JustJames Send Message

this is my follow up review for this tea.

a golden assam… it’s a novel idea. it certainly looks lovely, all golden and curled, reminding me of verdant’s golden fleece or a nice loose puerh. however, for me an assam is darker, has smokey notes or maybe cocoa which this one does not/is not.

i like my teas to stand out, to be really distinctive; comforting, a wake up in the morning, brilliant flavour… it can be distinctive in it’s subtlety. visually it is elegant, but when judging teas there should be something about the taste that you never forget— and honestly, this tea has none of that for me.

i wasn’t sure how i felt about a golden assam, i am now (or at least how i feel about this one). it’s not memorable for me on any level. hot short steep, cooler longer steep… it just doesn’t do anything for me.

hmmm, the ever diligent angel contacted me the other day having noticed my low initial review of this tea. she politely offered some suggestions for steeping differently than i had. let me emphasize that in no way was she pushy or inappropriate— she is a woman passionate about tea and teavivre and so customers, reviewers and their opinions are important to her.

i agreed to resteep… it’s hard to refuse when someone asks so politely. honestly, the first go round was so bad that i really wasn’t expecting to like the tea regardless of the advice, but i was wrong.

1.5 tspns for 16 oz tea cup steeped for a hair short of 90 seconds (it was getting rather dark and i wanted to err on the side of caution).

what did i get? a light tasting, non caffeine stick tea reminiscent of a fruit/wood mix. not oak though… more like the light scent of balsa wood crossed with a just-left-the-room sandalwood. truly lovely!

thank you so much angel for your expertise.

i am happy to re-rate… (and yes, ultimately i will buy).

haven’t had pumpkin creme brulee before, although i have had sweet potato (which was to die for).

i get the spices and the creaminess, i also get the crisped sugar topping, but i’m not getting as much pumpkin as i’d like. might just be that a longer steep time would work better? of course that was a sample so it won’t happen unless i order some! lol.

still, a very skilled blend…. very smooth and quite complicated to create!

dear tao tea leaf,

i know that i reviewed this tea just last week but felt i should review it again as i am sipping my last cup.

the sample (which now sits damp and wilted in my tea basket) was kindly shipped to me by my friend scribbles. i do love this blend of yours. i love it so much that i actually dislike the name because it’s so banal!

i have no idea if scribbles is in your employ, but if she isn’t i really think you should consider it because i placed my first order with you last night as a direct result of her actions. at the very least she should get a kickback… or a friends and family discount…. maybe you could hire her as a blend sampler!

all because she sent me a sample of this tea. it wasn’t even from a swap…. it was just because she’s awesome… and while ordering more of this tea i stumbled over a bunch of other stuff i wanted to try and noticed that shipping was free in canada if i bought 35$ worth (which i did…. because it seemed sensible).

…… so yeah, scribbles really should get a discount. in my opinion. btw, has my order shipped yet?

sincerely,
JustJames

this blend was a repertoire contribution by the lovely ShortSorceress.

not one i ever would have bought for for myself. i just don’t tend towards peach for the most part… but last night i figured instead of drinking a black or puerh immediately before bed, perhaps i should try something lighter in the caffeine department and i’d been putting off steeping this one up.

it was actually quite nice! you know the peach juice they sell at tim hortons and carnivals? it was alot like that, but with a not-fabricated-with-chemical-names-you-can’t-pronounce-along-with-red-dye-#5-and-yellow-dye-#83 taste! lol.

very juicy. pure peach. sincere. still not my thing, but nice to settle off to bed with.

ah coco lemon thai…. you were an original idea that i enjoyed for awhile, but i’ve moved on… and so should you. (sipdown) tamarind pop calls me from my future butiki order. (sorry coco… must fly)

WOW! the dry leaf is astonishing: light, floral and fruity. i smell lemon only lightly and deeper tones of red grape. a very light tobacco hint and i’m not even sure tobacco is the right descriptor, but it’s absolutely not smoke.

definitely a darjeeling… but the scent profile makes me imagine darjeeling fields waiting to be picked, brilliant sunlight glinting over a broad field in india.

this is a brilliant tea. summer in a cup. lovely. sorry i only grabbed a sample of this one!!!

and just as quickly as this tea arrives in my mail box it is gone with our youngest. sigh. truth be told i mostly got it for him anyway… i was snooping to see what 52teas was releasing this week while he was hanging around and he was very enthusiastic.

i did get A cup of it though, lol. nice and smooth. a strong but not overpowering rootbeer taste. awesome with cream and sugar. i HAD planned on trying it iced, then maybe a straight cold steep…. ah well, i’ll pick my son’s brain when he’s back!