New Tasting Notes

I am a fan of Oolongs, especially Ti Kuan Yin, and I’m currently in a personal quest trying to taste all Tikuanyins possible to see which one will earn a permanent spot in my cupboard. I came across this particular one after ordering some tea from H&S’s website. The description intrigued me but the steep price ($54 for 2oz) put me off. Luckily, my girlfriend gave me this tea as a gift for Christmas and I was very excited to try it. My first brew was a disappointment. The tea was flavorless and tasted nothing like any other Tikuanyin I’ve had before, but I acknowledge that I brewed it with the incorrect leaf-to-water ratio and in a regular mug. The second brew, this time done correctly in a Gaiwan and correct leaf-to-water ratio, was very interesting.

This tea tastes very different from other Tikuanyin’s I’ve had, different but very good. The tea brewed a pale yellow-green cup. It was sweet, buttery and very floral with a delightful aroma. The taste is subtler than the other Tikuanyin’s I’ve had, but it was the sweet buttery lingering aftertaste in the back of your throat that makes this tea unique.

Overall, this is one of those teas you have to sit down and enjoy it by itself, savoring each sip, otherwise you might not pick up its subtle flavors. I was disappointed a little due to its high price and colorful description, I guess I expected a bit too much.

Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)

Experience buying from China Cha Dao: < more later, but positive overall, with some reservations >

Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in spring 2011, received in late fall, brewed up not long after.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Looked and smelled like other Dragon Well teas I have had.

Brewing guidelines: 2 tsp tea, 2 cups water.Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added.
……….1st: 170; 1’
……….2nd: 175; 1.5’
……….3rd: 180; 2’
……….4th: 185-190; 2.5’

Aroma of tea liquor: Good, sweet smell.

Flavor of tea liquor: Familiar Dragon Well flavor. Held up fairly well though four steepings.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: < no notes here >

Value: moderately priced at about $4/oz.

Overall: Nothing stood out about the tea. It is about as good as other Dragon Wells I have had for a much better price (Jing Teas Shop). I wish I could say more.

Testing 3 Upton “spice” samples tonight and this is 2nd up (also tested NE Harvest and going to test Tropical Chai Spice).

Well, compairing it to NE Harvest, the tea is more prominent in this one and the black tea is not bitter either (not sure if same one?). I was expecting this to be the strongest “chai” spiced one of the three, but it’s not much stronger than NE Harvest. The only difference is that NE Harvest is basically a cinnamon tea, and this one has more going on… I can detect the clove, for example (love clove, but it’s weak in here). Overall I’m not enjoying this one as much as NE Harvest. It’s “ok”, will probably finish sample, but not reorder.

I’m a sucker for a creamsicle flavour, and when Dreamsicle didn’t win the Back from the Dead contest recently I was so sad. This is one of three orange cream type teas I have right now, and is my least favourite. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely tea and I do like it, but it is sub-par compared to others on the market. (My favourite, for those hunting, is the Honeybush Orange from The Tea Haus.)

This one smells heavenly dry, and even brewed still retains a large portion of the scent. Drinking it black, however, is a slight disappointment as there is only about half the flavour I’ve come to expect in my orange teas. Adding some milk and sugar does make it a delightful cup, but it still isn’t exactly what I’d hoped for. (Although I have a friend who says to try it with a teaspoon of whipping cream so I may have to do that before ruling this one out entirely!)

Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)

Experience buying from Teavivre http://steepster.com/places/2857-teavivre-online—

Age of leaf: advertised as spring 2011. Received fall 2011, brewed up days later.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Beautiful looking leaves which look similar to Jing Tea Shop’s HSMF; smells fresh and possibly not as smoky an aroma as other HSMF teas.

Brewing guidelines: Based on information from their website, I went a little hotter of the later steepings. 10 grams tea, 5 cups water. Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added.
……….1st: 170; 1’
……….2nd: 182; 1.5’
……….3rd: 186; 2.5’
……….4th: 192; 3’

Color tea liquor: pale yellow.

Flavor of tea liquor: Good, mild. Second steeping had a little more flavor, with a hint of something like cinnamon. The forth steeping had little flavor.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: They have a fresh, deep-green look to them, with a possible hint of cinnamon.

Value: Reasonable for a HSMF at less than $3/oz.

Overall: I was not very impressed with this tea. Nothing really stood out about it accept the appearance of the leaves. Looking at the wet leaves revealed a quality pluck: mostly bud sets with a number of whole leaves and buds. And in general I like the way HSMF leaves look (I can’t think of what it is about them at the moment, though). We tried China Cha Dao’s grade 3 HSMF the same day, and we liked the flavor of China Cha Dao’s better than Teavivre’s (although the quality of China Cha Dao’s leaf was clearly not as good). If you like HSMF, then this is an OK tea for the price.

