TeaFrog

Well, this is just the day for finishing up samples!
I did it, Steepsterites! I controlled myself and waited until the cup cooled enough for the caramel goodness to emerge. I love it! Caramel in a cup, absolutely great.

This tea is pretty good, but frustrating. The cream flavor takes center stage while the tea is still pretty hot, but the caramel begins to peak out as the tea cools. The issue is, I seem to always forget this and drink most, if not all, of the cup feeling sad that I don’t taste any caramel….

I was craving some more of the Jasmine Pearls, but since it was late I exercised control and picked this caffeine-free tea. This had a pretty typical rooibos scent with an underlying sweetness that hinted at the caramel. After brewing, the tea smells a bit sweeter and tastes a bit like caramel. I’m really getting more of the cream flavor than caramel, but as it cools the caramel is starting to come out more. I like this one. It isn’t my favorite rooibos but it is certainly nice. I feel another caramel tea day coming on!

Hmm, the scent of this dry rooibos is legit. And by legit, I mean it legitimately smells like vanilla. Not fake vanilla like is used in various desserts, but real vanilla. Adding three teaspoons of this tea and steeping it in two cups of water for six minutes, I was left being tantalized by the aromas of vanilla wafting from my teapot as I waited. The tea smells sweet, but not in a fake sweetener way. It is more like the sweetness that comes from plants like mint or various fruits. The liquor is clear, yet a very dark red-brown.

My first cup smells warm. And not just from the hot tea. It just has a warm, and soft, aroma about it. It softly caresses the senses and lingers in the nose. Eagerly, I take my first sip and am immediately surprised by how sweet it tastes. The sweetness is very passive, but it is definitely there, and a quite pleasant surprise. This tea’s mouthfeel is thick and smooth. The flavour of vanilla is, of course, at the forefront. The rooibos, sadly, seems to have taken a backseat in this brew, as it does not show its head much, except in the aftertaste.

The flavours do not change much throughout the rest of the pot. I very much enjoyed drinking this tea. It is good, it is unique, and it is well worth a taste or two. I give it a 77/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

The name makes me curious. Why would a tea be called Love? Aside from being TeaFrog’s most popular rooibos blend (imply that people love it), I couldn’t figure out the reason for the name. So, taking this initial assumption in hand, I had high hopes for this tea. Opening the package, I placed my nose at the opening and was assailed by a myriad of aromas, not the least of which smelled like the Fig Newton cookies I enjoyed as a child. It was different, yet delicious smelling.

The boiling of the water teases me as the scent of the dry rooibos wafts from the open teapot to my nose. Clock-watching begins as the time ticks toward zero…and toward tea time! Three teaspoons, two cups of water, and six minutes later I was ready to enjoy this aromatic treat. The package says to steep for 5-6 minutes, and I chose the upper end as I like my rooibos strong.

And strong it was! Wow, this tea brewed up a dark red, almost muddy complexioned. The ingredients are well balanced, as I can definitely smell the red rooibos in amongst all the other ingredients. It has almost a spicy aroma to it now. Taking my first (big) sip, the subtly fruity liquor, with a tinge of spice (possibly from the orange peel), flows quickly and easily over the tongue. The flavour is well balanced between the rooibos and the additions. This tea definitely leaves one eagerly wanting to take the next sip. While it seems to have a light mouthfeel, the tea leaves a strong aftertaste of the non-rooibos ingredients. It really is quite a delicious blend and seems to be a tea that one would enjoy on a cold day, as the other ingredients combine with the rooibos to create a brew that warms the body and mind. Sadly, more descriptive words fail me as I’m lost in the tasty flavour of this tea. I give it 75/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

Now here’s a tea that’s meant to be drunk with milk and sugar! Great chocolate flavour, strong without being overpowering. Sweet on its own, but not too sweet. I’d love to see a version of this tea with mint added, but it’s just fine on its own. A perfect dessert tea.

As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to prefer black teas with milk and sugar, but I’ve enjoyed oolongs before, so I decided to order a sample of this tea.

