Camellia Sinensis

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drank Maple Tea by Camellia Sinensis
1440 tasting notes

Camellia Sinensis is here!

Lexa wanted Choco Chou first, so we enjoyed that one together, then I made this one for me.

I love all the maple sugar crystals in this one. It’s really beautiful. The maple doesn’t have much of a scent, but I didn’t expect that of dried maple sugar. The flavour is very light — mostly just a hint of sweetness in the sip and I really love that. I enjoy when tea leaves are paired with a real ingredient like this, and nothing else.

What a great start to these CS teas! Also, the packaging on these teas is just gorgeous, and they threw in an extra sample — yay!

The packaging is on my story here: https://www.instagram.com/stories/biologistcourtney/2481536991512966181/

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 3 g 14 OZ / 414 ML
Martin Bednář

Yay, tea-mail!

Courtney

Tea mail is always fun!

Martin Bednář

Exactly! I hope my B&B order from Boxing Day to come quickly! Maybe tomorrow? Who knows? No tracking :(

Courtney

My B&B orders don’t have tracking either! They come with a tracking number, but it doesn’t work. I’ll keep my fingers crossed yours will arrive tomorrow, or soon!

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2021 sipdown no. 7

This is a sad sipdown today of an awesome sample from VariaTEA.

I have to find a first flush Darjeeling to keep in my cupboard after this experience. This tea is both hay-like and reminiscent of a delicious, creamy rice pudding. This blend would be perfect for a summer evening. I’m loving all the teas that are reminding me of summer today.

I shall resteep this as many times are possible before sadly letting it go.

Thanks VariaTEA!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 14 OZ / 414 ML

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Another awesome sample from VariaTEA!

I think I’ve chosen the right tea for this note…this tea is super tasty! This is my second steep and it’s creamy and hay-like and I love that. I reminds me a little bit of my beloved white Rhino. Maybe first flush Darjeelings can be a thing for me?

First steep 3 minutes
Second steep 4 minutes

Thanks for sharing VariaTEA :)

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 14 OZ / 414 ML
VariaTEA

I’m glad you liked it! I was surprised I liked it as much as I did. Btw, have you ever tried What-Cha’s White Rhino? Mine was from an old harvest but I recall enjoying it a lot

Courtney

There exists another White Rhino?! My night has been made! I am going to check it out right now!

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DIY Advent Calendar – Day 11

Gong Fu Sipdown (257)

This is dirt to me. I feel bad because it’s appeal is quite genuinely lost on me. I steeped it according to the company recommendations and I just got cup after cup of dirt. And if it wasn’t dirt, it was wet leaves. Thank you Roswell Strange for sharing but this is a no for me.

Roswell Strange

Haha, I like this one because it’s dirt! But totally get it, figured I’d try though ;)

VariaTEA

In fairness, one of the puerhs you send me wasn’t dirt/fishy. It was overly floral which I didn’t like but definitely not what I expected from a puerh. And some of the flavored ones have been tolerable.

Mastress Alita

I always find puerh to taste like dirt or marshy swamp water, but can tolerate it in the right blends. Yet I keep trying it hoping, one day, it will suddenly not taste like dirt or swamp water…

VariaTEA

@Mastress Alita, I have the same problem. I actually avoid it but Roswell Strange knows I will try anything eventually if it is sent to me and so she occasionally sends them my way to try to broaden my horizons.

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72

Sipdown (302)

Had this earlier while playing Life with my sister and brother-in-law. We’re basically playing board games, watched Soul, and are taking it easy. This tea fit that perfectly because it was an easy drinker that was good and smooth and flavourful but didn’t require a lot of concentration to enjoy.

Cameron B.

I watched Soul the other day and thought it was so cute!

VariaTEA

It was a very nice movie. Not my favourite Pixar but enjoyable and definitely cute.

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72

I was not expecting to like this. Darjeelings are usually sharp and drying and overtly floral. It came as a sample in my order with my first gaiwan so I guess in a way I should be thanking Roswell Strange for this one. Thank you, Ros!!

This is really smooth. It’s the slightest bit peppery and maybe a bit floral. But it really doesn’t have much flavor to it. It’s not bad and an easy drinking tea because of that. I just also don’t find it particularly interesting though.

