Yumchaa

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Recent Tasting Notes

98

Backlogging a bit, but it’s been such a hectic couple of days. I didn’t even get around to turning my notebook on yesterday! I’ve been keeping notes of the teas I’ve drank on my phone though, so I hope to get them all logged eventually.

So, I was over at my allotment plot this afternoon. Now the nights are drawing in and it’s dark when I leave work, I’m only going to be able to work up there at weekends. I’ve had my allotment plot for two years now, and it’s completely changed my life. Who knew gardening could be so therapeutic? Seriously, the whole procedure of growing something from a tiny seed, nurturing it as a plant and then harvesting it onto your plate… mind blowing! I’ve actually taken on a second plot this week, which will be double the hard work, but also double the space to grow produce. I’d really like to grow plants on the second plot that I can use in tea blends; mostly herbals like chamomile, lavender and mint.

I digress! The tea! So, I brewed this up in my T2 flask to take with me to the plot today. I figured it would be absolutely freezing up there and the name of this tea appealed to me. In the packet, it smells quite peppery, with a blast of cinnamon and ginger.

After an hour of digging, I ventured into my shed and poured myself a mug of this. OH BOY! This for sure did an excellent job of warming me up. Seriously! First sip, I got mostly rooibos and ginger, with a smattering of cinnamon. But the aftertaste. No… the after glow! This is where the tea excels. The bite from the chilli and peppercorns leave a warm, spicy tingle in your mouth and on your lips. It’s amazing! I sat there hugging my mug with a huge smile on my face.

This is definitely something I will repurchase. I already plan to make up several tea sacs of this, which I will leave in my shed. I have a kettle and stove in there and this blend will be perfect to warm me up on the cold, exhausting weekends to come.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Ginger, Pepper, Rooibos, Spicy

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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74
drank Soho Spice by Yumchaa
48 tasting notes

I much prefer this tea to Chai Black, also from Yumchaa. The black base in this blend is a lot lighter than CB and there’s no pepper in this one, either. Straightaway I taste a lovely mix of orange and cloves. The spiciness is just right. I don’t get any almonds, but the orange peel gives this a lovely fruitiness. I like this one a lot.

Flavors: Cloves, Fruity, Orange, Spicy

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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68
drank Chai Black by Yumchaa
48 tasting notes

Oh my goodness, this smells so spicy in the packet! I only sniffed it a couple of times and my nose started tingling. I definitely took in a lot of black pepper!

It also tastes very spicy, too. The black base is very strong, though I think it needs to be in this blend in order to compete with all the spice. There’s a nice cinnamon flavour and a whole lot of cloves and pepper. Unfortunately I didn’t get much in the way of aniseed and nothing of the ginger.

I drank the first half of my mug straight as it comes, but I added a dash of milk to the second half. The milk seemed to bring out the aniseed, so there was a nice liquorice-y taste to it, but it also brought out more of the pepper.

This was certainly a good pick me up after walking home from work. It was a good, strong brew with a lot of spice, but I’m not sure I could drink this very often.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Cloves, Pepper

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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78

What a weird and wonderful blend. The name alone intrigued me enough to add this to my order. I confess, I wasn’t expecting to like it, but I just… I needed to try it, y’know, just to make sure!

Well, it certainly smells of peanuts, that’s for certain. Perhaps not quite nailing Peanut Butter, but definitely a peanut aroma. And there are huge pieces of peanut brittle in the packet. First sip of this? I’m pleasantly surprised. I get the Jam part of the title straight away. It’s all raspberries and strawberries in a quick blast. But then the pineapple and the peanuts, not to mention the green tea, all quickly follow and I’m just a huge, confused mess about what’s going on. I keep sipping it, trying to figure everything out, and I’m almost at the end of my mug because I’ve drank it so quickly.

This is something I may need to try a few times to figure out. But I’m excited to try it again! I don’t get peanut butter from it, but I do get a fruity, green tea that tastes of jam and peanuts. I like it. I like it a lot. I feel as though this shouldn’t work, but I’m actually really enjoying it.

