New Tasting Notes

The TTB has arrived today! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all!
Tea #2

Evening has came fast today. So I have decided for second tea being decaf-caffeine free. Again, I just picked a few and chose the most promising.

Honestly, I am not really familiar with Crème Brûlée I think I had once some store-bought one and it was like overpriced creamy custard.

But tea with such flavour is interesting. Creamy tea with lavender, why not actually. I like the latter, so decided to steep 5 grams of this for 6 and something minutes.

Well, it is indeed lavender forward, but not soapy. Reminding me a bit Moondrop Dreams by B&B, with extra creamy flavour and less citrusy notes.

Interesting blend for sure. Creamy lavender.

The TTB has arrived today! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all!
Tea #1

I have been today at work overtime of course. Blah.

So, when I have arrived home, the box was standing under the stairs and I brought it to my room. Indeed it is huge and after I have opened it, I found out that teas are sorted by types, which is great and took black tea bag. There I took a few random pouches and this tea sounded the most interesting from those.

I smelled the dry leaf and indeed the star anise is strong, but in brew it is much better.

I used two tea spoons and steeped it for 3-4 minutes and it was good. Nothing exceptional, but expected flavour profile was met. Star anise is the star here, black tea base is mellow and noticeable, sour cherries are fun giving additional fruity note and not too sour and all mellowed by cream (flavouring). Also, and not sure if it is that star anise or those sour cherries, there was some refreshing and little mint-like flavour. Nice start :)

Not very flavorful but definitely very caffeinated. Feeling a little resentful that it’s already got me amped up and I’m only one cup in for the day. Especially since it’s nothing special.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – September 2023 Tea #6- A tea with natural cocoa notes

I wanted to try these, as they remind me a little of one of my favorite teas – Phoenix Pearls!  Looking at these though, these are almost grayish in color, covered in tiny trichomes, while the Phoenix Pearls I know are very shiny and have no trichomes at all.  Really, all they have in common is being rolled black tea. The scent of the dry leaf is  exactly like toasted rice or or genmaicha or buckwheat or oats - all of these scent notes very unlike most black tea, so very intriguing!  A five gram sample has a little over a teaspoon and a half, so I went with a full sample pouch for a mug.   The brew does not get dark like I suspect… it’s very light.  The flavor is mostly like a cup of unsweetened cocoa with a hint of smoke.   The second steep is much the same and especially when cold, the mug is full cocoa.  I can’t help but love Phoenix Pearls more, but this seems to have a slightly different flavor profile than Teavivre’s other Dian Hongs.  Though I wish some of the scents from the dry leaf resulted in the flavor… I think I used the proper amount of leaf for a mug.  I wouldn’t use less but I wouldn’t be opposed to trying at least two teaspoons.  This tea is weighty though! I think I love it best as the leftover tea, cold the next day. I love that Cameron B notices french fries here (-my dinner last night. haha) I didn’t expect this tea to fit a prompt when I steeped it up, but since this cup is full cocoa, it can and it shall. :D
Steep #1 // 1 3/4 teaspoons for a full mug // 24 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep
Harvest: 2023

I am having this one tonight for my evening cuppa. This is a bit of bright tartness to this tea and it is the exact right amount for me. It is tart without being sour. So many fruit infusions include so much hibiscus that I cannot bear to drink it. Without a sense of smell I taste sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. If I didn’t see the color I can’t tell the difference between vanilla and chocolate. Many teas have a wonderful layered flavor that I simply do not taste. So if a tea has hibiscus I taste the hibiscus and very little else. What some people find a pleasant zing makes my face pucker up. Without the other flavors to blend with the hibiscus … Well, I just can’t drink it.

Luckily, with this one I enjoy the mild zing of tartness. I won’t buy more of this, but I will have no trouble finishing the remaining 7 tea bags of this.

It’s not every time I make tea that I really let myself enjoy the sensory experience of it. When you drink several cups a day, even of teas that you love, it can start to get a little mechanical, you know? Steep, strain, drink, repeat. But I guess I was in a more leisurely frame of mind this evening, because this tea was such a beautiful experience.

What says “get cozy” like that mellow, reddish-brown liquor? It helps that this tea smells just like fresh apple cake. I was pleasantly surprised that it’s not overly sweet beyond the natural sweetness of the rooibos, and the flavors succeed each other beautifully: cinnamon up front, apple sweetness and slight tartness in the middle, and then the earthy rooibos flavor lingers slightly. I enjoyed every sip of this and only wish I’d brewed it a little stronger. Just beautiful.

Day 18 of the Dammann Freres advent calendar. I was excited to see a white tea in here! This brews up a nice amber color. The dry leaf smells clearly of apricot, bergamot, and almond. The apricot and bergamot flavors are both pretty strong and balance each other nicely, though the overall impression is a touch more tart than I’d like. I think I’d be ok with it if it wasn’t also so drying; tart plus drying doesn’t leave the most delightful after-sensation. No idea where that almond went to!

