I was careful to follow the specific brewing instructions included with my sample. The resulting cup was a pale golden yellow that reminded me somewhat of the color of champagne. The aroma of the brewed leaves is slightly more vegetal, but more fairly compared to fresh out of the garden goodness than overcooked asparagus. This is not a dainty barely noticeable white tea instead it offers a unique richness and even a bit of creaminess. A light sweetness comes into play in the finish.

While the second infusion was every bit as delicious as the first, I have to admit that I was most impressed with the actual brewing process of the second infusion. When I added the water to my clear brewing vessel for the second infusion, most of the slender leaves actually appeared to stand up from the base and sway somewhat in the water. This simple act proved to me once again that while I love the taste and the history of tea, it may actually be the process of making tea that appeals to me the most. This is a tea that I find most enjoyable on a quiet afternoon when I have time to fully appreciate and enjoy all that a beverage that was once reserved for emperors and the like, now has to offer even a simple tea lover like myself.

I allowed the first infusion to brew for two minutes and drank it so fast that I wasn’t able to assemble anything resembling a review. That was fine in this case as I believe the second infusion was just as good, if not better than the first. Both produced a deep honey colored cup with absolutely no bitterness. Judging from the richness of the flavor in my second cup and the aroma still present from the leaves, I have no doubt that I will be able to obtain at least one more tasty infusion from these leaves. Bossa Nova is smooth, rich and sweet on its own and I would recommend it as an afternoon or dessert tea.

I only had one sample bag of Minty Green and made the decision to try it as an iced tea, or actually as a cold tea. Since I only had the one bag, I didn’t want to risk it being too watered down by adding ice, so instead I allowed it to chill awhile in the fridge. Being the middle of summer in Florida, there is something delightfully refreshing about a minty green tea and this was no exception. The dominant taste to me appeared to be spearmint although I didn’t actually see the type of mint listed. The spearmint added a sweetness to the green tea that was quite pleasant.

All in all, I found this to be a good, convenient mint green tea. The green tea used was not the least bit vegetal tasting or bitter and allowed the mint to make the statement.

After adding the water I allowed to steep for 3 minutes, which produced a medium amber liquid with a bit of an orange tint. The aroma of the leaves after steeping as well as the tea itself remains more of the oolong than a fruity or floral tea, which is actually a plus for me as I am not much of a fan of floral scented teas. The first taste proves that oolong is indeed the most prominent presence. This is a tea that is remarkably easy to drink. The orange only becomes a player at the end of the sip and lingers in the aftertaste. I am normally able to steep the leaves three times with good quality results.

As a bit of a side note, Teas Etc. had several teas that placed very highly at the World Tea Championship this year. Their award winning teas include Assam Reserve, Ceylon OP1 and Golden Monkey Organic. They offer sample sizes of all of their teas that come in cute reusable tins. They also offer an unusual travel tea mug that could change the way you think about travelling with tea!

At first glance, my sample looked to me like it could have been an oolong. But, according to TeaGschwendner’s website, it is listed under their green tea category and described as a yellow tea from the Wuyi Mountains in northern Fujian Province, China. There are actual dried sunflower blossoms in the blend which adds to it being an absolutely beautiful tea to look at. The peach is apparent in the aroma of the dry leaves, but fairly muted.

Once brewed, the liquor is a golden yellow color and the peach aroma is more prominent. From the very first sip, there is no doubt that this is indeed a peach tea, even though actual peach is not listed as an ingredient. The taste is very fresh and sweet at the beginning of the sip, but finishes with a slight tartness that lingers on the tongue after swallowing. It evokes memories of that first bite of a fresh, juicy peach on a warm summer’s day. I enjoyed this hot and it was delightful, but I have no doubt that it will make an amazing iced tea as well. As an added bonus, it held up extremely well to a second infusion.

My sample of Genmaicha from Red Leaf Tea largely resembles most of the others I have tried. The dark green leaves are joined by the toasted rice and this sample includes more of the little pieces of “popcorn” than I am used to. The aroma of this one is not nearly as hearty as I am accustomed to, I’m not sure how to explain this, but it almost seems like the small plastic bag that my sample came in has an aroma of its own that is masking the toasty Genmaicha goodness. I even tried smelling the dry leaves away from the bag, but still not really there. Once brewed, the liquid produced is the same cloudy green that I am expecting. The aroma is still much more subdued. In this particular case, my nose didn’t lie. This tea is good, but doesn’t contain the level of roasted, toasty, brothy deliciousness that I love.

I decided to try a second infusion as sometimes I find the best tasting Genmaicha actually comes from the second. In this case, I wasn’t really able to detect much difference between the first and the second cup. I would probably recommend this to those who are fairly new to Genmaicha and are trying to get a feel for whether or not it suits their palate. This tea offers a subtle indication of all that Genmaicha has to offer.

After allowing it to steep for 3 minutes in boiling water, the aroma is still very similar to that of the dry leaves. The little chunks of caramel melt completely, which is a plus. Some vendors include larger pieces of caramel, that don’t always melt completely during the standard black tea brewing period. When I have tried to allow them to brew longer, I usually end up with a bitter cup because the black tea has brewed too long.

Back to TeaGschwendner Caramel…it brews up a lovely dark amber color. Caramel is obviously the star of the show, but the black tea base is mellow and smooth, with just a hint of chocolate at the end of the sip. The caramel leaves a sweet aftertaste. This is a tea that is decadently sweet on its own, but would probably be very good with a bit of cream also. Due to the depth of the sweetness of this one, it probably is not one that I would drink on a daily basis, but for those times when you are in the mood for a tea to help satisfy a sweet tooth, this would be an amazing one to have on hand.

I allowed the second infusion to steep for closer to 3 minutes and it was still very good. By the 2nd infusion, the leaves had at least quadrupled in size, leading me to believe I may not have needed to use as much dry leaf as I originally started out with. I would recommend this tea to those who already love pure green tea and are looking to branch out into some lightly flavored greens as well as fans of flavored greens who still want to know that they are indeed drinking a green tea.

For my initial steeping, I allowed the water to cool slightly from boiling and brew for 1 minute. The aroma of the brew is still more vegetable than fruit. The taste to me is most definitely vegetal, leaning slightly towards spinach. I am able to detect the mandarin ever so slightly at the end of the sip and it lingers a bit at the back of the tongue as an aftertaste. It isn’t a citrusy sweetness, but more of a bitterness one would associate with the rind of the fruit.

I allowed the second steeping to brew for a full 3 minutes. I also added a bit of turbinado. The result was more pleasing to my palate. The vegetal quality has been toned down and the sugar brings the taste of the fruit a little more to the forefront. I believe this is one of those teas that would allow the drinker to experiment a little with the brewing process to find what works best for them personally.

Upon brewing, the coconut aroma is more pronounced, but even dry there is a sweet sense of the tropics to the aroma. I took my first sips when the tea was still quite hot and wasn’t able to discern much of the coconut flavor, just the white tea, which was good in its own right. But after allowing it to cool just a bit, the coconut is much more pronounced. I like to drink the juice (or water) of young coconuts and the coconut flavor of this tea that lingers after swallowing is very reminiscent of coconut water. I would think that this would make a very tasty iced tea as well, my only reservation being that the delicate coconut flavor might get lost in an iced version. As a plus, the flavor held up extremely well to a second infusion and I believe the flavor of the coconut was actually more pronounced in the second cup.