Pomegranate Oolong

I could tell Sitwell's was a catch-all cafe, if not by the atmosphere itself than by the motley array of hats. We chose a booth across from a fedora wearer and diagonal from a man in a beret visiting contentedly with friends. Before our tea arrived, a man sauntered in wearing a sombrero and a windbreaker of sorts, an unlikely ensemble but nothing the crowd at Sitwell's couldn't appreciate. Our waitress, a hip twenty-something, was sporting a beanie, herself. My observation of hats has nothing to do with the taste of tea I ordered but it helped make me cognizant of the diversity of the homey cafe and admire the artsy atmosphere, even if my tea wasn't top-notch. My pomegranate oolong tea was more medicinal than anything, soothing and smooth but akin to cough syrup. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much had I not been in such great company and on my first trip to Cincinnati. I would recommend having a bottle of Hudipohl's new Amber lager whilst in the Queen City, but I wouldn't recommend drinking it and your tea simultaneously, and I would suggest trying something other than the pomegranate oolong on your visit to Sitwell's. 

Numi Organic Orange Spice White

Note: “Moonlight Spice” is not for the faint of mouth if steeped for fifteen minutes. Beginners should be advised to stay under ten minutes of steeping and use intermittent sips of water to maintain reviewing composure.

There was no subtlety to my experience with Numi Organic Orange Spice White Tea. Although joined by two fellow reviewers at Sitwell’s Coffee Shop, I can claim no partner to the divine time I spent with the drink that some within the business call “Moonlight Spice.” Although the tag cautions steeping for a mere two to three minutes, I knew how long it would take to get the true spice out of the heavenly herbs that sat packed in my tea bag. Not until all of my mug rest content in my belly was the bag removed, for a total steeping time of approximately fifteen minutes at the last sip. Each sip before the last matured in rich orange taste, moving from the delicateness of a single orange slice to the full and complete ecstasy of an entire Floridian orange farm cascading down the ridges of my taste buds: orange, after orange, after orange. The tea infused a content yet hyper-aware state in my being; I was able to identify the chromatic personality of every orange hue in every object in the coffee shop. The spice ignited rockets of endorphins within my body and I reeled internally from the shock of self-awareness and realization. Normally, my fellow reviewers would have distracted me from my bliss with their listless swallowing of dull beverages, but as I peacefully regained my natural state I admired their un-satiated stares, knowing my experience was my own and uninterrupted.

Blueberry Sage

I must agree with my fellow bloggers when I say that atmosphere plays a huge part in a tea experience. However, I am forced to strongly DISAGREE with my fellow critics in saying that the atmosphere the night we last sampled tea was a pleasant experience in any way. When I entered the cluttered shop I was immediately bombarded by paparazzi constantly snapping pictures of my date for the evening, Edzio, and me. In addition, I was forced to listen to the wailing of the earsplitting entertainment “Gabe” throughout the experience. I still had an inkling of happiness inside of me though at the thought of a delicious cup of warm tea to sip whilst I canoodled with Edzio. Devastatingly, I was robbed of this last chance at happiness when, after the waitress finally brought me my beverage, I was informed that I had to work to even try it. Because the employees of the coffee shop were so incompetent and lazy, I was forced to jump through a complex series of hoops in order to taste the tea that involved pouring AND straining! Then, when I finally tasted the concoction to which I added a small amount of Splenda, I was nearly sick. The overpowering taste of rotten blueberries drowned out any hint of sage that may have been present, and as a huge sage advocate you can imagine how this infuriated me. Fortunately, one of my colleagues ordered a muffin which I took a piece of to help cleanse my abused palate, and I was successfully able to dump the remains of my pot of tea into “Gabe’s” guitar case. I would never suggest this tea or the College Hill Coffee Company in general to any human with taste buds that they value.

Rating Scale:

Color: Dark urine

Type: Flavored, if you can call it that.

Caffeine Content: Medium to low--if the wailing of that “singer,” Gabe, had not be present, I would have been asleep.

Smell (1-10): 5, the overpowering blueberry stench completely drowned out any hint of sage that may have been present.

Taste (1-10): 8, although its flavors may have been present, they were not very prominent and I tasted no hint of this rumored “sage,” my favorite herb.

Good With: Sugar, Splenda, the contents of whatever poor basin you expel it in after tasting.

Time of Day Best to Drink: At a meal so there is a plethora of other taste experiences that one may indulge in to hide their distaste for this tea.

Texture: Too light and insignificant for my rich and sophisticated palate.

Price: $2.17 (including tax and tip) at College Hill Coffee Co. in Cincinnati, OH

Formosa Gunpowder

Formosa Gunpowder

Just as gunpowder has instigated violent conflicts all across the world for centuries, the Formosa Gunpowder tea at College Hill Coffee Co. initiated a violent riot of sensual conflict in my mouth, nostrils, and eyes that will continue to rage for centuries to come. The complex flavor explosion of Formosa Gunpowder triggered a multifaceted sensual reaction in my mouth as my taste buds rifled through a multitude of possible flavors presented by the tea, finally settling on a hodgepodge mixture of tea-tasting pleasure. Perhaps I had jumped the gun by downing the first cup without adding any sugar; the tea fired a shot of flavor intensity that hit me like a bullet, and I was unarmed and unprepared to do anything about it. Adding some sugar took some of the edge off the cold, hard steel of flavor concentration, and after that I was able to greatly enjoy my Second Amendment right to drink Formosa Gunpowder tea.

Rating Scale:

Color: resembled the well-preserved wood of a Lee Enfield rife

Type: Green

Caffeine Content: this tea was packing some serious heat!

