Featured & Popular Tasting Notes

AJRimmer Advent Day 19

Ooo, I like this one! As I brewed it, my kitchen smelled like I was peeling an orange. Though I couldn’t smell the honey, that flavor definitely came through along with a very natural, not-too-sweet orange flavor. I didn’t realize there was vanilla in the mix as well, but I’m guessing that’s why the whole thing felt so smooth and cohesive! This is definitely one of my favorites of the calendar so far.

Dear God, in a meeting this morning we were informed that mandatory overtime has been extended through February and increased from 5 hours a week to 7. As soon as that meeting was over I headed to my drawer of tea. If it hadn’t been work hours it might have been something stronger that went into the cup!

This really is a lovely cup. Smooth and strong, just what a morning calls for, especially after getting news you really didn’t want.

I’m going to like that extra money on the check. Say it again: I’m going to like that extra money on the check.

(and just between us, my boss is a jerk. That has nothing to do with the overtime. It’s more about my teensy little raise. My 14.5 years in this position and the experience I bring is worth a he!! of a lot more than 1.2%)

Sipdown! I had enough leaf for two weaker cups of one slightly overleafed, so I went for the overleafed with a bit of additional sugar and a splash of milk. I’d rather have one memorable finale, rather than two lackluster ones! Fortunately, that’s what I got. The root beer and vanilla/ice cream flavours are both present and correct, meaning that I leave this one with good memories. I still have an unopened reblend pouch of Butterbeer, so I’m not too sad to see this one depart for the moment.

I wasn’t sure which tea to choose today in the evening, so I let my brother decide. He picked this one (the second was Dhara Black) and I have brewed it in French press. I have decided to fill my cup after 2-3 minutes, as suggested by the vendor.

Honestly, I am quite tired, as I have been helping my cousin to move all day, but the feeling being helpful is priceless.

I will return to the tea really fast: the color of the brew is light yellow, clear and very nice to watch. But, the tea is rather about the aromas and mostly flavours. Aroma of dry leaf, but as well as the tea in the mug is fruity. I am not able to recognize any exact ones.

Flavour is honey-ish, smooth and slightly malty. It is very round taste, but it feels a little bit flat. Certainly, it’s low in tannins and not bitter at all. Maybe longer steeping or different steeping method could make the tea more complex.

In conclusion, for now I will say it is nice, smooth and easydrinking tea. Daily drinker.

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – September Tea #9-A tea with a strong aroma

I feel if any tea is worth its salt, it should probably have a strong aroma, so I think many teas would be appropriate for this aroma prompt!  But I went with this one… the best candy cane tea.  Sadly it seems Angry Tea Room has folded.  Even though I will still be working on their Christmas advent from many years ago this year. (Possibly they made their advents too big?  But that is why I bought it. :D)  Anyway, I couldn’t ask for more from a candy cane tea.  Fierce mint and sweet from actual candy cane pieces.   Could I throw in my own candy canes to a black tea?  Sure.  But I like the perfect balance here.  Also, just want to throw in that my current book is ‘Hell of a Book’ by Jason Mott and it’s a special book.

A sample of this was included in my order. Thank you Lauren!

This weekend was intense. My husband went on a weekend trip to do a trail marathon in Mohab. So the kids and I had plans to hang around and check things out on the nice fall weekend. I woke up very early Saturday morning in horror. My stomach had other plans. I had managed to catch a stomach bug. Instead of enjoying the fall weekend I was wishing for death and praying my children didn’t hurt themselves while I dozed in and out of contentiousness. All help which I could have called on was also in Mohab with my husband. Single mothers I applaud you. I don’t know how you do it day in and day out.

Stomach back to normal and enjoying tea this morning. This is not my favorite cup. For me the strong note of coconut mixed with green tea is a little much for me. I would much more prefer the fruity flavors to shine and the coconut to just be a hint in the back ground. Thats okay. Can’t love them all. My wallet is thankful for that!

Bought this tea a couple of weeks ago and am just now getting around to drinking it. It has some malt, some chocolate flavor and what tastes like a roast flavor to it. This is interesting as I don’t think it was roasted. It is overall a good tea.

I steeped this one time in a Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 200 degree water for 3 minutes.

