865 Tasting Notes

91

OK, so I just don’t get why anyone would cold brew except in the case of an iced chai emergency… but my quest for the perfect pear green tea makes me do weird things. It was on sale a month or two ago, so I “had” to try it.

1 bag/18oz cold water in the fridge for 1 hr.

The liquor is a very yellowish green and just a touch cloudy… almost like lime juice.

The flavor is very light like I expected it to be, but is very vegetably w/ a bit of matcha-esk qualities to it… and… lime? huh? I’m tasting lime instead of pear. Could all of my pear fataliTEAS have totally screwed up my perception of what a pear tea should be?

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more
Suzi

Lime and pear are pretty far apart…I’m inclined to think the tea is off, not your tastebuds!

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100
drank Mayan Chocolate Chai by 52teas
865 tasting notes

I need my chai again… and while it’s not quite as warm and humid today, I still don’t want to monkey around with a hot cup. So… I’m attempting to cold brew this. I personally can’t understand why a person would want to disreguard time and temp parameters (they are there for a reason)… but I really want my chai so I’m giving it a go.

1 heaping TB steeped in 1 cup fat free Smart Balance milk left in the fridge for 1 hr.

I have no ice cubes left so I added 1 cup of water to it when it was done steeping (The only reason I did it this way rather than adding the water right away is I didn’t want to risk having to fish a messy tea bag out of 16oz of liquid.) and served it James Bond style.

Slightly frothy, thick, and rich. The chocolate, black tea, and chai spices are slightly more subdued than when hot steeped but the cayenne is more pronounced. I can see where it would be too much for quite a few people. The other components probably could have stood up to a 6-8 hr steep, but I think leaving the cayenne in that long would have caused physical damage loI. I think I prefer it hot steeped even if served chilled, but this is still very good and I will absolutely be repeating this method again when my only other option because of the heat is to skip my beloved chai.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more
Meghann M

I’d be curious to taste the strength of the cayenne after an overnight cold brewed steep O_o!

Cofftea

Try it and let me know;)

Meghann M

Lol, I’d first have to purchase it. I may try with my Chai with Chocolate first. Mayan is going to be included with my next purchase. Then I’ll try, if I’m still alive, I will note the tea tasting :)

Cofftea

If you die can you bequeath me the rest?

Meghann M

I’ll put a note on it to send to cofftea if I do not survive the heat :)

Cofftea

I’d make a small batch, maybe a cup. That way you only waste 1/2 of a heaping tsp of tea and 1/2 of a cup of milk if it’s a fataliTEA… I just hope it doesn’t cause a fatality LOL. Might want to also make an iced white tea chaser to cool yourself down:)

Miss Sweet

Oh man I am definitely going to have to trawl through peoples Steepster notes to find iced tea methods when its summer here! You could also make icecubes using brewed chai to help with the flavour being muted, I usually have a staple iced tea that I drink throughout the summer and have icecubes to match. Interesting that the cayenne is more pronounced when cold-brewed though!

Cofftea

Miss Sweet- I definitely make tea cubes, but the problem is I can’t reach the freezer so I can only use them when my mom is home. Another reason I love tea cubes is you could mix n match. I was home alone and very over heated and this worked WONDERFULLY… I was originally gonna say “I was home alone and very hot”… then realized that sounded VERY bad lol! If you just add cold water to the milk mixture I would definitely serve it James Bond style like I did, otherwise I think it may just taste like watery VERY spicy milk.

Miss Sweet

Hahaha that sounds like the start of a trashy romance novel. Maybe you could mix it with another chai when brewing cold to help amp up the chai spices without the letting cayenne taking over? Or cold brewing in chocolate milk! Yum I definitely need to try that…

Cofftea

Oh I like the chocolate milk idea! Do they have Smart Balance milk in your country? I use it cuz it has the texture of 2% milk w/ only 1g of fat. Anything w/ a thinner texture would be too watery I fear… but you could skip the water and just do a chai milk. I’m so picky about my chocolate chais… I have yet to try their Chai w/ Chocolate, but you could probably blend it w/ that- otherwise blend equal parts Mayan Chocoalte Chai w/ Harney & Son’s Florance and then just add extra chai spices- like maybe half the amount of Florence you use?

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100

2nd infusion cold again. The flavor isn’t really lighter, but it’s more smooth and cohesive.

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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100
drank Mayan Chocolate Chai by 52teas
865 tasting notes

UGH! It’s so hot that heating the milk for this was miserable. But it was SO worth it. 1 heaping TB steeped in 1 cup fat free Smart Balance milk, then chilled. Blended w/ 1 cup ice. It’s too hot to even eat a cold meal in the house and this gives me a cooler internal temp and some nutrition.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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100

It’s still hot (although not quite as bad as yesterday) and my AC is still broke. So I decided to have this cold in honor of todays Steepster Select!

