New Tasting Notes

Sipdown! (6 | 83)

Finished off this delightful infusion from Murchie’s, which really does taste like carrot cake IMO. Even though I’m not a rooibos lover, I think the base here works well because of the addition of green rooibos and honeybush. It certainly doesn’t have that traditional rooibos woody/medicinal flavor. It’s sweet but not overly so, and has nice subtle warm spices with a touch of cream cheese creaminess. I’m not a fan of chocolate chips in tea, but there don’t seem to be a ton included here, and they also don’t melt all that well, so it’s not an overly oily cuppa.

I made a Murchie’s order a few days ago, as I want to try their summer orange tea, and another bag of this made the cut!

TTB! This tastes a bit floral. It’s tasty cold with a smooth black base. I like it sweetened with milk. It doesn’t really stand out, but it was enjoyable enough!

Received a loose-leaf sample of this last week from Adagio. Appearance, taste and fragrance indistinguishable from “Jasmine Dragon Pearls” sold by Tealyra. Plenty of reviews on the Adagio product here to inform you, and I rate it a 75 (just like the Tealyra product).

My major complaint is Adagios inadequate labeling on the packaged tea— specifically the ingredient listing. I have uploaded a photo of the foil packet, which lists “ Ingredients: jasmine phoenix pearls”. That is not a legal ingredient list! Green tea is not included as an ingredient! Jasmine is not present, only the infused floral volatiles. Phoenix is a mythological creature, not an ingredient! Pearls are a marine product, and are not in this blend. Ingredient lists should be technically precise, complete, and accurate! People depend on this information, and I do believe it is a legal requirement. Adagio could be more accurate here. What they are showing on their product is IMO insufficient.. The website lists green tea as the only ingredient, which is incomplete because the jasmine volatiles are not shown. And I question whether the website is the proper place for the ingredient list.

My secondary complaint is the photograph on Adagios website which shows the pearls, along with what appears to be dried jasmine flowers or petals. There were no jasmine flowers or petals either mixed with or inside the pearls of my sample. I have attached a photograph of my steeped leaves, clearly showing their size, beautiful green color, and the absence of any jasmine petals. While it conveys the concept of a floral component, the photograph on their website could be misleading.

All the barbecue flavors with none of the calories! Initial steeps are dominated by complex smoky, sweet, bacon-y notes. There’s also a pleasant fruity aftertaste which complements the smoky flavors. The white tea is also a lot easier on the stomach compared to other smoky teas I’ve had from White2Tea, like 2022 Boat Captain and 2025 Northern Grown.

I am ashamed to admit that I have had this tea in my cupboard since it was released (around December of 2022 I think) and had still never tried it until today… Oops? Nazanin has just released her third tea blend (Joon), and I think that was probably on my mind as I was selecting my first tea of the day.

So obviously, it’s been sitting around for almost 2.5 years, so the flavors are probably more subtle than they originally were. But I can still taste the citrusy bergamot, a touch of rose, and subtle cinnamon. It’s a very nice if somewhat unexpected combination – I don’t know that I’ve had cinnamon with bergamot before, though Prince Vladimir’s clove is pretty close. The cinnamon also gives it a lovely sweet aroma. Thankfully the rose is gentle enough that I still enjoy it, even though it’s not a floral that I generally like.

It’s a very aromatic and refined black tea blend that I could see being lovely for the afternoon. Someday soon I’ll have to order a new bag and actually drink it while it’s fresh, heh!

Once again restocked and back in rotation. I adore this tea. I prefer the decaf one and enjoy it in the evening. Brew ~3 minutes for optimal balance between bitter and flavourful. Add milk and you get something super creamy, malty, sweet, with a strong maple flavour. It reminds me of those maple leaf cookies with the buttery cookie and maple filling.

I’m enjoying this tea brewed quite hot but not boiling, a longer steep than usual (4-5 minutes? Lost track of time)

It’s got a nice deep cocoa note but only at the first part of the sip. Then, as you search for sweetness, it turns almost a bit fruity. It is a little bit astringent, but not in a bad way. It smells a bit like apricot or stone fruit and toasted barley.

I very much enjoyed this tea! I agree with other reviewers that the taste reminds me of autumn leaves, however the smell is like a strong apple cider vinegar, which makes for a stimulating brew.

Ever find yourself throwing a halfhearted tea bag into your out-the-door tumbler because you don’t have time to make good tea? This morning I did, thanks to ashmanra and this really, really nice breakfast tea.

The steeping instructions are right up my alley: boiling water, 45 seconds for a good cuppa; 90 seconds (and I quote) for “profound.” I went straight for profound. Beautiful fruit and cherry wood veneer. The proprietor recommends milk, and I’ll give that a go later, but it was so, so nice on its own!

