1433 Tasting Notes
Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge January 2022: A Tea with Bean Notes
Another tea bag unearthed during the Great Congestion. I consider this quite the find and don’t know where it could’ve possibly come from. Back when I first started venturing more into tea I really wanted to try this tea company, and this tea in particular. Don’t ask me why. I don’t believe they ship to Canada, however.
Before steeping, it was not promising – a generously filled satchet with some brown looking, sour smelling, long-leafed tea. How old is this thing? Add water and the leaf remembers it’s green and gives off a wonderful lemon-hued butter veggie aroma. To taste, it has notes found in other Chinese green and white teas (ie – Silver Needle, Dragon Well): lemon, sesame, green beans, spinach (you know how spinach has that milky calcium quality?), melon. It’s smooth, nearing cream and butter.
Yeah, this is a treasure in a tea bag.
Flavors: Bamboo, Butter, Cream, Floral, Grass, Green Beans, Lemon, Melon, Nutty, Peas, Sesame, Smooth, Spinach, Sweet, Vegetal
Preparation
Here’s another tea bag I earthed up during peak congestion and stashed for later consumption. It’s from Numi’s “Nspire” series, and their website implies it’s intended for iced tea purposes (whoops).
It’s not super exciting: the jasmine is pretty strong, the green base is.. green and astringent (puckering mouth feel), but still kind of smooth. There’s something of the collard greens about it (slight bitter veg, but not unpleasantly so). Probably a twiggy base. There’s a hint of floral sweetness. It’s not something I’d run out to get, and doesn’t hold a candle to other jasmine teas I’ve had, but it’s drinkable!
Flavors: Astringent, Floral, Grass, Jasmine, Kale, Metallic, Vegetal, Woody
Preparation
Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge January 2022: Apricot Tea
I was positive that I didn’t have an apricot tea in my collection, and I spent the majority of my time drinking this thinking it was a nectarine tea! (or something decidedly not apricot, even though it tastes just like apricot). I’m also surprised to see that this blend is from November 2020. Wow. I’m usually better at drinking up my subscription blends.
This isn’t my favourite honeybush or muffin blend from 52Teas, but it’s still pretty tasty! the stonefruit and cranberry flavours come through as gently tart and tangy, over top of buttery baked bread. The honeybush and the fruits are sweet too – complimenting the light tartness. There’s a bit of a spicy burn to finish and as a lingering mouth sensation. Everything is well-balanced.
For this sipdown, taken with milk. It may have brought out the sweetness a tad.
Flavors: Apricot, Bread, Butter, Cinnamon, Cranberry, Fruity, Nutmeg, Pepper, Spices, Stonefruit, Sweet, Tangy, Tart
Preparation
Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge January 2022: New Tea
I received this tea as a Christmas gift from my sister and it was enjoyable, if somewhat lacklustre. I don’t really get mango (or pear) except in the aroma while steeping. What I do taste is canned peaches; this may be due to possible mango/apple/pear flavouring chemistry.
The fruit flavouring is definitely secondary to the bai mudan base itself, which has its own fruity notes as well as prominent notes of cucumber and hay. It’s nice and I’m glad I got the chance to try it, but I’m not sold on the combo.
Flavors: Apple, Cucumber, Floral, Grass, Hay, Mango, Peach, Smooth, Stewed Fruits
Preparation
Continuing to love this passion fruit jasmine bergmot concoction immensely and bumping up my rating.
I generally think the combination of green and black tea base is a bad idea; I tend to avoid them at all costs. However, in this blend the slight bitter-sour note, incurred from steeping at a temperature normally too high for green tea, creates a lovely effect; it makes the passion fruit taste more “real” – filling it out more. It’s good stuff and satisfies my craving for tart-sweet tropical fruits.
Steep Count: 2
Flavors: Astringent, Bergamot, Floral, Fruity, Jasmine, Malt, Mango, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Sour, Tart, Tropical Fruit
Preparation
Backlog. Made this up as a late (mid)night latte – the pink beetroot really pops when steeped this way.
I don’t make enough tasting notes for this one; I’ve written only one in the ten years its been in (and out) of my life! After all this time, I still rely on this tisane to deliver quick, easy, and dependable nutty dessert-tea goodness. No fuss or stress! It’s also one of my mom’s favourite of all time (which is the main reason I repurchase it whenever it’s available). This is a David’s Tea classic, and gives me the warm, nostalgic fuzzies.
Flavors: Almond, Apple, Cinnamon, Nutty, Sweet
Preparation
Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge January 2022: Spicy Tea
Well, this didn’t last long. So long, carroty turmeric lattes! This could’ve also fulfilled the “new tea” and “latte” portion of the challenge, I guess – but I’m going to try and fill those with different teas (I’ve so many to choose from).
Also, now that I can smell things I can say the blend reeks of earthy ginger. I’m so grateful that this was in my possession while stuffed up.
