New Tasting Notes
I’ve taken a break from this tea, which I previously adored, and it’s set there for a few years in its mylar bag in my tea cabinet. Tealyra does not track lot numbers or production dates for this tea (or most others), but it does bear a “best by” date of June 2022. So it’s safe to say I’ve had it for 3-4 years.
And I STILL adore this tea! It is the standard-bearer of the “assamica flavor and aroma”, despite being grown in Taiwan [It’s actually a bit unclear whether it is the hybrid TTES #18 as suggested by the Tealyra description, or the assamic varietal from Jaipur, TTES #8 as implied by its name. For details on these designations, see https://teapedia.org/en/Cultivar#Taiwan ] Note that Tealyra also sells a “Brandy Oolong Ruby 18” which is equally delicious and almost indistinguishable from Black Beauty, depending upon the lot number.
I steeped 3-4 g in 8oz boiling alpine spring water for 4 min. but the deep rich brown color had fully developed in 2 min. and the huge leaves had fully relaxed. The aroma brings a smile to my face, a unique combination of brown sugar, malt and raisin. The flavor was devoid of astringency even when oversteeped, very smooth, sweet, and initially with a minty cooling sensation despite being piping hot. There is a hint of honey, too. As I sipped along on it, the minty quality dissipated, but the other elements remained and I noted and enjoyed the extended finish (aftertaste) as I wrote these notes. By the time it had cooled down to tepidness, the aroma and finish dominated, suggesting that it might be splendid as an iced beverage. Note that I never add milk to tea, though others seem to think assams benefit from it. I could see it would be nice if sweetened, but didn’t feel the need to do so. I still rate it as a perfect 100.
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cooling, Honey, Malt, Raisins, Smooth, Stonefruit, Sweet, Tea
Preparation
October Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a tea with cinnamon or clove
I have said many times that I don’t love red rooibos but like green rooibos in flavored blends. I haven’t tried green rooibos plain. I did enjoy Caramel and Rum Rooibos from Lupicia and plain Rooibos from Fortnum was okay.
I have been giving tea samples to a lady I met a few months ago and yesterday she surprised me with some samples from her Harney order, including this tea. I went for this one today because there was the most of it and I didn’t expect to like it, but it is very good.
The cinnamon reminds me of Hot Cinnamon Spice but is milder. There is no clove – hooray! There is cardamom. Double hooray!
I drank one cup plain and made a latte with the rest of the pot, and I can see myself drinking this all winter. Sometimes when I make a latte I feel like there isn’t enough flavor of the tea blend left. This one is nearly half milk and there is still lots of cinnamon and cardamom flavor.
This is definitely a good chai type blend for me, as I just don’t love the ones with lots of clove and black pepper. Yums! This will be good to sip while sitting by the Christmas tree.
Company’s web site says this tea is being discontinued. No surprise there. I really cannot recommend this tea – no redeeming factors other than it doesn’t taste as bad as it smells? Look at the laundry list of “ingredients” – I think if it has more than 3, it shouldn’t qualify as tea. And, 3 is 2 too many.
Flavors: Burnt Sugar, Tannin, Wood
Preparation
I have had this cake for three years now, but only opened it now for the first time. Based on the sample though, I was expecting an enjoyable session and that is indeed what I got.
The tea is very flavourful and cooling. Its aromas remind me of wild garlic, coriander, and dried flowers. In the taste the floral notes (e.g. orchid) are very present, but we also have an sweetness (apple), bitterness (coffee, chicory), sour fruitiness (guava, carambola), as well as strong minerality and nutty notes. The aftertaste is particularly pungent and bittersweet. It presents a biting and spicy physicality that’s very cool.
Flavors: Apple, Biting, Bitter, Chicory, Coffee, Coriander, Floral, Flowers, Fruity, Garlic, Guava, Mineral, Nutty, Orchid, Pungent, Spicy, Sweet, Tropical Fruit
Preparation
#mugtober
It’s no secret that I have a pretty intensely large teaware collection. I mean, some of the comments I get most frequently are people complimenting my teaware or asking where it’s from. But, there’s one part of my teaware collection that is waaayyy larger than I think anyone realizes, and that’s my mugs. I own SO MANY mug. That was for sure my first teaware love, long before I got into gongfu and expanding my assortment of gaiwans, teacups and yunomi cups, yixing pots, and all the other bits and bobbles that come with that form of tea practice. I still constantly find myself adding to my mug collection, though now it’s largely handcrafted and one of a kind pieces from the small potters and ceramicists I follow here on instagram…
So, I’ve decided I want to turn the spotlight to some of my favourite mugs from my collection throughout the month of October. I’ll be sharing one a day on my stories, and because everything needs a catchy name, I’m calling it my #mugtober challenge. At the same time another insta tea friend is running her own tea challenge this month under the hashtag #octoberteas2024. I figured I’d double down and combine the two, so a mug and a tea based on the theme each day. Mug might be hard, but I’m committed to trying my best!! Wish me luck!
