87 Tasting Notes

77
drank Love Story Volume II by Basilur
87 tasting notes

Drank the penultimate tea sachet of Basilur Love Story Vol II this morning. It was the right kind of subtle after a terrible night’s sleep.

The rose dominates the aroma, leaving it sweetly perfumed but not overpowering or sickly. It’s the first flavour note you get when you take a sip too, but with the light-bodied black tea and sweet nutty almonds, it really works. This is a gentle tea. A caress.

I’m not sure what amaranth should smell/taste like, but there’s definitely a new floral note hidden in there. I assume that’s what the amaranth is. It’s not strong enough to define with words.

Reading my initial blog review after my first cup of this tea is nice. When I started blogging, I didn’t imagine looking back a year and 5 months later. It’s good to reminisce. Although my photography skills weren’t all that… https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/basilur-love-story-volume-ii-tea-review/

Flavors: Almond, Nutty, Perfume, Rose, Sweet

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 45 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 250 ML

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64
drank Uva Tea by MlesnA
87 tasting notes

Note: add milk. MlesnA advise on the tea wrapper that it’s best consumed with milk. Massive understatement.

This tea is a lot. It has a bold character that really smacks you in the face. Or tongue, I guess. It’s not going to be everyone’s “cup of tea” but I can stomach it.

The astringency and bitterness is extreme, but by adding milk, you turn this tea into a very crisp and palate-clearing cuppa. I cannot drink this tea without milk.

I get notes of bergamot in this tea, as it’s got that crisp astringency and briskness to it. Although, I think if you used this tea to make an Earl Grey it would be too much. There’s a hint of maltiness that pops up as well, with a generous splash of milk.

At the end of the cup, you’re left with a drying sensation in your mouth.

My blog review is shorter than usual. There’s not much to say other than “damn, that’s bitter!” So, ultimately, I’m only recommending this tea to masochists that like a very brisk cuppa with a lot of milk.

https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/mlesna-uva-tea-review/

Flavors: Astringent, Bergamot, Bitter, Malt

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 250 ML

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78

A very old tea from Martin! It has no dry leaf aroma… my bad. I should have sealed it properly.

But with a long hot brew, it springs back to life! This is yummy. Definitely my kind of fruit tea.

The aroma is sweet and tart red fruits, red currants and hibiscus. The flavour has notes of orange, cranberry, hibiscus and rose petals. I would have preferred it to be slightly more sour than sweet, but it’s still very nice.

Now I check this tea on Steepster… strawberry? Really? I’d never have got that.

Anyway, thanks Martin! This is a great tea that I should have tried back when you first sent it.

Flavors: Cranberry, Hibiscus, Orange, Red Fruits, Rose, Sour, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 250 ML
Martin Bednář

Hah, don’t worry! I just tried your Teapro Supreme Silver Needle you sent me in same swap. It was somewhere buried and I just found it. 2 months before Use by date :)

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62
drank English Breakfast by Ringtons
87 tasting notes

Didn’t time this cuppa, just judged by colour and aroma when it was done. This is such a simple yet tasty tea. Rich, bold, smooth, slightly malty – exactly what an English Breakfast tea should be.

Added a splash of unsweetened soya milk and cut a slice of banana peel cake (a new recipe I tested yesterday).

A no-nonsense cup of tea, but undeniably basic. It filled a hole.

https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/ringtons-english-breakfast-tea-review/

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 g 7 OZ / 200 ML

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64
drank Ruhunu by Basilur
87 tasting notes

It is absolutely freezing right now. Feels like -3c outside and I just can’t get the warmth back into my fingers even though I got back from my walk hours ago.

So I brewed this tea to hang on to. I think it has changed since it was first logged on Steepster, as there’s definitely no added caramel flavouring in the teabags I’m sampling. It does have a natural caramel and nutty aroma though.

The smooth sweetness of this tea just glides over your tongue – there’s no bitterness, even though I’ve brewed it deep and dark. Rich malty notes and nutty hints (a mix of almond, roasted chestnut and maybe pecan) are delicious.

