1759 Tasting Notes
Tess Tea #2
Another score for the bagged teas!! I begrudgingly concede this… I hate to see my beloved loosleaves challenged :(
but this tea is all around goodness. The black part is present but not overly so. The orange aroma is enticing. It tastes like burnt citrus orange… backed by the apple and currant, finishing with a slight lychee aftertaste. I had to add sugar though, at least the first time. I tried some with milk as well, that was tasty though dampened somewhat.
There is something slightly dusty about it, which I think is the nature of bagged teas but I am more than willing to forgive that in this case.
Also, I made Mum try a sip and she absolutely fell in love with it (which pains me since she despises my looseleaf teas, and I didn’t mention that it was bagged beforehand)
Bah!
This will make an excellent on-the-go tea. Mmmmmmmm
Preparation
This tea definitely makes me sleepy. Between that, and the Bikram yoga class I took a few hours ago, I am ready to crash!!
However, I am not all that impressed with the taste. It’s ALL mint and not much else… and ginger? is that the valerian? bah, I’m willing to give it another try, if I can manage to take out some of the mint… but if that doesn’t work, well I already have a peppermint tea, why do I need another just like it??
So, points for usefulness, but none for taste.
Preparation
My tin must be a freak aberration. i get mostly chamomile and valerian, and occasionally a hint of mint. I’d prefer more mint to cover up the chamomile I so hate..
that is odd! I see very little chamomile in the sample bag I got. Valerian can cause heart problems, so it’s not something I want to get hooked on anyhow
backlog! this one isn’t posted on their website, sorry I couldn’t post a pic or deets. Ah well, I don’t have much of this left. If I want more, shipping costs will be high :(
It’s the closest I have to straight up rooibos tea so you can bet I’ll miss it sorely.
Anyhow, I love that it has a fresh, nectar-ish taste which always leaves me wanting more, like water. There’s no astringency or sourness either.
This time however, I mixed it with some dried tea ginger, and oh my was it ever yummy! No sugar… just the tea and ginger.
I accidentally steeped it for alot longer than intended but it turned out great so perhaps that is the trick. Well, I’m off to make a cup of something else now…
Preparation
ohhhh my smoky goodness! this was amazing.
Now, it may be that some of my tastebuds are dampened due to a case of allergies, but today, I simply do not care. It tasted like liquid campfire! errr minus the ash and twigs, and burning haha.
The tea itself is rather light, taking a seat way in the back of the bus, but I can atleast recognize that it’s there. The smoky part rides up front, permeating my senses and taking me to a far away forest where I once spent evenings roasting marshmallows (hmmmm, I wonder what that would taste like in this tea??) and telling stories.
I really should not be buying any more tea(for now), not for take-home anyhow… but darn this one is tempting me!!
No milk, no sugar…. this one stands on it’s own, and that in my books is more rare, and yes, prized-to me, than I like to admit
Oh and I love that there is absolutely no astringency or bitterness. It’s not quite sweet, but I could see how one would derive that conclusion, if they can get past the smoke.
Preparation
There is a personal blend at Adagio called Toasted Marshmallow, it is by
KiTT, based in your comments , you would enjoy it I think.
ohhh I think I’ve heard about that one! it sounds yummy… but the shipping costs also sound prohibitive
yes, it is amazing to me how shipping costs vary with all these vendors.
I wait for specials, holiday sales, reduced shipping, and friends to split an order with and share the burden.
Same here, but I mostly shop local, or on vacation… there are a few vendors in my area that I frequent. Most of my tea finatic friends have remarkably different preferences than myself so splitting an order is awkward (100g or even 50g is far too much)
I had this as a latte in the afternoon. Quite yummy! I’m just beginning to differentiate between different black teas— there was a day when my uncultured(still is!) palate couldn’t pinpoint the difference between a standard orange pekoe and chinese black. Nevertheless, I am figuring it out… slowly!
This was a bold black, with a strong floral scent/flavour… a forrest flower maybe? but not soapy! that is a good thing in my books.
I don’t always enjoy floral but the last few days I’ve actually been craving it. Odd, for me anyhow. I would never buy this tea to take home though, it’s just convenient when I’m on the run or don’t have access to hot water and a mug.
Preparation
You WILL figure it out, and the more teas you try, the faster it will come.
That was my experience anyway. The fun thing about it is your preferences will evolve and your daily moods will change your choices.
Tea is philosophical that way.
