218 Tasting Notes
Decided to try this again so I could update the rating for my new system and give consideration to decluttering this one.
This time the flavors seem more towards floral. No sign of ginger in scent or flavor at all.
Just not to my tastes at all. Very disappointing.
Cross posted to Steepster
Another purchased a couple of months before the great office move, tried, and never got around to writing up notes due to a mix of disappointment and lack of time.
No matter how much I desire it to be otherwise, Darjeeling teas just seem to be much harsher than I tend to like. Might do better with add ins, but that just really isn’t my taste.
The first couple of times I tried this, it was really harsh, bitter, and astringent. It was really bad. I’ve tried it a couple times since then and it was still too much.
Today I convinced myself to try it at least one more time so I could actually write some notes. And, for some unknown reason its not as bad as it had been in the past. Don’t know if its maybe age (its been sitting in my drawer for almost a year) or perhaps I changed some steeping parameters that I don’t realize.
Its still astringent, but not so much that I can’t stand to sip on it. I’ll keep it around, try a few more times, and see if my tastes change, but I suspect this is eventually going to become a declutter.
Cross posted to Steepster
Impulse buy as I was making a Harney order and still had some of that gift certificate that needed using up.
I was about to say this is everything I dislike about black teas, but then realize it could indeed be worse, a lot worse. Its not as harsh as some I’ve tried.
I can’t say for sure what exactly it is I don’t like, what flavor elements that just don’t sit well with me. While there is some astringency, its not a harsh tea like others I have had. I just really don’t enjoy the flavor. Maybe this is a tea better suited for the tradition British style add in staples of milk/cream, sugar, and similar that I just really don’t like to use.
Cross posted to Steepster
I’ve had this for a while. Part of an order that came in about two months before the great office move along with a second flush Darjeeling. Tried both, was disappointed, and never bothered to write notes due to time and my depression that they were not what I had hoped.
I’m coming to the realization that no matter how much I want to like Darjeelings, that in reality, I just don’t. This is the better of the ones I have tried. Its no where near as harsh with a lighter flavor. It does seem to get more astringent as it cools sadly.
Flavor wise, I just never seem to be able to detect the flavors people say I should in Darjeelings, this included. I’ll likely keep this one around, but I just have no enthusiasm for it and can’t seem to develop any.
Only resteeps kind of ok. There is a good loss of what flavor there was even with extended steeping time. Astringency as it cools seems to also be lessened.
Cross post to Steepster
Sample from a previous Adagio order.
The flavor here is very light and delicate in some ways. Not a bad thing as I often get tired of BIG flavors.
Especially when hot, the flavor doesn’t really stand out, but the after taste gives that nice feeling of citrus. A there is a little sweetness, but its very subtle and mostly in the back of the sip. This stands out a bit more as it cools, but its still delicate.
I get the impression that this should have a thicker mouth feel, like its trying but not quite there. I think it might be nice if that was more pronounced. Possible longer steep time might help with that.
It seems to resteep ok, though if you do long initial steep times, this might not be the case.
Surprising given I don’t tend to like White teas, this isn’t bad. Not something I would look for exactly but I could see grabbing this if I was in just the right mood.
Haven’t been posting much lately. All of the down time Steepster has been having has made me a bit paranoid that all of my data will one day go poof. So I made my own system and I’m cross posting to Steepster.
Since my new system is using a 10pt rating system, I’m adjusting this rating to match the new definitions.
Got a sample of this in a recent order and gave it a try yesterday.
This time I did not taste any anise, but it really was a nothing special black tea without anything of note. Adjusting rating for the new system.
Been drinking this one over the last few days as an attempt to clean some of these samples out of my stash.
I had a thought. This might be a good starter black for those who have only had store bought tea bags and are turned off by their bitterness and/or astringency. It really is smooth and seems pretty forgiving of longer steep times and full boiling water. Smooth enough with a hint of sweetness to not need any additives, but strong enough that it could hold up to them in moderation.
The sample packet was open, so I must have tried this before but looks like I dind’t make any notes.
Its not bad. Its mild, no harshness that I can detect. Maybe a teeny bit of an odd aftertaste if it goes cold, but otherwise a rather basic nothing special, inoffensive black tea. I’ll happily drink what I have, but unlikely I’ll buy more.
The dry leaf smells like the plastic packet the sample came in.
The wet leaf smells like . . . I’m not sure what. It rings a bell somewhat but I just can’t seem to identify it. Nothing like tea or ginger however.
In the cup there is a faint scent that you might call ginger if you knew to expect this to be ginger. The taste is a little ginger like, but again, if I didn’t know it was supposed to be ginger, I might not actually identify it as ginger.
Honestly the cinnamon I tried was pretty similar, but it was more pleasant while this not so much. Its not bad, but feels underwhelming. I was hoping for a little more punch from the ginger. Its also not as smooth like maybe its conflicting with the base maybe?
