Full-bodied, mouth-filling, smooth. A piquant nip at the start quickly gives way to gingery notes over a caramel base. The finish is both sweet and slightly astringent. My second choice to accompany dark chocolate, the first being a Darjeeling.
211 Tasting Notes
Revisited this tea after becoming familiar with white tea, and now I find it stunningly delicious — my favorite of TTC’s blends. Often I put a dab of light agave nectar in it, which brings the coco-fruit to the fore. Without sweetening, I enjoy more of the complexity of the white tea. At least one good resteep, too.
180 F, 3 min, Yes, a luscious fruity flowery scent, sort of berry & rose, while the taste is more of a nutty-green tea and tart fruit. It’s a nicely rolled tea, as well, as you can see in the photo. More complex taste than I expected from green-based tea. And FYI, all the tea I’ve received from these folks has been in foil zip-lock bags, the industry standard.
Rich vegetal flavor. First steep was quite sweet and mouth-watering. Second steep was less sweet, more piquant with floral notes.
180 F 2 min; resteep 3 min. Golden infusion, flavors of moss, smoke, touch of caramel. Hoji-cha is traditional Japanese “roasted green tea.” To me, its uniqueness lies precisely in that counterpoint of greenness to toastiness. These tea leaves were harvested in Uji and Shizuoka, Japan.
Gaiwan, 195 F, 4 min steep. Not a bit grassy. Aroma and flavor of wood, nut, and a fruitiness like a Darjeeling — could this be the muscatel flavor? Somebody else try this and post your answer. Whatever it is, I love it! Plus a bonus: a colorful, gorgeous dry tea, so the visual aesthetic is there, too. Stalky (lots of stems) though. ’Tis “The Leaf, the Stem and me.”
The bergamot oil used in this white tea impressed my senses nicely. I find it an uplifting aroma. The white tea held its own, with a slight vegetal taste and notes of nut and meadow flowers. Cream & vanilla — not evident, at least not to my aging taste buds.
Success! 150F, 2 min. By paying closer attention to water temp and steep length, I did justice to this delicious tea. Genuine natural jasmine notes float in the nostrils while vegetal juciness fills the mouth, with both lingering afterwards.
The earthiness of ginseng is prominent, and the slight milky taste is noticeable, too. It’s a definite change from my usual oolongs. I drink this for the added health benefits of ginseng.
Adds a touch of mint and ginger to white tea. I added a drop of light agave nectar. Good for those who would like to drink white tea for its health benefits, but complain that it lacks flavor. Bag will go a 2nd round, too! P.S. Given a chance, most palates can learn to distinguish the mellow flavor of good white tea.
Any time you mix hibiscus and rose hips, the result is somewhat predictable — bright and tangy. The lemongrass and other flavors are present enough here to make it more interesting, and the attractive red color is always a plus in an icy glass. Why some folks add lemon, baffles me.
Who would think a mixture like this could taste so good? Two black teas, two green teas, and blackcurrant extract. 5 min steep gave a lovely cup!
Peach is more in the aroma than taste. Lovely fragrance. Liquor is a pale, hazy green — rather strange-looking but quite tasty. Matcha adds rich green flavor. Ginger is at once soothing and stimulating, without bitterness, which suits me well.
Here in Texas, we’ve had more than 50 days over 100 degrees F already this summer, and it’s that hot right now. But I love this double spice chai so much that I cranked up the air conditioner and enjoyed it hot, or at least warm. It just doesn’t taste as full, creamy and spicy when I ice it down!
Tulsi is a type of basil, which adds an unusual aspect to the masala and malt flavors. Extra snappy clove and pepper, too, make me warm, relaxed, and stimulated, all at the same time. So smooth that I didn’t even add milk.
This refers to the bagged version of this tea, my first tasting of kukicha. I went with quite cool water, about 165F. A one minute steep gave pale amber liquor and a truly rich nutty roasted flavor. It tastes more like a dark oolong than a green tea, but the package says “roasted green tea.” I like it, and I can tell that the bag is good for a resteep!
