54 Tasting Notes
I usually like Rishi Teas, in fact, I love their Matcha and quality of teas, but their version of Jasmine is a little too heavy on Jasmine, not enough green tea…there is an imbalance.
I am a Jasmine tea lover but this is a little too strong. I like to keep the tea bag in the whole duration of drinking because I like strong tea, but the Jasmine is overpowering.
You can tell this tea is still a good quality tea, but imbalance in taste.
Would I buy again?…probably not.
Again, good quality, but needs to have better blending.
Preparation
A pleasantly delicious tea and a first time trying this brand and blend of tea; good quality teas, you can tell in the taste.
I am not too familiar with this type of blend, but I expected a heartier flavor profile. It is very tasty but not what I thought it would be; I was expecting a smokier taste, not as much as Lapsang Souchong but at least contributing to the flavor. This Russian Caravan is smooth…actually, this is all I can say about it, there is really no depth or complexity to it. I am aware that this type of blend does have some Lapsong Souchong blended in for flavor and intrigue, but the only time you taste smokiness is in the aftertaste and then it’s only a whisper on the palate. When drinking, Russian Caravan is somewhat malty, again, not as much as drinking Assam alone but noticeable.
Not a hearty tea however, a good afternoon tea.
Would I recommend this blend, yes…for the afternoon or when you don’t feel like a heavy, malty blend. I would like to try this same blend from other vendors for comparison.
I would say try this for something different, quiet and refined.
Preparation
On the write-up for this tea on the Mark Wendell website they state: “Our special blend contains no smoky aromas.” This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I find personally, because lapsang souchong can really be absolutely overpowering in blends. Also if you’re doing it “Russian style” in which you make a really strong zavarka in a small pot and use that throughout the day in small quantities, topping it off with hot water from the kettle…. Lapsang that steeps that way seems to release much more of the smoke flavor than wha’s released in the normal English steeping method of 5-5 minutes, The idea of Russian Caravan is that the Silk Road overland caravans exposed the bundles of tea to nightly campfires and that it took on a smokiness as a result. If the goal was to actually try to recreate that, I’d think the smoke taste would be extremely subtle. Lapsing is actually deliberately smoked. Its a taste unto itself, but is really difficult to incorporate subtly, without totally masking what’s there, imho. Anyway, in a tea like this, I find it’s far better to err on the side of subtlety, and this seems to be the deliberate decision they made.
Simply put, Rishi Tea offers high quality, Organic teas…and this tea is no exception!
Delicious, malty with a good, full mouth feel and yet, very smooth. Instead of the “chocolate” note described, I would describe it more of a soft caramel undertone…a hint of sweetness but not cloying.
This Yunnan Breakfast is so smooth, it does not leave any aftertaste…DELICIOUS!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this tea.
Preparation
Red Leaf Tea Emperor’s Matcha is very Earthy, green and vegetal. This matcha has a very creamy, thick mouth feel…VERY UMAMI!!!
The only way I describe the flavor profile is a creamy-spinachy taste and vegetal to the palate. The flavor stays with you after finishing your portion; with a slight hint of sweetness undertone.
The matcha whisks up into a very thick, creamy, bright almost fluorescent green crema on top of a beautiful dark Jade green liquor…VERY BEAUTIFUL, exactly what you strive for when preparing and enjoying a bowl of matcha!
Best made as KOICHA, but can add more water to taste if desired.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this matcha if you are a connoisseur or are familiar with the proper preparation of this fine beverage.
Preparation
FANTASTIC!!!… I love this matcha. Aiya produces high quality matcha; it’s vegetal and grassy with just a hint of sweetness [a natural sweetness that comes from vegetables like carrots so that it is not cloying] to be enjoyable.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this matcha.
Preparation
Usual matcha characteristics. A very pleasant vegetal, grassy taste; no sweetness but a joy on the palate. This is a “thin” matcha so the mixture tends to be watery, so adjust accordingly.
Overall, I do recommend trying this matcha just for the experience alone. A good starter matcha, not a bad price for good quality.
Preparation
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS MATCHA TEA!!!
Aroma: Vegetal and somewhat fruity [let’s say a little honeydew melon and a little cucumber].
