TEA TIME

I am a little obsessed with tea, so I decided to create a blog where I can give reviews for those who share the love!

[coletheteaaddict]

I'm back motherf**kers

If anyone is still here get your butts ready for some more reviews.

[coletheteaaddict]

Mamma Mia Re-Review (Collection Update)

I have found 50 grams of this tea! It is un-labled but it is definitely mamma mia since it has a very distinctive smell to it. 

I steeped 1.5 tsp and it has a much browner colour than I remember and it probably has something to do with the fact that it is over a year old now, but I want to try it because I want to know how well these teas last in air tight containers away from any light or harsh temperatures. basically ideal conditions.

This is a picture of my current tea cabinet, still a ton to try and review and lots to use up before I get new stuff.

BACK TO MAMMA MIA

It smells the same as it used to other than the distinct colour difference, I have to wait for it to cool.. this is my least favorite part of drinking tea.

WOAH, alright , despite the visible differences, this is JUST as sour and tangy of hibiscus and I remember why I haven’t bought any more again. Jeeze, this might be good as an iced tea for later in the summer but wow is it sour and zippy. There really isn’t much other flavour other than a tad bit of cinnamon.

Do not like.  

[coletheteaaddict]

Re -Review? (late night questionable sobriety)

Wowsa it sure has been a long time! there has been so much going on in my life right now and I just haven’t found the time to do any reviews even though I still have SOOOO many teas left to review, and I mean like 100 unique types.

ANYWAY, on to the good stuff.

I am not sure whether or not I have reviewed these teas before, but I am too tired and lazy to check through my posts.

What I think is Sencha Ashikubo:

I dumped in about 1.5 tsp into my steeping device and let it sit for probably about 30 seconds, the tea is mostly powder and it turned really dark really fast which doesn't seem like a very good thing but, eh...

OH MY GOD, I spat this right out, not because it was too hot, but because of the instant punch in my face of bitterness.... I don’t know what the hell happened in the last few months to make this tea go wrong, but DAMN there is no way it should taste like this. In this current state I would not recommend it and I am dumping the rest of it.

I tried it with less tea and cooler water and still a short steep time and it was still SUPER bitter and astringent and just outright horrible so I did end up throwing it out, unfortunate since I like nice and light green teas....

The Spice Is Right

I don’t remember when I bought this tea but I think that it was right when it came out, so it is pretty old as well as most of the tiny samples I got.

I believe this is a spiced green tea so I will steep it as such. As I measured the tea I noticed that there is almost NO tea in this, and it appears to be mostly cinnamon chunks... Well I like cinnamon so I’m hoping it at least has good cinnamon flavour. Well it steeped a green colour which is a good sign for a green tea...

(while waiting for this to steep I may have been shoveling goldfish into my face like I haven’t eaten in years so it may effect my tasting abilities)

The tea is as hot as the sun and tastes like water that had a one night stand with a cinnamon stick a week ago. weak . bland . 10/10 would not buy again.

No. 

I am done for tonight, very disappointing, hopefully tomorrow will be better...

[coletheteaaddict]

TEA AVE Samples

I just recieved my sample set from TEA AVE and I am super excited to share this with you guys.

I just got home from walking the dog and found this box!!!

So I opened it up! and BEHOLD!!!

Wait a minute... What is this???? TWOO bags???

This is a very well designed bag, AND it is re-usable! I am continuing to be more and more impressed with this company. So far I have received a letter and two very nice bags with unknown things inside. This picture doesn't show it very well but there are two black handles on this bag.

Inside the bag there is is an envelope, and it feels weird to say this .. but this feels like a very expensive and well made envelope. the weight of the paper is great and i think that this is a hand stamped logo. just amazing.

The back of the envelope, it is sealed shut with not just any sticker, a COLOURED sticker with their logo on it. They certainly are not skimping on anything here. amazing.

This was the letter that was in the envelope.

And also in the letter were two business cards and a 15$ gift card to use on a purchase! (terms apply)

Underneath the letter were three tea samples which I will be reviewing in depth.

They are inside of gold coloured pouches with custom printed stickers detailing the methods for steeping and information about the tea itself.

Also contained in this bag was a box, but not just any box.. this very official looking fancy box, custom made for its contents, embossed with the logo and held closed with magnets. sturdy materials and great texture. (not that this determines the quality of the tea but it certainly speaks volumes about how much this company is passionate about their tea).

I opened up the box and BOY was I surprised by this!!! I did not expect a new company to be giving me free samples and teaware to use ! this is completely unexpected and amazing. This has foam protecting the cups but its not just "foam" it is velvety foam that is CUSTOM cut to the cups and the box. And then when I took out the cups to take a closer look ... there was something else...

What is this?!?! a carved wooden serving plate??? this is too good to be true....

Holy crap, this company has so much potential, this is a gorgeous set that would be perfect for any new oolong drinker or even experienced tea lovers. It is even engraved and wood burned with the logo!

