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69 Tasting Notes

Thirsty Elf Elixir Blend from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea
81

Brews to a light but rich amber. Smells pleasantly musky, floral and citrusy, like a good Keemun. Taste is rich, milky and roasty with bit of spinach, seaweed and salt that I associate with a Ceylon tea. A lemon, charcoal and pepper finish. A creamy mouthfeel. Mild astringency. A superb breakfast blend in the English tradition. I like it!

Happy New Year - Bai Mu Dan from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea
77

Brews up golden yellow. Smells like roasted seaweed, caramel and vanilla. Taste is mildly floral and sweet at the start with a refreshing, astringent, slightly bitter finish. The vanilla returns and lingers as an aftertaste.

Lemon Meringue Pie from California Tea House
68

Brews up reddish orange. Smells intensely of lemon and cream. Taste is mild but with a refreshing lemon finish.

Okayti Estate Darjeeling 2nd Flush Black Tea from Jing Tea
78

Dry leaves smell light and earthy. Wet, the leaves smell fruity and vegetal like apples and tomatoes. The tea brews to a mellow amber with a complex aroma of honey, grapes, apples and baked bread. The taste is light, fruity and malty with a hint of spice (cinnamon and pepper?). Mildly drying astringency.A very good tea, but a bit mellow for my tastes.

Coconut Pouchong from Golden Moon Tea
85

Dry leaves smell intensely of coconut. Brews up pale gold with the dominant roasted coconut aroma and a subtle grassy note. Has a chewy, full mouth feel with a very noticeable coconut (surprise) flavor along with a carmel sweetness and grassy undertones.A hint of bitterness at the finish. A well balanced flavored tea. Second steeping is much milder.

Yunnan Gold Black Tea (Yunnan Dian Hong) from Jing Tea
75

Golden amber brew smells like oak. Very mellow taste for a Yunnan (could be steep temp @ work) – pine and bourbon with a definite licorice finish. Hint of astringency. No noticeable bitterness.

Bao Zhong from Rishi Tea
72

Greenish yellow liquor smells fruity (melon?), with lilacs and a hint of wet grass. Creamy mouth feel. Tastes mildly sweet, vanilla, butter, rice with a floral aftertaste (lilacs again). Very little astringency and a hint of bitterness. Later steepings are grassier and less aromatic.

Damn Fine Holiday Blend from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea
85

Dry leaves smell like muscat. Brews rich amber and smells like honey and grape. Tastes mildly malty with a hint of smoke and aftertaste of hay. Full mouth feel. Moderate astringency. A little bitterness. A solid, archetypal black Tea (with a capital “T”).

Ceylon Black Tea from Jing Tea
72

Dry leaves smell like dark chocolate. Brews up deep garnet in color. Brewed tea smells like leather, salt and autumn leaves. Tastes clean, peppery and saline.

Phoenix Honey Orchid Oolong Tea from Jing Tea
79

Pale amber, unusually muted, peach toned brew. Smells woody. Tastes mild and citrusy like cascade hops and pine with a roasty aftertaste. Sharp and mildly bitter.

Iron Buddha Oolong Tea (Tie Guan Yin Wu Long) from Jing Tea
72

Pale green in the cup. Smells of grass, vanilla and gardenia. Taste is very mild – sweet spinach, marshmallow with a wine-like finish. Noticeable but not overwhelming bitterness.

Ali Shan Oolong Tea (Taiwan Ali Shan Wu Long) from Jing Tea
88

Yellowish green liquor. Round, creamy nose with a hint of grape. Tastes light and sweet with a subtle hint of just ripe honeydew melon.

Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea (Dong Fang Mei Ren Wu Long) from Jing Tea
73

Dry leaves smell fruity. Brews amber with a greenish cast. Brewed up the smell turns to hay. Tastes mild, fruity (apple?), sweet and woody.

Big Red Robe Oolong Supreme (Da Hong Pao) from Jing Tea
89

Brews reddish amber. Liquor smells like beeswax and humus (the rich soil, not the dip). Taste is buttery roasted oak with a hint of strawberries. Leaves a charcoal, cocoa finish. Mild astringency. Shares some of the characteristics I like in The Simple Leaf’s “Dawn.”

Pu-erh Blood Orange from Rishi Tea
58
China Breakfast from Rishi Tea
83
Jackee Muntz from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea
85
Sinharaja from Golden Moon Tea
73

Brews up bright copper colored. Smells like a salted caramel. Taste is creamy and smooth. A little roasty with some strawberry in the finish. Caramel returns for the aftertaste. Very little astringency. Overall, a very pleasant and smooth tea.

China Breakfast from Rishi Tea
83
Temple of Heaven Gunpowder from Golden Moon Tea
66

The golden yellow liquor smells roasty and faintly of licorice. The taste is mildly smokey, sweet with an ashy finish. There is a green vegetable/melon aftertaste. Moderate astringency and a bit of bitterness.

Emperor's Gold from The Tao of Tea
88
Tippy Earl Grey from Golden Moon Tea
68

The smell is not as overpoweringly bergamot as a lot of earl greys. It smells citrusy sweet and almost floral. The taste is also mellower on the bergamot than some, allowing the tippy sweetness of the tea to come through along with a bit of maltiness. Mildly astringent. Brews up dark amber.

Lapsang Souchong from Golden Moon Tea
75

Brewed tea smells intensely of pine resin. The taste is surprisingly mild – reminding me of sage brush with a starchy lima bean quality and a gentle sweetness. A dominant smokey aftertaste lingers for quite a while.

China Breakfast from Rishi Tea
83

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