tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43535829794449364232024-03-13T02:32:12.714-07:00Alys's Tea PartyAlyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.comBlogger253125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-26031983000622063392023-03-27T18:04:00.002-07:002023-03-27T18:04:40.830-07:00Friday Afternoon Tea's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang<p> A friend sent me a sample of the <a href="https://www.fridaytea.com/products/kiss-kiss-bang-bang" target="_blank">Kiss Kiss Bang Bang</a> blend by <a href="https://www.fridaytea.com/" target="_blank">Friday Afternoon Tea</a>. Friday Afternoon Tea is a self-described "small family owned, geeky-themed tea company." They have really cool stuff and I'm delighted to get the chance to review one of their blends.</p><p>Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a blend of black teas infused with pine smoke. It's one of their "fandom blends" -- in this case, it's inspired by the Supernatural TV show.</p><p>I'm not sure how one infuses pine smoke into tea, but they did it. When brewed, there's a definite pine scent interlaced with the tea scent. It tastes like good quality, slightly smoky black tea with a gentle pine tree aftertaste, like the equivalent of tasting the smell of a Christmas tree. It's not the taste of pine. It's the taste of the scent of pine, if that makes any sense at all. I think this tea would appeal to people who like Russian Caravan-style teas or Lapsang Souchong.</p><p>For the second cup I made out of the sample, I experimented putting a little bit of honey in the brew. Nope. Sweetening the tea managed to kill off what makes the tea unique. It became just a basic black tea, albeit of good quality.</p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-80454033072361165752023-03-01T13:08:00.004-08:002023-03-01T13:08:34.338-08:00Old Barrel Tea's Prickly Pear<p> I generally do not like rooibos, so I am pleasantly delighted by how much I enjoy <a href="https://oldbarreltea.com/products/prickly-pear?_pos=1&_sid=3b343a702&_ss=r" target="_blank">Old Barrel Tea's Prickly Pear</a> tea, which I received as a gift from friends.</p><p>Ingredients: green rooibos, sencha green tea, hibiscus, pear pieces, safflower, and natural flavors</p><p>Brew Instructions: "1 - 2 teaspoons in 8 oz of hot water for 5 minutes" </p><p>The company doesn't specify what temperature of water is "hot" so I've tried brewing the tea at both boiling (212°F) and short of boiling (185°F). I can't detect a meaningful difference in flavor.</p><p>The brew is a tiny bit fruity and very slightly tart, with a citrus-like note sort of like a sweet grapefruit. I've never eaten an actual prickly pear, so for all I know this is how they taste. I couldn't imagine adding sweetener to this flavor, so I haven't experimented with sugar or honey. It's enough all by itself. I like drinking it as a palate cleanser after I've eaten something with strong flavors. It's easy and refreshing.</p><p>I give his tea a wholly unexpected A grade.</p><p><br /></p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-23491966298491211002023-01-19T15:10:00.000-08:002023-01-19T15:10:23.029-08:00Adagio's Casablanca Mint<p>Adagio's <a href="https://www.adagio.com/black/casablanca_twist.html" target="_blank">Casablanca Mint</a> bills itself as a spin on the traditional Moroccan Mint, only using Darjeeling black in place of gunpowder green. Given that I love Moroccan Mint, I wanted to give this a try.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>Package says: Black Tea | Moderate caffeine | Steep at 180°F for 2 minutes</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>Ingredients: peppermint leaves, darjeeling sungma summer tea, spring darjeeling tea</p></blockquote><p>Sungma summer darjeeling is supposed to have a slightly sugary grape note, like white wine.</p><p>Well, I accidentally brewed it for 3 minutes because Lucy, my housemate's cat who is weirdly fond of me, was being particularly cute and distracting. Let's see if that matters.</p><p>It's a good minty black but nothing spectacular. It's got that refreshing mouth feel of a high-quality peppermint blend. The darjeeling is there, but doesn't seem to be doing a lot other than supporting the peppermint. I'm not getting the supposed white wine notes but that could be because I am recovering from being sick and/or that extra minute of brewing amped up the mint. Honestly, I like the bite of a Moroccan Mint a bit better.</p><p> I will defintely brew again paying more attention to the timer and less to feline cuteness. </p><p>Test #2 yielded better results. Keeping the brew down to two minutes yields a slightly different mint/black balance, but I'm still not getting that alleged white wine flavor. I added about a teaspoon of amber sugar and that's the only sweetness for me. Again, a solid minty black, but nothing spectacular.