Rabs

I’m actually backlogging this one from 2 days ago before I realized that this tea was already listed in Steepster. I just wasn’t feeling motivated to add a tea.

I had this tea to go at The Tea Smith and really enjoyed it. It had the asparagusey aroma I associate with oolongs along with a pleasant floral note. I really wanted more and was sad that I didn’t get to try more steeps of it – it seemed like it had amazing potential. So when I returned to the shop I picked up a packet. I now wish that I had only bought a small sample.

With many of the oolongs that I’ve had the tea grows in its complexity and yumminess with each steep. This tea’s brightest moment was its first steep. Each consecutive steep got more and more bland and my mouth never did do the “happy dance of joy” that many oolongs create for me. Maybe this is typical for Jade Oolongs – this is my first one. But I’m not impressed. M

I just had to try this again to compare it to the recent Lapsangs that I’ve tried (see my Tea Smith LS review for the comparison breakdown). Still as good as I remember it. But after reading so many of Doulton’s LS notes I realize that I’ve just begun my journey in finding my dream Lapsang Souchong. I think that this tea’s a nice buddy to have around and it still gets a TG from me. :)

This had a lighter smoke scent than what I’m used to. I’d put the scent as even mellower than Golden Moon’s LS. The fragrance of the cup was also smoky, but without the fragrance of pine that I enjoy.

Oh my. Um…so it’s lacking the sweet undercurrents that I love in the few lapsangs that I’ve had. It has a harsh, almost stinging bitterness that’s assaulting my mouth – especially at the back of my throat. I keep clearing my throat. That astringency comes and goes (one time I came close to tossing my cup), and it’s the first time I’d call a LS “ashy.” It’s like I rinsed out an ashtray and drank the runoff water. I am very glad that I only purchased a sample. I’ll finish it off over time, but there will be no resteeps here (I did do a resteep today with very little change in taste). My temp accuracy (or lack thereof) should be fixed by next week when my new electric kettle arrives (squee!) – so I will try this again with the for sure recommended steep temp and will update if my rating changes as a result. GA

So, to sum up:

Adagio’s LS = RAWR!
Golden Moon’s LS = Meow
The Tea Smith’s LS = a dirty alley cat hacking up a furball

This has become a nighttime staple for me. So much so that I bought myself the big-arse bag and then a big-arse airtight container to hold it. It’s not my favorite tea, but it’s my favorite caffeine-free option that I’ve discovered so far. I’ve also steeped the living crud out of this (both # of times and length of time starting at 7 minutes with future steeps having a minute or more added with each steep) and it still keeps goin’. NE

Sooo…Darjeeling. Yup. That’s what it is. I guess.

I’ve only had one other Darjeeling (Adagio’s #2), and have smelled the teabags that I prepared for others. So I really don’t know what comprises a good Darjeeling. So, keep that in mind.

I had this for my morning tea so I really don’t remember much at this point in the day. It was fine. It had a pleasant fragrance (both in the sample bag and in the cup), but for the life of me I couldn’t seperate what was what. Floralish spicyish teaish. Pleasant. Not really remarkable. Had two pleasant cups. Nothing made me think that I had to have this tea. NE

I think that this may be the first black tea that I’ve added to my shopping list after trying a sample! For lovers of black tea I could imagine that this would be pretty boring, but for me I loves it. This is what I think I’ve always imagined a basic black tea should taste like.

Smelling the sample packet all I could think of was “it’s a black tea.” The smell of the cup at first was “black tea with maybe a teeny-tiny hint of floral or honey.” I know, my descriptive powers are beyond compare.

For me, the money’s in the taste. Whatever type of tea is its base doesn’t have that astringent tongue-killingness that I’d begun to associate with most black teas. It’s smooth and there’s a natural sweetness to it that I adore. I think “nectar” is right on in the description. I can sense honey, but as for lotus and sandalwood my tastebuds do a collective “Wah?” I’m dying to read the other tasting notes to see if I can start to have a better understanding of what I like/don’t like in regards to black teas. TG

Between an amazing Star Wars event at my library and the US premiere of the new Dr. Who tonight I feel wiped out. (I gots me a photo of a Stormtrooper and me holding a cookie! Yes, I’m that sort of nerd). All this is to say that I’m struggling writing this note. It’s a fine oolong. It seemed very very woodsy (like moss, dirt, greenery – all that jazz) in both scent and taste. I looked at the little sample packet to read what on earth I was supposed to be tasting. Maybe “musky cedar?” My wacky taste buds really couldn’t pick up anything else. My mouth did a quasi-half-hearted dance of sweetness. I had to stop at the 4th steep, but it still seemed to be going strong. I keep waffling (mmm…waffles) between thinking that I’d order more of this or not. And since I’m uncertain, then I probably won’t. NE.

