911 Tasting Notes

79
drank Irish Breakfast by Teas Etc
911 tasting notes

I’m still on my breakfast blend kick so I picked up an ounce of this when I made my Teas Etc order. It has a nice bakey flavor to it that reminds me of Thomas Sampson but just a hint. It has a nice sweet malty flavor at the end. There’s a good weight to it but the texture is nicely smooth. It’s not the most distinctive Irish Breakfast but it is pretty tasty. Today I had it with a little sugar and half & half (because that’s how I roll) so I still need to try it straight to see how that turns out. But right now, while this wouldn’t be my IB of perfection, I could definitely see myself rebuying it.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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92
drank Coconut Custard by Teas Etc
911 tasting notes

So yeah, I totally caved on the Steepster Select the other day. And hello fast shipping – my order got here today! Honestly, it was non-rooibos-loving Doulton’s review of this not-tea that made it first catch my eye, then Steepster Select and the forces of boredom shopping pushed me over the edge.

I’m so glad it did. Look, I wasn’t expecting much. It’s a rooibos. My greatest rooibos-related hope is that I can drink it without making an “eew, icky” face. But this stuff? This is good. Well, as long as you like coconut, which I totally do. The rooibos flavor is barely a hint and even that hint backs off to a mere wisp of wood as the tea cools a tad. Instead, this tea tastes of delightful coconut, lightly toasted to give it a bit of a crisp texture. In fact, it reminds me of the bestest coconut tea in ever and ever, SerendipiTEA’s Burroughs’ Brew. I taste no custard but the coconut is so yummy I just don’t care.

I’m so glad I caved on the Steepster Select and followed Doulton’s example like a little sheep. Because this is good stuff. Totally will be buying this again.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
SoccerMom

Yes another convert. :)

Auggy

Yes! It’s like trickle down economics but with tea conversions! :)

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76
drank 1000 Cranes Blend by Teas Etc
911 tasting notes

I ♥ strawberries. But I haven’t had the best luck with whites – or at least not consistent luck. So I thought I’d try this as my free sample from my Teas Etc order because then I get to try something that sounds like it could be tasty but, based on my past luck, might not work out so well. In fact, I was kind of anticipating it not working out so well.

But no, I like it. The flavoring is light and blends well with the tea, creating a clean and refreshing taste. I get hints of fresh strawberries more than any of the other flavorings but the tea is stronger or at least equal to the strawberry summerness. It’s surprisingly nice. I could see myself picking up some of this. Though I doubt that it would be something I’d drink daily, I like it.
4.9g/10oz

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Kristin

Oh cool! That is one of the ones I was curious about!

gmathis

Think it would work iced?

Auggy

I would probably guess yes. It’s got a nice flavor to it that I think would be very summer-time refreshing iced. I should have steeped it one more time to try iced but was too lazy too. Darn it!

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77
drank Golden Osmanthus by Lupicia
911 tasting notes

I’ve had the tea bag version of this but now I’m trying it loose. I don’t remember it being this roasty dark before. It’s like lightly roasted nectar. It’s not my normal green oolong but it has the floral notes so it is a bit of a dark oolong beginner tea. I don’t think it would actually be considered a darker oolong, more straddling the line, but my green-geared taste buds are reading it that way but still enjoying it and that’s all I really ask. I could totally enjoy something like this so I’m bumping up the rating.

Second Steep: 3 minutes. The roasty taste is softer now and there is a more straight floral/nectar taste to it. It’s not overly strong but still tasty, though the second steep lacks a bit of the depth the first one had. (And I feel obnoxious typing that. Can I be more of a tea snot?)
5g/10oz

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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92
drank Black Powder Blend by Luka Te m.m.
911 tasting notes

So, no less than three people at work have wrinkled their nose today at this lovely, smoky deliciousness of a tea. Rich, heavy and smoky, smoky, smoky. Ah. So tasty. They can wrinkle their noses all they like. I will reveal in the smoke.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Angrboda

that happens in my kab too. :D

Auggy

Hehe! At least one coworker now seems to have a horrible fascination with smelling my tea. I can’t figure out if he likes the smoky smell or if he just thinks it is too weird not to sniff.

