1429 Tasting Notes

I think I let this sample from OMGsrsly sit too long to get a strong sense of white grapefruit, but that doesn’t change the fact that it still makes up pleasant cup of white tea.

It’s sweet, floral, suggestively tangy, with an almost peppery note. There’s also a sweet, vaguely textural element that reminds me of crystal/rock candies but it’s very light.

Flavors: Bamboo, Citrus, Cucumber, Floral

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 4 min, 30 sec
OMGsrsly

Oh too bad. This one was very grapefruit when I got it.

Crowkettle

It was extremely disappointing but not surprising given how I stored it. I’ll just have to pick some up myself when I’m up to buying tea again! :)

Plunkybug

Sounds lovely though, even if less grapefruit than expected.

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drank Royal Abkhazi by Silk Road
1429 tasting notes

After cleaning out my tea cupboard I realized one of the reasons for my tea hiatus this last year; I have 80 some specimens and only three of them are green oolong. It’s full of puerh, black tea, and flavoured greens. That’s just not right, but at least there’s now true motivation to drink down all the teas.

This is a nice Earl Grey that would be run-of-the-mill if not for the Vanilla. It’s an “ice cream with waffle cone” level of vanilla indulgence.

Flavors: Bergamot, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank April in Paris by SAHARA TEA
1429 tasting notes

Here’s another interesting tea originally from MissB. I can’t believe that swap meet was almost a year ago, yet I still have so much of the tea! Argh..

I taste something here that I really like. I suspect it’s the the pellet-like black tea variety used in this blend. It looks like Kenyan Tinderet from David’s Tea. The overall taste reminds me of Stacy’s Grapefruit Creme Brulee, which also utilized an identical looking Kenyan base.

The flavours are kind of tangy in a sour stone-fruit way, which sweeps into a particularly smooth and floral honey, and is then grounded by some earthy chocolate notes. The aroma is perfume-like, capturing the full range of the tea’s fruity and floral elements.

Flavors: Earth, Floral, Honey, Red Fruits, Rose, Stonefruit

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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This nurtures a strong craving for POG Juice. Oddly enough, spiced carrot cake may be in the cards as well. It’s strange but very tasty.

Thanks, MissB!

Flavors: Cake, Carrot, Cocoa, Guava, Lime, Nutty, Orange, Passion Fruit

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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Mmm, smoke and blueberries. I’ll drink that.

Maybe I’ll sniff it incessantly too… Um, I’m a sucker for smokey smells.

We can be friends.

Flavors: Blueberry, Smoke

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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drank Bien Sûr by Jardin du Thé
1429 tasting notes

Smells like a sour lavender banana and tastes more like citrus-ginger fruit tree; it’s definitely a puzzler to the senses. I think I’d like this if there was more banana, the tea base was more noteworthy, the ginger was fresh and sharp, or something. There’s potential here.

Thanks for sending this one out, MissB. I never would’ve thought of such an ingredient pairing if not for this tea! Now I want a eclectic fruit smoothie.

Flavors: Banana, Ginger, Lavender, Lemon, Tree Fruit

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Fjellrev

Crazily weird scent and flavour combinations there.

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Once upon a time I bought a quince with OMGsrsly. I never actually got to eat it because I left on a long trip the next day, but the smell and all of the possibilities still stick with me. Also, without that little event I would never have known what a quince is and would have had absolutely no reference for this tea. It’s not a good reference, mind you— I’ll have to buy another quince for that!

I’m not swooning over the base here, although fragrant fruit coupled with seaweed note creates a heady, almost apple-like feel. There’s also a dry, prickly vibe here that I’m having a hard time describing. It works for me though!

Thanks, MissB for sharing and passing this along to OMGsrsly!

Flavors: Apple, Citrus, Fruity, Seaweed

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 1 min, 30 sec
MissB

Wait, what? I shared this tea? Oh my goodness, that tells you just how memorable it was. Purchased, I think, in a cool dollar-store-meets-IKEA kinda place in Brussels, Belgium. Glad you liked it!

Crowkettle

Lol! It just goes to show that if you pass along it along far enough someone is bound to appreciate the “dollar-store-meets-IKEA” green tea :) Thank you!