It could be better though. The flavours could be brighter. The sweetness could pop more. But no. It’s missing something. Perhaps if this was loose leaf it would be different.

Nonetheless, it’s as pleasant and satisfying now as it was when I first reviewed it for the blog: https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/basilur-ruhunu-tea-review/

Flavors: Almond, Caramel, Chestnut, Malt, Nuts, Pecan, Sweet

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 g 10 OZ / 300 ML
Martin Bednář

I always wonder how much are tea-bags and loose leaf of “same, same, but different” teas different. The tea on their website looks nice, bit lower quality than ususal.

gmathis

My local discount outlet place that was a steady source of Basilur goodies doesn’t have them now :( Too bad, because this sounds right up my alley!

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46
drank Pure Ceylon Dimbula Tea by MlesnA
87 tasting notes

After I was mildly impressed with the single origin Ceylon teas by BOH (sachets) and Basilur (teabags) I was looking forward to trying more single origins from Mlesna.

But…. this tea sucks.

It brews very quickly into that dark peat brown tea colour and has a generic, hearty and tannin black tea aroma. It’s bold and rich with a hint of malt, but lacks a distinctive character. There’s nothing that makes it special.

The flavour is incredibly bitter – almost unbearably bitter. You need to add a lot of milk and sugar to make this tea drinkable. And I don’t usually like sugar in my tea, which says a lot about this one.

Yet, I did finish the cup and it does work well for washing down sweet, sticky foods. Pancakes, waffles, cake, etc. So it gets a middling score for that, but I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it. I’ll use the rest of this tea in baking.

Pssst. Martin. I sent you this tea but I see you haven’t logged it on Steepster yet. Can I say sorry in advance?

https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/mlesna-dimbula-tea-review/

Flavors: Bitter, Malt, Tannin

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 g 8 OZ / 250 ML
Martin Bednář

Haha, don’t worry. As I said, some teas are good, some are worse… I had this tea today in a hand today; but decided for Kandy instead. Not a good sign that you need to add sugar though. Who know, maybe my impressions will be different?

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82
drank Peppermint and Green Chai by teapro
87 tasting notes

Finished the last of this tea! It’s smooth and sweet with those peppermint and gunpowder green tea notes.

The spices were more distinct when this tea was fresh (Jan 2020) but now they’re more of a generic medley. But still nice.

Peppermint adds a freshness to this chai, but not too much menthol. I never got around to cold brewing this tea, as teapro recommend, but I reckon the menthol would have been stronger when iced. I don’t regret drinking it all hot, though.

Tasty. I’m considering buying more of this one.

https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/teapro-subscription-box-review-chaiwala/

Flavors: Cardamom, Clove, Floral, Green, Mint

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 250 ML
Martin Bednář

This blend sounds really great. And I honestly don’t think I had a green tea based chai!

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70
drank Turmeric with Citrus by Pure Leaf
87 tasting notes

BB: March 2020. Ah. Maybe it will be stale.

But it’s actually okay, I stored this tea well and the flavour/aroma notes I’m getting now match up with my blog review of this tea from January 2020.

Deeply earthy, woody and musty with zesty hints of orange popping up in the aroma. It smells thick – do you know what I mean?

I love the slight tingling sensation you get from the orange peel in this tea. It’s just like that fine zesty spray you get when peel a small satsuma. The turmeric and ginger give this herbal blend body too, but the turmeric really dominates it.

You could fairly say that the turmeric is overpowering… but I like it. It gives this tea oomph. And this tea is DEFINITELY not stale!

https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/pure-leaf-turmeric-citrus-tea-review/

Flavors: Earth, Ginger, Musty, Nutty, Orange, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 8 OZ / 250 ML

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55
drank Three Mint by Pukka
87 tasting notes

One of the few Pukka teas that is exactly what it says on the label. I’m trying to clear down some old tea before we head into 2021 and this is the last teabag from this box.