Angrboda

maybe he’s working up the courage to ask if he can have a sip. :)

Auggy

I was thinking that too! I’ve offered to make him a cup before but I think the tea I offered it on was too different so he passed. At one point with a different tea I got the idea he had been hoping to try that one but I didn’t think to offer then. Maybe I just need to always offer to make him a cup!

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68

For rooibos, this doesn’t taste too bad. The smell is mostly horrid – sour wood – but the taste is orangy, though this time less so than the first time I had it. I think I need to lengthen the steep time. But yeah, all in all not bad for a rooibos.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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88
drank Tencha Chiyo no Sakae by Samovar
911 tasting notes

Changed the brewing parameters a touch and ended up with a pretty darn awesome cup. Still zero astringency or bitterness, it’s sweet but not as sweet as when brewed more gyokuro-like. Instead, there is a fresh, clean, almost lemony main flavor to this. Really quite delightful.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 45 sec

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84
drank White Peony by Rishi Tea
911 tasting notes

Sweetened asparagus and Froot Loops, that’s what this tea makes me think of. Okay, 95% of the time I was sipping, it just made me think of sweet asparagus – not really honeyed or floral asparagus, just asparagus with the natural sugar content turned way up – but every so often, I’d get a like Froot Loops. It wasn’t so much in the taste (though once or twice I ended up with a mild Froot Loop aftertaste) but it was definitely in the smell. It didn’t come out as I intentionally smelled the cup. Only as I was holding the cup in between sips would I get the Froot Loops smell wafting by. For a bit I actually thought it was something on my porch that smelled like that but eventually I figured it out.

As weird as it sounds, sweetened asparagus with super-mild Froot Loops works really well.
3.9g/8oz

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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100
drank Hawaii-Grown Black by Samovar
911 tasting notes

I’m having a lot of trouble describing this tea. It is so unlike any other black tea I’ve ever had. It’s sweet, but a dark sweet, like grilled and sugared fruits. It’s got a bit of raw sugar or almost caramel flavor to it too that makes it cuddly. There’s something that’s maybe like a sweet rye bread. Or not. It’s just so hard to peg the flavors! It brings to mind Samovar’s Royal Garland a bit as far as overall taste profile – darkly sweet but clean but also a bit cuddly and comfort-food-like. There’s no bite or astringency in the flavor – it’s very smooth if a bit light bodied. I really can’t be more specific about the flavors other to say that it is surprising and different but good. INSANELY good. Like I kind of want to buy twenty pounds of this tea RIGHT NOW just to roll around in and go “OMG, GOOD TEA.” And that’s perfectly normal, right?

I know the rating I want to give this tea but I’m going to hold of for just a bit – I want to try a second steep first to make sure the insane goodness wasn’t a fluke. And why is Samovar out of this one now? Boo! How will I be able to buy my twenty pounds to roll around in?

ETA: Second steep @ 5 minutes. Nope, not a fluke. I just seriously think this is fantastic. It tastes like raw sugar and faint florals with an aftertaste of grilled fruit. I just love this. Though I will say, I made the husband try some and he said, “It is very good, but I just don’t see the fantastic.” That just means more for me!

And again ETA: Third steep at 8 minutes. Very bready and sweet though getting a tad light now. I tried to do a fourth steep at 20 minutes and while it was actually okay tasting, compared to the first three it was very much less than. But three steeps? I can deal with that!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
sophistre

I don’t see it anywhere on their site! And looking up the tea via google doesn’t divulge any alternate means of buying direct. I am so sadface.

Stephanie

Wow, this tea sounds like heaven!

__Morgana__

I think some of these names are hysterical. Hawaiian-grown black, Yunnan Gold, etc. They make me think of… ahem… other plants. ;-)

Shanti

Ooh, this tea sounds so yummy!

@Morgana, LOL!