What a sexy set... I cannot wait to try out the tea in this.

Review coming shortly, (probably tomorow)

[coletheteaaddict]

GREAT NEWS

I just recieved a package from Teaave !

I will be doing an in depth review and unboxing today and it will hopefully be edited and ready for tomorow or later today! 

Keep your eyes open!

[coletheteaaddict]

Cranberry Singapore Sling

What's this???? Another Teavana tea!?!?!

Yes there are more... I have gotten quite the collection of their teas and havn't touched them ( I have never bought em' for myself since I dislike 99% of them)

Mine:

Photo from the website when it was still around:

Flavours: (according to steepster)

Artificial, Bitter, Citrus, Cranberry, Medicinal, Sweet, Candy, Cherry, Tangy, Tart, and cough syrup (something that makes me shudder)

Smell + Taste

Oh no... this isn't looking good... It smells so much like medicine I may not be able to try more than one sip. ERGHHH BLEHRG.. =[

I am so sad... My tongue cannot get rid of the taste fast enough. I am so glad this is discontinued . 

This is going to be a really short review since there is not much I can say after only one sip. 

[coletheteaaddict]

Youthberry

Ingredients:

Apple Pieces, Artificial Flavouring, Citric Acid, Hibiscus Flowers, Mango, Pineapple Piece, Red Currant, Rose Hips, Rose Petals, Sugar, White Tea

Flavours?:(according to steepster)

Citrus, Fruity, Grapefruit, Orange, Berry, Floral, Sweet, Bitter, Berries, Lemon, Lime, Pineapple, Sour, Tart, Tree Fruit, Honey, Flowers

Smell:

after steeping this smells fruity and a little sweet, but also has a weird smell to it that I cannot identidy... rosehips? hibiscus? uhm... I am pretty worried about hot this is going to taste.... smells like fruity plastic

Taste:

Meh, this just tastes meh... fruity and floral... but meh...... MEH. seriously it is neither good or bad, it is just mediocre and I don't know where to place it. I am waiting for it to cool down more so I can take bigger sips and get more of an idea how I feel about this..

So once it was cooled down a bit more I took a few big sips to get more of an idea of the taste. ( For reference I used 2 tsp steeped for 90 seconds) So there is a slight bitterness to this , and I am not sure if this is due to my steeping process or if this is just how it is. Other than the bitterness this is just okay, it isn't bad at all but I won't go out of my way to make more of this even though I have like 40 grams left. I am halfway through my mug of it and I don't hate it actually, and if you like this kind of tea that is light and floral and fruity then you actually may like it, but it is just not for me. I prefer some spice.

Review: I won't be buying more of this, but whenever I feel like drinking a flower I know where to look.

5/10

[coletheteaaddict]

I picked up some genmaicha from my local Asian market. It is really good! Nice and toasty and nutty. And this was 400g for 5$, davidstea wants 6$ for 50g. I suggest everyone goes to an Asian grocery store and look at their tea selection, you may be surprised what you find. 9/10

[coletheteaaddict]

The last of the mystery gift teas

EDIT: I want to make sure everyone knows I am being heavily dramatic and I am very thankful for the teas that were sent! I was in a shit mood and felt like being an ass! I love you all

As sad as it is… (not at all) I am almost done with the last of the gift (throwaway) teas. And this is the last one that I have. 

Ingredients: (?)

Looks like there is two kinds of light fruit, one may be pineapple and the other seems to be some sort of citrus, there is also apple pieces and  something else that looks similar but just slightly different.There are these things that could be cranberries or rosehips and I am not sure, as well as a long thing, juniper berries, dried cranberries and blueberries(?) and the same flower petal things and the beet thingies There does not seem to be any type of “tea” in this at all.

Smell: 

Dry this smelled fruity and you could smell the sickening sweetness, but after is is steeped it smells kind of like medicine which I think is due to the juniper berries. To me, it doesn’t smell very appealing, but I will still go against my first judgement and try it out, maybe some sugar can help

Taste:

With the weather being as cold as it is where I live (-30 Celsius) I cannot wait to start tasting more of my more spiced teas, since fruity teas are better in the summer and done iced.. but I wouldn’t dare have an iced tea right now… I’d get chilled and need another 10 blankets to sleep without getting icicles on my nipples…. alas… I should be tasting this tea and not babbling.. but I’m stalling….

okay.. I thought that this was going to be bad because of the juniper, but boy was I wrong, this isn’t bad…. it’s HORRIBLE… I may seem like I am being harsh.. but this just tastes like fruit-roll-ups were soaked in water… and not the good ones.. the sugar free shitty ones.. man that is a weird taste it is so tart like the others but its just like juniper fruit flower water.. I can see some ill-informed pleb buying it because of the “medicinal properties” and forcing it down their ignorant throats to try to cure some self-diagnosed malady…

Maybe I am just in a grumpy mood, or something horrible has happened to the tea… considering it was shipped to me in bright yellow IKEA bags I wouldn’t be surprised.

