431 Tasting Notes
Ok so seriously this is amazing. I decided on a whim that I wanted to try this cold brewed so I dug out my Ball jar and filled it with tea and cold water. I let it sit in the fridge over night and this little miracle was the result. The coconut tastes young and buttery or maybe creamy is what I am thinking but not creamy like milk. I think I am going back to saying buttery. I get a definite tang of the cheesecake, which lacked when hot. The best part is how the flavor just lingers in your mouth. Kudos, Frank!
Preparation
Wow, this one doesn’t mess around. Bold, brisk, astringent, a good slap in the face kind of tea. This is one of those teas I drink when I want something loud and in charge or if I am a girl on a mission and need a little liquid attitude. Welcome to my permenant collection. Delicious!
Preparation
Ok so I really wanted to love this and I can say with confidence that one pouch does not make 1 gallon. With this and the watermelon I followed the directions as stated and made a gallon in both cases. Unfortunately, in both cases they felt watery and there was virtually no presence of ant black tea. On the plus side when I did taste the plum flavor it was dazzling. I just need to test on my own but do feel like I have wasted two pouches so far. :-(
Preparation
Really? I actually managed more than 1 gallon from each pouch. I didn’t follow the instructions on the package, though. I used about 3 teaspoons of tea and steeped in my smart brewing device. Steeped the first infusion for 1 1/2 minutes, second infusion 2 minutes, third infusion 3 minutes, and the fourth 4 minutes (resteeping the same measurement of leaves each time). Then, I used room temp water to fill the rest of the half gallon pitcher. I added ice cubes to each glass of iced tea, and the tea had a very pleasing strength even with the ice cubes.
I just don’t know what to say. I will try again but it just such an expensive trial and error process.
This makes me sad. I really wanted these to be simple and easy. It is a full ounce of a very stout CTC tea. It should be plenty of tea to make a full gallon. Did you bring the water to a FULL rolling boil? Did you steep the tea loose and pour it through a filter after it steeped?
I had issues with a watery watermelon, too. Then I made the prickly pear and it came out much nicer. I found that if I filled the Breville and steeped for 10 minutes, then I didn’t have to add as much water because I had a large amount of really strong tea and when I added ice cubes and water it was much better. I guess my recommendation would be to make as large a pot of STRONG tea as you can and then add the remaining water and ice cubes.
Frank – I made it in a separate container at extra strength and filtered it into a larger one gallon container with water. Don’t understand it.
Wow if this is normal then by gosh I can finally say I am. Trust me if you knew me, you would know that I am not usually referred to as a normal person. Of course, I don’t consider this as a negative at all. Even now not so normal things are afoot. I am drinking this tea before bed and for some reason as I am typing this my inner monologue has a British accent. I blame Dr. Who for that. Been pretty much watching Dr. Who on Netflix off and on all throughout the day. Now to the point, sorry about the rambling.
Amazingly good. I will be keeping this in my permanent stash. It is rich, bold, brisk, malty, a bit astringent. This is a tea with an attitude I can relate with. This tea is just trying to act normal but is anything but. Delicious and highly recommended.
Preparation
Thank you again for sending me this little treat Courtney of Little Mew Brew found on Tea Trade.
I am trying this for the first time and just the sound of it had me waiting for the mail to show up. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I really didn’t taste raspberry just a slight unidentifiable fruitiness. The cream cheese gained strength the longer it cooled. However, I was looking for more of a balanced cup with an obvious raspberry favor. Still not terrible just not what I expected. I do feel fortunate to have tried it none the less and maybe with further steeping experimentation it will improve.
Preparation
First I want to thank Jimmy of Shui Tea for sending this sample along with my order it had peaked my curiousity when I read the description. The addition of stevia scared me and intrigued me the most based on my personal preferences of course.
As it turns out this is not really my cuppa. Of course I have only had this hot so far and it was recommended I try this cold and I promise I will. It was just to sweet for me and the sweetness tasted a little strange to me. I can’t really put my finger on it. It was however plummy as stated but still so far not my thing. The black teas are hardly noticeable, I did wish that would have stuck out a bit more. Once I try it cold I will reevaluate my review but until then I will keep things as they are.
Still very thankful for the opportunity to try it. :-)
Preparation
I purchased based on a recommendation and I am so glad I did. It is wonderful steep after steep. Each bringing on new characters not present in the previous steep. I have to say the 3rd was my favorite. I got a wonderful well rounded roasted flavor balanced well with an earthy backdrop. The best part for me is how many different flavor profiles I got from one tea. Delicious!
Preparation
First I want to thank Courtney of Little Mew Brew for Rescuing that tea from Retirement. I had never tried this tea before now and I am so happy I got it.
This is sweet, juicy, fresh, and the Sencha is delicate and buttery. I have tried this hot so far and although I imagined it would have been good it had surpassed actually surpassed expectations. Delicious and I can’t wait to try it cold.
Preparation
Finishing of the evening with what I have to say is my most favorite Genmaicha I have tasted thus far. I am trying to include more greens and oolong throughout the day as things are getting warmer here. It is nice to have something a little lighter and refreshing. However, black teas will still offer up a strong presence within my diet. :-)
Preparation
Boy do I LOVE this stuff. It’s even better with an ice cream sandwich. Yummy!