Ah Lapsang Souchon, after trying a handful of black teas, you’re the one I return to. ::sigh of contentment:: This is the second LS that I’ve tried – the other being from Adagio. I think that I prefer Adagio’s, but it’s been several weeks since I’ve had it. I think that I must have it tomorrow morning to do a mini-comparison. I don’t even know how to describe the tastes of either one of these. This sample seems to be a gentler smell of smoke. My initial reaction is that whereas the Adagio goes “RAWR!” this one goes “Meow.” Nothing wrong with that, but first thing in the morning I’d prefer the RAWR. NE

This still remains my favorite Jasmine. After my tragic “Tootsie Roll” incident with my GM Jasmine Pearl sample I was sort of avoiding going back to this one for fear that I had forever tainted all Jasmines with that association. Thankfully it did not.

I wanted to add that since I’ve experienced a wider range of oolongs the floral notes here overwhelm the oolong until approximately the 5th steep. That’s when the mouth magic happens. It’s not as intense as a Jade or Wuyi, but it’s there by golly! But until I reach that steep this is the most accurate “spring evening in NOLA” jasmine tea scent that I’ve ever smelled. 6th steep was also full of joy, and I would’ve gone for more steeps, but I need to think about getting some sleep tonight. TG

Yesterday I took a break from trying new teas – I just needed a day of things that I’m guaranteed to like. So this morning I was back to being adventurous and felt full of vim ‘n vigor regarding new teas. I did Ewa’s patented “GM Indecision Buster Grab Basket-o-Fun” for the first time and came up with this. I have nothing against neither mint nor vanilla, but then I saw “gunpowder” and what’s left of my soul grew cold. I had a very bad experience with GM’s Gunpowder (which I’m pretty sure was user error) and I really didn’t want to start my day off with a cup of nasty. But, I had to go with my own made-up rules involving the “GMIBGBoF” and so I steeped this puppy.

The packet itself smelled like an anemic after dinner mint. I was not encouraged. And then it happened. In my not-a-morning-person state of cavewomanness I didn’t notice that I had left my kettle set for tisanes until after it started to go. And I couldn’t bring myself to stop it and start over. So I went with it. I actually think that it worked out well for me!

This tea was an utterly pleasant surprise. I think its description pretty much nails it. I wasn’t so sure with my first few sips, but as the tea cooled I felt myself getting that “nomish” feeling. So with my first few sips I don’t think that I would’ve bought this, but with the cooler tea I couldn’t help but think what an amazing iced tea this could be. So it’s now on the short list of future GM purchases.

Oh, and I was shocked at how many fannings were at the bottom of my cup. At first I thought “Holy Crap! How did three tea leafs get through my ultra-fine infuser?!?!” And then I realized that those “leafs” were actually fannings in a tea mosh pit. Second steeping there were quite a few as well. I’m just not a fanning fan, and so I tossed the very last tiny bit of tea in my cup. NE

No notes yet.

I actually dropped my rating by a few points this morning (I know gasp and all that). The reason is because I’ve finally had straight-up oolongs and this really lacks some of the oolong characteristics that I have grown to love. It hardly evolves from steep to steep, but at least multiple steepings are possible. It also gives me the tiniest bit of dryness at the back of my throat. It also doesn’t send my mouth to a super-happy-fun-land. Overall, it’s one of my favorite florals, but it’s not my favorite oolong. TG

No notes yet.

So, I was a rather naughty tea girl (somebody get that scarlet T iron-on ready for me). I was 5 steeps into my Iron Goddess oolong from Adagio when it started to get weak. I wanted to finish off my Sugar Caramel sampler that has a little less than half left. So I decided to rinse and add the last of my sampler to my already steeped leaves – sort of “piggybacking” them. For me it seems to have worked. I’m on the 3rd steep of the mutant tea and it’s still goin’ pretty strong. I don’t plan on doing this too often, but it’s good to know I can get by with it and still have yummy tea. :)

I’m just falling further and further in love with oolongs. I wasn’t so sure about this one at first: the dry leaf smell seemed lacking in that “veggie-oolongish” area. First steep was pretty darn mellow in what I’m used to (not the asparaguspalooza experience). Second steep I thought, hmmm…I still dunno. Maybe I had too high of an expectation for this one. Third steep: Hellooo mouth happiness! I wish that I had the perfect phrase for what oolongs do to me. They’re like a snuggie for my soul, and a party for my mouth.

I don’t think that I’ll reorder this one – it’s fine, but I have my eyes set on my next oolong order coming from Life in Teacup – I’ve read stellar reviews of their oolongs and I’m dying to experience them. I just have promised myself that I will have my tea temp issues under control before I place that order. And I want to get a gaiwan too. Tee-hee! NE

I added an extra scoop of chippies. Added an extra minute. Still tons of “dust” in the cup. There was a more prominent smell of apricot, and the first cup was a notch above meh, but just barely. Second steep and we’re back to flat out meh. Not gonna reorder. M

Well, I think that I’ve fully realized that I really like the thought of rose teas, but in reality they’re not what I enjoy. There doesn’t seem to be any subtlety with the ones that I’ve had. In an odd way I think that some oolongs are what I’ve been dreaming of with roses.

This one has the aggressive “I am rose, hear me rawr” dry leaf scent that I’ve begun to associate with rose teas. The steeped scent is nice and rosy. But then there’s the war between the rose and tea. They just don’t seem to get along together. I don’t like feeling like my mouth is a battleground. And there’s a bitter aftertaste that I’m not digging.

