somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known

I'm skipping way ahead with this one because I'm drinking it right now, at the right temperature because I have a temperature controlled kettle, and it's gooooood.

Tea and the Gang have their blends as characters for the most part (the new ones aren't yet branded, including the Strawberry Daiquiri I had a while back.) This one's descriptions is Jasmine Dragon Pearls, which are basically instead of tea as loose leaves, the green tea is curled up into little balls and infused in jasmine. Jasmine tea is a love, so I had high hopes for this one.

Also, I just showed it to my mother and that was a nice bonding moment because she just went back to her home country for a holiday, and she bought some jasmine dragon pearls before she left to give to a Buddhist teacher she knew.

Ingredients: Green tea infused in jasmine flowers

Brewing notes: 80°C for 3 mins on the first cup.

Tasting notes:
Verdict: I said last time that jasmine tea was the only green tea I'd found that was more than the sum of its parts. That's still true, and I still adore it - it's so soothing.
Lessons Learned: Jasmine tea still very good.

I preface this by saying that I've never tried sangria, so I have no point of comparison.

Ingredients: Hibiscus, Apple Pieces, Rosehip, Orange Peel, Cardamom, Lime Peel, Natural Flavouring

Brewing notes: Definitely drank this over a series of 4 hot cups. 100°C, because I had a temperature control kettle at the time.

Tasting notes:
Verdict: The spice came through alongside the fruit. It was... probably better if the weather was colder, because it was still quite warm when I was drinking this, but it was very warming. Despite my low spice tolerance in general (see incoming Ginger Beer 'nope nope nope' review), it was a good one!.
Lessons Learned: Spice is... sometimes warming and good. Cardamom is warming and not that bad. Also, sangria is not something I want to try in alcohol, but okay in tea.

It has been... a while since I actually drank this tea, so we get things through the haze of memory (I really should start doing them when I drink them, lol. I was good about it until I wasn't! But I want to keep a record, at least.)

Ingredients: Apple Pieces, Hibiscus, Rosehip, Air-Dried Pineapple (Pineapple, Sugar), Orange Peel, Natural Flavouring

Tasting notes: I think I drank this one hot once and then cold brewed the rest of it. Added a bit of sugar both times.
Verdict: T'was perfectly fine. Didn't hate it, didn't love it, but mostly fine.
Lessons Learned: Most fruit teas are good enough, and some of them are stronger than others, but most of them are basically just fine. Also, I'm getting used to the tart taste of hibiscus.

Nothing wrong with this one, just nothing that made it especially noteworthy.

Ingredients:Green tea, white tea, papaya pieces, pineapple pieces, strawberries, raspberries, rose petals, mallow blossoms, flavouring.

It is notable, however, that this is the first tea that includes a white tea, though definitely more green. Which is making me think I made a mistake and might have overdone it for the white during brewing, but it didn't actually taste too bad.

Whites are the most unprocessed of the teas, being just plucked from the tea plant and dried. As such, they have a much more delicate flavour, and should be brewed at about 70 degrees.

Brewing notes
I brewed this five times at 80 degrees each time, because I know that I don't like cold greens.

Tasting notes:
Verdict:
The papaya in this was the strongest flavour. It was green tea, and then papaya combined with the pineapple. It was sweet, I'll give it that, but it's another case of it almost being two waves of flavour, which was fine, I just wouldn't go for it again.

Lessons Learned:
Read the ingredients and see if brewing should be changed based on what you find there instead of ignoring it?

This one took me four attempts to get right, and I didn't really like it by the end, either.

This was one I actually tried a couple of years ago - and didn't like because I was wanting something more like a mango smoothie and you're never gonna get that from a tea, aha. So, now that I'm more accustomed and accept the fact that it's a green, I decided to give it another go.

Ingredients: Sencha green tea, dried mango, sunflowers, flavouring.

I brewed this at 80 degrees three times, and didn't really like it that much - mostly because I had to wait until it cooled down enough, then waited too long, and then once it was cool it didn't taste nice.. The first one was quite nice, actually, because I think I got more of the mango in there, and it just wasn't as strong enough on the second and third cups. On the fourth cup, it still wasn't, but getting it at a sort of nice sipping temperature made me like it more.

Tasting notes:
Verdict: Eh. It's more than a usual green, and the mango is there, but it wasn't strong enough for my taste,
Lessons Learned: Play with temperatures if it doesn't work, even outside of the recommended standard temperatures for a type of tea. Also, greens are more sipping drinks rather than drink the whole thing in gulps drinks. Stop trying to do that. Stick to an everyday blend with lots of milk if you want something smooth to chug.

It's been a while! This is because I have been slacking off on trying tea because I was sick, then went on a cruise where I didn't have my teas. On that cruise, I drank a) a lot of PG Tips everday blend in single serve, which I know I like with lots of milk and a little sugar for sweetness, but b) also tried two other single serves that they had on the ship: the raspberry and peppermint infusions.

I finished neither cup. The peppermint was underwhelming compared to the mint from the gunpowder mint I'd already had, and the raspberry was just a hint of flavour in hot water and I didn't like it enough to keep drinking. So... not ones I'd go for again, and I'll just stick with my everyday teabags.

(Though my father drunk several cups of their chamomile infusion and really liked it, so each to their own.)

In addition, experiments in tea posts will probably be less formal from now on; it's a lot less fun trying new teas when I know I effectively have to write a full report on them afterwards, but I still want to write something down so I know what to order again when I run out of tea because my memory is terrible and I have a lot of teas to try. Also, image hosting takes up too much storage space to do it for every single one. But... probably more like this in future.

experiments in tea #18: toast and jam (taylors of harrogate yorkshire tea)
An unexpected interruption from the loose leaf, but these flavoured teas from Yorkshire tea, especially the biscuit brew, came recommended to me by friends so I thought I'd get them when they were on sale at the local supermarket and try them. I have a sweet tooth, so I went for the jam first (also apparently the other one is better, so I'd rather go up than down.



( Toast and Jam )
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We're back to the blacks. It's been a while.

( Russian Caravan )
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The first proper fruit tisane!


( Courtesan )
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A take on the classic Earl Grey.


( Earl Grey Blue Star )

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