Dinosara

So a few weeks ago I found a pouch of this randomly in a box without any other tea around it. Like I had found it and stuck it in their at the last minute while moving, or it had accidentally fallen in. Regardless, I was surprised and delighted. This is one of my favorite teas ever! I resisted the impulse to hoard it (there is one cup left) and decided to make a cup this afternoon.

Well this is delightful, and everything I expected it to be. Lovely passionfruit flavor, lovely oolong flavor. If you love green oolongs, and flavored oolongs, do yourself a favor and order a sample pack from Naivetea; you won’t regret it.

Sipdown, 185. Last of my rose black samples! I suppose I should also have a cup of Harney’s Rose Scented but it is currently hiding in a box… I had to box up all of my teas because there might be a surprise lab inspection (my current “office” is technically in a lab) and tea apparently counts as a food or something. Note that this is the kind of lab where it doesn’t matter at all if you eat or drink, and people do regularly, but officially you are not supposed to. Anyway, I left some samples and my new teas out of the boxes, tucked away in my desk. Can’t be totally deprived!

Mm, I think this tea is sweeter than the last one. The last time I had this I was disappointed in the base, but today I am very much enjoying it as a whole. Yeah, the base isn’t super present, but it doesn’t mean it’s not a tasty cup of tea. Bumping the rating because it is pretty deliciously like rose candy.

Sipdown, 186. I’ve been saving the rest of this sample until my new rose black got here so I could compare my myriad rose black teas. I feel like at this point I have possibly sampled as many versions of rose black as I have of Earl Grey, and that is certainly saying something (ok, I just checked, and it is not even close, haha).

Unlike the rose tea I just had (In Nature Teas), THIS is a very rosey tea. This is loukoumi (aka Turkish Delight) rosey, rosewater rosey. I love it, of course. I also love that the black tea doesn’t just shrink into the background, but is robust and pleasant at the same time. The only reason I wouldn’t restock this one over others is that it is next to impossible to get in the states, but otherwise it is very nice.

I think its a rose tea kind of morning. I have been interested in this tea for a while, mainly because of the claim thtat the base tea is a high quality Chinese black from a region that I haven’t tried (Zhejiang). I’m assuming it is a Jinqu Hongmei because that seems to be the main black tea produced by this predominantly green tea region (found that out on Teavivre’s site, actually!) This company is British, so shipping was an issue, and they don’t offer samples or sample sizes (they also didn’t include any samples in the shipment). But when they offered a coupon and this tea was already on sale on top of that, I went ahead and bit the bullet.

The tea leaves are long, black, and wiry, which definitely looks promising. There are a surprising amount of rose buds in this blend; I kept thinking that I was going to scoop up some leaves with no rose bud in the scoop, but I kept getting roses. I happened to look at the little pamphlet that came with the tea (I almost didn’t because at least one side of it is filled with “health benefit” information") so I did see that they call for black teas to be brewed at 85°C. I don’t think I’ve ever brewed a black below 195°F/90°C, so that’s what I used this time.

The steeped tea smells rosy and chocolatey. Mmmm. Yeah, this black tea has serious chocolate notes to it. The flavor is quite nice, although I can tell you right now that next time I am trying it a nearly if not actually a full boil. It’s a tad thin, but I think its the cool temp more than anything else. It’s slightly sweet, with cocoa and cereal notes to it. The rose is fairly light and seems to blend in with the whole taste of the sip. It’s noticeable if you look for it, but I also can be convinced that I’m not actually drinking a rose-scented tea. Normally I would want more rose, but somehow this one works so well I am pleased anyway. Quite tasty, and I am excited to play around with the 50g I have of this.

Sipdown, 187. This sample comes to me thanks to Ellen!

I decided a wanted a simple green tea for the late afternoon. I totally winged it with the steeping parameters on this one; since I had slightly more leaf than I would typically use I checked it after 1 minute of steeping, then decided I wanted a little more and added 30 seconds. This was a pleasant green tea. It was slightly nutty by overally pretty green and leafy. Somehow not in quite a cooked greens way, though, more like fresh kale. I didn’t get any sweetness, though I admit I did expect some from the name, but I still definitely enjoyed the cup.

Sipdown, 188. I requested this sample because I have been interested in trying this one for a while. I was almost sure enough that I would like it that I just ordered an ounce, but I decided not to this time. For sure, it combines a lot of my favorites: flowery? check. light, green bao zhong? check. pineapple? well, I could take or leave pineapple, but I do enjoy it.

My other half wandered by and said, without knowing what the tea was, that it smelled like flowers. When I told him it was flowery pineapple, he allowed that he did smell flowery pineapples. This is a great improvement, because probably 3 months ago he would have said it smelled like tea (everything smells like tea).

