Churchill's Teas

This is a sencha green tea with walnuts, maple sugar and natural maple flavoring and is one of my favorite maple teas. It’s got such a nice buttery and grassy flavor from the sencha with a nutty walnut flavor and subtle taste of maple. I love that the maple is there without it tasting sweet at all and it’s a very very pure tasting maple rather than being artificial. This is such an amazing tea and I continue to love Churchill’s blends!

#tiffanys2021sipdown Tea #224 overall / Tea #4 for June
Friday 6/4 — Churchill’s Teas Bangkok green tea 1 oz / 2 cold brew pitchers. Nothing like a coconut green tea (: I went to Cincy for the first-time tea wise winter 2018 or summer 2019 (?). I love Churchill’s Tea. I have so many teas of theirs I’ve gotten from a few online purchases and the one time I visited in person but I’m a bit behind to getting to all of them. This one was yummy, will have to experiment more with hot/cold, to be honest I don’t remember details since it was a few weeks ago.
#tiffanydrinkstea #tiffanys2021 #tiffanysfaves #tiffanyinthe614 #tiffanysteasipdown

Not much time to write, unfortunately, but I wanted to get this out there before Steepster blew up again.

There’s not much to the base on this one, maybe a bit of toasty savoriness.

Coconut is strong and fake, which is good if you’re in the mood for that. I was, so yay.

Tea Swap Sample

Geez, it was an incredibly long day at work. I must say that I’m squatting & writing this review. “Why,” you ask. This new job is unlike the previous one—less physical work, but more sitting/mental work. I honestly can say that I’ve never dreamt of being a data analyst; which is actually quite fun. I enjoy the work and what I do, but I miss being physically active at work, too. Now I have to acquire a gym membership and workout out….

Anyway, I’m tired, so I’ll keep this short and sweet.

I’ve had a hankering for a tasty chai tea or two. My good ol’ friend Hoálatha gave me more than that. She must’ve taken her time deciding what I’d enjoy because I was in high heaven tonight. I jumped right into this tea. See, I took a lot of tea that I’ve never had and/or wouldn’t drink unless forced, friends wanted some, etc. And these teas have proven to be bad. Not good AT ALL.

These samples have made life a little more spicy though. In more ways than one.

The notes on this tea specifically were very nice. I randomly grabbed this from the box, threw the leaves into the tea sachet, threw water in, steeped, and sipped. I—without knowing what I was drinking—tasted coconut, vanilla, a variety of spices, and a hint of fruit (apple?). When I was finished with the cup, I wanted to make a brief note about the tea and to my surprise read “Coconut Spiced Chai.” Right on taste buds!

Anyway, this was a good tea. I’ll review the rest tomorrow.

Cheers!

A nice, candy-sweet milk taste that is exactly like the smell, but isn’t as artificial tasting as others I’ve tried (although clearly flavored). Nice fruity base that complements under the initial milk flavor as well, although thinner than I would prefer, perhaps due to underleafing. Gets sweeter and fruitier as it cools, tickling the throat as it gently coats it in a very slightly rough way.

Overall, quite pleasant, although not something I would reach for as I prefer a little more depth to my tea.

I fully expected this to be identical to the flavored milk oolong at Margaret’s Fine Imports, since I’m pretty sure they both source from Metro. Even the scent of the leaf is identical. But once these have unfurled, I noticed the leaf is much choppier and stickish than Margaret’s.

The flavor is more green oolong taste and less sweet. The texture is less smooth and milky. I suppose it’s still possible that these came from the same source, but perhaps this tea is older? It’s still a nice cup of tea.

Not sure why they call this java mate. There’s no coffee flavor at all to it. As a matter of fact, it’s closer to tasting like cookies than coffee.

But it’s still good. Kind of sweet, woody, and hazelnutty all at once.

Be careful, or you’re going to make me a fan of mate.

Chai day: Blend 4 of 6:
After the disappointment that was the Thai chai, I decided to drink something with coconut and no lemongrass. I’m getting the scent of vanilla, coconut, and cinnamon from the scent of the dry leaves, so perhaps it’s safe to drink without any more unpleasant surprises.

Another note to make is the physiological effects of drinking too much chai in the span of a couple of hours. I am sneezy, runny-nosed, and getting a little warm. I could, of course, stop drinking chai teas, but I think instead I am going to turn down the air conditioning and continue drinking. Of course I might not ever want to drink chai again after this evening is through.

There’s something about the aroma of the brew that is stirring something from long ago, but I can’t place my mind on exactly what it is. My brain keeps sending the word “wax” to the forefront, but this tea doesn’t smell like wax. Am I veering into territory that is better left to the psychologists again?

The base of this is a bit stronger than the last. There’s no astringency, but it’s rather bitter and tannic. The spices in the chai blend barely come out at all. I’m getting the cinnamon as usual, but I cannot taste the cardamom that is clearly visible in the dry leaf. There’s also vanilla and coconut, but the black tea base pretty much drowns out most of the flavor.

I wouldn’t call this a chai either. There’s nothing spicy about it. It’s more like cinnamon coconut black tea. Examining the leaf after brewing I see that it is much greener than the other chais I have had. Perhaps a lower temperature would make this tea better.

