141 Tasting Notes

92

Thank you LiberTEAS for this sample!

What a nice black tea! I find it being a little more toned down black, but it certainly produces a very nice flavor (whatever the 5 teas may be).

There is a little smokiness along with malty and subtle sweet notes. At times, I could promise there is a touch of cinnamon and cream added to these leaves. Even after allowing the leaves to steep slightly longer, the liquid is still very smooth with little to no dry bitterness. It’s nice to have such diversity in one cup!

I’m certain this tea suits my taste just fine, so I’ve chosen to remove the seasonal implications and remind myself everyday is a special day with a delightful cup of tea at hand.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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84

Thank you LiberTEAS for this sample!

For the last tea of the day, next up was this deliciously delightful Pou Chong Oolong. This mildly fermented tea is perfect with it’s mood matching light and gentle tones.

There is a certain asparagus flavor, yet something more. It reminds me of Spring Bud Green tea with it mellow grassy notes with an added floral trailing fragrance.

It is smooth enough to try cup after cup, with no lingering bitterness. The aroma is gentle in the cup, then it completely transform into a more expressive tea as it hits the middle of the tongue.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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92
drank Black Pekoe Tea by Gorreana
141 tasting notes

Thank you LiberTEAS for this great sample!

These dark and full leaves produce a very nice cup of tea!

Smooth, slightly creamy and even a touch of roasted nuts. This tea is definitely on the lighter side, which is a great alternative to a bolder and more astringent breakfast tea. I find this tea could be enjoyed throughout the day, because of it’s more mellow tone.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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94
drank Sencha Fuka-midori by Den's Tea
141 tasting notes

This tea reminds me altogether of why I love tea! There is no question of my feelings towards Japanese Sencha and this tea provides plenty of answers to the inquisitive mind of any newcomer to green tea. Plainly put, this tea is delicious!

The leaves are beautifully deepened and darker in hue of green and the liquid is a wonderful green lemonade color. The taste of the first pour is smooth and resembles a quality spinach smoothie. The 3rd steeping is my favorite, as it brings out the sweeter and floral notes of the leaves.

As wonderful as this tea brews, it’s making it very difficult to move on to the next round of tea tasting for the day. Thank you, Den’s Tea and your expertise for this fine sample!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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77
drank Earl Grey by Ahmad Tea
141 tasting notes

Backlog: This is not a bad tea for the buy, however I’m not very experienced in this style of flavored teas to rate this one properly. It’s much stronger smelling with the dry leaves, than the liquid it produces. The dark leaves are enticing, however it’s very bold aroma made me slightly leery of proceeding forward with.

I must say that I must taste other Earl Grey’s to adequately define it’s range of boldness and comparative qualities. Overall, this tea encounter was nice and fitting for a early evening brew of tea.

K S

One of my favorite cheapster steepsters. I steep for three minutes any longer and it gets harsh I think. A friend only goes two minutes before he thinks it is too strong. Twinings bergamot is a little more bright if that’s the word and its tea base is more bland. I recently had a Utopia Earl Grey that had a mildy smoky base – it was really good.

Pureleaf

Thank you, for your input. I may have to try the slightly smokier Utopia Earl Grey. Sounds intriguing and more of my liking.

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100

Decided to use this one for a stronger brew this morning. Added extra leaves and steeped 2X longer than last time, to ensure the amount of caffeine needed for this morning. I was fighting an urge to brew some french press java and felt I would only be disappointed, so a bolder cup of tea was the need of the hour!

I must admit that with this bolder cup, I did add a little turbinado sugar and milk. Please don’t judge. :) It was delicious and there is no regrets!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

Judge smudge! Heck! Tea is to enjoy! This is not a science project!

Pureleaf

Thank you, Bonnie! That’s the way I feel as well. It’s seems that when first wading into the vast waters of tea, there seems to be a slight insecurity and self-imposed conscientiousness of choices in our experience with tea. It’s almost like adolescence. :) As one grows into maturity, there is a discovery of themselves and strength in their own beliefs. I’m just now becoming more nonconforming and certainly forming my own palate for this wonderful gift of life. I love tea!

Michelle

Exactly! Drink what tastes good :)

Cheryl

Ditto!

Missy

If I was wearing a hat, I tip it to you. I too enjoy sugar and/or cream. :)

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88
drank Lapsang Souchong by Tea Forte
141 tasting notes

Completely captivated by the deep richness of this black tea. There is a deep dampness found in the dry leaves. The complexity of smokiness is what invites the participant to search deeper for the full discovery of these cultured leaves.

Tea Forte has it right describing it as,“large leaves delicately smoked over smoldering embers of local pines.” The quality of the pines brings depth, because you can smell traces of unmistakeable resin. This is so reminiscent of my earlier childhood in the deep south. Great ambience of centry old pine forest and dark damp swamps working harmoniously to refresh the weary soul and tranquility to the burdened mind.

The liquor is medium amber and there is only a small amount of dry bitterness. There is plenty of flavor and no lack of caffeine. This is a very nice tea that is certainly not for the faint of heart!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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91

I finally get to leave a tasting note on this one!

After searching high and low for a reference in English (everything on the container is in Chinese), I found ONE place only with a listing; this place must have went under a while back, however they haven’t shut their website down just yet. Nonetheless, I’m very happy to now add this one to my cupboard.

Personally, I’ve drank more of this Monkey Picked Oolong than any other tea I own. It seems to be consistently dependable and reliably refreshing.

I have tried many different collections, regions and methods of production of teas…and I still come back for more. Maybe it’s because this one was a first love, as I started the switch over to loose leafs and liberation from the traditional boxed tea bag collections. Possibly, the fact that it’s vegetal with other mild floral notes and provides a smooth sip of nice tea. Whatever the reason, I embrace my enjoyment of this one and continue to restock it without question.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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86

The dry leaves from this tea seem smaller and have plenty of visible stems both connected and loose. There is definitely a sweeter aroma prior to their infusion, however this is lost somewhere along the way. This is, of course, is dissapointing, but all is not lost since the tea is still pleasant.

I find this tea very similar to the Ti Kuan Yin from Shan Wai Shan and both are packaged very similarly; however this one is distributed out of California and Shan Wai Shan is out of Fuzhou, China. Nonetheless, they both are very nice teas for their own price range: <$10 for 300g (found on sale at local International Supermarket)

Regardless of how much was paid (which I do pay MUCH more for other higher quality teas), this tea is judged by what I taste and from knowing that I have reached for this one many times so far this year.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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84
drank Ti Kuan Yin by Shan Wai Shan Tea
141 tasting notes

The leaves of this Iron Goddess are medium to darker in color, but they are distinctively more buttery and vegetal overall in flavor. I don’t really pick up many floral or fruity notes on this one. It’s not plain, but rather a nice basic oolong with a very nice amber colored liquid.

Usually, this is a decent option when I’m not really in the mood for something specific. The leaves produce lower amounts of astringency and there is a nice warm amount of energy after drinking it’s tea.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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Bio

I’m a southern boy that that continues to have an intense love for high quality loose leaf tea! This is no doubt, a passion I intend to enjoy and pursue for the rest of my life! I love the art of tea, and the expression of it’s culture in each cup.

You can also follow me here:

Blog:

http://southern-sips.blogspot.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/southernsips

Typically, I’m a straight tea and loose-leaf type of drinker. Black teas (especially Taiwanese blacks), Greener Oolong and Sheng Pu-erhs are top on my list!

Don’t get me wrong though, I do like me some darker, roasted oolongs, shu puerhs, greens and whites are a must as well!

Location

Middle Tennessee

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