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /></p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-37229382403888162552023-01-18T12:07:00.000-08:002023-01-18T12:07:01.000-08:00Adagio's Candy Cane Black TeaI've been crushing candy canes and pouring them into tea since at least high school age. In college, this particular hit of sugar and caffeine got me through many a winter final exam. Therefore, when my sampler pack gave me <a href="https://www.adagio.com/flavors/candy_cane.html" target="_blank">Adagio's Candy Cane</a> black tea, I looked forward to seeing what they'd do with the idea.<div><br /></div><div>Ingredients: Black Tea, Candy Cane Pieces, Natural Candy Cane Flavor & Peppermint Leaves</div><div><br /></div><div>Brewing Instructions: Steep at 212° for 3 minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whelp, it's exactly what it says on the tin. I'm not sure what "natural candy cane flavor" is apart from sugar and some sort of mint. It's a mystery.</div><div><br /></div><div>The tea is good, very minty, with a bit of sweetness that is just enough for me but likely not enough for those who like sweetened tea. It doesn't need the full 3 minute brew - I find closer to 2 minutes to be a better balance of mint and tea. The 3 minute steep puts the mint level higher than I prefer. </div><div><br /></div><div>The real question is whether it's better than just crushing candy canes into tea I already have in the house. Not really. It's equally as good, but that also probably depends on the quality of your tea and your candy canes. The main advantage of going with this brew is that both the tea quality and the candy cane quality seem to be high. And it's a bit less sticky to clean out of your cup.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd rate this good enough to spend money on once a year.</div>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-795023032049931812023-01-17T15:08:00.001-08:002023-01-17T15:08:26.477-08:00Adagio's Cinnamon Vanilla Black Tea<p> I got SO MUCH TEA for the holidays, including a whole lot of samplers from different companies. So, off I go to start reviewing.</p><p>Today's tea is, unfortunately, a straight up disappointment. Cinnamon + vanilla sounds like a great idea, doesn't it? No so much in the execution. I brewed it per the package directions at 212° F for 3 minutes, using my lovely little tea timer hourglasses that were also a Christmas present (using a gift card from my sister). It was utterly unremarkable. I barely tasted cinnamon, much less anything resembling vanilla. It was bland. </p><p>Now, my first worry these days when I don't taste something is to go take a COVID test. But fortunately I had some very delicately flavored marzipan easily to hand, so I ate some of that to see if I could taste it and yep, tasted exactly like it is supposed to taste. Having confirmed that the problem isn't in my taste buds, I can only blame the tea. </p><p>It doesn't appear that this tea is generally available. Apparently it's only part of the sampler pack I was gifted. So it looks like y'all have dodged a bullet. However, should it become available, I can't recommend it.</p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-51066149492969982442022-11-20T10:19:00.002-08:002022-11-20T10:19:19.982-08:00Harney & Sons' Tower of London<p> If I had to pick one and only one flavored black to drink for the rest of my life (the horror!), it would be Harney & Sons' <a href="https://www.harney.com/products/tower-of-london?variant=35000633734" target="_blank">Tower of London</a> blend. </p><p>Ingredients: Black tea, oolong tea, vanilla, black currant, caramel flavors, bergamot oil, honey flavor.</p><p>First of all, as someone who is not the biggest fan of bergamot, let me assure the rest of my bergamot-haters out there that I cannot taste it in this tea AT ALL.</p><p>What I get from this tea is the black currant and the honey, with just a shade of vanilla. There is the tiniest bit of natural sweetness. Before I looked at the ingredient label, I would have said there was black cherry of some kind in here too, but there isn't. It's dark, subtle with its flavoring and still tastes like good black tea more than anything else. All of the flavors come together into a truly elegant mix. I have never found another tea quite like it. </p><p>The instructions call for a 5-minute steep and it definitely wants that long. The few times I've gotten called away and left the tea bag in, I have come back to a strong brew but never a bitter one. Those who like sweetener or milk in their tea tell me it holds up to both admirably.</p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-77239985175741663212022-11-17T17:47:00.002-08:002022-11-18T16:33:33.659-08:00Harney & Sons' Capri<p><a href="https://www.harney.com/" target="_blank"> Harney & Sons</a> is one of my all-around favorite tea blenders. I've never had a bad tea blend from them. I'm pleased to say their <a href="https://www.harney.com/collections/all/products/capri?variant=29494424966" target="_blank">Capri</a> blend continues the trend.</p><p>It's billed as "Reminiscent of Isola di Capri in Italy, Capri combines dried figs, tart lemon, with a hint of vanilla. A wonderful naturally flavored black tea just as miraculous at the coastal scenes from the island!"