1759 Tasting Notes

79
drank Queen West Blend by Tealish
1759 tasting notes

yup, I finally got around to this one!
After reading all the reviews already posted I was not looking forward to it so much. However, it’s better than I expected. Berries dominate the cup, but I also get a sort of creamy texture in it.
The second steep was harder to get down. I added agave and milk just to see… and it was nice that way to.
Overall though, it was pleasant enough for me to drink up… but certainly nothing that stands out in the tea crowd. I think there is just too much going on with it!
Also, I am oh so very very tired. Too tired to write the other ten reviews I have backlogged. Oi!!

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83

Ahhhhh what a weekend!! Turning 30 is exhausting…
But this was just what I needed to pick me up. Creamy and vegetal, slightly floral oh yes.
I prefer my MOs a bit darker, but this was so light that I really didn’t mind the green-ness.
Overall, not my fave, but one that I would like to try again in my brand new travel Gawain :)
and there are so many more teas on my backlog list… I just know that many of them will end up forgotten in the hustle of a very looong week!

Kittenna

Ooh! Happy belated birthday! I hope at least some part of it was enjoyable, even if it’s no fun to be out of your twenties? (I have a few years to go, but dreading it myself too).

And what’s a travel gaiwan?! Sounds cool! I’m looking to pick up a regular gaiwan sometime in the near future, but a travel one sounds really neat!

Azzrian

Happy bday!!!! :)

nomadinjeopardy

Happy birthday! I hope the weekend was the good kind of exhaustion. :)

Lindsay

happy birthday yesterday!

SimplyJenW

Happy Birthday!

Indigobloom

Krystaleyn, Thank you!! it was alot of fun, I spent it with great friends and had an absolute blast… but I did have a pity party (only I was invited) at one point lol
And the travel par, well it’s so cute!! the whole kit is super tiny, and comes in a zippered/padded pouch! I’ll post pics if I ever find my camera :)

Indigobloom

Azzrian: thank you!! :P
Jessie: oh it was it was! but I am still so so tired lol
Lindsay: thanks! Somehow I managed to stretch it out to four days… hehe
SimplyJen: Thank you!!! :)

Cheryl

Being 30 was easier for me than the whole year of being 29 … dreading what was coming, but then when it did, it wasn’t that big of a deal afterall. Wait until it’s 49 (worse, lol). My son turns 29 in a few weeks. Happy birthday!

ashmanra

Oh, the travel gaiwan sounds adorable! Happy birthday to you! Enjoy…no, RELISH!…every age and the good that goes with it!

Dinosara

Happy Birthday! Glad you got to spend it with tea!

Indigobloom

Cheryl, that is what I am hoping for! How is your son handling it?
Ashmanra: thanks, I do like relish! haha I cracka me up… but yes, I totally plan on it :)
Dinosara, indeed! It was my fave part of the whole weekend! thanks for the bday wishes :)

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82
drank Long Life Oolong by DAVIDsTEA
1759 tasting notes

I got three steeps out of this today. The first one was perfection… fruitiness coming out in all the right places. The second was ok, not great but ok. And the third, well it was weak and had an odd taste that made me dive for some water. Another one steep wonder, it seems. Kindof expensive for that, with the heavy fruit chunks and all… boo!

So… I think I need to take a break from Steepster for a few days. Too much going on for me right now… I’ve had a bunch of emotional upsets and there is an illness in the family causing all sorts of drama.
Not to mention that I’m dealing with the trauma of a big milestone tomorrow, and Friday. One that I’d really rather not face but am getting dragged through anyhow. So yeah. I need to make some space in my head, clear out the cobwebs and tears.
Could really use a hug right now.

Tea@Disney

Virtual hug! Hope everything gets better for you soon!

Cattibrie

(((((HUG))))) I am sure things will start looking up soon. Sorry for your struggles. Hang in there. We will still be here when you come back.

Cheryl

(((big hug)))) …it will get better. Hang in there.

Tina S.

Just keep remembering Sunday!

ashmanra

Hugs to you!

Indigobloom

thanks everyone, it’s so nice having friends who share kind words xxx
feeling a bit better already

Kittenna

((hugs)) I hope everything sorts itself out soon and that tea offers some comfort. We’ll miss you and await your return!

SimpliciTEA

Krystaleyn: very well put.

Indigobloom: Take all the time off you want, and know we’ll be here patiently waiting for your beloved reviews and posts!

