1711 Tasting Notes

Back from a whirlwind two night trip to NYC with some friends to see Sleep No More one last time before they close and I squeezed in a 90m side quest to Bellocq! I’ve been curious about their teas, but haven’t been anywhere that I could smell or taste them before buying. It looks like most of their selection is straight teas and the 25 blends they had included herbal. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t do less that 2oz bags of their teas, even thought they have the bulk caddies lining the shelves. If that was the case I would have bought a larger selection than the four I took home.

I’m on my second cup of this and it goes down easy and pleasantly! It has a mix of warm spices, anise being the dominant flavor. I think I get a little vanilla in the back of the sip. It reminds me of a Theodor tea… Oh La La perhaps? It is also heavy on the anise. If I don’t forget I have this, it’s likely to be drunk fairly quickly!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec
ashmanra

Was it beautiful in the shop?

Dustin

It was! It was an old brick building. It has a wood witch sort of vibe, rustic with plants, dark colors and warm. Very pleasing on the senses, especially as a refuge in a busy city. Their sitting room has a brick fireplace with a detailed metal insert and lots of seating in a dusty rose color. I could have happily sat and had a cup there if I had a larger window of time. I took a few pictures that I put up on my IG, but I didn’t get any wider shots of the place because I was trying not to get photos of other customers. https://www.instagram.com/p/C2a0BvaS-1Z/?img_index=1

ashmanra

So happy you got to experience it! If the fire had been lit, it would have been extra hard to leave!

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drank Oh là la... ! by THEODOR
1711 tasting notes

I oversteeped this and possibly overleafed it too. It has a baked spiced muffin sort of feel to it. Lots of spices and deep or low notes. It doesn’t have bright notes, it’s really dark and deep and almost murky. The start of the sip is a little brighter and sharp, but it doesn’t transition smoothly to the later part of the sip and finish. Anise is very present, but somehow in the background. I’m not hating this cup, but I’m a little perplexed by it and I do wonder how much of it is due to user error.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 7 min, 15 sec

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drank Witchy Watermelon by DAVIDsTEA
1711 tasting notes

Been enjoying cups of this on occasion, but realized that the roommates have found it recently and are drinking it down. I did buy it with them in mind, but if I want more cups of this I need to drink it soon. Like tonight. It has such a nice fruity and sweet watermelon flavor to it! Great for when you want something sweet to sip on.

In other tea related happenings… we got a 3D printer recently and have been printing up a storm! I had been thinking for a while that I needed to design a caddy to hold the lids and steepers to my David’s tea mugs and I finally got around to it the other day. I’m super happy with the way it turned out and now my counter is tidier! I posted pictures of it on my IG. https://www.instagram.com/p/C2BxofMORL9/?img_index=1

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Martin Bednář

That looks great and cool!

Kaylee

So beautiful and beautifully practical!

ashmanra

Neat! Tea people are such creative people!

Dustin

Thanks y’all! :D

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Sipdown!
This is a mint chocolate rooibos. If you’ve had any of them, you have probably tasted this one. I put a ton of oat milk in it to drown out the potential rooibos and highlight the mint chocolate and it’s easily drinkable this way. It’s not great, but it’s not bad and it wasn’t what I was hoping for when I ordered it.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Merry Mistletoe by DAVIDsTEA
1711 tasting notes

I picked up two bags of this at some point. I’m at the bottom of the first bag, so I dumped the crumbs that were left in my steeping basket and added a small scoop from the new bag. This cup is tasting like a morphing of hot apple cider and mulled wine. The finish has a weird flatness to it. I don’t recall my other cups of this tasting quite like that and I’m attributing it all to it being the bottom of the bag dust. I do recall enjoying previous cups of this. I also could have sworn that I had written a tasting note on this before, but I don’t see it now.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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The oolong in this is very creamy and buttery and that taste comes through the flavoring. There is a bit of mint, but it’s subtle. The cacao flavors are even more subtle adding a little depth without popping out as chocolatey to me. This is an overall very mellow tea. I’m enjoying it a lot, but it’s not something I’d restock.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Kashmiri Chai by DAVIDsTEA
1711 tasting notes

I haven’t had a cup of this in a while! It’s tasting a little sharp today. Maybe should have done a shorter steeping temp. I love this tea, but I’m feeling a little less enthusiastic about it today which makes me question my undying love. I’m probably just in a mood for something heartier and shouldn’t blame the historically delicious tea.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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drank Sans Complexe by THEODOR
1711 tasting notes

This bag is closing in on being done. I see in my last tasting note that I reordered this, so I hope I’m sitting on another bag of it and that this isn’t that second bag. I’m still heartbroken that Theodor is gone. Had they given ANY notice, I’d have placed another huge order. I don’t understand what they did with all their stock and why they wouldn’t have sold it instead of abruptly shutting their doors.

When I open the bag I smelled graham cracker notes with a little lemon behind it. I steeped this at a higher temp for a shorter period of time before looking at my last steeping parameters. The super hot cup seems a little more astringent than I recall. As it cools I still get the same thing. I think I burnt this cup which feels like a crime considering that I can’t get any more. Le sigh!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Crimson by Chroma Tea
1711 tasting notes

I read my last note on this tea and I think I’m enjoying this cup a little more this go. There is an underlying sweetness and a mix of malt and hay that is pleasant. Something in this is making my throat ever so slightly scratchy. Overall it’s not as exciting as I like my teas. The first Chroma tea I had was very exciting, so I was expecting the others to be loud as well. Alas, they are not. Still, it will do for a gloomy day as I hover over my new 3D printer and monitor it’s progress. So many settings on this thing that my mind is boggled with the crash course learning. I need to design a print to hold all my David’s tea perfect mug lids that only stack so high before toppling over!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Chiffon by Chroma Tea
1711 tasting notes

I’m liking this cup. It’s like a savory chai. The cardamon gives it the impression of chai. Can’t tell what is giving it more savory notes. Caraway? It’s well balanced, but slightly on the airy side. I sipped this cup somewhat mindlessly for most of it, mildly aware I was enjoying it through the slow haze of waking up.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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Profile

Bio

My name is Dustin and I like tea.

I’m an added flavor kind of tea fan, but have had a growing appreciation for plain. I want my tea to remind me of cookies and cakes with coconut and almond slices with a hint of chocolate drizzled on top. I want dancing ponies and flying monkeys shooting off fireworks! And no hibiscus. Hibiscus is the devil.

Location

BA, CA, US

Website

https://www.instagram.com/dre...

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