</p><p>Ingredients: Black tea, lemon peel, dried figs, fig flavor, vanilla flavor, lemon flavor. Contains natural flavors. </p><p>The aroma in the tin is very subtle, mostly tea. The Harney website suggests a 5-minute steep, which is long for a black, but they've never steered me wrong before. </p><p>The 5-minute steep turns out to be just about right. Brewed for that length, I can taste the lemon and fig notes very lightly amid the good quality black tea. Brewed for a shorter time, those notes disappear entirely. Don't get me wrong, this is good tea. It tastes good, very bright. But those specific individual flavor notes mentioned in the write-up are hard to discern. </p><p>This tea stands up for second brewing, also very good, also featuring a nice blend of the flavors with no particular note standing out more than any other.</p><p>I need to play around with this tea a little bit. Maybe honey. Maybe different kinds of honey. Hmmm.</p><p><br /></p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-52656140591363867282022-11-14T12:46:00.001-08:002022-11-14T12:46:09.102-08:00Adagio's April in Paris<p> A spring-themed tea seems odd for this time of year, but it's a new release and incorporates some of my favorite flavors, so here we are. <a href="https://www.adagio.com/" target="_blank">Adagio</a> Teas can be very very good or very very mediocre, depending on the blend, so let's see what this one turns out to be.</p><p>April in Paris bills itself as "black and oolong teas, with sweet pomegranate, vanilla, and light touches of bergamot and caramel flavors." I'm not sure what makes this particularly Parisian, but whatever. Opening the sample package, I'm smacked in the face by a sugary caramel smell that reminds me immediately of Kraft caramels at Halloween. This is not entirely a good memory - that much sweetness makes my teeth hurt.</p><p>Instructions say brew at 212 F for 3 minutes, and I did that. I'm starting out brewing it straight - no sugar, no milk, no honey, etc. Yes, 2.5-3 minutes is exactly the right steep. I fumbled the timing on the first cup and ruined it by brewing it too long.</p><p>Even without tea, the brew is slightly sweet. It's neither fruity nor caramel-y, but the bergamot is definitely right there and the vanilla is bringing up the rear. Putting honey in it brings out the caramel and the pomegranate somewhat more. The bergamot is pushed back to the aftertaste, but not far enough. </p><p>I wish this blend balanced better. There's so many flavor notes, but the bergamot is bullying them all. Bergamot is an asshole. I think the tea would be better without any bergamot at ALL. Pomegranate, vanilla and caramel would be more than enough.</p><p>I'm going to give this one a B- for a great idea but a very meh execution. It's not BAD. It's simply not all it could be. </p><p>I may experiment blending this tea with a strong vanilla tea and find out what happens.</p><p><br /></p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-87934241647565731742022-11-05T11:54:00.008-07:002022-11-06T07:19:25.955-08:00Tea & Absinthe's The Road So Far<p><a href="https://www.teaandabsinthe.com/" target="_blank"> Tea & Absinthe</a> does "geeky teas" and tea-related products, including many teas inspired by TV shows. I've reviewed a few of their Dr. Who-themed teas before. If you know anything about me and my guilty TV pleasures, you know I'm a huge fan of the show Supernatural and therefore had to try their <a href="https://www.teaandabsinthe.com/tea/road-so-far-supernatural-inspired-fandom-tea" target="_blank">The Road So Far</a> blend, inspired by the show. </p><p>Ingredients: Black tea, brittle pieces (sugar, hazelnuts, invert sugar), maple flavoring, blackberries, blackberry leaves</p><p>There are visible chunks of brittle as well as full dried blackberries in the tea blend which is always a good sign. I went for a 3.5 minute steep, although Tea & Absinthe's website says it can be steeped up to 5 minutes. </p><p>It's got a tiny bit of a smokey aroma to start, sort of like carmelizing maple syrup. I'm not a huge fan of maple unless it's done exactly right, so I'm a little dubious, but willing to give it a try. That slightly smokey quality carries over into the brewed tea. It's nowhere near as smokey as a gunpowder or lapsang souchong - just the slightest hint of smoke, like a hint of burning leaves on an autumn night.</p><p>The maple flavoring comes out more strongly in the aroma than in the tea itself. When brewed, the blackberry/maple/hazelnut flavors all blend together into a single unique whole. It's not sweet at all. Autumn is a good metaphor for this tea because that's the feeling it evokes - darkness, a hint of smoke, the crackle of fallen leaves, Halloween. </p><p>I think it wants honey, so I'll update this post after I try another cup with honey in it.</p><p>Oh yes! Honey makes it all work <i><b>so</b></i> much better. I added a teaspoon of clover honey to my 12 oz cup of tea and steeped for 4.0 minutes. I liked this tea without honey, but adding honey makes all the disparate flavor elements come together so much better. The very light smokiness becomes more of an aftertaste than the front and center quality it was without the honey. The blackberry notes are enhanced. The honey makes the maple and brittle notes rounder. </p><p>I'm going to call this a B+ tea without the honey, but an A- tea with.