4184 Tasting Notes
Oh now this is a nice decaf dessert tea! The rooibos brewed in a T-Sac didn’t bother my throat at ALL. I think it was the cup of rooibos that least bugged my throat that I’ve ever drank. I think it wouldn’t be a problem if the rooibos was always bigger pieces, so they can’t sneak through infusers. The flavor was really nice – the caramel is just perfect with the rooibos…big caramel pieces! The toastiness is lovely with it too, but I could have used more of it. I had a second steep the next day and it was a completely different cup – strawberry. And all the caramel was gone…. I doubt the caramel melted completely the first time. Maybe rooibos naturally tastes like strawberry, especially if steeped a while? The perfect rooibos blend to have around.
Steep #1 // 8 min after boiling // 4 min steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // quite a few minutes
Thanks so much for the $1 box, Simple Loose Leaf! This is a very thin cut dark grass texture. Not clippings from the lawn yet! just good tea. The 32 minutes cooling might have a bit too long, but I was worried it would get bitter at a hotter temp. This is tasty but light because of the long cool – buttery, sweet, nutty, sugary somehow. When it cools it starts tasting like tomato soup again! What is going on with my tastebuds? The second steep was nice too – seemed to have hints of citrus, though I’m not sure how.
Steep #1 // 32 minutes after boiling // 2 min
Steep #2 // 22 minutes after boiling // 2-3 min
ANOTHER one with no tasting notes yet? Could it be… all the blergamot and lavenblerg fans?
I don’t think that Zen’s Earl Grey Crème can be topped. It might be the best current EGC that is actually for sale today. It will be my go-to for Earl Grey Crème. I expected great things from a lavender EG. I think though, that it’s asking too much, as that EGC is just perfect and even if you add some lovely lavender, it just isn’t the same. It’s very good.. but the lavender or bergamot just isn’t strong enough for me, or they cancel each other out or something. If I want lavender and bergamot, I guess I want a lot of it. Maybe that’s too much for most. I do like the black tea base for this one… it isn’t like the one with the Vanilla Black I’m not a fan of. A nice black tea with bergamot and lavender is just what I crave once in a while. Give this one a try but the EGC is a MUST try!
Steep #1 // two minutes after boiling // 3 min steep
No tasting notes for this one yet! Sad sad. A solid no-nonsense yerba mate! This is a good yerba mate to stock up on if you want some energy in the morning and a change from black tea. This yerba mate is also a great price! For yerba mate newbies, I do NOT suggest you use boiling water, as it burns the yerba mate… it might scare you away from mate for good with that brisk flavor. A lower temperature is best! The flavor is very earthy and sweet tasting – just like you expect a yerba mate to be. Apparently there are a ton of vitamins and minerals in yerba mate as well (I could always use more of those). This is the plain yerba mate I would keep in stock at all times. This yerba mate is also a great price! It seems like Zen is my source for many cupboard staples.
Steep #1 // 35 minutes after boiling (unintentionally a little too long) // 5 min steep
Preparation
Additional notes: Sipdown! The color of the cup steeped is so light… like an apple cider. I love the idea behind this blend, but I think it would be improved with whatever that Herbal Infusions Cacao tea is made from (now I think ALL chocolate teas could be improved with that). Also, it should have actual popped rice, you know, like a genmaicha. But I guess some people like this one the way it is. :D
Another sample from Teavivre. Thank you so so much. I always appreciate these samples! This is the last of my last sample package to review, but there is already another sample package on the way! The leaves have a bright and fresh fragrance, very floral, though not as floral as another Teavivre oolong (the Nonpareil Anxi Qing Xiang TieGuanYin smells like an entire Spring garden). I tried to go with the steeping parameters for their other green oolongs, since I don’t like this suggestion of 17 ounces (a tablespoon of leaves, 212 degrees, a rinse, 1,2,3,4 minute steeps). I went with two teaspoons of these bright green bundles.
