New Tasting Notes

This is good, this is very good. I have no idea of the flavouring level or grade though since I didn’t actually order this one. I’m assuming it’s delicate though, since I get more matcha than anything. I am happy to have made it’s acquaintance. :) Thank You Red Leaf!

This was one of my Design a Tea samples I received in the mail today. The teabag has a strong vanilla scent to it, I don’t smell much wintergreen.

I followed Design a Tea’s direction and brewed this oolong for about three and a half minutes in boiling water. Result was a golden-orange liquor that smelled like vanilla.

I think I may have steeped this for too short of a time. Was kinda week tasting. From what I could taste I got hints of cocoa and vanilla. No wintergreen despite it being wintergreen vanilla. ;P It was decent for a $1 sample I guess.

1.5 tsp for 300mL. First infusion at 90 for 6 minutes, second infusion at 85C for 5 minutes.

I used to make this with hotter water. (The packet copy says to use boiling water — yuck, I didn’t care for that at all.) Tonight, I cooled it down a bit.

First infusion: Formosa oolong from Britannia: A darker oolong. Toasted. Smells like tobacco flowers and stonefruit. A strong taste that’s nuanced with oak, peaches, minerals, and distant smoke.

Second infusion: More stonefruit and some creaminess. Toast and oak in the scent but none in the taste. Upping the rating from an 80 to a 90.

Packs a caffeine punch, too.

The January tea of the month reserve club package arrived last week. Part of me feels that being a member is perhaps more money than I should be spending, but so far I have not been disappointed!

When I opened this first one, I was immediately caught up in the aroma of the dry leaves. Smokey & sweet, it brought up images of kettle corn, being made in large kettles the old fashioned way. The smokiness made me thing of a fine pipe tobacco as well. There are other faintly familiar aromas that I’m having a hard time placing. Like canned condensed milk (crazy, I know, but there is a hint of it) This is a very complex & interesting tea!

5G of tea + 4 oz Gaiwan (rinse) X 4 secs (+ 2 secs each steeping)

I’d like to say at this point that I have not always been all that into Lapsang Souchong. Having said that, I’ve been sitting here, sipping cup after cup. I’ve never steeped Lapsang this way, & I was missing out!
The smokey flavor is there, especially in the initial steepings, but not in your face.
There is a real nice sweetness that expands with each steeping. It brings to mind the aforementioned kettle corn, with it’s caramelized brown sugar.
I lost count, but after several steepings there is a creamy mouthfeel & the sweetness lingers, making me think of some kind of vanilla pudding topped with brown sugar that’s been given the flambe treatment. The smoke is still there, but in a very pleasant subtle way.
In the later steepings the sweetness gradually dissipated, giving way to a ‘rocky’ taste, a bright feeling on the tip of my tongue, & yet there were still sprinkles of sugar on top.
I actually made it through 15 courses, although admittedly I only drank about half of some of the cups, combining the 2nd half into a jar, which is in the freezer to chill. I’ll report on that in a little while.
A very yummy tea! Thank you David & Wang Shilin! I will savor it!

Been meaning to add a tasting note on this for awhile. It’s magnificent, especially for a caffeine-free offering, which I don’t do often. Very similar to a rooibos in flavor, but sweeter. Honeybush is really an area of tea I need to explore more, especially after liking this one so much, and I’m sad there’s not much left in the packet.

I smoked my own tea! (In the culinary sense of the word smoked)

I had tasted some smoked oolong recently and when my Camerons Stovetop Smoker arrived (a present from my brother) along with 5 types of wood chips, I made a plan to smoke some tea.

There were no instructions for smoking tea of course. I had been unable to find anything online other than Lapsang Souchong smoked with Pine.
That’s all, and of course no ‘how to’ included.

I chose Alder wood because it’s mild, and placed a half ounce of tea on some foil that I had poked holes in so that the smoke could freely come up through the leaves. One quick sprinkle of water and I began the smoking process.
8 minutes later, I was done.

Today, I took my packet of regular Kally Formosa Oolong and the Alder Smoked version for a tasting at Happy Lucky’s Tea House.

Joe set up 2 Gaiwans and a row of white (regular oolong) cups and a row of brown (smoked oolong) cups for tasting.

