87
drank Golden Dragon Aged by Teas Etc
2036 tasting notes

In the tin, this looks very twiggy — big thick twigs, not the little ones like in kukicha. It’s not all twigs — there are definitely some buds in there, but I found the twigs a bit unexpected. Cool looking, though.

The dry leaf has a sort of fruity smell. I’m already getting raisins, even before steeping.

Rinse, 195F, gaiwan, 15 seconds + 5 for subsequent steeps.

The tea is a light-medium amber color and it’s definitely true that this tea smells and tastes like golden raisins. I didn’t get a ton of flavor out of the first steep, which was surprising since I expected a toasty roasty dark oolong. But this is very mild. There’s an undercurrent of toastiness, but it isn’t the predominant feature of this tea.

The fruit is. And it’s not the typical peachy-pitty flavor of darker oolongs. I love that it tastes like its sellers say it will. Though it headed a bit toward white wine at steep 4.

It’s a bit of a Johnny one note, but it sings that note well.

Also, usually I don’t write about what the wet leaves smell like to me. I know that’s a thing that tea tasters do, but I’m embarrassed because my experience is generally some version of “it smells like wet leaves.”

These buck that trend, though, with a grapey, fruity, sugary smell.

Flavors: Grapes, Raisins, Sugar, Toasty, White Wine

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C

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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

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