With a four-minute steep, it has a strong but not overwhelming flavour, no bitterness, a lovely flowery scent, and a slight sweetness. I didn’t notice a particular peach flavour, but that may be due to my relative inexperience with oolongs – I just don’t know what I’m looking for! It’s a good stomach-soothing tea and worth keeping in the cupboard for that alone, with that good taste and sweetness as a nice bonus.

I just got my TeaFrog order today (which Canada Post managed to screw up, but ANYWAY) and had quite a bit of trouble deciding which tea to try first, which is always a lovely problem to have. There were six samples as well as three of my favourite teas from the previous sample pack.

I’m glad I went with the Assam sample, because… wow! It’s bold, but smooth, with just a hint of citrus. A four-minute steep makes it strong enough to stand up to milk and sugar, but it would be great on its own as well. Yet another to reorder.

How will I ever go back to mass-market teabags?!

I am finishing the last of the sample of this tea also. . .

I am really liking this. The black tea is soft and allows the delicate features of the flowers to come through. The green tea adds a nice, fresh flavor to it. It is a nicely balanced blend.

So early and so far already a long day…Opened up my tea basket when I got in the office and sifted through to see what I would enjoy. These samples still need to be had, so TeaFrog was a given, but I felt like chocolate so it sounded good.

The leaves are dark and curly, with some larger splinters, presumably cocoa and chocolate chips! Brewed up a pot of this, three minutes, hot, no additives. The liquor is a dark red color.

Once again, Tea Frog came through, they know just the right balance between actual chocolate and cocoa to make a slightly sweetened, smooth, creamy tea that is not to harsh in flavor or bitterness.

Delicious.

Pre-steeping, my nose revels in the wonderful and delicious smells coming from the dry leaves. This tiramisu smells delicious, and it is strong enough that I can hardly detect the scent of the red rooibos underneath it.

After steeping, the aroma of rooibos has been brought to a more prominent place, but the tiramisu is not letting go of its grasp on the scent and the senses. The liquor has steeped a deep red colour, yet remains bright and clear. Eagerly, I lift the cup to my lips in anticipation…

Creamy! This tea has a very thick mouthfeel that actually starts out being a bit thin, but when the sweetness of the tea finally hits, it thickens considerably. The rooibos has come through beautifully, though it almost seems to have too much rooibos flavour (as compared to the tiramisu). The tiramisu does put forth a good showing, however. It boldly jumps out at the drinker, and lasts a while, settling in a delicious aftertaste. With each sip, I’m left wanting to take another sip and another…

I really enjoyed this tea, which is probably an understatement, considering how fast I went through the first cup. I gladly give this tea an 85 out of 100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

Time to go have another cup!

Return of the TTB 1.2

I have the most horrible craving for chocolate EVER. And of course, there is no chocolate at my house (actually there isn’t really any food at my house, have to go grocery shopping tomorrow…) Anyways, I am so glad that I picked this out of the TTB 1.2!

I have read wonderful reviews about this particular tea so I’ve been interested to try it myself. The scent in the bag is SO good – rich, chocolate with a smoothness that I believe can be attributed to the cream. I had several chocolate chips in my portion so I couldn’t resist trying one and it was VERY sweet. My expectations for this tea are now rising exponentially.

The tea brews up to a medium golden-red color and is still strongly scented with chocolate and cream. My initial reaction to this tea would be to add milk or cream (but, of course, I don’t have any…grocery shopping) so I’m hoping this tea can stand on its own. Initially, the taste is primarily of the black tea followed by the smooth chocolate. I wouldn’t say that there is too much chocolate, but it seems to be just the right amount. There is a slight natural sweetness that I think would be greatly enhanced with the addition of a small amount of sugar. (Be right back…)

Yes, that did it! The addition of sugar took the slightly bitter edge off the black tea base while simultaneously boosting the chocolate factor. It doesn’t taste like I added sugar, but like I drizzled in a bit of rich, chocolate syrup. This tea is surprisingly good without milk or creamer which makes me believe that it would be AMAZING with milk or creamer.

Another great, delicious tea by TeaFrog…going on my shopping list!

This is a typical Chun Mee like Green…pretty straight forward. A little grassy but ok.

