A hearty tea to get the day going! Pretty golden tips with a honeyed aroma to the tea itself. Substantial body with a lightness, if that makes sense. Malty with fleeting sweetness. Takes milk and sugar well but the flavor is somewhat muted.
328 Tasting Notes
Smells and tastes like licorice, with a creamy mouth-feel. Interesting—but not a repeat candidate.
I followed the steeping/resteeping suggestions: 1 tsp./6oz. 1. 1 min.—very pale greeny-yellow tea. Sweet aroma with undernote of something more toasty, almost roasted spice. Light flavor with starchy finish. Wet leaves smelled like almond cookies. 2. 1 min—something in the aroma I can’t quite identify, cardamom-like maybe. Not overly vegetal but in a good way. 3. 1 1/2 min.—very light flavor with a glaze of sweet spice. 4. 1 3/4 min.—floral aroma!! Starchy with a hint of sweetness.
Overall, I found this one of the most interesting, complex green teas I have tried. I liked the spicy surprises and the fact that the vegetal notes were there but subdued to allow other elements to come forward. I want more of this tea!
I smelled peppermint patty when I opened the sampler pac! The aroma of the tea is not as pronounced but I sense separate aromas of vanilla and mint. The tea is sweet, slightly minty, almost syrupy, with a kick of gunpowder at the finish. The gunpowder ashiness tends to increase a bit as the tea cools. 2nd infusion—mintiness has faded somewhat but still a hint of vanilla. I’d like to try this iced—
No notes yet.
I have been having trouble “communicating” with white teas, so I was not real excited when I picked this one out of the sampler box—I was wrong! Pretty green leaves with tiny chrysanthemums steep into a pale golden nectar. A fragrant, not overly floral aroma. Very sweet and more substantial than I expected. 2nd steep—the moment was gone—darker, no sweetness, although some nuttiness, not nearly as good. But the 1st infusion-wow!
No notes yet.
Powerful jasmine aroma and beautifully formed dark olive/white-striped pearls. Steeped tea has lovely sweet notes with a lighter jasmine aroma. I sometimes find floral teas too fragrant, which affects my enjoyment of the tea; this tea has a nice balance. 2nd steeping a bit muted in aroma and flavor but still pretty good.
No notes yet.
The tiny rolled leaves and the bright gold tea are beautiful—but it ends there. The aroma is smokey as I expected, but the tea tastes like cigarettes smell. ARRGGHH—not for me!
Black tea fannings, which look like coarse coffee grounds, steep to a deep burgundy color. Tea is tasty, but with little complexity. An OK sip to grab when a quick cup may be needed but not one to seek out. SIPS is changing distributors, so my hope is the new Keemun will be of a higher quality.
My first pu-erh. Strange aroma—earthy but with something else I can’t quite identify. Full-bodied with a hint of sweetness. “Grainy” aftertaste, almost coffee-esque. Okay, but I’ll keep exploring.
SIPS Coffeehouse is a local coffee spot which is just getting into loose leaf tea. This tea has a surprisingly sweet topnote with a very mild astringency. Subsequent infusions do not get bitter. Nice for an everyday cup—
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Although the tea is a very pretty pale gold, the flavor was just not there for me. Some hint of sweetness in the finish, but I really had to concentrate to find it.
No notes yet.
Some Irish Breakfast teas are so brawny, it’s almost a dare to like them. This tea has plenty of heft but is more mellow and refined. The color is ale-brown with a golden cast and a malty aroma. I didn’t pick up the fruit flavors as described, but there are definite sweet notes slipping through every once in a while. A delicious cup with or without the additions of milk or sugar.
No notes yet.
An assertive English Breakfast tea. A parade of flavors—one sip tastes more smokey, the next more fruity—different notes in the blend make themselves known throughout the cup. Not wimpy, a real palate cleanser. Takes milk and sugar well, if that’s your pleasure.
Fresh tasting with quick shots of sweetness. Subsequent steepings more vegetal but pleasant.
Rich copper brew, grapey aroma, with surprising sweet notes. Some astringency at finish, but not harsh or as bitter as I expected. Tasty with toast and 3-fruit marmalade.
The dry leaves welcomed me with a “hello” of hazelnut with a hint of cocoa. I couldn’t wait to try the fragrant, dark amber infusion, and I was not disappointed—a true nuttiness with cocoa undernotes—oh, yeah. Although the aroma stayed true during subsequent infusions, the cocoa-nutty flavor diminished, but a delicious cup remained. This tea made me happy!
Really smells of honey with faint pear notes. Tea has a honey sweetness that could be cloying but for the brisk finish; the pear takes a back seat to the honey but slips through every once in a while. A nice afternoon cup—
Smells of strawberries which carry over slightly diminished in the steeped tea. Smooth with elusive sweet fruit flavors.