</p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-29246854017592314092022-11-05T11:34:00.001-07:002022-11-05T11:34:08.402-07:00Here we go again!<p> After many requests, I'm going to give regular blogging about tea another try. So watch this space for upcoming tea reviews, tea shop reviews, and general info about all things tea and tea-related.</p><p><br /></p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-38678276585409215722020-11-03T16:35:00.002-08:002020-11-03T16:35:28.170-08:00Tea Tasting: Tea Forte's Orchid Vanilla<p> There are shades of vanilla flavoring -- sometimes it's floral, sometimes it's warm and honey-toned like sugar cookies. <a href="https://www.teaforte.com/store/gourmet-tea/orchid-vanilla/">Tea Forte's Orchid Vanilla</a> tends towards the floral, but it's not so flowery that it becomes unpleasant. It put me in mind of the orchid gardens in Hawaii. The black tea underneath the vanilla is good and rich, supplying a satisfying base for the vanilla. It's not my favorite vanilla tea, but it's very very good and warms my soul as we slide towards the cold time of year. I recommend it as a worthy A- tea.</p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-32561910767025727482020-09-16T10:59:00.004-07:002020-09-17T09:46:23.411-07:00Tea & Absinthe's Elixir of Wisdom (Ravenclaw)<p> The <a href="https://www.teaandabsinthe.com/geekytea/ravenclaw-tea">Elixir of Wisdom (Ravenclaw)</a> from Tea & Absinthe is a black Ceylon tea with mallow petals, jasmine petals, lychee pieces. It doesn't have a particularly strong aroma or flavor apart from the tea. The jasmine presents itself as a slight aftertaste. For me, that's all to the good because I don't like a heavy hand with jasmine. If there's lychee in here, I don't taste it at all or get any sweetness out of it. Overall, the tea is pleasant but unremarkable. A solid B tea.</p><p>I've finished the sample that was sent to me and, while it was a nice enough morning drink on the first cool day of September, I'm unlikely to order it again.</p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-32759508457342203452020-09-06T13:54:00.010-07:002020-09-06T13:55:32.865-07:00Guest Review: The Making of a Minty Franken-Tea<p>Today's guest review is from my friend Lilie:</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I like iced teas when it's warm out, and I love a good minty iced tea. In the summer that cool flavor really helps. A few years back I discovered Inko's Hint-O-Mint unsweetened, which hit that perfect spot. White tea, with just a cool hint of mint. I could chug that forever when it's hot out. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The shelves at my local grocery have been bare of this summer treat this year (*pout pout*). I was getting pretty desperate. And desperate people often do weird things to tea.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Couple of weeks ago I stumbled across Yogi Peppermint tea. Yogi? Well - turns out the company does 'medicinal' teas - no-caffeine herbal stuff. Tasted warm, it does soothe the tummy. But I knew it was NOT going to hit that iced-tea spot I was looking for. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So what to do? My tea-shelf had the answer. A canister of The Republic of Tea plain Green Tea. Not white tea, a little stronger, but it would do. Cackling. I set the kettle to boil and put 8 of the peppermint bags in a jug with 6 of the green tea bags. Boiled water and 10 minutes later I strained out the soggy bags and put the concoction in the fridge to cool. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And it worked! Franken-tea works! Just enough of the mint, just enough of the cool, and a minor hint of tea-tang underneath. Hubby thought it was a touch too tea-bitter for him, but I said just put a drop or two of honey in and you'd have what you want. Turns out, I was right. Nyah! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, I have my minty iced tea. Until Inko's gets its act together, muhahaha! </span></p>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-67838303834601585862020-08-29T19:48:00.002-07:002020-08-29T19:48:34.937-07:00Tea and Absinthe's Starry Night Another Tea & Absinthe sample from a friend - this time it's <a href="https://www.teaandabsinthe.com/geekytea/starry-night-tea?rq=Starry%20Night">Starry Night</a>, a blend of black teas with almond and coconut. I approve of this tea, with just a few caveats.<br />
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First of all, believe the steeping time on this one. You want to steep it for 5 minutes to get the proper flavor. Otherwise the coconut and almond flavors don't come out strongly enough to distinguish it from any other good quality black. <br />
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Second of all, if you're going to use it for iced tea, either think again or double the amount of tea and triple the steep time. It doesn't hold up to icing otherwise.<br />