Backlog #3
Ok so I got a teensy bit outta control with the tea buying. but it was my first time at Teavana and I had to see what all the fuss was about! Folks here(at Steepster) love to hate and hate to love this place.
I’ll admit, the prices were excessive (I bought this one because it was one of the two cheapest options they sell), but the staff were friendly, and not too pushy like I had expected! just a tad excited about tea, which I totally get ;)
As for the tea, well this is really nice. Moreso than I expected. Kindof chocolatey and nutty. I need to try it here in Toronto but I seem to have left this one in Florida, eek!
Well, it looks like I’ll be a slave to this establishment whenever I’m in town, as much as it pains the wallet…
gah, I so badly wanted to despise Teavana :P

Mmmm…nummy. THis is perfect for when you’re in a mood for savory flavors. At first, the scent of the leaves confused me. Then I realized I was smelling nori. I love nori. This tea totally reminds me of a chinese pantry. Dried shrimp, dried shitakes, fermented soy products… all those things used in chinese cooking to add a punch of umami. Is umami even possible in tea leaves? Delicious. Slightly brothy and a hint of dryness on the tongue. Am I having soup?

Ok, let’s back pedal a bit and talk about the leaves and the steeping parameters. I was tickled to see how mini the little leaf pellets were in the pouch. Adorable! I was also surprised by the steeping instructions. Less than 30 seconds in 90 C? I’ve never seen a green calling for such a short steep. And the temp is a bit high for my usual greens, but since the directions were so specific, I figured they were worth following. I can’t imagine going for more than 30 seconds with this tea. The flavor is perfect at 29 seconds. I imagine it would get astringent if left longer, judging by the dryness already present. I love the care Teavivre shows toward their teas. Every variety is treated with respect.

I bet this could go a few more steeps too. I’m off for steep 2. :)

This is so delicious. Christmas in a cup. Smoky chocolate orange without being bitter. Went to get some more and it was sold out. I can’t get the rating bars to work…so I give 100%. I do prefer this tea with cream because it is so rich and dark.

Backlog!! #9- because I don’t feel like renaming all of them and I missed this one :P
Oh sweet heavenly Darjeeling!! So delicate, so deep, so sweet… so perfect!
This is indeed a bit fruity, but I almost mistook that for a honey flavour. My palate isn’t strong enough to determine anything more distinct, but if I had to guess I would say it’s in the melon or cantaloupe range. This comes out more in the later steepings. The first one was less sugary, and more roundish, kindof like an oolong if that makes any sense?
Also, I must remember to let this cool before tasting. When piping hot, the first two steeps were VERY floral- overwhelmingly so.
I think I’ll reserve this one for reading books. It’s perfect for curling up on the couch and getting lost in a tea/plot-line.
NB: the last time I tried teas with Florida water, they brewed up somewhat differently at home. I’m curious to see what happens with my next cup now that I am back!

Since I found Upton by following Steepster, it’s perhaps fitting that my first remarks on the site is for theirs. I just received 8 samples today, and decided to test 3 “spiced” ones tonight. First up is this one, but will be comparing with Cinnamon Chai and Tropical Spice.

One of the problems I’ve had with flavored black teas, is the black tea itself can be very bitter (looking at you Adagio). This one isn’t (phew). Overall, the spices are blending well, with cinnamon definately the star. I’d classify this a “medium” spice, leaning towards mild. For those who don’t like chai spices that are too heavy-handed, this one might please. For me, they’re a little too light, but tasty/good (will finish sample).

I love the smell of this tea. The first time I opened the bag I felt like just dumping the leaves into my mouth and chowing down because it smelled like a bag of the dessert itself. I rushed home from work that night to brew and . . . was mildly disappointed. Brewed as is, I find the tea is slightly lacking as other reviewers have said.

Blended however with just a hint of another stronger berry tea? This tea sparkles and shines. I used a “Very Berry” blend I got from McNulty’s in NYC, with just a third of a teaspoon, along with half a teaspoon of sugar after steeping.

Man was I surprised to discover that now it tasted exactly how it smelled, crumble and all. And as it cooled, the flavour just kept getting better. Now I’m eager for my next cup!

Backlog… #1 of many :)
I never should have purchased this tea. It smelled a bit musty, which is usually my first hint that it won’t agree with me.
For some reason, I get caramel… a whole lot of vanilla (not my thing) and a sugary sort of pear note way off in the background.
Right off the bat I knew it would be too strong for me, so I gave my Aunt the first steep and took the second one for myself. It was ok that way, better than the sip I had of the first steep anyhow!
There isn’t much else to say about it, for me. I will do my best to find this one a good home. Don’t let my standoff with vanilla keep you away! any takers?

Ok, I finally found an evening when I was in the right mood, and eating the right food, to try this one.

Brewed for 3 min but it looked too light so I added 1 more. Looks the same. A lovely red-orange that I would associate more with rooibos than black tea.

the smell is sweet, tea-like, with a hint of spice and pepper. it doesn’t scream “I’m a liquid pizza” like I thought it would, which is good I guess. I made a sundried tomato, italian sausage, zucchini and mozzarella frittata for dinner, and then the lightbulb went on over my head and told me it was finally time to try this tea.

The taste is a similar blend of sweet, smoky, and spicy that complements the italian seasoning and black pepper on my meal. I think I like it. Funny, but my favorite 52teas blend is still the maple bacon black. And my favorite tea of 2011 was Carnival by Sanctuary T, which also has spicy and almost savory notes due to the cumin, coriander, and peppercorns in it. My tastes buds are full of surprises. Or maybe they just like surprises?