Smell (1-10): aggressive

Taste (1-10): belligerent

Good With: sugar, muskets, cannons

Time of Day Best to Drink: immediately before/after hunting

Texture: powdery and explosive

Price: $2.08 (including tax) at College Hill Coffee Co. in Cincinnati, OH

Note: I was a bit under the gun when writing this review because I was well past deadline, so I apologize that my critiques did not make much sense and served only as a vessel for a few poorly thought out puns regarding firearms. Shoot me.

Ginger Peach

I am a firm believer that a person’s atmosphere can make or break any experience. In this case, the atmosphere in which I tried ginger peach tea only added to the heartwarming feeling I got with every sip. Understanding that this is a tea blog, I want to talk mainly about the tea itself but as I said before, I could not have asked for a more relaxing and warm atmosphere. The live music by an aspiring artist (aka’d as Gabe Wright) was soothing, the waitresses were especially helpful in assisting with decision making, and it seems as if the smiles and laughter were contagious and inextinguishable.
At first I was a little hesitant to order the Ginger Peach even though the title itself is so inviting. This is because I’ve always been rather skeptical of artificial fruit flavors. I needed reassurance to make my decision and the waitress as well as close friend of the group’s, Emma Webster, convinced me to go with the Ginger Peach.
When the tea came out, we were each given individual thermal pots as well as cute little strainers. I thoroughly enjoyed using the strainer while pouring the tea, anxious to try the first cup. The smell alone was enough to give me assurance that I had made the right choice. The peach flavor was the most evident but not too intruding. I was very thrilled with my pick of the night. In fact, although I try not to order the same tea twice, I may have to reconsider this rule and spend another visit sipping on the ginger peach tea sometime very soon. With the being said, I encourage all of you tea drinkers to always try new flavors and classes of teas. Never shy away from an opportunity to explore the possibilities. Who knows, the new and unknown could soon become the comforting and familiar.

Rating Scale:

Packaging(bag): Personal thermal pot, tea specks were inside a little ball shaped chamber inside the pot

Color: Tanish peach

Type: Regular

Caffeine Content: Medium

Smell (1-10): 7

Taste (1-10): 8.25 The peach was very pleasantly dominant

Good With: Natural sugar and a very small amount of milk

Steeping Time: Varies 3 to 9 minutes

Time of Day Best to Drink: Even though there is caffeine, the perfect time for me is the evening

Texture: Indescribable

Price: 1.95 per thermal pot

English Breakfast

English Breakfast

It's a beautiful Saturday when all four members of Herbatki can get together and enjoy four distinctly different teas at a local coffee shop. Some live music (Gabe Wright: accompanying amatuer sketch by me at the end of this review) and the smiles of friends could only work to enhance my experience of English Breakfast tea. Until team-member Edzio dropped his sugar packed in his tea of course (So much for aficionado, right?). The tea was not any exotic or fantastical flavor, but I think it was just right. English Breakfast is a good tea for beginners because it has no surprises; it's authentic and straight to the point. According to Mr.Breakfast.com, English Breakfast tea was actually invented in Edinburgh, Scotland. How's that for a fun fact! All in all, English Breakfast is a homely choice that should not be overlooked for those entering the tea scene.

Rating Scale:

Color: Golden Tan (Reminisces of the grimy gold mine that my father toiled in as a child in Hungary)

Type: Regular Tea

Caffeine Content: High

Smell (1-10): 4.5

Taste (1-10): 6

Good With: Honey, Milk, A Blueberry Muffin, Live Music

Steeping Time: Light and sufficient after 4 minutes, strong and powerful after 8.

Time of Day Best to Drink: Early Morning (for Breakfast!), or whenever you need a caffeine boost.

Texture: Thin, but full of flavor

Price: $1.95 At College Hill Coffee Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio

Amateur Sketch of Gabe Wright (click to view larger):

Vitax Poziomkowa

Vitax Poziomkowa Tea

When one thinks of winter, one generally pictures cold, dreary days spent trapped in the house like a restless (but majestic), caged mountain lion. Winter rarely summons memories of gamboling delightedly through sunny, daisy-filled meadows, but that is exactly the sensation I experienced yesterday in the midst of a frigid Midwestern January. How, one might ask, was I able to enjoy the warm, tingly delight of the senses that accompanies the arrival of spring when in fact winter was only just beginning? The answer lies in the magical elixir known as Vitax Poziomkowa tea. Poziomki, the Polish name for a type of wild strawberry known for its mythical healing powers, make a brilliant addition to any tea experience, and the tea-concocting wizards at Vitax deserve the highest possible praises for their ingenious decision to combine tea and poziomki into one ultimate food/beverage experience. After steeping for roughly eight minutes, the initial beverage was slightly bitter, but the addition of sugar and honey accentuated the delightful sweet succulence of the magical Polish poziomki and transformed the drink into an enchanting potion of tea satisfaction that I hope to enjoy again and again and again and again.

Rating Scale:

Packaging (bag): Deceptive; a seemingly mundane tea bag with an austere, green “Vitax” label attached cleverly cultivates the appearance that this is merely an every-day tea experience. How absolutely false.

Color: an entrancing oscillation between a rich burgundy-rose and a chilling Persian velvet/blood tone

Type: miraculous

Caffeine Content: ideal

Smell: heavenly

Taste: divine

Good With: honey, sugar, candlelit dinners

Steeping Time: 8 Minutes

Time of Day Best to Drink: from immediately after awakening until well after sleep has settled in

Texture: if this tea were clothing, its texture would surpass the finest Chinese silk made out of the purest silvery spider-webs covered with the most dazzling scintillations of dew

Price: bliss is priceless