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I am ready to admit that I love coconut. I never thought I did but after slowly coming around to it in small doses in other blends, I was ready to take a leap with this latest installment from Steepster Select. This is amazing! It has a toasted flavor to it. It has a great bouquet of florals, and I’m really enjoying it!

This isn’t something I would have picked out on my own, but I am so glad that SS has better taste than I do.

WOW! This tea is amazing! I got my David’s order today (sans Gold Rush, regrettably), but was delighted with this gem. It’s scent took over the room with a potent cherry/floral combination. It smelled more like green tea at the start, followed by a punch of cherries. The flavor is complex, and follows suit with the scent. David’s has proved to me what a nice complement coconut is. I’m bewildered by the number of blends they add it into, and how different the flavor palette of each is from each other, and yet, it manages to work so nicely without overpowering the delicate blends. Even though this is predominately white with green tea, it has a robust flavor that is just divine! Usually teas with fruit flavor this big I think of as an iced tea (pom power), but this one has such a delicate balance that I can only picture it as a warm, delicious treat.

Pom Powerful! After smelling this tea at David’s on my last visit, and have been dreaming of it any since! I had to pick it up when I got the call that the long-awaited Perfect Tea Cups came in with the pattern I’d been waiting for. It was fruity and luscious. I was a little skeptical when it looked to have disproportionate amounts of fruit with very little tea. Fortunately, this was not the case. Although there was a predominately pomegranate flavor, it was well-mixed with the hibiscus, although the hibiscus was not prevailing. There was still enough tea to hold its own as well, thankfully. I’m not usually too keen on iced teas, but this makes me want to give them a chance. I’m longing for a spring thaw and this on ice :)

WOW! So moving on to the second in the wonderful bouquet that Angel at Teavivre has sent along, and I couldn’t be more excited to try this. This was one I was really looking forward to. So without further delay I’m gonna jump right in!

Visually this tea is unlike anything I’ve seen. The long, golden tips are incredible! And the look, scent and feel are all so much more fresher than can be believed. I already know I’m in for a treat. The scent is fragrant and complex. The taste is absolutely divine! It’s balanced nicely with lots of flavor without being astringent. It just might be the perfect black tea. It produces a deep golden color liquid, and was delicious through multiple infusions. I am in love with this. Unreal.

First off a HUGE THANK YOU to Angel at Teavivre for sending me such generous samples!!!! It makes me very grateful to this community where we can connect with one another across continents and around the globe in pursuit of great tea, and in celebration of it.

That being said I was excited to try all these amazing teas! I didn’t know where to start, but decided this would make a lovely post-dinner treat. It’s been a while since I’ve had this type of tea, and after I took one whiff of these I knew I was in for a treat! First infusion was steeped for just under the 2 minute limit. The result was a harmonious blend that was very floral-forward jasmine on the nose, but then tapered off to a pleasant, lightly-sweet finish. I think I’ll use this as an introduction to jasmine teas for those who are reluctant to try them, or for people who are looking to drink more green tea, as it’s irresistible!!

The next few infusions followed suit, this is a truly amazing tea. Thanks again Teavivre!

The scent of this is not to be believed. It’s complex and has a sugary sweetness about it. I was apprehensive about the coconut element, since I have a complicated relationship with coconut. Not being a huge fan of it’s flavoring, I do like subtle hints of it in things, but only when it’s really coconut, and not an artificial taste.

The coconut in this complemented the tea perfectly. It added a warm element to it, which balanced out the sweeter aspects. Surprisingly potent for its ingredients, it is a real treat. I had considered getting this the last time I was at David’s, but had reconsidered after smelling it. But I had it with my sister this evening, and I know it’s only a matter of time before I’ll be running back to David’s to buy it for myself!

For some reason the vanilla notes remind me of The Royal Wedding Tea by Harney & Sons.

Just made this into a latte, and it is divine! Something about it makes me think of a gingerbread latte. It is delicious!!

With his book referenced in the description above being among my favorites, and one of my own personal tea-bibles I had high hopes to say the least. And when I found out it was an alluring blend of Keemun and Assam, I knew I had to have this tea. I was not disappointed.

I wasn’t expecting anything revolutionary or mind-blowing, just a new improvement to my morning routine. I found that in this delightful breakfast blend. My first cup of the day is generally the only one to which I add some almond milk and sweetener, but it needs to be a strong enough tea to hold its own, wake me up, and get me going in the AM. This not only fulfills these requirements, it exceeds them.

All in all this tea isn’t anything crazy. It’s not ostentatious, or gimmicky. But, true to the spirit of it’s namesake’s book, it IS one decent cup of tea.

David’s has done it again! So on my third trip there this week I was disappointed to find out that they still hadn’t gotten in the Tea of the Month for January, Splash! However, incapable of leaving empty-handed I had to pick up a few more things (if I didn’t know I had a problem before, after this week, I can be sure…). I had LOVED the sample I’d previously gotten of this tea, and just knew I needed more ASAP. Where to start? It’s chocolately, it’s got just the right amount of fruity flavor to it. I definitely get the chocolate-covered strawberry analogy. It’s comfort in a cup. It was the perfect thing to bring with me to work on this very snowy day. David’s to the rescue once again!

Wow! This may just be my favorite green tea yet!! (excluding matcha of course). One of my many new years resolutions was to drink more green tea, and I don’t think I’ll have any problem with that if it’s Tokyo blend! A million thanks to ScottTeaMan for the recommendation, it’s right up my alley! Subtle, grassy sweetness, with the complexity of the sesame seeds to give it enough character, this is a treat.

I recently converted my sister (a longtime exclusively coffee-drinker) to tea. As I have a habit of forcing things I love upon my friends and family I have been thrilled with this feat , and taken it upon myself to introduce her to as many different teas that I thought she’d like as possible. She started calling me her tea mentor, so I thought I owed it to her to take her on a round of tea shopping this past Saturday. We stopped at the David’s tea on Bleecker, Porto Rico Importing and Harney’s Soho store, of course. All were insanely busy but I’d have to mark it as a success as we were both encumbered with large packages by the time we made it to the bar to watch my 49ers’ magnificent victory!

Now that I’ve rambled off the backstory at length, this was one of the many purchases made that day. I was indecisive and looking for something different, and when I had one whiff of this I knew it’d be perfect! It’s sweet florals are the perfect cure to this rainy/snowy day!