1759 Tasting Notes
First off, my rating here is not just about the tea but also my overall experience. It was my daily dose of culture! and it was fantastic!!!!! I love this place. If it wasn’t so far outta the way, I’d be there regularly.
Anyhow, I drank this out of the gourd, with the special metal straw. The first infusion was had bare— very strong, intense and a little bitter, topped with that “yerba” taste but much better than what I am accustomed to. Maybe that was due to the gourd? or the higher quality leaf?
The second infusion was less bitter, especially after the server added some sugar for me (you aren’t supposed to mix the leaves, I wasn’t sure how to do it proper!)
As I got nearer the third infusion, the brew became much smoother. It challenged my concept of yerba somewhat, as I didn’t realize it could be SO smooth, or that it would taste so different in the gourd. The yerba I’ve tried before is more raw, and can be really earthy. I didn’t get any of that here… just the “tea” part. Despite it being super strong, and even bitter, I did not find it wearing on the throat at all. Yes, I need to go back there so that I can have more, and pick up a bag!! they have yerba lattes! mmmmm
Next time, I hope to have a tea-pal with me as this is traditionally a social drink, meant to be shared among a group but as I was on my way elsewhere, this was sadly enjoyed by only me. It was somewhat wasted actually… there were atleast another 3-4 infusions left in the cup but I was late! as always.
Anyhow, this is a lovely cafe. I’m so grateful to have come across it! and the service was terrific as well.
Agh! So I went to a “yoga” class today… expecting, well yoga! and I really needed it after some cardio and an abs class. What did I get instead?? a pilates/core work/handstand lesson!
Which means I really need this tea to calm me down. Sheesh, I’m all tense and besides that, frustrated about missing my favourite time of the week(not to be confused with my fave time of day… can you guess what that is Steepsterites?). Well, that’s not very zen huh?
Bah, this is doing the trick, I think. Except I can’t sleep so maybe not.
This cup is understeeped. My fault. Oh well…
ehhhh, not as good as Teaopia. (minus serious points!)
There’s something missing, that certain malty depth that makes tea so satisfying for me. It’s smoky, but still weak. I almost wonder how this one would taste with milk(minus points). The teaopia one was just fine on its own but I had to add some agave here(minus points!!)…
Not much else to say about this one, not when I’ve had so much better. If it wasn’t for that I think this would get maybe five extra points from me.
EDIT: ok so I may have been quick to judge… I tried this with milk and it’s a bit better. Bumping it a few notches. The Teaopia version would be terrible with milk so I assumed the same for this one!
I use this in everything I cook. My wife calls it our “Frank’s Red Hot”. Anyhoo, I recently made a potato soup with this and it is amazing. Completely out of this world. It tastes like a loaded baked potato soup with bacon, but there’s no actual bacon in it! I don’t drink this tea, but if you’re looking for a way to add a lot of flavor to cooking without adding sodium or calories, this is definitely one to keep around!
…I sound like an ad >.>
What an interesting idea, I will try it!
oh my, that is a great idea!! I’ll try it one day soon :)
i agree with you, IB, there is definitely something missing with this version of the tea. the malty depth is a good way to describe what’s missing. thanks!
heh, glad I could help Amanda! :)
I find it a bit scratchy to. Like I need to clear my throat constantly.
scratchy…hadn’t noticed that yet. i’ll have to brew another cup :)
OMG! I think I found a way to use up my peppermint!! I got a big bag of it awhile back and have been adding it to some of my teas as a pick-me-up but 50g of peppermint goes a long way….
I hadn’t tried it with Rooibos because I disliked the mint chocolate rooibos, and of course I’d never considered that it was the chocolate part I disliked! ha!
This was an actual “peppermint rooibos” sample so I will have to see if my homemade version works just as well.
Peppermint on it’s own is too much for me, so this is a great way to cut it. and the rooibos adds it’s own sweetness to.
I wonder if the organic part makes that much of a difference? we shall see…
This is a mood tea so no doubt this rating is inflated a bit.
I can’t help it! This is so very soothing, and smooth. Maybe I’ll try it before bed next time instead of my chamomile.
I need to pick up some regular (roasted?) rooibos as well.
Haha, 50 g of peppermint lasts me a couple of days.
lol lucky you! I have so many teas I can’t drink them fast enough. My eyes are so much bigger than my appetite.
Well, I generally have the same problem, but peppermint is just too good not to have a ton of it a day!
Hmmmm, I think I like it! alot!!!
this one reminds me of the coconut oolong I bought over Christmas, but more “green” (obviously) than oolong. There is a definite essence of walnut, with that same walnut taste in the back of the throat. Then there’s the coconut, which lends the sweetness to this brew. No sugar needed here! :-)
There is something else there, but I’m not sure if it’s the pineapple- most likely. It doesn’t taste unlike pineapple, but not especially so either.
If it wasn’t for the coconut oolong, this would get a 95 but because that other tea is SO similar, and I love that one, well I give this one a slightly lower score.
EDIT: The walnut, while good, has gotten a bit tiresome now that I am at the bottom of the cup. Down another few notches…
Second EDIT: The second cup is realllllllly smooth, as usual with a green or oolong, but it still takes me by surprise every time! It’s significantly more mellow now, but some of the walnut is lost. Hiking the rating back up! Like a rollercoaster this one…
ahhhhh now THIS is what I remember! my terrible marco polo experience from last time has now been banished from memory and replaced by this delicious tea sensation.