Kashyap

dear Indigobloom…be lovely and who you are, heal, gain strength, and recover…find peace and when you need a reminder, draw in a breath of tea…wordlessly and without evaluation…just be. Having lost a mother to ALS…I am familiar with illness and drama in the family…should you need to share a word…feel free to reach out…. disembodied hugs…namaste

The DJBooth

keeping you in thoughts and prayers

Dinosara

Hope things look up soon! Hugs!

Ninavampi

Hugs!! Positive thoughts and wishing the best possible out come with the most hugs possible!

Ninavampi

Oops… Wrong post… But still send you hugs and possitvie thoughts!

teawing

Sorry to hear this, hang in there, hugs, and best wishes.

TeaBrat

Feel better soon, dearie

Daisy Chubb

<3 Sending good energy your way <3

Daisy Chubb

Sending good energy your way!

Erin

I really hope things get better for you. :) ((virtual hug))

Indigobloom

thanks so much everyone… I’m feeling loads better today. I have the best tea friends a girl could ask for!! <3

ScottTeaMan

Hope all gets better soon!

Indigobloom

thanks STM, it is much better now :)

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94
drank Almond Rooibos by The Tea Haus
1759 tasting notes

Could this one be a repurchase for me?
I am in serious love!! Yummmm. I just finished my mug and so badly want another… said the girl sleepwalking to the kitchen…
raising the rating now.

Bonnie

Almond is really hard to get right, so if you found a good one…you are one lucky sleep walker (just stay off the streets girl…since that gypsy woman stint with the pu erh I’m worried about you!).

Azzrian

LOL Bonnie!

Indigobloom

heh, don’t worry we have an alarm on the house! :P
and there will be no more pu’ for awhile… I’ma takin a break for now!!

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73

I think I’m falling out of love with coconut. I love coconut teas!! or rather I did… arh, I must! I won’t give them up I won’t! Yes I am having a tea tantrum. A tea-trum!
This cup… it was ok. Not terrible, but then there was no tea love either. Coconut can taste somewhat fake to me, and this definitely has that sort of tinge to it. I feel as if they added artificial coconut, even though I can clearly see the flakes in the mix!!
The pu’erh part was nice, but not strong enough for my liking. Oh well, can’t win’em all!
I should try this as a latte…

Kittenna

I’ve been having a little tea-trum myself lately, with Check Mate. Silly palate, changing its mind about what it likes so often!

nomadinjeopardy

Coconut is my #1, but I started finding the coconut in this kind of soapy.

Indigobloom

Kristaleyn: For some reason I’ve had this issue with most flavoured teas. Wahhhhh!
Jessie: I know what you mean, I kinda wanted to wash out my mouth after!

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drank Té Classic by Hornimans
1759 tasting notes

I think this is the one I tried… the packet was red, but I know it was black tea so who knows. Either way, it was a great experience. Big thank you to Ninavampi for sharing this tea with me!!
I’m having trouble placing it… I think I need to try it again, and with a shorter steep time before rating.
It’s a rather deep tea, and reminds me somewhat of a Darjeeling in that muscatel wine like sortof way, but also more earthy at the same time. I wonder if there is some mate mixed in here, even though it says Black tea on the package. It’s possible, this is a blend after all, I believe!
Curious, I also mixed the second half of my cup with some milk… and it oddly didn’t change the profile much at all. It was almost the same flavour!
Not in a bad way mind you. I quite enjoyed it, and yep, it gave me a nice buzz to!
Next time I’ll see what adding some agave or honey does. Oh yes that would go nicely I think!!

Ninavampi

This is my all time favorite bagged black tea. The box it comes in is different, but the logo is the same, so maybe it is a different box for the same tea?

I actually was lucky enough to do some business with this company and found out that tea grown in high altitudes like the ones we have here in Ecuador have more caffeine!

