4843 Tasting Notes
Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me a sampling of this to try.
I tried to find this on the special-teas, etc website but couldn’t.
This is really tasty – even if it has a weird name (or name spelling). The berry flavor is plentiful here, and it is fruity and juicy enough to conceal the sometimes funky-tasting rooibos as well as the often-too-tart hibiscus. It is enjoyably tart and beautifully sweet.
I really like it.
Preparation
This is a very interesting herbal – all the flavors are very well represented in my cup, and it makes for a very unusual yet tasty tea.
The ginger and licorice seem to be the strongest flavors here, and I like how they taste together. The sweetness of the licorice seems to accent the peppery notes of the ginger (the pepper also highlights this quality of the ginger), while the warmth of the ginger really plays to the sharp notes of the licorice. It’s very interesting and deliciously different.
The lemongrass offers a sweet, smooth lemony flavor that adds a bright, fresh taste to the cup. And the peppermint sneaks up and kicks in right at the finish – very crisp and clean tasting.
I am really enjoying this – much more than I thought I would. It’s tasty!
Preparation
Having previously sampled this blend when it was called “Mardi Gras Celebration Chai” and sold by Aura Zen Tea (which is aka Jar of Tea), I kind of postponed my sampling of the tea (since I already knew what to expect).
If you’re interested, I reviewed the tea previously here: http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=11486
This is a decent tasting tea, although I don’t think I personally would call it a “chai” – of course, since “chai” means tea, I guess it is perfectly acceptable to call it a chai, but when I think of “chai” I think of masala chai, and I don’t really consider this a masala blend.
It is, however, very delicious. It has a strong cinnamon flavor – like the cinnamon candy. It is a very enjoyable tea to drink, with a pleasant sweetness and a very fruity character – juicy and delicious.
Preparation
I am really enjoying this tea – so much more than I thought I would.
The aroma is very nice – it smells a bit of a fine wine, pleasantly fruity and crisp.
The flavor is very tender and soft, but not so delicate that I cannot taste the wine notes and the lovely taste of the white tea. It is very gentle – very nice for someone who likes the taste of wine but doesn’t drink it very often and has a hard time holding her alcohol… like me!
Very nice!
Preparation
Doulton – I love you. Thank you for sending me this tea. It is truly amazing.
This is a yellow tea. Of course, it doesn’t look like a yellow tea… or at least, not like the yellow teas that I’ve experienced before. This is my first experience with a Meng Ding Huang Ya like this – the leaves are quite a bit darker than other Meng Ding Huang Ya teas that I’ve tried.
But I’m not complaining at all, because this tea is sublime. Delicious, rich, nutty, sweet. No astringency, no bitterness… just deliciousness. I can taste only a subtle hint of vegetative quality at the finish.
Put simply, this is an amazing tea. I want more.
Preparation
The second infusion of these leaves is equally as amazing. It is a little lighter, but the flavor is still sweet and nutty and delicious. YUM!
Your review has me intrigued. Any idea where I can get a sample of this without shelling out the money for 100g?
Unfortunately, I do not. I used the only leaves I had of this today. In my opinion, it IS worth the money, though, and I will probably be placing an order within the next couple of months.
Ok, this is where I reveal what a tea idiot I am w/ some aspects. I just got this updated from Upton… the name is similar… but is the tea similar?
ZG62: Huang Shan Mao Feng Superior “This hand crafted tea is a more affordable version of our Supreme Huang Shan Mao Feng. The cup is sweet, with notes of apricot and pear. The liquor has a slightly darker hue than the Supreme, and is notable for it’s smooth flavor and light, sweet aftertaste.” 40g packet is $10.80; more about this item at:http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/index.asp?home=Item&itemID=ZG62
No, I don’t think that they are similar, Mao Feng is a green tea, where as the Meng Ding Huang Ya is a yellow tea. Yellow and green teas are different in flavor, texture and process. Also, this Meng Ding Huang Ya is different from even other Meng Ding Huang Ya teas that I’ve tasted. Most of the Meng Ding Huang Ya teas that I’ve encountered have been yellow to yellow-ish green in color, where these leaves were quite a bit darker… still possessing some of the green and yellow hues but much darker in color.
Ok. Well I tried. Yellow tea is like Pu Erh… I’ve seen it lumped w/ both green and oolong. And white too I think. Runs and hides in shame of her stupidity…
This is one of the samples that I ordered way back when it was on Steepster Select.
The bergamot here is pleasant, and is nicely complemented by the lemon peel and lemongrass. It really adds emphasis on the citrus flavor of the bergamot. The jasmine flowers do not contribute an immense amount of flavor to the cup, but there is a subtle whisper of jasmine to the taste.
Astringent but not bitter, somewhat dry though. The combination of the bergamot and lemon-y qualities makes for a different flavor than I’m accustomed to when it comes to Earl Grey. That’s not a bad thing… it just is different.
Preparation
This is very nice – it tastes, well… like a black tea blend with a drizzle of honey in it.
A pleasant tea with which to start the day.
Preparation
Does it have a thick honey mouth feel to it as well?
No. But then, I don’t get a thick honey mouth feel when I add a drizzle of honey in my tea. It dissolves and becomes part of the tea and doesn’t alter the texture enough to be very noticeable unless I’m actually focused on trying to detect it. This is simply flavored with honey flavoring, which is most likely an oil based flavoring (like most tea flavorings are), and so it wouldn’t affect the texture of the tea, just the flavor.
This has a nice balance of flavors. The hibiscus is tart, but, the sweetness of the peach, mango and passion fruit offset that tartness very well. Yes, the cup is still tart, but there is a very pleasant sweetness – almost like nectar!
The strong flavors of this cup have also offset the sometimes unpleasant woodsy and weird sweetness of the rooibos. I can taste subtle hints of a woodsy quality, but it’s not strong, and rather than being off-putting, it’s nice and adds some depth and interest to the flavor. I can also taste a honey-esque note from the honeybush.
This is one of the most flavorful honeybush/rooibos blends I’ve had in a long time. Very fruity and delicious.
Preparation
Delish!
The needles are so soft and fuzzy. They have a very soft fragrance that smells fresh – with hints of grass and flowers.
I can taste the citrus and melon notes as noted in the description. The flavor is very delicate. It has a very smooth, appealing sweetness. Very good.
