Featured & New Tasting Notes

Preparation: Western
Tasting Note: Waited for this one to cool off before I started sipping. The oolong has a little tiny bit of roasty notes but it is mostly pretty mild. It almost reminds me of a light black tea but without the astringency or heavy body. There isn’t a significant amount of creaminess or mango, I am getting as a flavor so I think this tea is stronger than those flavors and they may be doing more to mild out the base.

I think I will have to try some different brew methods and see what I get.

This had a subtle candy raspberry flavor in the first sip or two. Later, it faded and I really only tasted mild, sweet matcha. It was pleasant, but it didn’t have much character beside some other delicious matchas I’ve had recently. The flavoring needs to be much stronger, but it’s not a bad matcha.

Thank you Adhara! This is a gooood Tie Guanyin. Heavy into orchid florals, some honeysuckle, and hints of other flowers like lilac and hyacinth. It’s also more floral than grassy, but green and fresh. It’s a softer green bean overall in flavor, and continues to be floral after each steep. Definitely better than some Taiwanese oolongs I’ve had of late, and somewhat similar to a Baozhong.

5 oz, 5 grams 10 sec, 15, 20, 35, 45 175-195 F.

Using this for the prompt “an African tea” (for the honeybush base).

I’ve never had a kumquat, so I don’t really have any knowledge to compare the flavor to… but what I got was a citrusy flavor that was also slightly melony? Like a cross between an orange and honeydew, with a touch of citric sharpness. The honeybush itself was very smooth for me… Usually I get strong peppery notes from it, but there were none this time, instead it was quite woody with a cinnamon sort of edge to it.

A nice cuppa on a (surprising!) rainy evening. I have hardly touched a hot cup of tea in weeks, as coldbrew season has fallen upon me, and it was warm and comforting and hit the spot as I provided my lap as a heated bed for the Chiya cat.

I was reaaaalllyyyyy craving this tea tonight but now that I’m sipping on it I’m finding it’s not totally agreeing with me tonight. The nuttier dark roast notes of the oolong are quite nice and there’s an almost maple tasting pecan finish that’s quite delicious too, but the flavours of the various fruits are building on my palate in a sort of aggressive way. They started out fine; a bit of a boozier lean to them with cherry and orange coming through the most clear. However, as I sip it just feels like coat after coat of some kind of intense brandy been lacquered over my tongue, and it’s just unfortunately pretty artificial.

My first take of kombucha, or at least the bottled one… but I really think I haven’t got any before.

I saw the bottles, and I knew right away I need to bring some home to try it. I wasn’t paying much attention to the ingredients, just picked original flavour and raspberry one. The last one was ginger/lemon which I wasn’t looking forward as it’s quite hot today and I prefer refreshing flavours.

When I arrived home with those two bottles (0.4 L each) I put them in fridge to cool them down a bit. They weren’t in fridges in the store!

When I have opened the bottle not so long ago, a strong vinegar aroma popped out. I spilled it to my favourite glass cup and I got nice golden fizzy drink. I started to read the ingredients, where among tea stuff were bacteria listed and cane sugar. And sadly, stevia! However, I took a sip, because I never spill the tea based on the ingredients only and I have to say it is quite pleasant. Sweet? Yes, quite a lot. Floral somehow. Stevia isn’t noticeable in taste. And in the end there is some flavour which I know, but can’t put my finger on. Something that reminds me Villa drink from Norway?

So I have decided to renew my quarterly subscription for 52 teas. I have really enjoyed what I have gotten so far and I think 15 g for me is enough to enjoy a tea but also not be struggling to keep up and sip it down. :) Plus, lots of variety and delicious blends.

Preparation: Western
Tasting note: First opening the bag of the tea, it smelled very lemonade-y which was a nice surprise. Sipping it after it has cooled down, it is a pretty mild green. It has a light bit of citrus but not enough to be considered strongly tart or pithy.

