New Tasting Notes
Bleah. Got this in a swap from TeaEqualsBliss and I made it up for the husband who likes rooibos more than I.
Even he’s not digging it. He’s drinking it at least – I couldn’t have finished an entire cup of it.
What a nice after lunch treat.
I’ve reviewed this one before… and the flavor is still quite the same: sweet with just a touch of bitter. One difference today than in past tastings is that I notice more mandarin bits in my chawan. I don’t know if there have always been this many and I’m only now noticing them, or if somehow I managed to scoop out more this time than previously. But I don’t think that this presence of more bits of pulp make this tea more or less fruity… it just makes it look a bit different.
So, Frank… what is your next Matcha flavor going to be?
Mmm, such a nice morning tea when I’m not rushing around. I don’t really eat breakfast as such most days, and well, today I woke up at 11, so I may as well wait an hour and just have lunch. This tea screams “breakfast” so much, though, that I really feel as if I HAVE had some.
It’s a little more buttery today than the first time I tried it, which was freaking me out a bit at first, but I’ve gotten used it now. The raisin is stronger as well, I think. The only problem I have with this tea is that it does leave me feeling a bit thirsty – kind of like I need to rinse out the butter taste from my mouth, but I guess that’s just going to happen with a tea this substantial.
I LOVE THE NAME OF THIS TEA!
Oh yeah, that is seriously, like 80% of the reason I ordered it.
I had someone ask me how she should abbreviate the name to fit it on her blog. I told her I had no idea how you could shorten it. The tea is every bit of each of the words in its title.
hahah impossible to abreveate this, plus this title is too perfect, not many titles can describe an aroma, this one can.
You could abbreviate it by calling it: “Super Tasty Breakfasty Tea of Many Tastes”!
Wait, that’s not shorter at all.
You could drop “flavored black”… a lot of flavored blacks just go by the flavor- black is kinda understood as the default if not stated.
Okay, wow! This is a tea meant to be cold-brewed (which is how I like my iced tea) so when this arrived for my tea-of-the-month subscription I was very excited to try it. Sadly, the weather lately has been rainy and cold and entirely off-putting to the whole concept of iced tea, so it took me a while to finish up my previous carafe of iced tea so that I had something to brew this in, and then I wound up leaving this tea brewing in the fridge for something like three or four days!
Given how long it was brewing, I was pretty worried when I pulled it out: it looked barely darker than plain water, and I thought that maybe I hadn’t used enough leaves (I put in my standard three heaping spoons for two liters). But I poured myself a glass anyway, and even before I tasted it I could smell the tea as I lifted the glass. It smelled earthy and green and not at all weak, so I closed my eyes and had a sip — and wow! That’s some tea! The adjectives that come to mind are “hearty” and “toasted” and “solid”, which clash oddly with visual ones such as “watery”.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cait_tea/4609134579/in/set-72157623664718933/
Definitely a new standard in iced tea for me.
Wow — that really does look like barely tinted water! I’m so glad that it turned out so well :D
I may actually try mixing this with another tea to get a different color next time! Pretty much every scientific study out there backs up the color/taste association, which is kind of neat in that brains-sure-are-weird way. ;)
The liquor is a lovely amber color. The flavor of this actually reminds me of an oolong. It’s sweet, malty, woodsy, but with a very…unique vegetal note. Not quite spinach but close. Almost as if someone mixed an oolong with chrysanthemum flowers.
Preparation
I have been craving this one for the past couple of days. I finally indulged! I find this one such a treat – cashew brittle, tea. The white chocolate is on the end of the sip. The tea is mellow and smooth. With milk and sugar, a true dessert in a cup! My husband and I liked the sample Doulton sent so much that I had to get a full size :)
Preparation
I’ve been busy with stuff lately and haven’t really had time to sit down and write a nice review after having a cup of tea.
I got this tea through a contest I won from SafaHimalaya (thanks!). There were two small packets of oolong (jade and night) along with my 55g of Himalayan Spring First Flush Black Tea. I was in the mood for an oolong and decided this one would do.
The smell of the loose leaf is just amazing. Has a slight floral smell to it, with a nice sweetness to it.
