Yogini Undefined Send Message

Malty, kick-you-in-the-teeth goodness. Another staple in my cupboard. I always love this one in my china teacup, with a spoonful of sugar and a dash of milk. I love the paradox of this manly-flex-your-muscles kind of tea served in a feminine-delicate-and dainty teacup.

Had this today at a restaurant. It was pretty decent, especially because I was cold and just so grateful to have something warm to hand on to. The bergamot was quite strong. I added one sugar and a dash of milk, and that barely touched the bergamot. The brew was strong, but not bitter tasting or astringent. I would have this again.

I love the smell of this stuff dry. It smells (to me anyway) like fresh, green hay. Takes me back to happy memories on the farm. I could detect something else, but couldn’t put my finger on it. Either way, I’m happy to sniff and let myself be taken back to the days of fresh hay, sunny days and blue skies.

1st Infusion:
I went with a 3 minute brew for this one and it no longer smells like fresh, green hay, but it still feels green, and has a soft hint of wildflowers or something, with a faint sweetness. I feel like I’ve smelled a particular flower that has that smell – I just can’t put my finger on it. Either way, it really brings me outside, and is evoking a lot of memories that I had forgotten about. It’s quite a pleasant experience, and I haven’t even taken a sip yet. ;)

The colour of this could best be described as a pale, yellow diamond colour. It is beautiful.

Oddly enough, upon drinking it, I’m tasting the hay again (yes, I have chewed on hay before) and it has a sweet note to it. I’m having difficulty describing the finish of it – it’s still sweet, but something else is going on too lol. I’m really enjoying it!

2nd Infusion:
Brewed for 3min 30 secs just under 90°C
Very similar to first brew, a touch stronger tasting perhaps. Colour is still lovely diamond yellow, with a hint of green to it. I’m impressed with how good this 2nd infusion is. Smells greener, more floral. Tastes a bit greener too, with semi-sweet finish. Excellent brew!

3rd Infusion:
3mins 45 sec, just under 90°C
Only slightly milder smelling/tasting, very similar to #2. Enjoying carrying this around with me while I’m outside, planning my garden.

4th Infusion:
4mins, just under 90°C
Probably should have infused this a tad longer, because it was on the weaker side, but still really lovely. I ended up leaving this one to get cold, and quite enjoyed drinking it even after it had cooled. I could note the sweetness especially when it was room temperature.

5th Infusion:
8mins, just under 90°C
I actually only meant to brew this for 5-6 mins but got distracted and forgot about it. Probably just as well, as it is getting weak now, although the colour is still quite a lovely yellow colour. Mellow smelling, yet still some flavour. I could try for another infusion, but it`s getting late and I need some sleep.

All in all, I enjoyed this tea all day long and look forward to having more of it! Cooled, I thought it was rather refreshing, softly sweet and smooth.

Thought I’d have some more of this delightful tea. The aroma alone is just what the doctor ordered on this cold, wet and dreary day. I’m wanting to try multiple infusions with this one today, although I brewed the first infusion a bit longer, at 1min, 45seconds. My fault, I realized after I set it to brew that I had forgotten the suggested time that was listed on this page, which was under a minute. Oh well, I’ll just see how many I can squeeze out of it. :)

The colour is pure amber and the smell of caramel and nuts is so dreamy. I haven’t even taken a sip yet, and I can feel myself becoming more mellow. ;) I don`t know what it is about this tea, but I am becoming quite enamoured of it. First sip is just wonderful and I love the sweet nutty taste that is left on my tongue. I think I will move this up on my happy rating :)

ETA: 2nd infusion – I guess maybe my expectations are too high for a second infusion? Also, I overbrewed the first infusion so that might have something to do with it. I brewed the second one for well over 3 minutes just to be able to smell something when I stuck my nose in my Tea Master. I still smell the sweet nuts, just not as strong. The taste is weaker too, but still very yummy.

I will endeavour to make this correct at some point in hopes of being able to appreciate multiple infusions of it. At this point, I can’t imagine I will get much more out of the leaves.

I bought a box of this on a whim from a nifty British shop, and happy that I did. I’ve got the bagged, tagless version. This is my standby tea, when I just need something quick, easy, simple, and above all comforting. I use a basic black tea when I make my own version of Cambric tea – loads of milk, a pound of honey, and a dash (or more) of tea. A sure-fire fix for upset tummy. Plus, I don’t feel as badly pitching a cheaper tea bag that I’ve only basically dunked for colour purposes in my cup. I sometimes brew it longer, if I want a kick – it depends on what I’m trying to cure: tummy ache: dunked for 30 seconds or less, basically for a very mild taste, and a bit of colour; heart ache/stress: brewed a bit longer, around a minute; and finally hangover: brew that bag out for what it’s worth, throw in the honey and toss it back. ;) *N.B. These are only recommended brew times based on my scale of need, and even that scale changes based on my whims, which is frighteningly frequent ;)

So, it’s 3am, I can’t sleep, and it was definitely time for a tea & honey. A big one. And at this point, I don’t even care about using a caffeine free tea, like my go-to Rooibos. I just want a warm cuppa-hug, on a rainy night, when I’m lonely and anxious. So, I reached for a bag of Yorkshire Gold. I brewed it for about a minute – I really like the colour of this tea. I added two massive spoonfuls of my favourite honey, and admired how the honey really makes the tea turn a rich, reddish gold colour. Yum. Added a whole pile of milk (just skim, but it always goes creamier in the presence of all that honey and in this tea) and the result is a creamy beige that just looks divine and smells even better. I hold my extra large mug in my hand and just breathe in the goodness.

I used to just use Red Rose for this purpose, or Tetley (this is what my mum drinks when she visits, so I keep the Red Rose on hand in the house) but this tea has surpassed them both on my happy scale. I’m nearly finished this box, and I am definitely going to pick up another one.

Ok, so I go through a lot of this stuff. It’s my quick grab comfort tea, for two reasons: I can drink it at night, before bed and 2) it’s an easy pleaser (for me anyway)
I rarely drink it without additives though, and I realized that I love to load this one up with milk and rock sugar, or honey. I guess that’s part of the comfort part. Tonight I am feeling kinda blah, so I went for the full Monte and added milk, and a few chunks of rock sugar. Mmmm, yummy, soothing, happy time.

I set this to brew this afternoon, and then got distracted with something else, so I ended up brewing it an extra 4.5mins beyond the original 8mins I had on the timer. I find it more tart than sweet, but that could be because I drank a coke earlier and maybe it’s still on my palette. I was told by a Teaopia rep that one can brew the heck out of these fruit blends, but I wonder if overbrewing it makes a difference in the taste?
I’m tempted to add a tiny bit of rock sugar, but will hold off for now.
The colour is a gorgeous red colour – the colour of raspberry jello when you first mix the powder in the water. Yum yum! And it smells softly sweet. It is enjoyable, but I think it’s more enjoyable iced.

I recently tried this while visiting a Teaopia store. It was absolutely beautiful to drink. And, because I got distracted by the Matcha and a bunch of other tea I had come to purchase, I forgot about this one (I know, I know, if it was that great, how could I have forgotten about it?) and I totally left the store without purchasing any of this tea. I’m hoping to remedy this before it sells out entirely.