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__Morgana__ drank Hajua Sessa STGFOPS by American Tea Room

2036 tasting notes

Another unopened sample for a tea that is no longer on the web site.

I steeped in accordance with package directions.

I’m trying to understand my relationship to Assam better. If someone asked me what my favorite type of black tea was, I wouldn’t pick it. But every now and then I wonder why.

This morning is one of those times. I’ve had a bit of tummy trouble lately, so I woke up feeling sluggish and dehydrated. I really thought black tea would be the worst thing on my gut, but this morning, this Assam tastes wonderful.

It’s a clear, dark copper, almost cherry wood color and it smells sweet and malty. A little apricoty, a little plummy, a little bready, a little honied. The taste is smooth with all of the same notes, without the Assam throat grab, and drying in the finish. The body has one foot in medium and one foot in full and yet there’s a crisp quality to it as well which is probably the astringency.

I don’t know if it’s my mood, my body chemistry this morning, or what. But this is doing it for me.

Flavors: Apricot, Bread, Honey, Malt, Plum

Preparation

195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML

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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