1845 Tasting Notes
A sipdown! (M: 18, Y: 18)
Why obviously sick people use public transport? To spread the germs?
Anyway, I haven’t slept much today (roughly 5 hours); draining day at work; and that public transport issue meant a few things. I am really tired and exhausted. Headache if I didn’t took the pill, so some extra healthy (full of vitamins) tea definitely wouldn’t hurt. And I need to finish a few teas as I bought 8 new Basilur teas today.
This one is quite pleasantly tart, somehow fruity. I don’t need to keep it in my cupboard, but not bad. Somehow generic, though.
Preparation
I had a single tea bag in my herbal box and today afternoon I wasn’t looking for any plain teas, instead some fruity blend would be nice I thought.
Took this one, saying on front side: “blackcurrant, rosemary, honey & hibiscus”. That sounds good. Ingredients on the other side: “nettle, hibiscus (24%), apple pieces, natural raspberry flavoruing with other natural flavoruings, rosemary (5%), beetroot, natural honey and blackcurrant flavourings with other natural flavourings (3%) thiamin, natural flavouring.”
Ehh, is this anything but flavouring?
Dry bag was soo medicinal with raspberry whiff. Steeped for 3 minutes gives me impression of artificial raspbererry; but when sipped, it’s just plain, and weak raspberry flavoured tea with herbal finish. Luckily it’s not tart, but it was very, very flat tasting.
Preparation
A sipdown! (M: 17, Y: 17)
“A buttery pastry” tea as described by Courtney is top-notch description of this tea. Sadly, it smells better than it tastes, but if you are looking for some flavour profile descriptors, here are a few: buttery pastry, vanilla, brown sugar and creamy.
Prepared as a family pot tea — 2L / 2 pyramids steeped for 5 minutes.
I have had 10 grams left and I never wrote a note for this tea? Let’s split it up and prepare western today. They say it can handle harsher steepings and western method definitely is.
Parameters: 5 grams / 85 °C water / 300 ml / plastic strainer / 4-5 minutes
Also, the leaves used to be more green than now; now they are definitely more yellow than they have been. I assume it is high time to sip down this lovely tea.
And how it is lovely? Well, first of all look at the picture. Long and wiry, not broken leaves, wonderful hue of fresh green color, with wonderful aroma; sadly no fuzzy leaves here.
Aroma is slightly nutty and buttery, grassy and meadowy, definitely it seems very fresh to me (this mostly applies for previous sessions, when it was much fresher). Now it is still quite nutty and grassy, but it is like a hay a bit.
When steeped:
1st steep
Definitely it is still very nice, though sadly in the flavour it is obvious it’s not so fresh anymore. The meadow notes are like in Indian summer, so hay is there; not so aromatic and floral, but lovely nutty aftertaste is still there and quite distinctive. No astringency or bitterness, even after such long steeping.
2nd steep
I would need to have side-by-side to notice differences between those two steeps. Second one seemed to me a bit more buttery and more hay-like, but that slightly nutty and some other notes like sunflower seeds are prominent.
In conclusion, it is good tea for western steeping too (I did it before though) and looking forward to use remaining leaves for gongfu steeping. It won’t last long, as I have wrote, it is high time to sipdown this tea. Afterall, it is a green tea… which tend to get over their best time quickly.
Preparation
I have grabbed quite a few tea bags from the TTB solely for my outer wrapper collection.
This was one of them and it is a first one I have brewed… from those grabbed teas per bag each.
Well, when I opened the envelope I have been struck with pineapple, which is strange as there is “Spiced Apple Tisane” on the back side of it. Nevertheless, I decided to brew it and step it as intended, so looong steep.
It has turned into apple juice, mouthcoating and fresh, however not much of spices. But as an evening thirst quencherit works well and it is actually quite tasty.
So, Thank You to the person who added it in. Also, the envelope is very kawaii, as you can see in the picture. It looks very same.
Preparation
A sipdown! (M: 16, Y: 16)
Yay, another office sipdown!
As I already wrote in note about English Breakfast from Basilur… I usually used to “blend” this tea with some black tea base — English Breakfast and after I have finished one, it was “Gold” by Basilur. However, last tea bag I decided to prepare plain and oh boy… so tart.