This Pu-erh makes a full-bodied red-brown liquor with an aroma like garden soil. The flavor is rich and almost sweet. There’s a slight sour note which tells me that yes, it was aged and fermented in a solid cake. I suppose that both the oddness and the complexity of flavor is largely derived from this type of aging, unique to pu-erh teas. For the 2nd steep I added some chrysanthemum buds, and a tiny floral note chimed in from those. The aged pu-erh earthiness continues to follow through to the finish. I’m a novice when it comes to pu-erh, so the assertive ‘ripeness’ of this tea continues to startle me a bit, and I can’t say yet whether I like it.
The orange scent and flavor are quite mild, which suits me just fine, as the oolong is smooth and rich on its own merits. Shades of roasted chicory and chestnut. Slight astringency creates a clean finish.
This sencha is ‘clean and green’ in flavor. I moistened it with cool water before steeping, as a buffer against my predictable lack of care in regard to water temp. I poured hot water and decanted after 30 seconds, yielding a pale green liquor which was only slightly bitter, with enough flavor to be worthwhile. I like spinach, which is fortunate when it comes to green tea. The resteep was also 30 sec, with almost no bitterness and more asparagus. Still, this is more exercise than enjoyment for me, as I continue my attempt to appreciate these fussy steepers. I kept wishing it were a white instead. I may never be big on greens, but this one has made it into my ‘okay’ category. It helps if I’m in a monkish, less self-indulgent mood and remind myself of it’s healthfulness.
1.5 tsp in 10 oz at 200F for 7 min. I might have finished this yerba mate blend ‘black’ but I added milk and sugar. The spices, carob and cocoa add quite a bit to the brew, which is actually a dark brown liquor, probably because of the roasted ingredients. Flavor is as full and rich as any chai black tea I’ve had. It looks like murky coffee and feels like the caffeine in a stout cup o’ joe. Monday has been launched!
I seem to be developing quite a penchant for white tea. Its flavors are subtle and delicate, but can be exquisite, now that I’ve begun to distinguish them. Many white teas have a good resteep in them, IF the first pass is appropriately short (a long 1st steep will get bitter, anyway). For this first steep, I moistened the bag and its contents with a splash of cool water and let it sit a minute before pouring in the hot. This seems to protect delicate teas from getting bitter and astringent. (I credit the Guarani people of Uruguay for this idea, which they traditionally use for their yerba mate.)
Stash Fusion Honey and Ginseng is a brilliant white tea blend with a complex aroma and ample sweetness, just as-is. The light amber liquid is nutritious and delicious — it must be said. The honeybush flavor is akin to rooibos but less tart. For once, the ginseng comes along without creating a fuss. As a bonus, this plucky little bag took a 7 min resteep and produced a righteous 2nd cup!
After multiple infusions, considering this light oolong for frequent drinking. I didn’t pick up floral notes as often as I’d done with my other favorite, Ali Shan. But I sensed fresh notes of moss and, indeed, the smooth body and fruity finish mentioned in the seller’s description. An enthusiastic thumbs up!
Dry tea has peach pieces, a so-so aroma, and yes — a goodly number of buds. Steeped 1.5 tsp in 8 oz at 180F for 1:15 min. I tasted it at 1 min — any longer and it would have been too bitter. Yikes! Really blah flavor; dumped first cup. Resteep went 5 min without bitterness, but there was obvious staleness in both aroma and flavor, I have to say. No more tea swaps in mid-Summer, I guess. This tea shipped to me in weather so hot that the truck probably exceeds 130F for hours on end. It’s a doggone chicken-fried shame!
Dry tea is dark green half-balls, less than 1/4" dia. with some tan stems visible. Short rinse first in tepid water to awaken leaves. Steep 3 min at 195F. Unfurl to mid-size leaves of a lighter but more intense green with red-brown edges — a very promising sight! Light green clear liquor, slight floral aroma, rich wood and moss.
