2238 Tasting Notes

85
drank Cashew Turtle by 52teas
2238 tasting notes

Finally getting through most of my older 52Teas! I’ve been looking forward to this one, because cashews are my favourite kind of nut. I’m the kind of person who always hogs the cashew chicken when we’re having Chinese. I wanted this tea to be good (52 Teas from this era are so hit and miss), and, fortunately, it is!

I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3.5 minutes in boiling water, splash of milk. The initial flavour is smooth, silky caramel, followed by a hit of dark chocolate that even the milk hasn’t managed to mellow out. So rich and cocoa-like! The cashew, glorious, creamy nuttiness, comes out mostly towards the end of the sip, and works really well with the chocolate and caramel (of course it does!). It’s such a good combination, I’m pretty sure I could drink this all day and not tire of it.

I’m enjoying this one. It’ll be a good way to say goodbye to the last of my old 52Teas, if there’s still some left when I get to that point!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 1 tsp
Evol Ving Ness

How old is this one? You say old and I want to know how old is your old.

52Teas

I believe her pouch is one from the original pouch when Frank blended this one. :)

Evol Ving Ness

Thanks, 52Teas. :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

100

Today’s work cold brew. I’ve waited a while to try this one, but I could probably say that about literally all the teas in my cupboard. It’s just what seems to happen. Anyway, what I really like is when I’ve waited a while to try something and it turns out to be really good. All the anticipation pays off! It definitely worked here, because this is a great candy floss tea, probably one of the best I’ve tried. Usually, they’re either on black or rooibos bases, but this one is white and I think the delicate, sweet (sugar water-like) flavour of white tea really works here.

The initial flavour is sweet, candy-like strawberry, and also something that reminds me very much of the coating on hundreds and thousands (which makes sense, because there are some in the blend!) After the berry flavour fades, there’s a generic caramelised sweetness that’s perfectly reminiscent of candy floss. It’s hard to pin down a flavour that’s so light, airy and insubstantial, but Bluebird have done an excellent job here. It really is strawberry-flavoured candy floss in a cup!

I’m guzzling this one, so if it’s still available I’ll definitely be buying more :)

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 8 tsp 68 OZ / 2000 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

75

Today’s work cold brew. I nearly made this one up on Saturday, but then I realised how much chamomile is in it and changed my mind. As it turns out, chamomile isn’t really the main flavour when this one’s cold (it really is when it’s hot, though.) I was hoping that would be the case, but I was prepared for the worst.

To taste, there’s a hay-like sweetness, but it’s very much in the background, and it actually provides a pleasant counterpoint to the slightly tart, slightly sour blueberry flavour that’s the main draw here. It also seems appropriately on-theme with the Three Little Pigs, so I guess Adagio get points for that. I like blueberry a lot, so this one was almost bound to be a winner with me. It’s not too sweet, in the end, and the fruitiness is at the forefront and fairly natural-tasting. Another decent blend.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 4 tsp 68 OZ / 2000 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

60

Another of my “old” 52 Teas blends. I’m actually pretty sure I’m nearly through the 2oz pouches I have left, which are the really old ones. I’ve maybe four or five or those left to try. After that, I’ll be on the sample pouches which are still “old” 52 Teas but newer (if that makes sense!), and then after that there’ll just be “new” 52 Teas stuff left. Who says I can’t get my cupboard under control within the next decade?

Anyway, I wanted to like this one. Like, really wanted to like it. It’s my second banana tea of the day, but sadly, again, there’s not as much banana as I’d hoped.

I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3 minutes in boiling water. As with Bananas Foster, there’s a touch of astringency in the initial sip, but it’s nothing I can’t overlook. The main flavour here is strawberry, and while that’s nice, I was really looking forward to the combination of strawberry and banana. It’s not here, but the strawberry does have a yoghurty, almost smoothie-like vibe to it so that’s something. I added a splash of milk to my cup, and I think it helps with that at least a little. Otherwise, this is just your basis artificial-strawberry tea. Not bad, but not amazing.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

60
drank Bananas Foster by 52teas
2238 tasting notes

I’m drinking the “old” 52 Teas version of this tea, which I unearthed from my stash this weekend. I bought this one because I love bananas, and I really loved 52 Teas Banana Pudding Black back when that was released. I think I was trying to get some of that amazingness back in my life, but I think my cupboard must have snowballed by then and that’s how it is that I’m actually just getting around to trying it now.

