4371 Tasting Notes
additional notes: I haven’t had this one in so long, I forgot how much I loved it. I forgot how rich it could be with only a base of dark oolong and houjicha! Truly one of my favorite blends of all time. The flavor is holding strong. FOUR solid steeps this session. Amazing.
I was hoping this was a deeper, darker tea! This gets fairly high rating from other tea fans, so I gave a sample a chance. Maybe the harvests have changed it. The leaves are fairly small, but the brew is so light. The scent from the mug is very brassy though. The flavor mostly reminds me of Ceylon — grassy hay. Not something I want to reach for…
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 22 minutes after boiling // >3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 min steep
Flavors: Brass, Grassy, Hay
I wanted to try this one as it reminded me a few of my fave no-caff blends from 52Teas in the past. And really, the inclusion of the marshmallow root made it a sure thing buy. It’s great! Exactly what I expected it to taste like. Citrusy! With a pillowy marshmallow sweetness, if that makes sense. Then a hint of lavender. Not as good as my beloved ‘Peachy Keen’ but that is a high high bar that I will never shut up about. Also, now that I think of it, not really trying to be the same thing… Also, I got super sleepy, super quick, so I think this works as a sleeper tea.
Steep #1 // 1 1/4 teaspoons for a full mug // 22 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – June 2025 Tea #3 - A tea swap tea or a sample
Happy to finish this tea, as I’m not really a fan. Glad to know this though! This was tangy in a way that I wouldn’t say I would usually associate with mandarin. The black tea isn’t anything I would gravitate towards either. But it’s sometimes a great thing when I don’t feel the need to stock up on a type of tea…
2025 Sipdown total: 36
2025 unique tea sipdowns: 29
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – June 2025 Tea #2 - A flavored green tea
Not quite a sipdown yet, but I love this one. Rhubarb! Light and sweet bergamot! Rose! A buttery green tea base! It must be melding together even better with age. It’s mostly a sweet, light flavored tea at this point. I would definitely keep this tea around.
Sounds wonderful, tea-sipper! I noticed that Fusion Teas recommends steeping at only 175°F, and I wonder if you have deviated from that, or followed their suggestion?
No idea on the actual temp, but if it’s a green tea I’m steeping, I usually wait a half hour after boiling the water to steep.
Ha that feels like the most chaotic way to steep tea vs a variable temperature kettle or looking at the bubbles to judge temperature
chaotic is one way to put it. ha :D
Sometimes I look at the bubbles, and sometimes just let the kettle simmer on a low flame. If preparing a tasting note, I use a digital thermometer and a timer.
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – June 2025 Tea #1 - June 1 – In homage to the birthstone and flowers of June, drink a dragon pearl tea, rose tea, or floral tea!
It’s a good thing I checked the new prompts this morning before choosing teas for the day. I just happened to like the idea of this one today anyway. Always a more pleasant day with some jasmine tea. :) Not quite a sipdown yet, but soon.
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – May 2025 Tea #2 - A cold steeped tea
I’m cheating here, as I didn’t really steep this cold. I steeped half a mug hot, stuck it in the fridge until cold, and then added some Simply Raspberry Lemonade. I usually go for the plain Simply Lemonade, but they were out of it at the store. I’m Not Not a fan of the raspberry! The tea kind of got a bit lost in the delicious lemonade, even though it’s a strong CTC… but it was tasty enough! Maybe I should try 3/4 tea / 1/4 lemonade. This lemonade couldn’t be more LEMON. Not complaining about that!
From my order a few months ago! I was intrigued by this mix of flavors. Sadly, I can’t tell there is much strawberry here. But otherwise, it’s slightly spicy with plenty of bergamot. Spicy as in cloves. The 2016 base was Nilgiri, Yunnan Dian Hong and a bit of Ceylon (not sure if the reblend is the same) and just as long as the Ceylon stays to a minimal for me, the base here is quite delicious. Overall, it’s a mouthful of flavors. Possibly the strawberry just can’t compete and gets lost.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep
Flavors: Bergamot, Cloves
Thank you Cameron B for a couple of these adorable teabags! Looks like I didn’t write a note for the first one I had, so here we are. I have been reading ‘The Summer Book’ by Tove Jansson who created Moomin. Right when I turned the last page of the book, I realized I had some tea in my stash with Moomin wrappers. The tea is quite good for having so little in the teabag! It definitely tastes like a chocolate truffle, and that is good enough for me. :)
