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Day 2, cup 3. Pleasant but mild. Milky. Not near as much flavor as yesterday. Either this did not survive the night well or two solid steeps is the limit on this one. First cup was exceptional.

The dry leaf looks like tiny grass clippings. Faint grassy aroma. Steeped 1 ½ tsp for 1 ½ minutes at about 180d. The liquor is clear with a faint green tint. The leaf unfolded to reveal shredded pieces. The wet leaf smells like stew beef, it’s making me hungry. Poured into the cup this takes on a faint grassy aroma.

The sip is vegetal – like broccoli and spinach maybe, becoming grassier as it cools, but never a heavy grassiness. There is the tiniest bit of bitterness. The aftertaste has some fruitiness in it. Cups 2 and 3 were equally tasty.

If green is your thing, this is an easy one to love. Interesting, complex, and you don’t have to work at enjoying it. A wonderful tea. Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sharing this one. It is a winner.

Had another cup this morning – from yesterday’s sachet! Never throw them out until you try. I am actually enjoying this more the second time around. I think I steeped it too long yesterday. Today I am not drinking this because it is interesting or different. I am enjoying it because it is good, really good.

I did a little research. According to Wickepedia, that bastion of always accurate information ;^) genmaicha did originate to stretch the leaf so the poor of Japan could enjoy their tea. So my oats in hamburger analogy was pretty accurate. This tea is also known as popcorn tea as some of the rice pops while roasting, resembling, well, popcorn.

The dry pearls smell of root beer. Yum. Steeped 3 minutes at just below boiling water. The mostly open leaf is whole two leaves and a bud, and smells intensely jasmine. A few months ago I would have run for the hills, but now I can’t wait for this to cool down so I can taste it. The clarity of the brew is excellent. The color is the palest yellow green. The sip has grape notes at the front, and a peachiness beyond the wonderful jasmine. This is really, really nice. Thank you Tea EqualsBliss for this sample. It is excellent! I will be sipping this for the rest of the day.

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for this one. I have never had a Genmaicha before. This is in a silk pyramid. Steeped 3minutes in below boiling water. Oh My Goodness, does this smell great as it is brewing! Roasty, toasty, Rice Krispies in my cup. The bag is full to busting as my Grandmother used to say. The brew is clear and light amber/green.

This reminds me of back in Junior High when the school put oats in the hamburger to make it go further. To this day I crave oats in hamburger. Now I don’t have history with this to so I have no built in craving but I can imagine that same need for stretching is how this tea came in to being.

I like it but I am still trying to wrap my mind around the taste. Both interesting and truly different than anything I have had before. I have no point of reference. By the other ratings I assume this is an excellent example of this type tea. Once I develop a taste for genmaicha I will probably agree.

Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed. That’s code for envelope from TeaEqualsBliss arrived loaded with much joy! I bought Choice teas before I joined Steepster but not since, so I have never logged any of them. This one, I have never even seen before now. It is a bagged version in a paper envelope. Ingredients listed as Organic Black Tea.

First off, the provided brewing instructions (For best results brew 4-5 minutes) will result in a really harsh cup of tea. I went 3 minutes and even at the shorter steep this is very astringent. Cotton mouth astringent. If I had another bag of this I would try 1-2 minutes.

Now on to the positives. This is pleasantly malty. It also has an interesting taste that to me tastes like leather similar to the Teavivre mini toucha – a first with a black tea for me. I think with a little patience and brewing artistry (getting the most out of a bag is as much an art as it is with loose leaf) this would be a really nice cup.

I thought I would start today by going another steep with yesterday’s leaf. I really expected a lifeless cup that I would pour out after a few drinks. This is the 3rd steep of an inexpensive tea. Steeped 6 minutes with boiling water. When the cup is really hot it is a bit bland, but when the cup cools the flavor jumps out. It isn’t as bold as yesterday but then my first steep was way too long (4 minutes). I think if you keep the first cup at 3 minutes or less all three steeps would be pretty even. Ahmad is a champion at inexpensive blends. Worthy of a try.

It has been years since I’ve had this tea. I used to drink it in bag form. A co-worker brought in a loose leaf tin today. The dry leaf smells exquisite. There is a light touch of bergamot. I steeped about 2g of leaf for 4 minutes with boiling water. The wet leaf is fresh looking small torn pieces. There is a lot of green in the leaf which I am not used to seeing in a black tea. The aroma is leafy with fruity notes – like wine – and bergamot, though this is not an earl grey. The sip has a slight bite, and leaves a dry mouth feel, followed by a fruity aftertaste. I think a shorter brew time would be better. Second cup I steeped 3 minutes. Yep, shorter steep did the trick. This is a really delightful cup that changes character nicely as it cools. About the price of Twinings but I think this is a more refined cup. As I recall, Ahmad Darjeeling was also very nice.

A loose leaf act of kindness from ashmanra. I could smell this the moment my wife brought the envelope in the house. Intoxicating aroma. Heeding ashmanra’s warning I quickly surmised this should not be stored in the drawer with my other teas. I only thought the Peach Apricot green tea I had from Empire Tea Services was aromatic.

When I first started drinking tea I bought a lot of Bigelow Cinnamon. I had a love hate relationship with that tea. I really wanted to want it but it never delivered. HCS is what I wanted out of the Bigelow – a cup of liquid Red Hots.

I was not sure how much leaf was needed. I used the scoop that came with the French press and filled it almost to the top. There is a LOT of cinnamon in this and I was concerned it would need a bit more leaf. It was fine. This really smells spicy but my system craves spicy so to me it isn’t hot. Did two steeps. Actually enjoyed the second more than the first. This leaves a lot of sediment in the bottom of the cup but you have to expect that will happen. The pot still smelling strong of cinnamon I tried a third steep but it was a bit flavorless. I almost added a good quality black to give it some oomph but didn’t. It would have been tasty – note to self add more tea next time.

The difference between this and the sachet is subtle. The loose is a bit fuller and more alive. Of course this is not in a paper cup at BN. I enjoyed both but this I enjoyed more. The best part was the people stopping at my office door and asking, what’s that smell?

Continuing my tea bag extravaganza. This will be my last cup of the day. Had a diet Coke and a big lunch (they cancel each other), and would prefer to have a puerh but don’t have it in a bag and I almost never start a multi steep tea on a Friday afternoon. Can’t waste the leaf! I don’t have milk to do this right either, but full speed ahead. This brews up dark and clear (not cloudy). Hot it is a bit peppery and not as full flavored as the aroma suggests. I think I am expecting it to be Constant Comment. The cooler the cup the more flavor it develops. I am not a chai drinker so I don’t know if this is a good example or bad. All I know is I enjoyed it.