985 Tasting Notes
Tea of the morning……
This sample was provided by TeaVivre for review. (Thank you!)
I decided morning was a great time to try this one. We are in the midst of a slight cold spell…or maybe I just feel like it is a cold spell because it was a sweltering weekend last week. Anyway, a sweet smokey tea was a good match for the weather today.
Leaf is actually kind of fluffy for a black tea. There are even some golden pieces in there! The smell is of smoke and earthiness. I brewed it is with a little hotter water then they recommended (I used boiling, they recommended 195) but I still had a fabulous tea. I get notes of malt, cocoa, and smoke with a sweetness. Since I usually sweeten my hot tea, I ended up with a smokey sweet liquor. Once the tea got in the temperature range for drinking, I noticed that my cup was empty in a flash. That means it is incredibly good. I think I will try a resteep, too. Yes, this goes on the shopping list! I think I will replacing my Lapsang Souchong Black Dragon with this. I do think it is a sweeter tea than the Lapsang from Mountian Rose herbs, too, plus their shipping is cost prohibitive.
Usual teapot method with a 2 minute steep. Lightly sweetened.
Preparation
Tea of the afternoon…..
Of course I could not resist this one. Part of the whole reason for my horrible experience trying to order online with a long standing English company over the holidays was for their Diamond Jubilee Tea. When Harney posted about their blend, I immediately ordered as I was getting painfully low on Paris. Of course, I am very pleased with this.
First of all, the tin is so elegant. I love the muted color tones they chose. Pale aqua, cream, gold, and a muted berry tone. Beautiful. I opened the tin and was immediately drawn to the scent of grapefruit paired with bergamot. The bergamot is light with the addition of sweet grapefruit. For those of you who are fans of Earl Grey Supreme, it is like EGS with a grapefruit kicker. Perfectly lovely. All I can think of that would make this tea more wonderful, is if it came in loose leaf. Please, Mr. Harney?
12 oz filtered water at boiling, 4 minutes, lightly sweetened.
Edit to add: I will no longer lament the loss of a refill of Countess Grey. This is so much better!
Preparation
It sounds very appropriate for the Queen!
Better than Countess Gray? Exciting!
I love grapefruit and enjoy an EG – I should try this someday!
I am so excited to try mine! It arrived today but I promised my Mother that I would wait for her tomorrow at the tea party!! I love the tin and it smells wonderful. I agree as well about the loose leaf option. I wish it wasn’t bagged but oh well. :)
I just had to for the first time and it is delicious! I have to send some to my daighter’s BF in Northern Ireland. He loves Lady Grey, he will love this I am sure.
Tea of the morning…….
I have recently added some Lapsang to my Assam/Keemun/Ceylon/Yunnan/Congou blend. We now have notes of chocolate, malt, and smoke. It kind of reminds me of Mark T. Wendell Victorian Afternoon.
I am in love! I will be drinking this to the end of the tin, and then starting anew. Fortunately, (or not for my goals of stash reduction) I have a whole box full of things to blend for breakfast tea on my next go around.
Usual teapot method.
Preparation
Second tea of the morning….. (SRP #40)
We finally have weather cool enough that I am craving oolong. I still don’t know how all of that works for me, but I seem to be craving green and oolong tea less with the warmer weather. I guess it is that I crave iced tea, and for me that is usually a black tea. I blame my midwestern upbringing on that one. At least I have moved beyond Lipton Instant…or Lipton sun tea. Maybe there is still hope in that I can move beyond the black teas for iced….. After all, this is a journey, and my tastes have all ready changed a little.
My sample was purchased. The leaves are tight bright green pellets. The scent of the dry tea is of cream and butter. I am pretty sure I am going to like this one better than the unflavored. The liquor is a golden yellow, and really a little deeper than I expected. The leaves brew up absolutely huge. The scent of the brewed tea is of cream and butter, again, with a hint of something very lightly floral. I definitely like this better than the unflavored version. If I am ever in the market for a milk oolong again, this will be the one I purchase. It is still not quite as good as the Milk Oolong from American Tearoom, but then I am not willing to get a second mortgage on my house to buy tea (meaning it is way too expensive a tea that is not in my absolute favorite type.) This one is very good and a great value at around $11 for 100g. For comparison, the other is $60 for the same weight and it has a Tie Kwan Yin base.