This is slight sweet with a somewhat hay-like flavor. It’s moderately dark and has a short finish. It’s a light tea, not strongly flavored but pleasant.

Just recently ordered some more Milk Oolong. The freshest batch since they restocked. I found this to be just as delicious as the last batch. The only difference I noticed is as follows…

1. More delicate
2. More subtle creamyness
3. A lot more balanced in flavor

I made this first on December 31st 2011 and used it to make the first cup of tea using the new addition to the family… My Breville One-Touch Tea Maker and it did not disappoint. I made it again today 1/5/2012 to honor my daughters 5th Birthday and served it to my family. Everyone raved about it. Even my stereotypical “big black guy” brother in-law enjoyed it. He is normally a Gatorade kinda guy. (My statement isn’t meant to offend anyone. My bother in-law would laugh at my statement and if he isn’t offended no one else should be either. I am only mentioning this because I know it may come off wrong to those who don’t know me and my humor. Thanks!)

Today’s my one year steepster birthday!!! Whoo hoo!

This tea came in a package of Christmas goodies from the boyfriend’s mom. Mint is more his thing than mine, so they’ll probably be going with him to work, but I wanted to give it a try first.

Preparation notes: Steeped in 500 ml. water in the Breville at the below parameters. No additives used.

Dry leaf: The leaf was relatively small, and packaged in sachets. It smelled like a typical mint tea. It reminded me a lot of a mint gum, actually.

Steeped tea: The steeped tea is yellowish and the mint is as strong as you would expect. Which is to say – STRONG. There’s supposed to be some floral notes in there somewhere too (I think that’s what Tilleul is) but I’m not getting it.

In short, a solid mint tea – but nothing new. The boyfriend will love having it at work, I’m sure.

This is the right tea as I get ready to head out into the cold, get into a subway to deal with the crowds in Times Square so I can go to work.
It has that familiar flavor of sherbets I had as a kid at Baskin Robins…just more natural ;)
Raspberry, Orange and lime nicely combined. No bitterness. kinda sweet..a little sugar “brought it together”, but optional
Another hit from 52teas

Glitter & Gold was the first tea I tried from Davids, and I’ve not looked back since! This one now lives in my permanent stash, glittering away on the top of the stack.

I love cinnamon and spicy flavours, so this tea scratches that itch in the best way. It’s got a lot of body that can handle adding milk, which I do more often than not. The flavour is mostly cinnamon with the black tea, orange, and clove bringing up the rear.

Plus it’s sparkly! How cute is that?

A tea you can take home to your mother, for sure.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea. This is a really unusual Assam – it has a wine-like note in it that I found quite startling at first … it made me do a double check with the label to make sure I was tasting an Assam. I did not expect a strong wine-like character to this. It’s quite delightful though!

There are also the characteristics you’d expect from an Assam: malty and a deep, baked bread kind of taste with a sweet, caramel undertone, but, the wine-ish kind of fruit flavor gives the cup a sort of lightness … it’s not quite as heavy or harsh as some Assam teas might be. It is remarkably smooth and has a nice, wine-like finish that lingers into the aftertaste… it tastes like black currants! YUM!

My song that would go with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXt56MB-3vc

Wow this tasted horrible. Just green bitterness, no sweetness at all.

What is lapacho?

Wikipedia told me that it’s the inner bark of the Pink Ipe tree. I’ll tell you what else it is. Delicious.

I’m a fan of nutty things, and amaretto is a usual suspect for me in the liquor cabinet. So no surprise really, that I like this tea so much.

It’s spiky and exciting to look at, with an almond scent that’s almost too strong. Almost.
When brewed, it has a rusty brown liquor that’s pretty thin looking, but has a surprising amount of body to back it up.

I drank this one beside the fire at Emerald Lake Lodge while on our winter vacation. It was pretty idyllic, and I can see myself recapturing that moment with this tea for the rest of the year.

Oh. And just to put a damper on the whole “I love this lapacho tea” moment I’m having, Wikipedia also told me that “One should be careful, using the Lapacho internally. Don’t overdose Lapacho tea and don’t drink it longer than six weeks without break.”

Well. Fine then. I’ll take a break in six weeks when my bag runs out. Maybe. ;-)

4-7 minutes seems like an /awful long/ steeping parameter for an oolong. I did four minutes anyhow, and just as expected, the tea came out tasting a tad stewed. It was a strong, slightly cloudy yellow.

But the hint of vanilla is very nice. I’m not quite sure what the lemon myrtle adds… I don’t taste a citrus, although the vanilla is almost zesty?

A bit like buttercream frosting. And pouchong.

Second Steep, Five Minutes: Less creamy vanilla, and I’m definitely getting citrus in this. Lemony oolong. It’s present in the smell as well. Pouchong’s less stewed tasting, as it’s weaker overall, but still strong enough to back up the lemon citrus. Very Pledgy.

Third Steep, ~10 Minutes: Let this one get away from me. Forgot about it for a bit. Ten minutes, I think. Got a strong citrus taste, tea, a bit too astringent. My fault.