Leafhopper

I really liked the Thurbo Darjeeling I had from this company in 2018 or thereabouts, and found it had a nice muscatel flavour. Too bad your batch wasn’t that interesting. Enjoy your new gaiwan!

VariaTEA

I have a little bit more from the sample. Perhaps that cup would be more successful. Could also be age since this is from July 2019, though as a straight tea I feel like there shouldn’t be too much flavor deterioration

Leafhopper

You’re right, it could be due to age. My Rohini Golden Buds from What-Cha, which was wonderful when it was harvested in 2019, is starting to lose its flavour.

derk

I just bought a sealed bag of the Rohini golden buds. I hope they fare as well as my first go with them. In my experience, freshness is almost paramount with Indian teas.

Leafhopper

I hope the seal helps. I also wasn’t measuring very carefully during my last session with this tea, so I may not have used enough leaf.

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92

Sometimes the way a tea makes you feel
and the way it tastes,
the associations it evokes
and the things you’re reading about or thinking about or listening to while sipping
and the weather

all align in a moment so harmonious that all you can muster for a note is

wow.

word: drink it grandpa, leaf it heavy, deal with the floaters. they’re all floaters.

Something I will be looking out for next season. Thanks so much, Leafhopper :)

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 5 OZ / 150 ML
Martin Bednář

That’s so cute tasting note… and so right!

Leafhopper

I love your poetic tasting note. To my knowledge, Camellia Sinensis didn’t have this tea in 2020 (it was a 2019 harvest). Maybe next year.

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69

This is another one I’m adding to the SVTTB. It’s nice but I don’t reach for it ever. Smooth with a cocoa undertone. It’s brisk and a touch metallic at times. It’s just not a favourite.

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69

I made this and drank it rather quickly just before heading out for a walk. It was nice but also a touch coppery/astringent.

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2021 sipdown no. 52

A bit of a sad sipdown, but I can’t decide if I want 50g of this in my cupboard or not. It’s very tasty, but I seem to go back and forth on it. Today there’s malty sweetness with a hint of perhaps spearmint in the background? Unique and enjoyable!

Putting a reminder here because I do think I at least need to pick up another sample pack in the next order.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 3 g 14 OZ / 414 ML

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Sipdown of this awesome share from VariaTEA!

This was an awesome tea to try and I would consider adding this to an order, whenever I do one from CS. There’s both depth, yet a lightness to this tea and just subtle notes of maltiness and breadiness.

Another note on another tea from VariaTEA: I can’t stop thinking about HC Andersen. I keep reaching for it, then have to put it back because I have maybe 2 cups worth left, but also the website won’t let me order more and I don’t know what to do!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 3 g 14 OZ / 414 ML

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This is another awesome sample sent to me by VariaTEA :)

I’m slowly but surely catching up on all the things and this tea has really helped boost my motivation after hours of listening to lectures on environmental assessment.

This tea has a perfect subtle black tea flavour for me today. Absolutely no astringency (yay) and smooth. It’s not too intense in flavour, just light and smooth – perfect for any time of day.

I actually think I’ll have to check out this tea company – I’ve never ordered from them before, but this tea has inspired me to at least look over their website!

Thanks VariaTEA!

VariaTEA

I really like Camellia Sinensis. They also have great teaware that is pretty affordable as well :)

Cameron B.

I really need to eventually order from Camellia Sinensis, I’ve been interested in their flavored teas for years but never ordered for some reason…

Leafhopper

I also like Camellia Sinensis and have ordered a lot of tea from them over the years. Their Shan Lin Xi, Mi Xiang Hong Cha, Feng Huang Hong Cha, and most of their Darjeelings are good.

Courtney

Thanks for introducing me to the VariaTEA!

I’m going to be checking their webpage tonight I think Cameron :)

Leafhopper that’s awesome, thanks for the suggestions! I love straight black teas, so I’ll check some of those out. :)

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86

I decided to give this tea a chance after seeing it described as aromatic and fruity, although I’ve had a black Tie Guan Yin before that I wasn’t too fond of. Of course, Jin Guan Yin is a slightly different varietal, though my expectations were still somewhat similar. I used the instructions given in the Camellia Sinensis Summer Session, an online event held in August that reviewed eight of their teas, as provided by Tea in Spoons:
https://teainspoons.com/2020/10/01/camellia-sinensis-summer-session-08-2020-part-3/
They said to steep 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 203F for 30, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120, and 240 seconds.

