New Tasting Notes

So I brew a lot of leaf at once to really make the flavor come out for a review. I don’t know if I would brew this strong otherwise but if you do it comes out a dark ruby red, that reminds me of hibiscus tea. The honeysuckle aspect combined with a mouthwatering tartness and a rich sweet smell make me think this tea tastes like plums, or other stone fruit.
When you brew it this strong it wakes you right up which is good.
The sliders on this site are almost impossible to operate on mobile and we really just need a text field. I brewed it at 185 degrees freedom for 4 minutes but I couldn’t wrangle the slider with my thumb.

TeaTiff Traveling Tea Box | No. 29

I wasn’t sure starting out if this was a black tea or a honeybush tea processed as a black tea. Is that a thing? Anyway, it definitely tastes like a black tea. Maybe a little lighter in flavor. I’m enjoying it very much as it cools. A slight chocolate flavor is coming through now.

So, I got back from vacation Friday morning but, like, at 2AM though. I kind of took the whole day to just unpack and decompress a bit, mostly because I had (and still have) a splitting migraine. I did add all my newly acquired ‘vacation teas’ to the Steepster database, and I’ve had a few cups of tea as well – like this very menthol forward, crisp cup of peppermint that honestly did wonders on my head…

I have a GIANT list of all the teas I drank while on vacation, so at some point (probably very soon) I’m going to have to work through logging that – but I think I’m going to rest a little bit still in the hopes that I can buck this migraine. It was a good trip, though!

I drank this tea the morning of my flight! The first time I had this tea I was admittedly a little underwhelmed, but this past cup was the first where I felt I “got it”. The darker and more oxidized oolong that makes up much of the blend was more mineral and woody, but the rich notes of chicory, spices, and stewed fruits complimented wonderfully with the subtle citrus notes of the aged Yuzu peel and rind. Less of a “parfait” in the lighter and more creamy sense I was expecting, but still a wonderful tea!!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CszGXSovXiD/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKUBwrBHIpc

Right before I left for vacation my recent orders from W2T and Tea Thoughts arrived. I managed to sneak in a cup of Nazanin’s first tea blend, Deltangam, in my new W2T teacup before leaving; it was so rich and aromatic with cozy, warming notes of cinnamon alongside heady rose and a very floral-leaning bergamot!! The rest of the haul will have to wait until I get back to be explored, though of course it’ll be competing for my attention with all the tea and teaware I’ve accumulated while here in Vancouver and Victoria…

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CswV3u1J_Ik/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=480o6a8SBgY

Gongfu!

This has definitely become one of my favourite oolongs that BLT has carried over the years! Though mineral, medium bodied, and warmly spicy from the start the flavour only gets deeper and richer over the course of a full session. Stewed plums, black cherry, lilac and orchids, allspice, clove, and cassia create what I can only think of describing as “tasting note tetris” – though elegant and not anywhere close to as frustrating as actual tetris. More like getting exactly the right sized piece that you need every single time. Love that for this tea!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CsuF7ppSQCV/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1HtdYYL2SE

Gongfu!

This was a short, but lovely, session I had at the park about two weeks ago – right before I left for vacation. This is one of my favourite traditional teas that DT released this past year; it’s so rich and full bodied with delicious notes of caramelized sweet potatoes, malt, and cocoa! Plus, just look at those plump fuzzy little golden buds!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CsrgYxwyjHG/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx_vMONe3tM

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.

Nothing beats early morning matcha! This one is subtly sweet with the tender and almost “dewy” flavour of perfectly ripe Bartlett Pears, but with a lovely floral undertone that lingers on the palate after each sip. I love that those almost orchid-like elements overlap with the soft floral notes of the match itself. For a fruity matcha, it’s actually a surprisingly fresh and sophisticated flavour profile. Plus, look at all that gorgeous frothy goodness!!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cson-t-OddF/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svKJhANLCYo

This is supposed to be tiramisu flavored rooibos, and I’ve had a lot of good coffee teas lately, so I was looking forward to this. I taste rooibos and alcohol-tasting chocolate flavoring. In the aftertaste, I detect a hint of coffee. The second time I had this, the alcohol flavor was a lot more present, and it was really too much for me. It smells so strongly of alcohol too. I’ve now had this four times, and I think I’ll have to pass along the rest of the bag. I just can’t get over the alcohol flavor.

