2238 Tasting Notes

80

I’ve been drinking this on an evening for a couple of nights now. I’ve found that since I’ve been working full time, December doesn’t feel as Christmassy as it used to, at least not until I’m off work a day or so before. I guess that’s why I haven’t really looked at my Christmas teas as yet, with the exception of this one.

Anyway, the scent of the dry leaves is remarkably reminiscent of christmas cake. The strongest scent is almond — putting me very much in mind of marzipan — followed by a deeply curranty, dried fruit scent. I can see cloves and dried orange peel in the mix too, although they remain very firmly in the background in terms of scent. One of the cutest things about this tea is the little snowflake sprinkles, which are dusted with tiny particles of blueish irridescent glitter. It sparkles really prettily on the surface once brewed, almost like an icy film…

On to the tasting. Again, almond is the prominent flavour, followed by a slight sweetness. I wonder where that comes from? This is then replaced by a rich fruitiness, with the slightest of spicy aftertastes. It is rather like biting into a piece of cake, taasting the icing and the marzipan, and then encountering the fruit cake underneath. It’s a really good approximation of christmas cake, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to try it. It’s one I’d definitely keep on hand during christmasses to come!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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80

On the first day of Christmas, Della Terra gave to me…Spiced Pear!

This is really christmassy. Dry, it smells strongly of cinnamon and mulling spices, and I can see pieces of pear among the black tea. Brewed, my experience is much the same. I elected to drink this without milk, and I’m glad because I think the flavours come over really well like this. The cinnamon comes through first, perhaps understandably, but there’s a definite pear taste. It’s almost perfumey, but the two flavours somehow work together really well. I’ve not had many pear teas before, and the only one that springs to mind is 52 Teas SBT Pear from back in the summer. That one tasted almost like a pear drop, sweet and very candy-like. This is jucier and a touch more natural, with the soft scentedness that an actual pear possesses. It’s the spices that are making me think of Christmas most of all, though. This might actually be a good one to drink on Christmas day, preferably by an open fire (although that’ll only happen in my dreams!) Snuggled and warm, anyway! A great start to the festive countdown!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Sweet Canadian

I loved this one! I hope Della Terra will make it available for purchase in the future :)

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80
drank Smaug Tea by 52teas
2238 tasting notes

On the first day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me…Smaug!

This isn’t a new tea to me; I have a pouch on my desk at work, and have been finding it very warming and enjoyable on cold days. I’m glad I got chance to try a different batch of this tea, though, because it’s slightly different from the bag I currently have. For starters, the liquor once brewed is much paler — a very light yellow-green. The green tea is the more prominent ingerdient, too. The cayenne and cinnamon, while present, are very much in the background in the initial sip, and only really emerge as a warmth at the back of the throat upon swallowing. The version I have at work is much stronger, and the liquor is much darker. I did notice that the dragonwell leaves are much smaller and paler than the leaves in my other bag — possibly that has something to do with it! I guess that’s tea for you, anyway! I have to say that I like both versions — and it’s always nice to have a little extra of an old favourite around. A great first tea of Christmas!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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60

I’m not sure whether my tastes are changing for good, or whether it’s just because I’ve been ill, but I think I might be starting to enjoy plain teas a lot more than the flavoured ones I used to adore. There’s something about flavoured tea that just seems to have stopped appealing to me. Whereas once upon a time I would have chosen a flavoured tea without hesitation, these days it’s teas like this one that are more likely to jump out at me.

As oolongs go, I could really start to like this one. I was very hesitant about trying it, because oolongs haven’t generally been my thing, but I’m glad I gave it a chance. I like the fresh, delicate flavour this tea has. I’ve one more cup left, and it’ll be sadly missed when it’s gone. I think it’s highly likely that this one will make it on to my repurchase list, though, so hopefully I won’t be bereft for too long.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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70
drank French Toast by 52teas
2238 tasting notes

My first sip of this tea reminded me of Cinnamon Roll Honeybush. I’m not really surprised, because they do have copious amounts of cinnamon in common, but it was a little unexpected. For some reason, I was expecting French Toast to be more savoury, but there you go.

The main flavours here are cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter. They all come out equally well, and create a smooth, sweet blend with absolutely no astringency. I drank this one straight after Pancake Breakfast, so while I can appreciate the similarities, what I’m mostly detecting are the contrasts. This blend seems a fair bit sweeter to me — possibly it’s the butter/brown sugar flavour combination, which is putting me in mind of cake mixture at the moment. The cinnamon helps to turn this back into French Toast, but the whole thing is far more dessert-like than I was expecting. That might just be my misconception, but I was anticipating a breakfast-type tea, and this doesn’t really fit my criteria for that. It’s nice, and it certainly smells really lovely brewing, but I think on balance I prefer Pancake Breakfast.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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95

The first time I tried this I was a tiny bit disappointed. I was expecting pancake flavour, and I wasn’t really getting it. I’m not entirely sure how I was imagining that particular flavour would manifest, but there you go. Sometimes my expectations are unrealistic. This was one of the last flavoured teas I drank before embarking on my latest bout of the flu, so I think maybe that had something to do with it. I hardly drank any tea at all last week (a combination of being ill, coupled with being manically busy in my new job), so I’ve returned to it today with a fresh palate.

