652 Tasting Notes

1 TB for 450mL water, bare, boiling water, 4-minute steep. Rating: 85.

I’ve drunk a lot of orange spice black tea over the years. Bigelow’s Constant Comment and Stash Orange Spice come to mind. A few years ago, Stash changed the kind or oranges they use, and now that tea knocks me flat with wonderful orange flavour … but the black tea base they use is not the best.

This Orange Spice, from my local teashop, is much better balanced. You can smell the organes right though the bag, of course, and you can also smell the lime leaves. The cinnamon complements but does not dominate. And best of all, the Ceylon used is mellow and gentle, lending an overall surprising creaminess to the mouth-fell.

I don’t usually count flavoured black teas in my favourites, but this one is really good.

Cofftea

Have you tried Market Spice tea by the brand of the same name? Both their flavored black tea as well as chai are really good and I love them both iced as well has hot. I was also curious as to why you include your ratings in your tasting note, but not on the rating slider.

Michelle Butler Hallett

Nope, haven’t tried Market Spice.

I can’t access the slider anymore — no idea why.

Cofftea

Strange, you should PM the overlords and let them know.

Michelle Butler Hallett

Now that I think on it, the problem accessing the sliders started when I switched to IE9. I can’t access features on various vendors’ review pages.

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89

5 tsp for 4 cups of the in a Breville One Touch Teamaker, 4-minutes steep, basket/agitate cycle on.

Much more of a scent of distant flowers on the tea today, nuances of bread and — er — roses. But not perfume roses, almost toasted roses, with some malt a few octaves down. Hard to describe. Delicious.

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100

The “basket” cycle rocks! If you’re making 4-5 cups of tea, you can set the basket to rise and fall during the steep to agitate the leaves a bit and draw out even richer flavour. I nearly swooned in ecstasy (luckily was already sick in bed) when I sipped some Kopili Assam made with the basket cycle on.

This teamaker kicks arse. Some of the best tea I’ve drunk in my life has been in the Breville over the last week.

nomadinjeopardy

Okay, I’ve been using this since Christmas and wasn’t aware! Thanks for the tip.

Michelle Butler Hallett

There’s a note about it almost at tne end of the instructions. You need te be making at least 4 cupes /1000mL of tea for it it work. If so, press the “basket” button as you’re preparing to brew, and away it goes.

Michelle Butler Hallett

The Breville is like an elephant, though — it remembers, even if you unplug it. So if you don’t the basket cycle on thenext time you make tea, press the “basket” button again to turn that feature off. And if you use if with less than 4 cups of water, the tea won’t steep properly at all, because then the basket will actually rise above the water.

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100

First use to make Long Life Oolong (oolong with peaches, apricots and almonds) from DavidsTea at medium strength.

I received the Breville for a birthday gift, and I am freakin delighted with it. One extremely important note: when you’re taking everything out of the box, DO NOT PUT THE CARAFE UNDER RUNNING WATER for a rinse and clean. The base has electronics in it.
The Breville demands a light wipe to clean it.

But I’ll happily put up with some diva behaviour. I have never tasted such exquisute oolong before. The constant temperature during steeping is an enormously good touch. And, of course, the water was at the best temp for oolong; with my kettle, I have to guess by how much steam is rising … not terribly accurate.

My one suggestion is to try oolong on the “weak” setting first. I did find the medium setting brought out a slight soapiness in the first few sips of the Long Life; I blame the dried fruit for that, though, not the Breville. I can’t wait to try a milk oolong in this today.

Everything worked beautifully — and silently.

And it’s shiny.

Michelle Butler Hallett

Been playing with the Breville all week. I am making tea in larger quanitites now — and drinking it — so I guess that means healthier me, or at least a good workout for my kidneys. I never much cared for tea made in a pot before, as it always seemed weaker to me than tea made by the cup or mug, even with an extra spoon of leaves “for the pot.” Got my beloved Britannia English Breakfast in there now, brewed at 5 minutes (a custom setting — apparently “strong” black tea steeps for 3 minutes in Breville-land), and it is FAHN. I do wonder at Farenheit temp readins and metric volume measures, but I can cope. If you drink a fair bit of tea, a Breville is a good investment. I’m really pleased with mine,

Michelle Butler Hallett

I see in another review a note about the tea scoop provided … it’s a tiny thing, a very scant teaspoon, and needly teas like Yunnan fall out. I suggest using your usual tea measure.