Today’s theme was Spiced/Chai, so I’m kicking things off with the recently returned Horchata Chai in this cinnamon brown mug with the appropriately (for DT) aqua/teal accents. This might be my favourite Chai that I’ve developed for DT. It’s very cozy with really rich notes of sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and of course rice along with warming cinnamon and ginger. Very much like the Agua Fresca it’s inspired by, just a bit spicier. So good with a splash of milk or as a full out latté. Hot or iced!
PS. I’m going to not so secretly push myself with an extra third challenge this month – no repeating tea companies…)
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAmGT2WSBM7/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_NNjIj2Gbw
Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
Well, now, I’ve had this Changtai raw/sheng for a couple years in my dark tea cabinet at 62 %RH, making it now 18 yrs old. Let’s see how it tastes today! The leaf in this cake is in large pieces, 1-2 inches long, and not too tightly compressed, so it was easy to pick off 5 g.
Gave it a quick rinse of 5s under hot tap water, then 5s more with boiling spring water. Successive infusions in 3 oz boiling alpine spring water:
15s- Golden orange soup, withered tea on the nose. Slightly tannic in the first sip, with notes of wood and malt coating the tongue and mouth.
20s- Same, but a little smoother.
30s- The tea leaf flavor is picking up here.
45s- Same golden orange soup, but the tannic notes are declining, to reveal some astringency and a longer smooth finish. No defects, but no other flavor notes either.
—[paused an hour, boiled more water and continued infusing]—
30s- Same golden orange soup, tea, wood, hint of chamomile taste.
90s- Same golden orange soup, returning astringency while other flavors decline.
2min- Ditto.
3min- Ditto.
Overall, while this isn’t a bad tea, it is a disappointment. Going back into storage for a few more years. I have better tea to drink.
Flavors: Astringent, Chamomile, Dry Leaves, Tannic, Tea, Woody
Preparation
I prefer chai on a black or herbal base, but this isn’t bad. The spices are a little savory. I taste fennel the most, but the other spices offer a decently well rounded backdrop. The base is a little mild/absent for my preferences, making this a bit thin, but not at all bad.
#OctoberTeas2024 Day 1 – “Chai/Spice”
Doing a fun tea challenge on Instagram for October, so I figured I might as well post the teas here as well! (it’s by @talesnteacups if anyone else is interested in playing along)
Ended up ordering a bag of this one (along with This is Halloween and Trick or Treat) last month as a fun fall tea purchase. I also want Man’s Best Ghost but figured that’s more holiday vibes with the candy canes, so I’ll wait on it.
Anyway, enough rambling (lmao). This is such a nice, cozy tea for autumn. Primarily a gingery chai, but then the sweet apple and rich chestnut add a bit of something special that takes it in a dessert-ier direction. I do wish I tasted the hojicha, but I think it does help lighten the body a bit, which is nice for sipping it neat.
Not an amazing tea by any stretch, but perfect for the season. Also highly recommend Town Meeting in the same series for a similar but more gingerbread-y flavor.
Flavors: Apple, Chestnut, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Gingerbread, Nuts, Smooth, Spices, Sweet, Toasty
Preparation
2024 sipdown no. 60
The mango is really lovely in this tea — like a mango syrup (made of real, ripe mango) perhaps. The peppercorns provide a very true pink peppercorn flavour. There seems to be subtle hints of peach, but I think that’s a trick of the imagination with the mango. The base is really lovely with no astringency.
An interesting tea. Thank you Cameron!
working, already have spots in the classes I wanted for the PhD, and now I’m realizing I probably havent’ really been describing this tea very well!
It reminds me of a regular lemonbalm infusion, but there’s clearly other stuff here, an added freshness and earthiness; it has a sweetness that sort of clings to the tongue, kind of coating it like a cough drop
I find this brew incredibly cosy, but not in a ’let’s huddle with blankets’ way; instead, it’s more so crunchy leaves, some breeze but all you need is a light jacket — early autumn instead of the middle of winter
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – September 2024 Tea #9 – A tea that Kermit would drink
It’s EASY picking a green tea for Kermit. (Sorry, Kermit.) And it being called a “downy” green tea for some reason reminds me of a swamp? More than other green teas, anyway… I thought it would be a good reason to send this one on its way… BUT then I checked my stock list and I still have one more sample of this. argh oh well, it will be enjoyed whenever it is enjoyed.(Sorry, I’m really tired right now.)
