82

Hooray, home again! I had several lovely packages waiting for me, including my 3rd anniversary sampler from TeaVivre. Hooray! And then I realized that the one thing I forgot at my mother’s house… my brew basket. Fuck. So for now I’m brewing my tea in a Pyrex glass cup and pouring it through a sieve into my mug. Definitely inconvenient, but at least it works… I’ll order another basket with Amazon Prime and have it in a couple days. Obviously I should order two! :P

So, this tea… The dry leaves are dark and they have that long, spindly, spider-leg appearance that I generally associate with Taiwanese black teas. The scent is super malt with chewy grain and dried fruit notes. Yummy!

Brewed aroma is still quite malty, and there’s an interesting tang in there, maybe from the dried fruit? Also dark grain and molasses notes. I was very surprised when I tasted this that the first thing I detected was smoke! I didn’t get that at all from the aroma. The first sip was definitely smoky and earthy, with malt and dark grainy bread. However, I noticed as I kept drinking this tea, the smoke and earth taste dissipated. I was left with a combination of bread, raw chewy grains, and toasted grains. There was also a bit of woodiness along with pipe tobacco (unlit) and just a little hint of syrupy, rich dried fruit and molasses. I got a very thick and rich mouthfeel, and there was a little bit of creaminess accompanying.

Overall, I find this to be a rather complex tea with a lot of different notes, I can see it being interesting gong fu style. Thanks so much to TeaVivre for giving me the chance to try this lovely tea for (basically) free! Love you gals! :)

Flavors: Bread, Dried Fruit, Earth, Grain, Malt, Molasses, Roasted, Smoke, Tobacco, Wood

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
MzPriss

This sounds yummy.

Cameron B.

I was so happy when I saw that this was one of the options for the sampler. The name along is intriguing! But the flavor was very good too, if you like grainy teas. :D

Terri HarpLady

Just placed a Teavivre order, in part to get some of this one :)

Cameron B.

Awesome! I placed mine the minute Round 2 of the sale started, lol. I was way too excited. :P

tea-sipper

I thought this one would be like the other one from Teavivre that isn’t my favorite.. I should have got a sample of this one!

Cameron B.

Tea Sipper, you mean the other nonpareil black tea? I haven’t tried it, but I think I ordered a sample. :)

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Comments

MzPriss

This sounds yummy.

Cameron B.

I was so happy when I saw that this was one of the options for the sampler. The name along is intriguing! But the flavor was very good too, if you like grainy teas. :D

Terri HarpLady

Just placed a Teavivre order, in part to get some of this one :)

Cameron B.

Awesome! I placed mine the minute Round 2 of the sale started, lol. I was way too excited. :P

tea-sipper

I thought this one would be like the other one from Teavivre that isn’t my favorite.. I should have got a sample of this one!

Cameron B.

Tea Sipper, you mean the other nonpareil black tea? I haven’t tried it, but I think I ordered a sample. :)

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Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however. I also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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