The tea with the marshmallow root is pretty soft and pillowy. It’s not strong or malty or anything, just sort of a mild background presence. There’s a bit of a citrus flavor, but it’s not too tart. This one is best overleafed. The marshmallow is a really nice note. I could imagine this as a citrus cupcake. I was neutral toward this one at first, but I’m glad I waited to review it until I’d had the chance to try it a second time.

Makes a fantastic, rosy coldbrew. It got a little bitter in a floral kind of way. The flavor was still pronounced and refreshing.

Reviews for this one are all over the place. I only bought it because it was on sale for $4.40 a tin and the tin is pretty, plus it would be something new to try that I thought both Ashman and I would like.

These are sachets and Harney recommends 12 ounces water for their sachets, and I resteeped and combined. I had the first cup as a hot tea with breakfast, no additions. I was having oatmeal with a pinch of brown sugar and some freshly ground cardamom. The first sip was like a burst of fruity sunshine. The apricot flavor really was the star of the show and it was quite enjoyable.

I put the remaining tea in the fridge and had it unsweetened with lunch. Again, this was a really good, really fruity tea. I have their plain apricot tea and this isn’t terribly different to me so far, but perhaps when I am paying more attention I will pick up more hazelnut.

All in all, this was a good investment. I didn’t get any of the astringency that some people mentioned.

The flavor is just plain, minerally oolong. I don’t taste any lime or cucumber…maybe cucumber skin if I’m really trying to picture it? I’m not an oolong fan, so this isn’t really for me, unfortunately. Cold, it’s fine, but there’s a hint of bitterness since I didn’t know how long to steep this for and the website didn’t say – I guessed three minutes, which may not have been right. This has such a vegetal flavor that I wouldn’t have tried it if not for the advent calendar.

Ordered this a few months ago with some other hella teas and have liked most of them so far. Humptea Hump would be my favorite as it is delightfully banana bready.

Preparation: Western
Tasting note: So there is some smokiness which is to be expected from a lapsang, also some sweetness. I havent had straight bourbon in a while so i am not sure if it is that complex but it definitely gives me some savory sweet honey bourbon bbq sauce notes. Not in the way of drinking bbq sauce but just some of the flavors are reminiscent. It is good!

I don’t have much to add to this one after today’s session, besides the fact that the flavours now seem well integrated and it is as good as the 2018 version when that one was two years old.

Geek Steep S2E26 – Ms. Marvel

Cold Brew!

This was my pairing for my reread of this comic. I actually hard a harder time than expected coming up with the tea I wanted to choose for this comic that I feel I have an almost intimate familiarity of. There was one ingredient/flavour that I kept coming back to over and over though as I brainstormed options, and that was pistachio.

That might seem random, but as I explained in more detail on this episode, pistachios are an ingredient that’s used pretty heavily in a lot of Pakistani/Middle Eastern cuisine. Especially in desserts. It’s also something that a coworker of mine used to bring into the office to share, back when I was working at Value Village. Specifically, what she would bring in was a Jaggery rice dish and pistachio halva. She wasn’t from Pakistan, but she was Muslim and I feel like I got to know a lot more about Muslim culture just from her generosity. So, picking a pistachio tea just felt right.

I own a lot of pistachio teas, though. In the end I felt like this was the right one because it’s got that very sweet candied pistachio and strawberry soda-type flavouring that feels quite playful together. In my head, especially as I sipped this cold brewed, I could picture Kamala coming home from either a late night study session with Bruno or a hard day of fighting bird people in the streets of Jersey City and reaching for some kind of sweet strawberry soda and a homebaked pistachio sweet.

Really, really happy with this pairing!

I taste mostly earthy matcha, but in some sips, I get a nice bright, tangy citrus flavor. I think the matcha flavor is stronger than usual because I let this sit for an hour or two, and the matcha all clumped back together. The citrus is definitely the aftertaste for this one, but it’s really pleasant. I wish it were a little stronger, but I appreciate how fresh it is and how different from other teas I’ve had before. Yuzu is such a fun flavor.