Someone please tell me this isn’t how this should taste….

-1/10

EDIT: Grouchy me is grouchy

[coletheteaaddict]

ANOTHER MYSTERY

Mystery Tea #2

I will show you what pieces I could identify

This looks like oolong tea maybe?

This is green apple I believe

This is probably rose petals or hibiscus or something flowery

This is 100% cardamom

Pieces of some sort of fruit with a peel

This is lemongrass

Beets. or hibiscus, but probably beets

Closeup of the debris

ALRIGHT I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TEA THIS IS

If anyone knows more about teavanna teas and blends maybe they can help me out. 

It tastes a little weird, it is very floral and has some astringency too is which dries your mouth out a little... I don't know what else to make out of it... It is just like all the other herbal/oolong teas that I have tried with fruit and flowers in it.. way too tart and boring. =[ Disappointing. 

2/10

[coletheteaaddict]

UNKNOWN MYSTERY TEA

Can anyone identify this tea? I believe it is from Teavana and I will list the ingredients that I can figure out.

Ingredients:

Coconut, lemongrass, rosehips, pineapple?( could also be passionfruit more likely), hibiscus, rose petals? and some small pieces of leaves.

The Tea:

This is very bright pink and smells pretty strongly fruity and sweet, and on the first sip I am SMACKED dead in the face with tart hibiscus, so strongly that it makes my saliva glands ache, like when you have something way too sour, second sip isn't as bad but I think it's because my taste buds have all hidden away after that first sip. I really don't taste much other than hibiscus and rosehips which is pretty disappointing. I will be giving the last of this away to assault another victim.

EDIT: I think its a blend of Passion tango and dragonfruit devotion but I am still not sure, nevertheless its being nixed.

[coletheteaaddict]

Guys…. Did I review Caramel Corn???? I get mixed up with all the tea I have and havnt tried...

[coletheteaaddict]

Pumpkin Cheesecake

First thoughts:

I was told to have this as a latte , and a review I read also said to have it as a latte but I think I am going to try it without milk first and then add some milk and brown sugar afterwards to give both a try.

Tasting:

First sip and it's not bad at all, pretty good. Not overly sweet, with a nice almost cake taste. I don't taste any pumpkin or anything like actual cheesecake but I do taste cake and it smells like a graham cracker crust. Now I have added the milk and it is really weak tasting now.. The only taste I have is the rooibos with a small hint of that "cake" flavour that seems to be in a lot of the teas like this (red velvet cake, birthday cake, coffee cake, and others). I am a little disappointed and I think this tea keeps going away because it is a little sub-par. I mean the rooibos is nice and it is decent without anything in it, but when you add milk it just gets overpowered. 

Review:

I won't be buying this one again, for a couple reasons, 1. it is not around anymore and seems to be a seasonal thing since it has gone away and come back a couple times. And 2. because this is a weak tasting tea that doesn't have any pumpkin flavour at all and there isn't really any taste of cinnamon or clove or any of those pumpkin spices. All in all disappointing for what they named it, but if they had marketed this as something different, say... angel-food cake or something like that, then maybe it would have been a different story, but as pumpkin cheesecake, I am just disappointed.

5/10

[coletheteaaddict]

Sugar Plum Forest

This tea is pretty interesting, it smells really nice when dry so I am excited about it.

This is actually weird. It isn't bad but I won't be buying it again. It is very cinnamony... and there isn't much other taste to it. I didn't finish the whole cup and then I took a sip after it was cold and it reminds me very much of spiced apple cider from Teavanna. If ya really like cinnamon then you mayyyy just like this one. It smells like potpourri when dry, I would be more likely to set out a dish of it as a room scent than I would be to drink it again.

5/10

Buy This Tea Here

[coletheteaaddict]

I just picked up this tea along with a few other winter teas and this one seemed like a good place to start, especially at night since I don’t want caffeine.

So this tea has some unique ingredients that I have not had before in a tea, like raisins, and coriander. It smells like vanilla icing when dry. Sweet and yum.

I put the entire 12 g I bought into the steeper and left it for 5 mins. After that time the tea was a light yellow and smelt a little bit different, less like icing and more neutral and way less sweet, but still good.

I let it cool down for a few minutes because I usually burn my mouth on teas without milk. This tasted weak at first but after it tastes a lot like vanilla pudding or icing that is a little weaker since it is a tea, and not the real thing (duhh). It has a little bit of an apple taste but not much . and a nice vanilla flavour to it. I really enjoyed this one!

9.5/10

[coletheteaaddict]

New pick ups

[coletheteaaddict]

Shitty tea

I never realised how shitty the tea at McDonalds was until I was desperate on a 9 hour shift.... Oh god. I threw it out the drive through window at a goose. Its only purpose and its not even good at it.