Welcome to the party!

Grab a cup and have a seat.

[arks-tea-party]

Here I will compile tea journal notes: my thoughts on different types of tea, tea steeping methods, snack/small dessert recipes I’ve found, tea research notes and history from people who are knowledgeable about tea, and some tea party and garden aesthetic pictures to round it out.

But of course, I encourage you to send asks about your favourite teas, tea time snacks, tea ware, etc. This is supposed to be a party after all, and I would like to hear from you!

Enjoying different teas is a new hobby for me. There is a lot of the basics that I don’t know and haven’t tried. I only became interested in tea a few months ago when I found a tea I actually like without additives. Now that I know there are teas I do like alone, I’m curious about different types of tea and ways to brew tea.

There are sometimes links to external websites and I do include the names of tea brands, vendors, and (sometimes) farms, but I am not sponsored by anyone. These are my honest thoughts and opinions on which I spent my own money on to try, and I’m not being paid by anyone for the things I write.

[arks-tea-party]

Hello. I know I disappeared for a while. I have been trying a lot of teas even while I haven’t been posting. When I try some of them again, I will write reviews.

The thing getting in the way of writing reviews is, while I enjoy writing them, my energy is limited because of my chronic health problems. This means that I have to prioritize things in my life carefully.

I still love tea and I want to make this blog a priority again. And there is an event coming up in July and August that will help me get back into it: The Japanese Tea Marathon, hosted by The Global Japanese Tea Association.

There is one issue: I really want to do some writing for Camp NaNoWriMo. I’m trying for 50,000 words once again (since I succeeded last NaNo) but in July...And the Japanese Tea Marathon is also happening in July.

It’s going to be tricky, but I intend to do all of these things, and, if I have energy, I will also discuss anything I found interesting that they talk about during the marathon. It’s likely I won’t be able to post things on the days as they happen, but I will make posts about it when I have time and energy. I will take notes during the event.

[arks-tea-party]

I won’t be having any teas with caffeine in them for a while. I think it might be agitating my health problems so the Early Spring Snow Buds White Tea review will have to wait.

[arks-tea-party]

May 18, 2021

[EDIT: Accidentally put in the wrong pictures before. Fixed them now.]

I’m not showing off the tea cup today because it’s one I’ve used before: the teacup with flowers and lines on it.

Today’s tea is Anxi Oolong from my Tea Runners May box [as always, not sponsored].

I coudn’t prepare it exactly to specifications, since my kettle doesn’t have a 93 degrees Celsius (200 F) setting. I went with the closest lower one, which is 90 degrees Celsius (194 F). I used one teaspoon of tea leaves for every 8 ounces of water. I left it to steep for 3 minutes.

It has a toasted nut aroma with a bit of that caffeine smell. The taste is toasted nuts, though it’s a bit subtle. You have to hold it in your mouth for a moment to get the taste. Where it really shines is the aftertaste, which is sweet and fruity.

Overall, I like this tea. I think I'll use more tea leaves next time to get a stronger taste, but it’s not bad like this.

[arks-tea-party]

May 17, 2021

[Sorry for the late post.]

I’m not showing off the cup today because it’s one I’ve posted about before: the faded cabin cup.

Today’s tea is Imperial Grade Green Snails from Tea Runners [as always, not sponsored]. The taste is noted to be a bit astringent, so I’m not sure how much I will like it. But today is the day to give it a try.

I followed the steeping instructions, which is 1 and a half teaspoons of tea leaves for every 8 ounces of 80 degrees Celsius (175 degrees Fahrenheit) water, steeping for 3 minutes.

The aroma is tea with caffeine (no surprises there). The taste honestly reminds me a bit of White Pearls tea, but has a stronger, sweeter taste. It makes sense since the White Pearls tea and this one are both first flush teas. The astringency is mostly noticeable in the aftertaste, but it is not overwhelming or super bitter.

For the second steep, the taste is almost but not quite malty, and the astringency is stronger in the aftertaste. The astringency is not so bad to be disgusting though.

For the third steep, the taste is malty and the aftertaste actually has less astringency than before.

For the fourth steep, the astringency is a lot more noticeable, so I think I will stop steeping it here.

Overall, I do like this tea. A pleasant surprise. This is a good choice if you like the White Pearls tea but wished the flavour was stronger.

[arks-tea-party]

May 15, 2021

Today’s cup is this light blue penguin cup. It’s somewhere in between cute and odd looking, but I still like it.

Today’s tea is Himalayan Golden Black, from my Tea Runners May box [as always, not sponsored].

I followed the instructions to steep, which is 1 teaspoon of tea leaves for every 8 ounces of 90 degrees Celsius (195 degrees Fahrenheit) water for 3 minutes.

The aroma holds a noticeable caffeine smell, but it’s also a bit sweet. The taste is very sweet, almost honey like, and malty. It’s a bold taste that doesn’t hold back, but it’s not overpowering either. The malty taste really comes out if you hold the tea in your mouth for a moment. The aftertaste is sweet as well, with a bit of maltiness.

It doesn’t taste quite as sweet on the second steep, but it’s still pretty good.

The third steep you notice the malt a lot more, but the aftertaste is astringent. I would say this tea is only good for about 2 steeps if you dislike astringency like I do.

Overall, I think this is an amazing tea. I highly recommend it. The caffeine is on the medium-high side, so it’s probably something you would want to enjoy early in the morning or afternoon. If I didn’t have to limit my caffeine intake for medical reasons, I would gladly drink this tea every day.

Oh, and fair warning, if you’re using light coloured tea pot or cup, clean them right away when you’re finished. This is the type of tea that leaves stains. I would recommend using a cup and teapot which is dark on the inside if you have them. Even washing my cup and teapot right when I was finished left some tea stains behind (probably because of the multiple steeps and taking my time while drinking it)... I imagine it would have been much worse if I waited.