The liquor is a nice pale yellow color. First infusion in my oolong pot http://www.flickr.com/photos/gpudlowski/4608939561/ … The taste is very light. Almost reminds me of a green tea in a way. It has a very faint floral taste to it and seems quite naturally sweet. With each additional steeping, it seems to just keep getting sweeter and sweeter. I used my Samovar Oolong teapot, so it made many many nice small infusions. Dry leaf in my oolong pot http://www.flickr.com/photos/gpudlowski/4609546672/ … Macro of dry leaf in pot http://www.flickr.com/photos/gpudlowski/4608938915/ …. Size comparison of the pot to my hand http://www.flickr.com/photos/gpudlowski/4609547206/
Overall, this is a nice light oolong. I would definitely consider buying it when I run out of what I have currently.
Preparation
As far as chocolate rooibos goes, this is as good as it gets! The cacao husks give off a rich chocolate flavor akin to dark chocolate and the vanilla beans give a delicious back drop that makes this positively delicious. I will be making an order for several ounces soon. YUM!
Preparation
Apparently I’m on a bit of a Harney & Sons sampling kick. I’d like to say I’m going to be methodical about it and stick mostly to these for a while but that would probably be misleading. I have just as much of an urge to go on an Earl Grey, Breakfast Blend, or oolong or pu erh or chai comparison kick, or to do a methodical French tea sampling. I can see myself doing a lot of H&S for a while, but I doubt we’ll be in an exclusive relationship. ;-)
100% Keemun. Hmm. Not sure I’ve had that before? In the sample packet the dry leaves have a dark and sultry smell. Not sweet, more earthy or planty, at least to me. There’s also an interesting sharp note that seems like …. vinegar and salt? Seriously I’m having a flash to potato chip seasoning. I’m getting that note in the steeped aroma as well. Pretty interesting and not something I’ve experienced before. I’m intrigued.
With that aroma I’d expected a sharpness to the taste, but that’s nowhere to be found. It’s incredibly smooth! There’s a sugary sweetness in the finish that follows a woody flavor. No salt or vinegar in the taste. There’s a fullness to the mouth feel, though I wouldn’t describe it as quite full-bodied. Closer to medium. There’s an interesting, almost smoky note in the aftertaste. The tea is a little drying, but I kind of like that so it doesn’t bother me.
Hmm. Not sure exactly how I feel about this. It’s good, but I think I need more Keemun experience before I pass judgment. I’m not sure I’d pick it over a richer, fuller breakfast blend. But you never know.
Preparation
So your last two tasting notes have pretty much guaranteed I’m going to have to place a H&S order soon!
I love your tea notes.
A great tea company which I love is David’s tea. Some really interesting great teas from there. I agree with Auggy, your tasting notes are really making me think I have to try myself some H&S !
Haha, well, I’m having fun trying them — I’ve had my order of samples since around the beginning of April and I’m just now getting to them. [sigh] Too much tea!
Too much tea? No such thing for me :P
Gotta agree with JonTea there – no such thing! Okay, so sometimes I tend to look at my pantry and have an OMG moment but I get over it. :)
My matcha came today! This is my 1st ceremonial grade matcha so, of course, I had to make koicha!:)
1tsp/40ml hot water.
Hmmm… I’ve never had the matcha stay in one glob like wet sand when I add the water before… I’ve never had to… but maybe I should have sifted it?
It takes a lot of whisking, but I think I finally have a coheasive mixture. It’s thick and GREEN! As soon as I take a sip I realize it’s not really mixed after all… the chunkyness is not cool- it almost makes me want to gag. Due to this matcha fail, I’m gonna hold of rating.
Oh no I should be getting mine soon too. I am worried now. Maybe it was just bad luck.
Oh my! I’ve decided to finish up my teavana matcha before I open this one. I’ll be keeping an eye on your exploits — I hope it is better once sifted!
You should always sift Matcha (unless it’s a flavored matcha, because you may just end up sifting some of the flavoring bits out). Just like in baking, when you sift the flour and other dry ingredients, it helps to aerate the ingredients and the resulting product ends up tasting just a little better.
The same is true with Matcha – regardless of the company/quality of the matcha (except for, as I say, flavored matcha and matcha latte mixes)… you will have a better tasting matcha if you sift it. You should also always “pre-whisk” it, using just a little water and making a sort of thick paste out of the matcha before you add the rest of the water and whisk again. This will help ensure that your matcha is well blended.
LiberTEAS, I’ve never had a problem w/ not sifting it before… infact I’ve noticed that when I do it doesn’t mix w/ the water as quickly. I also have never had a problem not making a paste.
I’m not saying that it must be done, I am just saying that I have noticed a difference in the finished product when I sift, versus when I do not. Also… I just re-read my comment above, and instead of “thick paste” I should have said “thin” paste.
Of course, each person is welcome to prepare their matcha the way they see fit, with or without a chashaku (or even with or without a chasen and/or chawan) … if it works for you… great!
Yeah not sure why, until now, I’ve had better results not sifting or making a paste. Strange…
I will let you know how mine turns out when it comes in. It may have been the batch you got.
Liberteas, I agree with you. I’ve only had one matcha not require sifting for best results, and that was 52teas, I think because it gets double ground/mixed with the dried orange so it has less clumps. Then again, my results are very different from Coffteas….mandarin matcha is the only matcha I’ve ever had that didn’t foam, no matter how hard I whisked (I think because of the dried orange added in), but you’ve been able to get that (and the beer tea) to foam (without whisking, even!), so maybe you’re got awesome matcha skills I lack :)
lol no I think it’s pure awesome luck… because when I try to get it to foam I can’t. Or at least not as much as I should be able to. Exibit A being my Rishi matcha experience lol. But like I’ve said before- nearly all of my tea experiences are opposite of that of the general western tea population lol
Dude…you just lost a lot of customers, because no one likes a spammer.
Actually, they lost my sales earlier last nite. Posting a link to a woman wearing only a strategically placed bed sheet on FB is not ok. What’s with them today? Well that’s one place I won’t be getting my Breville.
The dry leaf smells promising as the bergamot isn’t too strong, oily or perfumey. Once steeped, the bergamot’s aroma takes a back seat to the malty, sweet black tea. The liquor color is a light brown-orange.
The flavor is quite nice. It’s like the GM Tippy Earl Grey would be without that bakey weird thing that bothered me about the GM.
I never thought I’d say this about an Earl Grey, but if anything, the bergamot could be a little stronger. Still, it’s quite enjoyable because the underlying tea is very tastey. It’s medium-to-light bodied, no bitterness, a little astringency. There’s a citrus and sugary tea aftertaste.
I have a lot more Earl Greys to try, but this is a strong contender.
Preparation
On my way to my daughter’s college graduation! I needed a rich, comforting tea on a day like this. This one feels just right for a special occasion….I like this one with milk and sugar to bring the chocolate out of the hazelnut a little.
Preparation
Predominately a darker chocolate taste with hints of cream and cherry. There’s a slight astringency to it that isn’t unpleasant but that keeps this from screaming ‘dessert tea’ to me. The flavorings are smooth and mild and that keeps it from being overly rich. Not bad.
Preparation
From the looks of it, I’m one of the few people here who actually like licorice. The dry leaf smelled quite delicious. The tea smells more herb-y (as in parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, not the horrible Lindsay Lohan movie with the talking car) than licorice-y.
This is very pleasant! The licorice doesn’t smack you in the face, so there is no need to fear this tea. Up front there is just a taste of general herb. The licorice is only a very quick note on the tail end. It leaves your tongue feeling heavy and tingly (and in my case, happy).
I could certainly see myself buying this again. It’s light enough to enjoy as a hot summer tea, but the mouth feel is curious and heavy enough to enjoy this in the winter, too.
Preparation
Not sure on my steep time here. Less than five minutes, but more than three. I’ve already written tasting notes for this tea, so I don’t think I need to revisit them, but it’s worth noting that I’m digging this one at 190…discovered by accident this morning through a zojirushi oversight. The slightly more bitter astringency is nowhere to be found, and the cocoa notes are much stronger.