I hope so Twing, I’ve tried my hand at wine tasting and failed repeatedly… this tea tasting seems to be a bit easier. If things go my way, I’ll be trying a lapsang for the first time today :)
Oh! I remember my first Lapsang…it evoked all kinds of things!
Here’s hoping it goes well for you.
oh it did!! I fell in love with tea all over again <3
Glad to hear it, finished the evening with some Russian Caravan myself…
I think they have some of that at a tea shop I’ve been meaning to hit. It sounds tasty!
Wowsa, this is some tart tea!! In my citron oolong review I lamented the lack of tart, but this tea certainly makes up for it
The fruit is all blended together, but I can taste apple, strawberry… and hey there it is, the orange comes through in the aftertaste!
If you let it steep too long, and then cool, it starts to taste like juice, but I don’t mind. However, I think if one were to try this iced, it might take some time to get the mixture just right. That said, this will definitely be on my list of iced teas this summer.
Best gift ever!!! I still have two more tess teas to review, one of them is green (which worries me a touch, they tend to jitterbug me) and the other black. I LOVE trying new foods/beverages so to say I am looking forward to it would be an understatement.
((oh and this is bagged! yes, I am giving a non loose-leaf tea this rating! from their website it seems that they don’t process it much, so maybe loose-leaf principles are applied?))
One thing that has me curious… is the “sparkles of hibiscus”— what exactly does that mean?? is it steeped separately in carbonated water? processed in some special way? Yes, I get that there is something extra zingy in here, but what is it??? probably a gimmick for tea lushes like me…
Preparation
Interesting. I’m not sure about this one yet… I can see it becoming a fave but like many of my favourites I really need to be in just the right mood to inspire my citron craving. There is a potent flowery aroma and flavour as well, which usually puts me off. Maybe I am in a more tolerant mood today haha.
The first steep was too thick, and a touch bitter. I think there were too many leaves, so of course next time I will try less. It’s hard to judge because the flowers in this come up higher than the edge of my spoon, and my mug is extra large so I always add some extra…
Anyhow, I can REALLY taste the lemon in the first steep, but not as much in the second. It reminds me of the Orange Oolong I reviewed not long ago, only lemony. More like the rind than the juice, which I am quite disappointed about, I was so looking forward to some tart lemon zing but it tastes more sweet when balanced out by the Jasmine.
Mmmmm, I’m enjoying this second cup much more than the first! I’m not one to drink the same tea allll day long but I may actually be tempted here :)
One of the many reviews I read say that I should use honey or agave. There is much experimentation to be done with this one…
I’m not sure how to qualify this, but I have a super satisfied feeling after having had this tea. The taste is pretty good but the wave of pure bliss that follows is what makes me swoon over it. I find very few teas that do this for me. Yay!!
(Fruitloops!! I just read a review that compares this tea to fruitloops. That is exactly what it tastes like!)
Preparation
DEEEEEELIGHTFUL!
Heavy on the almonds with a strong “white”/splash finish. I can hardly taste anything besides almond but I love it so that is just fine by me! If I squint really hard, I can imagine the gogi berry flavour, and maybe some of the licorice, especially in the after taste.
The only reason this isn’t getting a higher rating from me is that I LOVE the Creamy Nut Oolong from Teaopia a tad more… but then this is much healthier so I guess that balances it out. Hmmmm. I haven’t had it since I finished my supply months ago so next time I hit teaopia, guess what I’m getting!
Preparation
I tried this with a splash of rum today. We had no sugar so I had to add some honey instead… which cut into the buttery-ness. Not that I mind, I find something off-putting about butter in my tea… However the rum (purchased in Haiti, local stuff, should have been premium grade) was stronger than I expected, and oh so very bitter!!
Overall, not the best experience.
When the honey wasn’t sweetening it up, I tried some milk as well, and it helped some… but certainly not enough to warrant replacing the sample I got from DT.
Everyone else loves this tea… why am I the only one that doesn’t seem to enjoy it???
Preparation
Nope! I thought it tasted good, but there was too much butter and I couldn’t handle actually drinking it. I passed it along to a friend who, of course, loves it.
ahhh thank goodness! I feel better now :)
oh and thankfully I only have a teeny sample. One more cup of buttery badness left :P
Try this one (my favorite of all time) with a very little amount of pure maple syrup, a little of “dulce de leche” Haagen Dazs ice cream and finally a very little amount of rum. All my friends loves it, hope you will try it one day!
