The Spice & Tea Exchange

This is a black tea with hazelnut. I feel it’s not quite at it’s full potential though and I’m not sure what to add/I don’t actually want to add anything, because more often than not I end up ruining my tea. I’m not really getting any “cookie” flavour but it’s still a nice cup.

Thanks jessiwrites!

Gah! Okay, so things have been crazy lately and I’ve been away from Steepster for a week. I’ve been mostly sipping on teas that I’ve already logged, but I cold-brewed this one for the first time, so I think it warrants a tasting note.

It was delicious! Very lemon and vanilla. Even cold brewed, it turned out a little creamy. Will be making a pitcher again soon.

Haven’t been on Steepster in a few days because I’ve been sick. But I really wanted a cup of tea today, so here I am.

Unfortunately, I’m still sick and I can’t taste anything. It’s like drinking a cup of hot water. Which, while still soothing, does not make it possible for me to write up any sort of tasting notes.

So yeah, this is more of just a “I had this tea” note and not a “here’s how this one tastes” note. Sorry, Creme de Lemon; we’ll have to rendezvous again some time.

Looks like it’s coconut day here on Steepster (at least on my feed!) And I made this cuppa before I looked at it. :-)

I love the rich, buttery taste of this oolong and the thick mouthfeel, along with the natural tasting, strong but not overpowering coconut flavor.

I just mixed a cold brewed mug of this with a can of lime flavored sparkling water (La Croix brand). Yummy “lime in the coconut” green tea “soda” with no sugar, carbs, sodium, or calories! :-)

Thanks to Azzrian for this tea:)

I have a mild like for peppermint, one of my favorite teas from Bigelow was Mint Medley. This tastes alot like it. It isn’t a ‘Wowzer’ of a tea, but it’s one that I won’t mind keeping in my cabinet. Luckily for me, there is a Spice and Tea Exchange nearby, like 15-20 minutes away. So I think I might soon go pick some up. Unfortunately though, this summer I’ll be moving and going to this one will be kind of difficult and it doesn’t look like they have any other locations here in Michigan. Ahh well.

More Traveling Tea Box tea!

There is a Spice and Tea Exchange in Asheville, NC? Really? I have read reviews for their teas, but pictured them only being in some exotic, distant locale, like California. LOL! But Asheville is in my state, though a good five hour drive away or more.

This is a far simpler tea than the Chocolate Chili Chai I just tried, but I really think I like it better. I am getting a nice Keemun flavor, which is already chocolatey, with the addition of some chocolate on top of that.

I try to drink all my tea plain, and I like this one sans additions. For those who add milk and sugar, I feel sure this tea would go over the top to decadent dessert tea status.

Very nice.

Originally published at The Nice Drinks In Life: http://thenicedrinksinlife.blogspot.com/2012/12/bonita-peach-rooibos-tea.html

Name: Bonita Peach Rooibos Tea
Ingredients: Green Rooibos Plant, Sunflower Petals, Orange Peel, Natural Peach & Strawberry Flavoring
Purveyor: The Spice & Tea Exchange
Preparation: One teaspoon steeped in about eight ounces of boiling water for 5:00, sipped plain

Tea is what brews from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves can be treated in a way that includes oxidation, creating black tea, or else in a different way that does not, creating green tea (or, of course, in any of a few other ways as well).

Any time that one steeps something not from the Camellia sinensis plant one gets a tisane, more commonly known as herbal tea. Some herbal teas are comprised of cheap plant parts whose only purpose is to hold the myriad artificial flavorings that make them taste so yummy. However, there are also very many species of flora that, though not related to Camellia sinensis, create legitimate brewed beverages in their own rights. Principle among these are hibiscus, chamomile, rooibos, and yerba mate. (The latter, in fact, is even naturally caffeinated, an extremely rare distinction among tisanes.)

Rooibos, naturally non-caffeinated, comes from the leaves of the Aspalathus linearis plant, a legume native to South Africa. The word “rooibos” comes from the Afrikaans for “red bush”, and its beverage is also known as “red tea” for, of course, its red color. So imagine my surprise to read that I was drinking a “green rooibos”. Surely, unless we are describing Christmas decor, this must be a contradiction, either a silly error or a cheap marketing ploy.

