1557 Tasting Notes
52teas 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 12
I didn’t finish this year’s advent with Kiki since she went to Ohio to see her family before Christmas. She’s a coffee drinker at heart, and winter was rather mild this year so her desire for hot tea wasn’t as strong as in winters past.
Oh this is nice. It’s almost like orange creamsicle but really subtle with the marshmallow root creaminess and with sharper, fresh and juicy-sweet mandarin/peel. Am I also getting lime? The spearmint shows more in the finish, pleasant, if a bit dry. Overall, the flavors are really well balanced and carried well by the mixed green tea base which gives a bit of an unctuous yet brisk body. Bright taste tethered by a savoriness and a little dry grassiness. Kinda sweet, kinda tangy, kinda comforting, kinda refreshing!
This was my first time getting the 52teas advent. Anne definitely has a touch for flavoring and blending teas. She knows what base teas work well for her ideas. Looking forward to the 2024 set!
Flavors: Brisk, Citrusy, Dry Grass, Drying, Lime, Mandarin, Marshmallow, Orange Zest, Savory, Spearmint, Sweet, Tangy, Viscous
Preparation
With all the spring grass and green growth happening here, I was inspired to buy some matcha since my cupboard has been without for too long. Based on reviews by amandastory516, and wanting to stick more local with my purchase, I bought from Breakaway Matcha.
This matcha is as lush as the spring growth under my feet. Brilliant and saturated blue-green color gives way to a smooth and silky sip. The umami blooms in the back of the mouth with the notes that Breakaway suggests: thick flavors of young peas, shiitake and sweet cream. I feel the tea’s restorative energy course through me. What a great brew to start off a rainy spring weekend!
Flavors: Cream, Mushrooms, Peas, Rich, Savory, Silky, Soft
52teas 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 11
Neat tea. It bends my mind and tongue. I like how the lemon (reads mostly lemongrass to me) melds with the soft vanilla meringue flavor and smooth chai spices (heavy on the cardamom and ginger for me). A little wood and malt barely poke through to ground it all. Almost sassy but mostly a sophisticated blend.
Flavors: Black Pepper, Bright, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Citrusy, Clove, Ginger, Lemon, Lemongrass, Malt, Meringue, Smooth, Spices, Tangy, Vanilla, Wood
Preparation
52teas 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 9
If only this tasted like it smelled in the bag — rich sunflower seed (not peanut) butter and thick, tangy raspberry jam. Those are both there in the brewed tea but kind of both separated and smothered by the malt and toast flavors of the leaf. It’s certainly drinkable as is, but I can’t help to think there’s some kind of tweaking on my end that can really make this tea pop.
Flavors: Dark Bittersweet, Jam, Malt, Malty, Raspberry, Rich, Sunflower Seed, Tannin, Toast, Wood
Preparation
matcha-sencha-toasted rice
Had this with some spicy ramen and pork belly bao at Ramen Gaijin. The tea was great with the meal but was so grassy I don’t think my stomach could handle it without food.
Flavors: Brisk, Clean, Freshly Cut Grass, Grassy, Green, Kale, Nutty, Ocean Air, Silky, Toasted Rice
52teas 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 8
Only 3g left and brewed in a glass gaiwan.
Back in December, I got more of the lightly creamy eggnog vibe and stronger nutmeg taste. Now it’s all banana candy and I’m here to say I love that smell/taste after years of hate. It is not at all cloying and works really well with the mineral and floral oolong base. There’s also a soft streak of bittersweetness after finishing the cup that sits so satisyingly in my mouth. Aroma is like banana candy and rum.
Oh yeah — goes great with cinnamon bread!
Flavors: Banana, Bittersweet, Candy, Clean, Floral, Mineral, Nutmeg, Rum
Preparation
2023 harvest
Wonderful hongcha. Pronounced floral rose and cocoa aroma, tannins balanced with taste. Floods the body with warmth. High in caffeine. Like Qimen, I think. Overleafs pretty well if you’re wanting something real viscous. Does just fine with a tiny pinch of leaves. I prefer this tea grandpa style over any other preparation.
Flavors: Cacao, Clean, Cocoa, Coconut Husk, Floral, Geranium, Juicy, Leather, Malt, Malty, Oak, Olives, Osmanthus, Peppercorn, Persimmon, Rose, Smoke, Spicy, Tangy, Tannin, Viscous
Have my first order from ORT arriving soon! Just some sheng and dancong samples tho. Are you a pretty big fan of their teas?
It’s funny, I spent almost 4 weeks deep in the mountains outside Enshi city with a few people who run ORT but I only drank a few of their teas while there!
Alex is a part of the Loushuiyan tea collective (where I was staying), so he sells the teas from that collective. They specialize in greens but also make red tea. Those are generally pretty good teas if you like Chinese greens from that region.
The teas from outside the collective, I believe, are mostly sourced by another guy from ORT (I forget his name, never met him – Dylan?). I’ve only had two dancong and one zhengshan xioashang from ORT that were gifted to me by leafhopper. All were mediocre teas to poor quality.
This tea in particular, which is not from the collective, Alex gifted me to take home. Apparently it’s not the highest quality lichuanhong (which is considered a novelty tea in China due to the milkdown effect), but I would never know the difference! It’s a great tea.
Their pressed red tea from Laos was also very good!