Tea Review Tuesday Special on a Saturday - A Review of Teavivre's Bi Luo Chun Green Tea

A recent bit of excitement in my life involved the reception of a special box from Teavivre, containing samples of their new green teas for spring 2014. So excited was I to share these teas with you that I decided to share reviews even before the next Tea Review Tuesday arrived!

I cannot say for certain what made me choose Bi Luo Chun as the first of the samples to taste, but I am glad that I did. From the moment in which I opened the packaging, the smell was entrancing. As a bit of a disclaimer, I am not typically one to "oooh" and "aaah" over the smells of green tea. If anytime, I might do so, when drinking a particularly rich shou pu'erh or oolong. But this green tea pulled me into the aroma. Fans of greens will know of the intensity of which I speak, when I describe the tea as smelling sweet, fresh, and vegetal. In some respects, it is akin to fresh grass, but the sweetness embodied within is so much greater. Make no mistake, this is not by any means a sugary sweetness. This sweetness is entirely clean and natural, almost like a fruit, yet not fruity. I had yet to even brew any tea!

Teavivre recommends that this tea be steeped for 1 to 6 minutes. Since I was using enough tea for two cups, due to my choice in mug for the morning, I picked 3 minutes as my steeping time, figuring that such a length would work to gain a good strength in flavor. (The ratio was about 1.5 teaspoons of tea to 8 ounces of water.) Taking a last deep breath of the dry leaf aroma, I pour the water over the leaves and set my timer. In the middle of the steeping, I leaned over the mug and wafted some of the steam toward my nose. Subdued a bit, the sweet grassiness remained! I could tell that this cup was going to be a joy to drink.

At last, the timer rang, and I removed the infuser basket from the mug. The aroma rising from the cup was absolutely bold, and my first sip agreed. Bi Luo Chun might have fruity notes, but this is no weak tea. And to think it was only harvested a month and a half ago (according to their website). The freshness comes through in the taste. I prefer my tea to be a bit stronger. While the flavor was not bitter, I could tell that a longer steep would have caused some astringency. The taste profile seems well-balanced and well-rounded. The aftertaste is full of a memory of the same flavor. Drinking this tea brings one down to earth, rooting the senses with bold aromas and tastes that do not require a connoisseur's trained nose and tongue to appreciate.

If the other offerings from Teavivre's spring 2014 green teas are as good as this cup, this will be a line of greens, which you do not want to miss. The Bi Luo Chun in particular is a hit. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this green tea a 95/100.

Photo credit to Teavivre and Built from Ink and Tea.
Teavivre's Bi Luo Chun Green Tea can be purchased from their website, here.
This tea sample was provided by Teavivre for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Noodler's Purple Martin Ink

I know, I know, I have now featured two purple inks in a row as a part of Stained Fingers on Thursday, but I wanted to share the full reviews with all of you, since I had revealed all of these various purple shades, during my search for a replacement of Montblanc Lavender purple (click here to read that article).

This week, the ink is Purple Martin by Noodler's. A purple martin happens to be a type of bird, the largest variety of North American swallow:

Noodler's Purple Martin ink is nearly as vibrant as this bird's plumage!

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.



Purple martin photo used under the Creative Commons license. Photo credit to JJ Cadiz.

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of The Necessiteas' Carrot Cake Rooibos Blend

A while back, I had tried a vanilla cola-flavored rooibos. A tea (in the loose sense of the word) replacement for soda? Absurd, but maybe it would work, as it was quite good. Well, The NecessiTeas has done something along those same lines...now tea can replace our desserts! Much more healthy and just as tasty...or is it? Time to find out!

 One teaspoon of this in eight ounces of water, freshly boiled and steeped for five minutes. The smell is incredibly spicy, almost sharp. But after the steeping, the spiciness is very smooth. I take my first sip, and while I do not feel like the taste is as strong as the smell, it definitely goes down very smooth. Not only as tasty as carrot cake, but it makes the flavor easy to enjoy (no chewing!) This tea is definitely worth checking out. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would give it an 89/100.


