Basilur
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Here’s Hoping Teabox – Round Seven- Tea #28
A herbal with mostly a bitter flavor…. like maybe eating flower petals would taste like. But it isn’t the hibiscus taking over (luckily that wasn’t happening too). I wish I had liked this better, as it had orange petals in it which I usually love.
Flavors: Bitter
I started the day with another cup of this. The raspberry flavour reminds me of the bottled natural raspberry syrup from the deli that we would always have handy in my childhood to be used for pancakes, french toast, or mixed with club soda for a refreshing chilled beverage.
A very pleasant cup of tea this was. I had a cup with me in my travel mug as I made my way to and through a singing class. Brisk raspberry and a bit of tartness from the rosehips buoyed me up and settled my nerves as my first solo performance took place tonight. I had decided some time ago to do something that terrifies me every so often. So far, it’s going well. Gotta shake things up.
Flavors: Raspberry, Rosehips, Sweet, Tart
Preparation
Sample from evol ving ness This one isn’t my cup of tea. something about the raspberry and rosehips that just doesn’t sit right. I suspect that’s more of a personal preference thing than a reflection of the tea. However, always appreciate trying new things!
FYI – double tea profile
http://steepster.com/teas/basilur/60918-raspberry-and-rosehip
Creamy, fruity herbal with notes of orange, citrus, cream, and tropical fruits. I can’t taste anything floral, but luckily there also isn’t too much sour coming from the rose hip/hibiscus combo.
The looseleaf smells really fragrant: like body lotion scented like orange blossoms. I like the little pieces of dried orange and orange peel. Not too many hibiscus bits or rosehips visible, although there are small pieces which appear visually appealing.
Best brewed hot for a short period of time (served hot or cold) or cold brewed.
Flavors: Creamy, Orange, Orange Blossom, Tropical
Preparation
GCTTB DAY 5
Drank this one for my morning tea at work today. The heat is actually working! Apparently it was broken again early morning, but seemed to be a quick fix today. At least it was warm by the time I got in, thankfully!
This tea was a delightful surprise. Bold and smooth black tea base with a fragrant sweet raspberry note. There was a very slight herbal aroma/flavour that seemed quite familiar to me but I couldn’t put a finger on it. Not that it was bad, I really enjoyed it – I just couldn’t think of what it reminded me of. I couldn’t detect too much of the rosehips, the raspberries were the dominant aroma and flavour; however, the tea did a have a certain fresh fruitiness mixed in with the sweet creaminess of the raspberries that I really enjoyed. I think I found another keeper. :) I’ve tried two Basilur teas so far and loved both! It seems to be that I like the way certain companies blend and produce their teas. I’ve discovered I have a certain dislike for Mighty Leaf Teas, because for whatever reason none of their teas I’ve tried have really meshed with my personal tastes. So it’s refreshing to discover new companies that I really like for possible future shopping options!
GCTTB DAY 1
Third sample tea today, and I finally got lucky! Mm, this one is quite yummy. I knew pretty much as soon as I sniffed he dry leaf that I was in for something good. The strawberry and kiwi are not overpowering to each other but are nice in combination, fresh and lively. The Ceylon base is a little bold, I’m glad I didn’t steep it longer than a couple minutes. It’s just on the border of getting too astringent, but thankfully still on the delicious side! Quite happy with this choice. Tasty afternoon treat!
Very pleasant budget tea.
This tea had a very noticeable floral aroma, but it was not at all overpowering. I appreciated the balanced flavor profile of this tea, it is perfect for an afternoon “pick me up” at the office.
Flavors: Floral, Jasmine
Preparation
From the Great Canadian Tea Box Round 5
I like the smell of this one. It’s this super strong artificial strawberry smell that reminds me of gummies…I keep thinking of the haribo pigs, were those strawberry flavoured? The taste is less intense, but I also find it kind of soapy and bitter. I might have over-steeped, I tend to go for 4 minutes for black teas, but maybe I should have stuck with 3 for this one.
I feel like this might taste better cold than hot, so I stuck it in the fridge to cool off a bit and I’ll probably add some agave or something and see how things go
NEVER MIND i tried to put it in the freezer to speed things up and dropped it on the floor. oop.
A new friend came home with me today, a new fishy friend, specifically a Gold Gourami. Sadly and recently my Betta left me for another plane (yes, Niv-Mizzet the Firemind became a Planeswalker, only explanation) and after a bit of science I determined I give up on Bettas. The water is too hard and acidic and I think that is why my Bettas kept dying when all other water parameters were fine, it also explains why when I lived in PA with its softer water I was able to have a colony of them. Gouramis like water to be a bit on the acidic side and hard, so that is my new friend. She is quite pretty and amusingly curious, inspecting every single plant and piece of decor in great detail, and whenever I am next to the tank she comes to inspect me, I think she and I will get along wonderfully.