Auggy

I’m guessing Samovar is out. I hate how they hide the teas they are out of stock on. Boo! But I did read somewhere that they only had 15 pounds of it (thought that might have been for last year?) Based on Dax Pamela Dean’s notes and the fact that the tea grower’s name is the same (Eva Lee), this tea http://steepster.com/teas/tea-hawaii/10398-makai-black is the same one.
LOL! @ Morgana

Kaiten_Kenbu

Is it possible to buy directly from teahawaii.com ?

Shanti

I checked out the website, and I don’t think you can. But the person who reviewed the Makai Black said her sister emailed the company, and sent a check, and they sent her tea. So perhaps that would work?

__Morgana__

What a bummer that this is so awesome and yet there’s apparently nowhere to get it right now. If anyone does try emailing the company maybe we could see if Jason can get some special steepster select arrangement so that anyone who wants to order can?

Auggy

Well, I emailed the company earlier today so we shall see what they have to say! (Yes, the tea is that good – I’m trying to get more. NOW!)

__Morgana__

Cool, eager to hear the response.

Auggy

Well, apparently they are pretty low tech but they do sell direct! Eva’s email response said that this tea (I didn’t ask about their white or oolong) is $10 per 12g bag with $5 shipping (I’m checking to see if that is a flat shipping rate or a per bag rate) and to send her a check and she’ll send me tea. So pretty expensive for a black tea but yeah, I’m gonna get some. Their email address is [email protected]

Stephanie

But it’s still cheaper than Samovar, right? Thanks for this info—I want to buy this too!

Auggy

Got more information from Eva – all of their teas are the same price ($10/12g) and the $5 shipping is a flat rate for up to 6 bags of tea.
Stephanie, I’m not sure the Samovar price since this was from a swap and Samovar doesn’t have it listed on their website right now. But they had the oolong from the same grower as $25 for 1oz (so 23g) and direct would be $20 for 24g (plus shipping for both). So yep, a tiny bit cheaper. But more importantly – IN STOCK! YAY! :)

Kaiten_Kenbu

Thanks Auggy :)

Auggy

No problem! Especially since I already sent her my check so I feel confident that any potential Steepster rush on this tea won’t make it sell out before I get my share. ;)

__Morgana__

Hehe re the rush. Are you going to try her other teas as well?

Auggy

I’m going just for the black this time. I’ve had a sample of last season’s oolong (and have another sample of this season’s that I’ve yet to try) and it was tasty but nothing like this black tea. She’s got a white tea, too but I’ve never been a huge white fan. But I have heard good things about the oolong so I might end up regretting that decision – but it just means I’ll have to order from her again, darn it! :)

sophistre

Auggy, you are heroic. Thanks for the information!

Auggy

Yay! And no problem – Dax Pamela Dean did most of the work! :)

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40
drank Viva by The Simple Leaf
911 tasting notes

This tea reminds me quite a bit of Rishi’s Jade Cloud but it is softer and silkier. It tastes vegetal green and a little salty, with a nice nutty aftertaste that, as the cup cools, threatens to overwhelm a bit as it combines with the salty to make a not-quite-bitterness. That taste is something that I could do with having less of so I think I will shorten the steep time the next time I have this since that helps tame Jade Cloud.

ETA: Second steep @ 3:00. The nutty bitterness has increased. That’s unpleasant. I feel that this tea still has potential though. We shall see.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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Profile

Bio

I’m trying to be a better tea logger and actually post semi-regularly again! I’ve let my tea tasting senses become too complacent – it’s time for some focused and attentive tea drinking!

Sometimes my notices for PMs and such have been questionable. Email me at your own risk at aug3zimm at gmail dot com.

1 – 10 – Bleck. Didn’t finish the cup.
11 – 25 – Drinkable. But don’t punish me by making me have it again.
26 – 40 – Meh. Most likely will see if the husband likes it iced.
41 – 60 – Okayish. Maybe one day I’ll kill off what I have in my pantry.
61 – 75 – Decent. I might pick some up if I needed tea.
76 – 85 – Nice. I’d probably buy but wouldn’t hunt it down.
86 – 100 – Yum! I will hunt down the vendor to get this tea!

Not that anyone but me particularly cares, but there it is.

Location

Texas

Website

http://pinkness.danzimmermann...

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