Various Artists
Edit CompanyPopular Teas from Various Artists
See All 3 TeasRecent Tasting Notes
A mellow morning cup of genmaicha provided by ashmanra, thank you! It was noted on the paper tag inside the bag that this was either from Tea ’N Joy or Tea Queens.
ashmanra sent some tasty Blackberry Jasmine green tea in a swap that had a very strong syrupy aroma. Its aroma penetrated through the bag and into the genmaicha bag, so it was almost like having a surprise second steeping of the Blackberry Jasmine with a hint of toasty rice :)
Preparation
I drank an herbal tea once from Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company not knowing the ingredients. Will it give me an allergic reaction, damage my organs or put me 6 feet under that tomato bed in the backyard I prepped yesterday evening?
Martin! Yes you! Unknown person from the Czech Republic. A fellow tea drinker and student of physics. The last of the teas remaining from our swap. A paper packet of “Home Herbs Mix” sealed with a couple of stickers decorated with flowers and a discretion scrawled in ominous black ink: “up to you.” I like armchair adventure. I think trust is healthy and fear not being burned. Some call it naiveté. I say boo to them, let’s do this.
Funny I put trust in a tea drinker outside of United States’ prosecution. (Unless there is some kind of extradition agreement.)
I emptied the packet into my basket strainer, about 2 grams worth of flowers and leaves, both large and crushed. Added 200F water and took a shower. Came back to my bedroom smelling of lemon and mint, that much is obvious. But what else is there? I think I let it steep too long because there was a very strong lemon balm or myrtle taste. It was very minty like a good spearmint. Is there another kind of mint in this blend? Lavender, that’s for sure. A few strips of lemongrass? And what were those beautiful big purple flowers? They kind of melted away with that long steep. I really enjoyed your blend, Martin. It was fresh and a nice nightcap, might’ve been just a bit better if I hadn’t let it steep for 20 or so minutes.
Preparation
How funny. As I feel sick I took the same for myself today! Thought about making a tasting note but nah. As I remember, it was lemon balm, peppermint, spearmint… maybe a lemongrass, I can´t remember. Lavender? Not really sure. But maybe it is in. That big purple flowers are mallow flowers :-) (Malva sylvestris hopefully)
I am super glad that you have enjoyed it so much. And last thing, I am student of logistics, but struggle with Physics :)
Have a great day!
I wish I knew how to blend properly. I got an herbal blend once on Etsy but the seller stopped making teas and only does bath products now. I absolutely love it as an iced tea. I know the base is heavily spearmint, and it has lots of lavender and licorice root, but if I tried making it myself, I don’t think I’d ever figure out how to get the balance of ingredients right to duplicate it.
@mastress, you should experiment! you never know! you might make even better flavors!
Martin, I could see and smell the little lavender buds. Glad to know what the purple flowers are. I’m an environmental engineering student myself (on hold for this semester while I get my life together and make money) and also struggle with physics. I’m considering a tutor because I always feel like I’m on the edge of those “Eureka!” moments in terms of conceptual understanding but I’m not… which means I need help. The engineering coursework and mathematics are much easier for me.
Mastress Alita: you seem like the type of person that would do well with approaching blending from a research viewpoint, with batch numbers, ingredient amounts, observations, etc. Repetition and tweaking.
^ That. Absolutely that.
Also, herb collecting and picking and blending is a thing in Eastern Europe. My mother’s line knew all about foraging and blending for healthful and flavourful purposes.
@derk – okay, I really don´t recall much what is in. It is actually my mothers´ blend – we usually just collect herbs, let it dry and then we put it into large glass. So every brew is bit different. But all of them are usually lovely. I forgot about thyme which is very probably in too.
Ad physics: well, I feel bit overloaded with all tasks to be done, so I can´t really focus on the formulas which I don´t remember on exams. More over, my panic attacks don´t help either. Maybe I need a year off too :/
@Evol Ving Ness – well it is a thing, but slowly dying. Because young people tend to run away from all “old”. And then it is opposite extreme, where are people who use herbs for everything, even as a cure for cancer, leukemia and similar.
@All – I really like that there is kind of community here and we talk about one single blend. It makes me so happy! Now, let´s brew something.
This conversation has encouraged me to perhaps try making my own blends and seeing what I can come up with.
I salute you scientific types. I just throw stuff in a steeping basket and then, if it’s good, bemoan the fact that I have no clue what proportions I used. Of course, I grew up with a Depression-era mom and grandma who just cooked with “hunks” and “clumps” and "a mess of … " And theirs came out right every time. Go figure.
