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TTTTB

With a name like Smaug this tea was far too tempting…I decided I had to have a cup as a companion for my first set of physics problems. The ingredients were a bit strange, to say the least, but I had high hopes.

And this is a very odd tea. It’s richly smoky – like standing near a campfire – and there’s an underlying spice and sweetness…it tastes rather like kissing a dragon would, if one were into such things.

It also tastes remarkably like my tin of Huber’s Shoe Grease smells – a little of smoke and an almost maple syrup note – and lingers on my tongue in a very strange manner.

I think I’m enjoying it enough to finish the cup, but not enough to make another one. Into the swap bin it goes, I’m afraid.

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I really wish I liked this tea…but the flavour just hits a wrong note with my palate. It comes across rather generically fruity and – although not unpleasant – just doesn’t bring me enough joy to even finish the cup.

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Gods, this is just what I needed after an almost 5mi run at 0700 today…it’s full-bodied like an assam, but without the lingering astringency and bitterness that I often run into. Two tsps of sugar and a splash of whole milk served to mellow the brew out nicely and it made a perfect accompaniment to watching Terra Nova and responding to emails.

[1/2 tsp matcha + 8 oz (ish) of cold whole milk + 2 tsp raw sugar + handful of ice cubes]

I really, really want to like this matcha, but there’s something about how the chocolate comes across that’s just a little unpleasant. When compared to the caramel or french vanilla I’m afraid this one just falls a bit flat.

So it’s tasty, but not a favourite.

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This is another tea I wasn’t quite prepared for…I was expecting a roastier oolong and more of a citrus flavour. What I got instead reminds me quite a bit of the Sleepytime bagged tea that I used to have as a child.

With that said, though, there are lemon and honey notes that are really delicious and the oolong is a delightful base. I’m not sure I like it enough to buy it for regular drinking, but it’d be good to have on hand for the next time I wind up with a head cold.

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Man, I cannot figure this tea out. I want to think of this as a sweet black mix, but there are definite chai-ish – maybe assam? – notes that leave it all astringent and almost unpleasant.

Despite my best efforts, I didn’t manage to finish the cup…so this one won’t be in my cupboard any time soon.

1tsp Caramel Oolong (Della Terra) + 1.5tsp Da Hong Pao (Teavire) [after one steep] + 1tsp raw sugar for 2min at 185F

And oh my gods, this is a very good mix…the da hong pao adds a smooth and rather comforting depth to the sweetness and smokiness of the caramel oolong that’s completely amazing. It’s a damn shame that this was the last of my da hong pao, as this is something I would absolutely mix again (and again and again).

Time to buy more of both these delicious teas, I think.

TTBC Rd2

Bah…for some reason my earlier note didn’t come through.

Good tea – very mellow with interestingly layered lime flavour that was just as nice in the second cup as it was in the first. Thus far I approve of the tea and I’ll definitely be considering adding some into my next order.

TTBC Rd2

Doing this one from memory, also, since my computer was being a PITA this weekend.

Not tasty. The mint was simultaneously watery and overbearing and the other flavours weren’t able to hold their own at all. The tea base came across as more bitter than anything else and it wasn’t all that fun to finish out the cup.

TTBC Rd2

The internet ate my first – elegantly crafted – note, so I’m doing this one from memory.

This tea is reminiscent of Marshmallow Treat, but has a bit of added depth from the chocolate bits that I find really enticing. Overall I have to say that I like it a little better than the Marshmallow Treat and it’ll probably replace that blend in future orders.