I saw Frank offer this one and immediately jumped to buy it. Everything about it screamed my name. One of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever made was a pumpkin cheesecake and the memories came flooding back. I couldn’t wait. Finally, it arrived and I made it the following morning, but I’m left a bit puzzled on several different levels.

First, the scent is slightly spicy. I’m thinking warm pumpkin pie. It’s definitely that nutmeg, slightly cinnamon promise of autumn’s enduring flavors. The addition of the marigold petals is perfect. It adds that touch of color that embodies the season. Aesthetically, it’s a pleasing tea, too.

After steeping, I’m still mentally tasting the spices and my mind is still anticipating pumpkin… until I take a sip and I’m not tasting pumpkin. Or cheesecake. Yet, as disappointing as this is, the actual flavor of the tea is not. It is warm and spicy in a perfect autumnal fashion. The tea is not bitter, but is instead a nice, mellow black that carries the flavor without casting its influence over it. I think the issue I have is the name. Maybe Autumn Spice would have been a better choice for what it actually is. Even though the pumpkin is missing, I’ve been drinking this each day since it arrived in my mailbox. It’s really a nice tea for the morning.

Sipdown! (4 | 101)

Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge (August) – “A banana tea”

So since I have the whole month to do the sipdown challenge this time, I’d like to try and get actual sipdowns for each prompt, instead of just writing a note. I’ve gone through my spreadsheet and selected the teas, so wish me luck! The only one I’m not sure about is the raspberry prompt, as the only ones I have are full 50g packages, and I already have a couple of those for other categories. So we’ll see!

Anyway, enough rambling, on to the tea!

This is not gingerbread to me. It has sweetness to it, but the ginger is quite earthy, which doesn’t bring cookies to mind. But I think Harney’s Gingerbread Festival may have ruined all other gingerbread teas for me, because that one is fucking delicious lol. Highly recommend.

I don’t get enough banana here either, it’s a bit hidden under the earthiness and ginger. It comes out a bit more at the end of the sip, but it’s still very mild.

So a miss on all counts for me, not gingerbread and not enough banana either. Just a somewhat sweet earthy ginger root and clove tea with a hint of banana. Oh well, yay sipdown! :)

Sipdown (231)!

Second hard sipdown of the week…

Finished this one off hot, straight and pure. That back to basics style of finishing it off seemed the most appropriate way to honor this tea – my first Butiki tea. It’ll be missed, always. The best watermelon tea I’ve EVER tasted, and likely ever will.

Additional notes:  I don’t think I tried the 2018 sample I bought yet.  After this, it might only be the Bailin Gongfu.   I have most of Teavivre’s teas in “stock” but in most cases it’s a sample or two.  I’m very appreciative of those bigger pouches that Teavivre has, I love putting samples in them (for example, by tea type, greens or oolong).  (Well, Teavivre ships samples that way too, which is awesome… so I’m usually reusing those silver pouches for other tea samples.) 
This one is so comforting today.  Again, this might not be as complex as a fresher golden tea… I really need to drink these types in particular much fresher, but I could just drink this tea all day.  Surprisingly a smoky flavor I don’t remember in past harvests, but then a sweet cocoa flavor that is the best today. 
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 10 minutes after boiling //  2 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 4 min
Harvest: 2018
Another great calming band for these times: Dr. Dog!  I’ve just been shuffling their songs all day.  I also made a mango smoothie today. Smoothies are a great way to use older matcha.

I don’t see much fresh BaDa, so I was excited to try this one out. The leaf is quite compressed and gives off a heavy bitter scent with some thick floral background. The hefty chunk is stone fruity and bright. I warmed up my gaiwan and placed a chunk inside. The tea is oddly fragrant, haha. The leaf opens up some and gives potent scents of peach and apricot alike gummy candy. The fruit aroma grows fat after washing and continues to explore the tea room while brewing. The taste begins bitey and fresh with lemon grass notes. A slight peppercorn taste peeks through the bright sunshineyness. The huigan builds hard and thick in the back of the throat with a sweet tang. The energy is very good and percolates my vessels. However, the tea is quite basic. The tones continue to be soft and slowly moving, but I sensed no extreme bitter, sweet, or unique tastes. The sheng is nice and grassy and becomes dry over time. This raw stuff is quite basic, but the qi is something nice. A nice bright summer energy. I enjoyed the tea, but I don’t think i’ll get a cake.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIAseP2gx0h/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel&hl=en

Sipdown! (31 | 305)

The last matcha au lait! Prepared as an iced latte.

