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After the aged offering from Nannuoshan, I was in the mood for more Bai Mu Dan, so I picked this one out. It maybe wasn’t the best idea because even though I do really enjoy this tea, it’s always been on the more ‘delicate’ side, and it doesn’t shine as much after the thick, nectar-like aged Bai Mu Dan. It’s not surprising, and I love delicate white teas, but with a flavour like squash I want it to be more hearty than light. I’ve noted before how I wish this one were richer, with a thicker mouth feel. I wonder if I could Frankenstein the two to create the perfect tea?

I got the chance to try this when Nannuoshan added it to the EU TTB some time back, and was so enamoured with my first aged white tea that I decided to keep the remaining sample. This is a very unique tea, and I can’t really do it justice this afternoon as it was drank while doing puzzles in the newspaper and not really paying attention to it. It’s sweet, but not mild, almost like nectar with a mouth feel just as thick. There are some honeyed floral notes and something like sweet hay. The tea has a faint humming qi which is warming and comforting without being too defocusing or making me drowsy. It’s like a woolly jumper in tea form.

I’ve never had s’mores, being from the UK, and I don’t totally know what they are, though I have an idea. I definitely have no idea what a graham cracker is supposed to taste like! Not that it really matters, because all I taste in this tea is marshmallow (and tea). Don’t get me wrong, it’s an impressively accurate marshmallow flavour that I’ve only experienced one or two times in tea form, but there’s no chocolate that I can taste, or anything else which might be ‘graham cracker’. That being said I’ve really enjoyed it each time I’ve had it, and I’ve had it a few times now, from both Janelle and VariaTEA. Thank you, ladies! It’s a good sweet treat, and it always amazes me how accurate the marshmallow is, even though I wish there were more of the other elements noticeable in the sip. The tea is robust enough to add a maltiness to the cup, without adding any astringency, which I appreciate.

Though Della Terra has gone out of business now, I know their supplier is still around and several other companies sell the same blends. So, eventually, I will probably try to find this from another vendor. For now it’s a sipdown (202/399).

I received this as a sample when I purchased teaware from The Tea Makers of London, and I think it’s the first Darjeeling EG I’ve tried. In theory, I don’t know why it’s not done more often – the citrus notes of the bergamot surely complement the floral and citrus notes in a Darj. In practice, it’s not quite what I was expecting. There are huge chunks of bergamot rind in the leaf, and I was expecting a powerful citrus punch, but it’s so subtle that it meshes seamlessly with the Darjeeling and the overall impression is of a naturally perfumed tea that you almost can’t tell has additives. That’s not a bad thing – in fact I’d say this tea has been blended very well – but it’s not what I was expecting when I brewed it up.

I’m not getting much coffee from this this morning, which is strange because there were a bunch of beans in my infuser and it’s normally pretty noticeable in this blend. At first, the cup was quite chocolate and cardamom forward, but as it cools the cinnamon and ginger are coming out more. I’ll have to try making this into a latte at some point to see if that brings everything out better – I get the feeling that this would make a great latte. Overall I prefer B&B’s Dark Choc Chilli Chai to this one – very similar, but with a chilli kick instead of the coffee beans, and a more pronounced chocolate note.

I’d love to be more detailed, but I always have a random sneezing fit first thing in the morning and it’s hitting me now, and with a partially-blocked nose I can’t taste as much. The sneezing thing is weird though, right? Maybe it’s hay fever?

My cupboard count has gone up one because for some reason this wasn’t in it, even though I’ve had it for a while now and the other Curious Tea I got at the same time was in there. Weird. For the first couple of minutes while it’s steeping, this smells super strongly of marzipan, before the malt takes over and it becomes more savoury, almost bready. In the sip it’s sweet and sour, malty with some almond and stone fruit notes reminiscent of apricot, and a sweet floral finish. It’s a deep and robust tea, and I personally would use less leaf in future than the 2 tsps recommended as it is very mildly astringent and sits quite heavy on the stomach. I think it’s flavourful enough that it would still be quite bold with less leaf. It’s a nice one to sip on without too much thought while I’m working.

Cold brew amazingness.

This is not only the best English Tea Shop tea I’ve had (by far), but it’s also the best cantaloupe tea I’ve had, including Lupicia and Butiki. And it’s definitely the best TK Maxx purchase I’ve ever made, ha. This is a seasonal blend which is part of ETS’s Christmas collection for some reason, but next time it comes around I think I might pick up another tin. Every time I drink it I can’t get over the accuracy of the melon. Every. Single. Time. Cold brewed it’s even more accurate, though the liquorice sweetness does come out a little more this way. I used my last 3 teabags for this cold brew, but I’ve replaced the water to see if I can get another batch out of it. This has definitely been one of the biggest surprises to me in my tea discovery journey, and one which will in all probability be a repurchase.

I had a cup of this over a family Zoom call with my brother and his girlfriend, who have just finished university today! We haven’t been able to see them because of Covid, so it was nice to have a chat and celebrate with them. Because of the context (and because I changed to wine part way through the cup to toast them) I wasn’t paying too much attention to my tea. I remember a nice, mild rooibos with creamy coffee notes at the end of the sip, but that’s about it.

I would like to try this cold brewed, I think.

The citrus zing of this one has mellowed out over time, so it’s actually more enjoyable now than it was fresh. There’s just too much going on in this tea for me to really appreciate it, but the tangerine and maple flavours are the most prominent. It’s not a common flavour combination, and not one I gravitate towards often, but it was nice enough this afternoon. A light, fruity oolong with some sweetness. I’m going to up the rating a little from 59, because as I said, this has gotten better with age.

Bumping my rating up again, this time from 60, because I’ve found a way to drink this without the sweetness being overpowering. I cold brewed two teabags for around 24 hours in 12oz of water. Then, I stirred in a teaspoon of cream and poured over ice in a large glass. The pumpkin flavours still come through, but it’s not cloying any more and the sweetness is more muted. I think this would make a good replacement for an iced latte. In fact, I’m wondering about adding a teabag to cold brew coffee. Maybe that’ll be my next experiment with this tea…