The consensus was that the smoked tea was pretty good for a first attempt, not harsh like many Lapsang Souchongs and not like anything anyone had tasted before (not in a bad way or great way but something in between). George (the owner) liked it, and we went over how to make the flavor better and which tea’s to pair with the wood chips (cherry, oak, hickory, apple, pecan, bourbon, mesquite).

Why would I do this in the first place?

I tried to find some culinary smoked tea and couldn’t find any.
Now I’m making my own. I make rubs and steaming potions out of tea and herbs but the Lapsang Souchong was a bit strong. Now I’ll have some options. When I’m finished with this project, I might have some samples to send out!

I’ve started to roll with this….and I’m having some fun!

Friends … please remind me NEVER to leave the house without tea again. I thought that today would not take as long – daughter was testing for college entrance. Apparently she did well as she was in there for almost three hours. The test is designed so that if you do not do so well you don’t “progress” thus the test is shorter. Anyway … I was without tea for what seemed like a lifetime.
It is so good to be home having this wonderful delicious amazing tea.
Previous notes on this one although I now know what kind of tea it really IS lol still please look at those Im too much enjoying this cup right now to express how wonderful it is.
AHHHHH TEAAAAAA SIGH

Let’s call this one “Beat the Blues-berry.”

The struggle to slog through the day continues. Non-specific, frigid-weather, car-behaving-eccentrically, nothing-to-look-forward-to, just-can’t-muster-up-the-joy, seasonal icks. Watching one friend lose her father to cancer last week; another visiting a surgeon today to scope out options for a breast lump. Housework. Taxes. Gotta smile at how Psalm 3 calls God “the lifter of my head…” Mine’s hanging down by my socks!

So…a cup of buck-up is in order, don’t you think? With little forethought, I tucked a bag of Celestial Seasonings True Blueberry in the cup, then dashed in my steeping basket with a heaping teaspoonful of tulsi, my trusty tension tamer.

Works! The clovey-lemon tulsi taste plays nicely with the gentle blueberry, and I hope to feel its un-kinking effects soon.

It’ll be OK. I know how it ends. Our troubles are light and momentary, Some moments are just kind of long, huh? Chins up, pinkies out, carry on!

Loving genmaicha, so I thought I’d grab this while English Tea Store was having free shipping. So glad I did. This is the 3rd genmaicha I’ve tried since discovering it at an Asian restaurant. It’s definitely my favorite so far. Now I just wish I had some spicy Korean pork to go with it.

Tasting this new addition to my tea collection thanks to HistoryLaced! The girl has a genuine aversion to oolongs. I suspect this aversion stems from the very quality that I and many others adore about them- the nutty creamy taste that comes with a good oolong! She hates nuts, tell her there’s nuts in something and she make that little red face on the end of the tea rating scale.

My boyfriend made a whole teapot for me to sip and think over.

So far, I am on my second cup. I’m not sure if I really like it the way it is yet, I will have to sit down and play with it a bit to figure out how best to drink it. The nutty flavors of the oolong seem to be more prominent when had without sugar. I definitely taste the vanilla, but overall the flavor seems a tad bit weak, and we steeped this for the maximum time recommended. This tea will definitely take some serious re-tastes and contemplation.

On other notes, I am completely done with antibiotics and painkillers! I only have one medication left and that one is a 3x a week medication that I haven’t even picked up yet. Everything is nearly healed, I dont have to sleep sitting up to be comfortable and best of all, as proven by this log, I am back to being able to consume caffeine! Almost back to normal, almost. :)

Thanks to Kasumi no Chajin for sending me this one. Mmm smells minty. Tastes minty. But not overwhelmingly mint. Yum yum.

Thanks again Kasumi no Chajin!

Oolong is perhaps my absolute favorite type of tea, and this one is particularly exceptional. No unnatural flavoring, so smooth and creamy, and presents the richest amber hue, even after repeated steeping. Such a clean almost fruity essence too… I could probably drink nothing but this for months.

My highest rated tea to date.

Wow.. you know those teas that explode and blossom on your tongue? This is absolutely one of those teas. I really wasn’t expecting to get such an intense flavor.. but I’m really enjoying it!

