253 Tasting Notes

100

120ml Yixing pot
Steeping times: 5s rinse, 45s, 55s, 70s, 85s, 100s, 115s*, 175s, 205s*, 265s

First steep: Perfumey taste, light greenish yellow liquid. The leaves opened up a lot already!

Second steep: Lighter perfume taste. The leaves have now fully overtaken the yixing pot.

Third steep: Still perfume, with a bit of a bitter aftertaste that I’ve noticed with oolongs.

Fourth steep: The perfume flavor is beginning to lighten up a bit and the bitterness has magically vanished.

Fifth steep: Sooo much flavor still left in this! I’m definitely gonna push it past the recommended 6 steepings :)

Sixth steep*: Wooow and just like that almost no flavor. My fault though, I should have known to add more time than 15 seconds for the 6th steep

Seventh Steep: Ahh, yes and extra minute did the trick. The flavor is back! Noticing more sweetness this time around :)

Eight steep: Wow, very noticeably sweet this time! Except I added extra water to bring down the sweetness and ruined the cup :(

Ninth steep*: I can’t believe they seriously suggest only 5-6 steeps. What a crime! This steep has come back down almost the 6th steep level so I’m gonna bump up the next steeping time for one final hurrah.

Tenth Steep: The perfume flavor is mostly gone now and has been replaced by a sweet taste :)

*increase steeping time next time around for better flavor

Here is photo of that last steep: http://instagram.com/p/pEoGQvguIu/

Well, all good things must come to an end. This was probably the best oolong I’ve tasted. You can tell that it’s very high quality. For the record, I’m sure I could have gotten another few steepings out of this! This was just a 5g sample, but I think I may buy a few ounce someday :)

Flavors: Bitter, Perfume, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 45 sec 5 g 4 OZ / 118 ML
KiwiDelight

Such a pretty pot!

madametj

My favorite one. It has feet! :) http://www.ebay.com/itm/191154752588?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

KiwiDelight

So cute :3 And holy cow, that’s cheaper than the ones you find in Chinatown’s tourist shops!

madametj

I know how to find a deal. lol

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90

I feel like I’m becoming a pioneer, or rather an EXPLORER of uncharted territory: brewing herbal tea gongfu style! Sadly, my Rosemary plant didn’t make it :( BUT my aunt has a huuuge bush in her backyard and I was able to get some from her! Next time I’ll make sure I weight my herbs to get more consistent results.

Steeping times: 60s, 60s, 120s

First Steeping: The rosemary definitely overpowered the brew. If you concentrate reeeally hard you can taste the lemongrass in the background and I really do think it enhances the taste. I also added honey which made it a really enjoyable drink.

Second Steeping: One thing about herbals is they generally don’t resteep well (probably why most people don’t gongfu them). The second steeping definitely tastes lighter, but still has enough flavor to be enjoyable. Gonna bump up the next steeping time to see if any flavor is left.

Third steeping: Doubling the last steeping time allowed to get a flavor that matched that of the second steeping. Ahhh, and now my tummy is happy and full of fresh herbal tea :)

Preparation
Boiling 3 tsp 5 OZ / 150 ML
Cheri

Lemon and Rosemary go so well together. I bet lemongrass, in the proper balance with rosemary, would be wonderful!

madametj

Yup, still experimenting!

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100

Backlogging this from this morning. It’s becoming my favorite first drink of the day! :)

sherapop

Do you have a tea company?

madametj

No, this is just a way for me to log my homemade blends.

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drank Li Shan Oolong Tea by Yezi Tea
253 tasting notes

steeping times: 5s rinse, 30s, 45s, 40s, 50s

Meh. I tried everything I could to pull some flavor out of this tea, but it was far too light for my tastes. I even tried using less water AND increasing the steeping time simultaneously. Still nothing. Kinda vegetal with a hint of floral aftertaste, but other than that not much taste to this cup of tea.

Flavors: Flowers, Vegetables

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 30 sec 5 g 4 OZ / 118 ML
Yezi Tea

Hi madametj,

Li Shan is high mountain tea (very high altitude, around 8000 feet), so you should definitely try to brew it with boiling water and add 15-30 extra seconds for the first brew (total around 50-60). This will allow leaves to open and develop inside of the gaiwan, and hopefully it will give you more rewarding brew.

- Meiqin

madametj

Thanks! I just wish this information was on the sample I received. Perhaps that’s something that can be done in the future.

Yezi Tea

Thank you for the feedback, and this is something that has been on my todo list for a while. Problem is the size of the sample bag, but maybe we can try to include an instruction sheet with very order. We already have instructions on the website, but maybe they are not clear enough. I will talk to my web designer to improve that section of the site. Thank you again :)

- Meiqin

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90

I think I’ve finally confirmed that while I do love a nice, warm, comforting cup of soba cha,, I much prefer my green rooibos genmaicha for the fuller flavor. Which is actually a good thing because I have plenty of rice and plenty of green rooibos so it’s a much cheaper option :D

Flavors: Nuts

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec 6 tsp 5 OZ / 147 ML

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100

ohhhhhhhhhhhh yes. My efforts in brewing Green Rooibos Bonita in my new blue Yixing pot were less than stellar yesterday. Today a guest came over and I offered to make them some tea. I opted for this one because i know most people like mint, and it was sooo good. Forgot how much I loved this tea. It tastes great in this teapot, and it’s the perfect size for serving guests :)

Flavors: Peppermint

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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94

Just a quick little gongfu session. Light, but delicious! :)

Flavors: Flowers

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 0 min, 30 sec 2 g 4 OZ / 118 ML
Terri HarpLady

Hi! I just checked out your blog, & you are totally adorable, your blog looks like, fun, & I’m looking forward to reading the ‘building a better closet’ entries especially! Welcome to steepster!

Terri HarpLady

Or, if you’ve already been here awhile, Nice to meet ya!
:)

madametj

Thank you :)

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drank Matcha by Teavana
253 tasting notes

Got a “Modern Matcha Kit” with a teapot I got as a gift yesterday. Wasn’t thrilled about it because I tried matcha a couple of years ago and didn’t like it. “You were young and inexperienced,” I tell myself. “Give it another try.” Ok, Self :)

I followed all the steps. Pre-heat the cup, sift the powder, mix in just a little bit of water, add the rest of the water and whisk (with my electric frother that came in the kit—no instructions btw).

Strong. Bitter. Nasty.

Did I use too much powder? Maybe. Did I use water that was too hot? Probably.

One thing is for sure, I’m not trying this again till I go to the store and get that thermometer!

carol who

In my experience which is somewhat limited, I found that I mostly like it as a latte. I usually add something like French Vanilla Stevia drops. Most of the ones I’ve had are the yummy flavored ones from Red Leaf. I’ll be trying the hot matcha soon as I got a bunch (14) of plain samples from Red Leaf to review.

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Bio

Try $5 worth of Adagio.com tea for free with this code! :)
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(For new, first-time Adagio.com customers)

Hi, I’m Tyler :) I’m a fashion blogger with quite the tea obsession. I try to keep my caffeine intake next to nothing, so I’m always on the lookout of a new herbal to taste :)

Likes:
Green Rooibos blends
Fresh spearmint
Floral oolongs
Ripe pu-erh

Dislikes:
Hibiscus
Licorice Root
Black Tea
Green Tea
Most fruit teas

Location

Alabama

Website

http://onelittleblackdress.com

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