Mark T. Wendell

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Recent Tasting Notes

75

Tea #9 from the HHTTB

Decent cup of green tea. It smells like it will be bitter, if that makes sense, but it isn’t at all. It’s a bright and sweet green tea. I tend to favor a stronger vegetal flavor, but this is good too.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 15 sec

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81

Mmm, this is quite tasty! Very smooth, with a slight bit of smokiness and a little sweetness, too. Definitely a nice afternoon pick-me-up! Sort of reminds me of a softer version of Cara M’s Sherlock fandom blend (Sherlock being a little spicier and less sweet). I shall have to do a side by side tasting of them at some point.

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this is a GOOD jasmine tea!

i put a couple of pearls in my tiny cup and steeped for about a minute and it had unfurled!

jasmine scent is good-strong, not overpowering
jasmine taste is good-strong too. there was an almost imperceptible bitter aftertaste, will have to steep for a shorter time, maybe? still it fared better than the other jasmine i had steeped earlier and gave up on hot-steeping. the other jasmine also had that slight bitter after taste even after cold-steeping :(

this is my first jasmine pearl though so no points of comparison but this is the best jasmine i’ve had! haha

one time, i will have to steep at the same time as my other jasmines.

will update this upon re-steep <3

update: the 2nd steep normalized the flavor and i liked it the best. was able to steep about a couple times more of this goodness :)

Kasumi no Chajin

this one is on my shopping list. looking for a good pearl.

T.C.

Jasmine Pearls are all awesome

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Oh hey, this was actually on my shopping list! It caught my eye again on the SWAPs board, thank you momo for sending this to me. I find it amusing that three of the five people reviewing this tea (not including myself) passed it on to each other until it came to me over the last two years. Which explains why as soon as I brewed it I got a familiar odor that I have a very hard time describing but comes from teas that have been passed along or perhaps been in plastic bags too long, no matter if they are green, oolong or black. Sigh.

The dry leaf smells better than the wet, the second infusion is better than the first (which I had to toss, so lets just consider it a rinse shall we?) and the tea tastes much better cool than it does hot or warm. If I let it go cold I get a nice powder sugar/tree lichen/mushroom taste/feel that lingers on the tongue and that’s about the only nice thing I can say. I get “mellow brew”, but not the full body or bouquet, there’s a bit of spice and the weird age notes are sharp at times. ::shurg::

Tis not Keemun and has lost the majority of it’s former Formosa oolong mojo that other tea drinkers took note of. So Taiwanese Assam: win, Formosa Keemun: loose. Could be the age but I’m unlikely to acquire a new batch. I also don’t know it this was fine cut to begin with or if I just got the dusty bottom of a bag of full leaf, but tis something to consider. Oh well, thanks for letting me try it momo. The good news? I have two Keemun’s from Butiki to try!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Ugh. I couldn’t do this tea at all. It was weak and tasteless :(

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Thanks TeaEqualsBliss!

I’ve had a pretty full day, going to the allergist, mailing stuff, picking up a prescription, eating a $10 lunch (!!! never again), buying a couple dresses for my Halloween costume to only find I might have an even better dress at home already, and then learning that if you walk around Goodwill with a hockey stick, people get the hell out of your way! That’s for my boyfriend’s costume, not me, don’t think it works with a dress. I’m gonna be a Bond girl gone zombie.

And then best of all someone bought SIX lip balms from me, someone I don’t even know!!! YAY the ads work! So that was thrilling.

Now it is tea time. I should have probably got out a regular keemun since I’ve been wanting one for days, and the other day I had one that was more like lapsang because it wasn’t made properly (not by me!). This looks a lot like a Taiwanese oolong instead.

I steeped it in my gaiwan, 3 steeps of 15 seconds, 20 seconds, and 25 seconds and put all those steeps in one mug.

This is…weird.

It doesn’t taste like Keemun at all, it tastes like a roasted oolong. And when it comes to Taiwanese oolongs, I’m just not a fan of those types. Baked wood chips. That’s all I get. I think I’m going to add honey to it.

