20 Tasting Notes
Backlogging my genmaicha experience.
Obubu’s Genmaicha is a flavorful, well-balanced combination of Japanese sencha and roasted sweet mochi rice. The tea it produces is flavorful and light, with a wonderfully aromatic smell of roasted rice without a trace of bitterness. There is a slightly sweet, peppery aftertaste that adds layers of depth and complexity to the tea. For my full review and pics: http://www.leafjoy.com/2011/01/review-genmaicha-obubu-tea/
Preparation
This tea was pretty good, but not really knock your socks off.
The first infusion tastes like earthy and dark, though this immediate impression is offset by refreshing melony sweetness to the finish and a lingering tartness on the tongue. It has a full body and is almost creamy. This is a full-flavored tea relative to other white teas and tastes light and refreshing. For full review and pics: http://www.leafjoy.com/2011/01/review-pai-mu-tan-zoom-dweebies/
Preparation
Well, in Zoomdweebie’s defense I think this is more a blending base than something intended to be prepared on its own. Like the bai cha shoes waiting for the right black currant laces.
@Batrachoid: that’s a good point, maybe I should try to blend it with something. Have any suggestions?
Anything they’ve used so far, obviously, and from what I’ve had the base mixed into I think it might go well with kiwi but I’m not quite sure how I’d go about doing that…(I only can find candied thick kiwi slices with neon green coloration warning me of the sulphites within).
This is a solid everyday peppermint tea. I drink this when it’s late and I want a hot comforting drink without caffeine. It has a minty, refreshing taste and flavor which soothes the spirit. This particular brand of tea has a great smell and flavor and brews a great strong pot of tea. I actually like it much better than the Celestial Seasons version of mint tea because this tastes less medicinal.
Preparation
Initially, the jasmine in this tea smells overwhelming. I thought this would be way too strong. However, the teabag was really quite good and on par with loose leaf tea.
It’s a great tea to have in the office. I was able to just leave the teabag in my tall cup and keep on adding hot water to it throughout the day. It steeps very well without any bitterness, and was very flavorful even after the third time I topped it off.
Preparation
Trying out this tea since it’s late night and too much caffeine screws up my sleep schedule. :-)
I LOVE pomegranate so was excited to try out a sample of this rooibos blend. The initial smell of the tea is strong and candy-sweet, more like hibiscus and honey than pomegranate. After it’s steeped, most of the flavor in this tisane is from the smell instead of the liquor. If you had a cold, you wouldn’t taste too much of this tea because of it’s bland, indistinct flavor after the initial tartness. However, the liquor is thick and almost heavy on the tongue. The tea coats the tongue and leaves a lingering but very faint finish of vanilla and fruity red berries.
I’m not sure where the pomegranate is. Overall the tea is not bad. It would be worse if it had an overwhelming taste. It’s just not that astounding either far as taste.
Preparation
This tea is fascinating and very much worth trying. It’s a really marvelous experience to drink clear, sweet nectar scented with cherry blossoms.
The flowers arrive salt-pickled and must first be soaked in warm water before use. The unsoaked salted sakura blossoms smell like a sweet candy. It reminds me a little bit of the smell of salted plum candies from the Chinese grocery store. While the liquor produced from steeping the sakura blossom is clear and virtually colorless, it has a very distinctive sakura taste, like honey, sugared plum and melon. Steeped as recommended, the flowers bloom exuberantly in the hot water and reveal a very sweet and floral taste with a complexity of flavor.
I also used this to flavor my everyday genmaicha and it tasted delicious. It really adds layers of complexity and sweetness to the tea!
The steeped flower is gorgeous, check out my photos here: http://www.leafjoy.com/2011/01/tasting-sakura-cherry-blossoms-from-obubu-tea-includes-pics/
This fragrant, flavorful tea has captured the summer in its tightly furled deep green and olive tea leaves. It has sweet grassy and floral smells, and once infused is like drinking in the warm flavor of roasted nuts while breathing in the honeyed aroma of summer’s wild flowers.
This tea is awesome and very good. It’s quite resilient and would make a great everyday tea. For pictures and my full review: http://www.leafjoy.com/2010/12/taiwan-sweet-summer-oolong-life-in-teacup/
The tea has a delicate pear and honey taste without being overpowering in its sweetness, which makes it a decent light tea to start the morning. The steeped tea is light-bodied with a vibrant goldenrod yellow liqueur and a floral, nutty aroma. Brewing the tea surfaces the first impression of a well-rounded, buttery taste. Despite the wonderful aroma of the brewed tea leaves, the tea is surprisingly light in flavor even after steeping for a full 4 minutes. For my full review (with pics!) visit: http://www.leafjoy.com/2010/12/review-ali-shan-thepuritea/
Preparation
Emerald Needle is a dependable green tea with a pleasing aroma, vegetal taste and sweet finish. The tea has a delicate taste without an overpowering sweetness. The tea is delicate and light, with a body and thickness reminiscent of white teas. It has a sweet and floral flavor, but retains a savory, vegetal aftertaste. I thought this tea was a good everyday tea. For my full review and pics: http://www.leafjoy.com/2010/11/review-emerald-needle-thepuritea/
Preparation
Phoenix Mountain Oolong is a lovely high-quality tea which exhibits the rich, complex flavors and sweet finish characteristic of oolong teas. This tea offers a rich, robust flavor and fruity finish which makes it a satisfying tea to drink on its own or accompanying a meal. The brewed tea has a floral fragrance and mellow smoky chestnut taste balanced by fruity peach overtones. For my full review: http://www.leafjoy.com/2010/10/review-phoenix-mountain-oolong-peets-coffee-tea/
