85

Clue No. 2

(See my tasting note for this tea:

http://steepster.com/teas/todd-and-holland/3917-german-breakfast-tea

for an explanation of the game.)

This is my first Mariage Freres green tea and I’m excited. In the can, it looks like sencha and it smells really dreamy. I can smell the greenness, but also a really delicious fruity aroma that is strong but at the same time (to me anyway) avoids the medicinal.

The tea steeps rather more yellow than I’d expected if this is in fact sencha. It smells lovely. I’m not sure what is in here, exactly, but to me it smells like cherries, raspberries, strawberries and maybe some apple. On the spice front I’m not so sure, though I could be persuaded there is a hint of vanilla in here.

I have had so many disappointing flavored greens, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of taste on this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. First, the tea is absolutely present in the taste, and it isn’t bitter in the least. It’s a somewhat buttery, somewhat vegetal, somewhat herbaceous taste. And the fruit stands up to it without taking it over entirely. It is very well balanced compared to other flavored greens I’ve had.

Maybe I’m just really excited to find a flavored green besides the Samovar Moorish Mint that I’d like to drink again, but I have to give this one a fairly high rating for being in such a (so far, anyway) limited club.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 30 sec
Rabs

LOL — I am so addicted to your game that I was like “hurry up and drink more tea so I can get another clue!” ;)

__Morgana__

Hehe. I’m trying to space them out a little to give you some time to consider each one rather than dumping them all on you at once, seems like it would be more interesting that way.

Rabs

I now have Orff’s Carmina Burana stuck in mah head. I’m feelin’ a bit epic…just like this game ;)

Rabs

“Look at me Damien! It’s all for you!”

__Morgana__

Good guess, AmazonV, but the answer is geekier still. :-)

Rabs

I know this isn’t the answer, but I had to post this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxiv3CBMS4M

__Morgana__

Lol. Gotta love Elmer Fudd in full Valkyrie attire!

Kristin

Ha ha. Rabs, I was just thinking that about ‘Kill the wabbit’.

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Rabs

LOL — I am so addicted to your game that I was like “hurry up and drink more tea so I can get another clue!” ;)

__Morgana__

Hehe. I’m trying to space them out a little to give you some time to consider each one rather than dumping them all on you at once, seems like it would be more interesting that way.

Rabs

I now have Orff’s Carmina Burana stuck in mah head. I’m feelin’ a bit epic…just like this game ;)

Rabs

“Look at me Damien! It’s all for you!”

__Morgana__

Good guess, AmazonV, but the answer is geekier still. :-)

Rabs

I know this isn’t the answer, but I had to post this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxiv3CBMS4M

__Morgana__

Lol. Gotta love Elmer Fudd in full Valkyrie attire!

Kristin

Ha ha. Rabs, I was just thinking that about ‘Kill the wabbit’.

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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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