Today’s tea comes from Basilur Tea, a company specializing in Ceylon teas, and I am looking at their Special Tea Caddy. Before I get into the tea itself I want to point out how awesome the packaging is, when I first opened the box I saw the lovely tin with the island of Sri Lanka embossed on its lid. I had a moment of apprehension that I would open the tin and it would be an explosion of loose tea everywhere, but nope, the tea is safe inside a ziptop foil bag with the print of an old style newspaper all about a few of the estates Basilur sources from. It is a neat bit of packaging, but considering this is the company that has book shaped tea tins I am not surprised.
The tea itself comes from the lower elevation of Ceylon, though I do not know specifically which estates it is sourced from. It is of the FBOPF1 grade, so lots of fancy tips that appear silvery rather than gold, an interesting contrast with some of the other teas I drink. The aroma of the little tips is quite pleasant, sweet and rich with an underlying briskness. notes of gentle plum and citrus blend with malt and a touch of woodiness.
After steeping in my steeping aparatus, the now plumped up leaves has a malty and brisk quality, with woody and citrus notes. Underneath there is a touch of plum and a tiny bit of metallic. Not sure why but frequently Ceylon teas come off a bit metallic to me and whether or not I find this pleasant largely depends on the individual tea. The liquid is sweet, brisk, and woody with an undertone of citrus and a touch of malt.
I have had more Ceylons that I found undrinkable than probably any other tea, so I (unfairly) approach all new Ceylons I try with a bit of trepidation, but luckily this time my fear was very misplaced. This is an iconic Ceylon, in fact I shared this with Ben (who drinks a lot more teas in this style) and he said if he were to close his eyes and picture an iconic Ceylon this would be it, and I can’t help but agree. It is brisk and smooth at the front and dry in the mouth towards the end, but it lacks astringency. There are notes of oak wood and sweet potato, plum and lemons, with a metallic finish. The aftertaste is sweet though it does not linger long, just a pleasant memory. I enjoyed this tea, it will be one to enjoy in the afternoons or mornings when I want a mug of tea and not my usual gongfu sessions.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/04/basilur-tea-special-tea-caddy-tea-review.html
How i got it: Bought it
Experience: This tea’s aroma is soft and delicate, and is hard to define it at first “glance”. It has a Ceylon background with caramel notes, but with a lighter character and herbal/honey hints, tending to smell similar to teas like Nepal and Darjeeling. Its taste is smooth too, departing a little from the usual Ceylon strenght, but mantaining the caramel notes classical in Basilur. Has a spiced and wooden to the end of the sip. Well defined and lasting. Very good!
Would i buy it again?: Most probably, yes
[Good to be here after a long recess! =) I been storing entries for months, so let’s go for those first 100 tasting notes, hehe]
How i got it: Bought it
Experience: Spiced and slightly wooden, mild-intensity aroma, and a bit stronger taste than what you could have guessed from the smell. Its notes depart a little from the typical caramel-like, Basilur-Ceylon-trademark ones to be more wooden and malty, although there appear fruity hints from time to time. Good definition, duration and richness. Spiced notes in the middle of the sip, and more bitter to its end, plus some astringency in the aftertaste. Maybe it doesn’t show the complexity that Basilur’s Special does, but a good tea, no doubts!
Would i buy it again?: I give it good probabilities.
This is one of the teas that I picked up at the tea festival yesterday. I like it. The flavours of strawberry and kiwi are straightforward. The strawberry is brisk and the kiwi presents itself as tanginess. Enjoyable cup.
The second steep is nicely flavourful as well. More so than I had anticipated.
Flavors: Strawberry
Preparation
It feel like cream and strawberry… It doesn’t feel like drinking tea at all. While it is easy to drink, It feel a little bit fake. I can understand that why it is enjoyable to drink, but it make me feel that I should get some strawberry ice-cream which has same flavor but more satisfy.
Flavors: Creamy, Strawberry
Preparation
The shiny box is way better than the actual tea inside. Bummer. It smells good when it steeps, and in the first part of the sip, I get notes of milk and white chocolate and a twist of floral. In the aftertaste though, I get something akin to latex, like the taste of dentist’s gloves.
:(
Flavors: Artificial, White Chocolate
Ouch. Sorry it didn’t work out. I was tempted to buy one of their teas because of the pretty box too.
i’ve seen them sold at dollar stores here in toronto so i haven’t yet bit the bullet and picked any up.
I got this in bagged form yesterday. My first experience with a milk oolong!
It was sickly sweet smelling when I tore open the packet, so I approached it with some trepidation. It turned out to be a floral tasting, slightly sweet green tea. Not bad. Not really oolong-ish though.
This has lost a ton of flavour. One of those teas I’ve started to suffer through because I must finish what I started darnit.
Today though? Babying my headcold, I opted to indulge with a wallop of honey and a few drops of milk. Oversteeped so any remaining berry flavour would peek through the additives. And it worked. I was quite pleased with the bready, pastry like result. I’ve never seen real baked bread notes in this tea. It must be my sinuses.
Now that cuppa is done, I’m sipping on a cup of boiled/redcuced ginger with more honey. It seems to be helping.
Didn’t pair very well with the cashews and pecans I had. But with my limited appetite and the fact they were right there, I thought it best to get as much protein as possible. Anyhow. I’m off to watch some Bull. An interesting premise for a show. and something I don’t need much brain power to follow haha