Featured & Popular Tasting Notes

Another restock of an old favorite! This one is full of large coconut shavings and smells just like gingersnap cookies. It’s nice to have it back in my tea cabinet again. If Satori ever goes out of business, I’ll be so sad. They have so many good blends!

I had pulled the sampler package I had received of this from Ost’s cupboard sale all the way back in August of 2018… and I have no idea the age of that sampler packet. I was going to make a warm cup of tea with it (we’ve been bombarded in rainy weather here) but since it was a foil-sealed package and I wanted to use all 5g up at once, I decided to cold brew the whole amount in a Mason jar for iced tea instead. And then it was just too cold for me to be in the mood to drink it. I noticed the pale yellow color of the tea started to look more orangy over the course of the week and thought… I better drink that tea. So now I’m trying to get through it, despite the fact it still feels really cold in my house…

I was expecting heavy jasmine (something I’m not especially a fan of) but mostly I’m just tasting peach. There is a strong peach note hitting the back of my tongue, with a bit of a juicy and pithy flavor. There is a floral note, but nothing I can pinpoint specifically… a bit sweet and honeysuckle like, if anything. Maybe a hint of hay beneath the strong peach flavoring. Very refreshing, but other than the peach, I am not picking out much other flavor (but that could be due to the age of the sample… or even how long I left it in the fridge, to be fair).

Grabbed this very old sample from the final “Here’s Hoping Teabox” which occured right around the time I joined Steepster (thanks to all participants that added tea and tea-sipper for organizing!) Finally drinking this for my “one gong fu session a month” goal.

80ml (shiboridashi) | 4.15g | 205F | Rinse/10s/15s/20s/25s/30s/35s/40s/45s/50s

I gave the tea a pretty long rinse while I was getting all the gong fu stuff ready. The leaf had a very sharp and somewhat bitter wet hay aroma afterwards, which presented in the rinse liquid. My first infusion is more mellow, though (which I prefer) so maybe a long rinse is to my benefit. There is a bit of that grassy/hay quality in the aroma, but it is very floral, and lacking the sharpness. It tastes like a pollen-heavy floral nectar, chased by a little grassy/hay note, and just a hint of bitter melon. The second infusion smells delightfully floral with a bit of a fruity undertone, and a new gold raisin flavor is presenting in the flavor, with an apricot/nectarine sort of stonefruit aftertaste. A green tea sort of beany/smoky note lingers on my tongue, as well. Went through nine infusions before the liter of water I’d heated was out so I wrapped up there, but I think it could’ve given even more.

OH looks like I have to make a note for this one as I sip it down.  I thought I already did.  Thanks very much for the sample, AJRimmer!  I like that the description for this tea mentions popsicles, as that is what this definitely tastes like – but without sugar.  But maybe I only WANT it to taste like popsicles and really it’s mostly tart.  But today is so hot I was craving a tart hibiscus tea.  So a “popsicle” tea is perfect right now.  Every time I steeped this up, it had the perfect balanced flavor for tartness.  So if I were looking to stock up on a hibiscus tea, I probably wouldn’t mind stocking up on this one.  So I must like it! 
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for full mug // 24 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep?
Steep #2 // just boiled // few minute steep
2022 Sipdowns: 83

I am reviewing this here instead of under “random” in case anyone buys this tea and feels the same way I did about it. The base was a bit weak and more of the afternoon than breakfast tea variety, but also it lacked bassy notes that would have amplified rich caramel instead of detracting, making it taste even richer. Instead the caramel was strong in the aroma and adding half and half just accentuated the weakness of the tea for me.

It isn’t a horrible tea and Ashman liked it, it just didn’t live up to my expectations so here is how I have doctored it up. I opened the sachet and since Harney sachets are supposed to be measured for 12 ounces of water, that should be one and a half teaspoons. I added another one and a half teaspoons of Teavivre’s Premium Keemun. I almost used Queen Catherine but wanted to guarantee plenty of oomph.

I steeped it at 190F in respect for the Keemun at 3 minutes with about 20 ounces of water, then resteeped the whole shebang the same way and combined. Big improvement.

This made for very pleasant pots of tea that we have enjoyed at both breakfast and lunch. The caramel is lighter but present, but the base tea now has some body and bass notes to ground it because dadgum it caramel should be rich and not watery.