Fruity, floral, black tea. Mmmmm.
My only regret is that I played with the steep time and cut it down to 4 min. In contradiction to my tea-loving past, I like the flavours to come out strong. I like it best just before it starts to get bitter which can be a little difficult to time.
There was a day when I loved “weak” tea. Funny, I never thought I would see the day where I would evolve to enjoy it so!
whew, what a relief! thanks QG :)
We need to find a place to buy this in Toronto!
I know!!!
Apparently the distillery district has some Mariage Freres, but I’m not sure about which flavours exactly.
Do you have a Williams-Sonoma there? They carry it in the US.
yes we do! I shall check it out, thanks for the tip!
This is the cafe that sells MF in Toronto (two locations): http://www.balzacscoffee.com/. I was told they don’t order stock frequently so what they have’ll depend on when you go, but they seem pretty helpful and if you call ahead they’d be able to tell you what’s in stock. They have Marco Polo and the vanilla rooibos as well as a few others to go, so I assume those would be the options to buy.
ahhhh thx Jessie :)
Now I know where to go in the DD! Too bad it’s such a pain to get there… ah well, it’s so worth the walk!!
I was at Sherway Gardens today and checked out their Williams-Sonoma. They did indeed have this tea…for $32. I promptly put it back on the shelf XD. They also had some Harney & Sons (English Breakfast and Paris) but they were marked up considerably as well. The Blue Banana in Kensington has a bigger selection of H&S teas for better prices.
OH MY! Did you that Harney sachet tins are only 10.95 at Barnes and Noble but are $16.95 at Williams-Sonoma for the SAME TIN? I have only purchased Mariages Freres at Southern Season so I have no idea how much it costs at WS in the USA.
Yeah, that’s the general feeling I get from W-S. “Oh, hey, our stuff might look a bit nicer than the stuff from Wal-Mart or Sears, it works the same, but we’re gonna jack up the price anyway.” Designer kitchen stores make me sad…thank goodness I live five minutes away from IKEA!
Just curious, how much does it cost at Southern Season?
I am pretty sure we paid about $22 for a tin of their Vanille des Iles, which is why we switched to Harney and Sons Vanilla Black! Much cheaper, and tastes as good to me! I think I paid about the same for Marco Polo.
Yowza. Of course, I’ve paid that for tins of DT, but MF’s tins seem so small! Harney’s too, for that matter. I guess it really just depends on how much that tea is worth to you.
The MF tins are 3 1/2 oz or 100 grams, so that is a bit pricey! I think we pay about $24 for one pound of Harney Vanilla Black, so it is quite a savings! But there are one or two special teas I don’t mind paying a bit for, especially if they resteep well.
Yeah, I paid $22 for a tin of Whisky White today, but it’s so very worth it to me. Still made my heart stop at the price, though. I need to find a good Vanilla black, vanilla is my one true love.
the price we pay for tea… and yet I will never have enough. Still, $22 for whisky white! I hope they keep that one around :)
XD Have you see my cupboard lately? I so feel your pain. So far it’s still only around for Father’s Day, but hopefully it has staying power.
I think enough people like it that they will keep it. Fingers crossed! SO much better than buttered rum, IMO :)
Thanks for sending me this one PoliticalMachine! It was a learning experience to be sure.
The leaves are typical, nice and rolled, and smell like a mild spring flower. Once steeped, it leans more toward the green side of Oolong. It has some of those irritants that make my throat all itchy but nothing like jasmine tea!
There is also a vegetal aspect when I first sip, followed by a fresh water note. It finishes with a nice nutty aftertaste.
I added no sugar, but there is a slight sweetness to it that comes out in the finish as well. There is the tiniest hint of milkiness, but I think that is more an extension of the nutty note.
The first infusion was a bit strong for my liking, but the second was much more balanced. I’ll try and do a third now!
now here we have a novelty tea! but I love it.
The first infusion was heavy on the whisky, not letting much else come through. It was strong, and generally what I had hoped for, except that the peach was far too mild. The second infusion was even better! I could really taste the peach here and it became super smooth, almost creamy. The third infusion was more or less the same but weaker… enough so that I doubt it could have done a fourth.
Next time, I’ll try shorter infusions and see if I can get more out of it.
Either way, this one is naturally sweet, complex, drastically different between infusions, and overwhelmingly tasty!! nothing but good things to say about this one.
Oh ya, and eating the nuts/fruit afterwards is fun to! :P
I never steep my whites for more than 30 seconds on the first infusion, it somehow makes them stronger. I will definitely have to try this one hot! De had it hot first and was blown away by it.
ah, see I’ve always done it for a few minutes, but I will try it for 30 seconds next time! I keep forgetting…. typical me!
so apparently this was a 2nd grade tea, where teaopia normally sells 3rd or ungraded…
I could most definitely tell that it was higher quality, maybe even some tips in there. Overall, the tea was good, great even, but not what I wanted. That fresh, first flush aroma/flavour was popping out at me and I was hoping for more of a malty tea (as always). Also, there wasn’t much complexity here. I get the nutty part, but it simply wasn’t enough.
Oh well, this is the second last pure black tea of theirs I have to try! apparently the other one is a first flush so that should be interesting.
Oh and I added milk (I know, bad bad tea drinker I am!)