Photo credit to The Necessiteas.
The Necessiteas' Carrot Cake can be purchase from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Noodler's Purple Wampum Ink

This is wampum, traditional shell beads of the Native Americans, which were often used as currency:

And this is Noodler's Purple Wampum ink, decorative, like beads:

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Tea Forte's Earl Grey Black Tea

From the moment at which I remove the pyramid infuser from its cardboard cover, I know there is something different about this Earl Grey. The smell of bergamot is not very strong. In fact, it is hardly present at all. Popping the infuser into my Tea Forte Cafe Cup, I fill the cup with just boiled water and let it steep for four minutes...a happy medium in the 3-5 minute range that was given by Tea Forte's website!

The tea being now prepared, I take a whiff of the steeping, once again surprised by the smell. It is spicy with a bit of a fruity smell. Intrigued, I go on to try this cup of tea, sip by sip. My first sip is possibly the most astringent Earl Grey I have ever tasted! The bergamot is finally hinted at in the aftertaste, but the tea itself is so incredibly astringent that I wonder if I mistimed this tea. I ditch this cup and prepare to steep a new one.

This second cup I steep for only two and a half minutes. I know this is less than what was suggested, but I figure it is better to be safe. This second cup still smells exactly the first one, which worries me slightly, but I forge onward with this tasting! Still astringent, even after such a short steep time. But it is not as bad as the first cup was. The bergamot flavor is very fake and overdone, which is a bit of a turn-off, considering that this is supposed to be Earl Grey, not cologne.

If hunting for a cup of Earl Grey, this is not the tea to which to turn. I recommend trying a different brand. Sorry, Tea Forte, but this tea needs to go back to the mixing room. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would give it a 45/100.


Photo credit to Tea Forte.
Tea Forte's Earl Grey can be purchase from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.

Teas and More Teas! - Kickstarter Updates

Last week I told about the Just Organic Tea Kickstarter project, which was on track to successfully finish, soon after my post. It finished most successfully at nearly four times the goal. In the coming months, I will be sharing further thoughts on their offerings. If you missed their campaign, you can still buy their tea from their website, here.


I had also mentioned the "Loose Leaf Tea: Sip & Slip Into the Leaves of a Story" project. After the project gained full funding, the fairytale blends inspired backers to push for the first stretch goal: even more tea! With the achievement of this stretch goal, Rebecca King intends to add villain-inspired blends to each fairytale package. In her eighth update to the project, she reveals the first of the villain blends:

For the first blend, I've chosen to go a more traditional route with a combination of black teas from three regions: Assam, Darjeeling, and Ceylon. Because each of these black teas comes from a different growing region, they have different flavor profiles: Assam is known for a malty undercurrent, Darjeelings are lighter and fruitier in flavor, and Ceylon teas pack in that traditional black tea flavor. The combination is a robust blend that floods your taste buds with flavor and a clean finish.
This tea blend was inspired by the sea-witch in The Little Mermaid. In the Hans Christian Andersen tale, the little mermaid swims by boiling eddies, bubbles, and whirlpools to reach the sea-witch's domain. In the same way, the three black teas are similar in type and general flavor but add their own unique characteristic to the overall tea. Additionally, the clean finish to the tea reminds me of water which fits well with this story.

Her ninth project update reveals the second villain blend:

Refined ladies everywhere enjoy hosting afternoon tea so naturally Cinderella's step-mother regularly hosts gatherings. After all, she has to keep up appearances! However, her sour disposition can't help but filter through which means her tea takes on a citrus twist.
This tea base is a classic Earl Grey (black tea, cornflower petals, and natural flavors) with the addition of: Orange pieces, Hibiscus & Rose petals, and Lime leaves. The result? Classic Earl Grey flavor with a lemon highlight. 

Rebecca King's Kickstarter tea project ends on Friday, May 23. The funding is currently at $3,600, and she has promised a fourth fairytale, when the funding reaches $4,500! I truly hope that it achieves its goals. Check it out and back it for some awesome-sounding tea!


Read my post from last week, here.


