6105 Tasting Notes

55

Sooooooo I’m definitely cheating and counting this as a sipdown, even though I only got a 1-cup sample to begin with! Ahahaha. Thanks Sil, for saving a bit of this one for me!

The aroma is definitely of a candy-sweet sort of pear, perhaps with a bit of creaminess. I’m not sure what I was expecting; perhaps something a bit closer to the pear aroma from S&V’s Ginger Pear. The flavour is not too bad… I’m tasting some creaminess, sweetness, and a bit of pear-y flavour, but it’s really not doing it for me. Also, I’m not super fond of lapacho – like rooibos and a few other teas, it gives me a scratchy throat which I find to be unpleasant. Ok – I’m getting more pear flavour in the… after-aftertaste, but I’d really prefer for it to show up sooner.

Sadly, this tea will not suffice for my perfect pear tea. I’m hoping that the Butiki blend will be exactly what I want, but until then, the search continues! (Although the S&V version was really pretty good.)

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Sil

i’m hoping stacy will be our saviour heh.

Indigobloom

Don’t forget Sloane! :P

Kittenna

Oh yeah! Fingers crossed for that one too, as it sounded awesome! The two from Steeped and Infused were promising, but not quite there.

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drank The Witching Hour by 52teas
6105 tasting notes

Didn’t think I’d like this one, but since Sil had it, I had to try it anyhow! (So thanks for sharing!)

I was worried that it would taste much like Graveyard Mist, which did not work for me at all, but somehow, the chocolate and lack of spearmint made it drinkable, even if it wasn’t my most favourite beverage in the world (ok, far from). Either way, a decent tea for those who like rooibos/mint/chocolate!

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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79
drank White Bubbly Berry by Kally Tea
6105 tasting notes

Yum! This one pretty much tastes like a grape white to me, complete with concord grape flavour, but actually was quite pleasant in the travel mug on the way home! The white tea was apparent behind the flavourings, which is always a nice bonus with such teas. Glad I have a bit of this (and it’s nice to have a white tea to put into the travel mug rotation!)

ETA: Re-steep was pretty good with this one too.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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84

Thanks to Indigobloom for sharing some of this little gem with me! I brewed some up during the day out of immense curiosity, and it was seriously delicious! The cilantro was present only as a delicious, refreshing flavour, and the mango as more of a background than a central note, but they combined for a really nice cup of white tea.

I let the second infusion go for closer to 3 minutes, and the flavours definitely emerged more, so since Indigobloom was generous enough to give me a bit to play with, I’ll try this on the first infusion next time.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Crowkettle

That sounds amazing!

Sil

can’t wait until i can taste again!

Indigobloom

hehe I am SO glad you like it Kittenna!!

Kittenna

Haha, yeah Sil, not much point to trying this one sans proper tasting ability. It has too much subtlety that would be lost.

Indigobloom

I agree with Kittenna, this would lose alot of nuance with tastebuds that are dampened

Sil

oh yeah..not touching it for a while even if i’m super excited to try it. I’m just hoping i’ll get to it before China heh for no other reason than i haven’t yet figured out what i’m doing about tea while i’m down there…

Indigobloom

you have a few weeks before China! I hope you internet access while over there!!

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86

Sipdown! Just in time for the new batch to arrive sometime next week! Also travel-mugged this one today and it was pretty satisfying during the early hours of boardgaming :D

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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96
drank Milk Oolong by Bon The Place
6105 tasting notes

My sincerest apologies – I’m going to be a bit of a tealogging machine in the next few minutes, because I haven’t logged any teas all day yet have been drinking them and playing board games/chatting with Sil, Indigobloom, and Raritea all day! And Steepster wasn’t behaving on my phone.

Anyhow, started off the day with an absolutely fabulous travel mug of this one. Probably one of the best cups I’ve brewed of it yet! Currently enjoying a re-steep as well, since these leaves have a lot left in them!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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87
drank Cotton Candy Black Tea by 52teas
6105 tasting notes

Sipdown of the last of this one from Alphakitty. It’s certainly not as potent as what we got in the 12 Days of Christmas, but when the water hit the tea, up wafted the most delicious, sweet spun sugar aroma. Worth it just for that, haha.

And actually… I overleafed a little here, and I’m actually really enjoying it. This is definitely a blend much better consumed either lukewarm or cold, for the flavour to come out, and I do think Frank did a pretty good job of it!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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77

Ooh, a tea that I haven’t yet tried! Also courtesy of Alphakitty, thanks! Also, oof, did I mention that I’m trying to hit 1200 tasting notes by the time my 1-year Steepster-versary rolls around, which is on Jan. 29? I have 37 to go….. yikes! I thought I had until the 31st, which would totally be more doable…. so hopefully I drink a crapton of tea tomorrow with Sil, Raritea, and Indigobloom!

So I really had no idea what osmanthus was, but when I sniffed this tea, it smelled sort of peachy. Since I was expecting floral, I assumed contamination… until I just read the tea description that mentions notes of peach! Awesome! Much more stoked to try this now, haha.