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85
drank Sun and Cloud Mist by 52teas
1429 tasting notes

New 52teas rendition.

Yep, It may not be on the label anymore but a fabric softener soft, fluffy kitten is still the perfect metaphor for this tea: smooth and creamy until the tiny lemongrass claws come out, but hey, it’s not a big deal because they’re tiny, little kitten claws! So cute. I’ll miss this one.

Flavors: Lemon, Lemongrass, Marshmallow, Vegetal

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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I love mango fruits and desserts but I have yet to encounter a a mango tea that I’ve fallen in love with. While this isn’t a bad fruity rooibos it didn’t do it for me either.

There is a good dose of mango and papaya present. Pineapple is a listed ingredient but I didn’t pick up on that as much. Not bad, but moving on.

Flavors: Mango

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 7 min, 15 sec
teaqueen

The Tao of Tea has a very nice Black Mango blend. It’s a CTC black tea base, but the flavoring is genuine and very tasty.

Crowkettle

Mm, I’ll have to check that out when I’m down a few more teas. I’m still hopeful.

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I currently have a big tea problem. Picture uncharted tea rapids whose vast force hasn’t found release in over a year. It’s all wild, untended terrain here. Poor tea.

Anyways, I’m going to try and use Steepster to work my way through this while also attempting to salvage tea appreciation.

This tea, which was poking out of an overflowing cupboard screaming from torture and neglect, seemed like as good a place as any to start. Also, “snowball” effect. Let’s channel that.

While coconut and chocolate teas are usually far from my favourites, this cloudy looking concoction was very easy to drink. Adding milk gave it some textural depth, which the chocolate, marshmallow, and coconut mentally tease me with, but there’s enough going on that it’s decent without milk too.

The last cup I had cooled quite a bit before being found in the house again, and it was still decent. The coconut flavour here was particularly strong.

Flavors: Cocoa, Coconut, Marshmallow

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Sil

sounds fun :)

Crowkettle

It would be more fun if I had more than three oolong types in this tea horde. After a year I guess I should count myself lucky that it’s mostly resilient puerh XD

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Profile

Bio

I started my Steepster loose leaf adventure back in 2012. I can’t say I’m completely new anymore, but I still view oolong as a magical, extraterrestrial creature that unfurls in water.

My favourites are teas like Milk Oolong, Silver Needle,and Japanese Sencha/Gyokuro, or fruity and floral flavoured ones. However, I generally enjoy ALL the teas, including a good old cup of Earl Grey or Breakfast blend.

FAVOURITE INGREDIENTS/NOTES:

DESSERT FLAVOURS
Vanilla, Maple, Caramel, Butterscotch, Cream, Toffee, Nougat, Marzipan, Butter

FRUIT & BERRIES
Citrus Fruits, Passionfruit, Banana, Pineapple, Melons, Blackberry, Raspberry, Currants, Elderberry, Persimmon, Rhubarb..

SPICES
Ginger, Turmeric, Clove-forward chai, Cardamom

AROMATIC & HERBACEOUS NOTES
Sandalwood, Frankincense, Juniper, Eucalyptus, Mints

FLORALS
Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Lilac, Violet, etc.

VEGGIE/GRAIN NOTES
Spinach, Grass, Hay, Cucumber, Rice, Sweet Potato

Less Preferred Flavours/Ingredients:
Stevia, Apple, Cocoa Nib, Almond, Licorice, Cinnamon-forward blends, Chinese Sencha

Subjective Rating System:
I don’t give a lot of low ratings out, since a) I tend to grab tea I know will appeal to me, and b) I don’t have a lot of strong dislikes.

90-100: Favourites. The Desert Island Teas.
80-89: Loved teas. Possibly staple-worthy.
70-79: Good teas, but I’m less likely to repurchase. Minor quibbles.
60-69: Ok teas. Likely a few preference and/or quality issues.
50-59: Cup of meh. Will do in a pinch.
11-49: Varying levels of undrinkable tea.
1-10: Nightmare tea from the chaos realms. This tea is the embodiment of the primordial swamp, an unholy abomination. It’s very gross and I’m almost positive it doesn’t exist.

Location

BC, Canada

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