For some unknown reason, it has taken me a very long time to get to these TeaFrog samples…oh well

This herbal is decent – not too sweet from chocolate and not too spicy from spices. Infused hot, no additives 7 minutes. Each sip is a complicated dance of flavors. It starts with peppercorn then melts into chocolate then finally into ginger. The peppercorn provides an initial bite, a spicy kick that is quickly replaced with slightly sweet, smooth and creamy chocolate flavor, but not overwhelmingly chocolate, the chocolate is rounded out by cacao which helps to extend the flavor without adding sweetness, finally the ginger provides a little spice but true in depth flavor. Quite a mouthful…

I especially like that the tea is made of both chocolate and cacao – I think it deeps the chocolate flavor and enriches the tea overall because it is not sweet or savory, but a decent mix of the two that acts as a bridge between spicy pepper and vibrant ginger.

Great work TeaFrog.

Minty goodness! Lemongrass flavour isn’t very strong but does add a nice kick. I find that steeping it for more than two minutes makes it rather harsh.

A nice smooth chai. Very good with sugar, which seems to bring out the spicy notes a bit more; this isn’t a particularly spicy one but it’s very good, and the flavour is assertive enough to drink with dessert. Holds up to a lot of milk as well. Good thing the sample pack is so generous!

I’m drowning my World Cup sorrows in tea….

What a lovely jasmine scent! Next time I’ll forgo the teapot just to watch the pearls unfold. A great green tea. (I’d rate it even higher if it weren’t that I prefer black teas on the whole – but this is an excellent tea of its type!)

If TeaFrog’s Cream Earl Grey is Earl Grey lite, then Earl Grey Special is Earl Grey plus. Strong and lemony, with a slight bergamot flavour – I think the lemongrass overpowers the bergamot, but with bergamot being citrusy, it’s hard to tell. At any rate, this is a very tasty blend!

As with the Orange Pekoe, there seems to be relatively little to say about English Breakfast – it’s such a standard blend. But as with the Orange Pekoe, this is certainly a very good one, and I went through the sample pretty fast. It would be strong enough to stand up to an actual English breakfast.

It’s a cold, rainy day here, so I wanted something roasty to warm me up – Formosa oolong definitely fits that bill. I prefer greener oolongs in general, but this is probably my favorite instance of a darker one. It’s warm, and a little sweet, and apple-y, and almost smoky; think… apples roasted in a campfire. Mmmm.

I feel a little silly for not getting a bigger bag of this with the TeaFrog order I just placed, but frankly (even though I’m trying to break the “save my favorites” habit) I don’t drink oolongs that often, and dark ones even less. But, if you like roasted oolongs, you should try it! Especially since TeaFrog 1) sends a sample of your choice with every order (and they’re generously sized samples) and 2) is having a promotion ‘til the end of the month giving you a discount for each review of their teas you’ve written.

I’ve gotten 2 steeps from this so far, and expect at least 2 more.

1 tsp, 30 second steeps, almost boiling water, 3.5oz pot

Whee, posting again! Lately I’ve been mixing and stacking a lot of teas, which makes it hard to post tasting notes, but today I wanted a straight oolong so I pulled out another TeaFrog sample.

As a person who’s not enamored of Formosa Oolongs in general, this is a really tasty one. Rich, full, roasty flavor, a slight bitterness on the back, some flowers in the aftertaste (which is pleasant and lingering). There’s some fruit in the middle, though I’d peg it as more apple than peach.

Still have to see how it re-steeps, but I’ll definitely consider getting a full tin of this, and I’d recommend it to roasted oolong fans.

ETA: Got three solid steeps, increasing the time a little for each. The third was noticeably weaker, but still good. I probably won’t try for a 4th.

1 heaping tsp, 6oz boiling water

Sampling this at the moment. Tastes like the ingredients suggests…altho…not sure about crackle bits…eeeeek.

It’s probably the most creamiest Tiramisu tea/tisane I have ever tried which is somewhat refreshing…since the others have been so coffee-esque and almost bitter. I can taste the chocolate-goodness and that is the part I like most.

This is pretty good…yes…good, indeed

I’m always up for a blueberry flavored white tea!

This is the first time I’m trying TeaFrog’s version and I must say it’s lovely! It’s a moderately flavored white…not overly so. Plump Blueberries with a hint of floral taste.

I already know this would be good iced too!