This is another tea that was a Stephen choice. I’m glad he picked this one out, because it was pleasant and not something I would have ever chosen for myself.

The flavors that hit the mouth are oddly timed. The predominant flavor is grassy kind of hay, not unlike some white teas I’ve tried. Then there’s a roasted flavor that fills the middle part of the tongue and the roof of the mouth.

Unfortunately, then the back of the mouth is hit with that envelope glue taste that I have come to associate with mate. Still, it’s a mild flavor, and not so much that I won’t drink the whole pot. There’s also a little sweetness that hits the front of the tongue after swallowing.

Of the two Churchill’s Earl Greys I have tried today, I have to say that I prefer the 2nd to the Creamy.

There’s something dirty tasting about this tea. It’s more than earthy; it tastes like soil a bit. The base is nice with that slight punch of black bitterness and astringency, but it’s not too much. There’s also a nice tangyness going up the middle of the tongue.

I’m not getting much of a floral overtone, but it’s there. There’s a kind of hint of flowery vanilla, which I guess is supposed to be the creamy part.

It’s complex and pleasant, but really not the flavor for me.

I’m not sure why I get Earl Grey teas. Usually, the strong smell of citrus puts me off. I think during this trip to Churchill’s, however, I was in the middle of Star Trek, and I wanted to fully experience Picard’s contemplative musings. But I need to get through all my Cincinnati samples before we go back, so here we are.

I’m still getting used to the idea of not liking the smell of a tea and loving the flavor. The leaves smelled strongly of musty oranges in a way that reminded me of Florida, and not in a good way. That smell all but disappeared upon brewing, and the citrus morphed into a very light lemony taste with a floral overtone (lavender?). I’m swearing I’m tasting a little olive oil in here, but maybe I’ve just lost my mind.

Unlike most blends I’ve been drinking lately, the tea shines through nicely. It’s a light, only slightly bitter black tea with very little astringency. It’s almost as delicate as a darjeeling, but it brews darker and has a bit of an extra punch.

It will never be my favorite, but it’s worth keeping a bit around for guests.

My dear husband isn’t really into tea. He’ll sip on a few of my tiny cups because they aren’t a commitment, but he starts to get stressed when I hand him a full mug. “What if I can’t drink all this?!” He feels a little less guilty now that he can give the rest to our tea pets Bessie and Fred.

So when he shows enough interest to pick a tea out, I’m going to get it. Even if it smells like berry lipstick.

It’s actually pretty good. It has a kind of hibiscus flavor with rosy hints, and every once in a while, I get a toasted green flavor from the tea base. There’s a hint of dryness on the back of the palate, but not much, and a zingy tang on the sides of the tongue as you drink it. The smell is thankfully subdued upon brewing, but make no mistake that the berry flavor is strong.

I think it’s another one of those teas that would be nice iced. Maybe one of these days I’ll get around to actually making iced tea.

I also got to break in my double-walled glass cups, which were great. They kept our fingers cool and really romanticized the color of the liquid. https://www.instagram.com/p/BGkP21DvTaP/?taken-by=hoalatha

This tea makes me want to put on a kilt! Or maybe that’s because of how strong I brewed it. Very malty, very bitter, very black, and very strong. It’s the way I like my black teas. I think it would stand up well to a bit of sugar and milk, which is how I usually take my breakfast teas. It might even beat out Brodie’s for my go-to in the morning!

This is a nice “middle of the road” tea in that the black used for the base is nothing particularly special. However, the peach flavoring is not too light and not too heavy. It’s fake enough to know that there’s no way you could get this flavor from a tea naturally, but not so fake that you feel as though you’re drinking flavoring.

Like any tea, it can be a bit bitter and dry tasting if you let it steep too long, which I happened to do this time. It’s still one of my favorites though.

A nice, smooth black tea. The rose petals are somewhat apparent in the taste, but very much in the aroma.

I like this tea. I really do. The only reason I gave it such a low rating is because of how finicky it is to prepare. It has hibiscus in it, and something I’ve noticed with hibiscus is that you absolutely cannot over-steep it, or the tea has a very strong metallic quality to it. So you have to be careful with that. But of course don’t under-steep either! When done right it’s a nice, sharp blend. I find I like to drink it in the evenings or when I’m feeling slightly under the weather.

This tea has a nice, comforting aroma that smells just like the walnuts and maple bits mixed in the tea. The taste is most definitely “grassy” like all green teas, and the walnut is definitely obvious too. I’m a little sad that the maple doesn’t come out as much, but it is still a smooth, comforting tea. Good for studying or just trying to calm down.

More of an amazing fragrance than an enjoyable taste. The cardamom, florals plus hints of spice and heavy black tea base would fill a high-dollar niche market perfume bottle, but the actual flavor is surprisingly bitter, slightly soapy, and lacking any enjoyable classic chai qualities. In particular – the cinnamon is muted, practically missing, and the black peppercorn might as well not even be there.

This extremely light green tea, I know it’s almost a white, is very light and sweet. Its slightly brothy and also has a kiwi aftertaste. Very good anytime tea.

Smokey and minty, two of my favorite things. It’s like a green version of lapsang. Also the little pellets make you feel like your spooning out kitty litter but luckily it doesn’t taste like it.