301 Tasting Notes
This tea is most enjoyable – pleasant aroma with a sweet and nutty taste. No astringency at all. I made the purchase because I’ve never had a Nepalese tea and I was curious but I really like this one! It’s in line with many of the Black Yunnans I typically enjoy. I’ll definitely be buying more.
Update: 2nd steeping reveals flavors that have become much more spicy. The flavor shift is a bit surprising but both cups were very enjoyable.
Preparation
I am most definitely a black tea person – for me, nothing tastes better. If I could sit and drink black tea all day, I would be very happy. That said, I do have a real appreciation for all tea types (with a few notable exceptions – earl grey and jasmine to be specific). So I am really enjoying this tea today. It is a perfect afternoon sipping tea – creamy, buttery, fruity and good for resteeping. In addition I always enjoy the fun factor of watching the little Dragonwell Soldiers standing upright in the glass vessel.
Preparation
Today I “broke open” a new cake – the cake compression is heavy so I struggled to get it started. I ended up with tiny, tiny chunks and a bit of tea dust. Taste is rather smooth with no real astringency. Flavor not that distinctive – think I might have overleafed this time. Plan to turn these next few infusions into iced tea to drink in a day or two. Another time I’ll try breaking off another chunk from the cake and start over with the gaiwan so I’ll save my rating for later.
You need a tea pick for one of these. They are really compacted so tight this is a must or a fine point screwdriver will work too. Did you give this tea a “rinse” to re-hydrate it before brewing? The first brew is always really light. The flavor will increase with the longer subsequent steeps. be sure to use really hot water as this really gets the tea going.
I would answer each question affirmatively. I used a pick; I did rinse; water was boiling; four different brews. What I meant by stating “flavor not that distinctive” was that I could not distinguish anything specific. There was flavor (it was not weak tea) but it was very blah-quite mediocre. I’ve not given up on it but I need a restart. I may actually dump these same leaves into my glass tumbler where I can add more water and sip on it for awhile later today. If that doesn’t work then I’ll work on another chumk one day next week.
Got ya! Pu-erh can be tricky sometimes and +1 on the restart. I do this sometimes myself and hope to get it right. I remember the first time I tried to get one of these disc teas apart, ended up with a stuck hand! Lol.
This is actually the very first oolong I tried. Even though I now prefer the aged and roasted oolongs, it is still quite enjoyable and somehow very comforting. Today I enjoyed two hot infusions and then went for a third to enjoy iced sometime tomorrow or the next day. It’s one tea that will remain in my tea cupboard.
Preparation
Today I discovered that I enjoy Russian Caravan tea – at least this particular Russian Caravan. The story of Russian Caravan tea has always intrigued me – Silk Road, camel caravans, Trans-Siberian tea trade, etc. However, I wasn’t too sure about charcoal-smoked tea itself. The traveling teabox gave me an opportunity to experiment. Because this is a blend of Keemun (which I enjoy) and Lapsang Souchong the result is quite appealing to me. Unlike others who want the smoky flavor to be stronger, the lighter smokiness is just right for my taste. I just might have to keep this one.
Preparation
This is one delicious tea – chocolaty and creamy with a little kick of spice! However, the flavor is more subtle than many other teas I enjoy. It does not “hit you over the head” with deliciousness but it accumulates in the mouth and builds up to a very enjoyable tea experience. Good for three infusions (1.5m, 2.5m, 3.5m) and it’s not finished yet.
Preparation
I looked at this tea and I was very curious so I gave it a try. I do not have a great deal of experience with japanese teas so it seemed worthy of a tasting. This one is not for me! Very vegetal with strong flavors of green beans and peas combined and that is just fine; however, the tea liquor is very, very cloudy and the taste is quite bitter.
Preparation
Another selection from Artp’s Traveling Teabox:
This is a decent black tea. Kalami Assam is a premium blend of golden tippy long leaf assam tea. It is not as malty as I like in my assams for this one seems more like one of the breakfast blends – strong and smooth. A tiny bit acidic but not in an unpleasant way because it adds a bit to the complexity of the tea. While I prefer other assams, I could drink this again and be satisfied – just finishing the mug now and I’m surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. Bottom line – this is a solid, low cost black tea for everyday drinking.