Steep #1 // 7 minutes after boiling & a rinse // 1 1/2 min steep
The leaves are almost bursting out of the basket, I can’t imagine using more! The flavor is nice but it doesn’t taste overly like flowers, or peach (or any other type of fruit), or like a creamy milk oolong, or vegetal. Usually oolong can fit into a category, but this one does not, at least not on the first cup. This is a different oolong — it isn’t as floral tasting as the scent is. There is a bit of an odd flavor to it but it certainly isn’t astringent or oversteeped. It’s quite a mystery. The color of the cup is between the mellow yellow of a light oolong but not quite bright yellow.
Steep #2 // two minutes after boiling // 2 min
Hmm. This is the oddest oolong I’ve ever tasted. I don’t think it is oversteeped but it has a sour flavor to it, even a fuzzy texture to it. It has hints of pineapple flavor to it… or maybe some unripened fruit and autumn leaves. It’s such a different flavor for oolong. Not a fan of this oolong, but it could just be my tastes. I think some of Teavivre’s other oolongs are better. Give them a try!
thank you CharlotteZero for a sample of this one! I had no idea how to steep this one, so I just wung it… but then I realized I had a Phoenix oolong from Verdant before. Verdant’s suggestions: Use 4-5 g of tea per 8oz or water. Rinse leaves once with 205 degree water. Steep for 25-35 seconds. Enjoy at least 5 infusions. Yeah, I kind of knew I was overdoing these steeps. Definitely should have looked it up before I steeped, as I usually do. I used two teaspoons and forgot the rinse.
Steep #1 // 8 min after boiling // 2 min
Almond oolong sounded interesting, but I don’t taste the almond here. The dry leaves are twisty, dark and dusty but once steeped they turn green. This cup wasn’t terribly overdone, but it did have hints of astringency. Rather than almond, the flavor was like juicy honey peach.
Steep #2 // a few min after boiling // 3 min
The first cup tasted like it probably should have, but this one was sadly ruined. Too bitter. I was tasting peach from Verdant’s phoenix oolong and really enjoyed that one (looking at the tasting notes), so it’s too bad I ruined this one. I have a few steep sessions worth to actually do this tea some justice…
Thanks again for the samples, Just Organic Tea! I’m always up for trying a new chai! It’s STILL annoyingly cold in MAY, so it’s still perfect chai weather. Just Organic Tea suggest 195 degrees for 4-5 minutes. I went with that, though I usually think chai should be boiling for maximum spiciness! The sample size wasn’t as much tea as I’d usually use. The dry blend looks like it has mostly orange in it (along with the black tea). I also added some of the Organic sugar that JOT sent along!
Steep #1 // 11 min after boiling // 4-5 min steep
I like my chai robust and SPICY, and this one isn’t quite that. (Then again I’ve never found a chai that was spicy enough.) But the flavors in this one lead to something unique. I don’t think it’s just the sugar in this that are making it taste like a dessert – I think it’s the combination of the cinnamon and the orange. The sugar reminds me of brown sugar flavor unless it’s something in the tea itself. The base tea has a squash or pumpkin aspect to it. Very interesting! I’m not sure if the pumpkin would be there if I had used boiling water.
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5 min
This cup was fantastic as well – had that pumpkin flavor even at boiling. The cinnamon was stronger – still tasted like a dessert. This is really an exemplary chai. Again, not as spicy as I’d like, but it’s probably impossible. I think many people could stock up on this to fit the ‘chai’ spot in their cupboard!
Additional notes: Sample sipdown! Sad to see this one go. This was actually 2 1/2 teaspoons. I probably could have halved this and had two smaller steeping sessions. Ah well. The cup was perfect anyway. It’s a super sweet tea, not a strong tasting assam. It even had the texture of a thin caramel.
Steep #1 // 2 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled (half a cup) // 3 min
From Teavivre, I’m planning on eventually ordering one of the Keemuns, Bailin Gong Fu which I just can’t live without and with every steep I seem to remember that, and maybe even that brick of ripened pu-erh that just happened to be my favorite. I should have one brick of pu-erh, right? But I also want to place an order from Bluebirdteaco.com at the end of the year, Steap Shoppe’s Cinnamon Swirl Bread, AND a few from Butiki. I must have resolve that these will be the only four tea companies I will buy from the remainder of this year!!! And all of these orders will be a while from now anyway.