Also, it is a plain black tea, but as of now, I have not tried anything like it!
;
Glad you enjoyed it! : )

Indigobloom

I can see why you love this one so! It’s unique and rustic without any additions at all… yum!
Higher altitude = more caffeine? Cool, I think I need to learn rock climbing haha

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83
drank Peach Oolong by Bigote Ecuador
1759 tasting notes

Before I get into my tasting note… my notices have gone AWOL :*(
That annoying error page shows up whenever I try to check them, so my apologies if I end up bypassing any comments on my reviews, atleast until I get my notices back

Anyhow, this tea is lovely!
Though I had trouble sussing any flavour out, it seemed incredibly weak at two minutes so I put the steeping basket back in the pot for another minute. That seemed to help, but I was getting very little peach out of the tea. A hint of peach came out, like I would have expected on the fifth or sixth steep!
Maybe next time I need to try more leaf? Also, I suspect it could be my water… since I made a cup of red rose for mum and it came out murky, so she tossed it and I made her something else. (Tess Orange tea- her fave)
Okayyyy yes!! It must have been the water! because my second steep, though weak-ish, is loads better, more so when it cools. Much stronger peach notes coming out. Sortof a juicy peach that blends really nicely with the natural sweetness of the oolong. It’s really captured the essence of fresh picked peaches, just ripe enough to eat and dribble nectar down your chin. Do you remember those days from childhood?? little sighs
Iced, I suspect, this would be incredible.
Thank you so much Ninavampi! This is very tasty :)
Now if only I can figure out what the heck got into my kettle…

Ninavampi

So happy you liked it! It is a bit on the weak side, but I still find it super tasty!

Indigobloom

It really is tasty. Somehow the lightness just fits right in :)

Indigobloom

thanks again Ninavampi!!!

Kittenna

Argh to the error on the notice page! I kept getting that on my Recent Activity page. Annoying!

Anyways, this sounds pretty yummy. But I laughed when you said ‘do you remember those days from childhood?’ re: eating fresh-picked peaches, cuz I didn’t have that as a kid in Saskatchewan, but last summer went and picked peaches in Niagara and definitely had a few nectar-dribbling experiences :D

Bonnie

I lived in Paradise California (Sierra Navada Mt. Foothills) up north where there is a peach growing season in the farming valley below. The Summers could get really hot, and big juicy, ripe to bursting peaches were sold by the crate for canning. My mom always picked hot days to can freestone peaches which were the best!

Indigobloom

Krystaleyn, argh indeed!! I dislike being forced into ignoring comments, and being outta the loop!
and hehe I’m glad to hear you now know the joys of a juicy peach :P

Bonnie: your Mum sounds like a lovely lady!! I am soooo craving a peach right now. Mmmmm

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85

I think this is the one I had in store today, I can’t quite remember what I ordered. I know it was one of the more expensive teas and this one was pricier on their website I just looked up so I’ll go with it!
Anyhow, I enjoyed it… but it was definitely milder than the one I tried from Staufs the other day. It didn’t have the same depth or complexity somehow.
Now, I have no idea if the staff are trained enough to rinse the leaves (likely not, they had no idea what sheng or shou meant. Not that I judge, I’m just saying I need to try this under more controlled conditions is all)
Overall, it was surprisingly bland until the finish of a sip when the hint of sweetness came out. Perhaps that would have changed as the cup cooled, but I was in no mood to wait so added a bit of sugar, which helped significantly. Normally I see no need to add sugar to a pu-erh so that was a bit disappointing.
Nonetheless, I did enjoy it very much. Over time, the mild nature of the cup grew on me. It was almost like a fruity liqueur in it’s light yet potent nature and reminded me of coffee somehow, that I can’t quite put my finger on.
I’m having trouble deciding how much I like it… as I feel somewhat under-educated to make a true decision. Well, I suppose that’s what I’m here for… learning experiences like this are awesome :)
Oh and I did get a bit of that same high. Not nearly as intense, and I only had one cup… but it was satisfying and I don’t think I would have wanted another while out’n’about. Hmmm.

Bonnie

Oh that high again…

ashmanra

I have read aout puerh intoxication, but never experienced it. I didn’t tell my son about it, and yet the first time he had puerh with me – it was on of the first teas he ever drank and still is the one he drinks most – he declined when I offered him another cup, saying he wanted to wait a few minutes because he felt weird, a little dizzy or something.

Indigobloom

Bonnie: I’m not addicted. No not at all. Not me! :P
Ashmanra: Interesting, so some people feel it and some don’t… and without even knowing that the sensation is a possibility!