A random teabag from ashmanra! Arbonne Essentials caffeine-free, unsure if this is the same as the detox tea listed on their website.
Dry bag smelled fruity like a mix of strawberry and blackberry with a light herbal component. Very small chop. Steeped the bag in 8oz of boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Instantly dark brew in my mug. Tasted like a fruit tea with a tolerable rosehip or hibiscus tartness and a mix of fruity flavors hard to describe. I guess berries of sorts, maybe apple?, light hibiscus or rosehips. I wish I knew more. Fine for an evening sipper but it would be better suited for a mid-afternoon fruity-tart pick up. Thanks!
Preparation
Oh geez Arbonne! That’s the company I couldn’t think of for the last two years. I used to be addicted to their “Fizzy Tabs” AKA Energy Drink Tablets. I used to pop two of those in a glass of spring water every day before class. Kept me going all day! Sadly, upon looking at the site now, they are no longer available. Thanks so much for reminding me of the name!
Glad it you liked it! I havent even tried it yet myself! Maybe tomorrow…
After a decade of love/hate with peppermint teas, I finally decided to get my shit together and find a preparation that works for me. No more gross cups of stewed peppermint, ok?
1) Never buy peppermint teabags again. Ever. Buy the freshest, largest, dried leaf I can find at the co-op.
2) Use way less leaf than what’s in the bags – half teaspoon per coffee mug, that’s it.
3) Not every tisane needs boiling water, despite the directions printed on boxes by the faceless herbal tea gurus. I’m not going to die from bacteria and fungi on dried plant matter. 160-175F is good. Bonus: I don’t have to wait for it to cool enough to drink.
4) 10-15 minute steep times? Try 1 minute, 1.5 if I want it stronger. I don’t care about extracting every last molecule of peppermint oil. I’d rather have a good tasting cup.
5) Enjoy a very light, sweet peppermint tea without the stewed flavor, burps or scratchy throat.
Next project: chamomile.
I need to heed this advice. I’ve had so many peppermint teas that came out tasting like pickles or spinach.
This is pretty much how I am with straight lavender, one of my favorite things. I only need about half a gram (if that!) of nice Farmer’s Market lavender buds and they don’t need to be steeped very long at all or they taste floral-bitter and nasty. But steeped right? Beautiful. And I love a nice lavender tea mixed with a bit of warm coconut milk, too.
I only drink fresh mint tea. My favourite combination is with some turmeric (ideally fresh as well), lemon/lime skins and sometimes (depending on the mood) a pinch of brown sugar.
Mastress Alita, I remember reading about that in one of your reviews in the past few months. That’s what prompted my quest, so thanks.
Togo, I’ll have to give that a try maybe with some fresh spearmint since that is widely available here.
Today ended up being an oolong roast day. I tasted a Si Ji Chun I roasted in September after hating its vegetalness unroasted. The roast brought out some woodiness and spice reminiscent of a yancha, weirdly enough. Four or five steeps in, it had a strong brown sugar sweetness. I decided to roast it some more and see where it goes.
I also roasted an Alishan Jin Xuan that was a victim of poor storage at a cafe for a few years. I got several ounces of it ridiculously cheap because of that. Initially I tried a short refresh roast, and while it smelled great–honey, flowers, apricot–all that disappeared when I poured water on it, and the taste just wasn’t there, hardly any better than before reroasting. I roasted it a little further and I’ll check on it in a couple months.
I roasted a couple sessions’ worth of Teavivre’s Taiwan Monkey Picked Tieguanyin a little further a few days ago, just because. Here’s session #1; #2 will be in a couple months to compare after it’s rested a bit.
In the first few infusions, the nuttiness of this tea is definitely intensified by the roasting, but it also changed from a more generic roasty, nutty flavor to a specific almond note. There’s something almost Dancong-like in this that I can’t identify. While the tea wasn’t spicy at all before, there’s now a hint of spice in the finish. It’s not strong enough to tell what it is. There’s also a mild sweet potato note. The creamy mouthfeel doesn’t seem to have changed.
It seems to lose flavor sooner, which is the opposite of what i expected. Brewing for at least a minute produces a cup of creamy sweetness with little flavor except roast by the fifth infusion. Hopefully as the new roast settles this will improve.
Flavors: Almond, Plums, Roasted, Spices, Sweet Potatoes
How did you roast the tea?
Oven at 200 (as low as mine goes) with the door slightly open to keep it from getting too hot and burning the tea. I can’t remember how long I roasted it, I paid more attention to how roasted it smelled and looked than time.
I haven’t had the desire to re/roast any tea until I read your review. I might have to give it a try next time I’m in the woods for a few weeks. Cast iron wok over a low heat, low smoke fire.