6.5g leaf
6oz hot water
12oz cold water

Mmmm… light, sweet… a thicker mouth feel due to the honey and a perfect balance of flavors. The vanilla is stronger than I expected and is balanced perfectly by the complex, rich, and savory sweetness of the honey as well as the white tea base. It doesn’t have a refreshing thirst quenching crispness to it, but it is very good. It’s a perfect tea for every white tea lover- sweet enough that it doesn’t need extra sweetener, and not overly sweet for a person, like myself, who practically never sweetens her tea. And I’m not even a honey lover! Or a honey liker really… The only thing that made me momentarily debate not giving this a 100 is that I find it too strong using their steeping parameters, but I decided against it. This makes me want to run and by ROT’s vanilla bean honey for my chai! If you decide you do need more sweetness, I’d suggest using that even though I have yet to try it. Sounds like it’d make sense and be delicious:)

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 1 min, 30 sec
Lori

Cofftea- this is the best tea I’ve had this week using the cold brewed method and my Bodum iced tea pitcher…..

Cofftea

I doubt I’ll ever cold brew anything (unless cold brewing chai works), but yeah it definitely hit the spot. As good as it was I think (an albeit small) part was just the mental effect of knowing white tea lowers body temp lol.

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100
drank Strawberry Matcha by 52teas
865 tasting notes

Ok, it’s hotter than blazes, but I need my matcha. I don’t really like cold matcha except for when it’s made w/ OJ (which I normally don’t even like)… but I’m having an OJ smoothie later so I don’t want that. So I decided to mix 6oz of Adagio’s white cucumber (cold, 2nd infusion), w/ 2 scoops matcha. It takes quite a bit more whisking than when hot and it looks really gross. But it’s actually VERY good. It’s still thick, but more tea like than matcha like. Yes, I know matcha is tea- I mean steeped and decanted tea. The perfect combo.

TeaEqualsBliss

I seriously need to try this…one of these days!

Cofftea

Yes, you seriously do:)

malomorgen

lookin forward to my trip to germany and switzerland in july. hopefully i’ll finally get to try matcha…

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90

It was already 80 degrees by 9am… is gonna be 90 w/ 80% humidity… and our air conditioner broke. I think I’m gonna be drinking solely white tea today hoping it’ll keep my body temp down. Making this 3 cups at a time:

6.75g leaf/4oz water
3oz bottled lime juice
11oz cold water

This is the ONLY thing getting me thru this day.

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Janefan

that sounds quite refreshing! I hope it does the trick (or at least helps!)

Cofftea

Me too!

Lisbet

Oh no, our AC broke just last week and we’re in hot hot Houston. This sounds like the perfect tea (and an interesting one!) for the situation though.

-Jessica-

Yummm cucumber white tea is always refreshing!

Cofftea

2nd infusion, 12oz plain and 6oz mixed w/ 2 scoops strawberry matcha.

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98

Another Koicha attempt. I actually remembered to weigh the 1tsp of matcha I used and it weighs 1.89g… so WHY does wikipedia say 1tsp should weigh ~3.75g?! Anyway… It’s less bitter this time but that’s to be expected since it is, after all, Koicha. Kinda like the difference between dark and milk chocolate. Unfortunately it didn’t whisk very well inspite of not taking very long to be sifted.

sophistre

A teaspoon is a measurement of volume, whereas grams are a measurement of weight, so they aren’t able to be converted precisely. What a teaspoon will weigh in grams depends upon the density of the teaspoon’s contents, so a teaspoon of lead is obviously not going to weigh the same as a teaspoon of…I don’t know, sugar. ;)

The difference between matchas is not so wildly stark, obviously, but it’s not surprising — the moisture content and fine-ness of the powder would certainly make every batch weigh in differently, on a sensitive scale.

Cofftea

sophistre, I absolutely realize this. That’s why I measure my favorite chai and a few other teas by the heaping teaspoon- it’s ~4g:) The reason I meantioned it was just because the difference was HUGE. I would have never mentioned it if wiki’s estimated weight was say ~2g lol:) I measured it by the scoop once and they said it should be ~3 scoops, but for that particular matcha the weight was about ~7 scoops!

sophistre

Ah! Sorry. You wouldn’t believe how often I’ve been asked how to convert between systems from a unit of measurement of one type to a unit of completely a different type. Silly Imperial system of measurement!

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99
drank O-Matcha by Lupicia
865 tasting notes

Best. Slimfast. Ever. 8oz Fat Free Smart Balance milk, 1 scoop french vanilla slimfast, 1tsp matcha, 1tsp drinking chocolate mix, and 1tsp Irish Creme instant cappuccino mix. I really wanted to add a thicker, icyier texture to it as well as a berry flavor by adding 1/2 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries, but I didn’t have any.