The dry aroma is of sourdough bread, dates, tart fruit, and sweet potato. The first two steeps have notes of sweet potato, citrus, dates, sap, caramel, and baked bread. In the next steep, the sweet potato gets even richer, the citrus resolves itself into orange zest, the tannins become more prominent, and flavours of tart rhubarb and sourdough emerge. That sourdough is especially noticeable when exhaling a few minutes after a sip and is kind of entertaining.

In steeps four to six, the sourdough starts competing with the sweet potato, and I get some earth, tannins, and wood. This is slightly disappointing since I liked those sweet potato-heavy initial steeps so much. The final few long steeps reveal mellow sweet potato, combined with tannins, wood, malt, earth, and minerals.

This tea is a lot better than my previous batch of black TGY. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves sweet potato and enjoys a dynamic gongfu session. It’s especially appropriate at the moment since it’s the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Happy early Thanksgiving to everyone who’s celebrating, and I hope you can connect with family virtually if not in person.

Flavors: Bread, Caramel, Citrus, Dates, Earth, Malt, Mineral, Orange Zest, Pleasantly Sour, Rhubarb, Sap, Sweet Potatoes, Tannin, Tart, Wood

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 30 sec 5 g 4 OZ / 120 ML
derk

Happy Thanksgiving to you :)

Leafhopper

Thanks! Spending Thanksgiving alone is a bit weird, although it’s necessary given the situation here in Ontario. I hope others also decide not to risk spreading COVID to their families this weekend so we can all have a good Christmas.

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78

Cookies, butter, an hint of vegetables, one of my favourites

Flavors: Butter, Cookie, Vegetable Broth

Preparation
1 min, 15 sec 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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Today’s #septembersipdown is about blending teas, which I don’t usually do. I was trying to come up with something and a recent conversation about lapsangs with Sil and Roswell Strange came to mind. In particular, the fruity lapsangs that Roswell Strange has been trying lately had me intrigued.

Then I remembered Sil always recommends maple syrup in lapsangs so I thought blending Maple Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha and a lapsang could be cool – maple and smoke but also the idea of toasted marshmallows came to mind. However, this tea and that one are brewed so differently that I didn’t want to start guessing what would be the best steeping parameters. So, I tried to think of something else that was sweet or fruity that might pair and my copious amount of Cotton Candy tea sprung to mind.

So how does the combination of this tea and Cotton Candy by DAVIDsTEA taste? Like someone put sugar in a lapsang. I guess that is accurate since cotton candy is largely just sugar. It makes for a smokey top note and sweet underneath. Nothing mind blowing enough that I would do it again but not bad.

Thank you Roswell Strange for sending me a sample of this! I’ll save rating it until I have an unblended taste.

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drank La Taïga Sauvage by Camellia Sinensis
1541 tasting notes

Quite the list of ingredients, all harvested from Québec. A little thin but sweet, fruity and woody with a strong note of fir that evokes a feeling of near-winter, inhaling frigid, moist air through my nostrils and catching the clean, cool scents of a northern Canadian landscape. Or for those unacquainted, I’d say it’s like a Christmas tree in a cup. A hint of wild blueberry and a tangy-sweet quality. Brewed for the recommended 7 minutes, there is a drying catch on the swallow but it tastes so cool and comforting I don’t care. A long-lingering resinous sweetness follows.

Directions call for 2tsp/250mL; I opted for something like 5 teaspoons for half my glass teapot, so 500ish mL. The mélange of ingredients with differing shapes and sizes doesn’t make it easy to get a varied distribution, so I did do some hand-picking of the larger ingredients instead of incorporating them into my teaspoon measurements.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 7 min, 0 sec 5 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML
gmathis

This sounds a lot like the piney-foresty blend I picked up at our favorite little TeaMaze shop. The “tree” vibe is unusual but refreshing!

Mastress Alita

I love pine/juniper flavors! I bet I’d dig this.

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drank Bhutan Samcholing by Camellia Sinensis
1541 tasting notes

I placed a small order with Camellia Sinensis because I was interested in some of their herbals, namely Wintergreen, Labrador Tea and Taïga Sauvage.

