296 Tasting Notes
Tippy’s version of The people’s tea is a nice a simple blend. I like that they use a jade/lightly oxidized oolong in this blend! A lot of other blends that I have tried use a darker oolong or no oolong at all (Could it really be called a true Russian Caravan then?)
The tea unfolds in the prettiest way in my glass gaiwan. It’s teas like theses that remind me why I still use that thing :P The color is clear, and a ochre brown. The tea is quite fragrant, in and out of the cup. While the smoke flavor of the lapsang is strong on the dry nose, I am happy to confirm that it is not strong in the subsequent brews. It is however, the flavor that stays with the tea the longest. The oolong gives it the thick mouthfeel and the sultry floral aroma. I don’t know, but the combination of masculine Smokey flavors and feminine floral flavors get me every time.
This was a delightful classic blend of teas done well. It goes really good with any fantasy novel! :P
Flavors: Fruit Tree Flowers, Smoke, Wet wood
Preparation
This is one of Stacy’s recent reblends after closing up shop. I can’t believe i am the first to review this tea! When I saw that this was a white blend, I was ever so slightly worried. There are some strong flavors in this blend. Heavy winter flavors like coffee and pumpkin?
However, I cast my fears aside from the first sip. Wowza! This is a sexy and smooth blend. It tastes so right with her Kenyan Silver needles. The pumpkin flakes were a nice touch. I loved how the coffee flavor was not astringent nor bitter. I’m feeling the smoothness and richness from an espresso with that flavor. The butterscotch ties both the pumpkin and the coffee together. It really is like a better pumpkin latte! From the four western steepings I got from this tea, the coffee flavor stayed the longest. The butterscotch was a close second, I lost it around the third steeping. The pumpkin flakes only graced my tongue for the first steeping, then became a whisper in the second. The brew was so velvety smooth that I could not have cared any other way. I enjoyed it with a white chocolate kit Kat that I had calling my name. I felt the same creamy smoothness in the candy bar as I did with this tea.
Can you believe that this is my first Butiki tea? I am so sad to have found them too late.
Stacy, you are a master. I wish you only the best with wherever life takes you.
Flavors: Butterscotch, Espresso, Pumpkin, White Chocolate
Preparation
The sticky stuff used to glue these suckers together in the advent calendar box was so strong that two of the three teas I had left to try were hopelessly stuck together. I carelessly tugged too hard to get them apart, and both this tea as well as Tranquil Spa blend ripped and made a mess on the floor. :(
This was my first ever tea advent calendar! This was so much fun to open up every morning and explore each coppery foil pouch.
I recommend this advent calendar for tea newbies especially. They had a lot of straight blends that everyone worth their weight in Long Jing should try at least once. The variety is isn’t as broad as I would have liked, but the new tea that they unveiled were usually on the mark. I really liked all of their new spa blends. I don’t know if I would buy any of their other teas though.
About the packaging: I would probably try a different way of packaging all the samples together. The little sticky glue squares were too strong and stuck to EVERYTHING. A couple of my samples got stuck together somehow, and I ended up tearing them apart and getting tea all over the place. (Sorry, Detox mint)
Thanks Teanzo, for letting me try all of your interesting teas!
I agree with you about the glue dots. I know why they used them but I think they should have maybe opted for some double stick tape that wouldn’t have gotten everywhere. It would have been easier to remove from the box (and it probably wouldn’t have been as difficult to tear the samples apart!)
But I loved the little coppery packages, they were fun and made it a little more ‘gifty’ in a way. I also thought the box was beautiful and it was a good box for a beginner. I would have liked more ‘teas’ and fewer herbals. But overall, I was very happy to have this box and it was fun tasting with you.
I’ve been avoiding green tea for awhile, only because it’s not something I really crave in the winter. But I have been dying to try this tea and I figured, “Oh what the hell. Why not?”
I am glad I decided to try something different than what I have been drinking lately. This was like the complete opposite of Christmas in July. July in Christmas? Nope. Not the same ring to it. Drinking this just transported me to a breezy summer afternoon. It’s carefree and fresh af. I loved how it smelled, especially. There is nothing I love more than the fresh, vegetal smell of dry green tea. I think I may like it more than the actual brew. The bright, deep green of the dry leaves got brighter and brighter green as I steeped these leaves. They were especially friendly, I was able to get 5 long steeps in my large (150ml) gaiwan. I got a light and bright infusion of lima beans, vegetable broth and lemongrass in each infusion. The liquor was thinner in my mouth than the unctuous darker teas I have been craving like mad lately. Coming from BTTC, I felt like this was more of a quasi-oolong than a green tea, because of it fragrance and infusion durability. And that, is the very shit I like. I can’t wait to revisit this tea in the summer!
Flavors: Hay, Lima Beans, Sweet, warm grass, Vegetable Broth
Preparation
The last day of Teanzo’s Advent Calendar! I don’t know why they chose this particular blend for the finale of their advent calendar. It did not make me feel particularly Christmas-y. I saw the back of this package and the disappointment set in. If there was any candy flavoring that I hated most as a child, it was cherry. I almost didn’t want to drink this at all. But I had gone this far, so…
I did. And it wasn’t bad.
That being said, I mean not bad as in, ‘it could have been worse.’ It was a subdued flavor of cherry. More like … cherry flavored yogurt. The black tea base was the saving grace, as it was bold and robust. It tried it’s best to hide the medicinal cherry flavor. It did a good job for the most part. Too bad. Maybe if they switched day 1 with day 24, it would have ended more festively.
Thanks Teanzo for the crazy ride!
Flavors: Cherry
Preparation
Merry Christmas! This is one of the many teas I got in Tippy’s Sampler Pack. I tried this one first because of it’s festive name. Drinking an Estate tea from the North Pole? Genius. The dry leaf smells like raspberry fudge. I get a hint of spice that takes me on to the first sip. It’s not so much raspberry fudge that I get on the fist couple sips, but more of a tart spiced cider. The base tea is really good too. It’s strong and malty, with molasses notes. It complements the flavorings so well.
I made a nice pot to share with everyone while we opened presents. It lasted through three steeping before losing any of it’s cheery character. Thanks Tippy’s tea!
Flavors: Anise, Apple, Cinnamon, Ginger, Malt, Molasses
