New Tasting Notes

I’m not sure when or why my tastebuds changed, but I went from actively disliking jasmine tea to craving it. Maybe the strong aroma is no longer triggering my migraine brain like it once did…

This is cheap, off-the-shelf grocery store jasmine, which I wouldn’t exactly recommend (I’ve always found bagged green tea a bit iffy) but it works for my purposes, which is easy coldbrewing. Plunk four teabags into a liter of cold water, stick in the fridge overnight, remove the next morning, and add two tablespoons of peach syrup. It’s soooooo good! There is something about the floral/fruity taste of jasmine (I always get a sort of “grape candy” flavor from jasmine) mixed with the sweet peach that just works for me. I’ve been downing liters of the stuff during this unending heatwave.

The rooibos is fine, but I really wouldn’t call this a chai. In fact, the spices were so mild that I forgot it was supposed to be chai until I saw the label again after I drank my cup. Inoffensive, but misnamed. In subsequent cups, I tasted a bit of almond and a bit of spice, but mostly just rooibos. Not bad, but pretty unexciting for the price.

Third sipdown of the day! This is chilling in the fridge but the pouch is empty and tossed, so it counts.

I have to admit that I didn’t love this hot, but as a sweet iced tea it is really, really good. I would be happy to repurchase it next summer. The melon flavor is strong, so if you like subtly flavored tea keep that in mind.

I could use this for the prompt “tea while listening to a summer song” if we count cicadas screaming so loud that we sometimes have to raise our voices to be heard. But I won’t.

We managed two sipdowns this morning and this was one of them, but it isn’t even in my cupboard. How?

A delicious tea, resteeps well, good Western style and gong fu, sweet potato and malt. I consider this more of an afternoon tea than a breakfast tea but Ashman was drinking this while I finished off Minnie Mouse since he doesn’t like rose flavor in tea. (Loves it in lemonade, though.)

A subtle but decadent twist on a 52teas staple; paradoxically light and rich! I really enjoyed this one, and it was popular with the rest of my family too.

Not a sipdown but a good time to revisit this lemony green. Of the 26 teas in the alphabet challenge, 15 were actual sipdowns. I think that’s… pretty good I guess. At least it is nice to know that there are at least three letters that still only have ONE tea representing it.

Still on a purple flower kick. This is a nice level of lavender, and a pleasant twist on an earl grey (the bergamot is super light), but it can be finicky to steep up. I oversteeped it to the point of bitterness a couple of times, but milk helps with these things. Also, even if I butchered the first steep, the second steep was deliciously smooth.

My 50g did not last at all; I pull out teas like this (ex – earl greys & citrusy black tea blends) when I can’t make up my mind, but want caffeine plus a little flair.

2023 Ode To Tea – Part II – Y

Another sheng I haven’t written a note for yet.  From JakeB QUITE a while ago!  Thank you!  And it’s another sheng I think is a great sheng, as long as I only steep for 30 seconds Western.   I love that only sheng tastes like this and it is just so different from shu.  All steeps were fairly similar in flavor.  It’s almost like an odd, otherworldly tropical fruit with a tangy note, yet also a cream quality.  I think it was a good thing I neglected this sheng for a while?  I bet the flavor improved.  I only have one steep session of leaf left.  I love the wrapper design too.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons // 45 minutes after boiling // 30 second steep
Steep #2 // 30 minutes after boiling // 30 second steep
Steep #3 // 33 min after boiling // 30 second steep
Steep #4 // 30 min after boiling // 45 second steep

It’s a basic black tea blend. It’s good. Got the satchets during a recent sale. It sweetens easily if you have a sweet tooth and lack bitterness thankfully.

As a homebrewer of beer, I can’t get over how much this tea tastes almost exactly like steeped malted barley (basically, Grape Nuts cereal), to the point that it’s almost a negative; when I want tea I want tea, not unfermented unhopped beer! This makes a great addition to other dark/black teas to sweeten them up.

Thanks to amandastory516 for this one! This was from before I became a subscriber, so I’m happy to get the chance to try it! I steeped this for a shorter time than recommended, but even so, it ended up a bit bitter. I feel like my first few sips were fruity and mildly spiced, but then the bitterness built, and the other flavors unfortunately took a back seat. I had this twice, and though I enjoyed the flavor direction, I’d prefer it with a different green base.

Sipdown 29

Just logging the sipdown.

Cold steeped.

I quite like this one! Strong blueberry flavor that’s somewhere between candy and jam, along with plenty of hibiscus tartness. The end of the sip actually tastes a bit like apricot jam to me for some reason? Not sure why that is, but I’m not complaining.

Not sure whether I’ll repurchase, as I’ve honestly been getting a bit sick of cold steeped fruity tea with all the sampling lately. But I would consider this one for next year.

So sweet! This interesting syrupy near stevia sweetness when brewed correctly.

I couldn’t’ resist some Disney tins and others in a recent Harney and Son sale. If I hate the tea, at least there’s the tins I suppose. I got Mickie, Minnie, Peter Pan, Disenchanted, and Snow White.

I’ve only had one cup of this one. Reached for a satchet for a nightly cup of decaf the other night, not expecting much honestly, but it was surprisingly good. I could taste the hibiscus but it wasn’t overpowering, and the tea was strong with fruity flavors. I was not, as they say, disenchanted. You never know with Harney’s blends, so it was a pleasant surprise

It does say mint is in there, but I couldn’t really sense it other than adding layers to the tea.

Really bland, absolutely watery, almost devoid of any taste. It’s not even bad, it’s just completely featureless.

The flavors here were autumnal and not too strong. I taste mild spices with some fruitiness. With milk and sugar, this is a really pleasantly desserty tea. It’s a little toasty tasting – really just a delightful combination of everything. Definitely my favorite green tea I’ve tried from Adagio! I’d consider ordering it again.

I wanted Violet Cremes but there’s sadly very little left of that (hoarding ensues). Instead, I opted for this brisker black tea to get my violet fix. It’s delicious in its own right, but I want buttery oolong too! Sometimes life is challenging like this.

Note to self: find more violet teas to fill the void in my life.

Sipdown! (35 | 287)

This was a nice enough tea, but I wanted more pear from it. There is a soft fruity note here, definitely more of a cooked pear, and I found the ginger overpowered it and made it difficult to taste. Not that the ginger is incredibly strong or anything, the pear is just a bit too subtle IMO.

Still a tasty tea, but more of a ginger-focused black tea with a hint of pear in the background.

I am disappointed. But perhaps it’s me. Hi. I’m the problem… probably. All of the Ginseng oolong I’ve consumed in the past have been covered in ginseng powder. So I guess I’ve never had a high grade before. The problem is it smells and tastes like it’s been scented with osmanthus. It’s a nice scent and flavor but not one I seek out. I guess I was hoping for the ginseng covered teas and that same flavor that coats my tongue. The taste is floral and highly osmanthus with hints of honey and apple. Though as I drink it longer now that coating is occurring. Fascinating. I can definitely taste the Ginseng now. Perhaps I needed to give it time. Still don’t fancy the osmanthus on the first part of the sip though.