Following a wake-up, chest-clearing mug of Juniper Ridge’s Yerba Santa, I had time for only 1 steep of this tea from Bhutan. According to Camellia Sinensis, this tea comes from the only tea production in Bhutan which is led by an all-women cooperative. Always keeping my eye out for unique teas, I couldn’t resist ordering a sample of the July 2020 harvest.

I prepared the tea close to package directions, using more tea than 2 teaspoons because the leaves do not rest uniformly in a teaspoon. I went for my standard-as-of-late measurement of 1g/100mL for green, white, and black teas prepared western style.
The tea is very clean and smooth. It sits well in my empty stomach. The taste evokes lightly buttered sauteed sweet green cabbage. There is an interesting minerality which Camellia Sinensis refers to as seashells and I think I can agree with that — calcium. A vague feeling, not taste, of smokey, earthy bitterness sits deep within the liquor. A spicy feeling sits only in the chest, something I could equate to the warmth of Saigon cinnamon, but like the smokey bitterness, it’s not a taste. A second steep when I came home for lunch brought forward lime-like and bright green olive impressions.

Overall, this is an exceptionally smooth green tea with an interesting profile that reminds me of sheng puerh. It covers a satisfying and nuanced range of flavors and impressions between sweet, vegetal, umami, mineral, citrus, bitter-smoke and warming spice. As I was just now browsing to purchase a larger quantity, the tea is now out of stock only 2 weeks after placing my order.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 10 OZ / 300 ML
Leafhopper

This tea caught my eye as well when I was browsing their catalogue. Glad you had the chance to try it.

Courtney

Labrador Tea! I’ll be looking that up for sure. :)

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Gongfu!

Steeped this up in a bunch of panda themed teaware as my pre-commute session! This is such a beautifully soft and buttery oolong with notes of fresh coconut, white Spring flowers, and just a hint of vegetal spinach. Really delicate in taste but with such a rich feeling liquor; an excellent way to ease into the day!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDnTBFOZee/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJCg8HIWKTY

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Gongfu!

Somehow I ended up picking a tea last weekend that capitalized on both the trains I seem to be riding right now: oolong teas and thing that taste like butter. It’s so buttery and creamy and the texture from steep tea steep is so soft and rich. Love the florals that crop up in this tea and the slight green banana undertones of some of the mid steeps. Got many, many steeps out of this one!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMaV-biAxSz/

Also – I need to get in the habit of using this pot more because it’s such a beauty!!

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n3Yo-4ofM8&ab_channel=Syence

Martin Bednář

My brother would love that pot! It’s truly wonderful.

LuckyMe

That teacup is also beautiful!

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So this past weekend my friend Marika and I started recording for our podcast! Ahh! I’m so excited, but also everything just felt soooo real! I have a nice backlog of tasting notes, aside from my normal tasting queue, that are completely podcast related – I’ll post them whenever the episodes start airing…

This was what I was drinking while we recorded our intro episode though! Jin Shuan is one of the teas that Marika and I had our first big, long nerdier conversation over when we were first getting to know each other – so it was kind of a nod to that connection, which has now grown into this cool endeavor we’re doing together! I’m excited to share that with everyone here on Steepster – well everyone who has an interest anyway, haha.

Flavors: Butter, Cream, Creamy, Floral, Flowers, Freshly Cut Grass, Green

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93

Sipping on this one now and just… wow.

I think I really needed this tea today – it’s got that perfect sweet floral quality mixed with notes of honey, crisp rain water, and fresh garden peas. Really consistent with a gentle astringency. The weather has felt a bit like a ping pong game lately, and I’m missing having tea outside. It’s worse because it feels like that reality is soooo close to happening again. However, this cup is capturing that feeling for me and, truly, it helps.

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93

From yesterday’s #SeptemberSipdown prompt…

The prompt was to drink a tea sourced from India, and my first thought was that I definitely had options but nothing I was super excited about – and then I remember I had this fucking INCREDIBLE Darjeeling that I could make! So I had a cup of this for the prompt, and just marveled in the delicious fresh and sweet Spring florals and sugar snap pea flavours that took me back to crisp and cool summer mornings helping my Grandma in her garden after an evening thunderstorm. So nostalgic!

Leafhopper

Yes, the Thurbo Darjeeling from Camellia Sinensis is always fantastic! I tried to get some during this year’s sale, but it was all snapped up.

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