This time around, I like it a lot better. It has a strong, natural maple flavour, and that in itself is making me think of pancakes. It’s such a strong and well defined flavour that I could almost believe I’d added actual maple syrup to a cup of black tea. It’s a rich and satisfying taste, anyway, and absolutely perfect as a breakfast or wake-up tea. My only niggle is that the black base is a little astringent, but that might be my fault for leaving it sitting while I switched my computer on this morning. I’ll have another cup later and report back. At the moment, though, I’m really happy with this one.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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80

I don’t like this without milk. I gave it a try today, but it’s just too strong. The rooibos is overpowering, and the apple/cardamon combination is almost medicinal. Definitely one to go with milk, at least as far as my own preferences go!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 15 sec

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60

I had my first cup of this yesterday, but didn’t get chance to log it. I’ve not tried all that many oolongs before, largely because I believed for a long time that they just weren’t my thing. I’ve since had some successes, though, and so I’m trying to be a bit more adventurous.

The dry leaf consists of tightly rolled dark green pearls. They scent is very “green” and mineral, but the tea itself is relatively subtle to taste. It’s also mpre floral than I expected. I can definitely pick out the honeysuckle note, and there’s also something reminiscent of spinach, and a slight butteriness. I can detect some of the “mineral” flavour that I’ve previous disliked in oolongs, but it’s not too dominant here. I don’t mind it so much when the overall flavour profile is one I can get behind.

I don’t have much of this left — maybe two cups worth. I’m not sure at this stage whether it’s something I’d repurchase, but it’s definitely one I’d keep on my list of oolong possibles. It’s not that I don’t like it, just that I don’t really feel I fully understand oolongs as yet, or my tastes in relation to them. I’m pleased to have tried this one, though. It’s an unusual combination of flavours, but palatable all the same. Butiki really do rule when it comes to tea!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 30 sec
Sil

this is one of the few green oolongs i quite like

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80
drank Lemon Tea by Lipton
2238 tasting notes

I must be weird, too, because I quite enjoyed this one. I went against the grain, brewed it strong and added milk, but that’s my perogative.

It smells like a zesty, citrussy lemon dessert. I still have the cup beside me now, and it really is beatuifully lemony. There’s a shaprness there, but it’s not too sharp — maybe the milk has helped to take the edge off some of that — I certainly think it adds a creaminess which suits this tea well. In any case, I don’t find it at all fake or reminiscent of cleaning products, but that’s just me.

Again, the black base was pretty good. Very smooth and unobtrusive, no astringency. I really would like to find some of these for the summer. I honestly think they’d be great iced. Another choice pick from the UCAS Conference!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 45 sec

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70
drank Forest Fruits by Lipton
2238 tasting notes

UCAS training day today, and Lipton was once again the only tea supplied. There were a fair few to choose from, though, so not too disappointing. My morning tea of choice was Forest Fruits. I thought it would be a fruit tea, but apparently it’s a flavoured black. That’s fine by me, but a little unexpected.

I added the bag to almost boiling water, and gave it about three minutes. The scent while brewing is really lovely — quite strongly fruity and very sweet. I do like sweet things on a morning! It was pretty dark in colour, so I added a splash of milk.

It came as a surprise to me when I actually liked it. The fruit flavour carries over really well into the brewed tea, and it retains a natural sweetness. The black base tea is smooth and not at all astringent, and the flavour isn’t dull or chemically as I half expected it to be. This is actually one I’d consider keeping around, if there was a place nearby that stocked it. I think it could be quite pleasant iced in the summer. A surprise pleasure!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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Bio

Hi :) I’m Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I’ve been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway.

I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter.

I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they’re the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer — their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day.

I’m still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don’t think they’ll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don’t hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I’m also beginning to explore pu’erh, both ripened and raw. That’s my latest challenge!

I’m still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

You’ve probably had enough of me now, so I’m going to shut up. Needless to say, though, I really love tea. Long may the journey continue!

My rating system:

91-100: The Holy Grail. Flawless teas I will never forget.

81-90: Outstanding. Pretty much perfection, and happiness in a cup.

71-80: Amazing. A tea to savour, and one I’ll keep coming back to.

61-70: Very good. The majority of things are as they should be. A pleasing cup.

51-60: Good. Not outstanding, but has merit.

41-50: Average. It’s not horrible, but I’ve definitely had better. There’s probably still something about it I’m not keen on.

31-40: Almost enjoyable, but something about it is not for me.

11-30: Pretty bad. It probably makes me screw my face up when I take a sip, but it’s not completely undrinkable.

0-10: Ugh. No. Never again. To me, undrinkable.

Location

Norfolk, UK

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