drank Van Dyke by Soleil Tea
26 tasting notes

Okay, so, I don’t typically drink flavored teas. The closest I’ve gotten to flavored tea in the last five years is genmaicha and an experiment I conducted on creating my own Earl Grey. When I read the offer for a sample of this from Soleil though I was intrigued. Hops and juniper berries? These aren’t your typical flavoring components, nothing sweet, floral, or fruity, at least not typical for the market today. This might be something I could get behind.

The sample came quickly and was generous at 14g. Now a bit of disclosure… I used to drink entirely too much alcohol. Even that is probably an understatement, but I haven’t had a drink in more than 6 years. When I opened the bag the strong smell of juniper and hops came over me and suddenly I realized why I must, at least subconsciously, have been drawn to this blend. Juniper is the primary ingredient in gin and hops, well you know what hops are used for. I had somehow completely missed the connection. Now I don’t want to give the impression that this is a bad thing. The smell was fresh and wonderful, like walking through the woods, and I always did enjoy my gin.

The base tea for this blend is delicious, lots of cocoa, which I love. Once brewed the juniper was very mild but it’s presence compliments the base very well. I couldn’t make out much of the hop petals, although the bitterness I expected they would impart may have just blended in with the natural bitterness of the base. Overall this was a delicious tea. I am glad to have had an opportunity to try it and to find a blend that I really enjoy. I hope more blends like this come out in the future. Thank you Soleil for the sample!

Flavors: Citrus Zest, Cocoa, Fir

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 7 g 14 OZ / 414 ML

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Attempting to live a simple life in Kansas City with my amazing wife and five wonderful children. I have approximately 1,752 interests and right at the top of that list is tea. I am a big fan of unflavored teas of all sorts. I will always try something new.

I went for a long time without rating or reviewing teas. I tried, I really did, but it always seemed that by the time I had put the experience into words I had lost the experience that I had originally fallen in love with. Tea for me is best as it is. In the leaf. In the pot. In the cup. Now I am finding myself years later and wishing I had a better record of the teas I have tried, something, oh I don’t know, like a tea log… And so I am attempting to leave tasting notes on here again.

I am never short for words when it comes to tea, so if you want to talk or try anything in my cupboard don’t hesitate to ask.

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Kansas City, MO

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