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teabird

teabird drank Maiden's Ecstasy by Samovar

Alright Steepsterites – I’m not even sure I like puerh (yet), but I spent the last ten minutes holding this under my nose while I waited for it to cool. It still has the barnyard smell/taste I’ve gotten from other puerhs, but somehow that’s not off-putting. It’s… satisfying? Addictive? This was a very short steep, so I didn’t get a lot of complexity in the flavor (at least that I can discern), but it is sweet and nice. It’s a very spring sort of flavor: wet earth, new grass.

I’m having a really hard time ranking this, though. It’s a whole different type of tea! It’d be like trying to rank coffee on the same slider. So… no number yet.

Steep 2, 1:15 min (1 tsp leaves, 4oz servings)
Steep 3, 2:15 – I do love how well the lid on Samovar’s yixing pot stays on; the lid for the glass pot likes to fall into my cup while I’m pouring, if I don’t remember to hold it.
Steep 4, 4:15 is a little weaker in both aroma and flavor, but still going really well with last night’s carrot cake.
Steep 5: ~6 minutes

2010-03-22 16:45:26 -0400

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0 min 30 sec

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Erin 2010-03-22 17:25:30 -0400

That barnyard smell and taste that you’re getting might be the same kind of aroma that I consider to be “fishy”. That sounds like something that would gross a person out, but this tea didn’t bother me at all. I also found it to be surprisingly satisfying! All in all, this is a very hard tea to rate.

teabird 2010-03-22 18:08:49 -0400

Ah! That does explain all the fishy comments – I’ve gotten it from all the puerhs I’ve tried, but to be fair they’ve all been “cooked” so far. I’ve got a couple of “green” puerh samples to try now, and I’m hoping they’ll be different.

__Morgana__ 2010-03-22 22:50:50 -0400

Can’t wait to try my sample of this. I’ve been waiting for just the right moment, and mindset…

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Some notes on ratings:

I’d have separate rating scales for tea types if that were possible (probably Black, Flavored Black, Darjeeling/Dark Oolong, White/Green/Light Oolong, and Herbal) because the flavors and quality markers are just too different. A flavored black rated 100 isn’t better than every oolong I’ve ever drunk, just delicious for a flavored black.

Ratings are a combination of my enjoyment and the perceived quality – I do often demote teas a few points for artificial flavorings, small quantity of steeps supported, or weakness of flavor (requiring extra leaf).

I pay less attention to the number than the order of my ratings; I don’t necessarily keep a stock of everything rated 80+, but if two breakfast blends are rated 82 and 84 I consistently enjoy the 84 more.

And in case it’s not obvious? I am not an expert. I don’t even know what I like until I taste it sometimes, but I’m ok with that :) I like learning to like new teas, as well as enjoying the comfort of familiar ones.