I agree with Courtney, it seems it is not equal and consistent in the bags… sometimes full of hibiscus, sometimes full of cranberry. She wrote about that during the sips, but it is also true for each bag. When it was more towards cranberry, it was definitely better.
Stevia? Well, I haven’t noticed anything from it here.
Now I have there Forest Fruits by Basilur as a fruit tea. I just hope I won’t have to dilute it with black tea base again.
Preparation
I bought a box of those (and of Oriental Jasmine) last year just before Christmas; as a gift for myself and also the price seemed quite fair.
I have tried Lavender Grey twice, yesterday for first time, today for second time; sadly both results are not so great. They have used pyramid sachets (in outer wrapping, well that was another reason for buying), but tea itself isn’t really top quality, rather it was a bit dusty and very broken, hardly to see any lavender buds there and in smell it was some generic “Earl Grey aroma” instead of fresh and distinct bergamot.
Sadly, when brewed it’s not much better. Tea base is fine, Ceylon with its bright citrusy notes, no astringency or bitterness, but somehow flat. Bergamot made me feel again that some cheap bergamot oil was used as it was again somehow mediocre and flat. And lavender? Well, in first session I haven’t noticed any, in second session it was just a bit of floral extra note… but I wouldn’t guess a lavender if it wasn’t labeled as such.
Preparation
A sipdown! (M: 15, Y: 15)
And this is again a very sad sipdown. This tea is lovely, very forgiving steeping paramters and yet so wonderful. I had roughly 6 grams left, so decided to use all the leaf for my western steeping.
I got so wonderful cup of tea, full of caramelised sugars from the leaves, hints of roasted and chocolate notes, some smooth and toasted notes; even 5 minutes steep did not brought any harsh and rough notes.
If anything… I will miss that forgiving steeping parameters. You can use any water temperature, I did 90°C — 3 minutes and 95°C — more than 5, but less than 10 minutes and both steeps were equally good. Also, it is low in caffeine, so definitely good for evening drinking too.
No, I am not crying. My eyes are just sweating.
Preparation
Sipdown prompt: A blend made in your home country — not really sure about that, as Sonnentor have at least two production facilites (one in Austria), but I will hope this one is blended and mixed in Czechia.
Not a sipdown yet, but 2 tea sachets remaining
As usual… yes; almost a sipdown. And, just after reading my first note, it was a free tea? I completely forgot about that!
Anyway, drank in the afternoon and remaining two bags will be finished hopefully still in January. I mean, it shouldn’t be a big deal… right?
What to write about this tea? Well, it is mellow green tea with nice amount of lemongrass. It is not overdone with other ingredients, artificial flavourings or such things. Both ingredients being distinctive enough and lovely. Organic sourcing is a plus for me.
Would I buy that again? As a daily drinker, why not? But I don’t drink greens that much.
Preparation
A sipdown! (M: 14, Y: 14)
Sipdown prompt: A small business blend — a small business blend for another small business
Definitely overaleafed (I just used the rest… which was apparently too much) and too hot water (90°C water instead of 80 or so, probably lazy me in the morning)
Well, it has lost of its flavor. Or I had too much green tea remaining and not that much of the fruits. It was grassy cup with fruit line indeed somehow similar to chewing gum as gmathis notices, though I never had Fruit Stripe one.
Nice mish-mash of those fruits; and grassy green tea, though a bit bitter this time for me… definitely both steeping errors didn’t help with the flavours. But I am happy to log another sipdown.
This seems to be a universal problem. Maybe people can’t take sick days? Maybe they just don’t care?
I know social and workplace policies are different in other parts of the world, so the reasons may be different as well, but in the States a big part of it is, yes, a lot of people can’t take sick days and also don’t have cars/can’t afford to take a cab.
But also that still sucks, for them and for you, and I’m sorry you had a rough day!
We have “sick leave” here, which means that doctor makes you stay at home. You get 60 per cent of average wage during those days, which can be critical for some, I assume.
Oh no, I hope you feel better soon.
Feel better soon Martin!
Thank you everyone. Feeling and working as intended and expected.
Yes, for me I live in the USA but do not get sick time so my very limited Paid Time Off has to be used for personal/holidays/sick/etc. and I only take public transit, so yeah, it is what it is.
Sorry you are not feeling well Martin!!