618 Tasting Notes

74

I’m writing this tasting note under this tea even though I think it might have a new name, “Dulce De Leche” — not sure if it has different ingredients, but I think it’s the same tea. I love the little caramel pieces in the dry leaf! The scent of this cup is very sweet with just a bit of oolong peeking out.

Sipping… I’m surprised that the flavor of this tea isn’t that strong. I do taste caramel and it’s a very nice round caramel flavor. It’s not only sweet, but has that buttery, milky character that makes caramels so delicious. I’m impressed that this flavor can be present in a tea! What I don’t like about this cup is that it’s rather drying and sharp. The oolong doesn’t really seem to contribute anything to this blend, only that drying quality with a hint of wood. Sad, because this tea has such potential to be delicious!

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86

I’ve been through a few pouches of this tea and am having my very last cup right now. Even though I’m a little bit less enthusiastic about this tea than before, it’s still pretty tasty. I wish that more creamy milkshake flavor were in this tea, but it is a nice strawberry and honeybush blend. Now I’ve got to track down another yummy milkshake rooibos or honeybush blend!

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90

I’m trying to make some progress on drinking some of my tea collection. I bought myself some special teas to celebrate graduating from college last Friday and my shelves are on the verge of exploding. I have so many teas to drink! Many of them aren’t even opened, but are just waiting until I drink a bit more and make room. I have a little bit of this Milk Oolong sitting around and it would be nice to finish it off sometime soon.

The scent of this tea is buttery, green and floral. It smells like a typical milk oolong, if I am to be honest. Sipping… oh, I like this one. It’s sweet, buttery and very smooth. I like how the floral notes are toned down a little so the buttery character can take center stage. This one is delicious! It lacks some of the peachy notes that I can sometimes get from other milk oolongs, but I am loving the simplicity of this one. The sweetness is so very nice.

Well, now I’ve gulped down this cup and find myself wanting to save what leaf I have left. It’s always a nice surprise when you aren’t expecting to enjoy a tea that much and end up loving it instead. Mmm.

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84

While this cup was steeping I was surprised to smell something very, very green — almost like freshly picked leaves. It’s a little unnerving for me since it’s not the most pleasant smell, but I have a feeling there will be other flavor notes besides the “green” that dominates the scent.

Sipping… luckily, I do like this taste more than leaves! It starts off crisp and green, but then offers up a delicious sparkling sweetness. The finish is vegetal, though I detect flowers and minerals, too. The nutty note is rather light for my tastebuds. I’m glad that I’m enjoying this one more than I thought I would. There are other greens that I like more, but I’m happy to have given this one a try!

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83

I’ve had a cup of this hot and a cup iced (not both of them tonight) and I think that I like this tea iced more. Maybe when the weather gets cooler I will like it hot, but this was a cool sweet treat. When this blend is iced it becomes so much more creamy and the chocolate really pops. The mint has the last word, but it’s not terribly sharp which I appreciate. The rooibos stays in the background and adds a nice smooth touch to the cup. I find that the rooibos is much stronger when it’s hot and it sort of smothers the chocolate and mint (both aren’t completely lost, but they’re much softer). I never would have thought to try this one as I’m a little weary of mint, but I’m quite glad to have had a taste thanks to jump62359!

jump62359

Wow. I’m like the complete opposite! I found that the rooibos comes out more when it’s cold, rather than hot. I enjoy most of my rooibos hot! I have plenty of this tea so I’ll probably make a cold brew later this week :)

QueenOfTarts

I may have been distracted by the milky chocolate flavor that I got when it was cold. :) A very nice cup either way, though!

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81
drank Red Velvet by Brew La La Tea
618 tasting notes

Still on the quest for the perfect red velvet tea. Did you know red velvet is one of my favorite things? Well, you do now! I was a little nervous to see that these teabags were so small, but good things can come in small packages, right? The scent of this blend is very much rooibos with a hint of something tart in the background — not sure if I can say it’s hibiscus or raspberry. I’m worried that it’s not going to be the red velvet tea I want after all.

Sipping… well, this is definitely not red velvet cake for me at least. There is a strong rooibos flavor followed by a nice cherry note. Surprisingly, the hibiscus is not very present except maybe in adding some tartness to the cherry. The thing that I don’t like about this tea is that the flavors fade very fast. Nothing lingers and it’s as if the tea gives everything up for you to enjoy for only a second. On the other hand, the cherry is not artificial enough to bother me, so it’s very drinkable. I do think that I will continue to drink this tea, as it is a nice rooibos and cherry blend, but it’s not a repurchase.