It’s such a pretty color though. I wish I could paint with it.

Well, honey makes it better but it’s still not my type of flavor underneath it all. I wish I could get into it but I just can’t.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

I was also really confused and disappointed in this one. Definitely doesn’t smell, look, or taste anything like keemun. :(

momo

Yeah, that’s why I added honey. Didn’t really help, but now to the actual keemun!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

I’m really confused why the name keemun is on it in the first place, being as it has no keemun qualities and doesn’t come from the Qimen County. I’m gonna have to experiment with it and not think of it as a keemun and maybe I can like it. Haha…but please, go brew yourself some real keemun! :D

canadianadia

Bond Girl gone zombie – what a fun costume!

Daisy Chubb

I’m SO freaking jealous of that costume! pics after Halloween, pretty please? You will be amazing!

momo

Oh yes! My friends are DJs haha so they are throwing their party this year as their Friday night party, and are having professional makeup artists there so I am hoping they can do it for me and make it even more awesome!

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drank Hu-Kwa by Mark T. Wendell
1 tasting notes

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I’ve had this tea for several years, but never wrote a note on it. This tea is full bodied with a nice, light smoke. Truely something I enjoy for “Afternoon Tea”. Brews quickly and can be overdone. Cheese and Crackers with VA, mmmmm.

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Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tisane.

It tastes very crisp and minty. Very minty! Cooling and vibrant. This particular Guayusa sold by Mark T. Wendell is a Runa brand. Here’s my full-length review of it: http://sororiteasisters.com/2011/07/23/peppermint-guayusa-from-runa/

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I’m glad the review for this one posted when it did … this is perfect for the change of seasons:

http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/2412/tea-review-mark-t-wendell-formosa-keemun-3/

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I’m not one of those people that will spend a lot of money on green teas because, case in point, you can get a very satisfying green tea that hits all the notes—sweet, light, pleasingly vegetal—for a very reasonable price, from the always reliable Mark T. Wendell company.

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drank Hu-Kwa by Mark T. Wendell
189 tasting notes

A cool foggy morning, waiting for the sun to shine and enjoying a gut-warming cup of one of my faves. My new favorite band, The Futurebirds streaming on Spotify and the kids off with my wife for an hour—a bit of calm plucked from what promises to be a busy afternoon of yard maintenance.

TheTeaFairy

Ahhh…tea and music. Love Futurebirds, pure laid back enjoyment…a friend introduced me to their album Hampton’s Lullaby last year cause I was totally hooked on this from the Beach House:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FuvWc3ToDHg

What a great suggestion that was! After reading your note, I found their new album, didn’t know they had released new stuff so thank you for that :-) It seems a little more uptempo, love the sound.

My summer find of the moment is Hummingbird from Local Natives (unintentionally staying on the bird theme it seems!)

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h2zWfxW60z0

Oops, sorry for highjacking your note with music reviews, just can’t help myself sometimes!

Doug F

Wow! Another Futurebirds fan. They’re playing in my town on June 4th—lucky me. The new album is more uptempo—reminds me of another band I like—Beachwood Sparks. Thanks for the You tube links and keep the suggestions coming!

TheTeaFairy

I don’t write many reviews on Steepster, but I often include music references, it’s just part of who I am. Great that you get to see them live! I’m going to the Black Keys on July 5th, can’t wait!

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drank Hu-Kwa by Mark T. Wendell
189 tasting notes

The smell of wood smoke ignites some primal pavlovian need inside of me, especially on this bone-chilling day. The beautiful red hue of this tea begs for a glass mug and the deep, mellow taste never disappoints. This will always be a part of my inner circle of teas.

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drank Hu-Kwa by Mark T. Wendell
189 tasting notes

One of my go-to teas. Very smoky but always mellow—never bitter, which attests to the quality of the base leaf Hu Kwa is made from. The red liquor always sparkles.

Spot52

One of the coffee shops in town swears by this tea and this company. Do you like any of their other teas?