Okay, this is definitely the best of the three I tried. But I’m not surprised I tend to really like Lupicia’s chestnut flavored teas, and the flavoring here is similar, but subtler. The matcha is grassy but fairly smooth, with only a hint of bitterness at the end of the sip. It’s creamy, of course, from the oat milk, and the level of sweetness is ideal for me. The chestnut is mild but it has that sweet nutty richness and goes perfectly with the matcha.

Very good. It’s too bad that this flavor is seasonal, and the only way to get it on the US site is in a variety pack. Oh well, was fun to try! :3

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Been sipping through this one as a London Fog, but I figured I would have this last cup plain.

It’s surprisingly bland. I can taste a hint of cardamom and perhaps a hint of bergamot, but mostly it’s just generic black tea without much flavor to it.

An unfortunate way to send it off, I did enjoy the lattes I’ve had with it lately, and there was much more cardamom flavor to it. Oh well!

Sipdown (1369)!

Pleasantly surprised and impressed with this Chai blend! It seemed really simple/basic when I read through the ingredients list and smelled the dry leaf in the sachet but it steeped pretty brilliantly. Smooth and warming spices with heavy emphasis on clove, cinnamon, and cardamom – in that order for me. I don’t often get into Chai very much, but that’s probably as close to the perfect spice combo that you can get for my personal preferences. Loves that it was deeply spicy with a creeping/building warming note over the course of the sip. Cozy, tasty, and traditional feeling. Great balance.

Gongfu, 6 grams. 125 ml gaiwan. Preheated.
Previous attempt was western with 4 grams, but too hot water used — bitter, due to human error.
Preheated gaiwan aroma was fruity. But I haven’t been expecting white grapes. This one was present in first two steeps too. Along with tropical fruits, papaya, lychee maybe, quite sweet and delicious. Smooth mouthfeel with long aftertate, where it takes more of “tea” notes as a little tannin there.

Third steep, was again to human error, a little bit more bitter. It seems that I devoted all the focus in the work today (preparing a shipment of highly flammable liquid) and can’t focus on the tea. The tropics are gone as well, but it is still pretty flavourful; somewhere between green and white teas in terms of flavours, meadow, herbaceous.

Following steeps were similar, until it was just gone. Worth 6-7 steeps. Be careful of water temperature, 75°C is absolute limit.

Sipdown (722)!

Finished off Western style because I didn’t have enough leaf left to steep it Gongfu. I wish I’d taken better notes of the taste during any of my steepings because, although I know I enjoyed this tea, if someone were to ask me to describe the flavour I feel like I wouldn’t be able to. My answer would just be something vague like “Oh, really good”…

Here is another sample sipdown that I managed to squeeze in immediately after work today. I am normally not a huge chai fan, but given my overall faith in What-Cha’s range of offerings, figured this one would at least be worth a try. Naturally, it was.

I prepared this tea Western style. For this one, I went back to my trusty old one step infusion process. I steeped approximately 1.5-2 teaspoons of loose tea and spices in approximately 8 ounces of 212 F water for 5 minutes. Obviously, I did not attempt any additional infusions for this one.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf and spice blend emitted powerful aromas of ginger, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and bay leaf backed by a hint of malt. After infusion, the spices evened out as typical Assam scents of wood, toast, malt, cream, and caramel emerged. In the mouth, there was an admirable balance of spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and bay leaf) and malt, cream, toast, caramel, wood, and molasses notes from the tea. The finish maintained this balance, only leaving lingering touches of cinnamon, ginger, clove, and malt on the back of the throat.

While the description above details my experience consuming this tea neat, I prepared it with an addition of milk earlier in the day. The milk really brought out the Assam base’s natural creaminess and maltiness, greatly taming the intensity of the spices. I did not add sugar or any other sweetener, however, so I have no clue how this blend would perform with any additional additives. Overall, my experience with this chai was a pleasant one. It was a little mellower than I was expecting, but that should not be read as a knock against it. Even though chai is still not quite my thing, I could definitely see those who enjoy the stuff liking this one. Just be aware that it is probably necessary to use both cream and sugar to really get the full effect from it.

