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__Morgana__ drank Shizuoka Kohcha by Todd & Holland

2036 tasting notes

I admit that I’ve been holding onto this sample because it baffled me. I cracked it open this morning.

Pretty sure I have not had Japanese black tea before. Silly me, I didn’t even know black tea was produced in Japan. I’m not sure I picked this sample — it may have been part of a black tea sampler grouping.

In the packet, the tea has a metallic, mineral note. This must be the “slight stone aroma.”

The note is still present in the steeped tea’s aroma, but there’s more to it. There’s a bready note as well. The tea has a lighter and redder color than black teas from China and India.

Now that I taste it, I believe I’ve had something like this before in a blend of some kind. I know I’ve had black teas that I described as having the flavor. I had to google my notes to find an example: Tavalon Earl Grey Reserve. Disappointingly, one of my notes on that tea is not accessible — I click on the “1 more” and it takes me back to the main page.

In any case, I get the same flavor from this that I did from that (minus the bergamot), and I didn’t love that. Nor do I care for this one. It shall be sipped down sooner rather than later.

Merry Christmas to those celebrating.

Flavors: Bread, Metallic, Mineral, Potato, Wet Rocks

Preparation

Boiling 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