No, not at all, in fact. It turns out that what gives standard rooibos its red color is the oxidation that it undergoes during treatment – the same thing that gives black tea its black color. Green rooibos leaves are not oxidized. Avoiding oxidation “results in a grassy, naturally sweet flavor and a lower tannin content,” as The Spice & Tea Exchange tells me, and boy is that ever so.

The Bonita Peach Rooibos Tea has the dual benefits of being an authentic green rooibos tea and chock full of some excellent natural flavoring, both at the same time. Observing the dry leaves, one enjoys a complete medley of colors with delightful, almost wood-like tones. The ingredients present as straight little sticks of light green, brown, yellow, orange, tan, and maroon. They fall together in patterns of little square clusters such that, while still packed tight in the bag, they look like the floor of the the Boston Celtics’s home court before (or after?) a paint job. Taking in the leaves’ aroma, one can smell the peach right away, with a mere wisp of spices and herbs. It is rich, sensual, sweet. If the leaves’ colors belong to autumn, then the scent belong right in the heat of August on a hot, lazy day, the kind of day on which one can expect to find oneself biting into a ripe peach and chewing on the soft flesh as the strong, sugary juice allocates itself between one’s throat and one’s chin.

The tisane brews into a light, golden orange liquid, rich and suave. The aroma is also rich, smooth, a succinct combination of sweetness and spice. Or perhaps more herbs than spice in this case; the orange peel and the floral hints are unmistakeable, and of course the peach is hardly away in hiding. Sipping it brings back a wonderful memory. In many sushi houses – including, at least, the one where I grew up – along with the check come sucking candies, and not just any ol’ sucking candies but ones absolutely packed full of the most perfumey peach syrup on earth. Well, take the intensity level down to normal, and there you have the initial layer of flavor of this herbal tea. As it hits the back of the tongue one gets a complex floral note balanced by both the sweetness and the rooibos itself, which is finally emerging from obscurity into a more visible role.

Those who require caffeine in the morning will probably want to stick with Camellia sinensis or yerba mate (or coffee). But otherwise, the Bonita Peach Rooibos Tea fits in nicely at any time of the day. The flavors are lively, the body is smooth, and the sweetness is a real peach. Enjoy.

Originally Published at The Nice Drinks In Life: http://thenicedrinksinlife.blogspot.com/2012/11/organic-jade-cloud-green-tea.html

Origin: China
Type: Organic Jade Cloud Green Tea
Purveyor: The Spice & Tea Exchange
Preparation: One teaspoon steeped in about eight ounces of boiling water for 2:30, sipped plain

I suppose it is only right to open with a disclaimer about labeling this tea as organic: the pouch in which my sample of this tea was packaged at The Spice & Tea Exchange’s Newport, Rhode Island, store does not say anything about being organic. However, its website does declare that the Jade Cloud Green Tea is organic. While labels can be old or printed erroneously, websites are easily correctable and updateable. So, I tend to presume that in the event of a discrepancy, the website should be given the benefit of the doubt. But again, a disclaimer is only fair for my kind patrons.

In any event, the Jade Cloud green tea is exquisite. Whatever label the Spice & Tea Exchange puts on it, that soon becomes of quite little interest in the presence of such a charismatic beverage. The dry leaves are, aptly, of a dark jade color, withered down but without curling into the leaf equivalent of the fetal position, as many other teas are wont to do. These Jade Cloud leaves are long, elegant, curvy, almost supple looking from a slight distance. And when getting a sense of their aroma, I was greeted not with a statement but with a question: can an aroma be matte? I do not mean dampened; the fruity tones are wonderfully vibrant. But there is a certain quality to them, almost like a gloss-over except decidedly not glossy – perhaps we can call it a haze-over. It is slight, and gives the aroma (which also includes an undertone of nuttiness) great texture, and in my mind’s eye, when I sniff these leaves, that texture is quite distinctly matte. There is no other way to explain it.

That would normally be plenty of character for a tea, but in the case of the Jade Cloud here, we are just warming up – literally, in fact, as the water was boiling to brew the tea as I pondered the dry leaves. When brewed, the tea emerges very light, almost delicate in color. It is pale yellow. The nuttiness comes out much more in the aroma when brewed, and in fact becomes the predominant note. There is also just a touch of maltiness and fruit beneath it all. Could that maltiness be the manifestation of the matte quality that I found in the dry leaves? Could it all really have been just what malt smells like before being brewed? How intriguing.

