through strong and somewhat soapy (soapium) over a typically mild and malty red.

S’okay.

I won these in the Art Contest that AmazonV held – thanks AmazonV!

Having tried (and loved) something similar from Teavana, I was very curious about these pearls. Alas, since I don’t have the pearls from Teavana anymore … I can’t do a side by side.

Anyway… this is nice. There is a slight smokiness to it but I don’t find it off-putting, perhaps because it’s paired so nicely with the chewy, bake-y flavor of it. And the malty note is quite pleasing.

I like!

Don’t ask me why as I have had no good reason for not giving much thought to green teas. Yeah, that has to end.

Very rich, buttery chestnut flavor with a bright grassy finish. Full of vitality. One tea I could drink every day (as I believe we are being instructed to).

This is a great tea. It is so flavorful. Looks like I will be putting this on my wish list for September once my ban is over. Just read the discription, it is just as it is described. Yummy!

This tea tastes really balanced to me. Definitely citrusy, but not overwhelmingly so. And it’s not bitter at all, but I can still taste the black tea. It’s not a tea that made me go “Wow, I’ve never had anything like this!” but rather, “Yes, this is what Earl Grey should taste like.” :-)

I didn’t add any cream or sugar, but I did eat it with a slice of chocoflan. It paired really nicely with the heaviness of the cake and the creaminess of the flan, and I could taste the bergamot more after eating some of the chocoflan. Mmm… I definitely want to buy more of this to use as my dessert tea…

This was a surprise. The leaf looked both small and somewhat broken, and I didn’t detect much of a nose on the infused leaf. However, the flavor of the tea is much stronger than its nose would suggest, and I think this could make, as one reviewer said, a good everyday drinker.

Milk Oolong from Distinctly Tea (Waterloo or Stratford ) location is an amazing taste.Couldnt believe the price either.I infused my first cup 3 times and the taste is still there………Now thats a cup of tea!!

This smells exactly like milk Pocky. Well, it might be closer to honey-and-milk Pocky, as it’s got a sweet scent to it. It’s very densely curled so I’m trying it with a bit less than a teaspoon to start, since the sample is enough for at least 2 cups if not 3. Steeping in a paper filter (my last tea-making device went kaput after I didn’t clean it good enough and it grew nasty slime mold) for about 4 minutes, I had to run get my timer so it’s definitely not exact. water temperature between 195-205 (someday I will get a thermometer).

Result…not bad, once I let it steep long enough. (I tasted it at about 4 minutes and it was too mild — 4:30 and it was GREAT.) It tastes a little more toasty than sweet when brewed, but I’ve learned that with other teas — overpowering sweet aromas often lead to pleasantly sweet brews. This wasn’t overpoweringly sweet-smelling in the slightest so I’m not surprised to see the sweetness go all subtle. I can definitely see where the milk name comes from but the flavor overall reminds me of toast — as in, bread. This would make a great breakfast tea! It has a lovely flavor. I wasn’t impressed at my first tasting but letting it steep longer did the trick. I think I may need a little more of this after I finish my sample… :)

Wow… I don’t think I’ve ever had a tea like this before. I’m not sure what to say except that this feels a lot like love. I didn’t really believe that it was going to taste like coconut, but it totally does! Yum.

Now I’m drinking my third steep of this. Still a bright, happy yellow, still fruity sweet with an aroma that makes me think of sunshine. Yep, this is definitely love.

This was part of my mix sampler from puriTea, which came today. Super fast shipping, I just ordered it yesterday afternoon. I can’t wait to try the other samples I got.

My second time reviewing this tea. However, my opnion on this tea has changed slightly. I am reviewing a fresh batch I just received recently. Although, I enjoyed this I just didn’t as much as before. Not because of the tea itself but because since the last time I reviewed this tea I have tired so many others and have expanded my base of reference. My previous score was 86 and I have reduced it ever so slightly only because my palate has since expanded. It is funny how opinions can change or be fine tuned after trying so many teas.

Full Review: http://iheartteas.teatra.de/2012/01/hong-jing-luo-black-tea-thepuritea/