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Honestly, I think this one is best used for hot tea anyway. Fortunately, the weather here turned gray and cool and rainy enough that hot tea seemed like a good idea today and I was finally able to get this tea at its best. The almond and coconut flavors aren't strong. They build up and enhance the tones of the black tea. This quality comes out best when the tea is hot. (People who don't like coconut still won't like this tea, though). <br />
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This is a solid B+ tea, definitely will buy some when I finish working through the many generous tea samples people have sent me.Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-6402312089598609282020-07-31T21:49:00.000-07:002020-08-15T15:54:11.286-07:00Tea and Absinthe's TARDIS 10 teaA lovely friend sent me a number of samples, including today's <a href="https://www.teaandabsinthe.com/geekytea/tardis-10-allonsy-tea?rq=TARDIS">TARDIS 10</a> black tea from Tea and Absinthe, a geeky tea company. "TARDIS 10" is, of course, a reference to <i>Doctor Who</i> and specifically to the 10th Doctor, played by David Tennant.<br />
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TARDIS 10 is a blend of black tea flavored with coconut and banana. I was dubious about banana in tea, but you know what? It really really works. It shouldn't work. But it does, it really does. I drank it iced because it's dreadfully hot out in NJ right now, and I think it's probably best iced instead of hot. The coconut is the strongest flavor element, followed by the tea flavors, with the banana lurking in the background waving insouciantly. It's like a black tea daiquiri and I mean that in the best way possible.<br />
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I'd be careful with over-steeping this one. Two to 2.5 minutes was enough, even for icing. More than that and the tea notes are likely to get a little bitter.<br />
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I imagine this tea would work really well sweetened. I'm going to try it tomorrow with the amber sugar so that I get the brown sugar/molasses notes. I also imagine that this iced tea would work astoundingly well with rum, but someone else will have to try that experiment.<br />
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Addendum: Yep, <a href="https://www.adagio.com/pantry/amber_sugar_crystals.html">amber sugar</a> works amazingly well, and I don't even like sweet tea most of the time. I imagine <a href="https://www.intheraw.com/products#sugar-in-the-raw">Sugar in the Raw</a> would get the same flavor.<br />
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Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-9514201017487899072020-07-11T07:33:00.001-07:002020-07-11T07:33:22.978-07:00Tiesta Tea's Passion Berry JoltA new tea company to me, another fruity black tea to try for making iced tea. Tiesta Tea's <a href="https://tiestatea.com/collections/black-tea/products/passion-berry-jolt?variant=31878735724641">Passion Berry Jolt</a> is a black tea base with maté added for the "jolt" plus pieces of raspberry, pineapple and passion fruit. It's darn okay. It does, however, pack sufficient punch that a pot (3.5 glasses of iced tea) gets me through a 12-hour work day. So that's a thing.<br />
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This tea needs a right proper steep to get enough flavor to hold up to icing. Unless it's steeped for 4-5 minutes, it's largely flavorless.<br />
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The flavor is good enough. It's generically fruity, without distinct tones of any particular fruit. If I squint, I can get the pineapple and/or passion fruit. This tea isn't bad, it's simply missing something that would make it really excellent. I won't go out of my way to buy it again.Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-61920080133446088022020-07-08T04:00:00.002-07:002020-07-08T04:00:25.736-07:00Ahmad Tea's Mango Magic BlackIn the summer, I like fruity black teas to use for making iced tea. I'm very very pleased with Ahmad Tea's <a href="https://ahmadteausa.com/collections/black-tea/products/mango-magic?variant=31951257075787">Mango Magic</a> black tea for this purpose. The underlying black tea is good quality. It doesn't go bitter when I get interrupted by work and end up over-steeping it. The Ahmad Teas website says it's a Kenyan black. I've heard a lot of good things about Kenyan teas and need to try more of them.<br />
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The mango flavor is wielded with a medium hand. It's not too sweet but it is strong enough to come out in the aroma of the brew even after it's iced. Flavorwise, it definitely stands up to icing. I can taste both the tea flavors and the mango flavors distinctly. It's a summery and delightful drink, particularly welcome on gray, muggy rainy days like today. <br />
