Tea Guys

On the first day of sipdowns my true love gave to me…

Okay this one doesn’t even count as a sipdown because I held on to the last tea bag long enough that I was able to pick up a tin of it at the factory store before finishing it off but here goes…

The excitement of this tea has gone away, it still is very eggnog like, but the cream notes were more subtle and the nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice combo was much more prevalent. I still loved it, and I’m happy I was able to pick up some more in loose leaf rather than in bags.

Today was a busy, busy day so I threw a tea bag of this in my travel mug and went on my merry way (twice) today.

As it cools, it loses a bit of it’s flavor but it’s still outrageously wonderful. I’m getting a little too close to the end of this box for comfort though, I will definitely have to reorder!

Hnnng. I love this one, oh so much.

I’ve been on a mission to find the perfect eggnog tea and this one might just be it! I picked up a box of tea bags yesterday (unfortunately they were out of loose leaf :/) and tried one and it’s spot on. I’ll have to try making it again with some cream in it!

Not My Cup O’ Tea TTB

I had a cup of this yesterday. It smelled very fragrant with the Juniper and Coriander being at the front. When stepped it was far less intense than I had thought it was going to be. It was a nice cup with interesting flavours, but not as exotic and thrilling as I thought it may be. Definitely drinkable though.

Thanks for this one, Nicole! I figured this one was the Fusion blend but I LUURRVE that one. It seems like the same to me, as I know a lot of their blends are the same (so I don’t know about the “handcrafted caramel” they mention in the description). This one is a great rich pu-erh with caramel pieces and lovely spices that really enhance the pu-erh. The caramel adds some sweetness. A fantastic blend all around. It really doesn’t seem like pu-erh to me, but a really raisiny black tea. All the elements just WORK for me and it’s better than I remember every time I sip a fresh cup.
Steep #1 // 1 heaping tsp // 10 min after boiling // 2-3 min steep
Steep #2 // few min a.b. // 3 min
Steep #3 // later

Sipdown…though I could swear I already made a steeping note on this one, but I guess not. I seem to remember from my initial steep of this, that I had added milk, and while it was tasty, the base was quite mild, and the milk masked a bit of the tea’s flavour, so I vowed to go without milk when I made it next. So this brings us on to today’s steep!

I woke up quite cold, and it was chilly in the room, and I was super tired, so I wanted a back tea to wake me up, and something to wrap me in a comforting warm hug, so I pulled this one out. I used the rest of the packet, which was a little more than the suggested serving size, but remembering the weaker base, I was not too worried about over leafing. My mind was in a weird space at work today because I basically had to go in and finish the project I had started yesterday. I got pulled away from doing it for a few hours, though I did what I could when I had the chance. Normally, this project, which is weekly, takes several hours…4-6 and sometimes more, depending on how many distractions and interruptions I get. Anyway, I was in a mood because I had to finish this stuff this morning, and they have rearranged things in the back, and I hate it. I can see some of the benefit of the change, but I also see issues. Anyways, that stuff plus my throat being sore and being tired and moody, I just kinda sucked this down like liquid comfort, and didn’t pay much attention to what I was drinking, other than it was tasty.

Take two, and I am at home, and it is chilly in here, and I decided to resteep the leaves from this morning, for one more cuppa. It’s smooth and sweet with caramel, but I am unsure I am getting much popcorn, other than maybe a light starchy feeling. Admittedly, I am not picking up the flavours that well, as I am having it with my dinner (leftover harissa chicken and veg with quinoa pilaf from when we went out last night with a friend in town). I have a bazillion insane and amazing flavours in my mouth from the food.

I do really like this tea, actually, and I’d love to have more where I could play with using more so that I could milk it up as a latte for more decadent comfort. Thanks for sending this one to me DeleriumsFrog! It was a winner!

Hm. Not sure I could pick this out as pu-erh but then I am not the most experienced with that type of tea. There are little soft caramel bits covered with tea in the mixture and it smells like chai. It wasn’t an exceptionally strong chai, more a scent of caramel and spice. I added some sugar about halfway through the cup and the spices popped a bit more. Nothing really stands out to me here but it wasn’t horrible either.

Here’s Hoping TTB (round 5)

Another peach oolong :)

While I was hoping this would be better than the other one I previously drank, I brewed it up and began sipping. The first taste made me go, ‘yeah right, I’m not going to finish drinking this tea!’
So Tea Guys samples packaging is friendly, but it lacks the thing called ingredients. This is good and bad:
Good: no pre determined thoughts bout the tea
Bad: what is this?

Well, here’s the issue (for me): This blend attempts to integrate black and green tea into an oolong mixture. This is a darker oolong which ensures that a black tea could go well, but throwing in a green tea with a black tea or a dark oolong is risky. Honestly I am unable to comprehend why companies suggest these weird black/green combinations with steeping advice that is something like 212 for 3 minutes. Have they tasted a green tea that has sat in water for 3 minutes at 212 degrees?

Not bad at all. Love the pistachio. Not as much honey as I have had from other teas. A light biscuit-y flavour but very delicate. I would have this again if this wasn’t a sipdown.

(Does it irritate anyone else that I cannot chose pistachio as a flavour note?)