Suziqzer

Yum.. I like red velvet too! Very seldom do people make it here, but I do enjoy it. Maybe because my favorite color is red :). Good luck on finding a blend that makes you happy. I’ll be interested in seeing what you find.

QueenOfTarts

Suziqzer, so far most of the blends I’ve tried have been.. disappointing, but enjoyable as they are.. just not as a red velvet tea. If you happen to find a good one, let me know! :) Always nice to find someone else who appreciates red velvet!

Suziqzer

If I come across one I will certainly let you know :)

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93

I pulled this tea from a traveling tea box and I think this afternoon is a good time to drink this one. The dry leaf smells incredible – chocolate, caramel, vanilla. I recall having this tea for the first time at a children’s tea fair and remember it being severely oversteeped. Not the fault of the kids! Hopefully it won’t be nearly as bitter today.
Sipping… this is just lovely! I am finding the tea base to be a bit stronger than I expected (only because the scent is really very sweet caramel and vanilla). The caramel is most present with the black tea and a dark chocolate + vanilla note finishes the sip. This tea is sweet, but is very balanced with the strength of the assam. I have to say that while I enjoy this tea, I would like a creamier, softer tea base. I typically like to have some milk with my assam teas, but worry that it would kill the caramel/chocolate flavors. Might give it a try as I have enough for one more cup. Yes, this is a beautiful tea and I would buy this again, but it’s bolder than I expected. Delicious, though!

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83

These leaves are so fresh, bright and pretty. I just love the way dragon well looks, but this one especially. The scent of this tea is rather mild – quite vegetal, a little buttery, soft. Sipping… I like this one a lot. I taste creamy snap peas and minerals in the finish. I also detect some leafy cut grass long after I’ve sipped. All of these notes are quite soft and delicate, though. It’s not a tea that hits you in the face. What I am enjoying about this one is that it’s sweet, smooth and quite drinkable. I’m nearly finished with the cup and I feel like I’ve just started! Thank you very much, TeaVivre, for a sample of this tea.

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80

The scent of this tea is smooth with a rather strong note of cocoa. Yum! I’m excited to see if some of the same cocoa notes are present in the flavor. Sipping… I’m picking up on a rich, dark chocolate flavor with a bit of bread. I almost want to say that the bread is sourdough, but it’s not quite there. There is a hint of astringency at the end of the sip which pairs well with the dark chocolate, but the rest of the sip is smooth. Overall, I think this is a tasty tea, but it isn’t one of my favorites. For me, this tea doesn’t have anything that makes me say “wow”. It’s not bad and I wouldn’t turn down a cup, but it seems to be a little flat.

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50

I actually wasn’t a huge fan of this tea even though I thought that it would be a decent caramel honeybush and rooibos blend. I suppose that my standards for this type of tea are quite high considering that caramel rooibos blends are always in the cupboard. I’ve realized that my caramel rooibos teas must be buttery, sweet and have a nice balance of the caramel flavor and the rooibos itself. It’s also a bonus if the tea has little caramel squares in it to make it extra special!

This tea wasn’t terrible, but it was rather uneventful. I did taste strong notes of rooibos (more than the honeybush in this blend) and very little caramel. This would be fine with me since I enjoy rooibos on its own so much, but this tea is supposed to have some sort of caramel flavor.. it’s called Honeybush Caramel Tea! In addition, the rooibos/honeybush combination here wasn’t the best – I’m very particular when it comes to the rooibos base and it seems like there are smooth, sweet and woody rooibos teas and there are splintery, dry rooibos teas. This is definitely part of the latter, unfortunately. Not a repurchase for me — just…. no.

Anna

And this sounds like one that could have been so good.

QueenOfTarts

Anna – I know! I don’t know how you can go wrong with honeybush/rooibos and caramel.. this one was a complete miss for me!

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Bio

~
Tea (& Coffee) lover. Bookworm.

Favorite teas: Milk Oolong, Flavored blends, Dessert teas, Creamy Teas, Rooibos, Oolong, Black, Green
Dislikes: Spices, Peppery flavors, Cloves, Cardamom, Licorice, Peppermint, Cinnamon, Mate, Puerh, Chai, Ginger

My Rather Picky Ratings
90+ – Reserved for the very best! Always in the cupboard!
80-89 – Quite good! A very pleasing cup.
70-79 – Room for improvement, but not bad.
60-69 – Mediocre.
50-59 – Bad. Will not purchase.
49 & below – Depending on the more specific rating: Undrinkable. Yuck. Will not purchase.

Note: Teas in my cupboard are all of the teas that I’ve logged, regardless of their current presence in my actual cupboard. For an updated list on what teas I have available for swap, check out the swap thread and not my cupboard! Thanks!

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