New Tasting Notes

Tried Tangier again. Liking it even more. The flavors are just so juicy and natural. I guess I’ll have to order it.

First time tasting it: The tea base is a little more robust than other rose teas I have tried, and there is also a faint hint of a smokey taste to it for me. The second time I made it, it seemed more mellow, and I did not get any smokey notes. Everything is pretty well balanced on taste and smell. I really like rose mixes for iced teas when the weather is hot, and this is a good option for that.

Just used it to make honey crinkle cookies- so good. Also a hit at the last tea party, especially with milk and, well, honey.

(iPod note, so super short)

Are sipdowns always going to be so bittersweet? Finishing off the remnants of the holidays is not something I relish doing. I got a lot out of it though. This blend made me realize I need to always have a good peppermint tea on hand!

This tea needed milk.

This is my first ever tea review so it’s probably not very good, and I’m not exactly what you’d call a tea fanatic due to the fact that I’m 15 and all my tea comes from my modest allowance! However, I’m willing to give it a shot.

This tea is a little bit deceptive, because by the strong aromatic scent you would expect a strong aromatic flavor to go with it. The scent is amazing, a blend of distinct sweet and nutty smells that sort of reminded me of Christmas cookies. The taste of the tea is a lot lighter and more delicate, and nowhere near as strong. Nonetheless it is a tasty and gentle tea that definitely leaves an impression!

I liked the idea of a stronger flavored oolong, so I wanted to try this one. The leaves smell very grassy.

Steep one// 2 min// I decided to follow Zen’s instructions and steeped for two minutes. (And they also suggest almost boiling… odd for an oolong!) The steep color isn’t the usual oolong yellow, but a very light brown. The flavor reminds me a bit of a lighter houjicha (probably because they are both roasted!) There is also a bit of that grassy flavor and a bit of a sweet flavor. It’s a bit spicy and a bit milky when it cools. I’d say it’s a bit of everything BUT it doesn’t taste peachy or floral, which is what I’m accustomed to oolongs tasting like. (I guess I’ve been drinking many unusual oolongs lately!) This is good, but I guess I was expecting a stronger flavor. I took a peek in the infuser and the dry brown leaves turned black! Interesting.

Steep two// 2.5 min// This cup is even better! The flavor is deeper and more complex, probably because the leaves have unfurled more. It has a very silky flavor that lingers! Still has that roasted flavor like a houjicha.

Steep three// 3-4 min at boiling// Flavor is still pretty consistent! The second steep was the best. I could probably get more steeps out of this, but I won’t. It’s very good! Another unique oolong.

Thank you Nicole for sending this one to sample! The only other Simpson & Vail I’ve tried is their Chocolate Brownie, but it’s a good one! This one is tough to describe but so so so good. I steeped for 3-4 minutes. It’s malty but it doesn’t have that deeper flavor. It’s a medium bodied tea. Maybe a tiny hint of tobacco. And I swear I keep smelling cherry cough drops, and there is nothing in here like that, so it might be this tea. And maybe a bit like rose petals. So recap: malty, tobacco, cherry, rose petals. Such an odd combination but good! This tea is almost haunting… because the list of flavors is almost like lingers of things a ghost might leave behind. But my cat has not wanted to come in this room at ALL for a few days, so maybe it’s just the ghost. ;D

I think I miiiight have had too much caffeine tonight. Feeling a bit jittery… whoops.

Anyways, this is the last tea of the evening unless I re-steep something, and it’s also a sipdown! Yay!

I don’t think I’m enjoying this one as much as last time though… it mostly tastes nutty. Of course, I also think there weren’t any raisins in this cup, which may have affected the flavour. Overall, pretty meh.

Vegetal. Mild. Out of all the Den’s senchas I’ve tried, this one is the closest to being bitter. When I brewed it the suggested way, it was both weak and a tad bitter. So I experimented with brew temps and times, and found I got the best flavor when I brewed it for 2 min. 15 sec. at 150 F. When I brewed it this way, it was not bitter, and the grassy flavor stood out. The liquor is pale green in color. It’s a better quality sencha than many I’ve tried; however, it does not have the umami and depth of savory flavors I get from some other senchas, such as Den’s Fukamushi Sencha Yame.