Michelle Butler Hallett

Tonight, I’m setting the timer so I can have some kick-arse Assam first thing in themorning. WIll report.

Batrachoid

Ooh, shiny! Happy birthday!

Michelle Butler Hallett

@ Baratchoid: tenk yew.

A note on brewing strength: using the basket cycle makes for stronger, much richer tea. Now I stick to 3 minutes when using the basket cycle. YUM.

Michelle Butler Hallett

Here I am, sipping some of my favourite English Breakfast, brewed by the cup in a filter … and ya know what? The Breville’s got me spoilt. Ruint! The basket function makes such rich tea and develops the flavour that much more that regularly steeped good tea is now starting to taste flat.

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85

I’ve had a few of these wiothout the extra syrup — much nicer aftertaste — and with both soy and dairy milk. Soy complements matcha better. This is a really refreshing treat that6 I dont mind paying the remium price for, because I cannot (yet) make it at home.

Sweet but not cloying, grassy, creamy. LOVE.

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75

1 TB for 450mL water, bare.

DavidsTea has jigged the formulation of Super Chocolate. I keep detecting a bit more green tea - lovely dark long leaves to look at- a little less fruitiness, and more creaminess from melting cocoa. I can no longer drink this one before going to bed, but I still knock it back throughtout the day. I swear, I can feel the antioxidants coursing through me. Still not a heavy chocolate tea, but definitely sweet enough to feel like a treat. Highly recommned.

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1 pyramid for 250mL water, bare.

So Tea Forte winsthe tea sachet design award. I love the pyramids with the little leaf tag. I try not to think of how wasteful the pyramids, with all their packaging, are. I just got the Tea Forte Sanctuary box (white ginger pear, jasmine green, sencha, silk oolong) as a gift, and I intend to enjoy it.

A very good silk (aka milk) oolong. Not as toasty-creamy as the Quangzhou from DavidsTea, but still very, very nice. Greener and more vegetal — I think I stepped it too long — with a hint of bitterness. Yeah, just have steeped too long. But definitely a buttery silk oolong, and quite silky at that.

Pretty sure that’s full leaf in the pyramid. And dang, those pyramid infusers are handy.

Yeah, IE 9 doesn’t talk to the slider bars below. Hmph. So, 4 minute steep with 87 degree water (estimated), ratng of 88.

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10

2 tsp (1 sample tin) for 250mL water, bare.

Reminds me of stale Halloween candy mixed with bubblegum, but this sweetness then gets undercut with a stab of hibiscus. Not for me.

Muiriddin

ugh, that sounds awful!

Michelle Butler Hallett

I am definitely in the minority. It’s mostly love, love, love for this one.

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80

1.5t tsp for 300mL water, bare.

Seriously velvety yum. The chocholate, raspberry and oasted mate are all intense, but they are also well-balanced. Refreshing. Still haven;t gotten up the nerve to try this in a gourd.

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94

1 gently rounded TB for 450mL water, bare.

Sweetly sharp peaches and apricots and buttery oolong. The sliced almonds add to the creamy mouthfeel. Steeps at least 3 times, even with a 4-minute 1st steep. Hubby compares this one to cognac. Love love love …

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Michelle Butler Hallett

Second steep this morning: mineral and peach-skin.

Uniquity

I had three lovely steeps of this one over the weekend. I like it much more than I remembered.

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Bio

Writer and tea fiend. Author of CONSTANT NOBODY, THIS MARLOWE, DELUDED YOUR SAILORS, SKY WAVES, DOUBLE-BLIND, and THE SHADOW SIDE OF GRACE.

I prefer straight teas but will try almost anything … so long as it’s not tainted with hibiscus. I loathe hibiscus.

Floral oolong and complex black teas are my favourites.

Location

St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

Website

https://michellebutlerhallett...

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