I’m looking at the ingredients list now and it shows mango, not apricot. I had apricots for breakfast this morning (several hours ago), so that flavor is very fresh in my mind, and this still reads closer to apricot than mango for me. If I had to guess, I’d guess that my brain is reading the combination of the sweetness of the mango flavoring and the tartness of the bergamot flavoring as a tarter stone fruit. 

I iced the second steep and had it a couple of days later. When I came back to this tasting note to add details from that steep before posting, I was surprised to see how consistent the experience was. That iced steep also had a tart stone fruit flavor. Not overly sweet, but definitely fruity. What did come through in the second steep that I didn’t find much in the first was a slight floral note.

Disappointingly, I didn’t get much from the base tea here, besides that drying sensation and light-to-medium body. To the blend’s credit, the base doesn’t clash with the flavorings, and perhaps is supporting them so seamlessly that I just can’t tell. But after so so many black tea blends, I was hoping for a white tea that would really wow me. This is tasty enough but I’m not floored, you know?

Day 17 of the Dammann Freres advent calendar and it’s yet. another. bergamot blend on the same. black. base. Even though I am generally not a fan of Earl Grey and was dreading this one, I actually found it pretty enjoyable today. THIS bergamot with THIS base, today, is working for me. Possibly because it also isn’t muddled with a bunch of other flavors, so I don’t feel resentful that the bergamot is stealing the show. Here, I can appreciate the balance between the bergamot and the base, and that the bergamot doesn’t have that weird chemical-y taste that it sometimes can. 

ETA: Since it was late in the day, I had to stick half this mug in the fridge for the next day. Surprisingly, this is really good cold! 

Day 16 of the Dammann Freres advent calendar. I’m afraid my notes on this one are a little sparse, unfortunately. Hot, the most prominent notes were cherry and cranberry. I couldn’t taste the lemon so much as feel an acidic citrus juiciness at the end of the sip. I quickly decided that this would be better iced and let it cool/stuck it in the fridge. But then I drank it during a busy workday and forgot to take notes! I remember enjoying it. I definitely thought it was better iced than hot. But nothing sticks out in my memory as to particular tasting notes, or thinking “wow this is really good,” or even “wow this is really bad.” It did the trick, it was kinda different than what I normally drink which made it fun, but it ultimately just wasn’t super memorable.

Lychee! The moment I opened the bag the aroma hit me in the face. Oh is that delectable! Fruity, a bit of minerality, and some woody tones. The dry leaf is nicely roasted, a dark chocolate color; with long twisted form. My mouth is watering. While steeping I scent more pomelo and mango. A bit of passion fruit and some lychee. The first sip reveals some roasty notes. I feel my sense of taste is a bit off because of this dang canker sore so I will have to update when it’s gone to see if anything changes. But I am also getting lychee and some charcoal. The charcoal becomes heavier with time. This is truly a dark-roasted oolong. OH! Whoa. So a minute past the last bit slipping down my throat my palate was hit with a lychee flavor. Ooo. Lychee after taste. Me likey! The wet leaf aroma has some sweet fruity notes.

I would have guessed this had vanilla, but apparently it doesn’t. Ha maybe that’s my vanilla almond milk talking. This flavor is quite desserty and tasty! The base isn’t as harsh as in some of the other flavors. It’s straightforward, but smooth and tasty, especially as it cools to room temperature.

This one was surprisingly good. I was looking for a non-caffeine blend for my recently endless nights of staring at a screen. It’s a classic “fall” blend- cinnamon, hibiscus, apple, orange peel and chamomile (though it’s barely there) over a chicory base. I get just a hint of the alleged ginger, though more would be nice.

It is heavy on the cinnamon (real) and apple (slighly unnatural) and very fragrant, almost potpurri-like. I enjoy that, while some tea purists may not. I do recommend to drink it hot. The wet-doggy note (chicory? lurking marigold?) becomes more prominent as it cools down. Probably the cozy autumnal feelings this evokes are more pleasant than the actual drink, but the overall effect is quite nice and I find myself reaching for this more than I expected. At for around $3 per box, it’s economical if you’re looking for a decaf cinnamon/apple blend.

First thing I noticed the the very prominent fruit scent. It smells more “tropical” than just passionfruit, but is very pleasant- not a chemical type smell.

The leaves are tightly furled with some flower petals added, very nice quality. This one took a long time to unfurl, about 9 minutes. I kept tasting every minute or so after 5:00, but it was too weak. It seems too long, but 8-10 minutes was my sweet spot.

The taste is of an astringent tropical fruit over a mellow, slightly grassy oolong base. The astringent fruit flavour and oolong work well here to make a lovely, refreshing cup. I get in moods where I crave oolong, and this and their Peach version are both great. Not fussy to brew but very high-quality. They didn’t cut corners on this one- all the elements are top notch.