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I haven't tried the tea hot yet. It might be a little overly fruity side for drinking as hot tea.Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-28553971691889208242020-07-02T00:04:00.003-07:002020-07-02T00:04:29.497-07:00Guest Review: Adagio's Honeybush Blueberry Pancake TeaA great guest review from my good friend Karen V.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I happened to see this highlighted on Adagio's website the last time I was restocking my collection of Alys' teas (my namesake chai remains the only thing with dried coconut in it that I actually like). In a momentary departure from rationality, I bought 3oz. This... is a lot of tea. But, I really like blueberry pancakes, and for some reason it sounded really appealing at the time, even though I am not a fan of maple syrup-flavoring (real syrup is fine, but any other form factor is not).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Staying in? Pajamas on? We have just the tea for you! Juicy blueberries and the yummy taste of maple syrup blended with our naturally sweet Honeybush tea make for a delicious anytime breakfast treat. Settle in and binge watch - Honeybush Blueberry Pancake tea has you covered! (Herbal Tea | No caffeine)"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It arrived, and I looked at the size of the bag and thought, "I really hope I like this..." Then I opened the bag, and... what is that smell? It's sort of like burnt maple syrup, not in a caramelized way, but in a charred-to-a-crisp sorta way. This is not promising. It does not smell any better on subsequent sniffs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But! I will try anything once, and it was unlikely to cause me lasting harm. Besides, we all know that some teas smell and taste very differently. So, I waited until I just kind of wanted a cup of tea, not when I *needed* one, because if it was awful I didn't want to hesitate to dump it down the sink.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish I could provide an entertaining description of a spit-take, but the tea is actually quite drinkable. It tastes absolutely nothing like a blueberry pancake, with or without syrup. It doesn't really taste like rooibos, either. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but despite a good foundation in advanced math, I still can't tell you what that whole taste is. I can't pick out any descriptive words, other than "satisfying." It's drinkable, and moreover it is voluntarily drinkable. I've drunk several cups by now, and I like it. I just don't have any idea what I'm tasting. It's rather the same whether milk is added or not. I haven't tried sweetener -- it hasn't seemed to need it, and I'm a little worried it might highlight some syrupy notes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, a solid 7/10. I'll drink the whole bag, and I might even consider getting it again. Usually I go for chai-flavorings in my rooibos, and this one has a totally different flavor profile. </span>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-8501466555249140582020-06-02T10:56:00.002-07:002020-06-02T10:57:43.551-07:00Nautilus Tea Company's Cherry Bomb GreenNautilus Tea Company is a new company to me, so I was very excited to try to sample of their tea that I'd been gifted. I really quite enjoyed it and I'll be looking into more of their products.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nautilustea.com/shoptea/cherry-bomb">Cherry Bomb</a> is a green tea with cherry (duh) and rose petals. It's a wonderfully indulgent cuppa. The scent of the blend is like dried cherries (no surprise, that's a major ingredient) and, when brewed, the tea echoes that aroma. It's cherry flavor without being sweet. It reminds me of the rick black cherries that I find in farm stands around here (NJ) in mid-June. Under the cherries is a nice quality green tea that doesn't get too bitter, as some of the cheaper quality greens do.<br />
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Although there are rose petals in the tisane, I don't get any rose or floral notes in the tea. If you're someone who likes sweetener in your tea, I imagine this would handle sugar or honey nicely. <br />
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Coming off a couple of gray and rainy days here, this was a wonderful, summery treat.Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-52966099257301412332020-05-02T12:36:00.003-07:002020-05-02T12:36:59.941-07:00Harney & Sons Royal Palace TeaHaving finished off some boxes/tins of existing tea, I was able to crack open my tin of Harney & Sons' <a href="https://www.harney.com/products/royal-palace?variant=12505013223495">Royal Palace Tea</a> today. It's a solidly good, but not amazing, blend of black tea with lemon and grapefruit notes. (No bergamot, which is good because I'm still recovering from my last unfortunate run-in with bergamot earlier this week.)<br />
