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Can’t say I was very impressed with this Bai Mu Dan, which is too bad because the dry leaves looked and smelled incredibly lovely. The aroma was full-on “grape”, not just a hint of grape – bold. That trait, however, only translated partially to the taste; a flavor I liken to smoked vegetables by way of melons. I don’t think I over-brewed this, for I was well within the steeping parameters. It just wasn’t my usual cuppa. Still on the decent side, though.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/09/review-silk-road-teas-white-peony/

Is this a sophisticate’s dream tea; a connoisseur’s complicated cup? No. But the title is alliterative, and it’s damn easy to prepare. Both desired traits in a sniffly writer. This is my go-to “Sniffles Blend”. In fact, if I had a vote, I would call it Sniffles Blend. However, Mint Medley sounds much prettier. It has all the lemoniness, mintiness and awesomeness to help me BREATHE again. And it tastes good. I am forever a fan, snobbery be damned.

I only had a one-shot of this – alas – so I could only try it as a tea, which is too bad because this just screams, “Latte me NOW!” Oh well, c’est la vie. As a tea, I still think it holds up where it should. It’s a guilty pleasure without the guilt part. Subtleties escape me in describing the flavor because there really aren’t that many. It’s all chocolate and hazelnut like its moniker declares.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/07/review-tea-forte-hazelnut-truffle-2/

If I only had one nitpick it would be that the black tea base doesn’t appear to be of high quality. As with a lot of dessert teas, I found it quite bitter on the forefront. That said, it does what it sets out to do.

I made it a point this morning to get up early and make the trek to Smith Teamaker’s brick-n-mortar shop to pick up some of this. I thought it’d be a perfect gift for my dad. Unfortunately, they were sold out of it. Luckily, they had just enough left for me to sample a pot. The black tea base was a Nuwara Eliya Ceylon given a couple months rest in a white oak whiskey barrel. The result was a bright amber liquor with a woody/smokey foretaste, a floral middle, and a winy/whiskey-like aftertaste; toasty but not bitey. This stuff is habit-forming.

Full Write-Up Here: http://www.lazyliteratus.com/1118

I actually tried this yesterday, but I had to confirm who put it out with the person who gave it to me. This is the first single estate Nilgiri I’ve ever tried, and it singlehandedly proved to me that the region gets a bum rap. This is not a low quality tea. In fact, in terms of malt, astringence and body, it could give even the heartiest of Assams a run for their money. Of course, that might be due to the way I brewed it. I wasn’t really paying attention. It was strong, port wine-like on first bite, had a dry character in the middle, but settled nicely. A wonderful surprise.

De-cupboarding the last of this that I got from Jaime. This seemed like the best time to do it. We – my brother and I – just put up the Christmas tree (well, actually, it was all him), but I did the brewing of this. However, I hogged the Santa Claus mug. Its just as foresty, minty, and Christmas-like as I remembered the first time. Perfect time o’ year for this.

This is the second Golden Monkey I’ve ever tried. I think – as a result – I might be going through a Chinese “red tea” phase. Or rather, gold tea. Golden Yunnans and Golden Monkey have overtaken all other black teas in my mind; save for Darjeelings. This Golden Monkey is no exception – sweet, nectary, mildly muscatel, light, yet revitalizing. And the best part? REALLY quick to brew. This could almost give Yunnan Golden Needles a run for their money. Almost.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/06/review-tao-tea-leaf-golden-monkey-2/

I actually mooched this off my brother. Yes, I mooched a tea off someone who’s not a tea drinker. It’s an unusual blend that doesn’t appear to be on the merchant site yet, indicating its…uh…new-ness. Or something. The one ingredient I was worried about was the lavender, but thankfully its understated. Lemongrass and fennel seem to be the dominant flavors I can identify. Overall, the effect is a good one, and it – indeed – does make you tired.

I don’t want to spend more time than I have to. I have loved the products I’ve tried from Davidson’s so far, but this was beyond reproach. It was in their holiday herbal section, and very little was said as to ingredients other than cinnamon, orange peel, hibiscus, and lemon myrtle. The result? Pure horror. Spicy swamp water. I didn’t even last five sips. Of course, my “actual” formal review will be a tad kinder and go into more specifics…but as it stands, this is the worst tea I’ve had in a very long time. “Hint of cinnamon”, my tea cup’s arse.

In hindsight – after I write the company about the ingredients used – I will revisit this to see if I hate it as much as I elaborated above. ’Til then, this stands as a “blegh”.

I’m starting to think that the existence of Yunnan Golden Buds (or Needles) is unfair to the rest of its black tea brethren. It is quite quickly becoming my favorite type of black tea. Nectar-like in its initial delivery with only a slight – but complimentary – bitterness, this amber cup has an effect on me. I started this morning in pretty foul spirits until I sipped this. This quickly relaxed me and revitalized me at the same time. Such a perk-up, no other black tea can come close to comparing.