What are you planning on roasting? I’m finding that 200 degrees works well, and leaving the door open was unnecessary. 200 for 40 minutes has become my standard roast for this tea and especially Teavivre’s Huang Guanyin, which became exactly what I wanted after the roast. That’s how I’ll do the rest of what I roast of those two. I tried roasting some of the Huang Guanyin for an hour and a half and it was too roasted and mostly lost the chocolate. I don’t know how any of this information would translate to your method and whatever you want to roast (obviously it depends on how roasted it is to begin with and how roasted you want it to be), but hopefully this helps some.
I got an ounce of some generically named “Darjeeling” (so probably a blend of estates and flushes) at a coffee shop yesterday and I’ve been drinking it all day trying to figure out how to get more flavor out of it. It’s very mild and I think it’s getting stale, but the flavor it does have I’d describe as fruity, woody, and mildly spicy (I’ve been noticing this in a lot of tea lately). It has a pretty typical Darjeeling character. There’s nothing unusual in body, astringency, etc. It probably would have been pretty good a year ago, but now it’s a bit bland.
Flavors: Fruity, Spices, Wood
For some reason, I got an ounce of an Assam from the Mangalam Estate a few months ago at a tea shop. I rarely drink Assam because I generally prefer to make Chinese black tea in my gaiwan. I finished the Keemun I got at the same time a while ago (I really need more Keemun), while I still have enough left for a few cups of this.
This is different from what I think of as the typical Assam. I brewed it quite strongly, but it lacks the tannic bite I expect from Assam, despite being a broken grade. Instead, the texture reminds me of a smooth, full-bodied Ceylon, like something from the Kenilworth Estate. It has notes of caramel, sweet potatoes, malt, and cinnamon, and finishes with enough different spices that adding milk and sugar would probably taste like masala chai. I’ve never had such a spicy unflavored tea. It’s not just the slight peppery sharpness at the back of your throat that so many other teas have. This tea literally tastes like I added spices while I was brewing it, like I started making masala chai and then quit halfway through. This works much better than it seems like it should, and I actually really enjoy it. The spiciness lingers for a few minutes after the last sip.
Flavors: Caramel, Cinnamon, Malt, Spices, Sweet Potatoes
Thinking about abandoning my account here.
Fake accounts have messed up the rankings and the discussion boards.
We haven’t had a quality of life update in six or seven years.
Several features are broken and I don’t think they’ll ever be fixed.
I’ve been here for ten years and have watched this site slowly decline. It has fallen behind the times pretty terribly. I dunno. I just have no motivation to keep going.
I know several of us have been discussing a lot of the issues with the site for some time now and how frustrating it is that they are all going unaddressed. I don’t know what has happened to the site’s owners and developers as no one has had any contact with anyone on the admin team in at least a month and prior communication has revealed a lack of willingness to expand moderator duties, bring in new admins, or update the site in any way. No one understands why they (I say they, but I think it’s just Jason at this point) won’t allow the more active community members to take on a larger role in the maintenance and management of the site if they are unwilling to give up ownership. I, myself, am thinking about abandoning my account here as well. I’m going to be spending some time this weekend backing up my reviews just in case I do bounce sooner rather than later. Are there any other communities or platforms like Steepster out there? I’ve thought about starting my own blog and have been encouraged to do so, but I have heard from several other people that it is hard to attract readers and less rewarding than contributing to a dedicated community. I have also heard that activity on TeaForum is starting to pick up, so I may create an account there. Is there anywhere out there that you would recommend trying? I’m very open to suggestions.
I wish I knew where to go. I’ll definitely check out TeaForum. Maybe we can all migrate or something. But I know it won’t be the same.
Steepster definitely has its issues, but I’d be sad if everyone left. Most social media platforms are all about the pictures and don’t lead to much discussion. I like having a text-based forum.
I’d be sad to see you leave. As much as there are definite issues with the platform and the decay is certainly noticeable, I still find a lot of value in the community that is still present. Without greater moderator ability there isn’t a lot that we can actively try to fix – but community engagement and presence is something that is well within our power! I know I’ve been trying to make a more conscious effort this week to comment and interact with people in their tasting notes and on the discussion board. I may not being to fix the spam problem, or change the rating gaming that happens – but being a part of the active community of people here is something I have full control over.
Absolutely! I’m glad to have a place to post reviews without the work of creating a blog, and I appreciate interacting with other Steepsters. Also, maybe if the owners see that we’re engaged, they’ll do something about the spam.
I was just telling tea-sipper that I haven’t been able to update my profile for months nor can I post in the forums for months. I get a time-out error. Definitely frustrating.