This is giving me very much the same vibe as Cozy Comfort from Simpson and Vail but that one is vanilla instead of caramel.

Sipdown! Glad this is now out of the way because I was getting tired of it rather quickly, especially since it isn’t incredibly unique. The spices in here can get bitter rather quickly so I added a couple teaspoons of sugar to my 2-cup mug, along with some milk, but I’m still not enjoying it. Doesn’t seem worth the calories, you know? Now it’s just sweeter with a load of black pepper, followed by some cinnamon and a pinch of clove.

additional notes: I think this tea is becoming a Christmas day habit for me. It’s just a festive, tasty blend for the day! I ALMOST finished my precious Dammann Freres- Noel Prague but I decided not to. I can’t do it quite yet. But I also love THIS tea.

Holiday Tea 2022 # 42: Bird & Blend – Mulled Cider
Holiday Tea 2022 # 43: Bird & Blend – Christmas Cake

This is the second tea for my advent, and if y’all are confused… I have the biggest banana aversion ever. If the scent of banana got on any of my other teas I’d actually have to toss my other teas, it is that strong for me. I can’t even watch another person eat a banana without my gag reflex going off. A banana peel left in a breakroom garbage can is just like, the worst thing for me. I have no idea where this came from for me, but there you have it. Anne was really sweet and swapped out the nanner for me this year with this tea, which smells amazing!

Thankfully the smokiness is only coming out on my tongue and not in the aroma (I sometimes have issues with my head with a strong smoky aroma and tend to avoid smoked lapsangs as a result, so it must be a very subtle touch). I’m getting more of a glazed BBQ impression, a hint of sweet molasses/maple and liquid smoke at the back of the tongue. I’m not sure if I’m getting a distinct plum note but this is a more fruity Chinese black — I’m getting a strong raisin impression, with a hint of maltiness. This is really hitting the spot as a breakfast tea this morning — smooth, sweet, slightly smoky, and oh-so-satisfying.

As a birdwatcher, I love waterfowl watching the most. Ducks rock. Dabbling, diving – they’re all made of perfection. Pictured on the wrapper is a drake Ruddy Duck (he’s missing the white on his chin, but that’s alright since it’s for the sake of keeping the print coloring simple). I’ve seen Ruddy Ducks a few times so far, but only a drake in breeding plumage once. That blue beak is something to see firsthand. Winter is approaching. The ducks are on the move.

I obtained a sample from the Pu’erh Plus TTB. Brewed in a ceramic gaiwan. Gave the leaf a 5-second rinse and a 2-minute rest. Steeping times: 5 seconds xfive, 10, 12,15, 20, 30, 45; 1 minute, 1’30", 3, 6, 12, 20.

The dry leaf smells sweet and pepper, and, after sitting in the pre-heated gaiwan, of apricot and mint. The wet leaf is very aromatic, filling the corner of the room with a fragrance of white sugar and apricot.

The soup is clear, and has a full-body yet a gentle, bright mouth-feel. The color begins as pale yellow and ends as pale gold. Thick-ish texture sometimes. I used 200 degree temperature water for the first five infusions and then switched to 190. 200 produces a tartness that overwhelms the grassy and apricot notes. The huigan is weak.

190 is much better for the leaf. The heart of the session – infusions 6-11 – are lightly sweet and bitter. Qualities balanced, one not overwhelming the other. Slowly developing is a slight cooling aftertaste, which I mostly feel in the mouth. The sweet apricot aftertaste – the throat – is at its strongest at this point. For infusions 12 and 13, the menthol note has fully developed and even rivals the huigan, cooling the throat. The soup itself tastes sweet, bitter, and menthol-like all at once. 14 tastes mostly of menthol. The longer steeps for 15-17 produce a bitterness that outdoes the menthol. No more sweetness. Once again, the huigan is weak. But more than twenty minutes later, as I write this review, I still feeling the cooling in my throat.

This is a nice malty black with undertones of dark chocolate. It is quite enjoyable even though it only got steeped western style today.

I brewed 3 tsp leaf in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with boiling water for 3 minutes.

