Always Drink Tea
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A free sample from Teavivre. The leaves are powdery and smell of leather and hazelnut.
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Provided by Epi Tea as a pre-release sample.
Definitely a chai I’d recommend at night time, or on a rainy day. It lives up to its descriptor of ‘serene!’
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Brightly colored, this green and black blend smells deliciously tropical. Orange, mango and hibiscus scents abound.
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I bought the pyramid wrapped version of this at my local Shaws, but it comes in loose form as well. The first whiff out of the bag is all peach. Tasting it, it’s mainly a peach-scented black tea with hints of heat from the ginger.
I haven’t tasted it getting bitter, though, and that’s always a plus for me with teabags. I only use teabags when I’m in a hurry or otherwise occupied, and it’s nice that I don’t have to babysit this.
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Breaking out the fine china! Partly because it’s nice to use it once in awhile… partly because I’m too lazy to do the dishes.
This is spicy. It’s definitely got a kick from the ginger and cardamom, but a little milk and ice and it’s delicious cold.
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In Defense of the Tea Budget -
Sent as a pre-release sample from Kyle at Epi Tea.
I have a soft spot in my heart for Irish Breakfasts. I first started drinking tea in April of 2010 when I went to Ireland, and we had tea with everything. I remember strongly one night in a pub in Doolin where we sat there and drank pot after pot and listened to live music. It was one of the best nights of the whole trip.
First off, this is beautiful. Just look at that color. It’s also very smooth. I don’t feel the need to add milk or sugar. It has such a bright flavor to it, with just a hint of malt at the end. Definitely one I’ll be ordering when their store officially launches!
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This tea sachet graciously provided to me as a pre-release sample from Epi Tea.
This is a bit of a disappointment after yesterday’s Berry Rooibos. I can’t help but compare the two in my head, and all I taste in this is the rooibos, not the blood orange, even after steeping for 10+ minutes.
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This was provided to me as a pre-release sample from Epi Tea, a new company.
This is well-done red rooibos. The berry is tart without being overly so. The rooibos isn’t especially cloying. I wish there was a bit more tea in the bag so it would steep a bit more quickly, but all in all it’s a solid offering.
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Adagio sent me a little pyramid bag of this with the utiliTEA I ordered as a “surving finals” present for myself. I broke it apart so it’d last longer :)
I only got about three steeps out of this because I got distracted and let the water cool, but those three were fantastic, with malty, chocolaty notes. I can’t wait to try it again!
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A first steep, so the leaves still haven’t fully expanded. The rock mineral taste in this is fabulous.
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I’m loving how mellow this is - it’s very smooth and mild.
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I love this tea. It’s light and bright and lingers sweetly on the tongue.
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I’m repeatedly being underwhelmed by David’s green teas. This one is decent, with vegetal top notes and a lingering sweetness, but it’s not fantastic.
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Monkey Picked (Ma Liu Mie) Tie Guan Yin
First off, let me thank Teavivre for such a generous sample of this! Secondly, it’s delicious. On the first few steeps, there’s a roasted scent which prevails, and around steep 3 or 4 it starts fading to something much more sweet and buttery. A tea to savor.