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The lemon flavor isn't too heavy and the grapefruit tone makes a nice change from the usual citrus teas. Even when I accidentally over-steeped (15 minutes!) a cup, the tea didn't become bitter and the citrus flavors didn't become overly sweet or cloying. That's a sign of good quality blending. This tea will appeal to people who like the "Lady Grey" blends. It doesn't blow my doors off, but it's a fine quality tea worth drinking.Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-29783363578518690612020-04-28T11:38:00.005-07:002020-06-02T11:29:53.464-07:00Teadrops' Rose Earl GreyA wonderful friend[1] send me some packages from <a href="http://teadrops.com/">teadrops.com</a> The site describes its product thusly:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tea Drops are organic, pressed teas that dissolve in hot water. Think a bath bomb, but it's tea and 20% less waste than a tea bag. Tea Drops are made with actual tea leaves, spices, and lightly sweetened with organic cane sugar.</span><br />
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I am . . . dubious about the concept. I am concerned that I'm looking at slightly dressed up powdered iced tea mix circa 1977. But hey, it could work.<br />
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Today, I tried the <a href="https://www.myteadrop.com/products/rose-earl-grey?_pos=1&_sid=d9fdc8547&_ss=r">Rose Earl Grey</a> and, unfortunately, I must report total and utter tea fail. It can best be described as drinking hot potpourri, or what I imagine it would feel like if an entire aisle of Bath & Body Works invaded my mouth. The bergamot is too far heavy, the rose is too chemically, and the sweetening is overpowering. "Lightly sweetened" my ass. Plus, this tea brew is grainy. I've consumed a fair number of tea leaves in my tea-drinking life, but grainy tea? It's not supposed to be grainy.<br />
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I now have half a cup of this dreck on my desk and I'm wondering what to do with it.<br />
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Hmmm. I wonder how it would taste if I cut this hot mess 50/50 with unsweetened strong back tea.<br />
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A few minutes later: mixing the teadrop brew 50/50 with very strong black tea (Twinings Darjeeling) makes the whole thing drinkable. It dials down both the sweetness and the overwhelming bergamot. The rose tones are still too artificial for me. However, it's drinkable enough that if there are any more these drops in the box, I know how to make them acceptable caffeine delivery devices.<br />
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If you like sweet tea, this "teadrop" is going to work so much better for you than it did for me. Fundamentally, I want my tea to taste primarily like tea. This didn't.<br />
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<b>June 1, 2020: </b>A mix of the teadrop plus 2 plain black tea bags plus 1300 ml of water makes a very acceptable iced tea blend.<br />
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[1] The awfulness of this tea is in no way a reflection on the wonderfulness of the person who sent it to me. She's great.<br />
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<br />Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-18619691928404318362020-04-25T16:34:00.001-07:002020-04-28T23:25:20.194-07:00Harney & Sons' Boston blendThe <a href="https://www.harney.com/products/boston?variant=29490391942">Boston</a> blend is one of Harney & Sons' newer teas. I'm pleased to report that it's excellent.<br />
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This is a caffeinated black tea with flavors of cranberry, almond and vanilla. When brewed, the aroma is vanilla and almond and tea. But the flavor puts all of these individual elements together into a very interesting, tasteful whole. It's got a bare hint of smokiness and a taste that somehow manages to read in my mouth as "wood-paneled library with antique leather couches." If Harvard or Trinity Church had a taste, it would be this.<span style="font-size: x-small;">[1]</span><br />
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OK, so what does this really mean? It means that, if I swish the tea around my mouth a bit, I can find the distinct notes of cranberry and vanilla. The almond is in there somewhere but it seems to be bolstering up the other flavors rather than raising its own flag. It's definitely not a sweet or fruity tea.<br />
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I really like it quite a lot and I'll be buying more when my sample runs out. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go listen to <i>The Cars</i><span style="font-size: x-small;">[2]</span> for a while.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1] As a Harvard Law grad, I highly recommend *against* licking anything at Harvard to see how it tastes. Up to and including professors. I was only in Trinity Church twice during all my time in Boston -- I can't say if they're more open to being licked.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2] Yes, they're from Boston. (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cars">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cars</a>) And I like them way more than Aerosmith.</span>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-66888693887374194802020-04-07T11:32:00.002-07:002020-04-07T11:32:57.899-07:00Tea Forte treats its customers rightAs my readers know, I was none too fond of Tea Forte's Black Cherry tea and I posted my negative review to their website.<br />