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100

My koicha was so bitter this morning I reached for this. Sweet, rich, chocolatey, and fruity. The flowers on top gave more crunch than flavor, but they were a nice touch.

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Profile

Bio

Are you a company or tea blender on sites like Adagio that would you like your tea reviewed? If so, please e-mail me @ [email protected].

What I most enjoy from obtaining samples from companies to review is that it helps me to better learn to drink and review teas from a more objective perspective, meaning more of the “This tea is…” point of view rather than the “I like/don’t like” this tea. I feel objectivism in tea reviews is EXTREMELY important because no two tea drinkers tastes are exactly the same. I’ve also been extremely surprised by several teas. I love recieving a sample I think I will be only writing an objective review on, only to completely fall in love with it upon tasting it.

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Are you interested in redoing or starting your own tea related website or adding Search Engine Optimization? If so, please contact me at my work e-mail address: [email protected]
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Tea tastes:
I will ALWAYS pick loose leaf over tea bags. I only drink bagged tea if that’s my only choice or I find a flavor that I can’t find a loose leaf version for. When I do drink bagged; however, I always weigh my bag and am constantly curious as to the weight/flavor ratio- sometimes I am quite surprised by the flavor punch of light bags.

I have a preference for organic and fair trade teas (preferably both), but would never pass up an amzing tea just because it isn’t organic and/or fair trade.

I love savory teas.

I’m currently searching for a chai flavored soy powder or a soy based chai mix (either already mixed or a recipe).

I hardly EVER sweeten my teas. I feel that sweeteners (unless flavored like tea honeys, brown sugar, ice cream topping syrups, flavored coffee syrups, etc) do not add anything to the flavor profile of tea- in fact, I’ve found that they dumb down the flavors.

I NEVER serve my tea over regular iced cubes- I always make tea cubes.

I LOVE cooking w/ tea and making smoothTEAS.

I LOVE tea blending.

I rarely drink herbal teas unless they are mixed with true teas. My favorite herbals to mix with true teas are: spearmint, peppermint, lemongrass, rose hips, and gingeroot.

I can’t stand anything w/ fennel or anise. Hot black teas (except orange pekoe bagged tea that you get when you go out to eat and chai teas) tend to upset my stomach.

I drink matcha daily and love flavoring it. I’m also in a constant search of preflavored matchas.

I’m constantly searching for information on how to prepare tea authentically according to its country of origin.

My Tasting Notes Ratings (edited 8/8/10)
1: I can’t even stand the raw leaf enough to make this (I’ve never owned a tea w/ this rating, but I’ve smelled some before buying resulting in me NOT buying them that were that bad)

2: I steeped this tea but couldn’t stand the aroma enough to get it past my nose

3: I immediately gagged at the 1st sip and spit it out.

4: I manageed to get the 1st sip down, but I tossed the rest.

5: I drank the 1st cup but I can’t bring myself to resteep

6: Made it thru the entire set of infusions but I can’t bring myself to tinker w/ the parameters and won’t be making it again.

7-10: Does not taste anything like the ingredients or name suggests (i.e. Adagio’s Sour apple)

11-25: I can taste some of the ingredients, but the flavor is severely lacking

25-49: Teas that I would not consider bad in their flavor profile, but certainly below average

50: Average.

51-69: Teas above averge, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling them “good”.

70-75: Very good, but still room for improvement

76-85: Above average flavor profile

86-90: REALLY good flavors

91-99: Almost PERFECTLY achieves the goal of the ingredients and name of the tea.

100: Abosolutely perfect teas!

Other Interests: GOD! and all things pertaining to Him and His children, my dog Madison, travelling, and coffee.

Favorite Music: ANYTHING Christian. I don’t normally listen to secular music, but I do love jazz and swing.

Favorite Movies: Romantic comedies mostly. My Sister’s Keeper, P.S. I Love You, Fireproof, National Treasure Trilogy (I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE 3rd ONE TO COME OUT!), Night at the Museum 1 & 2, Sister Act 1 & 2, Yes Man, Bruce & Evan Almighty, rarely watch animated movies but LOVE anything 3D.

Favorite Books: THE BIBLE!!! & My Sister’s Keeper

Favorite Quotes: “A sad soul can kill you far quicker than a germ”- John Stienbeck "

Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing”- Aristotle

“You should always carry burdens, but they should never be your own”- me

“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” ~ Winston Churchill

“Mom was right, ‘because I say so’ is enough- at least when it comes to God.”- me

Favorite Foods: fried calamari, lemon chicken, anything w/ buffalo sauce.

Favorite Places: WA state, Switzerland, Orlando

Places I Want to Visit: Hawaii, Africa

Anything Else: I was born with a birth defect called Spina Bifida which is the failure of the spinal column to close en utero. Because of this I am a parapelegic and use a manual wheelchair.

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Oshkosh, WI

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