Oh well, I’ll use this tin up over time and then be sure not to purchase again. M

Wow! I’m so glad that I’d read Shanti’s note about this tea and decided to give it a whirl. I have never craved coconuts, and I generally avoid them on sweets or cakes. Um, but I think that I’ll now take them in my teas! To paraphrase a wise old bird: I’m cuckoo for coconuts!

I think that others who have been reviewing this do a better job than I could. The one thing that I’ll add is that I don’t know what is going on (or if this is a common thing with oolongs because I had an oolong the other day that did this same thing) but it feels like little sugar bombs are going off in my mouth. Like, the size of a tastebud sugar bomb randomly “pops” on different spots on my tongue. I don’t even know if this has a name in the tea world, or if it’s just me, but I love it!

This isn’t a guaranteed future purchase, but it’s going on the short list. NE

No notes yet.

This is my first Wuyi Oolong, and it’s really shown me how there are so many different characteristics to oolongs. The dry leaves had a slightly smoky scent along with the smell I associate with oolongs.

I actually read through all the notes to see if I was crazy, and thank goodness someone else had a similar experience (cuz I did feel crazy), but throughout the first steep I kept getting a “wift of marijuana smoke” smell. The taste was bolder than I’m used to with oolongs – more earthy and like a steamed vegetable plate (less asparagus-ey).

I’m on steeping #2 and it’s more like I’m licking a mossy rock that someone had sprinkled with sugar. Not a bad thing (or something that I’d do in real life), but I’m just not sure if this will be a staple oolong for me. NE

Blues Brothers + this tea = the saving graces of this crappy day.*

So this is what plain Honeybush tastes like! As I suspected this is that “lotioney” taste that’s been part of the flavored versions of this tea. That lotion taste isn’t bad…it’s just different. I’m also having trouble with this note since I drank 6 steeps of a Jade Oolong that I picked up today at a tea shop that shall remain nameless for now. I feel like that oolong actually steeped itself into my tongue – is that even possible? It seems that l’m still tasting the oolong while drinking this. So I plan on drinking this again in the near future when not under the oonfluence. NE

*Here’s the summary of my crap day: I drove an hour to my closest tea shop to go to a green tea tasting class with a friend. This was my first visit there. After being told by employees that the class was actually 2 hours later we went to Whole Foods (bought a couple of Rishi teas!), and then returned to the shop. Um, yeah, the class is actually next Sunday. ::facepalm:: That last part was my bad – I got my dates mixed up. My friend can’t make it next week and they said that they won’t do a class if it ends up just being me. ::sigh:: We shall see. The other saving grace is that my friend experienced her first loose leaf tea today (an oolong) and LOVED it. So, I picked up 2oz of the oolong and a sample of their Lapsang Souchon and came back home.

Oh the disappointment. I sooo wanted to enjoy this tea especially after reading the reviews. Buy nay, our love was not to be – perhaps my expectations were too high? This was the tea where I finally had to admit to myself that I must get my “winging the temp” issue resolved and soon. I just don’t want to think about how many teas I’ve potentially butchered. (eeek!)

This is another tea where I swear I tasted soy milk (plain soy this time – or what I like to call “bean juice”). Then the melon taste to me was like a not-quite-ripe cantaloupe. I’m so sad that this earns a M in my book.

I’ve decided that I’m a floral freak and I’m letting my floral freak flag fly (say that ten times fast)! Oolongs are still new to me, so I’m guessing that someday in the future I will think this one’s ho-hum. But for now I’m loving this. I’m on the third infusion and plan to keep goin’ as many times as possible – I just had to get my first 3 steeps down before I forgot (and will edit to add more info if I feel it is warrented).

Steep 1 (180ish for 3 minutes): I always think that I’m going to hate oolongs on the first infusion. The dry leaf smell doesn’t do anything for me and then the first taste is always so very veggie and I’m not a huge veg fan. Still nice, but very veg and no floral (but the leaves hadn’t fully opened). Oh – and I had done a short rinse on them.

Steep 2 (180ish for 3 minutes): Less strong veg and just the tiniest little whisper of floral. Mmm…

Steep 3 (180ish for 4 minutes): Where the hell did this sweet floral side come from?!?! It’s like a completely new tea! It has a great floral taste and then it’s the most interesting sweet lingering sensation on my tongue. I’ve never experienced that lingering sensation before. If someone handed me this tea on its third steep and had me try it, then I think that I’d be utterly confused and not know what it was. A floral white perhaps? Again – remember I have a noob palate. ;) Off for the fourth steep I go! TG

Apparently I’m a wimp when it comes to black teas. I enjoyed this a lot more than any of the loose leaf varieties with which I’ve been experimenting. This definitely hit the “spot-o-yumminess.” Right at first the peach seemed a bit fake and too strong, but then it mellowed nicely as the cup cooled.

I’m thinking that for me black teas will take time for me to grow into. It took me working as a barista for 7 years to finally embrace coffee and espresso, so I’d speculate that my black tea journey will take some time (hopefully not as long as the coffee one did!). But now I know to be patient with myself. :) NE