Oh, you aren’t alone, Tabby. Have you not been reading the “State of Steepster” thread in the forums? I feel all these things. I’ve been trying just to get the ability to help delete the damn spam with absolutely no help at all from Jason for a month now, despite getting e-mails back saying this would happen. It makes me feel like no one at all cares about this site. And it makes me feel bitter and upset, since I was trying to help out.
I already started out on a blog and moved off of there to Steepster, and already know that didn’t work out for me. I like the community here, but I see this as a sinking ship. I wish there was another platform like this to move to that was being maintained and updated and haven’t been able to find anything like it. TeaForum is just a forum, not a platform for reviews/logging and networking with tea friends. RateTea has the reviewing/journaling aspect, but still doesn’t let you “friend” people and easily read what they are drinking and follow their tea journeys. I feel all the other options are very disjointed. I already have all my data backed up since I already write my reviews off-site and copy/paste them in, so if I knew of a place all my tea-friends were migrating to, I’d happily move along with them. I’m not happy with the lack of love to the site, I’m only here because I love the people using it.
It breaks my heart a little to see posts like this, though of course I understand the feeling! I just think Steepster has so very many positive memories for me that I’ll be kind of crushed if it dies. Just know that there are people reading (and enjoying!) your reviews, and still writing about a fair number of teas. At least, for now!
I am sad that I have joined this website in time when it is in agony. I have same problem as Kawaii433. Can´t do anything. I would like to admin it at least a bit, at least deleting those spam posts.
r/Tea is good, but hey, sometimes bit toxic.
I feel here it is just great. Everybody speaks with everybody, there are swaps between members, it is not overwhelmed with biased reviews and so on. I really like that you can add your tea easily and don´t have to wait till some admin accepts it.
I will stay – at least I will try. It is sad story though.
This is the best of all the forums I am in. I would hate to see anyone leave here. I have made more online friends here than anywhere else.
This community is as much about the people as it is the tea. That’s what makes it unique and why I encourage folks to continue communicating!
For now, Steepster seems to be reviving. I had over twenty notes on my dashboard when I checked it this afternoon! I hope we can keep it up!
I hope you stay, Tabby! I’ll be one of the last that sticks with Steepster, until I’m the last in a dusty vast internet wasteland. But if everyone migrates, I hope someone tells me. :D
I use this to keep track of all the teas I’ve tried, hopefully it’ll stick around.
Things always get slack in the summer … my dashboard has been pretty brisk since this fall!
I totally concur! I was very disheartened to have discovered that this site is basically the same with no improvements since nearly 7 years ago when I went on a hiatus… I was surely expecting a mobile app given that one was rumored to be in the works so long ago…
Finishing up Heavenly Tea Leaves’s Lemon Twist. I had one teaspoon left. It wasn’t a good tea to begin with, so I just drowned it in Pinky Up’s Coconut Creme. I can vaguely taste it haunting the background, but only if I feel for it.
Sipdowns in 2019: 26 <—- Halfway to my goal of one sipdown per week for the year!
Knocking out Harney & Sons’ Chocolate Chai Supreme. Didn’t have enough for a full tumbler, so this is about half H&S, half Nepali Breakfast by Nepal Tea. The weird fake chocolate dominates the higher quality chai’s flavors, unfortunately. But it’s fine to get me through my Friday.
Sipdowns in 2019: 25
It’s warming up here. Spring is beginning. So, around the house at least, I’ve made the switch to iced tea. It’s still chilly in the mornings, though, so I’m still bringing hot tea to work.
Over the weekend I made a pretty good amount of tea. Twice I’ve made an iced concoction that is 2 parts Lupicia’s Golden Honey Dew, one part Pinky Up’s Coconut Creme, and one part Tazo’s Cucumber White. It’s very refreshing, but the coconut adds a desserty, cakey note that doesn’t quite work with the cucumber. After two big glasses of this, I think I’ll leave it out of the next one.
Finished up Yaupon Brothers’ Lavender Coconut today! I used three parts of that plus one part Pinky Up’s Coconut Creme. Just wanted a little more coconut flavor in my last tumbler of the yaupon.
I also wanted to get this out of my collection because the container was kinda bulky. I had a bad day on Monday and placed a small spring order with Harney & Sons. So I need the space, haha.
Sipdowns in 2019: 20
Finished up the Constant Comment! Goodbye, winter tea. I used my last bag with three tsp of Joy’s Teaspoon’s Spicy Pear. It’s… not very good. The cinnamon is so fake and bitter. It’s tolerable, though. Joy’s Teaspoon just wasn’t that great, I have to say. I see why it went under when we have so many better choices. I’ll make Spicy Pear one more time, and if I don’t like it, I’ll probably pitch it.