Wow.. you know those teas that explode and blossom on your tongue? This is absolutely one of those teas. I really wasn’t expecting to get such an intense flavor.. but I’m really enjoying it!The smell of the brewed tea is of cinnamon with oolong and a light dusting of fruit, a bit like a raisin. If I judged a tea based alone on its smell, this one probably wouldn’t one of my favorites. It’s just a little bit bizarre and very musky… on the verge of being like smelly feet?

Sipping… there are so many layers to this tea! What I notice first is the vanilla bean and the fruit, followed closely by a very warming cinnamon note. Cinnamon and I don’t typically mix, but I can handle it in this tea because it’s not explicitly cinnamon, more of a warm feeling on the tongue.

The more I drink this tea, the more I think it tastes almost like a fruity shortbread cookie. I say shortbread because it’s a little drying in the same way a lightly sweetened shortbread cookie dries out the mouth, not because it’s buttery. While I don’t think this cup is too sweet, it does satisfy any craving I have for cookies or candies. The musky smell does find its way into the aftertaste… and I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s kind of funky tasting.

I really love the layers that are present in the tea, as strange they might be together. I wish that the musk could be removed from this blend as I think everything else works very well together.

Thank you so much, Azzrian, for sharing some of this blend with me! What a nice treat!

Thanks to Indigobloom for providing a generous sample of this tea! My taste buds may be a little compromised because I just ate pan-fried hashbrowns followed by a glass of Moscato d’Asti. Why did I just drink wine in the afternoon when I plan on working out soon? I have no idea. Just like I have no idea why I’m watching commercials on a pre-recorded show. I keep forgetting I can fast forward. Anyway, I digress.

The brewed tea aroma is STRONG. Luckily, the flavor is less intense than the aroma, but definitely still flavorful in its own right. This tea is assertive and tastes of bergamot and citrus. I wish I could add some milk, but it looks like my carton expired four days ago. Thank God I read it before I poured it into the cup.

I accidently let it cool off too much, so I threw it in the microwave for a minute. This one is good. I feel like the base is a little heavy for these flavors though. I wish I had more adjectives to describe it. It’s not malty or robust nor does it have notes of cocoa or honey. The base just strikes me as heavy and dark, although not bitter thankfully.

I generally like lighter, more complex black teas. This tea oddly doesn’t give off any flavor if you swirl it around in your mouth. The flavor comes only in the aftertaste. I think that’s what I dislike about it. I’m willing to give it another shot again once I buy some more milk. This is definitely not my cup of tea sans additions. But I look forward to experimenting with it.

This is one of my first “true” (unflavored) sencha tastings, and it’s quite interesting. Very grassy/vegetal, but has a sweet almost creamy after taste. I can see it growing on me, as it’s so fresh and clean tasting. Feels healthy!

The first thing I feel about drinking this tea is guilt. The very act of swallowing makes me a bad vegetarian, but I just can’t help it! I ordered it without thinking of the marshmallow part and now it’s here and I want to try it, it’s rated so highly!

And now with that over with, I am in fact drinking this tea and it does taste very good. The black base is very present and I wish it was a milder base for the flavours to come out, what is here is okay. I can taste the chocolate in the aftertaste but not so much in the initial swallow but what is really present is the marshmallows! There’s a bit of cinnamon-y strangeness too that I think is the graham crackers but I haven’t had graham crackers that weren’t chocolate flavoured in such a long time that it’s hard for me to tell. And I haven’t had s’mores in years, though a friend of mine and I used to make them in his living room with his fireplace going. That was a lot of fun. Ah, memories.

Together, this tea does taste a lot like what I remember s’mores to taste like, though not quite as sugary as the original but close. This is a very good tea, but my guilt will prevent me from ordering it again, or probably even drinking the rest of my sample.

My second pot of tea tonight with my husband whilst watching 300 (again…my husband loves that film).

I know this is a breakfast tea but we felt a strong caffeine boost would be perfect for us right now as we have both had such a long day.

I will be adding a drop of milk to my tea but no sweetener. The tea bags were sealed individually in foil packets but upon being opened they looked like any other slightly dusty black tea bag.

Once brewed this tea smells rich and malty with a touch of sweetness. Upon tasting I can note it’s strength is adequate but for me it could have been a little stronger. Despite being on the stronger side there is no bitterness (which may be due to the milk) making is strong yet smooth. The thing that strikes me the most about the tea is the malty taste and smell which is unusual for most bog standard black tea’s…it’s almost like a Yunnan black tea but not malty enough, it makes for an interesting drink. I do love malty Yunnan.

