6444 Tasting Notes
Since the teas haven’t tasted 100% in light of the cold, I am using this time to drink up some older and less enjoyed teas. In the case of this tea, it’s actually helping it be more enjoyable since the base, which has been stronger in recent cups, is completely toned down leaving room for the warm nutty Apple flavors to shine. There’s also a slight hint of raisin but that is complimenting the rest of the cup. All in all this is a pretty lovely way to keep hydrated on a rainy Saturday.
Sipdown (159)
This tastes like a floral cookie. The raspberry is really coming through but as a raspberry flavoring. I am not getting any pineapple. There is also a slight astringency from the base. I wish I could be sure that this is how the tea actually tastes and not the cold messing with how it tastes. Oh well. At least I can actually taste something.
ETA: The cookie quality I am getting is because there is a butteryness to this tea that comes off rich and similar to baked goods.
Sipdown (160)
This was one of the teas that came in the monthly subscription envelope from Tea Taxi. It is a plain green so not one I was particularly excited about. That’s actually the reason I picked it. Seeing as I have a cold, I figured I could drink the teas I didn’t much care for since I wouldn’t really taste them but I would still get to stay hydrated.
I think that might be the case with this tea since I am not getting much flavor from it at all. At the start of the sip, I pick up the bitter/smoke gunpowder teas tend to have but that fades to nothing as I continue to drink. My guess is it is the cold that is making this so weak tasting but since I have not tried the tea before, it could be the tea as well. Oh well.
This is crazy rich in vanilla flavor. I made a tea smoothie and it is super tasty. The frozen banana and strawberries paired wonderfully with the creamy vanilla flavor. Then there is a small dose of milk chocolate goodness swirled throughout the drink. There’s also the slightest honey drizzle hiding in the cup. Mmmm mmm good. Alas, there is only 1 tsp left so no more smoothies but this was definitely a great choice.
I should mention, it took having to buy a new blender to make this a thing. Thank goodness for Wal Mart since all the blenders near work (aka at the Bay) were $100+.
So I do NOT drink Pu Er tea. I am just not a fan because to me it tastes like dirt. However, I do try to taste everything that people send me which is a fact my tea twin, Roswell Strange knows. So, when I saw pu er in my tea and music package, I was not overly excited. In fact, I am so dumb in the ways of pu er that I managed to burn my hand trying to rinse this. Stupid me decided to hold the filter in one hand and pour the near boiling water with the other and of course there was splashing and missing and essentially just a lot of pain. So yeah, it was not a good start but not only did RS send this to me, she took the time to pair it with a song so I figured I will suck it up and see how it goes.
The song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0STmox8mIc
As far as pu er goes, this isn’t too bad tbh. I wonder if my taste is compromised since I have a bit of a cold and if that is playing a role here though usually when thats the case, I don’t taste anything at all and yet I am tasting stuff here. To me, its leather. So this is going to be a weird description and I have no idea why but this makes me think of a brown/tannish belt. Smooth and refined. The kind men wore in like the 60s. Somehow, the tea combined with the song is just creating that image. I honestly doubt that is why Roswell Strange paired them and I am thinking the cold meds might be messing with my head but that is honestly what I am coming away with. Do with that what you will :P
Thank you Roswell Strange for yet another share and yet another fun song and tea pairing.
I attempted to make a tea smoothie with this tea today and I got all excited, measured everything out, steeped the tea, threw it all in the blender and…nothing. The blender at my sister’s place is apparently broken. Something I had not known when I started this endeavor. Alas, with it all just sitting there and being sad, I had to toss it. I did try a sip of the milk, tea, pudding, frozen fruit mix but without actually blending it together, it made for a very weird and lumpy drink.
Yet another tea and music pairing a la Roswell Strange.
Today’s song is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX5f0NcqlMs
It is a very sexy song. That’s a weird description, I think but you’d get it if you listen to it. That sort of sexy romanticism of the deep yet smooth voice picks up the sleek floral quality of the oolong base while also capturing the bit of smoke the base provides as well. Meanwhile the warmth of the song coupled with the voice reflects the cinnamon richness of the tea. Both the song and the tea have a nice honey-like top note to really round them out.
I don’t have much more to say about this except both the tea and the song were completely new to me and surprisingly pleasant. I am not a lover of oolong and the song had an intro that had me questioning what was to come but I was definitely happy with both. Plus, they compliment each other nicely. Another successful pairing by my awesome tea twin. Thank you RS!!
Sipdown (164)
Apparently I am the stereotype of an old person because in an attempt to google this tea for recommended brewing parameters, I ended up texting “Davids royal white peony” to a friend. She was confused to say the least. Eventually I did figure it out and ended up dumping the whole sample directly into the mug and steeping it at 170F. So now I am taking a break from watching Scream Queens to drink this grandpa style and while listening to the song suggested by Roswell Strange.
The music pairing for this tea is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff4KLQEbJ9Q
So this tea is very rich in pea flavor. Seriously. It’s as if I boiled peas and am now drinking the water left over in the pot. There is also a slight sweetness which compliments the upbeat nature of the song.
However, I must say that I don’t know if I would consider this the right tea for this song. I think something more summery and bright, although this does have a summery quality to it, would be better. I feel citrus notes or even more floral elements would better compliment the breezy romanticism of the song. That’s just me though. So despite enjoying the exercise, this pairing was lost on me. I love Mika though so I was more than happy to listen to the song on loop while I thought this out.
Thank you Roswell Strange!!
