1233 Tasting Notes

69

Old Tea Bag Sip Down
Part 1
I couldn’t take it any longer. During halftime, I went through my parent’s tea cupboard. Some were dumped. Some I tried and they failed. And then there were the tea bags. I am doubtful but heck let’s journey. No idea of how long this has been in their cupboard. Despite that, the flavor is pretty good. Let’s see if it goes with Tikka Masala. Actually, yes. It does. Though mint tea complements it better. This ground apple is decent in old age.

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82
drank Souchong Black Tea by iTeaworld
1233 tasting notes

For those who prefer Lapsang without the intense smoky flavor, this is a wonderful choice. The dry leaf is a dusty, dark chocolate brown with beautifully twisted leaf. This one is best consumed on its own. It is light and thus your palate is best if clean of anything else before you consume it. Very woody in flavor with notes of decaying tree, a pile of wet leaves, raisin bread, and some very light woody notes. The wet leaf aroma is pleasant; high in wheat bread with raisins
Soft mouth feel. Astringency piles on fast. This is not a leave it in the cup and see what happens tea. Don’t walk away. Sit and enjoy the session. However, once you get to the fourth and fifth sessions leaving it longer is advisable for more flavor.

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82
drank Souchong Black Tea by iTeaworld
1233 tasting notes

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68

Japanese green tea in a bag seems such a shame. The leaf is such a vibrant green that it must be enjoyed to the fullest in full view. But this one, it’s okay in the bag. After tearing open a teabag to inspect the leaves I discovered a stifled green. This is not a bad thing. All tea are different colors. The aroma is somewhat industrial. New building drywall for the dry leaf. The wet leaf is more vegetal. Which is good, can’t say I was really looking forward to trying out drywall. Asparagus. Tall, spring grass. The flavor is a bit grassy. Smooth on the palate with a bit of astringency. There is a unique flavor here that I am going to attribute to the Benfuki cultivar. It is somewhat medicinal and earthy.

beerandbeancurd

Industrial, such an evocative word to describe a smell.

Don’t often think of medicinal/earthy for greens. Interesting.

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86

This is the cutest tea I have ever seen. The leaves are so soft-looking. White fluff abounds. The colors are muted tones of green and pink mixed with sparse yellow. Just cute all around. Back in 2022 my husband and I went to Greece, I am in love. It’s amazing over there. And while I love Greek Mountain tea, thanks to the Kalambaka Monasteries I also found a new love for this Crete tisane. I did not get a chance to see Crete but my parents (after listening to me rave about Greece) decided to go themselves. XD. They went to Crete and discovered this. This is a plant that is endemic to Crete. This mellow-tasting tisane has notes of a robust, chunky spaghetti sauce, thyme, oregano, and slight black pepper with dry woody notes and crumpled leaves. As I sit here and smell the liquor I can clearly see that rocky, barren, beautiful landscape of Santorini (aka Thera).

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88

If you are new to pu er. Or have tried pu er and just… can’t… STOP! And try this one. For starters, you don’t need to break this one up with a knife. And second, there is no worry about fishy aromas or flavors. The only thing that may bother you is that this tea has been sitting in a tangerine for three years. BUT that is exactly what makes a good pu er. Time. Granted each is different. Citrus and tea has to be found in certain categories and done in a certain way (in my opinion). Rooibos and pu er, yes. Green, nope. But then again it also depends on the producer. Sorry, I’m rambling.

Be sure to rinse the ball once before consuming. Heat your water and give is a good wash for a few seconds, making sure it enters and exits the top and bottom through the leaves. This helps remove dust and whatnot as well as helping to wake up the leaves. Obviously, the tangerine will play the keynotes on this palate piano. They are strong and somewhat reminiscent of camphor with the zingy spearminty feeling it leaves. But you will also find earthy notes of dry leaf and dirt. Good dirt. Out of curiosity (and about 6 sessions) I peeled away the tangerine and left the tea in my gaiwan. Even without the peel present, the hygroscopic properties of tea show their finest with the very forward tangerine notes still very strong. However, I am not discovering a bit of the leaf notes that were harder to discern before. The cloudy dark liquor reveals notes of deep earth, tropical barks, and far north pinewoods and mahogany to finish.

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99

Even for people, like myself, that love to adventure with different teas and companies, we have our cupboard staples and this is one of mine. In fact, I have a tea pot just for this tea. If you haven’t tried any New Zealand teas yet I highly recommend them. The terroir there makes for some really tasty teas. The leaf is a dark chocolate color with a slightly dusty texture and minimal twist. This is a perfect tea for the fall. Loads of Sweet potato, fresh and with a bit of maple syrup notes. Roasted sweet potato skin. Maybe a hint of thyme. The mouth feel is smooth. Butternut squash skin. Sweet and delectable. Though if you enjoy roast notes you can steep it longer and the sweetness becomes taken over with charcoal and burnt sweet potato skin. This one can last many sessions too.

Daylon R Thomas

New Zealand stuff is some of my faav. I used to get Zealong stuff from the Kiwi Importer for discounts.

Skysamurai

I just checked out their page. That is sweet as! Thank you!

ashmanra

I was just reading a novel and this company was mentioned! Corduroy Mansions was the book.

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69

Dry aroma: Barely there but if it were fresh I am sure it would be stronger with woody notes.
Liquor aroma: Malty. Slightly woody.
Flavor: I would not call this robust. But to be fair my parents don’t drink tea much and I don’t drink tea bags much. Also don’t know how long this tea has been in their cupboard let alone been around. Granted the packaging looks fresh. Still…. I think this could be stronger. It’s not terrible but the slightly woody, slight varnish, slight malt… it’s too much slight for an English Breakfast.

Irina

I want my English Breakfast to WAKE ME UP. A weak EB is just wrong.

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68

Art is subjective when it comes to color, matcha is not. While someone could argue that matcha color doesn’t matter. I disagree. It can be the first sign of whether matcha is still good, how long it was shaded, if it was stored properly, etc. The color of this matcha leaves much to be desired. Is that a pun? Wa ha. It is between a green olive and moss green. Which in matcha is not something really desirable unless you are cooking with it. The mouthfeel is silky with a bit of silt. The flavor is better than culinary but doesn’t have the complexity of a ceremonial grade in my opinion. There is a slight creaminess mixed in with vegetal notes. I would rate this in the middle, better for lattes but still fine for a stand-alone session. On that note, mixed with creamy oat milk it is quite delicious.

Cameron B.

Even in the product photo, the color doesn’t look that great. Odd.

Skysamurai

So true. I was really hoping that it was just a bad pic when I ordered it. Henrietta does great tea but needs to rethink the matcha I think

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Profile

Bio

If you love to discover new tea companies please check out my blog www.teatiff.com

Cupboard updated: 7/27/2023

Tea Profile:
Allergies: Almonds and Dairy.

I’m a purist but I will try a flavored as long as it doesn’t have artificial flavors.

I will drink any type and love to taste whatever I can get my hands on.

(Purple is not a type of tea it is a cultivar known as TRFK 306/1)

Location

Minnesota

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