Usual mug method for 2 minutes, no additions. I followed the brewing parameters on the label.
Preparation
I’m pretty sure their Milk Oolong is natural and not artificially flavored.
ATR’s should be natural at that price. However, the flavor difference is in no way worth the price difference for me at this stage in my journey.
I got a sample of this one, but Teavivre also has an unflavored milk oolong that I want to try! I take it you have had it already.
I think I have had the unflavored one. It is kind of funny. I asked for a sample of it in one of my early orders before they started adding labels to the 5 gram manufacturer’s packaging. I got two red packages and tried one.. definitely oolongy and slightly milky. I think it is the unflavored milk oolong, but I can’t read Chinese….so I have not reviewed that one because I am not 100% sure what it is. I did like this better, though!
Tea of the afternoon……
I still have a good amount of this, so I really can’t count it in sample reduction…because I am sure to finish all that she sent. This one comes to me in a swap with Dinosara from her continental hopping. Thank you so much for sharing this one with me as I love jasmine teas.
I don’t have a huge amount of information on this one. It kind of looks similar to a pouchong, but then again, I am still very much a newbie to green tea. Leaves are long and twisted with shades of dark green and a lighter sage green. There really is not much in the way of a vegetal taste like you would expect with most greens, but it does have the heavier mouthfeel of a good quality green. The jasmine is floral and sweet at the same time. Yum! I wanna go shopping for tea in China! Until then, I will just have to live vicariously through her…. Again, thank you!
Mug method with about 170 water and a 2 minute steep.
Preparation
Second tea of the morning…. (SRP #39)
We are at the end of my malty tea with hints of bacon and light smoke! I may get more one day, but it is time to get a handle on my stash. Farewell, Hunan Golden Twist. You make an awesome breakfast tea!
Usual teapot method.
Preparation
Tea of the morning……
This one is nice and strong. Very present notes of malt with a slight edge of smoke. It is actually a little on the brisk side for me. I get mostly Assam in this Assam and Keemun blend, which usually makes me long for my Malachi McCormick that is mostly Keemun in a blend of similar, but probably lower grades of Keemun and Assam. I now think I know where my heart lies for a permanent breakfast tea, because all I can think is how a little more Kemmun would fix this for my palate.
It has been a rough weekend. And, yes, I know I am a total wimp. I am owning it. Our air conditioning has been out and I had to brave the hot weekend without it. Hence, it is the origin of my lack of tea postings (way to hot for hot tea…I can’t believe I found my threshold for hot tea! Apparently, it is somewhere over 90 degrees.) and general crabbiness from not sleeping well. I had much iced tea and water….to the point of depleting my ice supply. Now we are back to the weather I love……mid 70s, and the air should be fixed on Friday. Did I mention that I am a wimp as far as heat is concerned? School is out, but the construction goes forward.
Usual teapot method with scant Perfect Teaspoons of tea and a 3 minute steep.
Preparation
This tea sounds right up my alley for my morning brew!
I am sorry about the heat,glad its a little cooler and AC is getting fixed soon.
I am a total whiny grump when it comes to heat, I handle cold weather so much better.
I grew up in Nevada with temperatures much higher than I experience here, but I still get cranky when summer hits here. It’s uncommon here for a home to have AC. I get that the heat I deal with now is different but no AC?! I totally feel you on being a wimp in the heat. :D
There is a good balance between the Assam & Keemun…….I love this blend-tis’ one of my favs!
I agree that it is a good balance of Assam and Keemun. You can also tell that they are a pretty decent grade, too. I am just a lover of Keemun who does not like to add milk…. Malachi McCormick works better for me.
Ahhh, it has been beautiful today (except for the pounding on my walls). But all of that noise is temporary and we will have a gorgeous looking house.
R U remodeling?
No. We had hail and wind damage to our roof and siding last Spring. Our first contractor did our roof and ran with part of our siding money. We are finally getting the siding done. It was one of those situations where they could not match the existing siding, so we are getting the whole house redone. I know we will love it when it is over.
