kimquat Send Message

This tea opens with deep, fruity notes of apple and something like dried apricot. (I’ve only ever had dried apricot, so the taste immediately reminds me of the chewy texture. Weird!) Soon after, it gains a honey sweetness and very light whispers of cream. All of this is underscored by brandy and the bitter touch of pecan skins. Not unpleasantly bitter, mind you. The tea base lends a mineral, rocky taste that pairs quite nicely with the cinnamon/apple/brandy/pecan combination. It’s a definite winner…I won’t have any trouble finishing off the ounce I have, though it will be missed when it’s gone.

Okay, this is THE quintessential melon tea. I’m so lucky (and sad) to have gotten the last 1/2 ounce.

It’s juicy and succulent. Melon is SPOT ON cantaloupe, in my opinion. The white tea provides a nice backdrop of hay, honeysuckle, and sweet cream. It has a long and smooth finish. The creaminess intensifies over time. It’s fresh, sweet, floral, fruity perfection. I’m in love. I’m going to have a hard time hoarding this one when all I want to do is drink all of it all at once, right now. Damn!

This is certainly an interesting blend. I’m not quite sure what to think of it.

The front of each sip hits my tongue with a damp earthy flavor, quickly followed by dark, charcoal-like smoke. It develops a roasted tone before easing into a concoction of coffee and cream. The smoothness of the coffee notes intensifies over time. The long aftertaste is a mixture of sweet, creamy latte and woodsmoke. As I continue sipping the earthiness slips into the background. It’s overpowered by strong notes of wood and a touch of leather. (I’ve noticed this with a few other puerhs.) There’s a drying quality to it. It’s not thick, or heavy. It’s relatively light on the tongue, though the coffee flavors stick to the inside of your mouth. I’m thinking this tea might benefit from a dash of milk or cream.

There’s a reason smokers like to drink coffee with cigarettes. It’s a good blend. Still, the combination of flavors in my mouth makes me feel like I need to go brush my teeth. Not because it doesn’t taste good! But because the coffee/smoke combo does NOT make for good breath. Lol.

What a wonderfully creative idea for tea. Thank you Stacy. (:

Upping my rating yet again because this is chocolatey perfection.

PERFECTION.

I love spice, chocolate, and tea, and this is an exceptional combination of the three.

The (distinctly) Taiwanese tea offers sweet, floral honey notes. It’s smooth and delicate. The chili doesn’t really register as “hot”. It’s more of a slight warmth, a tingle in the back of your throat. Enough to titillate. The chocolate isn’t a very prominent flavor, admittedly. It’s more of an undertone; the dark complement to the light black tea. It pairs very nicely with the chili heat and doesn’t leave me wanting more. Creamy, melty, sweet. Mmm. (I think more chocolate would make it unbalanced…I’ll just make a stronger cup if I want more flavor!) I really love this blend. Just wonderful.

Method:
2tsp/10oz
boiling
4min

Method:
~3tsp/10oz
pre-boiling
First steep: 3min 30sec
Second steep: 4min

This is every bit as good as I remember. Light, natural banana and coconut flavors. Extremely smooth. Fruity, malty assam. A lingering creamy flavor with caramel undertones. I love this tea. So glad I got another ounce before it ran out…It will be missed once it’s gone.

Whoa. Best flavored rooibos I’ve EVER had, hands down. I’m SO SO SO tempted to say “BEST MELON FLAVORED TEA EVER”, but I haven’t had Butiki’s Cantaloupe & Cream since I got into white teas. It’s the only other one that could come close. I’m going to hold my tongue until then.

And I’m going to drink this every night.

Holy crap this is amazing.

Method:
2.5tsp/10oz
boiling
4min

I was surprised at the smoothness of this tea, given the amount of time steeped and the water temp. (I avoid using boiling water with anything but pu-erh.) It’s thick, juicy, malty, and has some fruity citrus-like tones. There’s a drying, wine-like quality to it as well. It’s surprisingly mellow. None of the flavors are overwhelming or in your face…They’re all pretty well balanced with each other. There’s a little honey sweetness, a touch of caramel, and if I try very hard I can pick out some floral notes underneath it all. What I’m not picking up on is earth, cocoa, mushroom, or raisin. Not even close. If anything it reads to me as more “mineral” than “damp earth”, but that’s only because it leaves a vaguely metallic taste in my mouth long after I’ve swallowed the tea. Like how you can taste iron, when you lick a spot of blood from a paper cut? Like that, except toned WAY down. It’s on the same spectrum. But it’s definitely not mushroom. It’s bright and chipper, malty and fruity and sweet. It’s a good no-fuss breakfast tea, which is what I’ll certainly be drinking it as! (Seriously, still impressed by how smooth it was.) I prefer my dark, heavy, sweet potato-caramel-malt breakfast teas…but I’ll make do. This one just didn’t strike the right chord with me.

(Brewed to my own specifications.)
Method:
2.5tsp/10oz
pre-boiling
2min 30sec

Wow, this is really something lovely. It’s dark and rich while maintaining a lightness in body. It’s malty, but not heavy. Each sip begins with a strong and somewhat bitter cocoa flavor. There are undertones of damp leaves, wet earth, wood. It then smoothly transitions into a springy, plummy fruitiness. There’s something like raisins there. But there’s also tang. Following quickly behind are notes of honey, baked bread, and butter. The flavors are thick and coat the lining of your tongue. After, I notice those flavors receding as floral, somewhat vegetal notes take their place. These I presume come from the Giddapahar. I haven’t tried any of the teas on their own, so it’s difficult to say. A touch of bitterness rests on my tongue, along with nuttiness, and that light floral finish. I’m impressed. It’s been a while since I’ve had a tea so complex. It took a lot of concentration and discernment to be able to pull every flavor apart. I’m out of practice! I would love to have this tea in the morning. After consideration, I believe it would best be saved for slow, reflective mornings…and mornings with someone special. It’s a special tea, for special mornings.

The tea base has a light hay-like flavor to it. It’s also buttery, and floral-vegetal like only a white tea could be. It actually reminds me a little of honeysuckle flowers. It’s delicate. It’s light. It also manages to be savory, somehow! The irish cream flavor is present as an undercurrent, and only noticed after the initial sip. I feel like I’m tasting the tea more than the flavoring…or rather, the flavoring serves to enhance the same qualities in the tea. The overall effect is one that’s creamy, sweet, buttery, and floral. It doesn’t taste quite like sugar cookies but it’s enough to remind me of them. And call me crazy, but the aftertaste that lingers is one that makes me think of soybeans. Soybeans! Interesting. When I started my cup, I was wholly unimpressed, but the more I sip the more I take a liking to it. The flavors intensify and the aftertaste is lush and lovely.

Method:
~175F
2tsp/10oz
3min 30sec