87
drank Downy Sprout by Samovar
2036 tasting notes

Sipdown no. 60 of the year 2016 (no. 271 total). A sample. Only two Samovar samples left after this one. Both white teas.

I don’t know whether its the preparation or that it’s Samovar, but I am getting more flavor from this than I usually do from white teas. I definitely get the honeysuckle note, which is predominant in the taste and the smell. There’s also a rather intense high, sweet, nectary note that is most noticeable in the aroma. It reminds me of spun sugar.

The tea has a clear, amber liquor, and the flavor is actually pretty complex. The word tiers used in the description is a good one. It has a depth to it that I can’t say I’ve found in other white teas. While I mostly get a sweet nectar flavor, there’s also a fruitiness and a tawny undercurrent as though someone took an eyedropper and dropped a few drops of yunnan into this.

If I were to get a straight white tea again, this would be a major contender for that spot. I’ll likely not be in the market for quite a while, but fortunately this seems to still be on Samovar’s site at least for now.

Flavors: Honeysuckle, Nectar, Sugar

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 30 sec
Daylon R Thomas

Interesting sweetness for a white tea.

__Morgana__

I frequently find sweetness in white teas. Often, a floral nectar note is about all I get from them.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Comments

Daylon R Thomas

Interesting sweetness for a white tea.

__Morgana__

I frequently find sweetness in white teas. Often, a floral nectar note is about all I get from them.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer