2816 Tasting Notes
I was actually craving a chai today and then I forgot I had this little sample in my desk provided by the ever generous and lovely Jenn…
I think I learned something from my cinnamon spice experience with H & S, their flavor is strong so there is no need to overdo it. I believe I used about 1/2 tsb of this in 8 oz of hot water about 206 degrees.
This is a pretty good spicy chai type of tea. I did add my usual soymilk to mine and then after tasting it I felt the need to add some sugar which is kind of rare for me. On the website it says assam is used as the base for this. I am not picking up too much on the cinnamon or cardamom here and instead am getting a lot of clove and something else, I think perhaps it is black pepper. In any case, I like it but when it comes to chais I am partial to Rishi’s Masala Chai and West Cape Chai, they set the bar pretty high for me. :)
Ono tea – this is the company that has now become Koni tea and I don’t really feel like making a new listing for it.
I liked most of the things I got from Koni – this was good but it was not my favorite out of the bunch. I was hoping for more of a coconut flavor as well. It is a little weak and the coconut is competing with the fruit flavors in here for my attention and tastebuds.
Preparation
drinking this again this morning since I needed an energy boost. I measured my water temp at around 135 F and thought this was too low but it is bringing out some nice subtleties of the flavor I did not notice before.
Preparation
The temp does seem low….I brew around 160*
well my water had cooled off and I was lazy. :-P
Does this co have a website?
here ya go: http://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/
oops – here is the English version… ha ha http://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/english/top.html
How much did it cost?
Thanks,,,,,
see my original tasting note for the deets on cost etc.
Kyoto semingly wasnt affected by the radiation ….so they say :/
oh….I see……what about S & H? Didn’t see on their site?
Oh you bought it locally….lucky dog!
I just checked Upton’s website. They only offer 50g @ $16.80. I’m making arough guess…if they offered 90g…it would cost around $27-$28. You got a really good deal. But Upton’s says their Kabuse Sencha is Spring Harvest. I’m not sure, but it may be a higher grade (upton’s). I still think you got a good deal. :))
yes, I am lucky, you’d think there would be a fancy tea shop in Japantown but I had to search far and wide to find this stuff.
But you found it in relatively locally right? I’ve been looking….I didnt find too many online tea shops that carry it, and if I did it was quite a bit more expensive.
Ito En carries it for $8/oz. 90g is actally slightly more than 3 oz
I haven’t been so satisfied with the quality of Ito-en in the past, if you get some let me know how it is. :)
Whatabout O-cha.com? I found it there for:
http://www.o-cha.com/green-tea/kabusecha.html
How is their quality? This a 2011 lot. Would you buy this lot, post radiation? Ugi claims all their tea was not affected by radiation, but I have concerns. :/
Sorry, I don’t know about O-cha, you should ask Auggy on Steepster, I believe she has purchased from them in the past.
I am not that concerned about the radiation either so I can’t answer your question
All reports I’ve read say Kyoto radiation from the accident was minimal
The smell of vanilla definitely hits you when you open the bag! I am reminded of vanilla ice cream. Organic, Fair Trade Certified tea, a definite bonus in my book.
I brewed this for 4 minutes using the water/leaf ratio that Rishi recommends. The brewed tea is a nice and simple way to start my morning. I drank this with some plain soymilk. The vanilla is still fairly strong in the nose but mild on the palate. The vanilla flavor is most strong in the finish of the tasting. I liked this but I do not think it is going on my list of things I must buy again but I’m also just not sure if vanilla tea is really my “thing”. I got a sample of the H & S Vanilla Black also so it will be interesting to try that one soon to compare.
I forget who suggested this to me but I picked some up today and I am liking it…
I am a big fan of cinnamon and plum flavors together, I have the cinnamon plum tea by Rishi which I also like. This one is sweeter and a little lighter on the hibiscus and has some other things like roasted barley and chicory which bring it down to Earth a bit.
