Wegmans

This tea has a nice, light cookie flavor. Four minutes is definitely too long of a steep. It tastes much better at three minutes.

This past week was awful so I finished up this one as a pick me up. I accidentally steeped it for not quite long enough but used my Ingenuitea so there was no going back (normally I try to take a small sip out to taste it before but forgot.)

Nonetheless, this was wonderful at always, creamy – I noticed that someone said eggnog before and I could totally see that. It’s definitely sweet and I taste the cookie flavor, a little more almond might be nice but hey, now I’m just being nitpicky :P

Hnnng. I went through my collection today to find teas that are on their last legs (I’m planning on making an advent calendar of sorts with my sipdowns!) and I was bummed to find out there’s only a few cups left in this one. I love the mild, creamy, sweet flavor that is spot on to the taste of cookies.

Well I tried making my first tea latte with this but it was pretty much a failure. Not sure if it’s me or the tea.

1 cup unsweetened almond milk + .5 cup water, heat until steaming/tiny bubbles, add 2.5 tsp tea, whisk & heat for 2 min, remove from heat and steep for 4 min, then strain. It didn’t have much flavor. I added 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp honey but that didn’t really boost the flavor at all.

I received this as a part of a trade- this was my person’s favorite tea and they enclosed a sample for me to try. Didn’t disappoint. Currently satiating my craving as I hold off on buying ATR’s Brioche for now- cinnamon spice, sweet almond, and floral vanilla. Fairly mild blend, but tasty.

On the third day of sipdowns…

The rest of my family had waffles for dinner that smelled EXACTLY like this tea so I fished this out of the sipdown pile. I didn’t notice this before but there is some apple undertones beneath the oatty, nutty, almond flavors. There’s some spices, namely cinnamon that round it out a bit.

This is similar to DavidsTea’s Alpine Punch I think minus the rooibos.

The brew is bright red but I can’t figure out why – I can’t taste any hibiscus, pretty much the only flavor I can taste is nuts. It’s alright and I’m sad to see the bottom of the bag but I’m also okay with making room for new teas.

I remember loving this awhile back but this time it just didn’t seem as good, maybe it was due to the cup of Alpine Punch that I had right before it.

A solid Irish Breakfast at a reasonable price.

So it turns out the the instructions on the label were wrong. Apparently you’re not supposed to boil darjeeling. Oops. I steeped it at 185 instead, and the result was vastly improved!

I was curious about the bulk bins of tea at Wegmans so I got a few to try. This was not bad, a bit more astringent than I was expecting though.

Wegman’s had their summer teas out today, so I did what any self respecting tea drinker who has too much tea in her cupboard would do and bought some. This one is nice and fruity – more pineapple than anything else – and I like the Ceylon base tea. It was good hot, but I think I’ll use the rest for iced tea.

I love this tea. It is truly my favorite loose tea because it is good on its own, or I can add a teaspoon or two to a pot of my mate blend to enhance the richness. It blends so well with other teas in my collection, so every flavor becomes more decadent.

I’ve had a lot of difficulty with this tea. I attempted to gongfu in hopes that it will be more appetising. I was right in my theory! The dry leaf is small BOP of orange and dark brown leaf. The aroma is a very earthy and fungal tone. The steeped leaf is actually a little fishy smelling. The flavor improved to a deep earth and lake flavor. This is still not a great brew, but it is doable once gong fu’d.

Wegmans is a pretty impressive company…quite a few options for good quality inexpensive loose leaf and bagged teas. Last time I was visiting my sister in Virginia, I bought their Tomo Sencha, and was pleasantly surprised. This tea is also very good. It’s a smooth and creamy sencha/matcha mix, vegetal with no bitterness. Sometimes I like bitterness, like with the sencha from Yamamotoyama, but I think I prefer this one. Gyokuro is still on top, when it comes to green teas, but this is a nice inexpensive alternative.

’Here’s Hoping’ Teabox Round #4 – Tea #8

A decent green tea – very light and sweet. I could notice lavender in the dry blend but surprisingly there isn’t that much flavor to the lavender. That’s too bad! Maybe the water needs to be a higher temp for the lavender to steep well? But then the green leaves ruin. I don’t think I’ve tried a green tea with lavender blend before. Disappointing for a lavender tea but not as a green tea.

I absolutely love smoky teas. I had this one with lunch today. It was a nice smoked wood flavor, without tasting burnt or like dirt, like some can.

My first cup back home from vacation. My friend did not enjoy this, so he gave me a pouch full.

This tea is a vibrant green with the classic small rice pebbles scattered about. I enjoyed it quite it bit. It has smooth wooded roast flavor and of course smells of rice cakes. This snack taste is covered with a vegetal umami and goes down very smoothly. Its nice to actually sit and brew a cup to enjoy, but I do miss being away from home.

This is a very inexpensive crowd pleaser. It is a simple flowering tea. This brew tastes great and steeps very well. The bloom is mostly BOP which is disappointing, but its centered by a vibrant amaranth. The taste is honey smooth and incredibly floral. I like this a lot and will continue to keep it stocked. I am always a fan of tea with jasmine.

The last cup of tea for the day. I decided on something light and smooth. The dry leaves are an assortment of shapes and sizes. You are given multiple large stems, green leaves and petals, all arranged in an eclectic bouquet. The brews flavor is rather odd. I taste an overpowering floral flavor. This reminds me of lighter gynostemma. The herbaceous tone is sweetened and leaves a soothing feeling on the tongue. This is not one of my favorites, but it did the job for tonight.

This was not a favorite of mine. I could tell by the appearance of the buds that this was of a lower quality. These “silver” buds were more of a tarnished grey. I brewed these in my glassware to enjoy its colour. This smooth and iridescent platinum gold always dazzles me with these white teas. The flavor, however, was not that dazzling. It had a dry grass or wheat taste. It carried a mild sweet note in the background. It reminds me of the yellow twine used to bind hay bales together. My friend enjoys this particular tea quite greatly, but I guess this just isnt for me.

I bought this only to season up my roasted oolong yixing. This is a very basic tea. I do not find it horrible, but it doesn’t stand out in anyway. The tea leaves are large but very flaky. They vary from a smoky black to deep crimson. The flavor is somewhat bland. It has a smooth smoke taste with a slight dark fruit tone. The wet leaves have a burnt sugar and slight charcoal scent. I picked this up for a great price, and I will still probably buy this again. This could serve as nice “everyday oolong” if there is such a thing.

Good morning! This is the winner from the teas that I picked up! I’m not saying that this brew is perfect or anything, but it does make for a great everyday black. The thick coffee liquor is sweet and slightly spiced. This is a light and bright black tea. There is a slight black tobacco flavor with smoke. These flavors may not sound all that light, but there is a underlining floral tone. This undertone brightens up the whole drink and makes for a great morning cup.The only problem I have is it becomes slightly astringent, but I’m sure I can tweak the brewing and fix that right up! I have found my staple for the cupboard :)

I am finally home and picked this to wind down before the day must begin again. My favorite aspect of white tea is its colour. I absolutely love the iridescent pearl glow this tea brews. I always brew white tea in my glassware, so I can show off these beauties. The glass practically disappears and it magically distorts its surroundings. hahah I just love it! I know that this isn’t the best Bai Hao Yin Zhen, but it does hold its own. Its a very nice and general brew. Its dependable to say the least. The dry buds may not be porcelain diamonds; they do have some darker colors and mudded feel. This is still a simply enticing brew. It has a light honey flavor with a wisp of floral. It gives you a smooth nectar mouthfeel and finishes with warm hay. I enjoy it and always have. This is a great buy and it has always been my white tea staple.