592 Tasting Notes
Another sample sipdown. Used a little more leaf this time just because there wasn’t enough left to brew again. Today, I am getting a strong honey note at the end that I didn’t really notice before. I think this may be my favorite of the oolong samples that Teavivre sent me.
Sample sipdown! My cupboard is flooded with new Cyber Monday teas, so while I am sad to see this go, it’s a bit of a relief to have one less tea to worry about sitting around and getting stale. This is a nice green oolong that is naturally somewhat sweet and has a bit of a nutty taste to it. I think I prefer darker/roastier oolongs in general, but out of the greener oolongs, I really do enjoy this one. Thanks again to Teavivre for this free sample!
After getting really into Japanese greens, I tasted a bunch of different houjichas and this is one that I decided to reorder. I think I have like 4 oz of this stuff now, so I took this morning as an opportunity to start drinking up! Just enough roasted taste without being overwhelming and resteeps well. I have a feeling it won’t take me too long to go through this batch :)
Ok, so this is my first attempt ever to make a matcha latte. Seeing how I don’t have any of the proper equipment like a bamboo whisk or whatever, I think I did okay. I think I could have used more matcha to milk ratio because it tastes mostly like warm caramel-flavored milk to me. I was reading online about matcha lattes and how some people opt to add sugar. I’m glad that I tasted it before I did because it is extremely sweet on its own. Maybe it’s because I didn’t add enough matcha, but I am not getting much of the matcha taste itself. I am, however, getting an overwhelming caramel, so maybe it is just the caramel masking other tastes. Anyway, I still have enough to go at it again, so I will try try again!
Nothing gets me through a stack of articles about depression for my cardiovascular health class like a nice strong cup of Zhu Rong. I used a little more leaf than I usually do and got a nice bold black tea base with all the other usual flavors trailing behind it. Normally I wouldn’t prefer it as strong, but it seems appropriate this morning.
Ack, I feel kinda bad because I’ve been drinking a lot of tea these days but don’t have time to log them. Anyway, since I’m drinking this for the first time, I’ll take a little break to write a short tasting note about it. The tea is very dark and has a pretty bold flavor. Reminds me of English Breakfast. Speaking of which, I’m not even fully sure of what constitutes an “English Breakfast” tea. Anyway, this tea is a nice bold starter for the mornings. It would probably taste less intense and a little nicer with some milk or sugar, but I’ve been trying to cut down on sugar sweetened beverages lately, so I just kind of sucked it up. A nice, strong tea, but I think I prefer English Breakfast by Persimmon Tree.
Looking back at my previous tasting notes, I have had such bad luck with this tea! Today the water at school was only lukewarm so the tea tasted pretty weak and plain. I also noticed for the first time that it had white tips, interesting. Anyway, I thankfully have enough for another steep, so I will hopefully finally properly enjoy this!
I don’t really get this tea. I’ve had lotus before as like a sweet paste in moon cake or similar Asian desserts, and this tea does not taste like that at all. The tea tastes more savory and less floral than I expected. It somehow also reminds me of some kind of ointment. Not really my cup of tea. Really interesting, though!
I probably have had gunpowder before without knowing, but this is the first time that I got some for myself and steeped it at home. First steep was very short, tasted like classic green tea. Second steep I was distracted by cleaning up a mess on the counter and steeped a bit longer. It really brought out the smokiness of the tea, which was a nice surprise. It was a little bitter, though, so I’ll have to try to find a nice in between for next time.