[arks-tea-party]

I bought an insulated tumbler online so I can enjoy iced tea and cold water for many hours while I work in the yard this summer. It’s also really pretty, has a teal to purple gradient with sparkles. The item has hundreds of good reviews, so I know it will be good.

There isn’t an estimated shipping date yet, so it might take a while to get to my place. But I’ll be more than happy to show it off when it arrives.

[arks-tea-party]

I’d also like to say that this blog isn’t just going to be Tea Runners stuff. I will buy and try more teas from other vendors and brands as well. Tea Runners is what I have the most of right now, but I plan to get some things from DAVIDsTEA (they have free shipping with no minimum right now for Frequent Steepers) as well as some tea from various brands from Amazon and Etsy.

I’m also inclined to head to my local specialty tea shops too. There’s going to be a good variety, don’t worry.

[arks-tea-party]

My second box for Tea Runners arrived in the mail today! The reviews of new teas will keep coming.

[opalsandcream]

[arks-tea-party]

May 11, 2021

I’m not showing off the cup today, but if you’re curious, it is a Disney World cup.

Today’s tea is Lavender Raspberry Honeybush from Tea Runners [as always, not sponsored]. I was really curious about how it would taste as a cold brew iced tea (mostly because cold brew iced tea is my favourite way of making tea).

I used my usual cold brew tea method for this, which is 2 teaspoons of tea leaves for every 8 ounces of cold water, left in the fridge for 6 hours to steep.

The aroma of the tea is sweet raspberry with a bit of lavender. It’s a lot easier to notice the lavender taste when the tea is cold and iced, though of course the raspberry is still noticeable. The aftertaste is mostly raspberry with a bit of lavender.

I really love this as an iced tea. Very tasty and refreshing.

[morsaclizombi]

[arks-tea-party]

My First Tea Runners Box (April 2021) - Final Review

[As always, not sponsored.]

I have tasted all of the teas I got in the April box at least once, following the steeping instructions as closely as possible. The teas I got, ordered from most favourite to least favourite, are Heart Chakra Yogi, Lavender Raspberry Honeybush, White Pearls, and Chamomile Medley.

Of course, I did get a tea I didn’t end up liking very much. But this is a reflection of my own personal tastes and not a reflection of the quality of the teas themselves. The teas are very obviously high quality loose leaf.

Not to mention, Tea Runners is a vendor and, to my knowledge, is not a tea blender or producer. To rate the seller solely based on the quality and taste of teas they don’t make or blend themselves isn’t fair.

My main rating for Tea Runners is the experience that a seller can provide. Which is the website, packaging, shipping speed, the ability to customize the box (and whether or not the customization comes through), and the accuracy of the taste descriptions on the website.

The website is pretty, easy to use, and properly functional. Signing up for any box is easy. There are many customization options for the box. The teas I did customize and swap for worked perfectly, and it only takes a few minutes to send a customization request. The box arrived within the stated shipping time. The packaging is both gorgeous and functional. I only have minor issues with the description of the tastes of the teas, as I found some small details to be incorrect, but these discrepancies are likely caused by differing taste buds and not intentional false advertising. (And of course, the best way to understand how a tea will taste is by looking at the ingredients list.)

Do I recommend subscribing, or at least giving it a try? Absolutely. It’s a great way to get hard to find high quality teas in your mailbox every month.

[bbyvegan]

[arks-tea-party]

May 9, 2021

Today’s cup is this cute heart cup. It is a cup with a bit more than a 16 ounces capacity, so I will be using my tea pot today.

Today’s tea is Lavender Raspberry Honeybush from my Tea Runners April Subscription Box [as always, not sponsored]. The tea leaves smell like sweet berry with a hint of tartness. Almost like a dessert, or berry flavoured cotton candy. I’m eager to give this one a try. I think it will be another favourite.

I prepared the tea as the instruction say, which is steeping 1 teaspoon of leaves for every 8 ounces of 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) water for 5 minutes.

The aroma is not as sweet once it has been steeped. The taste is a wonderful sweet berry, with a bit of tartness. The tea has a calming effect due to the lavender, but I find I don’t really taste it. The aftertaste is a bit subtle, but it is also sweet berry.

As for my final thoughts, I really like this tea. It’s definitely one I will purchase again. I think it would taste good as a cold brew iced tea as well, so I’m looking forward to trying it that way too.

[gardenspirits-deactivated202207]

Breakfast in the Garden

[arks-tea-party]

May 8, 2021

(Sorry for posting late: I forgot to finish and post this yesterday.)

Today’s cup is this teapot cup, with a little strip design on the handle. It’s kind of cute. This tea cup is also holds about 8 ounces, so it’s easy to make tea for one person in it.

Today’s tea is Chamomile Medley from my April Tea Runners subscription box [as always, not sponsored]. To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m going to like this one. I didn’t pay enough attention to the ingredients of this tea before getting it, which has spearmint. I don’t really like minty tastes, and the tea leaves really do smell minty.

I followed the steeping directions, which is 1 teaspoon for every 8 ounces of 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) water, for 4 minutes.

(I forgot to take a picture of the tea in the cup, but it’s a yellow colour when fully steeped.)

The aroma is a bit less minty and more flowery in the cup. The taste is flowery with a bit of lemon, and yes, there is mint, but it’s not overpowering as I had feared. As to be expected, it has a mild calming effect. If you hold it in your mouth for a moment, you get more of the lemon taste. The aftertaste features mostly lemon with a bit of mint.

My final thoughts are it’s not bad. For something called Chamomile Medley, I would expect more of a floral taste. I think the lemongrass and spearmint overpower it. But to be honest, I don’t think this is a tea I would get for myself again.