1236 Tasting Notes
Another advent tea gift. I find it interesting that while this one is a rolled style the others I have come upon are shaped into balls. So it makes me wonder why the farmer decided to make that change. It is a gorgeous leaf. Dark chocolate in color with light brown flecks here and there. The flavor is mineral, musty, and filled with wet wood notes. There is honey in the after taste. It isn’t strong but the way it lingers is very unique. My aroma cup doesn’t reveal much for the liquid but the wet leaf is earthy and kinda mineral. I say kinda because it hides. Sometimes you sense it and sometimes you don’t. Some oolongs can last for many steepings but this one seems to have had its limelight in the first and second steepings. Though as I’m coming upon my 7th? infusion now I’m find some of the sweeter notes are really shining. The instructions also say to brew four minutes, which I assume would be western style. I’ve tried both western and gong fu but so far I prefer the gong fu. It offers the ability to test it out more at more stages, not that you can’t in western but it just doesn’t steep the same.
NOOOOO!! I thought this was a Lapsang. It smelled too heavily of campfire smoke, so I didn’t think it could be anything but Lapsang…. But no… It’s a wonderful black tea. And why am I screaming? Because I dumped a bit of it in my bone broth that is cooking from yesterday’s turkey leftovers. Shame, shame, shame. This tea is so smooth. A Keenum style but without the astringency. The aroma is of apricots and slight earth in the wet leaf. I’m currently on my third steeping and it’s still going strong. I hope my bone broth is amazing.
Didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I chose this one. It is a sample from a friend. Mr. Poe, if you were alive today I wonder if this would be your tea of choice? Based on his work one would think a dark, earthy, and thought-provoking blend such as this would be exactly the thing but I feel he would surprise us with a white tea or some such. For those who are fans of his ‘darker’ works, this will quench your thirst while adding a 4th dimension to his story. I personally do not like Lapsang but I appreciate that the pu erh stands out enough to tame it a bit. Every tea deserves a try, even if it has an ingredient you don’t fancy. I’ve decided not to give it a rating since Lapsang isn’t my thing.
That’s a fun idea, matching authors or other famous historical figures with the teas they might have enjoyed. I don’t know much about Edgar Allen Poe as a person, but it sounds like this blend would be perfect while reading one of his stories. I really love this descriptive note!
I’ve always been sad that S&V doesn’t offer ALL their author blends in sampler sizes. As a librarian, I’d totally try them all if they did, but I have no interest in 4 oz. tins.
I thought about getting the literary sampler with my order, but I already had so many other things and it didn’t make the cut this time. :P
But even the literary sampler doesn’t include all the author blends in it. :-(
If my sampler was fresh, I would totally send you some samples of them! But like you said, not all of the literary teas are included… which S&V should really remedy.
It’s odd that they don’t offer the literary and National Parks teas in 2-ounce pouches…
I generally don’t drink many Ceylon teas but they have been growing on me. This one especially because the tannic after taste you generally get with black ceylons can be a bit much and so people tend to add milk and or sugar, which I don’t, but this one is very slight. It has good woody and slightly earthy tones.
This is the first time I’ve had another tea resemble a Darjeeling without being one. There is no dry aroma but it does have a nice wet aroma with various wet wood smells. It has the muscatel notes but the presence of woody notes is stronger. The steep time is finicky. Two minutes is fine but I felt like it needed a bit more so I left it in longer. But it ended up being a bit too long. Luckily this is my second cup so I know this slight tannic flavor and astringent feeling are only due to the over steeping. Wet wood and forest floor after a rain. Just a brisk rain, not a heavy downpour. Can be steeped up to two times but the third infusion lost a lot.
Preparation
This is the top tier of matcha for Matchaeologist. I was impressed with matsu, save for the color, so my expectations for this one are definitely higher. So let’s begin!
First the color. Gorgeous! Just what I was hoping. That luscious emerald/jade green. Slightly chocolatey aroma. Very soft to the touch. Likewise with the liquid, a serene green appearance. Wish it was accented with a lovely froth but that is something I find hard to do.
As I poured in more water a unique marine aroma drifted up to my nose. Wish I could explain it but it was gone so quickly. Silky mouth feel. That slightly marine flavor came back again; it’s almost fishy in flavor but it comes and goes so quickly. Do not worry though as strange as it is I’ve only had the sensation a few times in the many sips I’ve taken. Maybe it’s me? Regardless, if you like umami this has a wonderful umami undertone to it. Slightly grassy, no astringency.
The world’s most awarded tea. One might scoff at such a remark but take a look at their credentials and your brain will agree. Still, tasting is believing. So I decided to try it out for myself. It took over two months to make it to me thanks to customs but luckily it got here before C19 hit. Don’t know why I forgot about it on my shelf but I felt the need to confess that. Like most Sri Lanka tea, this one is bold. Though not as bold as their CTC varieties. The dry leaves are a mix of dark chocolate brown and cream. The dry leaves are a nice subtle woodsy tone. But the wet leaves reminds me of a hearty vegetable soup. The liquor is gorgeous, a perfect golden amber. The flavor is bold with strong earth tones. This first time around I am steeping it gong fu style. Though I admit it is a bit tough with the shorter leaves. It requires a firmer grip on the lid. I’ve done 3 sessions now and the first was the best. The second was still good. The third has lost its tenacity. I am excited to try this tea a few ways to see how its flavor profile changes.
Wet wood.
Like a walk in the forest.
Picking up a soggy branch and tearing the bark off.
Sweet subtle notes of brown sugar.
This tea grows near Darjeeling and shows some of the unique characteristics of the terroir. It is a fuzzy tea which leaves are processed to end up being mixed dark chocolate brown and golden “light brown”. The fuzz is very akin to the fuzz found on a peach. It’s all over the inside of the tin; probably one of the strangest things I’ve seen. Even the golden leaves display a strange fur like appearance. Golden retriever tea. Still having much difficulty with this site… Really wish someone else would take it over.
2019 Autumn Laoshan Black – Please do not mind me as I sit here and gaze at this pulchritudinous tea. It is somewhat difficult for me to describe the color of these brilliantly twisted leaves. It is dark brown with hints of grays and greens. The aroma is fresh, toasty, and warm. The wet leaf aroma is vegetal. Slightly musty. What a unique flavor. Toasty notes are the forerunners. Followed closely by a chocolate and cream sensation. If steeped too long it takes almost like burnt chocolate. The after taste is a bit mineral and this really shows when it comes to the feeling it leaves on the tongue.
This is very reminiscent of a Gunpowder green tea. Tightly rolled balls. Though to be honest these aren’t quite balls. They’ve been twisted and manipulated in a way that resembles a curing road in a mountain or like the road on the Northwest shore of Maui. The dark dark leaves give off a slight aroma of chocolate / slight roasted aroma. The aroma of the steeping leaves is gorgeous. Roasted barley. Slightly milk. Dark amber liquid. Creamy feel on the palette. Roasted nuts are the main attraction in the flavor, while hints of charred veggies like zucchini and asparagus come through deeper as you steep it longer. This was picked in Autumn 2019.
