1759 Tasting Notes
I went to a yoga retreat last weekend. My first ever. It was interesting. I’d go again.
Anyhow. I very rarely have an audience so willing to try tea, so I shared a pot of this with the group. Four infusions, I think? Maybe five. One lady really loved it. As in she said it was mind blowing – and she will remember it forever. It doesn’t sound like she will be a convert, but I’m glad to have given her a nice memory! The cocoa really came out, and in later steeps, more of that menthol with some hay background, perhaps caramel. Was too busy serving to really enjoy much myself! If I go for another retreat one day, I’ll need to put more thought into which one I bring. An oolong perhaps.
This was the iced tea to go for today. I’m impressed that it wasn’t super tart again. It’s been 4 yrs since I had this, and had my mouth turned inside out by hibiscus. Yes, I do like some sour things, and I would even say I like it more than others. But that experience? Turned me off this blend for quite a long time.
Today is just perfect in that way… invoking a sweet berry which hasn’t quite fully ripened yet – my fave. In fact, I’mma gonna bump the rating. It was at 56, and I’d say today was a 78. So 67 seems fair? halfway.
As well, the stevia aftertaste kinda makes me sad. Bah.
So good. I was hoping for more of a green refreshing tea, but this turned out all warm and roasty. Not exactly what I was seeking… oh well, it was so full of flavour I’m not sure I mind. And I should have remembered back to when I bought this one and was told it was made in the old style, not the newer one that’s all zingy.
Anyhow. Notes of chestnut, bamboo, vanilla, okra, and something I can’t quite put my finger on. Autumn maybe. Yeah lets go with that… all with a hint of lingering summer in the air. Day old cut grass (in a good way)
I think I made it through seven infusions. Some were more green and others roasty. Also I should clarify… okra to me is kinda not that fresh tasting. I guess I should have specified cooked! a unique TGY for sure though. I don’t think I’ve had one quite like that before! :D
I gave a bunch of this away to friends, and I’m trading the rest away for a scoby. SO glad I have more coming!!! I’ll be sad if it ever gets discontinued. There’s a really nice “alcohol” scent that I enjoy, you know the kind in real organic vanilla extract. and yes… I know this is marshmallow lol
Trouble is, now I’ll have none left til my order comes in. Will have to savour the memory of this last cup… rating bump!
Added this to some soup I made awhile back. It needs tweaking to find the best way for incorporation, as it turned out nicely… but not quite perfect. Should have written down all the other stuff I used! I rarely work from a recipe with soups, or I start from one and then add things as I see fit. Would definitely do this again but maybe double the strength of the tea, and toss it into a tea bag instead of brewing and then dumping the cup in.
Found it!! Made a cup straight away and it was oh sooooo good. Initially I was planning to add milk, as per recommendation, and my craving at the time but then my first initial sip had so much flavour and it was so smooth that I opted to have it bare. Second infusion was amazing as well. Noms.
On a personal note, I’m working a short contract at the college, til the end of August. The pay sucks but I’ve been networking to find another position for September and it keeps me on campus. Boss lady is kinda nice. We get along well for the most part. Trying to get a decent reference. Fingers crossed. I swear getting into the union there is next to impossible. I will persevere. I hope.
Super tart today. I’m not a huge stevia fan, and I enjoy sour candies and such, so it turned out to be one of the best cups from this batch so far. Hopefully that doesn’t mean the other ones will be overly sweet.
Maybe it was just my mood, but this particular cup would garner a score of 85 or so. I have been craving lemonade lately…
Flat tea. With a sour edge. KInda meh. Better than the super sweetened version with 41g of sugar. I kinda wish they had one with just a bit of sugar and no added citric acid. May 5g sugar? Just something to make it less boring. Especially since all the other flavoured varieties in this series have 41g! This is the only one out of the bunch I can stomach, as the other ones are so sugary that I get super thirsty after, and I can’t taste much of the actual tea so what’s the point? They really need a middle ground. Maybe one day I’ll grab one sweetened version and a bunch of unsweetened bottles so I can find my ideal balance and give it a more accurate review, since I feel like that aspect holds me back from delivering a proper assessment. Would I buy it again, on the run? only if there was no water for purchase available or other suitable alternatives.
Atleast with hot tea I can control the additives and customize to my whims
Where was your retreat and what kind of yoga was it?
It was with East Meets West yoga, the lady has a gym near Lansdowne Station on Bloor. The venue was Harmony Dawn up near Cobourg. The yoga was pretty gentle. More focused on meditation. There was some Yin as well – was craving a flow class on Monday when I returned, after being so sedentary all weekend! :P
A yoga retreat! You are badass. And even more so for sharing tea with the group.
awww thanks!! it wasn’t scary at all. I may have a new very expensive addiction. SO wanna go again
Thanks for the details, IndigoBloom! It sounds fab!