Lupicia recommends this as iced tea, but I feel the oolong quality would not shine through cold brewed. Personally, I find chilling a hot cup too much trouble, so I’ll keep drinking it hot.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – September 2023 Tea #5 – A tea you regret buying

This tea definitely comes to mind when I think “regret buying”.  It’s such a confusing tea!  So muddled, especially with the three bases.  I’m not sure what I was thinking when I bought it… I usually do not like combined base teas with various tea types.  Green tea with black tea?  AND some sort of oolong  AND at least four different flowers No thanks.  At least there are supposedly real vanilla bits here?  Unfortunately, this is definitely not a sipdown as I started with 100 grams. And of course, with it aging, it’s just getting more boring blah. (This is also stored in that bottom box I mentioned yesterday — the hardest to reach box.)

Currently sipping this one – yes, it’s extremely late (or early, depending on how you look at it) for me, it’s actually about mid-day because my sleep schedule is off. And this tea makes a wonderful afternoon tea!

Lots of blueberry flavor, a bright note of lemon & a fluffy, marshmallow-y softness in the background. So nice.

One thousandth tasting note!!!

I wanted to be intentional about which tea I chose for this note. After much consideration, I decided to go with a Butiki because this company was so instrumental in my growth as a tea drinker. Butiki is really how I came to appreciate what a truly great flavored tea can be, and also was my introduction to a number of straight teas that I hadn’t seen elsewhere at that point in my learning. If it wasn’t already evening, I probably would have gone with the Maple Pecan Oolong, which is my all-time favorite Butiki blend; I have yet to taste a maple blend that quite matches it. Sadly, my stash of Coffee Ice Cream is long gone, so that wasn’t an option for an herbal. But I do still have some of this lavender chamomile and it’s quite respectable. In many ways it reflects what made Stacy’s teas great to begin with: high quality base ingredients, blended well. This is a simple blend – just lavender and chamomile – but it’s still better than a lot of similar ones because a) both of those ingredients are good quality and b) they are blended in a good proportion such that neither overpowers the other. Through her artistry, Stacy taught me to appreciate the craft of tea blending. I’ll be forever grateful for that, and for Steepster – both for introducing me to Butiki and for generally being one of the better corners of the internet, where I can come talk about my quirky hobby with like-minded folks.

Iced Latte Sipdown (2345)!

Finished this one off in the afternoon as a very strongly steeped iced latte made using oat milk. The colour was such a rich brown even with the milk added – I really wish I’d gotten a photo of it. Truly, it was stunningly dark.

In terms of taste, I did have a really enjoyable time drinking this. I’m very much getting into that more “pumpkin season”/fall flavours kind of vibe right now, but it’s sweltering hot in Montreal at the moment so iced lattes are the much, much better alternative to a hot PSL right now. I actually did wish that the spices were stronger in the flavour as I only taste the cinnamon and a hint of clove. However, I also steeped this for such a long time that it’s very reasonable to assume that the chicory and other roots/roasted ingredients just got so concentrated that they actually drowned out most of the spices.

I still have a decent amount of Teeccino blends to sip through so I’m not sad to see this one go, and I actually feel a little bit of satisfaction that I was able to time out this sipdown with the right season. Not sure if I’ll be placing another Teeccino order any time soon – especially with DT’s new coffee alternative blend so much more accessible and just as delicious. But if I did, I’d consider buying more of this one.

Got a little bag of this as a free sample last time I went to Camellia Sinensis, which was convenient timing because my bag of this at home is getting low!

I still remember the one (and only one) time I made a cup of this and swore it tasted like the sweet and savory sauce from my favourite instant vegan mandarin chicken. That memory is so blazed into my brain that, this weekend, when I made that exact vegan mandarin chicken for supper I decided to pull out this tea to pair with the meal. Did the tea taste like mandarin sauce? No, no it did not. However the very brisk notes of caraway and dried plums still complimented the meal really well.

First cuppa of the day!

It a little busy at work right now for a few reasons – one of which is that my manager just got back from two weeks away so we’re doing a lot of catch up on some projects that were paused in her absence.

Because I knew I’d be glued to my desk for a while, I just wanted something simple that I could make a lot of in one go that would be reliably delicious as I worked. Queue this vanilla blend. It’s aromatic, bold, and really authentic tasting. Even has just the right hint of astringency for my own tastes. Quite a good choice for the situation. Classic.

As I just said in another tasting note I’ve been really craving blueberry teas this week.

This one is… fine? I mean, there’s absolutely zero things wrong with it. As far as mono flavoured black tea blends go it delivers on a blueberry flavour that’s both a little sweet and jammy and a little bit more floral and delicate. A good middle ground. The base has full body while having a good neutral taste – perfect for blending over. It’s just lacking that last almost ethereal “extra little thing” to push it over the edge.

…and I do love a standard blueberry black. I just have many of them already in my cupboard, so this tea is competing with more tried and true blends that I have better access to that fill the same niche.

Cold Brew!

I picked up a blueberry pie with my groceries over the weekend and, ever since, I’ve been really craving teas with that same thick, jammy blueberry note. I’m actually drinking this one currently, and it’s a little bonkers how eerily similar this blueberry taste is to that pie I so gleefully gobbled down. It’s not just that the blueberry flavour has the right amount of sweetness and that it lingers so nicely after each sip but that there’s a hard to explain thickness to the mouthfeel that almost makes the taste feel even more jammy – and it goes past the normal full body I’d expect from the black tea.