Texture is surprisingly thick. Looking back at my review from last year, I describe as almost syrupy. It’s not unpleasant though, just unusual.

The three types of mint gives it a little more depth than a single mint tea. The peppermint brings the menthol coolness, the spearmint adds some sweetness, and the field mint adds some body.

A great tea for when you’ve eaten too many mince pies…

Pictures from a looooong time ago https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/pukka-three-mint-tea-review/

Flavors: Menthol, Mint, Peppermint, Spearmint, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 15 sec 1 tsp 7 OZ / 200 ML

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86
drank Vánoční dobroty by Oxalis
87 tasting notes

My Christmas eve eve tea! I brewed a scant teaspoon for a full 10 minutes, even though Martin suggests a 6 minute brew on the label (thanks for this tea!). I’m in the mood for some strong festive spice, and I didn’t want to use all this tea up in one go.

It has the red glow and tart aroma of a hibiscus dominated blend – which is definitely my cup of tea. Love it. But there’s also some spices (cloves, cinnamon) and other fruit notes (juicy sultanas and apple) swirling around in the steam.

Wow! Interesting flavour. It’s very light and not very hibiscus flavoured at all. Smooth and sweet. Notes of apple, apricot and sultanas develop a few seconds into the sip, with a hint of tartness coming in at the end with those berry hibiscus notes. But that’s super subtle – even if you dislike hibiscus, I reckon you wouldn’t be too upset with this tea.

Can’t say whether that’s because I only brewed a small teaspoon (perhaps I missed the large hibiscus pieces in the bag) or if that’s how the tea is designed to taste.

The spices are present, but mingled and more of a sensation than a flavour. Besides cinnamon, cloves and maybe nutmeg, I can’t decipher which specific spices are included.

Overall, this is a good festive tea. I might brew up the rest tomorrow, adding a shot of amaretto. I think the sweet almond flavour would work well with the fruits in this tea.

Flavors: Apple, Apricot, Berries, Cinnamon, Clove, Hibiscus, Nutmeg, Spices, Tart

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 10 OZ / 300 ML
Mastress Alita

I think you are the first other person I’ve seen on here that likes hibi blends, now I don’t have to feel so alien all the time! I love these hibi-citrus-spice Christmas teas, too.

Martin Bednář

I am happy that you like this tea, called, “Christmas Treats” in translation and ingredients list is very, very long: apple, hibiscus, rose hips, orange zest, sultanas (raisins?), dates, apricots, prunes, figs, coconut, licorice, cardamom, rose buds and rose petals and vanilla.

I haven’t tried it yet! So, I am indeed glad you like it :) I think there isn’t anything wrong steeping it for 10 minutes instead of 6; 6 were recommended by the producer. It was such aromatic when I opened the sachet though. I wasn’t really sure if it will all work together well! Haha.

You are welcome ;)

Mastress Alita

I find with big chunky herbals like this, I use a ton of leaf and just leave the bag in the cup… infinite steep! :-)

Izzy

Yes, Mastress Alita! Hibiscus is yum. Sometimes I like to fish the hibiscus pieces out of my tea strainer (after brewing them as tea) and put them on top of my oatmeal with a generous teaspoon of honey :P Delish.

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Profile

Bio

A British tea lover with the crazy idea that she can review every possible tea. Ever. Check out my blog to see my progress so far…

My all-time favourite tea brands that I go back to for a cup of comfort:
Clipper
Whittard of Chelsea
English Tea Shop

I rate teas on a spreadsheet, giving marks out of 10 for:
Condition of the tea leaves/ingredients,
Quality of ingredients (e.g. artificial flavours or freshly dried fruit?),
Dry aroma,
Wet aroma,
Flavour,
Texture,
Sensation (how does it make me feel?),
and Colour.
Then, with a little head scratching, I do the math and work out the score out of 100.

Open to tea swaps – even internationally!

Location

Chelmsford, UK

Website

https://www.immortalwordsmith...

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