545 Tasting Notes

67

Backlog. 9 days ago, Thursday afternoon after barbeque for lunch (chicken with death relish, collards, and red rice).

So I keep trying this tea from time to time, thinking okay that sounds like it could be nice now even though I don’t like this flavor combo but I have it and I need to drink it and it is pretty spot on, tasting like mint chocolate chip ice cream, you know the green kind. But I never really want to finish the cup. So I think it’s time to give up and say that this tea is free to a good home. I have a decent size sample of it left.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
CHAroma

Death relish?? What is death relish?!

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA

It has ghost chili in it. And some kind of fruit, maybe peach. It’s good and spicy, but not ohmigod I’m going to die spicy. To me, at least. =)

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68

Backlog. 9 days ago – Tuesday night.

So I’m still finding that I tend to have a hard time finishing cups of this, even though I definitely like it. I think it’s something about the change in temperature changing the way it tastes.

2nd steep: 12 mins.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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65

Backlog. 6 days ago – Tuesday afternoon.

After my success at making at extra yummy car tumbler of TOL yesterday, I wanted to try to replicate that again today. I measured the car tumbler’s capacity, used a cup of similar volume, and steeped a bit longer. The result was not the same.

Oh well, I have one tea sachet left to try on.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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83

Backlog. 6 days ago – Tuesday morning.

I’ve had a sample of this that I borrowed from my mom, I just haven’t tried it yet. I wanted to try something new and flavored this morning and this caught my eye.

The tea looks like plain black tea leaves with nothing in them as far as pieces of stuff. On first smell, it was fruity. On further sniffing, I could detect nutty in the background. If I thought about could I smell cranberry and almonds as I sniffed, I found I could. But I don’t think I would have guessed that based on sniffing.

The steeped tea also has the same lovely aroma. I tasted it and loved it instantly. The taste was also a lovely fruity and nutty taste that matched the smell. It was cranberry and almond if I thought about it when I drank it. I drank my first cup down rather quickly and resteeped.

The second steep was on the weaker side, but drinkable. If I increase the steeping time of the first steep as I plan to try because I think I could like the flavors stronger, then the second steep could well end up too weak to drink enjoyably.

I’m rating this tea an 83 (great range 80-90) right off because I liked it so so much. I wish I had more then the small sample I stole from my mom’s house.

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

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65

Yesterday I was meeting my grandparents for an early lunch near where they live (about 20 minutes away). I didn’t have any breakfast nor had I had any caffeine yet so I made TOL in a car tumbler and took it with me to drink on the drive.

And omg, something about making TOL this way really worked. I mean, I like TOL, don’t get me wrong, I’ve just never loved it – something about the black tea being too overpowering or the flavor of the flavors becoming overwhelming, maybe as it cooled.

But oh my did it come out good this way. I don’t know if it was the larger tumbler size or the extra 30 seconds I gave it because of the larger size, but it was good. I’m going to have to try making it in a larger cup next time and see if I can replicate this.

Also, I only have two more bagged of this left. =(

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 30 sec
gmathis

I really, really, like this one too.

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84

After groggily making the previous tea I’d decided on before I changed my mind and picked Jackee to have with breakfast the day before, I made up for my mistake by making Jackee with breakfast two days ago – an everything bagel and cream cheese. Ohmigod, Jackee is so good and goes lovely with the bagel. I haven’t had him in awhile because I’m low on him and semi-hoarding him which I think makes him taste extra good when I do have him.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 45 sec
JacquelineM

Isn’t a smoky tea with an everything bagel and cream cheese just divine!?!?!?

teawing

I now know what I am having for breakfast in the morning…thanks chrine!

teawing

Yes folks, I will now be finding an everything bagel and cream cheese in the morning…
:)

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA

@Jacqueline: Yes!

@teawing: You’re welcome. I’m going to have to do this again before I’m out of bagels. =)

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74

Yesterday morning, I woke up and decided to have this tea with a garlic bagel for breakfast. Then I thought no, Jackee. But I’d already scooped this tea on autopilot into my steeping basket a few minutes later before I realized I had meant to have Jackee. Oh well, sometimes it is best to go with your first choice. This tea actually went really well with the garlic bagel. As I drank it, I realized it was growing on me. I had found this tea to be underwhelming a bit.

2nd steep: 10 mins.

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

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54

After a late lunch of multi-grain cracker with deli chicken, aged cheddar, and grainy mustard and dill pickles on the side, I decided a cup of Oatmeal Raisin Cookie black tea would go good and that it was time to break into the pouch.

So when I got the tea of the week email from 52 Teas and saw this tea, I thought it would sell out plus I love oatmeal and oatmeal raisin cookies so I immediately headed over to the site and brought myself a pouch. I just hadn’t gotten around to trying it yet (because I have so much damn tea).

I opened the pouch today and all I could smell was grape candy. I sniffed again – the same. I keep sniffing more deeply and thought I could smell toasty oats and bake-y cookie scent but maybe it was my imagination hoping. The black tea leaves had rolled oats and raisins mixed in throughout. Steeped, all I could smell in this tea was grape candy scent.

I taste the tea quite hot – grape. I taste the tea as it cools – grape. All I can taste in the first steep is grape really, try as I might to find the oatmeal or the cookie. On the second steep, which still smells of grape, as it cools I find I can just find the oatmeal and the cookie a tiny bit.

I’m not rating this tea yet because I hated the Buttered Cinnamon Raisin Toast black tea the first two times I tried it. I did not think it tasted at all like buttered cinnamon raisin toast and kind of remember a similar grape-y flavor. But then I drank it again quite awhile later and wow it tasted like butter cinnamon raisin toast and I really liked it. So I’m hoping in time this tea will also mellow into tasting more like oatmeal raisin cookie. I’ll give it another try in a week or two.

2nd steep: 8 mins.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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76

Yesterday afternoon, I thought a cup of black tea might perk me up so I steeped up some Milk & Cookies, knowing I thoroughly enjoy this one every time I have it. I ended up dozing off in the evening so didn’t get to resteep it. I must still be catching up on my sleep.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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83

Backlog. Two days ago – Thursday afternoon. Clearly, I did not keep up with logging all my teas drank since the beginning of February.

I’d gotten home at after staying at my parents for four days while my cousin Brittany was down visiting from Michigan and I was dragging from too little sleep for several nights in a row. I didn’t really even think that tea would help but a cup sounded so good.

I had thought I’d have a plain black tea but as I was going through my list of teas in my head, I came to this one and knew that was what I wanted. So I made it and it was so good and it didn’t really wake me up at all but it was so good. So mission accomplished anyways with a delicious cup of tea.

I made the second steep to drink later that evening then I dozed off so I woke up and drank it cold before dinner and it was actually quite delicious that way too and refreshing in some ways.

2nd steep: 12 mins.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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Profile

Bio

I’m 33 years old, studying pharmacy, and have a surly cat named Bin. I love tea, coffee, beer, wine, and most things food and beverage related. I also love music, movies, reading, writing, and learning new things.

I’ve drank tea all my life but about five to six years ago, my close friend Spautz got into tea and got me more into tea. I drink black teas and tisanes/herbals most. Since receiving a variable temperature kettle from my parents for Xmas this past year, I’ve been drinking more greens, oolongs, and whites. I’m very very new to puerh. That is, I’ve had only one.

Ratings scale:
90-100 Awesome
80-90 Great
70-80 Good
60-70 Nice
50-60 Decent
40-50 Drinkable
30-40 Meh
0-30 Awful

Would I order this again ranking:
5 – definitely
4 – likely
3 – maybe
2 – neutral
1 – no

Location

Charleston, SC

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