All photos and logos are owned by their respective campaign creators.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of J. Herbin Lie de Thé Ink

Here at Built from Ink and Tea, we love tea, and we love ink (plus the fountain pens into which we put the ink). An ink that draws on our love of tea? Fabulous. "Lie de Thé" literally means "Dregs of Tea."

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Tea Review Tuesday - DavidsTea Hot Mama Black Tea

In celebration of the just-passed Mother's Day holiday...a tea review! When a tea lists ginger and apple in the same ingredient list, I feel as though "an experience" is going to describe the drink, well...

Apple notes and, oddly, the beetroot notes stand out in the smell of brewed Hot Mama. Licorice root also colors things, but I am surprised that cinnamon does not "rear its head" more than the slightest tinge. I move to the first sip...

Weird. My first impression of the taste may be summed in one word. Weird. I want to not like it, because the beetroot is really distracting, but the ginger keeps drawing me in for another sip. Simply put, my taste buds are confused, as though there is too much happening. Complex blends are nothing new, but DavidsTea may have made this too complex, and I almost want to step away from the myriad of fruit and vegetable and spice flavors. But, it intrigues me, still, so I finish the cup. Most unique is the natural sweetness from the apple. Without adding any artificial sweetener, apple gives a touch of sweet but does not complicate the flavor, too much. (That said, the apple does show its face in the flavor, though not in the aroma.)

Tone it down, DavidsTea. Things are getting a bit crazy with this Hot Mama. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea blend a 72/100.


Hot Mama can be purchased from your local DavidsTea or from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Photo credit to DavidsTea.

Special Mini Reviews of the DavidsTea Summer 2014 Collection of Teas

Released several days ago, the DavidsTea summer 2014 collection of teas include four herbal blends (Just Peachy, Mango Fruit Punch, Sangria, and Watermelon Mint) and one white tea (Shooting Starfruit). I had the opportunity to try all five of these drinks over the past two days, and I could not wait until next Tuesday to share my thoughts with all of you, so here are my mini reviews and impressions!

DavidsTea Mini Review: Just Peachy
While DavidsTea might recommend this for an iced tea, I am sampling this, hot, as I quite enjoy my peach teas, hot. However, just judging based on the aroma, iced Just Peachy would be...just peachy!

From the small tasting cup, the aroma is strictly peaches, as it should be - this blend is an herbal with no tea to change the flavor toward vegetal, malty, or other notes. Yet, DavidsTea's website mentions that the blend contains apple. I find this a curious addition for a peach blend. While the flavor does not reflect the apple (at least not noticeably), the taste/mouthfeel has an interesting tart finish, which I suspect may come from this additional fruit. The peach notes are bold through flavor and smell. Quite the delight. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this herbal blend a 90/100.

DavidsTea Mini Review: Mango Fruit Punch
Wow, the chunks of fruit in this blend are immense and eye-catching. Mango Fruit Punch is an herbal infusion of pineapple, mango, orange, tangerine, strawberry, and other flavors. The list almost reminds me of a sherbet.

Aroma-wise, I find it light on smell, not overwhelming and not artificially sweet-smelling. Predominately, the mango and tangerine stand out, but overall the fruits blend well together. The sweetness of the strawberries is noticeable on the edges of the smell. I suspect this may be due to the fact that it is not citrus. Pleasantly, it works, and I cannot wait to taste it.

Taking a sip, the blend slides across the tongue, a fruity burst with a rounded mouthfeel. It is hard to distinguish among the various fruits, until it moves to the back of the tongue, where pineapple becomes much more noticeable. Sip after sip, I taste through the cup, enjoying the sensory experience. The flavors are also a bit reminiscent of a rainbow sherbet, like I mentioned about the aroma. When it comes to the aftertaste, a bit of tangerine lingers, but, more than the others, strawberry fills the aftertaste (with perhaps a touch of citrus). Fruit-lovers will really enjoy this blend, if a purely-fruity, non-caffeinated drink is the goal. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this herbal blend an 81/100.

