48 Tasting Notes

62

I brewed this when I got up this morning. It was a lot lighter than I prefer my first cup of the day to be, but I enjoyed sipping on it as I came round. It tasted exactly how I expected it to; light, green and smooth. This would be more suited to my second cup of the day, I think.

Flavors: Grass, Green, Smooth

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

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40

I’m not sure what made me add this one to my basket when I last ordered from Bird & Blend as I’m typically not a fan of any blends containing jasmine. I think perhaps the description on the website intrigued me. I want to like this tea, I really do, and in the packet it smells as though I should. The spearmint is strong, with the jasmine just barely creeping through. It smells delicate and cleansing and each time I brew it, I feel sure I’m going to enjoy it this time. But, I dunno… as soon as I taste it, all I get is the jasmine. Well, no, that’s not entirely true, because the spearmint is marginally there, but it’s no more than a brief aftertaste. It’s not a tea I hate, it’s not even one I strongly dislike. Perhaps if the spearmint was a bit stronger I might even enjoy it. As it is, it’s merely too floral tasting for me.

Flavors: Jasmine, Spearmint

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

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60

This is my Go-To week day morning brew, when I haven’t got time to faff around with infusers and tea-sacs. I do generally try to prepare my morning tea the night before, leaning toward a loose leaf Yerba Mate that I pop into a tea-sac, but occasionally it’s just easier to shove a teabag in my mug. Mondays are usually those kind of days!

Tesco do some pretty decent teas in their Finest range. Nothing spectacular, but they’re handy to have in my cupboard. This isn’t my favourite English Breakfast by all means. There’s not a whole lot of flavour going on, but it’s strong, brews quickly, and does a good job of shaking me out of my zombie-like state.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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55

I received this in my October Tea Club subscription box. It was a tea I’d been eagerly anticipating and had held off ordering, knowing it would be arriving this month. However, it was a bit of a let down. I didn’t taste the coconut whatsoever and, as a Chai, it simply wasn’t spicy enough for me. I adore Bird & Blend’s Guarana Chai, so I had high hopes for this one, but it just lacked that spicy kick I was craving and just felt a bit wishy-washy. I have a fair bit of this left, so I may try mixing it with another Chai and see if I can up the spice!

Flavors: Cloves, Peppercorn

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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82
drank Mint Choc Royale by Jolly Brew
48 tasting notes

This is one of the best chocolate teas I’ve tried. I can smell the chocolate straight away and it tastes just as good as it smells. It’s not the watered down chocolate I get from a lot of other teas, but more like a drinking chocolate. I guess this must come from the natural flavouring, as there’s nothing chocolate-like listed in the ingredients. The peppermint is gorgeous and genuinely gives this tea an after dinner chocolate mint feel. Personally, I probably wouldn’t drink this after my dinner due to the caffeine level, but it’s certainly something I’d reach for post-lunch. My partner enjoyed this tea too and said it satisfied his sweet tooth. A possible repurchase.

Flavors: Chocolate, Peppermint

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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90

This was my first drink of the day yesterday. I always start the day with either a Yerba Mate or a black tea as I’m definitely not a morning person! As it was a Saturday and there was no rushing about getting ready for work, I made this in my teapot and took it back to bed, sipping on it while I finished the book I was reading.

In the packet, this smells so creamy! Given the name of it, this shouldn’t surprise me, but I guess I’m not used to a tea smelling of cream. I get wafts of the Yerba Mate, nothing of the liquorice, but an abundance of cream. It reminds me of the original Bailey’s drink. It tastes less creamy than it smells, (more like evaporated milk now) and the Yerba Mate is a lot stronger, but it has this seriously smooth, creamy edge to it that is simply gorgeous! The liquorice was still absent during my first cup of this, but it popped up in my refill and was there as a slight aftertaste.

Overall, I love this tea. It’s the second time I’ve tried it and I probably have another cup’s worth left in my sample pack, so I’ll definitely be placing an order for more of this. I’m still working my way through the samples I ordered from Hebden Teas and there are a few more I’ll be adding to my basket when I order again, along with this one.

Flavors: Creamy

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80
drank Hunky Dory by Jolly Brew
48 tasting notes

So, this was the tea I’d been thinking about brewing as I walked home from work this afternoon. But, witnessing a house fire being tackled by numerous fire fighters on my journey, kinda emptied my head of everything other than worrying that everyone involved was OK. Having calmed down slightly, while sipping on something more caffeinated, I returned to my tea corner and dug out my Hunky Dory sampler. On reflection, this… THIS, would have soothed my nerves a whole lot better, but anyway, this was perfect! A wonderful combination of ginger and green tea, with the ginger adding just the right kick and the Sencha adding a mellow grounding. A perfect afternoon tea and one that I’ll possibly re-purchase.

Flavors: Ginger, Green

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 240 ML

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60
drank Pu'erh Maple Chai by Tealyra
48 tasting notes

This was a spur of the moment, post-work choice when I got home this afternoon. I’d originally intended on trying one of my samplers from Jolly Brew, but after a traumatic walk home that involved passing a house on fire and numerous fire engines arriving at the scene, I lost all track of everything and just grabbed the first tea I spotted. It so happened to be the Pu’erh Maple Chai I seriously hadn’t cared for the first time I tried it. Arghh! Still, the leaves smelled wonderful in the packet (the spices and the maple syrup, with just a hint of the pu’erh) and even though my nose had convinced me it would taste as amazing as it smelled the first time around (damn you, nose!) I decided I’d make a big pot of it and make a start on using the packet up. As I waited for it to steep, it dawned on me that this tea was my first ever experience of Pu’erh. Coupled with the fact I’m almost sure I accidentally oversteeped the first cup I tried, I started to hope that this time around it might be OK. And it WAS! Yes, the Pu’erh is there, but it’s not as strong as I remember it (possibly because I’m more familiar with Pu’erhs now?) and the maple and spices give it a gorgeous kick without being too overpowering. It’s actually quite a smooth, cosy drink and I enjoyed it way more than I was expecting to. So much so… I drank the whole pot! Is it a blend I would re-purchase? Probably not. But I’ll enjoy using up the rest of my packet.

Flavors: Earth, Maple Syrup, Spices

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 20 OZ / 600 ML

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Profile

Bio

Hi, my name is Amy and I live in Rotherham, in the UK.

I grew up drinking tea (my mother was addicted – she didn’t leave the house in the morning unless she’d had at least three cups!), though it was strictly your basic, everyday brew we enjoyed; huge boxes of teabags stocked up on every week.

Having dabbled with loose leaf teas in my twenties, I confess to being somewhat underwhelmed. Though, of course, my uneducated tea-brain wasn’t aware of brewing temperatures, steeping times and suchlike back then.

Now in my thirties, I’m rediscovering the delight of tea and enjoying the journey. My taste buds are expanding on a daily basis and I’m grasping more and more about the art of tea. I’m still a tea novice, with much to learn and appreciate, but I’m adoring the ride and looking forward to widening my tea collection.

I also enjoy reading, cross-stitch, knitting, gardening, my allotment plot and television.

Location

UK

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