TeaTiff Traveling Tea Box | No. 28

This is the third tea I’ve tried from Dessert by Deb (in the TTB at least) and the first one I’ve really loved. The first blend was good but missing something and the second I did not like at all. This one was creamy and spiced and just delicious.

This one is in your face cinnamon with maybe some orange in the background (think photo bomb) I do like cinnamon and the base was just ok, I’d add it to an order but I wouldn’t seek it out. A good fall or winter tea.

Maycember has been a terribly busy month. I’ve not had a chance to play on line or quietly sip tea. This weekend we have a reprieve from the insanity that is end of school season. I managed to be out of bed before most of my household and get a quiet moment with a mug of Tea Forte’s Cherry Blossom.

I’ve never tasted a cherry blossom. It’s rare that I actually eat flowers. Where I live, there are few cherry trees and I understand that this year’s cherry crop was harmed by the deep freeze we had in January. Visiting Washington D.C. for their Cherry Blossom bloom is on my travel list.

It has a very slight tartness of cherry but I mostly get a light floral green tea. I enjoyed it but not sure the name fits the product. I feel that it’s a nice green tea- light and mellow.

Martin’s birthday countdown AKA Your Daily Tea Cup Advent Calendar

Day 3

I had to do a little research about this tea. It seems it is not available anymore on YDTC website; but ingredients are listed on leaflet I got with the calendar (with preparation method for each tea). I found out that Timboektoe is Dutch spelling of city of Timbuktu, Mali. Mali, being african country, close to Morocco, means that it will be similar to Moroccan mint I suppose. There is a picture of Malian tea on Wiki, but with no details. Further search brought me results of minty green tea indeed.

But let’s see how it is. I did the research just afterwards, so when I was brewing it, I had no idea what to expect. Also, I checked the ingredients afterwards too.

Yes, it’s green tea which is mellow and grassy, with peppermint menthol flavour. It is pretty balanced, as I do notice both; but also it’s a little citrusy; and sweet. The aftertaste is very short though and overall it’s not much memorable tea.

I only ever review a tea once because I don’t want to repeat myself, but I need to jump in here to update my review. I enjoyed the previous batch of this and rated it an 80, but the 2022 batch deserves an even better score. The green tea is delicate and tasty. The fruit is so authentic and lovely. But what really makes this blend shine is the mild hint of spice that takes this from a fruity green tea to a tea based on a baked good, which this is. Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla – it’s all there! What a great, perfectly blended tea. I finished my bag much too quickly.

I snagged a couple of these bags from the TTB, not realizing initially that they’re meant to be cold-brewed — so I was a little surprised when I read the packet later! I brewed one up this afternoon, and it’s very welcome on a 90˚F day.

The tea brews up a gorgeous vivid pink, but I find the flavors a bit muddied and weak. The titular juniper is almost nonexistent and the yuzu comes through more than the grapefruit. I find the blackberry leaf almost too sweet — it hits at the back of the sip in an unpleasant way. I thought it was stevia for a hot second!

Well, I’m glad I tried it, but I won’t be too sad when I use up the remaining sachet.

Yay, the dashboard is back! Huzzah and hurray!

Have I really never written a tasting note for this tea before? I liked it so much that I bought an extra box of sachets before even finishing the first one.

I find myself really longing for comfort teas at the moment, so I pulled this one today and hoped for the best. Somehow I got a bit of maple syrup smell off it, but I think that was my brain forgetting what caramel is supposed to smell like. It did taste like caramel. This hit the spot for cozy and familiar and I was happy to have it.

Martin’s birthday countdown AKA Your Daily Tea Cup Advent Calendar

Day 2

A plain white tea. I reach them very rarely. Usually they are very plain to me and without much to enjoy. This one is as well a bit crushed, so it is not much wonderful as in the picture.

I used roughly 80°C water, and steeped it for 3 minutes or so.

Well, it’s like that. Hay/meadow flavors, pretty much easydrinking, little honeyish/spicy aftertaste. The last I expect it’s from contamination from other lovely, but “breathing” linen bags I got teas in.