1040 Tasting Notes
This is the second time I’ve taken this tea to work, and this is the second time I’ve been disappointed. I don’t know what it is about this one, but I don’t like it.
I tried less leaf, and shorter steeps. Nope I still just don’t like it.
Into the swap box it goes.
(If my glowing recommendation has enticed anyone to want to try this, please let me know – I’ll be more than happy to send you some)
This was the other tea I was drinking at work today.
Strange little tea, looks like a rolled oolong (sticks included) but tastes like a black – unusual black, but black.
I’m sure I’m not the best person to describe this. I don’t think it’s malty or chocolatey, it’s not spicy, there is some fruitiness (can’t pick out what I think they are). I don’t think this is quite like anything I’ve had before. The first two steeps were really good, but then it just died on the third – I just dumped it. I really liked it, had fun with it at work today, will continue to enjoy the package I have, but it’s not my favorite black tea from Camellia Sinensis.
I have a sample of this thanks to the most generous scribble – Thank you so much!!
This was my tea of choice at work today. First cup was a TOTAL MISS – ewww. I really over leafed, over steeped it. Those leaves for a second steep was really good. Added a bit more fresh leaf and did a third steep – shorter steep time. AWESOME. This tea for me is a bit fussy with steep times. I had to steep this shorter than I normally would with a black. It was just too strong with the longer steep times. Once I found where I liked it, this is really nicely balanced between bold black, astringent, and smokey. I like that the smoky isn’t totally drowning out the black flavors.
I think this is a really good example of this style of tea, but this style will never be my favorite. I would certainly like a cup here or there, but don’t think I need a 4 oz tin. Thanks so much scribbles for letting me try this.
I received a sample of this from Sil – thank you!! – and a couple of sample packages from Justea – thank you!! – for donating to their campaign.
If you had asked me yesterday about Kenyan tea, I would have said that I’ve only tried a couple of them, but they aren’t my favorite.
This has changed my mind about Kenyan tea. It’s is a really nice black tea. Deep, dark, bold everything I like in a black tea. I did get a bit of astringency but it didn’t bother me and seemed to be well balanced against the rest of the tea. This isn’t my favorite black, but the Justea campaign is a really good cause, and something I am happy to support. Hopefully they will continue their work in Kenya and there will be more good teas coming from them.
I usually choose a tea in the morning and take it to work. Today I decided that rather than choosing ONE tea, I would take a few of the samples that I have lying around. I tossed a few in my bag and off to work I go.
Ont of them was this little red individual package that Sil had so generously sent me.
I’m at work, I’m not really paying attention. I rip open the package, dump the contents into my steeping basket, pour hot water over it, put the lid on, and go back to my desk. A few minutes later, I take the lid off and am immediately hit in the face with the unmistakable scent of fishy pu’erh. Oppps, This package was all in Chinese, and I just thought that Sil had sent me all black samples. Nope, this was a pu’erh – and I mistreated it BADLY. No rinse, over leafed, over steeped.
Sorry sil this was probably a pretty decent pu’erh – I drank about half the cup then added more hot water – but the damage had been done. Even the resteep didn’t really didn’t come out that good. It was ok, but not what it would have been if I had treated it right.
Moral of the story – if you don’t know what a tea is, drink it at home when you have time to watch, smell, investigate what you are drinking. :(((
I think I’m in the minority here. This was just ok for me. I’m not a huge fan of green oolong, but I was expecting this to be more like fruit flavored green tea. Nope, not what I was expecting. There is real strawberry in here, but it’s subtle and overshadowed by the oolong. I can appreciate that this is a high quality oolong with real strawberry flavors.
I think I’m more of a fake, in your face flavor sort of girl. I either was straight tea, or I want flavored tea. This was too close to the middle for me.
Strange, unusual, bizarre, I don’t have the vocabulary to really describe this.
Definitely strawberry and then the strange. Some notes suggest root beer, but it’s more than that. Some people think root beer tastes like toothpaste, there is a little of whatever that is way in the back.
The funny thing is, I don’t really mind this. I think it’s really unusual and it grows on you.
lol