Drum roll please. I have in front of me my favorite breakfast blend with half/half & sugar, and a fresh glazed twisty donut. It’s my virtual Friday – we do a thing here where we get every other Friday off due to easing traffic congestion. Am I being bad with good stuff? Or am I being good with bad stuff? Either way the taste blend is INCREDIBLE! Bite of soft, gooey glazy twisty donut, slurp of creamy breakfast tea. Slurp of creamy breakfast tea, bite of soft, gooey, glazy twisty donut. What was that about work? Don’t bother me, I’m cheating. 80’s music softly rounding out the experience. I swear when I die, I will erect a donut shop bakery and a tea house in heaven right underneath my spiritual living quarters. This must be one of the main reasons why I reincarnated during this century. Came in too late to have to wear a dress all the time, but not too late to enjoy the pleasures of taking tea and facilitating Victorian-style spirit circles. Gotta love it! Om nom nom nom nom nom. :)

Sipdown! (34 | 355)

Finishing this one off with a splash of milk this morning. I don’t often add milk to hot teas, so I always feel a little fancy doing it, ha ha… XD

It holds up to the milk well, still having oodles of malty, raisiny flavor. I can taste a bit of astringency still even with the milk, which is interesting.

Overall, probably not something I need in my cupboard just because I don’t drink Assam often, and this one is rather nondescript. Also, I have a big tin of Assam from Andrews & Dunham that I’m sure will last me forever, heh!

It’s not very often that a tea makes me reminiscence to the point of almost tears. A flavor and aroma that transcends past senses. When you open the packet you are immediately thwacked with floral notes. In a good way. Like walking off the plane (I live in MN) in a hot, tropical climate being enveloped by tropical floral aromas and airplane gas. (I love that scent.) A bit spilled in my cup brewed in less than 10 seconds and it blew my mind. The floral flavors were already well developed. At 2-3 mins it is still quite floral but they share the road equally with wet woody notes. Also present is a high amount of lychee and a bit of passion fruit. The aroma is a mix of gardenia, plumeria, jasmine, and a bit of honeysuckle. I have not tasted and smelled enough of osmanthus to be able to pick it out but I could definitely tell there was something I was missing. My reminiscence took me to Hawai’i.

TTB
This tea smelled delicious, almond and vanilla. But the first steep was a bit meh tasting, the aromas of the dry leaf and the brewed cup just didn’t translate. So I steeped again and put it in a go cup hoping the aromas would sink back into the tea, and they did. Nutmeg and vanilla blended well and I really enjoyed the cup. Thanks to whoever put this in the box!

2023 Ode To Tea – Part II – H

Not a sipdown, but I chose an ‘H’ tea that I tend to ignore because I really don’t reach for roasted oolongs. Of course, Teavivre probably has the best roasted oolongs, but they are still probably lost on me. This one is aging well, at least! It was actually more enjoyable than I would have thought. Either I haven’t had this type of tea in a WHILE or my tastes are changing. I doubt that. I think Teavivre just has a really solid tea here, much like most of their other offerings.

Advent Calendar from Nabo: Day 12

Ehh, no, Nabo, you made me so sad again. Well, dry leaf aroma should warn me a bit. It was somehow soapy.
Steeped, in smaller cup than usual, for 2 minutes only; and it smells wonderful. Peach was there, so was ginger.

Sipped… I drank a soap bar? Sweet cloying soap bar? Bleh… Just no… Sadly, dumped.

Plus points: nice aroma when steeped.

Not the boldest earl grey I’ve had, but it’s flavorful enough that you can enjoy it without milk. I liked the addition of the delicious vanilla because it adds some complexity that sets it apart from other EGs. I finished my sample in no time at all. It’s heavier on the creamy vanilla than on the bergamot, but I didn’t mind.

This tea is a mix of good and bad. There were no unpleasant flavors and certainly no wet storage flavors. You could say the dominant flavor was a sweet note. However it was weak and not truly flavorful in nature. Who knows if this will improve and the sweet note get stronger. I do like this better than other Liu Baos I have tasted which have a heavy wet storage note.

I brewed this eight times in a 110ml teapot with 6.2g leaf and boiling water. I gave it a 10 second rinse. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, and 30 sec.

For the June prompt: A tea that reminds you of your best friend

I just ordered this recently and opened it today just for this prompt. I have invited my best friend to tea Thursday morning and dangled this tea like a carrot.