Part of a sampler set I bought at the Chicago Tea Festival.

Dry Leaf: Some are slightly twisted and open, while others are twisted a bit more tightly. Long leaves. Dark brown with a few silver buds.
Dry aroma: Milk chocolate.
Quick rinse because a friend of mine said all Chinese teas should be rinsed. He’s also Chinese.
Initial aroma: My mouth is watering. Hot chocolate. Chocolate mousse. Plums. Wood.
Flavor: Ooo… DANG! That’s so good! Chocolate notes, some Palo Santo, and other woody notes like oak and cedar. If this were a cedar chest, it would be a really nice one.
Mouth Feel: Incredibly smooth.

While this one can be steeped in a mug, I highly suggest a gaiwan. You’ll get more satisfaction.

Smooth, thick earthy caramel taste with complex wood and herbal notes. It’s also warming like being able to experience a campfire without any of the smoke. The leaves have a comforting old forest smell with hints of herbal flowers.

10 years later, I’m reviewing this tea again.

A new batch, of course. (Though I’ve been known to still enjoy tea several years past the best before hah.)

Sweet potato with floral and citrus notes. The mildest bit of astringency at the back of the tongue, not unpleasant at all.

The citrus note is providing some focused energy, which is nice and quite helpful while recovering from flu/grief symptoms.

But I find myself wanting the comforting cocao notes of the Teavivre Golden Monkey. I know what tea I’m having tomorrow.

A thoughtful work friend brought me back a little souvenir from a tea shop run in Springfield, Missouri (Chabom Teas + Spices). This is a new-to-me brand.

The Holy Grail of Decaf Black Teas does not exist. It is a myth that I will chase down until my poor old heart gives out. It’s either next to the pot of gold under the rainbow or with the black sock I’ve been trying to hunt down for two years. Ty-Phoo Decaf is the only tea I’ve tried that’s a contender.

That said, this one isn’t bad. Like all unflavored decafs, most of the flavor has been leached out in the treatment process, but it has a nice color and a nice, hefty body. Puts a little weight on your tongue. With an additive—little milk; little mint; little something—it might just fool me.

Day 12 of the Inoki Bathhouse advent calendar. This was pretty but I found the flavor a bit meh. Sort of a generic “Chinese green tea” flavor with maybe a hint of floral if I really look for it. I really liked the flowering rose, but this one just didn’t have that same vegetal-floral balance.

Day 11 of the Inoki advent calendar. This is a nice ginger – zingy with a hint of sweetness. It reminds me of Fever-Tree ginger beer, just without the sugar. It even resteeped well, which doesn’t always happen with ginger. Just needed a long brew time on the resteep.

Our hotel in London gave us free cheese and tea every night, and we always chose this one! It was relaxing to wind down with some warm chamomile with oat milk. This doesn’t get good reviews, but I found it to be lovely! Just what you expect from a chamomile.

Such a unique tea! It’s surprisingly fruity, and reminds me of cooked apples or applesauce.

Not a favorite. A touch of bitterness in the aftertaste, and the flavor profile is pretty forgettable.

Sipdown

I like this one best full strength and not making a resteep and combining the two. You seem to get more rich chocolate that way. Some teas I don’t notice a big change in flavor doing the “two steeps and combine” method, but I do with this one.

I am not the world’s biggest fan of Earl Grey but I do like it on a Keemun or other base with deeper notes, and I also like it with orange, cream, or vanilla flavor added. The chocolate was good, too, and I shared a sample with a friend who adores almost all Earl Grey and she really loved it.

I recently added a random weekly tea selector to my spreadsheet, which chooses two random teas when I reset it for the week. This is one of the two chosen for this week!

I haven’t had it in ages, so it was fun to see it come up. Full-size teas that I’m not actively trying to sip down tend to get neglected in my cupboard, at least until they’ve become old enough to make it into my oldest teas basket LOL. This is pretty close actually, being from fall 2022.

Anyway, I really enjoy this flavor combination. The oolong has both fresh green and toasty grain notes, and strikes a nice balance of the two. The blueberry reminds me of the dried version that I used to enjoy in Blueberry Morning cereal, and is quite sweet with a syrupy, concentrated quality. I do taste a hint of banana, but it’s mostly adding creaminess. Still reminds me of some kind of blueberry granola!

Sipdown! (5 | 82)

Wasn’t a big fan of this (and it looks like I’m not the only one). I find it a bit harsh as green teas go – it does have some beany/vegetal notes but there’s also a lot of mineral and smoky flavors going on, and a bit of astringency. It’s also a bit bland overall?

Was interesting to try, but it’s not one that I would repurchase.