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Yesterday I was e-mailed by Hizkia Larranaga, a "Customer Experience" person at Tea Forte, with the following message:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are so sorry to hear you did not enjoy our Black Cherry blend. We will be more than happy to send you a Loose Tea Canister of a different blend that you would like to try, or if you prefer we can refund the amount for the item</span>.<br />
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I wrote back saying that a refund or replacement was not necessary because I'd only gotten 3 single serving pouches of the Black Cherry in a sampler pack through Amazon. I assured them that every other tea I've gotten through Tea Forte (including everything else in that sampler pack) has been excellent, so I am not about to stop buying their product. (Plus, I drink weird teas that I don't necessarily like all the time because of this blog.)<br />
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Today, Tea Forte gave me a $10 credit on my account anyway.<br />
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So, to Tea Forte and Hizkia Larranaga I say a heartfelt "thank you." Your customer service has always been great to me and this exchange reinforces my positive impression.<br />
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<br />Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-48329165885017636252020-04-03T09:57:00.002-07:002020-04-03T09:57:42.509-07:00Tea Forte's Mountain OolongTea Forte's <a href="https://www.teaforte.com/store/gourmet-tea/oolong-tea/mountain-oolong-tea/">Mountain Oolong tea</a> is a nice, light and fruity oolong, very fitting for spring. The aroma of the leaves before brewing is quite pleasant - a little orange, a little peach, a little tea -- and makes for a nice surprise out of the tin/bag. The tea also does not disappoint. It's bright and just a little fruity, without losing the underlying taste of tea. The peach and orange elements play together well. It reminds me a little of the "Lady Grey" type teas, where they dial back the bergamot from the standard Earl Grey blends, but the fruit elements aren't as strong as even that. I wouldn't want to add anything to this. It's balanced just right and sweetening it would kill it.<br />
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If you like Adagio's Peach Ooolong, you'll probably like this, although it's not as strongly peach as the Adagio one.<br />
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<br />Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353582979444936423.post-75864651852368389882020-03-28T16:33:00.002-07:002020-03-28T16:33:17.636-07:00Guest Review: Republic of Tea Downton Abbey Estate blendA guest review from Erika M.! Many thanks to her for this!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the release of the movie in 2019 came a new round of <i>Downton Abbey</i> teas from Republic of Tea, now famous among Downton fans for their character based blends. </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(Note from Alys - I love their English Rose blend and reviewed it here: <a href="https://alysteaparty.blogspot.com/2014/03/tea-tasting-republic-of-teas-downton.html">https://alysteaparty.blogspot.com/2014/03/tea-tasting-republic-of-teas-downton.html</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.republicoftea.com/downton-abbey-estate-blend-tea-bags/p/v20209/#V20209">Downtown Abbey Estate Blend</a> features the Dowager Countess taking tea on the lawn on the label and names itself for the great estate itself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My usual method for drinking Earl Grey is with a little sugar and milk. This holds up beautifully to that treatment. The tea brews nicely from its signature round stringless teabag. It is light for an Earl Grey, and lighter on the bergamot than some in favor of a strong warm vanilla, but the bergamot is there, don’t worry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first exposure to Earl Grey (that I liked) was in Ireland- drinking a cuppa very quickly as we got ready to leave each day on an outing. It was wonderful, and this tea brought me directly back across the pond. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would absolutely recommend this blend to all lovers of Earl Grey! I was afraid it was only available during the days of the traveling exhibit, but I am thrilled to find it is available on their website. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For Alys's opinion of the same tea (albeit from 2016) see <a href="https://alysteaparty.blogspot.com/2016/03/tea-tasting-republic-of-teas-downton.html">https://alysteaparty.blogspot.com/2016/03/tea-tasting-republic-of-teas-downton.html</a></span>Alyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02239819724811424928noreply@blogger.com0