1029 Tasting Notes
[Spring 2023 harvest]
It’s been several years since I last bought this tea. I still appreciate it a lot though.
In particular, I really like the creamy mouthfeel, its specific taste profile and the long, savoury and refreshing aftertaste.
The tea has a milky, floral aroma, and a bitter, herbaceous taste with notes of mint, lemon balm, citrus fruits, grass, and also banana in the finish.
Flavors: Banana, Bitter, Citrus Fruits, Creamy, Floral, Grass, Herbaceous, Milk, Mint
Preparation
As a basic Yunnan white tea, this one more than fulfils its purpose. It is fragrant with a pungent sweet and floral taste as well as engaging mouthfeel and aftertaste. It doesn’t rise beyond that to a special one, but it also doesn’t pretend to.
The taste is actually quite multi-layered, with bitter, fruity and grassy notes, buttery flavour and a flowery finish. The tea also has a numbing, creamy mouthfeel. Its aromas remind me of eucalyptus, honey, leather and pear.
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Butter, Creamy, Eucalyptus, Floral, Flowers, Fruity, Grassy, Honey, Leather, Pear, Sweet
Preparation
Recently, I got my first few cakes from Tea Encounter, including this one. It is a strong and complex tea, but not my favourite taste profile I would say.
It has an intriguing aroma that isn’t the most attractive perhaps. The two scents it reminds me of are bubblegum and gasoline…
The taste is sweet, but also brothy and savoury, without any particular flavours standing out. The mouthfeel is airy and a bit numbing, while the aftertaste is floral and sour.
Flavors: Broth, Bubblegum, Floral, Oily, Sour, Sweet
Preparation
This is a very pleasant tea for snowy days like today, including its relaxing cha qi. Its character borrows clearly from the two ingredients that make up the blend, but I find that they act in unison to a large degree.
Dry leaves smell sweet and earthy with notes of malt, fireplace, nuts and sauerkraut. The wet leaf aroma is quite different, I can detect cherry, chocolate, incense, and marine notes.
The liquor is full bodied with decent thickness. Its flavour ranges from earthy and sweet to more woody, herbaceous and savoury. There are also hints of sour taste. Specifically, it reminds me of cacao beans, moss, and beetroot besides some of the notes mentioned before.
Flavors: Ash, Beetroot, Cabbage, Cacao, Cherry, Chocolate, Earthy, Fireplace, Herbaceous, Incense, Malt, Marine, Moss, Nutty, Sweet, Woody
Preparation
Definitely less astringent than in the past, and giving a very sweet aftertaste. Besides that, the tea is spicy, bitter and well-balanced, but also a bit boring. Today I detected some notes of green olives, milk, and thyme.
Flavors: Bitter, Floral, Milk, Olives, Spicy, Sweet, Thyme
Preparation
This tea is well balanced, but a bit more on the bitter side among black teas.
Dry leaves have a strong smell of tomato vine complemented by muscovado sugar and wood notes. During the session, the aroma is more floral with hints of vanilla and cacao beans.
The taste is indeed bitter, but also fruity, woody and spicy. It induces warming and astringent sensations and a long-lasting aftertaste. There are flavours like cloves, mint, and apricot pits to be found here.
Flavors: Apricot, Astringent, Bitter, Brown Sugar, Cloves, Cocoa, Floral, Fruity, Mint, Spicy, Stonefruit, Tomato, Vanilla, Wood
Preparation
Pretty boring tea that’s nevertheless pleasant to drink. It has a lighter body, cozy taste that is bitter, savoury and sweet, and an expansive aftertaste.
Aroma reminds me of celery, garden cress, fireplace, and bourbon. The taste is a bit tannic and has notes of wood and coffee.
Flavors: Bitter, Bourbon, Celery, Coffee, Earth, Fireplace, Plants, Sweet, Tannic, Wood
Preparation
This tea is one of my favourites but since it is not a “premium” tea, I am also happy to drink it casually. This makes it quite fun to follow its progression.
The aroma is more subdued now, but still peppery. It also reminds me of cooked meat, forest, and stewed vegetables.
The tea has a slick mouthfeel and a really good depth of warming flavours while still being bright and refreshing. The taste is well integrated. I can still detect herbs, grapefruit and other citrus fruits, but it is now more woody and nutty. The aftertaste is long-lasting, biting, drying, sweet, and very fragrant with notes of milk, herbs, and grains.
Flavors: Biting, Bitter, Citrus Fruits, Drying, Forest Floor, Grain, Grapefruit, Herbaceous, Meat, Milky, Nutty, Pepper, Stewed Vegetables, Sweet, Woody
Preparation
A very good white tea that is on the bitter and savoury side of the spectrum.
The aroma is sweet and flowery, but it also reminds me of fur, apricots, and autumn leaf pile.
The first infusion is a bit grassy and warming with a cooling finish. Second one is quite bitter with notes of bark, moss, and grape skins. Later I found also flavours of lamb meat and bread crust.
The tea has a soft mouthfeel and medium body. Its aftertaste is long, sweet, and fragrant with a numbing mouthfeel. There are notes of herbs (sage), white wine, and florals.
Flavors: Apricot, Autumn Leaf Pile, Bark, Bitter, Bread, Burnt Food, Cooling, Floral, Flowers, Fur, Grape Skin, Grassy, Herbaceous, Meat, Moss, Sage, Sweet, White Wine