Doug F

I do. They seem to find great examples of the major types of teas, like Assams, darjeelings, and Keemuns, etc. They don’t offer a lot of options like Upton tea does (they have nearly 100 darjeelings which can be a bit overwhelming) but what they do offer is quality. I’ve enjoyed their dragonwell green and their basic Darjeeling quite a bit. thanks for asking.

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I’m not sure how to rate this one yet – might have to spend some more time with it. I guess one could say it’s dew-like – there is more to it – just can’t put my finger on it…

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drank Hu-Kwa by Mark T. Wendell
2888 tasting notes

Taking a break from household reconstruction to flit online and discovered this review is posted: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/2213/tea-review-mark-t-wendell-hu-kwa-lapsang-souchong-2/

Incidentally, the cup in the profile picture survived the storm; it’s handle didn’t. :(

ashmanra

Sorry about your cup. I couldn’t tell in the picture what was on it but it must have been a dear one for you to post it as a profile pic! And I tremble to ask…what about the teapot from Mema? Has it been found?

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drank Hu-Kwa by Mark T. Wendell
2888 tasting notes

Picked up a pouch for future review at www.itsallabouttheleaf.com. I am not a lapsang fan by any means, but this one taught me that not all lapsang souchong blends taste like burnt bacon, either. Nice substitute for a crackling fireplace on a cloudy afternoon with the remains of a blizzard on the ground.

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drank Hu-Kwa by Mark T. Wendell
61 tasting notes

The smokiness is something you learn to love or hate, but this tea is smoother with more balanced briskness than other lapsang souchongs. Join an online tasting of this tea: http://walkerteareview.com/?p=2373

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83
drank Hu-Kwa by Mark T. Wendell
892 tasting notes

Thanks TeaEqualsBliss! I’m still trying to get through all of my samples. I’ve been having a mini sip down/cleaning party.
This is such a lovely smoked tea. Lapsang always reminds me of camping and campfires. Mm :) not a super smoked flavor, but still has nice flavor to it. Thanks again!

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80
drank Cheericup Ceylon by Mark T. Wendell
2816 tasting notes

Finally I’m sipping down this tea after having a tin of it for a few years. It’s definitely a tea that you need to drink with milk and sugar. Has a fruity, almost citrusy note. I don’t think this will be a repurchase for me, mostly I’m just glad it’s gone after all this time. If I can’t drink a tin of tea within a year it just isn’t a favorite it seems…

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

It’s got such a happy name—cheery cup! I like good Ceylons with that sort of bright personality.

TeaBrat

It is a nice tea. I just prefer my Chinese blacks overall I guess :)

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80
drank Cheericup Ceylon by Mark T. Wendell
2816 tasting notes

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80
drank Cheericup Ceylon by Mark T. Wendell
2816 tasting notes

Tea of the morning here. For some reason I haven’t been drinking this one much, I guess I don’t normally associate ceylons with a morning tea and I haven’t been drinking many black afternoon teas. I made this too strong by accident and it is extremely brisk but ended up getting mellow with a tsp of sugar and some soymilk. When it is made correctly, it has a nice fruity flavor.

Job searching has its ups and downs. I had two interviews last week and I didn’t want one of the jobs, the other one didn’t want me. So it’s back to the drawing board, I guess. But I’m trying not too get too discouraged because I want something that’s a good fit.

Uniquity

If you can afford it, it’s better to hold out for something that works for you. Good luck!

Cheri

I agree with Uniquity. It’s much better to hold out for something that is what you really want, if you can.

TeaBrat

Yep, I agree. Thanks!

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80
drank Cheericup Ceylon by Mark T. Wendell
2816 tasting notes

I’ve always wanted to try a lemongrass/black tea blend so today I decided to create my own. I used about 1/3 lemongrass leaf and 2/3 cherricup ceylon. This was a good call, the lemongrass goes really well with the brisk and fruity ceylon and seems very refreshing. Note to self: This will make a great blend for summer time iced, with a little bit of sugar!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Ysaurella

sounds a great idea

TeaBrat

you should try it :)

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