2816 Tasting Notes

Thanks to JC for a sample of this one…

It’s been a while since I’ve had gyokuro of any kind, I do like them but it can be hard to justify the price. My allergies were bugging me when I woke up this morning, so I thought I’d focus more on green teas today after drinking my matcha smoothie.

I think I may have steeped this at too high a temperature (around 175) with my variable temp kettle. The 1st steep at 90 seconds seems a bit bitter though there are pleasant grassy and nutty notes in the tea with a vivid greenish/yellow tea liquor…

I tried the 2nd steep at a much lower temperature and liked it better. There is more of a umami flavor with some brothiness present. Still grassy but much less assertive. I think you’re supposed to brew gyokuro at lower temperatures but I forgot about that when I prepared this.

I seem to recall I’ve had some other gyokuros that were sweet and a much deeper green than this one. I don’t know if I messed it up due to my brewing parameters? I appreciate having the chance to try it but won’t rate it for now.

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40
drank English Breakfast by DAVIDsTEA
2816 tasting notes

Tea of the morning here. I didn’t like this at all the first time I tried it. I don’t think I am a fan of assam/ceylon blends generally as I’ve had a few but they don’t really seem to interest me much. I discovered if you steep this for only 3 minutes it is a lot less bitter and brisk which is good for me, however I just don’t like it a whole lot. Definitely better with milk and sugar but I am really tempted to just get rid of this.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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85
drank Jasmine Pearls by Steepster
2816 tasting notes

I’m back from the acupuncturist and decided to try this as my late afternoon/early evening tea. I believe this is from the February Steepster Select box.

I have to admit I’m not the biggest fan of jasmine, but I do enjoy a good Jasmine pearl green tea every now and again. As far as jasmine teas go, this is very light and natural tasting and not terribly perfume-y. This has a light, sweet finish and a melon like flavor which is really reminiscent of a white tea. I don’t think this is the best jasmine pearl I’ve ever had but it’s enjoyable on this sunny afternoon. I think I’ll go in for a second steep.

p.s. this is also good with a bit of organic cane sugar

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML

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82
drank Sailor's Delight by Capital Teas
2816 tasting notes

This is a sipdown… I’ve had this tea for a long time too, so it isn’t as fresh as it used to be, though I’ve still been enjoying it. Yesterday I put this in the fridge overnight so I could have it as a cold brew. I like it iced, the fruity flavors are refreshing. I don’t think this will be a repurchase for me anytime soon but it’s pretty good. So many other teas to try!

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75

This morning I am drinking this ancient sample I unearthed from my tea stash. It is almost two years old now which shows how long I can neglect a tea…

I like this a bit better than the first time I tried it, it seems a bit bread-y and also has some stone fruit qualities. Still I am not enthralled with it but it’s good to get the tea sample box under control a bit more :)

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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80
drank Lemon French Macaron by Butiki Teas
2816 tasting notes

I’ve had this for a few weeks now but haven’t gotten around to reviewing it until now. I believe this is one of Stacy’s newer blends and it smells incredible in the package.

I steeped this according to package directions and the lemon flavor is quite strong in this blend. I thought I’d add some organic cane sugar to really make this more dessert like. It’s hard to believe there is no actual lemon zest in this tea. I wouldn’t say I feel it is “cake” like exactly, but it’s a good lemony white tea that I’m enjoying this afternoon.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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47
drank Houjicha Ichiban by Steepster
2816 tasting notes

Good afternoon Steepster.
It’s been a very busy weekend for me and my Sweetie, sometimes he is a dynamo of energy. We went to 3 festivals yesterday and today we went for a hike. Much to my chagrin, I discovered that my arm hurts when walking sometimes, I wonder if I will ever be back to normal with this stupid arm injury.

Anyway it seems like a nice relaxing afternoon for tea. This came in one of the Steepster select boxes, and I ended up tossing the first steep because I thought it seemed kind of soapy, like I didn’t rinse my teapot out enough. I decided to dump the first pot out and start all over again with the 2nd sample after rinsing the teapot very thoroughly.

After checking out the second sample, I still thought this tea looked slightly “foamy” after brewing which seems kind of odd. I’ve had several houijchas that I’ve really liked but this doesn’t seem to be one of them somehow. I definitely get the roasted cacao quality but it isn’t flavorful enough for me and the finish seems slightly bitter somehow. I don’t know why but I just wasn’t a big fan of this and don’t want to drink the cup that is now sitting in front of me. Sorry Steepster. :(

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Jillian

Foamy? Maybe the tea is rabid ;)

TeaBrat

sure seemed that way, lol

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77

Good morning Steepster
This is kind of a strange choice for breakfast but I chose it anyway because I’m not drinking a lot of teas in the afternoon these days due to concerns about caffeine.