I liked this so much, I bought a pound of it when Golden Moon had a sale. I drink it 2-3 times weekly now. It’s one of my favorite morning black teas, and it has a reliable, pleasant flavor. See previous note.

Im not sure if this is a black tea. It’s probably oolong. The color is darker than a green tea’s definitely. I like how it does not easily get bitter. It has a sweet rose scent and the flavor is equally so! The rose tastes so natural in it. I really like this tea :)

I got a nice clear-brown color out of this tea. I am drinking this tea and writing this simultaneously. I am drinking this tea raw, nothing added. There is a hint of something on the nose. The jasmine is familiar to me but the other ingredients like polygonum cane, and valerian are very new. It tastes fresh, I let it sit in my mouth for a several seconds before taking the gulp, in that time my tongue basks in the bitterness. Nothing spectacular, or out of the ordinary it’s very soothing and relaxing as the name suggests.

I still think that this is a strange combination, but it really works so deliciously well! Enjoying a cup of this again tonight courtesy of Azzrian! I have enough to take to work in a travel mug, so should really do that sometime, because it’s quite the caramelly treat.

ETA: This one made it through 3 very tasty infusions! The caramel flavour was retained through all three, which was awesome. I probably could have had another infusion as well, but really wanted some new teas, haha.

Mmmmm, soooooo cantaloupey and creamy. Delicious!

In the bag it smells sweet and citrusy, like orange candy. After steeping, the smell kind of reminds me of some black teas with rose I’ve tried. I mostly taste black tea in the forefront here. I also taste a hint of orange rind in the aftertaste. This is decent hot, but iced and sweetened is how I prefer it. Hot score 79, iced and sweetened 84.

A most superb Oolong which is subtle yet a distinctive flavor and fragrance.

Today is a day where chocolate in tea is pretty awesome. I taste the cocoa and coconut first, and then it glides into sweet Star Anise.

I wish every day was a good day for chocolate in tea.

Took some of this with me tonight when we went out to celebrate a friends birthday at Wvurst. Basically think cafeteria style seating with a bar and a place to order sausages! Gluten free option for one of our friends who can’t have gluten. Best part of the evening besides the tasty sausages? couple of friends we haven’t been able to hang out with on their own are going to drop by tomorrow for evening games, dinner and…tea! They’re curious about all this tea business and are willing to have me nerd out on them a bit. It’ll be nice to have another couple over. Now to find the gluten free teas :)

Anyway this was a nice contrast to the tasty tasty sausages and helped with that whole grease effect from the fries and such. Overall a pretty nice soft, sweet cup for a great day of tea drinking!

Sipdown – 2 in one day! This one is late haha, but better late than never? I used about 1.5 tsps for this cup to finish it off. It smells HEAVENLY! Lots of puffy rice in this one, with the Laoshan green just present enough to round it off. I will enjoy this lovely cup, and it might possibly be added to the re-order list as well once I finish a few more teas. Oh, and see previous notes for details on taste :)

I drank two more cups of the White Peony sample and that’s the end of that. Man! White tea is expensive but it’s so good. I wonder if DT is having a hard time selling their straight blends (because they had that $1 promo to entice us, and it seems like they have a lot to get rid of at 50 cents).

Time for smoky tea to mix things up. I’m so sleepy though so the smoke is going to my head and making me feel a bit dizzy. I wonder if a vanilla tea would be awesome with this. Maybe another day I’ll try it.

I’ve been feeling headachy all week. I figured it was all the pressure I was under at work. This morning I felt worse than ever. Pounding headache and nausea. Ugh. Thankfully, I had a nub of fresh ginger in my fridge. Husband offered to help but kitchen activities leave him nearly frantic with flailing helplessness. After watching him fumbling about for a bit, I stepped it and made the drink myself. (He’s a sweetie who does the taxes, computer stuff, and saves me from spiders, but food prep is a mystery to him. Cute. :))

Grated a bit of ginger into my infuser and steeped in boiling water for about 7 mins. Dollop of honey and you’re good to go. It’s a very tasty and energizing drink. I love the warmth and spicy burn of ginger tea. It always feels like liquid health. Delicious too. One large mugful made my nausea practically disappear. Halfway through my second round of this and I’m feeling up to making pickles! Daikon pickles! Can’t wait till tomorrow when I can eat them!