Anyway, it does smell like flowery pineapples, which is to say it has a nice, sweet, authentic pineapple aroma and also a good dose of florals. Lilac, perhaps, or maybe peony. That does translate over to the flavor, although I’d say its heavier on the pineapple and not so much on the florals. The baozhong base is lovely, and there is a creaminess to the whole thing. It gives it a tropical drink feeling; a hint of coconut and you’d have a piña colada. If I was mad for pineapple this would definitely have a place in my cupboard (kind of like if I were mad for cantaloupe then Cantaloupe & Cream would have a place in my cupboard), and maybe some day it will find its way back into it anyway. It is quite delicious.

Sipdown, 189.

The first time I had this tea, it was with somewhat contaminated water, though I still enjoyed it. What’s odd is that this time the tea seems less flavorful, although I know my water is fine. As it cools, a bright, citrusy hit of bergamot pops out, which is nice, and the violet grows as the cup progresses. I am also realizing that I am less and less interested in flavored greens these days, although it might be more of a base tea thing. I am only interested in some flavored greens, those with a nutty, buttery base. This is a fairly generic grassy green tea, and it just doesn’t do much for me.

Sipdown, 190. This is my other surprise sample from my last Butiki order. I ordered before this was released, so I didn’t even have a chance to request a sample, though I would have! So it was nice to get it.

This is really quite delicious. Very vanilla-y, like soft vanilla caramels when they are still pale; not too much caramelization, so it’s very creamy. Almost like dulce de leche, actually. Plus I always appreciate it when the base tea is very high quality, and having just tried this one in its pure form, I can definitely say that is the case. I could see picking some up in a future order. Also, I’d love to see this base used in more blends.

An early morning calls for an energizing tea for sure. It always takes me a while to get going and I decided that I should dive into my new stock of this tea!

Well I certainly think this helped. Citrusy and creamy, a bit leafy. And I am getting work done, so that’s awesome.

Sipdown, 191, and sad to see this one go. I sometimes have an issue with vanilla and rose together (although I love them both on their own), but not with this one. It is delightful. Each flavor is strong enough to stand out and yet they all meld together and play off each other so well. Hopefully I’ll be in Paris in July, and if so I will definitely be stopping by Fauchon for some tea.

Sipdown, 192. The last of my samples from Stephanie, thanks!

I will go on the record as saying that I am deeply skeptical of this tea. Although I do love cilantro, I only have it in savory applications and it doesn’t sound like something I want in my tea. But when Stephanie offered to send me a sample of it I said ok, because I am willing to give pretty much anything a shot.

The steeped tea smells lightly of pineapple and cilantro. I definitely get the sensation of sniffing a tropical salsa. Hmm interesting flavor. I think the most predominant flavor I get is the cilantro, followed by white tea and then pineapple. It’s a bit vegetal and a bit fruity, but overall the flavor is fairly light (I am sure I didn’t underleaf it, as Stephanie sent the perfect amount). The texture is certainly creamy. This tea definitely turned out better than I might have thought, but its definitely not the tea for me. Cilantro just doesn’t belong in my tea I think. :)

Sipdown, 193. Thanks to Stephanie for this sample!

The first whiff of this brewing is intensely cantaloupe-y. Super ripe, super delicious cantaloupe. While traveling I had a fruit cup that had horrible, underripe cantaloupe in it, and this just reminds me of how delicious a very ripe melon can be. I definitely also smell the creaminess of it.

This is quite a delicious tea. The cantaloupe flavor is amazing, and the creamy texture is great. It’s simply a great tea that delivers exactly what it promises: cantaloupe and cream. While I do like a good cantaloupe, I’m don’t love it enough to need a stock of this tea in my cupboard, but I do have to give props for a very well done blend.

Sipdown, 194. Cold brewed this one. I know, a winter blend is somewhat odd for a cold brew in the spring, but I remembered this one being appley and I have been enjoying appley cold brews.

Unfortunately this didn’t really pan out. There was some off taste to it, slightly chemically or artificial, and not enough apple. It was drinkable but perhaps I should have saved this for another hot brew. Ah well, it’s gone now!

So, as I have said before, I don’t really like assams. Clearly I can be proven wrong about this, but only if they don’t really taste like assams (see: Hattalli Golden Lion Assam also from Butiki). Which is why I ordered this one. For one, it’s an C. s. assamica bush, but it was imported to Taiwan a long time ago and has been cultivated there, so there is a good chance it will taste completely different. After all, just look at how different C. s. sinensis bushes can taste around different areas of the world. There were also enough rave reviews of this one, including ones comparing it to Laoshan Black, that I was willing to give it a try. And Stacy put it on sale when I asked, even.