Flavors: Carrot, Earthy, Ginger, Pineapple, Spicy, Sweet, Turmeric, Wood
Preparation
Oh dang, there’s a January sipdown challenge?! Time to head to the discussion threads!
It’s a little more casual than last year, with prompts that can be fulfilled at any point in the month. Still fun though! So far it’s motivating me to finish off some of the larger quantities of teas :)
Love how I totally missed the “2021” typo. Always takes half a month for me to adjust to the new year number.
Ahahaha, there was a typo? I didn’t even notice. Also same, struggling to remember that it’s 2022 and already wrote the wrong date a few times.
Spring 2021 Harvest
Running with an impulse a few months back, I ordered a bunch of white teas from Yunnan Sourcing. Now my bad decision has come home to roost and I have so much white tea now (300g across the board) – many of which are very different from what I’ve grown used to (I’m going to have to tinker with a few of them to find parameters I like)!
I’m starting with this one because I “get it”. I can do a 3-4 minute western steep and it yields a satisfying cup of familiar notes of cucumber (raw veg), hay (umami/grass), and gentle squeeze of lemon (fruity).
I love the juxtaposition of that ethereal “spa-water” flavour profile with the thick, lush mouth feel. The sweetness in this session is verging on honey-like, but it’s not quite there yet; it’s still slightly unripe green melon.
I’m also drinking this gongfu style alongside it, and it’s quite a different experience (so intensely sweet with light malt notes). I’ll do a separate tasting note for that some other time.
Steep Count: 4
Flavors: Cucumber, Floral, Fruity, Grass, Hay, Lemon, Melon, Mineral, Sweet, Umami
Preparation
Ok, on one hand, it may be a poor tea purchase decision. Not that I would know anything about that. :)
On the other, here you are pushing against your boundaries and ingrained tea habits. Look at you go! Learning all the things.
Also, 300 grams is not so bad. It could’ve been a kilo.
I love how much different steeping methods can change the flavor of a tea. Sometimes it’s like drinking a completely different tea.
I’ve never had this much white tea on my person before, but it should be fun to play around with all of them. Maybe I’ll get back into gongfu style XD
Backlog. I drank this during my teabag inventory check. Taken without milk.
After drinking the surprisingly smooth Numi Breakfast I was in search of something a little more abrasive. This bright, tannic tea did the trick, although I also found it had an interesting “dusty red rose”note. This bold tea has hints of metallic, which doesn’t bother me much anymore. You can tell this is a mix of citrusy ceylon, raisin-like assam, and muscatel darjeeling. Not bad in a pinch.
Flavors: Astringent, Brisk, Floral, Malt, Metallic, Muscatel, Raisins, Rose, Tannic
This tea company has also been on my wanted list. Maybe one day.
I made a mock order and they do ship to Canada – for $20.
I think I may wait to visit Portland directly (or for a particularly weak-willed evening).
I went to Portland in 2019 for the PDX Tea Fest and visited one of their local stores while there. I was a bit sad that even visiting them directly, other than ordering just a cup of tea, I still couldn’t get a bag of loose leaf smaller than 4 oz (which is just too big for me).
They have some unique blends like Rose City Genmaicha and a good Jasmine, but I think they are a bit overpriced. The company has become especially steep with their limited edition blends, and there are some quality loose leaf that you can get elsewhere for cheaper.
The lack of size selection and generally high prices is further exacerbated on my end by the exchange rate and shipping costs.
The Rose City Genmaicha and Ice Cream Oolong are big temptations for me but, even with a 10% coupon and this delicious mystery sample, I think I’ll pass for the time being (to be revisited at a time when the tea cupboard is smaller and bank account is fuller).
All of those factors come out to a firm no. At least for now.
Ice cream oolong?!
They call it Ice Cream Royale. The original blend had jasmine with Jin Xuan, salt, a lot of vanilla, sugar, and some amaretto. The modern one uses chamomile. It’s a brilliant blend, but they charge close to $2 or more a sachet, which is insane.
That one sounds tantalizing, but with all the prohibitive factors, especially for us in Canada, still a firm no.
If I ever cave and order online or pick some up while visiting Portland I’ll buy 4oz and share it. XD
I adore you for even the thought of it. It doesn’t actually have to happen. :)
Ugh, so tempting! One day. If I could get one sachet, I’d be cool with paying $2 or so for it. I mean, I’ve paid nearly $7 for drinks from Starbucks before!
Thank you, Kittena, for bringing logic to the tea math.
Yeah, it’s just within the realm of what I’m willing to pay for tea. A coupon would sweeten the deal, but I don’t want to pay shipping on top of it if possible (US free shipping threshold is a low $39 so if I can arrange a border PO in WA that would be fine).
I don’t mind buying 3.5oz – 4oz as either as long as my cupboard is emptier and I have possible people to share it with (stale tea is sad tea). Right now my cupboard is full from DF’s 4oz Christmas splurge, and some reaaally old teas so I’m looking at spring lol.