Category: Review

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Naked Teas Galore’s Ms. Grey

Ms. Grey by Naked Teas Galore
Black Tea / Flavoured
$7.35 for 50g

First Impressions

Ms. Grey was one of my purchases from Naked Teas Galore, and it appealed to me because it’s an Earl Grey-inspired blend. This black tea blend is organic and comes in a matte black bag (sealed and resealable). The aroma is very zesty and beautiful, I can definitely see some cornflower petals.

Ms. Grey consists of organic: ceylon, orange peel, lemon peel, lime peel, lavender, blue cornflowers, and natural flavouring. It definitely has a bright citrus aroma and I get a hint of lavender when I smell the dry leaf.

Preparation

Naked Teas Galore recommends steeping Ms. Grey in 100°C (212°F) water for 3 to 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of 4 minutes.

First Taste

Ms. Grey steeps to a reddish orange colour. There’s a pleasant citrus aroma (reminds me mostly of lime over lemon and bergamot). It is a touch bitter, but I do get the floral notes from the lavender coming through. I find that the black tea base to be a bit astringent at my steeping time of 4 minutes. I also tried Ms. Grey with a touch of honey and milk, and found that it helped to temper the bitterness and made it more palatable.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Ms. Grey, but found it to be lacking the lavender and citrus notes from the initial steep. I would recommend Ms. Grey for just the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Naked Teas Galore’s Ms. Grey. I thought that it made an interesting twist on a classic Earl Grey blend by adding the orange, lemon, and lime. It really added a zest quality to the flavour and I thought it was nice. I do wish that there was less bitterness to the .

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Dessert by Deb’s Berry Bouquet

Berry Bouquet by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$9.00 for 50g

First Impressions

Berry Bouquet is a green tea blend from the Toronto-based Dessert by Deb, and is a certified organic tea blend. It comes in a matte white foil bag (sealed and resealable!), and with the a coloured label featuring Dessert by Deb’s adorable teapot label. The aroma of the blend is very floral – the first thing that I really noticed was roses. I can smell the lavender and jasmine in the background.

Berry Bouquet consists of organic: green tea, elderberries, raisins, currants, hibiscus, jasmine, rose petals and lavender. It definitely smells like a bouquet of flowers!

Preparation

Dessert by Deb suggests steeping Berry Bouquet at 200°F (93°C) for 4 to 6 minutes. My initial steep was for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Berry Bouquet steeps to a very pink colour, which I attribute to the hibiscus. The aroma is floral, and I found that the taste of Berry Bouquet to be sweet, berry and floral – it’s quite pleasant! It’s a very feminine smelling tea, reminds me of a tea that would be a delight for a tea party. The berry flavour is very light and sweet, it goes well with the floral ingredients.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Berry Bouquet once, but found that the flavour to be quite watery compared to the initial steep. I would recommend Berry Bouquet for just the one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Berry Bouquet. I really enjoyed this floral blend (hot). I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t taste the green tea, but the floral notes went well with the berry flavours. I think this would be a great tea iced (or cold steeped), and perhaps with a splash of lemonade to really bring the summer feeling alive.

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President’s Choice’s Chai

Chai by President’s Choice
Black Tea / Flavoured
$2.97 for 40g (20 tea bags)

First Impressions

I picked up Chai on a whim when I was at the grocery store, mostly because it had been on sale and I do like having a good cup of chai from time to time. This black tea blend came in a cardstock box that features a nice perforated opening, all the tea bag come individually packaged in coated paper packing. The tea bags feel papery with a string and tag attached.

The aroma of Chai is mostly cinnamon and ginger, which are nice warm spices. I don’t really smell much of anything else, but those are the primary spices that I enjoy in a Chai so they’re appreciated. Chai consists of: black tea leaves, cinnamon bark, black pepper seeds, cloves, natural flavour, star anise fruit, ginger root, and cardamom seeds.

Preparation

President’s Choice recommends boiling water (100°C/212°F), allowing the water to rest for 1 minute, and then steep the tea for 5 to 6 minutes. I did an initial steep of Chai for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Chai steeps to a reddish brown, the predominant aroma from the steeped tea is the cinnamon and ginger. I found that the tea was smooth, but there was a hint of bitterness at the end of each sip. Not quite sure where it comes from, but it’s obviously enough that makes me want to add a touch of sugar or cream to help temper the bitter flavour. I find the cinnamon and ginger to be quite strong, and I do get a hint of pepper in the background as it adds a nice warming quality to the tea. I don’t really taste the star anise or cloves, which I feel like should have been stronger and more in the forefront of the flavour profile.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Chai once, adding an additional 30 seconds to the steeping time. I found the taste of the tea to be very watery compared to the initial steep, and quite lacking in spice flavour.

My Overall Impression

I thought that President’s Choice’s Chai was just okay. The aroma of Chai was pleasant in the dry leaf and in the steeped tea, I found the warming qualities of the cinnamon and ginger to be pleasant. I was disappointed with the lack of cloves and cardamom in the flavour though, because I really enjoy those flavours in a cup of chai. I think it’s a nice black tea blend for an introduction to chai, but there’s certainly better ones out there. I think it’d be great to add some milk to it to make it into a latte.

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