However, my insomnia seems to be getting MUCH better. My arm is healing enough so that I’m not being woken up 5 times a night due to pain. I’ve slept pretty well in the last week, of course some of that is due to not having to be at my stressful job.

I still have too much of this tea left. I’ve discovered that the flavor is improved by adding sugar but I just don’t want it in my tea cabinet anymore. If I got rid of every tea I feel is mediocre I would purge 1/2 my collection in one day, lmao. As it is, I usually just get rid of the ones that are so horrible I would never drink them. Which makes me wonder, why do I keep buying teas I don’t like when there are so many I do like? I guess I always want to be trying new things but perhaps it’s better to stick to the tried and true….

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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90
drank Almond Matcha by Matcha Outlet
2816 tasting notes

Good afternoon Steepster…
We were having a nice, warm sunny day but the fog rolled in and took care of that (typical for San Francisco).

I got this matcha in my last Red Leaf order. I wasn’t a big fan of the Belgian chocolate, but this is a lot better. I made a hot latte with it this afternoon and I made a cold matcha drink with soymilk in it the other day. Each drink was equally as good. It does have a slightly sweeter, marzipany quality about it, but I liked that. In my opinion this is pretty yummy and somehow less grassy than the Belgian chocolate, though I did order the standard matcha flavor on this as well. I prepared this by nuking my soymilk in the microwave and then mixing it up with a milk frother.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Dustin

I bet it is gorgeous down on the peninsula! I’ll be there in a week and can’t wait to go tea shopping. Eeeee!

TeaBrat

Nice! Where do you plan to go?

TeaterTotter

I moved to Cali mid-December and I have been dying to go see what SF has to offer in terms of loose leaf.

Dustin

Oh man, everywhere! Lupicia, David’s, there are several shops I have book marked that sell Kusmi or Mariage Freres both in SF and Oakland.

TeaBrat

Dustin, you may also want to check out Red Blossom in Chinatown if you like Chinese teas!

Tealizzy

Hey Dustin, where can you get Mariage Freres teas in SF? I haven’t come across them yet.

Dustin

Last time I was in town I checked out several tea shops in Chinatown. Red Blossom was interesting, but packed with tourists tasting, so it was really hard to get any help and I just ended up leaving.

Dustin

From what I have read, a lot of the William Sonomas in the bay area have a few tins. Bi-Rite markets have mini Kusmi tins. Dandelion has MF… I thought I had a few more bookmarked for SF.
In the East Bay The Pasta Shop has MF in tins and bulk, Market Hall Foods and Maison d’Erte are supposed to have them too. Pasta Shop is the only one I have been too, the others I have just seen online mentions of having gotten MF there in the past.

Tealizzy

Thanks!

TeaBrat

There is a French bakery in Hayes Valley called Chantal Guillon, aside from macarons they sell MF teas, or at least they did the last time I was there which was 2 years ago or something

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93
drank Sencha "Chiran" by Lupicia
2816 tasting notes

Tea of the morning here! My Boyfriend is trying to transition off of coffee to green tea because of stress issues so I thought we would try this one to start with. As far as senchas are concerned it is slightly sweeter than some I have tried but it definitely has a seaweed-y type of flavor. I liked it and so did he. I sent him home with some sencha teabags. I might make this a green tea day myself.

In other news, I went to the doctor yesterday and he has signed me off of work for an additional two months…. :-/

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Cheri

Two more months is a long time, but obviously you need it. :( I’m glad the tea went over well with the BF.

TeaBrat

Thank, my most immediate concern is just money. I need to put myself on a budget! Luckily I have enough tea to last for at least 6 months I would guess. ;-)

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Profile

Bio

My profile pic is of a pink dahlia at Golden Gate Park.

Hobbies include: tea, making art, animals, vegan things, buddhism, nature, creativity, books, writing, cooking, meditation, yoga.

I am a fan of many different teas but my favorites are blacks and oolongs, chai, also like darjeeling and pu-erh. I’n always learning and expanding my horizons!

Dislikes include: bergamot, jasmine, highly tannic or bitter teas, overly judgmental and bitter people. :)

Live in San Francisco, I’m a SINK (single income, no kids) and love the urban life, but traveling out to the middle of nowhere is always fun too.

I tend to not drink things I know I will hate so a lot of my tea ratings are on the higher side. Here’s my rating system, sorta

95-100 I love this tea and would like to keep it around

94-90 An excellent tea which I may or may not repurchase

89-80 Pretty good, above average

79-70 Acceptable

69-60 Mundane – Will probably drink it if I have it

59-50 Ick

49 and below Nasty

Location

San Frandisco

Website

http://sanfrantea.teatra.de

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