I can feel the caffeine kick already after half a cup which is impressive enough and I have roughly another 2 cups to go. My husband even said it tasted like the special tea I have (he means the Black Dragon Pearls from Teavivre) so I’m glad that I’m not the only one that can taste the malt.

The tea is fresh but around your top average teabag standard so it’s far from being anything special. Still it’s very nice for an every day tea with that slight difference.

Loose
Appearance: rich, dark med size leaf
Aroma when Dry: creamy, sweet, desserty, butter
After water is first poured: peppery, creamy, sweet, silky, fresh
At end of steep: nutty, creamy, earthy
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: pale brown
Staple? YES
Preferred time of day: afternoon, evening
Taste:
At first: peppery creamy coconut and condensed milk
As it cools ? Gets creamier, reminiscent of cocoa froth, chestnut mixed with almost cashew sweet notes
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No

Lingers? Yes, smooth hints of spice, velvety close, almost like a light chai

Want to try chilled

Second steep (3 min)
Aroma: light milky, brothy
Taste:
At first: light, brothy, earthy, salty
As it cools: gets milky again

Third steep (6 min)
very light,milky, brothy, salty

I got Bear Trap after reading about it online from DAVIDs. I enjoyed it the first few sips but after it seemed to fade. I question on whether adding something would have brought it up but that’s for another try.

I did enjoy the berries but it has a bit of a bitter aftertaste after a while. I’ll definitely keep a small amount in my cupboard for days when I feel like getting a good dose of health.

Stuart Mackenzie: Well, it’s a well known fact, Sonny Jim, that there’s a secret society of the five wealthiest people in the world, known as The Pentavirate, who run everything in the world, including the newspapers, and meet tri-annually at a secret country mansion in Colorado, known as The Meadows.

Tony Giardino: So who’s in this Pentavirate?

Stuart Mackenzie: The Queen, The Vatican, The Gettys, The Rothschilds, and Colonel Sanders before he went tits up. Oh, I hated the Colonel with is wee beady eyes, and that smug look on his face. “Oh, you’re gonna buy my chicken! Ohhhhh!”

Charlie Mackenzie: Dad, how can you hate “The Colonel”?

Stuart Mackenzie: Because he puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes ya crave it fortnightly, smartass!

I can’t drink this tea without quoting So I Married An Axe Murderer. Caramel & Toffee & Pu-erh, does it get any better?? This tea is so rich and delicious and heavenly. I first found this at Elaine’s Tea Shoppe in Toledo, but this I picked up online with a coupon :)

I’m not kidding, that boy’s head is like Sputnik; spherical but quite pointy at parts! Now that was offside, wasn’t it? He’ll be crying himself to sleep tonight, on his huge pillow.

The dry leaves smell just like the cinnamon hard candy I used to have at my grandma’s house when I was a kid.

When drinking this tea, I taste the sweetness of the cinnamon and undertones of heat from the chili peppers. It’s pretty good, but I wish there was more green tea flavor coming through.

The second steep was also good— very similar to the first steep. I didn’t fancy drinking a third cup, but I imagine that the third steep would have also been good.

I acquired this tea in a swap with Amy Oh
Technically, this is a sachet not a bag, but I thought it would be the perfect way to finish up my day of bagged teas.
Mmmmm…Rose and Orchid teas? I am spoiling myself today:)
This brews up to a lovely golden tea, with a creamy floral and oolong odor.
What I love is that the floral does not overpower the oolong, it is still very present and hits the tongue first before the orchid makes itself known.
A lovely tea from a lovely person, Thank you Amy Oh!

I bought this based on the name, but I won’t be buying it again. It smells divine prior to steeping, and hints of caramely goodness and hot sugar waiting to melt in your mouth. Steeped, this tea resembles really old urine from someone who only drinks pop (don’t ask how I know this) and the aroma is greatly weakened. The liquor itself is weak, bland and unremarkable. At best, you can taste the mild, grassy flavor of oolong while catching a little bit of buttery caramel undertones. Very smooth tea, however, bordering on being a cream tea.