357 Tasting Notes
Backlog/Sipdown
There was more age to this tea than I had expected. While it was aged 10 years, there was more camphor & dankness (I need a better way of describing teas rather than using the term “dank,” because there are levels of dank. There’s “basement dank,” “earthy dank,” “mildew dank,” etc. I think the term dank, in this case, was noted regarding the age. Maybe it was wet stored, I’m not sure; if so, that might be the dank note that I meant) than expected. The only notes I made regarding the tea was, “Head high. Very nice liftoff during the session. Unfortunately short-lived at 6 infusions with each session. I wanted to sip more, but the power of the flavor lasted up to 6 steeps.”
Flavors: Camphor
Sipdown
Ceylon teas are the perfect tea for the end of the day. Yeah, it’s nearing 23:00, but that won’t stop me from drinking a simple light tea. Assam is by far something I stay away from after 17:00; this will not stop me from going to sleep. It may, at best, give me weird dreams, as all teas do.
This isn’t the most flavorful tea I’ve had, yet it’s nice. Soft floral and very, very lightly malty—to the point I can hardly notice it—which makes for the perfect cup to conclude the day.
I’ve been on the shou train for a few days now. I finished off TWO samples from The Steeping Room, where I had purchased 3 samples, after which drinking them too quickly, I decided to go for a cake. White2Tea didn’t have any on their site, so it was nice to see that it could be found elsewhere.
This is one of those cakes that wouldn’t, and likely won’t, last long in my possession. During the winter months, I’m typically obsessively sipping on shou, Lapsang, roasted oolongs, and aged sheng. However, the obsession has been more shou heavy thus far, and this one is easily one of the best shou puerh teas I’ve sampled. The tea soup is thick (motor oil thick), oily, cocoa heavy, earthy, and molasses sweet. I’m sure I’ll be back in a few weeks, or months, with the final thoughts.
Flavors: Chocolate, Cocoa, Earthy, Molasses, Oily, Sweet
Sipdown/Backlog
Dear Readers,
Sometimes when I decide to drink tea at work, I hardly make notes on tea bags or scrap paper stuffed inside after it’s completed. With that said, the only note that I had added here was, “Where the heck is the jasmine?” What else did I think of this tea? The world, including myself, will never know.
Backlog/Sipdown
I’m too sad writing this review for this is one tea that I really really really loved. Truly. It was my last bag and it took me way too long to drink it down. If I’ve mentioned my love of cinnamon before, I’m sorry, but this packed that cinnamon candy spice and sweetness with every cup. The worst part is that this is no longer available; if it were to find itself on DT’s virtual shelves again, I’m buying an insane amount.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Spicy, Sweet
The run of the mill TGY starter tea that would hook one into the tea game. It reminded me of the first time I sipped on real tea that wasn’t a Lipton bag or can of Arizona…Now, it’s quite a nice green, freshly floral tea, but it’s far from where I am now. Perhaps I’d share with someone new to the craft or wanting to dive deeper into tea, but it’s too green for me.
Backlog/Sipdown
Yikes, it’s November! I completely left these empty tea bags sitting without any reviews for the majority of October! Life got away from me. I still cannot fathom that we’re midway through November already. As much as I’ve been prepared for the holidays, I really wish they’d take their time to get here…
My wife made a batch of iced tea with the Peach Soda. She absolutely loves this tea; which means I’ll need to snag a few 50g bags next time. I don’t think B&B has the 150g bags anymore. This tea is similar to drinking a peach ring, and it’s incredibly sweet in itself; however, my wife enjoys her tea southern sweet, so I cannot drink more than a small sip.
Flavors: Candy, Peach
Sip Down
Sometimes with gongfu’d sessions, I get lost in the moment with the tea (or my ADHD kicks in, and I’m simply lost. Ha-ha). I noted that this was a 72/100 (I’m not sure why I added the 2%, on the account I like to rate on the 5% scale (e.g. 70, 75, 80, etc.)…), which means I had enjoyed the tea enough to rate it over 65%.*
I’m giddy that I have 5 days off from work! 2024 has truly blessed me with more time to take off work than any year prior. Sure, I appreciate my job, but I need a better grasp on the work-life balance, you know? I love life way, way, way, way, way more. Ha-Ha.
Wet Leaf: Melon rind, menthol, medicinal (Nyquil cough syrup).
1st thru 8th infusion: Lotus flower, floral, old honey (such as the one that is placed far back into a cupboard, forgotten, and starting to crystalize), black pepper, & medium-to-heavy mouthfeel.
*After attempting to edit my profile, to no avail, anything beyond 70% is superb, and has the likelihood of me obtaining more. No tea will reach 100%. If it did, then I’ll say good-bye to all other teas, and stock up on that one tea alone. 65% is standard; right in the middle of the road. It’s not bad, but nothing I’d purposely try again, unless offered, or pushed to try it again to reconsider my thoughts.