This was the bride-to-be’s favourite at the wedding shower I supplied teas for. I’m glad because that meant we worked through a lot of it; there’s no point in hoarding coconut blends!

It was also my sister’s (a bridesmaid) second favourite, after the China Yunnan Simao Pure Bud Golden Snail Black from What-Cha, which was a crowd favourite as well after it was dubbed “a tea that has a fancy name but still tastes like tea.” Apparently people were intimidated at first by the Snail until they realized it tastes like a fancy version of their usual fare, after the addition of milk and sugar (snobbishly crying inside this whole event).

Someone also supplied a Milk Oolong from David’s Tea- the name of which also initially scared and confused people, until I explained they should treat it like a green tea (no milk or sugar). Everyone knew what honeybush was though (popular too), so silver linings!

From the Sheng Olympics 2016
(10s): pale straw color. Taste starts light but builds impressive power for a 1st steep. Taste is straw with hints of wood and black pepper. 2nd (10s): Wow: very soft and sweet with grassy, somewhat floral notes. Very approachable, but not overly interesting. Fairly strong cha qi. Developed some structure (acidity and astringency) in 3rd/4th steeps. Still fairly straightforward, but more interesting than before. Gradually got more interesting in the next few steeps but I wouldn’t call it complex.

This would be an excellent introduction to sheng. It starts out gentle then gradually shows a bit more bite. Not something I’d want more of unless it was to put into the beginner’s TTB.

I haven’t been drinking any flavored teas lately. I just haven’t been in the mood. Because of that, I’ve been going through a lot of my single origin tea sample fairly quickly, which I consider a good thing! I have a few orders that I’m waiting on, but aside from those, I’m waiting until my cupboard falls below 250 to purchase any new teas. Hopefully I can keep to my self-imposed tea band this time.

As for this tea, it’s interesting. Brewing at 200degrees creates an incredible jasmine aroma, a floral flavor, and slight acidity. Lower temperatures yield quite a strong sweet potato flavor, but still with that acidity. Because of the slight sourness, this just isn’t my favorite.

There are two options to pick from to review, but this choice had more tasting notes.

The leaf is dark and nicely threaded together. A nice note of smooth sweet wood and light musk lift from the leaf. I’ve heard good things about this tea, so I am excited to try. I warmed my lil pot up and prepared for brewing. The leaves, once warmed up, give off a fruity spice aroma. I pick up plum mixed with an extremely pleasant tobacco scent. I washed the old timers once before steeping. The taste is incredibly smooth with a bit of tannic. The huigan is thick, full, and filled with dates. This tea is motor oil thick and silky smooth. The later steeping yields a pleasantly sour tobacco note, but the drink still ends with a candy like sweetness. A light floral orchid lifts from the tongue by the third steeping. This is a stellar tea. I’d also like to note the leaves give off an inquisitive herbaceous note that fills the tea room. The qi begins head clouding and clears to warming uplifting of the body. This is a nice “cruising” tea; I can just drift along with the brew, enjoying the ride. The brew leaves me calm and collected with a nice easy goin vibe. I really like it, almost a bit too much.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOKkHdZge2O/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Backlog.

This is the most coconut-y tea I’ve ever tasted. It’s like eating a delicious coconut cream pie or coconut macaroon. Intermingled with the coconut are notes of tropical fruit – pineapple, passionfruit, and lychee – and a burst of sweet flowers. The body is rich and the mouthfeel buttery. I got 8 excellent steeps out of it.

Shibi tea might just be my favorite tea from TTC. It’s consistently good and although the coconut was a little more intense in this harvest than usual, it had the juicy fruit and floral tones that really set it apart from other teas.

So I scented a sample with a crap ton of Bourbon vanilla beans for a month…. and the results were great. First steep at 30 sec, slightly higher grammage no more than 4 grams, and water at 185 F.

It turned being a light, sweet floral vanilla with a light malt background. In short, it was very close to Liquid Proust’s French Toast Dianhong, just a hint fruitier, lighter, and oddly dryer. This confirmed what I thought though: vanilla blends naturally well with white teas. Though this one is incredibly unique compared to others, there are a few notes that undeniably belong to a white, and I’ve had vanilla with a white before.

The second steep was closer to western, getting in at a minute and five seconds. Maple, dry malt, honey, and playful vanilla come up. Experiment=success.