Strangely, the flavour reminds me quite a lot of 52teas’ Virgin Fuzzy Navel green… well, strangely until it occurs to me that Fuzzy Navel is orange/peach, not just citrus. (And then I read Alphakitty’s note which also mentions citrus…. go go tastebuds!!) So yes, the primary initial flavour is peachy/citrusy, which is tasty, and once those fruity flavours fade, I’m left with a really nice caramelly flavour, which I totally wasn’t expecting! I assume that it’s from the green tea.

So I’ll admit that this is another tea I wasn’t super stoked to try, but I’ve been proven wrong again. This, is tasty! And the sencha base is pretty good. So, I’m glad you sent me a sample of this one, Alphakitty!! And for those of you missing Virgin Fuzzy Navel, I’d suggest you give this one a shot. Perhaps it isn’t as strongly flavoured, but it’s hitting the same flavour combination for me!

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Alphakitty

Osmanthus is a funny flower, since it does have floral qualities but it’s also citrusy and fruity! Glad you enjoyed it ^^

tea-sipper

Every time I see ‘osmanthus’ it reminds me of Ozymandias from Watchmen. ha.

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77
drank Florence by Harney & Sons
6105 tasting notes

Sipdown! Another sample from Alphakitty (Yeah, that’s right, look at me sipping things down! Woooooo!)

Partial cup of this one as well, because I didn’t leave quite enough for a full cup. No astringency, but I can taste hazelnut and chocolate, and it’s reasonably tasty. A little bit lacking in flavour, but still decent. I think I mentioned previously that this would be the most likely one for me to pick up (of Boston/Florence/Paris), but I probably wouldn’t again, as there are simply too many other desserty teas I enjoy more.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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91
drank SoHo Blend by Harney & Sons
6105 tasting notes

Deeeelicious. I didn’t have enough left of this one for a full cup, so I made half and do think that it has perhaps lost a touch of flavour… but it still tastes deliciously like a Bounty Bar. Eventually, I will acquire more of this one… Either way, SIPDOWN!

Thanks Alphakitty!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
ashmanra

I have always assumed you lived in the US, but I am guessing you don’t since you say Bounty Bar instead of Mounds? :)

Kittenna

Haha, although I am American, I have lived in Canada most of my life, mostly in Saskatchewan and now Ontario!! :)

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Bio

I have always been a tea fan (primarily herbals and Japanese greens/oolongs) but in the last year or so, tea has become increasingly more appealing as not only a delicious, calming drink, but as a relatively cheap, healthy reward or treat to give myself when I deserve something. I should clarify that, however; the reward is expanding my tea cupboard, not drinking tea – I place no restrictions on myself in terms of drinking anything from my cupboard as that would defeat my many goals!

My DavidsTea addiction was born in late 2011, despite having spent nearly a year intentionally avoiding their local mall location (but apparently it was just avoiding the inevitable!). I seem to have some desire to try every tea they’ve ever had, so much of my stash is from there, although I’ve recently branched out and ordered from numerous other companies.

I like to try and drink all my teas unaltered, as one of the main reasons I’m drinking tea other than for the flavour is to be healthy and increase my water intake without adding too many calories! I’ve found that the trick in this regard is to be very careful about steeping time, as most teas are quite pleasant to drink straight as long as they haven’t been oversteeped. However, I tend to be forgetful (particularly at work) when I don’t set a timer, resulting in a few horrors (The Earl’s Garden is not so pleasant after, say, 7+ minutes of steeping).

I’m currently trying to figure out which types of teas are my favourites. Herbals are no longer at the top; oolongs have thoroughly taken over that spot, with greens a reasonably close second. My preference is for straight versions of both, but I do love a good flavoured oolong (flavoured greens are really hit or miss for me). Herbals I do love iced/cold-brewed, but I drink few routinely (Mulberry Magic from DavidsTea being a notable exception). I’m learning to like straight black teas thanks to the chocolatey, malty, delicious Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea, and malty, caramelly flavoured blacks work for me, but I’m pretty picky about anything with astringency. Lately I’ve found red rooibos to be rather medicinal, which I dislike, but green rooibos and honeybush blends are tolerable. I haven’t explored pu’erh, mate, or guayasa a great deal (although I have a few options in my cupboard).

I’ve decided to institute a rating system so my ratings will be more consistent. Following the smiley/frowny faces Steepster gives us:

100: This tea is amazing and I will go out of my way to keep it in stock.

85-99: My core collection (or a tea that would be, if I was allowing myself to restock everything!) Teas I get cravings for, and drink often.

75-84: Good but not amazing; I might keep these in stock sparingly depending on current preferences.

67-74: Not bad, I’ll happily finish what I have but probably won’t ever buy it again as there’s likely something rated more highly that I prefer.

51-66: Drinkable and maybe has some aspect that I like, but not really worth picking up again.

34-50: Not for me, but I can see why others might like it. I’ll make it through the cup and maybe experiment with the rest to get rid of it.

0-33: It’s a struggle to get through the cup, if I do at all. I will not willingly consume this one again, and will attempt to get rid of the rest of the tea if I have any left.

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