4185 Tasting Notes
Another from the sale – thank you MissB! Mrs. Hudson! I received four of these adorable tiny Sherlock tea tins from MissB’s sale. This one sounded like a unique blend and I know I like the Adagio Melody blend. I’ve tried the almond blend on its own – it was just okay. There is also osmanthus here as well. I’ve only tried one osmanthus flavored tea but it wasn’t Adagio… and it tasted like peach. Together, this isn’t the best Adagio blend. It’s really tough to tell any of the flavors that should be here and also wasn’t as delicious as the Melody base by itself. Really it was rather astringent. Mrs. Hudson would not approve. She loves her tea.
Thank you for the sale, MissB! I really wanted to try this one. It would probably be better in autumn, but it was delicious anyway! I can taste pumpkin in this. I’m not sure how authentic it is, but at least it’s TRYING to be pumpkin. The spices were more of a fragrance from the cup more than in the flavor. There was also a lot of creamy slightly tarty flavor that was like cheesecake. I did actually have the pumpkin cheesecake ONCE and it was quite good (actually the last dessert I ate in a restaurant and that was ages ago.) This blend has a nice balance though this rooibos was slightly harsher on the throat than usual, even in a teabag.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons // few minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // few minutes
I wanted to try the 2015 sample of the Bailin Gongfu! But I could swear the leaves look the same as the Golden Monkey as the other day. Maybe this was a mislabeled sample? Is the Bailin that similar to the Golden Monkey? I don’t remember any gold on the leaves from past harvests of Bailin Gongfu but these is a lot of gold in these leaves. And the flavor is similar to the Golden Monkey – definitely not like Bailin Gongfu I remember. It doesn’t have the flavors that I would think to find in a Bailin Gongfu. This is malty, milk chocolate, a little cedary, hints of red wine, a bready note. The color of the brew is a deep red. So I’m not sure how accurate this review will be, but here it is. I might buy a couple things from the Teavivre sale since I have so many reward points and a gift card from last year. I think my rating would be lower than a 98 though for this harvest.
Steep #1 // 2 tsps. // 13 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // few minutes after boiling // 3-4 minute steep
Harvest 2015
I wanted to try this white tea with the same parameters as I tried the Nonpareil a while ago. Though it might be way too far back for me to compare these two. The leaves are huge and there are a TON in a 5 gram sample. They have such a strong scent for a dry leaf – very surprising for a white tea. I can’t really tell a noticeable difference in flavor from this one and the Nonpareil (though that was months ago that I tried it.) The first cup is mostly mellow dried grass. Maybe I say “mellow” because it also reminds me of lemony marshmallows, if that exists. Maybe cotton flavored, in the best possible way. These are flavor notes I typically find in a white tea! These flavors intensify with the second steep! A nice white tea but I adore the Jasmine white.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a mug (about half of a 5 grams pouch) // 40 minutes after boiling // rinse // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 30 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Harvest: 2015
http://www.teavivre.com/anniversary-celebration/
Another sample I bought from Teavivre (basically I bought a ton of samples and used reward points and a $5 giftcard — almost coming to the end of the new Teavivre teas to review now.) I loved the look of these gorgeous green leaves, all twisted together and branchy. The fragrance is very strong and sweet. I used two heaping teaspoons for a mug and that seemed to work out perfectly. (Two teaspoons seem to work well for most Teavivre teas for my taste buds.) The pale yellow liquid has a lovely flavor — a little like corn and also fruity but I can’t tell which fruit. A little nutty but definitely not as nutty as the Lu Shan. A great lingering aftertaste. The second steep is somehow crisper, fresher, yet creamier for a green tea. It is more vegetal this time around, but still sweet. All of the green teas I’ve tried from Teavivre have been so so delicious. The best green teas that I’ve ever had. Great to stock up on!