Thoughts on Sangria and Shooting Starfruit

While I have not yet had the opportunity to review these two fully, I did get to taste each of them, and I had some initial impressions to share. The Sangria herbal blend, which I tried chilled, was tart...very tart. In fact, I felt that it was far more tart than any sangria wine I had ever consumed. If tart, fruity drinks are your thing - this could be for you! On the other hand, the Shooting Starfruit white tea blend was fantastic, and I cannot wait to have more. Never before had I tasted jackfruit, but the flavor was very unique, and I quite enjoyed it. The foretaste of the tea was all fruit, though it did not overwhelm in flavor. Pleasantly, the flavors changed to almost a pure, white tea taste with the fruit notes around the edges. Then, when I completed the sip, the aftertaste was left more jackfruit than tea but with some tea flavor. The evolution was very unique and enjoyable.

DavidsTea Mini Review: Watermelon Mint
Here we have another case of a blend in which the flavor and the aroma do not match...and it is not at all a bad thing! Welcome to Watermelon Mint.

The mismatch of flavor and aroma is not that they are completely different; the difference is in the strength of each component and how much it reveals itself. As the name suggests, this herbal blend is primarily composed of watermelon and mint notes.

Before trying any of the brewed tea, I breathed the aroma of the dry leaf, and the smell of mint filled my senses, almost overwhelming (though not in a bad way). Breathing deeply, again, mint dominates, again. On the edge lies fruit, somewhat watermelon, but easier called just "fruit notes."

The list of ingredients mentions apple, honeydew melon, carrot, and beetroot in addition to watermelon and mint flavors. These are certainly contributing factors to the "fruit notes," but one would be hard-pressed to pick out their smells from the dry leaf. I am slightly disappointed by the use of artificial flavoring, but without it the watermelon would be next-to-non-existent.

Steeped, mint and watermelon share the nose profile, blending in the aroma, pleasantly. A sip later, my mouth is flooded with watermelon. Despite artificial flavors, the watermelon does not taste fake (like the taste of a watermelon Jolly Rancher does). Rather, it is a clean flavor. In the foretaste, a bit of mint dances on the edges, and it cool-ly settles across the tongue in the aftertaste.

While I drank this blend, cold, as I am sure it was intended, I feel that a hot-brew of this herbal blend would be interesting to say the least, though it might perhaps be a bit odd. It will be an experiment for another time. This is a pleasure to drink cold. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate Watermelon Mint an 88/100.


The DavidsTea summer 2014 collection can be acquired from your local DavidsTea store or their website, here.
These reviews were unsolicited and uncompensated.
Photo credit to DavidsTea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of De Atramentis Dark Reseda Green Ink

This ink is deceptively full of character and worth a second look.

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

A Special Review of Just Organic Tea's Just Naughty 'Nilla Tea

Description from Just Organic Tea: "We start with our premium black tea. Then, we add a generous amount of vanilla. Top it off with carob, and you've got the perfect dessert tea. Luxuriously rich and inviting, you'll melt into vanilla heaven with hints of caramel-chocolaty goodness. Organic certified."

The dry leaves of Just Naughty 'Nilla, as of yet untouched by the water that will steep them, let off a sweet-but-not-cloying aroma of vanilla and slightly-malty black tea. The vanilla scent seems solid throughout the blend, and I begin the steep. A recommendation of 195ºF water, steeping for 3-5 minutes, leads me to the happy median of 4 minutes in water that is just off boil.

Sniffing at the steeping tea, I am surprised at how subdued the vanilla aroma has become. The blend now smells much more of the black tea, which reminds me of a Keemun. Finished steeping, this tea smells slightly sweet, and I wonder greatly about the taste.

My first sip is very, very smooth. The subtle sweetness surprises me. I was not expecting the natural sweet flavors, but they are much more pleasant than artificial vanilla flavoring. When I say that I was not expecting them, I mean that I was not expecting just how natural the flavor would be. The carob in this blend lends some molasses notes. However, to be sure, these are not unpleasant. Molasses in black tea can be very hit-and-miss. In this blend, it is subtle and not a primary flavor. The tea itself has light, malty notes. Many black teas with vanilla use either malty or quite weak black teas. Just Organic Tea has chosen a nice base for their blend. It will not overpower your senses, but the sipping experience will be a pleasant one.

On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea an 87/100.

