333 Tasting Notes
My mom picked a box of this up for me in Israel recently. And it’s actually pretty good for a bagged Earl Grey! The bergamot’s quite strong, which is a plus for me, and the base has a nice hint of smoke. The tea part of this tea could be a bit more pronounced, but I can live with that. It doesn’t measure up to my current favorite EG (Lupicia’s), but I wouldn’t expect it to. This will be good to have around for times when loose leaf’s just not feasible, definitely.
This is another sample received from either Nicole_Martin or Fuzzy_Peachkin at one of the NYC meetups. This is quite sweet and floral, but not offputtingly so – I find that some very green oolongs are just too strong on the honeysuckle front, but this one had enough savory and vegetal notes going on to keep things balanced in a way I was able to enjoy. Green TGYs aren’t my favorites, but this is certainly one of the nicest I’ve tried.
This is a nice delicate green – it’s a little bit floral and a little bit vegetal (spinach, more than grass or seaweed) and maybe just very faintly nutty. And I got four solid steeps out of the leaves – the later steeps were more vegetal, but without even approaching the point where I start feeling like I’m drinking leftover spinach-cooking water. I’ve really been enjoying Chinese greens lately, and this is no exception. Thanks to whoever gave me this sample – I’m 99% sure it was either Nicole_Martin or Fuzzy_Peachkin.
This tea is just as wonderful as everyone says it is—I’m often underwhelmed by the teas that are really popular on Steepster, but not this time! It really does taste like a springtime garden—I can’t identify the separate florals involved, but I can say that they merge into something really delightful. And although there’s no denying that this blend is strong on the florals, they’re not overwhelming or soapy or perfume-y. I can taste the (very green, fittingly) oolong, but it’s not the star of the show. The second steep was almost as good as the fist—a little lighter on the florals and heavier on the oolong, but not drastically different. Even my mom, who is not a fan of floral teas, thought this was pretty nice and something she might not mind drinking once in a while. Thanks for the sample, Fuzzy_Peachkin!
This is one seriously floral oolong. It’s very light, very sweet, almost entirely devoid of savory notes. It’s got that unidentifiable jasmine-but-not-jasmine thing going on, floral-wise—I shared this sample with my mom, and she said the floral note (which I’ve gotten in lots of other green oolongs, although never quite to this extent) is honeysuckle, so there you go. Although I’m generally all for floral, I’m finding it a bit much here. I’m used to TGYs being more savory and having a bit more depth, and I do prefer them that way.
In a shocking break from my usual, I did NOT brew this one western style—I actually followed Yezi’s instructions. It’s nice to brew like this once in a (very long) while I suppose, but mostly I was reminded of why I do prefer western style. I just really like settling in with a large (or even mid-sized) cup of tea and relaxing; I don’t find all the measuring and timing and general activity enjoyable. Anyway, this time I did four steeps, and I can’t say I noticed a ton of difference from steep to steep. I feel bad for not loving this tea, but I just didn’t. I can tell the quality is high, though, and I can see someone with different oolong preferences really enjoying it. Thanks for the sample, Nicole_Martin!
I received a sample of this tea with my Bellocq purchase a few months back and am just now getting around to trying it. This is very light—all I can taste is the bergamot, really. The bergamot’s natural and quite delicate; it’s pleasant, but not as assertive as I generally like in an Earl Grey (or Earl Grey-esque blend). The tea base is barely detectable—I can tell something’s there, but that’s it. I haven’t had much success with whit teas thus far—I haven’t tried a ton, but all the ones I’ve had seem lacking. I do tend to go for strong flavors, and I don’t think I’m particularly good at picking up subtle notes, so it could be that I’m just not going to be able to appreciate them properly. This isn’t a bad tea by any means, but there’s just not enough to hold my interest.
Too much cocoa. In that sense, this reminds me of the kinds of Chinese black teas I don’t really like—it’s lighter and less malty (although still quite malty for an oolong, I think) than those teas, but still. I’m not even sure I would’ve been able to identify this as an oolong if I hadn’t known; although it does have that light, refreshing oolong aftertaste it also has a lot of characteristics I tend to associate with black teas. In addition to the cocoa, there’s also some honey. There’s not much in the way of florals or roasted notes, which is a minus point for me as I love both those kinds of flavors in oolongs. For reference, I brewed this western style (as I brew most everything).
I got this sample from either Nicole_Martin or Fuzzy_Peachkin —thanks to whichever one of you it was, and thanks to both of you for letting me try some of Teavivre’s teas—although this wasn’t a huge hit, many of the teas I’ve sampled from them have been, and I’m looking forward to placing an order soon.
This is my second Earl Grey of the day, and it just doesn’t compare to the first (Lupicia’s). The bergamot’s not as strong as I’d like, and the green base just isn’t working for me. It’s quite grassy, and while grass plus bright citrus sounds like a perfectly pleasant combination—and I know it can be; I’ve had some wonderful greens with strong natural citrus notes—I’m not enjoying it here. Plus, there’s something about the aroma of the brewed tea that reminds me of stale cigarette smoke. It doesn’t carry through to the flavor, but still. I’m not picking up on the florals, but then I also can’t see any petals in my sample bag (ETA: There actually were some petals; I just have terrible lighting in my apartment). This was interesting to try, and now I know that green EGs aren’t really my thing. Thanks for the sample, Nicole_Martin!
I think I may have found a new favorite Earl Grey! The bergamot here is strong, which is a plus for me. It’s crisp and citrusy, and a perfect counterpoint to the rich, slightly smoky Keemun base. I’ve never had an EG like this before—the Keemun adds some welcome complexity, and I think its more assertive (vs. the usual Ceylon) profile prevents the bergamot from becoming overwhelming. Even my mother, who’s kind of an EG hater, enjoyed this. I’ve had a lot of Lupicia disappointments lately, but this one’s restoring my faith in the brand. They have a lot of misses, yes, but their hits are really something special.
Preparation
This is my first plum tea! Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a disappointment. It’s quite sweet and rather floral. There’s a bit of plum, but only a bit—and it’s more plum candy than fresh plum. I’m not sure I’d even have been able to identify it as plum if I hadn’t known—it’s got that generic fruit candy Lupicia flavoring going on. The oolong’s not as flavourful as it could be either, and what flavor it does have is a bit more vegetal than I’d like here. The aftertaste, though, is vibrant, natural plum. I’d love to get more of that—I think I’ll try this again with more leaf and a shorter steeping time. Maybe also as a cold steep.
