New Tasting Notes
Jim (aka TeaEarleGreyHot) has sent me a few teas from his stash and this is one of them, probably, the most basic one. Thank you! I had a long week, returning home around 5 pm (while leaving at 5.30 am from home); and when I have returned, I usually wanted just to take a nap and “leave me alone”. But today! Today I have returned as usual… I wanted to leave earlier, but I couldn’t as I have part-time colleague and I can not leave him alone in the warehouse.
I have returned home, so I took probably the most simple tea in my stash, if I don’t count plain tea teabags and I wanted to try something new well too.
I used 4 grams (with this parameter I can have 20 other sessions); boiling water and my favourite 300 ml glass mug. Steeped for 3 minutes or so, haven’t measured exactly, and it was just so fine! Very bold and strong cup, perfect for mornings, but afternoons alike.
There were leathery notes, combined with wood, a little bitterness and malt. Some sips were suprisingly refreshing, like in A different Eighteen … probably a wintergreen notes which were mentioned by others.
I haven’t noticed any aromas that were offputting, but I wasn’t focused on them this time.
In conclusion, I can say I like this one as I do the same region tea from Basilur. That one is missing that refreshing note, but the woody note there is more pronouced; and liked as weel as here the wintergreen note. I am going to rate it very same, with a chance to lower the rating, or vice versa.
Preparation
TTB 2025
I drank this yesterday morning and liked the second steep more than the first. The first seemed a bit muddled, and the second was distinctly chocolate caramel. Thanks for adding it to the box!
TTB 2025
This is sweet without being overly sweet, nicely spiced, and very drinkable. There does seem to be a lot going on, and I wish I could taste the pumpkin and pear more. It’s very smooth and both cups disappeared quickly this morning. Thanks for adding it to the box.
I bought a box of Harney’s Japanese Sencha tea sachets (foil wrapped and nitrogen flushed) at a local tea store today, because they were sold out of dragon well. Steeped for 1.5 minutes in 170° water. The liquor was greenish gold in color, wonderfully aromatic, and tasted nutty, buttery, with notes of asparagus and edamame, and every bit as delicious as another major brand I’ve had recently. Re-steep was also delicious. I rate this as an 81, (same as Adagio’s) and would be happy to recommend and buy it again. I got no bitterness, no astringency, nothing harsh at all. I strongly recommend you avoid oversteeping!
Flavors: Asparagus, Butter, Chestnut, Edamame, Smooth
Preparation
That’s really impressive for tea bags!
Cherry and almond play really nice together in a sensory way, because cherry stones and almonds share the same aroma and flavour compounds.
And they also fit nice in here, because there’s a lot of cherry flavour, just a touch of sourness and tartness plus solid almond foundation in the background.
I like it a lot. I would probably like it even more in winter, because it’s a very wintery flavour combo.
Flavors: Almond, Cherry, Stonefruit
Preparation
I never seen this one around, but sounds nice!
This is trying to do a lot of different things, and it’s not necessarily succeeding in any of them. I taste a bit of bergamot and a bit of a middle sort of flavor that could be from the almond. There’s certainly no doughnut. I prefer a brighter/stronger bergamot flavor, and I love a twist on EG, but this needed to be developed a little more.
This needs to be an actual donut.
Smells fresh and citrusy, quite natural, without artificial notes. Partly juicy, partly zesty.
The same with taste – it’s very natural, refreshing, a bit sour, a bit tart.
One of the best bagged teas in Dilmah’s portfolio, methinks.
Flavors: Citrus, Lemon, Lemon Zest, Lime
Preparation
TTB 2025
Yum, this made a nice iced tea with coconut flavor. A one note tea, and I didn’t expect much, but this one delivered! Thanks for adding it to the box.
Lovely. A perfect way to wind down the evening. A nice herbal latte and the new season of Rising of the Shield Hero.
The dry aroma is intense and pleasant. Soft nose sips. Too much of a whiff will lead you straight to a tissue. Strong in all the ingredients.
Add the powder first. I used about 3/4 tsp of powder. Then hot water. About 4-5 oz. Mix. Then milk of choice. Mix. Enjoy. Honey is also a welcome addition to the party.