If you are interested in knowing more about this tea and how you can get it, I urge you to check out the Just Organic Tea Kickstarter campaign, ongoing now! It is not yet available for purchase from Just Organic Tea.
Photo credit to Just Organic Tea.

Notebooks and Teas - Kickstarter Updates!

As of May 1, the Furrow Books campaign is closed. The great news is that they successfully met their funding goal. The goal had been set at 12,500 USD, and the campaign managed to raise 22,052 USD! The best part of this achievement is that in addition to the rewards for which they backed, every backer, at the 6 USD or higher levels, will now receive a Furrow Books sticker. Plus, the Founding Supporter Limited Additions became available in the large size notebooks (5.5" x 8.25"). Thanks to everyone who helped back that project. I am very excited to see the notebooks and share my thoughts with all of you.

Just Organic Tea is a small tea company in Ohio, United States, who focuses on providing excellent organic teas that taste great and result from fair trade with the growers. Their Kickstarter campaign, here, involves an effort to produce and provide their teas in greater quantities. However, in order to do so, they must have large minimum orders, and this is where they have turned to their backers! By pledging for various levels, you opt to receive one or more of their teas, based on your reward level. The Kickstarter campaign has been on-going, and will finish in three days. Though they have already far exceeded their funding goal, another stretch goal lies before them...a goal at which they will add a new, community-inspired flavor to their lineup! Please take a look at their offerings. I will be sharing my thoughts on their teas and herbal blends, soon, and you can visit the Just Organic Tea Steepster page, here, to read the opinions of others.

One final Kickstarter campaign, which is new to me, is the "Loose Leaf Tea: Sip & Slip Into the Leaves of a Story" project. Inspired by classic fairy tales, the creator, Rebecca King, strives to share her future vision of a fairytale-themed tea room. This campaign and the creation of these tea blends marks the first step toward that future goal. With sixteen days remaining, she has nearly reached full-funding, and there are still more rewards to be had for over-funding! A number of reward levels are available, including the option to receive a small amount of each of the six blends (available within the United States and internationally). Your assistance in funding this campaign looks to be met with tasty rewards!


All photos and logos are owned by their respective campaign creators.

Tea Review Tuesday - DavidsTea Mini Reviews of Coconut Oolong and Genmaicha

A recent visit to DavidsTea yielded these miniature, informal reviews!


DavidsTea Mini Review: Coconut Oolong

Smelling this tea, a bit sweet-smelling and slightly chilled, the coconut stands out strongly in the aroma. In fact, I cannot actually smell any oolong, except in the slightest undertones. Pale yellow in color, the liquid is bright and attractive.

The flavor is surprising. Initially, the coconut does not stand forward in the taste. The foretaste is sweet around the edges and oolong up the middle. Very nice! Coconut then settles over the whole of the flavor profile. In some respects, this reminds me of a coconut pouchong I once tasted. DavidsTea has done a great job of blending the flavors so that the coconut does not overwhelm the taste of oolong. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea an 86/100. I would also be remiss to neglect to mention that the lemongrass is really not tasted...

DavidsTea Mini Review: Genmaicha

Genmaicha combines Japanese green tea with toasted brown rice for a savory drink, full of flavor. The aroma of DavidsTea Genmaicha is low on green tea and full of a broad rice flavor. There are also some sour notes, which I find odd. Why would a green tea be in the least bit sour?

Moving to the taste, the flavor of brown rice wreathes the edges, but the green tea base (Japanese sencha) forms the body...which is also a bit sour. What gives, DavidsTea? That is definitely ruining the experience for me. Of interesting note, the dry leaves have more sencha aroma than brown rice, but the aroma carries none of the odd, off scent.

On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea a 53/100. The low rating definitely stems from the off-flavor, which may have been a problem with this pot or batch. It is drinkable, yet not very pleasant. Has anyone else encountered this same flavor issue, or could this be standard? I certainly hope not.

These teas may be purchased from your local DavidsTea or DavidsTea.com.
Photo credit to DavidsTea.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Diamine Teal Ink

Such a nice teal, though it looks very steely to me.

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.