4319 Tasting Notes
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – January 2023 Tea #2- chocolate tea
Forgot to post this last night in time for chocolate day! Finishing up this tea with better steeping parameters. This time, rather than Russell Stover chocolate filling or Three Musketeers bars, I’m tasting what seems like flavoring that would be in a chocolate milkshake. Definitely not a flavor of chocolate I have had in TEA before. I’m glad I tried this, and it’s going on the wishlist again so I can remember it’s good! Also raising the rating from 72.
2023 sipdowns: 5
additional notes: Revisited this oldie yesterday. I forgot how good it was! Still has some cream flavor which is amazing with this rich hojicha. No chance probably that Necessiteas would have this again (not there now, haven’t seen it in a while…) Another 96 rating from me! These poor neglected teas…
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – January 2023 Tea #2- chocolate tea
additional notes: Another chocolate tea today because neither with caffeine is a sipdown. I forget how much I like this one. Almost gone now… and it’s sad I don’t see it on Fusion’s site for sale anymore.
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – January 2023 Tea #2 chocolate tea
additional notes: why yes, I will be eating some chocolate today. I thought that name of this couldn’t be more perfect, as “Bittersweet chocolate day”. This tea is ancient but the flavor is still pretty good! A 96 rating from me though, wow! I wonder if adagio has changed their flavoring after all these years… It does have that bittersweet chocolate chip flavor. And a lot of rooibos, but it stays smooth and I forget it’s there. Not a true sipdown, but I might have a chocolate tea for nighttime…
A sample! I was very intrigued by a tea named after my favorite oolong, Wen Shan Bao Zhong, but as a black tea! I had to try it. The leaf is huge and wirey. The fragrance of the dry leaf had such a scent of added fruit flavor, that I thought there was flavor contamination from something else. But steeping up the tea, I don’t think there was scent contamination. The brew is very light for a black tea — it almost looks like a roasted oolong. The flavor is mostly like a Ruby 18 varietal (which is what the dry leaf looks like, now that I think about it, including that hint of scarlet in the leaf). But it’s also fairly fruity, like plums, or maybe something even odder like passionfruit, and also a bit starchy, the second steep is actually very tangy. It’s very clear in the lingering mouth flavor. Or a better word than “clear” might be vibrant, which the description mentions.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 3 minutes after boiling // 4 min steep
I left the above note in a draft for a while, long enough to forget what I said… so here is a second steep session a while later, without peeking at the note above: there is a sort of tangy fruit scent to the dry leaf and flavor of the first steep: tamarind + lychee or something. It reminds me how a Taiwanese Assam tastes like strawberries. Maybe these varieties with huge leaves usually taste like mostly fruit. The second steep is mostly tangy fruit again, then as it cools is like tomato soup with some starch. The third steep is a deep red and tastes like mostly like hot tomato soup! It’s definitely a unique tea. Though it’s a light brew which I normally wouldn’t like, I DO like the complexity of flavors. And it certainly doesn’t remind me of any oolong, Wen Shan Bao Zhong or otherwise. Now that I typed up all that, I read the note on the first steep session above and I’m amazed the flavors have seemed to evolve THIS much already in only a couple months. Second steep session: no thoughts of plum, passion fruit or Ruby 18! Tea is weird!
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug // 25 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 4 min
I adore Wen Shan Baozhong! Try to always keep it on hand. I can really see a black tea version tasting as you describe here.
Yep, I was intrigued to see what my favorite oolong could do as a black tea. :D
Had no idea that Baozhong black tea existed! On my list of teas to check out..
From Kawaii433 a while ago! Thank you! Roasted buckwheat! Though the brew isn’t dark in color at all, there is almost like this sense there is a couple of drops of coffee hidden in the mug among the mostly toasty, nutty flavor. It’s similar tasting to barley teas, but it’s a little different. This is just a great flavor when you want to switch it up with a flavor that is completely different from drinking a string of rooibos teas night after night. I definitely intend to always keep either some form of soba or barley tea around.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 15 minute steep
additional notes: Forgot about this favorite! I guess it’s January… the time I usually rediscover some good teas I haven’t had in a while and not the last servings of teas in a rush to meet sipdown goals by the end of the year. A nice soothing, light mint with some creamy properties. Very little purple tea, at least in my sample, but I’d buy this again for the mint. I don’t expect these ingredients to meld THIS WELL. Note to self: one teaspoon is enough. It’s available on Justea’s site right this very moment… Raising the rating from 90.
This was from SkySamurai a while ago – thank you! New note for it, but also a sipdown. If I wake up with a headache, my go-to is a mint tea. This is a gunpowder green… with plenty of mint flavoring…. organic flavoring. It seems like mint oil though, it’s so strong. I’m not sure what deems it “Swedish Mint” though. It’s green tea! It’s minty! It’s good! Also a very strong minty second steep. I had this yesterday and the headache seemed to disappear midday — not sure if that was this due to the helping minty properties of this tea!
Steep #1 // 1 1/4 teaspoons for a full mug // 31 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 30 minutes after boiling // 3 min
2023 sipdowns: 3
additional notes: Trying Harney’s Earl again years after originally trying it, because Tiffany sent over a ton of Earls a while ago, including some of these sachets! Thank you again, Tiffany :)! Not my favorite Earl, not my least favorite. I do enjoy the strength of the black tea here. I see my original rating is TEN YEARS ago and also I gave it a 51 rating! I definitely don’t think it’s THAT low. The note mentions I steeped for four minutes and it was astringent and I think I have learned to tame the parameters by now. There seems to be enough leaf in the sachet for me, compared to the jasmine pearl I had the other day from Harney. The bergamot is strong but it also isn’t the best bergamot, in my opinion but oh there has been much worse bergamot in my life. That bergamot bar is quite low. But I can drink these if someone needs a new home for them, as Tiffany did. :D Raising the rating from 51.
Steep #1 // at least 11 minutes after boiling // 1-2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min
