4183 Tasting Notes
Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox Round #3 – Tea #32
This might just be the favorite I’ve tried from Simple Loose Leaf. Not sure! I seem to love anything to do with combinations of white tea and plum. There is a lovely floral quality… not sure where that comes from, but it isn’t the jasmine to me. Underlying that is a plum flavor. Maybe a little artificial with the plum but I liked it anyway. It’s tough to taste the white tea under that flavor, but I like shou mei anyway. This is similar to the 52Teas Sugar Plum… but this one is slightly more floral despite not having the lavender that the 52Teas blend has. The second cup wasn’t very good, but to be fair, I did leave the steeped leaves overnight.
Steep #1 // 25 min after boiling // 2-3 min
Steep #2 // 25 min after boiling // 4 min
A unique blend from Zen: a roasted oolong with hazelnut flavor. I’ve never seen these flowers before, so I’m not sure what they taste like. From the blend in general, I’m tasting cream, vanilla and nuttiness. The description says hazelnut and vanilla, so the flavor is very accurate, though not a pronounced amount of flavor. This is a roasted oolong that doesn’t have too much charcoal flavor I don’t like. It reminds me more of a light houjicha. It’s light, sweet and would make the perfect dessert tea (though I can’t tell how much caffeine is in this one.) The color of the brew is a light brown just like these odd flowers. The second cup was even tastier – it seems like the flavors melded together. Another nice one from Zen!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 tsp // few min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min
Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox Round #3 – Tea # 31
I had to try this one! I thought there was only one serving left but measuring it out, there was 2 1/2 teaspoons. Baozhong oolong is certainly my favorite oolong. It’s light, buttery, floral, sweet. Here, it has additional coconut flavor. I was supposed to only use one teaspoon. The flavor wasn’t at all oversteeped anyway: no astringency. The oolong pairs so well with the coconut flavor. No actual coconut in the blend so the tea won’t be ruined faster. (Coconut: the ingredient that makes tea taste terrible faster.) But the coconut here is like a light breezy tropical flavor the pairs well with the long and wiry oolong. The coconut is actually stronger in flavor than the oolong. Both steeps were delicious. I don’t see this type of tea often, so I’d certainly stock up on this one at Zentealife.com. I recommend trying an unflavored Baozhong as well.
Steep #1 // 20 min after boiling // 2 1/2 min
Steep #2 // 20 min after boiling // 3-4 min
Lewis & Clark Traveling Teabox – Tea #29
Black tea, pu-erh, and chocolate? I’ll bite. Not too much chocolate here – wisps of it at the top of the cup. It’s not a strong pu-erh and I don’t think pu-erh could be bold anyway… pu-erh is usually so smooth! A little bite to this one… but I wouldn’t call it bolder than the rest! But the three elements here made for an interesting cup. I ‘m not sure why there aren’t more black tea/pu-erh blends, as they have the same steep temp most of the time anyway.
Steep #1 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5 min
Additional notes: When I was going through my teas stocking the tea boxes, I realized this and the Carrot Cake have coconut in them! Ultimate tea ruiners! Even though the pouches they are stored in are the best possible quality, the scent of the coconut is already a little off. I had to check the flavor. Brewed, I can’t taste the bad coconut but the flavor seems less than it once was… faded and mostly rooibos. There isn’t that bright lime as there was before. I really need to make a list of coconut teas and drink them faster. Note: This is an amazing blend when fresh!
Lewis & Clark Traveling Teabox – Tea #28
Tea box winding down! It has been an experience! This green is one of those green teas that actually look like grass clippings. Sometimes sencha looks like flat leaves rather than grass. The taste is light and very buttery. Mostly butter. Very tasty.
Steep #1 // 32 min after boiling // 2 min
A couple notes I have written up for both tea boxes yet to post, but both are on the move!
Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox – Round #3 Tea #30
I love the tiny flower buds in this blend.. it looks like a little garden with this sencha base looking like grass. I don’t taste very much cherry and the green tea itself is very light. Oddly enough I get a sugary cinnamon flavor… it doesn’t seem to belong but this is stored in a nice thick pouch so I’m not sure what is going on.
Steep #1// 30 min after boiling // 3 min
Lewis & Clark Traveling Teabox – Tea #27
An odd little blend that just seems to work for me! It’s almost like a chai made with tulsi. It’s spicy but I can definitely taste that holy basil flavor I love (like green beans). The dry blend has a strong spearmint fragrance but it’s almost lost in the flavor. There is a cooling from the peppermint at the end of the sip. Dry scent: spearmint. Flavor: peppermint. Very smooth from the licorice root. I love the cooling with the spices! I can say this one is a great blend from Verdant! Everything works in harmony.
Steep #1 // 10 min after boiling // 3 min
Lewis & Clark Traveling Teabox – Tea #26
Of course a Butiki green blend has to be supreme. The creamed corn flavor with nuttiness, butter, sweetness. The first steep was somehow tastier than the second. The flavors were more distinct. Still a good cup though but the first was amazing. There isn’t much more for me to say (I should have more to say!) but it’s the perfect green. Try it!
Steep #1 // 2 tsps // 25 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #2 // 18 min after boiling // 3-4 min
Lewis & Clark Traveling Teabox – Tea #25
Coconut, mint and chocolate: a lovely combination… though not necessarily like those peppermint patties (love them). There would need to be MUCH more mint here. The chocolate in the blend are the cocoa nibs which aren’t the chocolateiest of chocolate ingredients. There are so many chocolate mint blends that this one doesn’t stand out too much, maybe even just because the black tea base isn’t my favorite. This tasting note makes me sound like I’ve been Tea Spoiled lately. I have been.
Steep #1 // few min after boiling // 3 min