This tea smells SO lovely- rose, vanilla, and cardamom. The flavor combination is really nice as well, though it came out a bit bitter. I’m interested in trying this with some milk or cream.

Topped this with strawberry white chocolate cold foam. It was good but next time I’ll try a strawberry vanilla cold foam to better reflect the flavours of the tea.

It seems utterly impossible to me that there is no note for this tea. It was a gift from a former student just a couple of weeks ago and we have already finished it. I drank the 1st cup hot right after I got it and it had lovely champagne flavor with a hint of berry. I was so sure I had posted a note.

Ever since Thursday, we have been drinking it as a flash chill tea. It makes an incredible amount of foam and even after you drain your glass the foam stays for a very long time. In fact I don’t think I have seen it break down yet .

Making this way, shaking the hot tea in a cocktail shaker with ice, the champagne flavor is very strong and the berry flavor is practically nonexistent. In fact, the three of us who tried it could only detect the berry flavor in the aftertaste and then we had to look for it. The champagne flavor is so good, however, that it is going to be very hard for me not to immediately re-order this one. It is an awesome summer flash chilled tea that tastes great with no sugar.

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge, June 2022: An iced/cold brew tea

I only ever cold steeped this in the fridge for 5-8 hours. First batch was more astringent and collard greens than I generally like it but the second batch I’m currently finishing off balanced the veggies with a good dose of canned peach and dry ginger notes. Not a large amount of heat to the ginger but its zesty earthiness is pleasant enough.

As always, the canned peaches take me down memory lane.

Very refreshing, although there isn’t much need for refreshments here right now. The Northwest Coast is deeply committed to a wet spring and mild temperatures this year. Overcast a few days before Summer Solstice. Hope it doesn’t rain for my upcoming six day camp/hike next week, but it probably will.

This tastes quite floral, though it’s hard to tell what kind. I think I notice a little peach. I guess the other flavor is bergamot, though it’s hard to pick it out when it’s not paired with black tea. It’s a little too strong on a white base vs a black base.

Gongfu!

Midway through a tea session of Bamboo Peak Milk Oolong, and really enjoying the silky mouthfeel and rich buttery and creamy notes of this tea! I’m still making my way through this oolong tea sampler but I think this is my favourite so far. The first few steeps had such a soft but thick moutheel, and the taste was this perfect marriage of fresh churned butter and delicately toasted coconut. Over time that buttery quality has mellowed some, but it’s allowed room for more floral notes to gradually build from the undertones into this really fresh and aromatic crescendo of Spring and Summer flavours!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce6zMinuK34/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfB2fSV5gmk

Not in alphabetical order of company to try unopened tea but my second cup of the day always seems to be a green tea. Plus, I have accrued a small stash of 52 tea bags over the last few months from the subscription box and need to catch up on.

Preparation: Western
Tasting Note: Yummm! This is a delight. The maple hits just right with this tea and it reminds me of french toast and maple syrup but I could see a Maple Rice coconut pudding too. No additional sweeteners or milks needed, I like this one exactly as it comes. :) I will be sad to see this one go, I think.

Thank you leafhopper!

Quickie note. I was more into this one than I expected. It’s very woody and heavy on the sweet potato / yam side, but super pleasant in smell and taste. It’s on the cedar, incense, sandalwood spectrum with a little bit of cooling effect in the aftertaste bordering on rosy. The smell is deeply floral like Geranium and Roses. Super comforting. It didn’t change much steep to steep gong fu, but I have some left over to play with. I very much enjoyed it, and actually liked it more than some other Wuyi teas that are more overpowering.

Added this to an almond butter and banana smoothie today for a little kick. The vanilla was strong with this one, perhaps because of the matcha or because of the vanilla extract.