Lately I’ve been reflecting a lot on this tea drinking habit of mine and as much as I like trying a lot of different teas it still makes me cringe when I have to buy tea and tea bags that are all wrapped up in plastic and hermetically sealed like surgical instruments. Have we really become this precious? Tea used to get from China to Russia on the back of a camel and somehow the world managed to carry on.
So thanks to Celestial Seasonings for providing simple no frill teabags and cardboard boxes and keeping some waste out of the landfill. I am coming to the conclusion that I have to find more companies that reflect my values as a person. Or maybe I need to just go to local teashops and buy in bulk and bring in my own containers.
Perhaps I am getting a little nutty but it does help me to enjoy my tea when I’m not also obsessing over my contribution to the gigantic plastic gyre in the Pacific Ocean…. ;-)
I almost didn’t recognize this as a Tevana tea – where’s the pound of dehydrated fruit and spices that’s normally floating around in these things?
In any event I was looking for something this afternoon that was mild and easygoing and this certainly has fit the bill. A nice green oolong, very clean tasting, and vegetal. I am getting a bit of nutty flavor in the finish. A classic tea with a great taste. I would certainly consider purchasing this if I ever place another order with Teavana.
Preparation
Did you do multiple steeps with this Oolong? I di with mine MP Oolong is usually a good one for that. SURE HOPE YOU DIDN’T GET SICK FROM THE CINNAMON TEA.
That’s “do with mine”, and what’s up with the caps?
3 steeps and yes, I was fine. thank you for your concern. I have a very sensitive tummy so it was just a bit too much for me.
FYI-I don’t know if it’ll show up in the dasboard, but I updated my H & S Hao Ya B review.
Thanks again to Jenn for sending me a sample of this. I LOVE cinnamon and this tea certainly packs a wallop. It is like drinking red hots candy! Sweet and cinnamony and hot and spicy all at once. Definitely seems like a winner for moi.
A few minutes later: I’m not sure my stomach is going to agree with my assessment of the tea. I am getting nauseated. Are there flames coming out of my ears?? I feel like I need to lie down and have a glass of water, geez! Downgraded a lot for the nausea factor… boo. I do love the taste of this but if it makes me ill, I’m afraid it’s got to go in the yuck category… :(
Preparation
I had the same experience with this tea. Weird… I really liked how it tasted by my stomache hated it. Too bad : (
It made me a little sad, actually… bleah
Try it with a light snack before giving up on it. Red Hot tea is just too cool to abandon without a fight.
I don’t have any left so no more experiments for moi.
I have a few stories about tea not sitting well with me too. A couple times the samples were new,or just from old samples, or from "stupid " here <=== leaving tea in his teapot a little too long! Uummm….let’s just say I had certain “intestinal” issues, which left me bowing to the porcelain god! :))
Rough times!!
Their Vanilla Comoro did this to me last time I had it, boooo. I’ve been too scared to try again.
@aisling – weird. I wouldn’t think vanilla would have that effect?
I think it was the tea base more than the vanilla.
yeah baby!
Now this is really my kind of black tea… malty, smooth, with hints of caramel and yes, sweet potatoes! Not astringent at all, just heavenly! I brewed up a strong cup of this and am quite a happy camper. Thanks to the Steepsterites who recommended it. You can also add me to the list of devoteas. ;-) If you like assams you should give it a try.
I bought H & S Indian Spice tea a few yrs ago, and it is pretty good, I do remember the clove, but not so much the pepper (which I tend to like). The Masala Chai I have now is better than H & S-IMHO. ;)) The Assam H & S uses is like pellets- which tend to be stronger in nature. I ordered Tea from them 0n 9-7-11 and just checked their site, & they’ve raised their prices by .50 on the teas I saw. Oh well, such is life. They haven’t raised prices in 5-6 yrs. I check out the other Chai’s you mentioned too-I love Chai Tea!
I was checking to see if Harney’s still had the Assam I ordered-Nahorhabi Estate- and they have some new Assams. I hope theyre not sold out formy next order.