Taste: Oh what joy! Very delicious! Very fresh too! The taste is a palatable persona of the aroma. This matcha has a slight fruity undertone complementing the overtone of grass [but not earthy…let me explain, when I think of “earthy” I taste the minerals from the dirt and maybe a little mushroom…again, the dirty earth…“grass” to me is earthy but as a vegetal characteristic]. The fruit that is playing harmony on the palate is honeydew melon and cucumber [and YES, a cucumber is a FRUIT!]; it is slight but still noticeable…it actually does complement the vegetal aspect rather than overtake the whole flavor profile. You do experience umami (a mouth feel) which is a little drying…but it “fills” the mouth with the extra sensation of taste.
Aftertaste: Well, there is such an experience but not much of one. The aftertaste is a little spinachy, a little fruity and a little vegetal. The drying feel on the tongue still lingers but not for long.
To add to the experience of preparing and drinking this tea, was the color of this matcha…a chartreuse green…nice, bright, vibrant; then it dulled a little when water is added which turns it to a more of a medium-green jade.
I would highly recommend purchasing this matcha! It is offered at a good price for the amount compared to other companies whom offer less at a more elevated price.
A must buy!
Preparation
SURPRISINGLY!!!, I really enjoyed this tea. I am not a big fan of this brand now that I have tried many others, but this tea I did like.
Aroma: The typical green tea characteristics. A little floral, a little sweet [not cloyingly, but the kind you would expect from a sweet flower rather than cane sugar] and surprisingly, not very astringent or pungent. A light green fragrance/aroma.
Taste: Same as aroma. For a green, this tea is a little floral, a little sweet with the tiniest bit of brightness [NOT astringency, but brightness]…a nicety on the palate. Enjoyable.
Aftertaste: Not much to speak of. It dances across the taste buds with a floral sweetness, a brightness [no astringency] and a slight vegetal accent. Nice and pleasant.
I would recommend this tea for green tea lovers. I am not a big fan of Chinese green teas [except for Jasmine green teas], I am more of a Japanese green tea lover but I do really enjoy this tea a lot!
Preparation
NOT impressed AT ALL!!!! I bought this tea thinking it might be a superior grade/quality than their other matcha offering but sadly I was wrong.
Aroma: A little vegetal, thin and watery.
Taste: Same as aroma, a very watery, Earthy-spinach taste. Very thin, watery no balance, sweetness, or even astringency and no umami. No mouth feel, no drying…absolutely nothing. A very watery, thin, paleness to the palate. The taste is somewhat palatable; it is very Earthy as if the spinach still possess the grit and dirt from the Earth, not dirty, gritty or awful, but an earthiness that is more prominent than the vegetal aspect. This matcha seemed stale and old…the color is of a dark green almost the olive hue other matcha connoisseurs will recommend staying away from but you won’t know until you open the sealed bag that comes inside the canister.
Aftertaste: None.
To be honest, I would not recommend wasting your money on this one, there are a whole plethora of other brands out there that are far superior than this one. Furthermore, I must defend my somewhat high rating considering such a dismal descriptive tasting note; The Republic of Tea’s matcha, this “newer” version, did have an interesting taste profile, albeit a weak one, but none-the-less, interesting. It was the earthiness that was it’s saving grace.
Preparation
I was pleasantly surprised from this tea. It reminded me at first sip of an Earl Grey (I must admit, I DO NOT like Bergamot oil), so Earl Greys are my least favorite teas. However, upon finishing my cuppa, I really enjoyed drinking this tea and can’t wait until my next mug.
The aroma is of a nice, mild black tea with a soothing, sweet fruity character.
The taste profile, is as the aroma describes; it is a nice mild black tea which is complimented discernibly by the lichee/lychee/litchi fruit; neither taste facet overwhelms the other, the lichee/lychee/litchi fruit nicely compliments the black tea and the black tea is not too strong as to overtake the palate. Foojoy never mentions what type or blend of black tea(s) they use for this offering but it is exemplary and delicious!
The aftertaste is not much. There is no lingering of any kind, just a sweet whisper of the fruit and a mild reminder of the tea. There is no mouth feel, tartness or bitterness that is leftover.
Since venturing into lichee tea and pleasantly surprised by it, I will be trying this brand’s loose leaf version as well as other brand’s version of lichee tea(s).
I highly recommend this tea…a fun, delicious finding!