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73
drank Gold Rush by DAVIDsTEA
1759 tasting notes

Sorry for all the backlogs folks! my computer decided to take a vacay without me the other day…
So this cuppa was interesting. I had no trouble drinking it, which got a little woot! from me, but the caramel was just too much. It completely overrides the white tea!
I love burnt sugar as much as the next tea lover but I love my tea more… so don’t hide it on me k?! Play nice and share the spotlight…
Oh and I got just two good steeps. The third was really iffy. I drank it only because I was thirsty.
David’s… please come out with something that revives my faith in you soon! your blends lately have been so meh for me lately. It makes me sad! :(

Erin

I agree, white tea especially tends to get hidden/overwhelmed in flavoured blends. And it’s my favourite kind of tea! D:

Tamm

You are all killing me with reviews of this tea. want so bad!!!

Kittenna

Yes, I waived my “tea-taste” requirement for this tea as I enjoyed the caramel so much. That’s definitely been my main complaint about many of DT’s white teas though. So much better when the two flavours blend…

Indigobloom

I know right!?
DTs Strawberry White was the only one that balanced the flavours well… and now it’s gone. Boo!

Kittenna

Strawberry White isn’t gone, it’s just online exclusive!

Indigobloom

oh seriously?! maybe it’s worth paying the extra shipping!

Kittenna

Yeah, as far as I know :) My strategy was to wait until I needed a large quantity of a couple other teas as well, and order them all at once to reach $50 for free shipping. Or, to order a gift card as well to count towards the $50.

Indigobloom

Yeah I hear ya on that. except the $50 is usually way out of my budget, and I rarely need that much tea at one time. The gift card idea is great though!!

Kittenna

Ahh, fair enough. I suppose the only reason that $50 is within my range right now is because I only have small sample sizes of most of their teas, and have not yet purchased larger quantities, so have a list of teas for which I soon plan to buy 50-100g (and it’s easy enough to just buy them online instead of going into the store). But if you already have a good-sized tea stash, I can see why this might not work!

Indigobloom

Ahhh yesss the newbie phenomenon. It’s very addictive! But lately, I’ve been struggling to keep up with my samples and random purchases from various places… no way could I drink down $50 worth very fast!

Bonnie

Listen guys…with the price of gas…I think that $5 for shipping is sometimes less than some people would pay for a round trip to buy the blasted tea in their hometown! I used to live 30 miles from the closest tea house in California…60 miles roundtrip…so what would you do? Order from DAVIDsTEA for 5 BUCKS!

Indigobloom

lol very good point!!
It’s just, well there are a few David’s locations near me that I go to regularly and it feels odd ordering from them when I’m in the shop regularly!
but if Iived out of the way, no question… def worth it! :)

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84

Odd, the honey note came out more in my second steep here. Hmmm.
So I’ve decided… this is a lovely Assam, but not my fave for the moment. I’ll drink down what I have, easily, but will be glad to move on when the time comes!

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Bio

Let’s see… I’m a tea and workout fanatic, I work in HR, and most of my friends consider me to be an egg. White on the outside, Asian on the inside :)
-from philosophy to food, I love it all
Otherwise, what you see is what you get! I can be very straightforward and yet shy.

Also, I’ve started taking tea sommelier classes and it is an absolute blast! Well, so far I’ve only finished the first out of eight courses, but I am really looking forward to the next one.

Anyhow, if your curious as to how I rate things, this is how I work…

0-25
Like eating dirt, or some other unsanitary indelicacy that mentioning in my profile here would likely get me banned.
I don’t think I’ve found cause to banish a tea to the wasteland yet though so who knows what it’d inspire ;P

25-50
You know that expression “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”? I imagine drinking that water would be terrible enough to warrant this rating!
I’d never make my enemy drink this, but perhaps I’d throw it at them. Good thing I don’t have any enemies!

50-70
This is “tea”?? I tried finishing the cup… but my body rejected it. There may be others who enjoy this tea, but it’s beyond me!

70-80
I tried liking it, and I can almost get there! I certainly don’t hate it, but something is holding me back. Allergies? Men in white suits? who knows… certainly not me!

80-90
Lovely tea! Not my all time fave but close. I likely wouldn’t repurchase, but may decide to based on many factors: price, accessibility, whether it fills a “tea gap”, medicinal applications, and how often I crave it.
Every once in awhile I find the sweet spot that bumps these up to 90+. Those are the days I need to buy a lotto ticket!

90-95
Sweet Camellia! this is realllly good tea! Don’t talk to me until I’ve finished my cup…

95-100
Tea of the gods. I would do anything to get my hands on more of this liquid gold!

Location

Toronto (Mississauga, but I work in TO)

Website

http://hrslinger.wordpress.com/

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