Flavors: Green, Jam, Peanut, Pineapple, Raspberry, Strawberry

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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100
drank Genmaicha by Yumchaa
48 tasting notes

Okay, so this is my second cup of this tea today. The first being at 7:45 this morning, and right now as I sip on it, it’s 20:40. As a rule, I don’t drink anything with caffeine in it past seven PM, but this tea, oh my GOSH, this tea, I have been thinking about it all day at work and genuinely needed to taste it again.

I’ll let you into a secret, until this morning I’d never tasted Genmaicha. Not knowingly, anyway. I’ve been reading (and viewing on YouTube) such amazing things about it though, and when I placed my order with Yumchaa the other day, I chucked in an 80g bag of their Genmaicha just to see what all the fuss is about.

Oh my goodness, Steepster! This is amazing! Having never tasted Genmaicha before, I have nothing to compare it to, so I can only go on what I’m tasting right now, but this is just heaven. From my morning’s steep, I went to work happily feeling it didn’t matter that I’d skipped breakfast because OHMYGOSH I’d literally just drank a mug of Rice Krispies. I sat at my desk this morning and absolutely raved about this tea to my Boss (and also good friend) sat opposite me, until I felt quite embarrassed about it all.

Now, being unfamiliar with Genmaicha, I can only describe what I’m drinking straight as it comes to me. It’s a green tea, obviously, and that’s apparent. I brewed this at the recommended 80 degrees and steeped for 3 minutes. I can taste a lovely, light, green base with a sugary, toasted rice supplement. All day I’ve been thinking it tasted of Rice Krispies. Only now, drinking it again this evening, I asked my partner (Darren) to sip it and he was all. “OMG! This tastes like Sugar Puffs!!” Well, gold star you, Daz, because YES… this is absolute Sugar Puffs! He’s nailed it!

Seriously, (I type this as I’m steeping a third cup!), I don’t know if I’ve been missing out in general having never tried Genmaicha and there are way better blends than this, or if I’ve just struck gold with Yumchaa! Whatever, once I am even halfway out of this I will have reordered! I can’t remember the last time I drank the same tea twice in a day, let alone three times!!

Flavors: Green, Popcorn, Rice

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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82
drank Orange Marmalade by Yumchaa
48 tasting notes

Hooray, my order from Yumchaa arrived yesterday! I had it delivered to work and had to walk home with a gimassive cardboard box full of tea under my arm. Why do I not think these things through when I order things to arrive at work?! At least it wasn’t heavy though. I ordered thirteen 80g bags of varying blends (black, green, rooibos and fruit), plus a 40g bag of a white tea blend. Exciting times!

So, Orange Marmalade. I couldn’t resist ordering this one; the description sounded wonderful. I’m sipping on this now, at 9.40pm, and it’s yummy! There’s a powerful taste of citrus, with a little tartness from the hibiscus, and the ginger adding a fiery aftertaste. It’s super tangy and fruity and would be excellent iced. So far so good with my big box of goodies!

Flavors: Citrus, Ginger, Hibiscus, Orange, Spicy, Tangy, Tart

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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36

It’s an interesting flavor it really is. The smell definitely gets you to buy and try. But peanut brittle in tea is definitely strange, it isn’t even on steepster’s ingredients list. The Peanut stands out the most, initially and through out followed by any fruit. Good choice in using a variety of dried fruit rather than just one.

Just a confusing tea- don’t know what to make of it. It taste exactly like the ingredients listed but just an odd tea. Maybe I’ll like it more as i keep drinking. Personally I like to add more hibiscus, lemon or something sourish to it.
Would definitely taste better cold than hot.

