400 Tasting Notes
Backlog
The wife was kind enough to pick some tea out for me at the store the other day. I’ve been wanting to drink tea at work, but with the setup that I have, I can only afford to drink tea, within the space given, either grandpa style or bagged teas. Now, I like drinking grandpa style, but there are few teas that I own that I truly enjoy doing that with; therefore, my other option is to have bagged tea that’s not Lipton.
I am grateful to have a wife who will cautiously purchase something that I may like without sugar. She knows the profile of [bagged] tea that I prefer, but also knows that anything is better than Lipton. ;)
I gave this a try first since I was in the mood for something sweet, but didn’t want to get a candy bar from the vending machine—all on the account that I need to cut out the sweets at work.
Notes: Sweet & consistent strawberry. Slightly astringent and a little sour.
Overall, it was a good tea for what it was.
I had apparently had this before and gave it a much lower rating than it had deserved. I think what happened was that I was new to tea and had no previous experience. I probably thought, “Tastes too much like mud, it’s not for me.” However, as my tastes change constantly, I find this quite enjoyable now. I’m starting to develop a liking toward the “old basement/moist woods” types of tea; especially shou. I like drinking something that reminds me of the most desired places for me (the woods) and the sense of belonging outside. I really have come to enjoy the teas that take me to the woods, where I can simply dwell without noise or passing hours cooped up inside an office. I tell my wife that I’d rather live in the middle of the woods or the country, without the noises that often hinder our abilities to enjoy the gift of nature. After drinking this today, I want to pack a few essentials, get my tent, and hike until the stars appear, as I watch from a burning flame and nothing but the nature to allow me to focus on this ultimate gift. This tea is beautiful, but it also allows me to reflect more on the beauty of the outside world—beyond everything else.
Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep….
Seriously, insomnia is at full throttle tonight. GM is the best thing to keep one from going insane. Thick, creamy, earthy, mineral-y, smooth, & rich.
Mmmm mmmm mmmmm mmmm.
Me too!! I hope you finally made it to sleep.
I had around 3 A.M., but the early sunrise is calling for nice brisk walk before work today. Might as well take a stroll since the temperature will drop a significant amount over the weekend.
Video is unavailable in this country. :(
I feel ya with the sleep pain.
Evol Ving Ness the video is “Asleep” by the Smiths.
Thank you. I will look it up.
Beautiful. Thank you.
No problem! :)
Brief Note
While getting ready for work, I’m brewing this up as I get ready…
Notes: Tastes like a lumberyard smells; smells like an old wet basement (mildew?).
I like it though.
Backlog
Reminded me of smoke and Barbasol shaving cream.
Not a fan of smokey shaving cream on your tastebuds? Haha
No, I don’t care for the scent/taste of what it’d be like as a kid if my father were to smoke while shaving. Haha.
They should rename the tea “Raw Mobster” because that is the image I had. A mobster smoking a cigar while getting a shave.
I’ve had a substantial amount of tea this weekend with friends & tea geeks alike. I must admit that I’ve probably not had this much tea in a long while or ever, maybe. However, I found myself drinking with friends in Columbus and back at my house, too.
As we (my wife, friend, and myself) binge watched Stranger Things, I had my friend pull some tea from the tea cabinet. I think visiting with tea friends, he had realized that there is a great community within the gift of tea; therefore, he has been constantly nagging for unique stuff.
During our time in Columbus, Liquid Proust had also brought out a couple of his blends for us to smell; to which my friend had been obsessive about trying a creation made by LP. So, I had told him to get some tea out of the cabinet and where he could find the “LP” bag within another “sample” box. He had chosen this blend mainly for the name.
Notes: Sweet nuttiness with a touch of vanilla (?). Eventually the tea became something on the lines of “burnt caramelized pecans with hint of sweetness (unknown).” All-in-all, we both mutually agreed that this was a unique tea to have before calling it a night.
Flavors: Nuts, Pecan, Sweet, Vanilla
“2016 Bing Dao”
A sample received from Puerh TTB
I noted, “Tastes like old grass clippings in a pile that have become damp and have a weird odor.”
I honestly couldn’t finish this tea after the second steep. I’m learning that there are teas that I like and teas that I don’t like. This is one of the ones I don’t like.
40/100
“2000 Yiwu Raw”
From Puerh TTB.
As I start working my way through the TTC stuff now, I’m finding that I’ve yet to explore puerh as thoroughly as I thought I had. This tea has proven to me that there are some very unusually delicious types of puerh that could probably set me back a few dollars…..
I will mention that this is a very good tea when flash steeped, but once you allow it to sit for more than 30s, you’ll discover that it gets slightly “oily” and unpleasant. Overall, I liked it, but I’d only recommend this type of tea if you have plenty of time to flash steep constantly throughout the day.
85/100
Notes: Beets, earth & old books.