Soon I hope
sounds like a good blend
When I first started ordering from Harney and Sons, I had a terrible time deciding between English Reakfast, Royal English Breakfast, and Supreme Breakfast. They are all good! I ended up buying the pound bag of 100% Keemun English Breakfast.
Keemun is like cowbell — you can always use a little more. :)
OMG! So true! It IS like cowbell! LOL!
Iced tea of the day…… (SRP #38)
This is the last of my Apricot black tea. It was not a favorite, but it makes a stellar iced tea. It has a nice malty base and a hint of apricot. I know the apricot comes out just a little more with adding something to sweeten it, but that is not the way I roll for iced tea….I like it as is. Refreshing and so welcome on a hot weekend.
Usual iced tea method.
I like this Apricot tea, but mine is a little old. If it was fresher I may have given it a slightly higher score.
It is a good one, but I have others I like better!
Really?? Which ones?? I really like Apricot. And Y do you like them better??
My favorite iced tea is Lychee from Harney. Then, I like just about any Earl Grey iced. Third is probably Rose Congou from Upton. Oh, wait, I forgot Harney Black Currant…and I am wanting to try Paris iced, but I am hoarding my last ounce for hot tea. The Key Lime Ceylon from Fusion Tea Room is also very notable.
I love LIME iced tea! Stashtea has a good one in teabags:
http://www.stashtea.com/Stash-Tea-Lime-Green-Iced/dp/B006E9SEY0
I do love Harney’s Apricot iced! Paris iced is excellent as well. :)
Iced tea of the day…….
I probably have enough left for one more pitcher. This one comes out crisp, slightly brisk, and with overtones of a tangy sweet fruit. It is excellent iced, but I like the Lychee better!
Usual iced method. No additions but ice!
Tea of the evening……
It is a bittersweet day. Tonight was the last official meeting of my scout troop for good. The girls are going into High School next year, and have all become pretty busy to schedule much of anything. I have had most of them for 8 or 9 years, and they have grown up before my eyes. Luckily, for my daughter, they are all such good friends and I am sure they will be spending a good deal of time together in other school activities. While they are ready to move on, and I am completely out of new material to keep this going, it has been a fun ride.
Decaf Paris is quickly becoming my top choice for decaf. It is a little lighter of a flavor profile and cannot replace the richness of regular Paris, but still very tasty for when I need an evening black. Yum!
Mug method with a 3 minute steep and 190 water.
Preparation
awww that is a sweet memory! you must be so proud of your baby girl growing up!
Great story Jen!
Maybe a shot of somthin in the tea…and hand the girls some black nail polish and you’ll be ok. It’s worse when they’re driving! (what do I know…mine is 39 now but all her girls are getting driving age one by one…eeks).
Oh we have done all kinds of nail polish, about every craft you can do with duct tape, t-shirts, beads, a sewing class, and I even did a little short course on emulsions and how to make lotion (my chemistry/skincare background coming out!). Plus camping and normal scouting stuff. I think we covered most of it multiple times. It was tons of fun.
Chilly here this morning, too! It is so refreshing! I am sitting under the back carport by my wall of jasmine, sipping Teavivre tea.
Ooo sounds delightful! Let us know how it resteeps when you get a chance, I love later steeps of LS Black Dragon.
Second steep is good….I’d say more mellow, though. Not sure I will make it to a third steep since I made a whole pot. Next time, I will brew by the mug.
On scale 1 to 10, how smoky is it?
Alright I’m ordering some of this…I’ve heard nothing but good things! :)
It’s good!
Hmmm. A scale of 1-10. I tend to like them lower on the smokey side and it is just perfect for me. I find it similar to the level of Hu Kwa from Mark T. Wendell and Upton Lapsang Souchong Black Dragon. It is smokier than something like Mark T. Wendell Victorian Afternoon. I guess I would put it at about a 5. Keemuns are generally a 1 or 2 on my scale, so a little smokier than the smokiest Keemun….
Alright! Looks like I’m into sampling this one as well.