I started wondering how I first ran into it….did she find it first? Did I introduce her to it? I checked out my tasting notes and discovered that I first received a sample from Doulton years ago. So I am guessing that I introduced my friend to it. It is now a cupboard staple for her, and definitely one that I don’t go too long without.

This is a great tea – the chocolate and strawberry flavors are so good and so natural tasting. It doesn’t have the chocolate “funk” that Ashman hates. The puer is woodsy and musky but not too strong and if you didn’t know in advance it was puer you might miss it. It is almost like a woody black tea.

I was initially daunted by the shipping costs from Hawaii, but every single time I have ordered I have received a substantial shipping refund within a few hours of ordering. Lupicia has become one of my favorite companies.

Putting a QR code on a tea package is an awesome idea! The initial aroma was bursting with longgon and woody notes. Bits of lychee too. Now I really want a longgon. The first steep started with minerality and fruity longgon notes but as the steep went on it changed to heavier wood notes with the longgon taking a back seat. Second steep held up nicely. There is a flavor in there I can’t quite pin down. I find it in other oolongs from China the mix of fruity, woody, and minerality brings it on and my palate doesn’t quite know where to put it. I brought this one to Greece with me but I think I brought too much tea with. Just didn’t have the time to get to all of it and there were some mornings we woke up too enjoy a good gong fu session. You don’t rush gong fu. Third steep is losing flavor but if steeped longer than five minutes it gains some nice dry wood flavors.

I didn’t take as many notes on the session as I wanted, but I noted that it had ‘soft, creamy, sweet, honey’ notes. This is one of those young puerh teas that are just too complex to describe in full detail. It is one of those teas that bring you to silence, allowing the time to pass without words. It’s similar to an unwritten love poem, moving you to the point of stillness, which can be called a quiet love, I suppose.

Farmerleaf has a few teas that fill me with such stillness and calm, that I cannot simply spend the time reading, writing, talking, or gaming; rather, I sit in silence, musing only over the tea.

With that said, the tea lasts a short while—not as long as some teas that I typically drink—but it can take a hard hit with boiling water/steep time, without growing bitter, sour, or astringent. It’s light and pleasant, through and through.

I only wish that I was capable of making a better note on this tea. It’s a good one, that’s for sure.

Thanks to LORI for sending me this sample. I wanted a late-afternoon tea with a strong flavour but not an overwhelming amount of caffeine and this seemed to be the perfect occasion to try Casablanca Twist. The dry aroma is pure mint. Steeped, the strong mint comes through very nicely. The Darjeeling is so subtle that I’m not sure that I would recognize it. I could be drinking a pure single-note mint tisane and would not know the difference.

Mint is among the tastes that I need to have in stock (along with vanilla, almond, chocolate) so I would certainly consider investing in a full load of this next time I order from Adagio. I don’t think it’s an earth-shattering revelation to me (as a tea like Maiden’s Ecstasy from Samovar was or Jackee Muntz) but I do think it would make a great member of the Reliable Dragoons of my teas—you know, those foot-soldiers who are essential back-up for the Admirals and the Generals. Why in the world I am thinking in military metaphor I don’t know unless the word “Casablanca” makes me think automatically of the WWII film with Bergman and Bogart and the wonderful Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Claude Raines—-great cast all around. And Edward Gorey’s stepmother was the lady who burst into singing the French National Anthem! True, true, true!

In any event, I like this tea. I don’t know that Adagio has created a one-of-a-kind blend, but it’s good and it’s nice and it’s minty fresh. My rating reflects the fact that the Darjeeling is not the major player it’s advertised to be. Maybe it went AWOL to take the waters?

100ml shibo, 200F, 5g (~10 or so steeps with varied timing) Sipdown
A lot of roast in the aroma of this tea. It’s a thick, slightly sweet tea with some minerality. Lightly roasted – which is in the aroma, but not in the liquor until it cools down toward room temperature. Slightly longer steeps (~20sec) bring out fruity and juicy notes. The aftertaste of this tea is long and sweet.
I wasn’t too excited to try this tea – most roasted oolongs are not for me. Pretty sure I received as a sample with my order. This one is an exception. I enjoyed this tea.

Sipdown 2020! 2/365

Only had a couple tastes of this one (made it for my mom), but it was better than I’d expected. Nice rich earthy puerh with mint and some other herbal flavours. Not too bad! But I only had a sample size and it’s gone.