94

Hmmm, interesting.. very interesting. This is one of those “wait, is this tea or is it an herbal blend?” teas, but done very well in my opinion. I am really thinking people will either love this or hate it because it is so unique. Being born in the Year of the Horse as well as this being the Year of the Horse, I picked up a tin of this from MF on my last order.

First, the aromatics – the green lemon/orange zest, coupled with the very noticeable ginger immediately remind me of taking cooking classes in Thailand. I feel like I’ve just prepared some fresh lemongrass and ginger, and am smashing it in a mortar and pestle getting ready to add some Thai eggplant and chili peppers to make an awesome fresh curry. I almost want to brew a cup of this and add some garlic, peppers and eggs to try making a soup, but there are just enough sweet notes in there (probably from the kumquat) to stop me… today. In fact, when I add some stevia it really brings out the tart goji berries (or is that still the kumquat, I can’t tell). I definitely will try adding some cayenne to this on my next brew, and if that works out I’ll even try some fish sauce! LOL.

I can barely tell from drinking the liquor that there is tea in here. I see it, it’s the majority of the leaves, but the ginger, citrus, and really make this taste like an herbal blend, and quite a savory fresh green thai curry one at that (not the kind you buy, but the kind you make fresh!). There really is no astringency to lock in on and the ginger gives it a bit of that smooth but tart mouthfeel, so it almost feels like an herbal.

If you have ever had TWG’s Poetic Star oolong and/or TeaGschwendner’s Bamboo-Pomelo herbal tisane, this is somewhere between those two for me, plus ginger. I definitely like it a bit more than either of those other two.

Try it if you have a chance, it’s definitely one I’ll be reordering next time.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 30 sec 3 tsp 14 OZ / 400 ML
Sil

Mmmmmmmmm ginger!,

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Sil

Mmmmmmmmm ginger!,

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Musician, pilot, philanthropist, tea lover. Nothing beats a spiced oolong at 10,000 feet. Except maybe a cuppa dian hong with my feet next to the fireplace. Or some fresh bai hao yin zhen before bedtime. My rating system is pretty much like this:

1-20 : ‘Blech’ cuppa. Didn’t even finish the one I brewed, rest went in trash. That bad, at least for me.

21-40: ‘Meh’ cuppa. Finished it but threw away the rest of the tea or used it for other purposes like baking, gifts for in-laws, or serve to unwanted houseguests. Kinda like Twinnings or Lipton bag tea.

41-60: ‘Standard’ cuppa. Won’t buy any more, but will certainly brew all that I have left. Probably will use it to blend with other teas or as a base, or large quantities of iced tea for parties and such.

61-80: Good cuppa. Now we’re talking. Worth buying more if at the right price, love blending some of these too. Sometimes a few oddballs will find their way into this score just because I liked the fruity flavor or having it as an iced tea. Also my starting score range for new kinds of tea until I develop a good feel for my preferences or learn to better distinguish quality characteristics.

81-99: Awesome cuppa. You’ll probably find this in my pantry pretty regularly, unless it has been discontinued or I’m waiting for my next trip to Asia or Europe to pick up some more. Holds up well to multiple infusions (unless black/herbal), and will typically drink it unadulterated/straight. I’ll gladly pay premium prices and chances are I’ll be ordering and tasting a bunch of other teas this producer/company offers.

100: Cuppa bliss, oh where have you been all my life???! I will burn frequent flier miles and journey to the ends of the earth while paying nearly any price to make sure I have this stocked at all times. Over time as I discover some magical new teas, a few may fall off this list. Try to keep it max 1 per type of tea.

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