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for mug // 32 minutes after boiling // 55 second steep
Steep #2 // 28 minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep
Harvest: 2015
The Teavivre sale has been announced! Get planning! :D
http://www.teavivre.com/anniversary-celebration/
This is an ancient teabag. Maybe the last from my box of Numi samples. I think I was avoiding this one because it sounded great, was a great idea for a blend (Darjeeling, berries) but I knew it would be terrible….hibiscus. I’m glad I didn’t drink this one when I got the Numi sampler and I was oversteeping most of my teas. It would have been much worse. Sadly, the only thing I can taste here is the hibiscus. The mug gets very red very fast. I can’t really taste any berry or Darjeeling. Just sour hibiscus.
Steep #1 // 15-20 minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep
Flavors: Hibiscus
This was one of the last 52Teas blends from Frank and it is pretty darn accurate with flavor! Whatever that unique flavor is that ONLY monkey bread has? This tea has it too! It’s tough to describe that monkey bread flavor, but both the scent of the rooibos from the pouch and the flavor in the cup has it. Liquified monkey bread! The rooibos somehow doesn’t result in a very red cup, but the rooibos is a great choice to pair with this flavor. The second steep was even more like monkey bread and full of flavor. With the second steep I noticed a hint of cinnamon that wasn’t in the first cup. So this gets a rating of 90 for being super accurate monkey bread! One of the most accurate 52teas flavors in a while.
Steep #1 // just boiled // 1-2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // few minute steep
I got this in the mail yesterday from an Ebay seller and tried it right away on opening. :D It was only around $5 with shipping so I just had to buy it as I was looking for some more Wild Tree teas. I was hoping it would be a lot like Teavivre’s Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Ancient Wild Tree and it is slightly, but the Teavivre has a little bit of extra specialness that I love – maybe that tangy quality which is why I was looking for a Wild Tree tea in the first place. At least this tea is something that I can really enjoy and I’m not disappointed in it. The leaves are large and dusty black resulting in a light brew. The taste has that flavor that I’ve only found in Fujian teas, though it is tough to describe (like a volcanic/charcoal flavor). Otherwise, it’s like burnt sugar or caramel with tobacco and a little of that tangy flavor I’m looking for. On first taking a sip, it has a tanginess and tobacco but then like a wave on the sea shore, an incredible sweetness washes in. Very unique!
Steep #1 // 2 tsps. // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep
ETA: Today I tried the Teavivre Ancient Wild Tree steeped the same way and it is actually a LOT different. The Teavivre is much more like plums. So both teas are delicious but very different.
Thanks so much for the teas, MissB! This one was a surprise but it’s a Bluebird tea I haven’t tried yet! It seems to be chai but with coconut added. I used two teaspoons: 1) Bluebird’s black teas are usually light to me 2) I want to drink it before the coconut goes bad 3) there is a lot here! Two teaspoons didn’t ruin this at all – it was the perfect briskness that I like a chai to be – a pretty dark cup! This black tea might be different from the other blends. A decent chai with plenty of spice flavor and hints of coconut but it lacks the specialness of a Bluebird tea! The other blends are so unique! But I’m glad MissB sent it my way. :D
Steep #1 // 2 tsps. // just boiled // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep
I also had to try the new harvest of my favorite oolong! I love the super-floral quality of the previous harvests. Right away, even with the dry leaf I can tell this one is completely different. There isn’t any hints of flowers. Steeping exactly the same as I usually steep this oolong, the flavor is completely different as well. No flowers. The flavor is now slightly savory, creamy, buttery. It actually has a different flavor than many oolongs, but I can’t quite place what that is. The dry leaves look the same: tightly coiled dark green bundles. This oolong is still very good, but not the absolute favorite cup of flowers of previous harvests. I still have a ton of my 2014 stock though! My rating would be much lower for the 2015 but I’ll keep this rating for the 2014.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a mug // couple minutes after boiling // rinse // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 1 1/2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 2 minute steep
Harvest: 2015