Flavors: Almond, Nutty, Peanut, Pineapple, Raspberry, Strawberry

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C

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66

The pop of chilli is very mild in this red tea, but between the ginger, cinnamon, thistle and red peppercorns (very visible in the mix) the rooibos flavour is barely discernable, just a slight undertow of hay and compost. It’s a good tea for a chilly morning; I like to drink it first thing while checking for frost damage in the garden.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Compost, Fruity, Ginger, Hay, Peppercorn, Sweet

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70
drank Red Velvet by Yumchaa
4 tasting notes

A sweet bright tea, the vanilla and chocolate predominate on the nose and soften and smooth the tannins, while the marigold and sunflower add a touch of floral boldness. It is chestnutty in colour rather than bright red; the small amount of beetroot adds only a little earthy complexity to the flavour, and it has a decent caffeine kick. A very pretty brew; glass teaware recommended!

Flavors: Cake, Earth, Flowers, Sweet, Vanilla

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50
drank Old Fashioned by Yumchaa
362 tasting notes

I had never had a tea with rosemary as a flavor or ingredient and now in a single month two teas, two Christmas teas from favorite blenders , have rosemary as an ingredient, this and The-o-dor´s Laponic December 25 (black). zeitgeist. sounds interesting.

I love lapsang souchong, and loved the couple flavored teas based on lapsang souchong I tried, it can really work. on this case, sadly it didn´t for me, I thought the orange and pink peppercorn were too overwhelming – and not sure what christmas baubles are or are supposed to add to flavour.

Flavors: Orange, Peppercorn

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec

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95

I am a big fan of this blend – it is my go-to-green-tea and I am not a big green tea drinker. I am also not a massive ginseng fan, although I do like my ginseng crusted japanese greens. This blend has fun yoghurt sprinkles and smells both bright (from the fruity notes) and deep (from the slightly astringent green tea). Light and not at all overpowering, it is also great iced!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 14 OZ / 400 ML

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drank Mango Sunrise by Yumchaa
1 tasting notes

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75
drank Mango Sunrise by Yumchaa
1104 tasting notes

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75
drank Mango Sunrise by Yumchaa
1104 tasting notes

Wonderfully fragrant and fruity. The mango is smooth and flavourful and mixes so well with the green tea. Not bitter in the least. As far as green tea goes, this one’s a winner! Thank-you to EmilyGee for including this as a sample in our swap.

Flavors: Fruity, Green

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84
drank Enchanted Forest by Yumchaa
333 tasting notes

Well, I finally made it to Yumchaa in Soho today! It’s a really cute place, and a nice place to stop out of the chaos of central London. I was torn between this and a few of the fruity rooiboses (and I’m sure I’ll be back for those soon enough), but in the end I couldn’t help but fall for the impressive array of fruits mentioned in the description. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations—the fruit flavors were neither as strong nor as distinct as I might’ve liked, especially the rhubarb—but the green base was smooth and pleasant and the faint berry flavor that did come through added a hint of something extra. I’m glad I tried this tea, and I wouldn’t be averse to drinking it again—it seems like the sort of blend that might be better iced, anyway—but it wasn’t quite the transformative tea experience I’d hoped for. Still, very much looking forward to trying more from Yumchaa now that I’m in London.

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Had this at yumchaa and I couldn’t figure out how I felt about it at first (although I drank the whole pot) it tastes a bit like baileys. I think I’ll give it another go

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drank Om by Yumchaa
3 tasting notes

I first had this in yumchaa and it tasted quite nice. Like a drink made from a boiled sweet I thought. It’s very smooth and mellow and easy to drink. Unfortunately I made it myself just now (with a tea egg and mug) and it just tasted meh. Not given up on this one yet though

Preparation
1 tsp

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53
drank Gentle Giant by Yumchaa
259 tasting notes

Extract from a review at www.tastethetea.co.uk ; Flavour
In comparison to the aroma, the flavour is much more floral, with a slight herb finish. However, all the tasting notes in Gentle Giant are subtle, giving the tea a light body. This all unites to make an incredibly soothing and relaxing brew, perfect for destressing. And… there is next to no caffeine in this blend, so if you don’t have any stresses (and I hope you don’t) then this is great as a pre-bed tea.