This is a nice and spicy blend. It will clear your sinuses. Smooth with a slight but pleasant afterbite.
This is a new one for me and considering how much I love Manoomin Maple, this one did not disappoint. While I definitely will always love Manoomin Maple more, this one was the soo warm and cozy while we’re watching TV.
Flavors: Apple, Cinnamon, Spices
So, Mom and I decided to move our initially much later trip to Montreal up a few weeks because we kind of needed to escape the craziness of life. So… we also found out that there was a DAVIDsTEA close to where we are staying so… we had to grab a few things! Mom ended up getting a bunch of Nordic mugs that were marked down to 10 CAD$ to give as holiday gifts this year. I however… went a little crazy with some teas. I’ve added them to my cupboard but I got:
- 250g Cotton Candy (one of my favs)
- 250g Cactus Rose (New to me but.. convinced I’ll like it)
- 250g Birthday Cake (New to me)
- 1 tin of Manoomin Maple (gonna probably get more…)
- 1 tin of Manoomin Apple Pie
- 100g Simply Maple Breakfast
- 100g New York, New York
- 2 Apres Ski sachet packs
- Nordic Mug- Manoomin
Any who… This blend is sooo good! I brought a mini kettle up with me so while we’re relaxing a bit after dinner we’re also trying teas! I like that its not too sweet and the rooibos ties it together really nice… just enough to taste it!
Flavors: Cake, Creamy, Icing, Rooibos, Syrupy, Vanilla, Whipped Cream
Woot tea haul!
Ooooo fun!
Another Chicago Tea Festival tea that I have yet to open. They ran out of this one (they were sampling) but said they’d ship for free. Hopefully, that didn’t cost them too much money.
My excitement in trying this tea has quickly diminished, knowing that they have added rhubarb leaves. Technically, you aren’t supposed to consume it in high amounts. Apparently, you need to consume around 11 pounds of rhubarb leaves to reach a fatal dose. But otherwise, it can cause other issues like kidney stones.
Not going to lie… I am apprehensive and I don’t think I can open this one at the moment till they reply to my email.
Here is there response: “We appreciate your concern regarding the rhubarb leaves in our Rhubarb Berry Tea. We prioritize transparency in our ingredient labeling. While we do include a small amount of leaves, it is important to note that consuming excessive quantities would be necessary to experience any negative effects. If you have any further questions or need clarification, please feel free to reach out.”
I was always told that rhubarb was toxic if you ate the leaves due to oxalates. I also know to avoid feeding the leaves to rabbits and other animals. I don’t think it is problematic is smaller quantities.
For some perspective, even ordinary parsley contains high levels of oxalates. On a dry weight basis oxalic acid is 2% in parsley. I discussed this with my urologist after having kidney stones and he dismissed it saying nobody eats much parsley (he thinks of it as a garnish). I think that was a rather ethnocentric statement of his because tabouli is a very common dish with some families, and it is essentially parsley salad. In contrast, the oxalic acid content of rhubarb leaves is typically 1% or less. But they are considered toxic. Given the very low levels of rhubarb leaf in tisane compared to a parsley garnish, I think it is safe to view the rhubarb leaf content of this tisane as safe, in agreement with the statement by Nature’s Tea Company.
Agree with both of you. I think it’s safer to not consume much of it and it you do in small settings and I have a feeling it’s more potent raw. And thank you for the info on parsley! That’s fascinating!
Purselane is another commonly-eaten plant/weed which is high in oxalates. Honestly, though, all of this information has simply reinforced my rejection of rhubarb, and continued my avoidance of purselane, add caused me to begin avoiding parsley. I never want another kidney stone!
T_T I’m sorry you had to go through that.
lots of fluids, and potassium or magnesium citrate can bind to oxalates and help your body flush them out to prevent kidney stones. But potassium can also cause problems if you already have unhealthy kidneys. Genetics are also a factor, but if you are well hydrated your risk is lower.
TY, Skysamurai! I agree with those tips & observations, rosebudmelissa! Thanks!