When sipped the tea immediately shows itself to be quite comforting and cozy, key qualities this time of year. The flavor is subtle; not too tannic, not too malty, just right. The package, which mentions a chestnut flavor, is proven correct on that count. The tea is full bodied, even, and evidently glad to please. There is a bit of fruitness to the finish.

The Jade Cloud Green Tea has plenty of personality, but unlike many beverages brimming with character, it does not heave it at us in a frantic effort to boast of glitz and glam. Rather, it welcomes in anyone who would enter, and explores its own depths with us, sharing the adventure at our own pace. Such keen reserve makes it most ideal as an afternoon tea. In fact, I look forward to another cup of it this afternoon, and encourage everyone else to partake as well.

This one is new from Spice & Tea Exchange and I first tried it when a friend of mine brought it over with her cool blue cast iron teapot to brew in not too long ago. I haven’t been able to forget this tea since then and today I finally went out and bought some.
It smells incredible. Blueberry scrumptiousness. I love that there are real blueberry pieces in it and that its a Yunnan black tea.
I really like the Spice & Tea Exchange, its the only good tea store experience I can have down here.

The first pot I made is just not the same as the first time I had it… but perhaps I need more time with it. Maybe her tea pot was seasoned with this tea as she told me its been the only one brewed in it for a while.
What ended up making this tea awesome for me this time was a cranberry orange white chocolate cookie from whole foods. It was amazing and I didn’t know I even liked cranberry orange.

Anyway, I’ve been on a crazy blueberry tea kick lately, and tried some other blueberry teas not worth mentioning. I wanted to add almond milk to this but it has to defrost from being in the back of the fridge (yeah thats not normal) so I had to use regular milk instead. I also used blue agave and its much better now.
I want to figure out how to create those blueberry tea mistos I used to get at Starbucks before they took them away.

Thanks, CupofTree!

Made this before heading to meet up for a group project this morning.

It doesn’t really taste like much of anything than herbal tea mixed with mate…maybe a tad sweet. Not bad but there are plenty of other mates I like better. There’s nothing really remarkable about it for me.

It did its job though, I’ve got 2 hours on campus left and I’m not even sure when I last yawned!

How is it possible that I’ve never posted a review for this!? no way, this has got to be one of those that were lost in server upgrades.
I’ve had it for so long…
Anyhow, whites scare me lately. I always worry that a jasmine note will pop up and turn me off, as it tends to do every now and again. A few times it’s happened in teas that I previously loved! and those whose reviews/descriptions make no mention of Jasmine anywhere.
but today, in an effort to purge some of my tea I thought it should get used up a little (still a few pots left- well, it IS old tea)
Luckily, in this first steep there some deep and rounded floral notes, along with that refreshing delicate note I so love. Naturally sweet yet tart, it requires no additions whatsoever. Reminds me of spring. and rhubarb for some reason. Very tasty. I can’t wait to have my second cup!

Wowsa, I just realized… I’ve made 8 different tea beverages today!! (counting those I brewed for family)
Granted, two of those are in the fridge for tomorrow, but still, I believe that is a record for me. Woohoo!

rating: 93

Thank you Bonnie for passing along this sample!

I brought 4 ounces of water to a boil and let it cool for a minute. Poured it over the teaspoon sample of dry leaf for three minutes, resulting in a pale yellow liquor. This has a slightly fuller body compared to GM’s coconut pouching offering. The coconut flavoring in The Spice and Tea Exchange is very similar to that of GM’s; it light and refreshing.

A resteep with slightly hotter water and an additional minute of brew time provided an equally enjoyable cup!

In the third steeping, the coconut taste is much less so, but there’s still plenty of oolong flavor to press forward for those who are looking to get the most bang for their buck.

This is definitely a contender as a cupboard staple, especially since it’s half the price!

Thanks to “Bonnie” for this sample… (And Many Others ;-))

This tea was good, pleasant and well blended, but too fruity for my taste! I like to taste the “Tea” for all of it’s intricacies!!