Flavors: Earth, Floral, Moss, Sage

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec 1 tsp

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89
drank Mango Sunrise by Yumchaa
1146 tasting notes

Sipdown. The dry leaf smells like sweet mango, and that’s exactly what the brew tastes like too. The sencha base gives it just a touch of grassiness to keep the sweetness from getting cloying. I brewed this hot but decided to ice most of it after a few sips of the hot brew. It lends itself really nicely to that treatment. The sencha base comes out a little more in the aftertaste. However, the dominant note is still gently sweet mango. This blend isn’t mind-blowing but it is definitely a solid offering. Thanks so much for sending this to me, EmilyGee!

Flavors: Grass, Mango

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81
drank Raspberry Vanilla by Yumchaa
35 tasting notes

Another tea gifted by @EmilyGee. I love it! The dry tea smells lovely and is only a little less aromatic once brewed. I’m very fussy about fruit teas. And I’m a huge fan of raspberry stuff. This one isnt bad. Not overly artificial tasting, pretty decent actually. Man, maybe I’m just not very good at reviewing tea or they’re all starting to blend together for me lol. Overall, I think the vanilla helps to make the raspberry not so tart or even maybe tones down any artificial raspberry taste because this is pretty good!

Flavors: Raspberry, Vanilla

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML
EmilyGee

Totally agree! The vanilla really makes this!

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80
drank Raspberry Vanilla by Yumchaa
467 tasting notes

This is a very enjoyable raspberry/vanilla tea. The rooibos is light and does not overwhelm the tea. The raspberry is very juicy and nice. From the Herbal TTB I have a ton of rooibos teas to try, which can be very variable. This goes the in the “win” column!

Nichole/CuppaGeek

Glad you enjoyed it!

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5
drank Raspberry Vanilla by Yumchaa
30 tasting notes

Finally getting to one of my samples from EmilyGee. Thanks for sending this to me.

Sad to say I tried to make this at work and I a. dumped a bunch of the leaves on my desk and b. got distracted with customers and might have oversteeped….

Smells yummy in the bag… HOWEVER I took one sip of this and immediately regretted it. Maybe I don’t like raspberry flavouring (I hope not… just bought 50g of a raspberry vanilla from a local tea shop), but all I could taste was robitussin cough syrup. YUCK. I attempted a second sip and just couldn’t do it. Down the drain this goes!

I appreciate the sample Emily! However I just cant do this tea :(

Flavors: Medicinal

EmilyGee

Oh no </3 I’m sorry you didn’t like it! :(

Megan Low

Its no worries! I’ve heard of people thinking rooibos tasted medicinal. Its never happened to me before until this one! But its no big deal! I’ve gotta have a few bad teas or else I would buy all the teas everywhere haha!

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80
drank Lemon Sherbet by Yumchaa
55 tasting notes

I was on a four day trip in london when I got a really bad head cold. Of course I didnt want to stay in bed while in the UK so I decided to go on my walking tour and luckily on one of the stops, our tour guide suggested “Yumchaa” as a great place for tea. This lemon tea was my saviour. A bit of honey in this and my sore throat was no longer. Went back later and bought a whole bag along with two others. Great smell too.

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63
drank Caramel Sweetheart by Yumchaa
1379 tasting notes

Time I used this sample, albeit chosen whilst I’m watching a Romeo and Juliet style Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode that ends up with a lovers murder, suicide. I feel my mind felt in the romance mood (tragic or otherwise) and that is my reasoning for picking this tea, on a subconscious level. I hope that makes sense, my mind is a little scatty at the moment…it’s been a long day.

Served with a lump of sugar and a drop of milk.
Even with the sugar this just smells like a standard malt, black tea. Nothing sweet nor caramel like about it.
In flavour this is pretty much a rather mild, malt black tea with a touch of chemical sweetness. Not caramel and not the sugar cube (as I’m used to those), but something amongst it that is chemical and almost dry and nutty.

Very disappointing, I wanted caramel :( It has a cute name but that was the best thing about it. As a mild black tea it’s ok but nothing special, the chemical taste is unpleasant though still drinkable. At least it’s good enough to dip my custard creams into.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 6 g 20 OZ / 600 ML

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