I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3 minutes in boiling water. I added a splash of milk. The initial flavour is very heavy on the cinnamon, and actually reminds me a lot of Cinnamon Roll Honeybush, at least to begin with. The banana and vanilla emerge in the mid-sip, although they’re by no means as prominent as the cinnamon. Hot, there’s a degree of astringency, although it’s not so bad that I can’t overlook it. Just a little of the chalky dry-mouth feeling. This one actually seems like a better prospect once it’s cooled. The banana becomes a little stronger, and the cinnamon seems to mellow out. There’s more of a creaminess, too, although I suspect my full-fat milk is helping that along! One thing I will say is that, for once, the banana doesn’t strike me as particularly candy-like. If anything, it’s putting me in mind of underripe green bananas – and the astringency is definitely playing up that effect (you know how underripe bananas can be a little floury and dry-tasting? Exactly.) Candy banana would have been more at home here, and I know for certain that I’ve never said that in a tasting note before.

I enjoyed my cup, even though it’s not quite as banana-centric as I’d have liked. It’s also not particularly sweet, so I might try a little crystal sugar next time and see if that helps to perk things up a bit. I like the cinnamon/vanilla combination, and it works well with what banana flavour there is, but I think a stronger banana flavour would have resulted in a much better balanced cup.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

70

Still enjoying this one. It’s become my afternoon pick-me-up! I love the cocoa and chocolate flavours, and I’ve discovered that the oolong stays pretty much in the background even with a longer steep time. “Delicious” is all there is to say, really!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

80
drank CTRL+ALT+DEL by Pluck
2238 tasting notes

A sample from Miss B! This one has had me intrigued for a while, from the name to its rather odd appearance. I finally got around to trying it today, and the first thing I noticed is the incredible scent – sherbet lemons, pretty much as soon as the leaf hit the water. I went for a pretty quick brew time with this one – no more than 2 minutes. The leaf is so fine that I didn’t honestly think it’d need more than that.

To taste, it’s actually pretty good. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s very much in line with the scent – a sharp initial lemon flavour, followed by a sweet sherbet-like hit, with just a touch of warming, spicy ginger at the end of the sip.

Rather unexpectedly, I’m a fan :)

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 30 sec 1 tsp

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

85
drank Red Riding Hood by Adagio Teas
2238 tasting notes

Today’s work cold brew. The description of this one basically made me expect strawberry and cinnamon, and I think that’s mostly what I got. It reminded me a tiny bit (but only a tiny bit, because they’re hardly comparable really) of Butiki’s Ruby Pie. It has similar jammy fruit notes, and the cinnamon really puts me in mind of pie crust for some reason. It was fruitier than I expected on the whole, though, and the rooibos is almost conspicuous by its absence. I know it’s in there, but I can’t taste it at all which perversely seems to be making me concentrate on finding it.

On the whole, though, really enjoyable! This is definitely my favourite of the Story Time blends so far – much better than Alice in Wonderland. For reference, I used 4 bags in 2 litres of water, into the fridge for 10 hours overnight.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 4 tsp 68 OZ / 2000 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

70

Opened this one today. On first sip, it actually reminds me quite of lot of French Toast Dianhong, in as much as the creamy vanilla flavour is very similar, and the black tea base is quite light and definitely chocolatey. I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 3 minutes in boiling water. I wasn’t sure whether to go with boiling at first because of the oolong, but I figured it was worth a try – I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?

I almost get vanilla chocolate brownie from this one, except the flavour isn’t quite as full or rich as that would suggest. All the elements are there, though, and I might try a longer brew time for my next cup to see how that impacts things.

The oolong is a lot less prominent than I thought it might be. Mostly, I can taste the Fujian black and the vanilla, with only a little woodiness/mineral from the oolong. Also, something that’s putting me in mind of coconut. It works, though, somehow! A delicious start to the morning, and the work week.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

75

Sipdown! Finishing off the last of this as a cold brew at work today. Strawberries andcream in a cup = yum!

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 4 tsp 68 OZ / 2000 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

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

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer