New Tasting Notes
Stressful days so far this week, and more ahead; woke up with heart beating fast as a hamster (I seem to have a rodent thing going this week) and concluded more caffeine probably wasn’t smart. This at least gives the strong taste illusion of something with a kick. More dark than spicy. It’ll do since I’m, unfortunately, in gulp-and-go mode instead of sip-and-savor.
I’ve been drinking this for as long as I can remember, dating way back into my childhood. As much of an exaggeration as that may be, Nestea’s Sweet Tea mix stands alone as my go-to cold tea drink whenever I’m at home and there’s nothing comparable in the fridge. It really isn’t half bad once you get past the fact that it’s a powder mix. Sweet enough that you don’t need to add sugar, yet “thin” enough that the taste of lemon tea still comes through. Thanks for always bringing this home from Costco, dad. =P
And that was it. The last of the sooper-speshul (and wildly expensive) sanctified Da Hong Pao. It was in the to-be-finished pile because, well, as special as it is, you can’t keep it forever. And also, I need the tin.
I’ve bought a regular (and much less expensive) Da Hong Pao to replace it, so finally finishing this off was such a terrible loss. At least that’s what I tell myself.
It’s a good cup. Every bit as good as it was that first time when I finally made myself open the little satchet and brew up half.
I’m getting that chocolate-y note on this one again. Both in aroma and in flavour. It’s actually reminding me of Adagio’s Black Dragon Pearls a bit, except this one seems to have more character, I think. The pearls were good, but at the same time also kind of ordinary.
There are floral hints too but not so many that you think it must have been contaminated or that they have secretly scented it, and not so few that you have to sit and search for them.
I’ve brewed it a bit differently this time with steep times and leaf amount, (brave after the Nepal Top fiasco, I know) because I didn’t have enough leaf left that it was worth saving if I used the normal amount of leaves.
In spite of that, I’m recognising everything that I wrote in the first review. It seems like what we’ve got here is a consistently good tea. I haven’t yet tried the regular Da Hong Pao, but I have high expectations of it because of this one.
Finally spring is stepping in, it’s a bit warmer and brighter outside. I’m starting to get excited how 2010 Shincha’s will taste like. Anyway…i just had to get an injection of Sencha. This one is from ichibancha 2009. Brought recently like a middle class sencha for “everyday drinking”.
The price is ok (7EUR for 50g). Looking at the leafs, they seem pretty nice in colour, plastic, dark green. Not so even leaf size like the expensive brothers, but that’s the same for most fukamushi’s. Taste is what counts.
The tea can’t take much infusions – max. 3. The fourth is very weak.
Now the colour of the baverage is nice – like most of the good senchas out there – bright green. It’s also nice creamy and clean.
Now let’s see how it tastes. Not really the exploding sencha i like. The taste is quite calm, nothing stands out too much. Pretty harmonic. A bit grassy, a bit fruity, with a mild aftertaste like after you ate some fresh peaches.
Overall i’m quite satisfied. The tea represents it’s price range.
Preparation
Good morning Steepsterites.
I’ve made this a bit unpleasant today. The tin I keep it in is tall and narrow, so it’s a bit difficult to get the scoop in and get a proper spoonful of leaves. I think I used too much leaf today. I tried to compensate with a shorter than normal steep but it hasn’t really worked. Not short enough.
It has that nutty bitterness that just sits on your tongue and constantly reminds you that, “I’m drinkable, yeah… But I’m not supposed to be here. Oolong, ur doin it rong!”
And that’s really distracting, you know? It makes it impossible to taste around it like you can with some other mistakes. Or maybe it’s just impossible this morning, I don’t know.
Either way, I surrender. Now I want something else.
Anything else.
Hahahaha, and oh no! I LOATHE it when something like this happens. When you’re like, Hrm, that looks like too much. Oh wellz. Hurrhurr.
Then 3 minutes later, after it’s done steeping… “It was too much. :(”
Yeah, the ‘steep until bitter and then 30 seconds less’ principle just never works! Doesn’t stop me from trying though. Instead of just transferring the lot over to a larger pot like a normal person would do…
It may be a gimmick, but “man”…it’s an awesome gimmick.
Would’ve worked better with a Lapsang base instead of an Assam/Nilgiri one, though.
Full Review:
http://www.teaviews.com/2010/03/12/review-52-teas-maple-bacon-black-tea-2/
My Recipe for a Maple Bacon Tea Latte: http://www.lazyliteratus.com/974
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 3 scoops
Additives: none
Water: 12 ounces filtered boiling water
Steep Time: a little over 6 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strawberry, floral
Steeped Tea Smell: citrus fruity
Flavor: sour berry hibiscus
Body: Full
Aftertaste: citrus sour berry
Liquor: deep dark opaque red
This is my first tea from the Steepster Traveling Tea Box!
This was the first interesting herbal I came across while unpacking the box and decided that I needed to be trying a tea as I selected my new teas.
I was expecting much more strawberry and kiwi and less hibiscus based on the name, luckily I like hibiscus because the tea was a hibiscus tea with strawberry and citrus flavors. I didn’t really get the kiwi flavor, but I am also recovering from a head cold.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Resteep: weaker, less sour, but still a strong hibiscus and berry tea, I won’t try another steep though.
Preparation
I wanted something more to drink tonight but it is pretty late so it needed to be decaf. Fortunately, I’ve managed to amass quite a collection of herbal samples! This is my last of this one and while I’m pretty sure I won’t reorder, I have really enjoyed a full-on rooibos/honeybush base that doesn’t taste sour or off or just plain ole nasty. I don’t know if that speaks to the quality of rooibos that Samovar uses or their stellar blending ability (though perhaps both).
This is definitely woody but there is some nice spice and warmth to this that keeps it from being a flat, boring wood taste. Now that I’ve finally gotten used to the fact that this is rooibos but not evil, I seem to give different spices each time I take a sip. Ginger, cinnamon and cloves all pop up at the front of sips and I’m getting something almost citrusy at the end.
I don’t think I’ll ever be a huge fan of anything with this much rooibos but then I think it’s pretty surprising that I like this one as much as I do.
Preparation
I’m going to chalk this one up as a win.
You totally should! The more I have it, the more I like it. It took me a bit to get past the rooibos taste. Well, not get past it but stop noticing it so much because I was expecting it to be evil so each sip I was almost bracing myself for sour and when it wasn’t all my brain could think was “WOW! Non-sour rooibos.” After a couple of cups I think my brain is finally not having to go through that so I can pay more attention to the other stuff going on in the tea and it’s really quite lovely. I could totally see myself ordering some of this at a later date when I felt the need to increase my nighttime-friendly teas. Which mean the rating probably should go up a bit!
Dry: Faint fruity scent. Soft, ‘fuzzy’ long green-white leaves mixed with fruits and berries.
The making: used about 1.5 teaspoons. Used my large bodum glass teapot (it was my first teapot). I haven’t used most of my teaware so I’ve decided to start using them again!! Makes me so happy inside. I also love sharing my love for tea with my boyfriend! He is starting to get hooked on different teas instead of the usual Assam with milk and sugar. (but I digress!)
Steeped: The color is a light yellow-caramel. The scent is faint fruity and floral. The taste is almost indescribable in a good way. It it so delicate and naturally sweet. This was blended very well. The white monkey was not overpowered by the fruit IMO, but they all worked in harmony. I imagine this would taste delightful cold brewed!
Overall: Great signature blend! I love it! I would love to try this cold. Delicate.
Preparation
Hmmm… spoiled. Simply spoiled. I made a pot of this to amuse myself before bed and I am a fool.
Having finished my second steep of Florence, I moved to this Silent Movie Starlet. She’s soft, sweet and flowery. The write up says something about moss but I don’t get moss. It’s gentle and clean… very soothing to the palate. I don’t know what I enjoy best, the tea or the Chanel no 5 I’m wearing. They are a perfect pair.
Honestly don’t know how to place this… it’s a ghost or a memory. Perhaps it is the light framed in the fingers of trees. Bold, bright and ever so soft that you can watch the wind dance in the motes of pollen of a swollen spring. Or the laughter of children, a child’s first laugh or your child’s first laugh… this is easily a reflection tea… simply a treasure.
I can enjoy this tea as it is like nothing I have tried before… a natural beauty. She’s often overlooked by the big hussies of flavored temptress teas singing their siren songs from the cupboards of yore! LOL