I am going to to elect not to rate this tea at this time. I have had 2 cups of it thus far and, while it is a tasty tea, I am just having a hard time discerning each particular flavour from it. The aroma of the dry leaf is wonderful. Upon steeping you lose a lot of the scent though. Taste wise I vaguely get a honey note, and perhaps the faintest hint of a nut-like flavour but that’s about it. I am not sure if it is my taste buds causing this, so I will keep trying and maybe elect to rate this tea later.

With a name like Honey Pistachio Biscotti, I was pretty confident in expecting a tea with honey, pistachio and biscotti flavors, but I’m surprised by the strong floral note I seem to be getting. I went through a couple cups before reviewing to make sure it wasn’t a fluke—maybe my bag of tea was particularly heavy on the chrysanthemum? In any case, it tastes good, but took me by surprise.

When you open this tea, you immediately find yourself thinking of a maple donut or Waffle Crisp cereal or something else sugary and strongly maple-scented. So you’re a little nervous about how this is going to turn out, but luckily, it mellows out considerably. In the end, there’s just a light, pleasant maple flavor, almost an aftertaste. It’s enough to satisfy maple fans (like me) without triggering a sugar crash.

Cons: I can’t imagine wanting to drink this iced, so hot only for me. Also, there’s an oily sheen to the finished product, which is somewhat unpalatable.

Distinct strawberry flavour that wasn’t overly artificial was the first note I made about this tea. The chocolate comes in more toward the end of the sip with a very dark or semi sweet chocolate taste. It seemed to be a very realistic interpretation of a dark chocolate covered strawberry in tea form. I will say that I don’t believe I detected any Saffron but honestly it wasn’t too much an issue. As the tea cools the chocolate becomes more of the focus with the strawberry being the supportive taste. I found I was pleased with Tea Guys adaptation of the strawberry/chocolate combination. It isn’t one of the flavour combinations I seek out often, but it was a nice change of pace. :)

I love vanilla! I love coconut! I love almond! But I didn’t love this tea. I really wanted to, because it sounds like my perfect tea! I have been seriously looking for these flavors in a tea for a loooong time! The flavors in this tea just don’t blend well and are somewhat off-putting to my taste buds. Not the worst cup I’ve ever had – but not a re-order for me. I always try to recommend a tea I may not like, cause maybe you will?

My search for the perfect vanilla, almond and coconut tea continues.

My first sipdown =)

I ordered a lot of samples from Tea Guys. The first time I tried this I thought it was “OK”, the second time was more like “meh, why did I buy this?” and for my final taste it was really delicious. I think the trick with this one (for me anyway) is to measure a little more tea. It was only when I added a bit more did I get a blissful cup. So, a sample of this yielded me only 3 cups, but I think if I had steeped it correctly it’s more like 2.

I will definitely re-order this one. This tea is one of the few teas that come in different varieties (bagged, loose, canned, etc) on their website, so it must be popular.

From the Not My Cup of Tea TTB

It’s not my cup of tea. I may have underleafed when brewing. It had a stronger scent in the bag but was rather wimpy when brewed. I’ll reserved a rating/recommendation until I try it again.

I went to yoga this morning, and it was so hard that an hour later I’m still sitting helplessly, unable to convince myself to get up and go put on normal clothes.
Argh.
I did convince myself to make a cup of tea, though, and this sample that Ost sent me. I wanted something sweet, and this certainly meets the bill.
This is really, really good. Its got an eggnog flavor, but not a canned eggnog flavor, instead a rich and spicy layer of flavors, which is gorgeous.
I might need a little more caffine, though, to get me through this day!
Thank you to Ost for this sample. Sipdown!

So often with vanilla teas, the vanilla is a mere ghost of a flavor, just an impression.
Not so with this, which is full of the rich vanilla flavor I like so much. Well done!
I’m gonna need more of this in the future, I think. Thank you Ost for letting me try!

I’m liking most of the samples from this company quite a bit, but this is my least favorite so far. It’s a well balanced tea with a smooth taste and balance, not cheap tasting at all, nor artificial notes - but to me the flavor is between tangy and sour cranberry style. I’m not sure if this is what they were going for, but not what I expected, and I happen to not like cranberry style tea, so this isn’t for me. The flavour comes across stronger as it cools. If you like cranberry and citrus styles, you may want to try this one.

’Here’s Hoping’ teabox Round #4 – Tea #2

I always have to try any EGs I find! Somehow the first steep tasted like a Lapsang Souchong for some odd reason. I thought the description would mention a smoky base, but it doesn’t seem to be. Otherwise, the depth to the flavor is decent. It seems like a mid-quality bergamot to me: not great, not terrible. The creaminess seems to be lacking. The second steep tasted like more of a “normal” EG. Glad to have finally tried this one! I might stock up on this one if all of my other favorites disappear.

Cold brewed this one for work. This is one of my many sample sized teas I got from the tea guys a while back. I was hoping that this would be a good replacement for Butiki’s Grapefruit Dragon. It’s close, but it’s got none of that tongue numbing goodness.
I really shouldn’t compare, this is an ever so slightly different tea. I sense a more tropical take on grapefruit, with a hint of pineapple. The Chinese sencha is a really nice base, and the hue of the cold brew is a luminescent green. The dominant flavor is the grapefruit, but it is not as loud and fresh as Grapefruit Dragon. It’s slightly artificial tasting without being offensive. Well, I slorped this down really quickly, so it mustn’t have been that bad!