This tea is one of those long, squiggly-leafed teas that make it impossible to dish out with a teaspoon. As a result I think I underleafed this cup. Nevertheless, I am already impressed. Honestly I have been dealing with a lot of nonsense this morning so I can’t give you a detailed impression of the aroma because I have already drank the entire cup. Flavor-wise, I’d say this reminds me more of a Fujian black than any assam. It is honeyed and malty, with notes of grains and raisins. I don’t think I would say chocolatey, but that’s fine with me. I think I will have to try some of my Fujian blacks and then this again so that I can really get a handle on it, but it is lovely.

Sipdown, 195. This was a surprise sample from my last Butiki order. I am normally not a fan of assams, but I am willing to try anything once, and always happy to have my ideas about types of teas overturned.

Steeped, it smells, well, assam-y. It’s kind of hard to describe. I think its the smell of slight astringency (but it doesn’t smell too strong), coupled with a raisiny note. But yeah, I get the malty, peppery, hay-ish, yunnan-ish notes as well.

Well, this is nice! Definitely reminds me of a yunnan. I taste sweet potatoes and hay and maltiness. Quite a surprise really, this is an assam that I would never guess is an assam. No astringency, not quite bold or in your face. Just the way I like my black teas, smooth and easy to drink.

Sipdown, 196. This one is also thanks to Stephanie!

I think this tea may be too relaxing… I am nearly falling asleep this afternoon. This is a really lovely green oolong. I wanted to try it because I’ve never tried a sparrow tongue oolong (though it sounded like it would be up my alley), and also because it’s name is sparrow tongue. :) I am finding this fresh, floral (like lilacs), and lightly buttery. Lightly sweet as well. It’s definitely more similar to a tieguanyin than to an alishan, which is a plus in my book. Not too vegetal or leafy. Yes, this is very nice; the kind of oolong I could drink all day.

Sipdown, 197. This sample comes to me thanks to Stephanie!

I had a big meatball sub for late lunch, which influenced my tea choice this afternoon. I didn’t want anything too delicate, so I decided that a citrusy grapefruit would be a good palate cleanser. When the water hit this tea I was immediately somewhat surprised by the aroma that wafted up from the cup… very savory and buttery scented! After steeping the allotted time, it has a definite scent of grapefruit but not just the fruit, also the scent of the peel, the pith, and the leaves. It smells like a grapefruit tree!

The texture on this is really interesting and kind of weird! My mouth has gone kind of tingly. The first flavor I get I slightly buttery dragonwell, followed by a light but authentic grapefruit. Then the savory dragonwell comes back around and gives it a slightly roasted note, almost like a broiled grapefruit, before the numbing sensation takes over my mouth and I taste nothing. The sensation really reminds me of these particular greens we sometimes eat in Madagascar that we call “numb greens” because they numb your mouth when you eat them.

I have to say, my mouth doesn’t tingle or go numb when I eat a grapefruit, unlike apparently some other people who commented on this. I enjoy it other than the odd tingling, which is really strong enough for me that it masks any aftertaste of actual tea. I think I prefer the fresh, sweet greenness of Lupicia’s Grapefruit Green (sencha base) over the buttery, savory dragonwell here.

Sipdown, 198. I have a lot of new teas, but of course I am complused to sip down all my one-cup samples first… they are mostly Butiki, so I will have quite a Butiki run on tasting notes, I think!

So once again the short story with me and keemuns: some of my favorite flavored teas have a 100% keemun base (and I love the base flavor), but I haven’t been able to find an unflavored keemun that I really enjoy. I figure between this and the Qimen that came in the Verdant Reserve Club this month, if I’m not feeling either of them then I am giving up on unflavored keemun.

Well, this one smells delicious. It smells more like some of the Fujian blacks I’ve loved… notes of molasses-y grains. There’s also a hint of a slightly smoky-floral note of keemuns that I am not as much a fan of, but it is only the barest hint. The flavor is very pleasant; this is definitely my favorite keemun I’ve tried so far! I would also consider this to be one of the lighter-bodied keemuns I’ve tried, which is what saves it for me I think. Most keemuns are too robust and strong, and that smoky-floral note is overwhelming to me. Here it is playing in the background, hinting at its presence. The main part of the sip is honeyed and a touch plummy. Yum! I don’t know if this will convert me to a keemun drinker, but it’s nice to have found one that I do like.

