3229 Tasting Notes
Additional notes: I just wanted to say I’ve had this before but just finished a sample from StarFevre (thank you!), and since it was from a generous lovely tea package, needed to write a note! Though ancient and the most delicate of greens, the flavor is still AMAZING. I love the nuclear green on a winter day. Very surprising it’s still great and very enjoyable.
2021 Sipdowns: 12 (This + one sample of David’s Checkmate)
Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge Sunday, January 24th: National Compliment Day Tea #3
Additional notes: And this is the third of the day! My favorite rooibos blend, by a mile. Hmm, sadly even though the batch I steeped tonight only expired on 12/26/20 I’m still getting the fragrance of off coconut from the mug even before I take a sip, so I can’t be too complimentary today. An older batch I had the other day didn’t have as noticeable off coconut, so that’s weird. Maybe the coconut fades completely after a while! That would be nice. haha. The flavor is lovely though — but this one is best when fresh. The “ice cream” of it fades quickly. Keeping fresh in stock is hard to do though when B&B might never even bring this one back.
Mastress Alita’s sipdown challengeSunday, January 24th: National Compliment Day Tea #2
Additional notes: Another ultimate favorite that is also one of the oldest I have around. It’s still amazing. Another tea I would love to find the source of. I definitely know that it was also sold at California Tea House as Pistachio Gelato. Only a couple teaspoons left. I’m tea spoiled today! Can’t wait to see the teas for February’s tea hunt. :D
Looks like this Teavana tea was also the same?
Yes, good catch!
Although the Teavana one says milk chocolate, and your tea says white chocolate…
No, I think you are right, Cameron. I did some digging, and according to this VERY old Steepster forum thread, SpecialTeas blended teas for Teavana, but since they didn’t want people buying directly from their wholesale source, they shut down/merged with SpecialTeas.
https://steepster.com/discuss/1330-specialteas-dot-com-is-gone
Oh wow, that’s really interesting…
i guess this means specialteas was an original blender?
Ya, it sounds like they made blends that they then wholesaled to other people, one of their customers being Teavana. But Teavana didn’t want the blends they chose to carry to be bought directly from SpecialTeas (or the other vendors it wholesaled to) so it sounds like they bought them out (from what I’ve gathered from that thread, but being a forum thread, I would not be surprised if a good deal of hearsay is involved in the information there). And then of course Starbucks bought out Teavana… so I think it’s safe to say it is a very defunct company now.
Another reason to not like Teavana and Starbucks… taking my favorites away. grumble grumble
Mastress Alita’s sipdown challengeSunday, January 24th: National Compliment Day Tea #1
Additional notes: Now this is the ULTIMATE of sad sipdowns. I feel like I should have a funeral for this tea. This was the perfect day in the dead of winter to really work on some favorite teas I’m clinging to. So I looked at my Steepster cupboard, sorted by my rating, and picked some of the oldest teas around here that also just happened to be the best teas ever. I doubt even Mastress Alita could find the source of this tea. No list of ingredients on my Steepster Select package other than to say Company: Special Teas Etc and the Origin: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. It also doesn’t help that a few companies were called ‘Special Teas’. Maybe I should try the Earls from the most obvious sources, that many tea companies source their teas from. I’m not really remembering what the common sources of teas are, at the moment… Anyway, this is the best Earl to the end and I will miss it the most. It was time! 100 rating even while this old!
2021 sipdowns: 10
Someone on Steepster mentioned this one in one of the other notes for this tea. Not sure if they mean’t it was the same tea or just named after the other one. https://tiestatea.com/products/earl-grey-de-la-creme?variant=4348273229851
The second one looks like a match
OH, good catch, Lexie Aleah. I actually have the Tiesta (probably because the name is the same). And it’s hard to tell if it’s the same tea. Especially different harvests after all these years. It’s very similar and probably my new favorite Earl.
The Culinary – I didn’t see that one yet. I wish I knew where their teas were sourced from.
Actually Culinary might be sourced from English Tea Store and I don’t think English Tea Store’s Earl compares. But I know that many companies had to move to more natural bergamot these days so it might just be what I have to live with now.
If I remember right Culinary Tea’s sources their teas from different places?
Yeah, there are so many teas at Culinary it’s probably different sources. I’ll have to order some one day! ONE DAY. haha
I just found this one too. I wonder where they source from: https://camellia-sinensis.com/en/earl-grey-cream/2212
Aw, apparently never wrote a note for this. It is ancient, and from a teabox and stored badly… so it has very little flavor at this point. It tastes like….something. But I’m not sure that it’s belgian chocolate. It’s matcha at least! It seems like I don’t know where half my matcha is, then the other half isn’t even on my tea lists/steepster cupboard. sigh. Matcha mess. Won’t rate this.
2021 sipdowns: 9
SkySamurai’s mystery advent tea #10 backlog from 12/23
A green tea with some fruity bits! Looks and smells like pineapple or papaya/mango. I’m a fan even before the first sip. :D The flavor is plenty fruity and very thirst quenching. The green tea makes itself known in a lovely balance to the fruit. I like it. The second steep was also heavenly. My guess: Sencha with pineapple, papaya or mango and mayyybbbbeee blueberry flavoring. Was I correct? Kind of. Replace the blueberry with rum BUT this blend does have pineapple, papaya and mango.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 35 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 30 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
SkySamurai’s mystery advent tea #9 backlog from 12/22
(Note accidentally deleted.) This seems to be a black tea with a cherry/marzipan sort of aroma. The flavor is very much the same and also slightly boozy. It reminds me of Dammann Frere’s Noel Paris tea. Which I like but isn’t really my favorite of their wonderful Noel teas. (At least I didn’t brew both teas up on the same day! That would have been funny. ) The second steep is much the same with slightly less flavor. My guess: cherry marzipan black tea. Was I correct? Heck no. There was no way I was tasting black currant here. haha. And yet another shop I have never heard of.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 24 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 2 minutes after boiling // 3-4 minute steep
Additional notes: Enjoying this chai on a windy blustery day. It’s raisiny today! Next time a sipdown.
Otherwise, I just want to say YEAH AMERICA on this lovely inauguration day. I also want to share this song that always reminded me of the last four years (and was a sad balm) and now we can move on from them: The Mynabirds – Golden Age: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n03MIQRwrU&list=PLb94Zw9KCu-eAuGoPQsiUES2qucUz-9if&index=3
Mastress Alita’s sipdown challengeTuesday, January 19th: National Popcorn Day Tea #3
Additional notes: and the third for popcorn day! My nighttime choice. Not much to add though, just wanted to note that there was a third popcorn tea!
This note gives me hope for some similarly old jasmine pearls I have somewhere in my cupboard.
There’s hope! :D