Okay, I admit my taste buds might already be compromised. The fiancé decided to cook steak and habanero peppers in his cast iron skillet. Basically, he poisoned the air. I had to retreat into the bedroom because the air was so peppery I couldn’t stop coughing and sneezing. My nose is now running like crazy, so I’m not sure how reliable this tasting note will be.
The dry leaves smelled like tea. Yeah, I know, not very descriptive. But really, there wasn’t much to it. No overtly recognizable scents. The brewed tea aroma is a similar experience. It smells like Teavivre’s other black teas.
Now let’s see if I have any better luck describing the taste. It’s much stronger than I anticipated. It tastes like it could be a great base for blending. No bitterness or tannins detected. I feel like it’s a little peppery, but then again that could just be from the air. Toasty might be a better description.
It came in pre-measured, individual, little, red packets. So, maybe it tastes strong to me because the leaf is more proportional. When I measure the tea leaves out myself, I almost always err on the side of too little. Still, I think the Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea was more to my liking. It just had more flavor.
Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t flavorless. It just tastes kind of standard to me, like something I would drink as my morning cup of tea. Oddly enough though, the Teavivre site says it has minimal caffeine (less than 15% of a cup of coffee). I guess that’s a good thing since I’m drinking it at 8pm on a weekday.
But I usually choose black tea for its taste as well as caffeine content. So, if this doesn’t have much caffeine in it and the taste is lacking, there’s not a whole lot of point for me to drink it. It is a good cuppa, just not my favorite. Despite its high quality, the taste just isn’t enough to my liking for me to reach for it often. So, if you like Bailin Gongfu, you’ll like this one too!
Now it’s time to peek out tentatively like Groundhog Phil and see if it’s safe to come out yet.
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Haven’t cared for this one either, but going to try a 3rd time to make sure… the pressure of not liking the #1 Steepster tea, huh? : )
Wow, I didn’t even realize it was the #1 Steepster tea! Now I feel more gratitude that I had a chance to try it. I mean, it’s good high quality tea. But the BEST tea? It’s too generic and plain for me to label it the best tea.
Haven’t cared for this one either, but going to try a 3rd time to make sure… the pressure of not liking the #1 Steepster tea, huh? : )
Wow, I didn’t even realize it was the #1 Steepster tea! Now I feel more gratitude that I had a chance to try it. I mean, it’s good high quality tea. But the BEST tea? It’s too generic and plain for me to label it the best tea.