105 Tasting Notes

90
drank Assam Gold by Uptown Cafe
105 tasting notes

Still my favorite morning tea. :)

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 18 OZ / 532 ML

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70

This was a good tea but not as high quality as I expected. The leaves are very dry out of the bag. Has a woody flavor, with a honey aftertaste. There’s even a very slight butter taste to it. Tastes a bit tired — not very exciting.

Looking on the Capital Teas website, I don’t even see this as being offered online anymore. I bought this yesterday at 40% off in one of their stores, so maybe that is why it was on sale — this is the leftover product from an old shipment. That would explain why it seems tired and dry.

Overall, I’ve had better Assam teas.

Flavors: Honey, Malt, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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65
drank Special Blend Black Tea by Graze
105 tasting notes

A good Earl Grey, even if it isn’t labeled as such in its name. The bergamot isn’t too overpowering and adds to the flavor of the Assam. My kids get the snack boxes from Graze.com and always leave me the teas they receive. I’ll be happy to drink them as I get them.

Flavors: Bergamot

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 12 OZ / 354 ML

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90

Very impressed with this tea. It is pre-packaged in sachets. Has a molasses and toast flavors with a bit of honey in the background. Strong in caffeine. It is perfect for a quick morning or afternoon pick-me-up without time to properly measure and steep a loose leaf brew. Excellent flavor that is not overpowering. I’ll definitely add this to my regular collection!

Flavors: Honey, Malt, Molasses, Toast

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 12 OZ / 354 ML

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55
drank Spice of Life by Teavana
105 tasting notes

My wife bought this one and likes it. It just isn’t for me, though — I am not a fan of tea with spices. It’s good enough — I can predominately taste chestnut in it, and other nutty flavors, along with a vanilla undertone. There is also a very slight hint of pine to it, but that is because of some added Silver Needle white tea mixed in. I can see why people might like it — if you like spices in your tea.

Since she likes it, I’ll leave it for her. But, at least I tried it once.

Flavors: Chestnut, Citrus Zest, Nutty, Pine, Spices, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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60
drank Black Dragon Pearls by Tealyra
105 tasting notes

This is the second time I’ve made this tea. The first time I made it, I followed the supplier’s instructions and used approximately 1 tsp of tea (8 balls) for 8 oz — this was a bit too weak for my liking. This time, I used approximately 3 tsp (24 balls) for 16 oz — a slight increase, but enough to make it much better. I’d recommend using this amount if you prefer tea which is slightly stronger.

When fully brewed, the tea has a rich, dark brown color. The tea leaves unfurl from the ball shape as they steep, becoming elongated and thin. The tea itself has a cocoa or malty chocolate flavor, with a slight earthy flavor in the background. It is good but tastes a bit tired. I am sure I will enjoy the rest of the batch I purchased and might eventually buy some again — it was slightly cheaper than other black dragon pearl teas I have purchased but the quality isn’t too diminished with that cheaper price. Overall, a decent, mellow tea, but still seems to be missing something to make it one that I’d drink regularly.

Flavors: Chocolate, Cocoa, Dirt, Earth, Malt

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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80

I am surprised this is a Darjeeling tea since it tastes so much more like an Oolong or even a green tea. Overall, though, it is very good — light and crisp. Especially nice is the caffeine level on this one — if I want a pick-me-up without the flavor of a traditional black tea, this is excellent.

Flavors: Floral, Vegetal

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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60
drank Black Dragon Pearls by Tealyra
105 tasting notes

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55

My first taste of Pu-erh; wasn’t too thrilled with this style/product/brand. I particularly liked the earthy aroma—definitely a wet wood/earth smell/flavor to it. This is what I was expecting and it met that expectation well. Added to the wet tones was a hint of smoke. The infusion isn’t as strong as I thought it would be—maybe I used too much water…? The cake also broke up in the water much more quickly than I expected—the cake had disintegrated entirely before I was done pouring the water.

Overall, it was okay. Is that because I’m not a Pu-erh fan? Is it the product? I don’t know. It was an easy purchase (Amazon, an add-on to a merchandise order at the last minute) though. I’ll drink it again and next time add less water to see if that improves the strength. I don’t know if I’d purchase it again, though.

Flavors: Earth, Fishy, Smoked, Wet Earth, Wet Wood

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec 14 OZ / 414 ML

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75
drank To Life by Teavana
105 tasting notes

A good tea for the evening—light and floral (lavender-like). Very “clean” flavor. I wasn’t expecting the grape aroma/flavor so that was a nice surprise. I enjoyed it!

A second infusion brought out the rooibos flavor much more than what was found in the first infusion. By that time, the lavender was gone and the rooibos was the primary flavor.

Flavors: Floral, Grapes, Lavender

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Profile

Bio

Husband and father. Librarian. Soccer fan.

My tea habits generally depend on my mood and the season but, in general, my preferred teas are black teas, especially those grown in Sri Lanka and India. I will occasionally drink other types, though.

Unless noted in my review, I brew my tea western style and do not use additives (milk/cream, sugar, etc.).

I am definitely not an expert when it comes to tea, so I apologize if my reviews differ from the experiences you’ve had with any of the teas I have logged.

Please feel free to contact me and let me know if you have a favorite that I have to try! :)

My grading for tea:

100: Perfect.

90, 95: Excellent.

80, 85: Very good.

70, 75: Good.

60, 65: Okay.

50, 55: Meh.

40, 45: Not so good.

0-35: Awful.

Location

Northwest Indiana, USA

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