Sipdowns in 2019: 19
Decided to blend myself a sweet dessert tea for breakfast. It’s Friday and I deserve a treat. I took 1 part Pinky Up’s Coconut Creme with Flowers and one part Kusmi’s Caramel.
It’s wonderful. A creamy, coconutty, sweet and savory caramel tea. The caramel aroma sits in my nose and reminds me of Werther’s Originals. I hate that I keep coming up with these delicious blends with discontinued teas, though! I can make this maybe two more times and then it’s gone forever.
Finished up my sample of Harney & Son’s Diamond Jubilee this morning by mixing it half and half with Earl Grey Supreme. I swear there’s something restorative about these earl greys. It’s like I can feel myself recharging. (It’s probably just the caffeine.)
Oh boy… I’ve gotten my collection down to one page again. Temptation to buy more tea rising…
EDIT: Nevermind, my Sips by box came. It’s two pages again.
Sipdowns in 2019: 15
Double sipdown!! That’s what’s up!
Finished up Fortnum & Mason’s Ceylon Orange Pekoe and Darjeeling. I’ve reviewed this combination twice before this entry, so I’ll spare you all, but… yeah! I’m done with these super strong teas and now it’s on to more fun stuff!
Sipdowns in 2019: 10
Oops. I didn’t have enough of Heirloom Tea Company’s Formosa Fame for a daily work tea. So, I went a little crazy with this one. Three teaspoons of Formosa Fame and three teaspoons of Joy’s Teaspoon’s Plum Crazy. Mmm, plum oolong. It came out a little tart and very fruity, but with the warm, toasty oolong notes. It’s like a baked plum dessert. This is really pleasant and satisfying. Experiment gone right for sure.
Sipdowns In 2019: 8
Preparation
Daily work tea. Two parts Fortnum & Mason’s Orange Pekoe, one part Darjeeling. Again, this is a dark, hearty, and strong cup.
If I make this again this week, it’ll be another double sipdown. There are still two black teas from this sampler I haven’t even tried, but I’ll probably just make one cup of each to review. A lapsang and a Russian caravan. I’ve kind of fallen out of love with smoky teas, so I’m not sure what I’ll do with the rest. I suppose I could give them away to one of you guys, if anybody’s interested.
Double sipdown! I used the last of Harney & Sons’ Golden Monkey and RMS Titanic Blend. It worked out to be perfectly half and half. The resulting tea is well balanced and smooth. Hearty and malty with savory notes of bread. And of course the Golden Monkey lends notes of natural cocoa. That Fujian cocoa taste that I crave. This is another Random Steepings that I would love to revisit.
Sipdowns in 2019: 4
Preparation
Been using my Fortnum & Mason sampler at least once a week so I can move on to other teas. Today I picked two bags of Darjeeling and one bag of Ceylon Orange Pekoe.
Went with a short steep time and as usual, it still came out dark and full-bodied. The two teas go well together. Fresher, wilder notes from the darjeeling, but hearty and malty notes from the ceylon. Just a touch of bitterness. Hmm. Maybe I’ll make this one twice this week.
Really counting on the caffeine today…
Preparation
Finishing up Lupicia’s Momo Oolong Super Grade. I only had one teaspoon left, so I blended it with three teaspoons of Joy’s Teaspoon’s Plum Crazy. I figured I’d have a fruity start to my half-week.
The result is a little more light and tart than I expected. I probably should have used more Plum Crazy. The peach notes don’t come through very strongly, but they’re there, so this has a kind of generic stonefruit punch flavor. It’s not bad, but it’s not stellar.
Finishing up Nepal Tea’s Nepali Breakfast, but I only had enough for half a pot. Substituted Joy’s Teaspoon’s Cinnamon Roll to make up the rest.
This came out mildly astringent and a little weak when it comes to spice. It’ll do, though.
Ooh! Cross-contaminated that worked! I once had a genmaicha sample that I believe was contaminated by a vanilla tea. It was amazing.
Oh no! Shame on me for poor packaging. Hooray for a good cross contamination!
Yeah, I was totally ok with it. Makes me wonder what the worst flavor combination teas there are out there are.
Once Todd and I decided to sample the water out of the “discarded leaf” bowl from a tea flight we had at the Chinese Gardens in Portland, which has a tea shop serving Tao of Tea teas inside. It looked like a nasty tea leaf soup… and even that didn’t taste that bad, given they were three very different tea blends, and some of the leaves had been sitting in there for nearly an hour.