Mm, this is a nice blend. I know that I want to keep a lemongrass/lemon verbena blend around for evenings, and this has both! Also ginger, a plus for after too-rich dinners. The one part of this that I’m not sure about is the honeybush; it’s not rooibos, so that’s a plus, but it still has a kind of woody, medicinal flavor to it that I don’t think I need in my herbals. I mean, it’s not very strong in this blend, and this is still mostly lemon and ginger. A very pleasant tea for the evening, though.

Sipdown, 199. Yup, I added all the teas I got while I was gone on my trip and hit exactly 200… until I brewed this one up that is.

Spring sprung while I was away, and it is a lovely day out. I have a lot of new teas to try but I decided that I wanted a tea that screams spring, and this is totally one of those teas. Taiwanese oolongs are always so springy to me, with their light florals and sugar snap pea flavors. I actually found my tea mascots right before I left, so I pulled them out today. I hadn’t been able to find them since I moved and I had forgotten that I wrapped them up in an old cardboard tea box from China (guess I thought there was tea inside). Here’s a photo of them: http://flic.kr/p/ebfpea
I still really want a slatted draining tea tray, but I’ve made my peace with using a plastic tray until I find one.

Mm, the steeps of this tea are so fresh and green it is the essence of spring. Sitting here at the window, watching the birds eating and singing, looking at the daffodils and bluebells in my backyard, this is a great tea for this afternoon.

I found an ancient sachet of this tucked away in a tin of Parisian rose candies and since I ran out of all my other sachets I decided to use it. At the airport again, so I was able to get actual hot water at a Starbucks, but the resulting steep is totally weak still. I guess this is a good illustration of a tea getting old; I should have steeped it longer, or perhaps used two sachets (I do have another ancient one in the tin). Or just toss the rest of them because I have new sachets at home that are super flavorful.

Tonight I returned to the Tea Grotto to have pot of this tea since it smelled so amazing last time I was in there. It smells so sweet and nutty! I don’t often associate walnut with a type of nut I really go for (my faves are almond and pistachio), but this one smelled very good. I decided to get a pot and hang out because I wasn’t really a fan of the takeout situation.

They actually brewed the tea for me and brought the pot out once it was done so I have no idea about the steeping parameters here. It turned out quite nice! I don’t know that I could pick this out as walnut rather than general nuttiness, but it is nice and tasty. There is a bit of a nut oil slick on the top of this one and after drinking a whole pot my mouth is kind of dry, but the tea is not too grassy or vegetal. It could be more buttery or nutty which would make this tea even more awesome, but I really enjoyed my cup as it is. At the very end of the pot a large amount of tea powder came pouring out, so I’m not sure if the infusers they use are just kind of big or what. Thankfully it didn’t keep steeping and get bitter or anything.

I got up really early this morning to drive to a place outside of Salt Lake City where there is a large lek of Greater Sage-Grouse. This time of year they are displaying, but they like to do it around dawn and a couple of hours after. I had no tea at my disposal at that point (and even if the hotel breakfast had been open I wouldn’t have wanted their “hot” water), but I actually felt pretty awake when I got up. Of course that always comes with a crash a few hours later where suddenly I am exhausted, and that hit on my drive back. I am a little early for the museum to be open so I stopped at a Corner Bakery nearby. They carry Mighty Leaf teas, and although I am no fan of this Earl I ordered it, knowing I would brew it strong and douse it with milk and sugar.

Fortunately it seems to be working a bit. I can feel energy slooowly returning to my body. One more day of collections work and I fly back to Ohio tomorrow!

Stopped by Teavana again (this time one in downtown SLC; incidentally, they were also nice and non-pushy) because I really wanted a full cup of this tea unsweetened. The last time I was in Teavana I tried a sample of this that had added rock sugar, and I really liked it then, but I didn’t want to buy it without trying it unsweetened.

The name of this tea never interested me; I like citrus, but lavender is hit or miss for me (mostly miss) and sage isn’t something I seek out in a tea. But in the store I saw that the first ingredient in this is actually sea buckthorn berries! No way, I love sea buckthorn. Most people that drink this tea have probably never had sea buckthorn juice or tea before, but I have. And this is so sea buckthorn! Sea buckthorn has a somewhat appley, somewhat citrusy flavor. I love it but it’s difficult to find in the states (besides Red Leaf’s sea buckthorn matcha). I will definitely have to pick some of this up sometime.

The lavender and sage are not super present, but they do add a nice herbaceous quality and perhaps tone down the sweetness a bit, because even unsweeteend this tea is very sweet. I am discovering that Teavana’s herbals tend to be one step short of fruit juice, but they are delicious anyway. Yay for unexpected surprises and finding tasty blends where you didn’t expect it (even if it is Teavana).