125 Tasting Notes
Happy snow day to all affected! :) It’s really blowing out there, first decent storm in my area in the last three years… Hence… I’m sitting home and sipping on green tea.
It’s sencha time! I got this with my order yesterday and couldn’t wait to get my paws on it after today’s breakfast.
Dry leaves smell delicate, mild and vegetal.
I steeped it at 74C for about 3 minutes. To my horror I forgot to set the timer but it felt like about 3 minutes.
After steeping the aroma was mild, vegetal with hints of cooked spinach in butter. There was some other aroma I couldn’t put my finger on…
Taste wise very pleasant, full bodied with a welcome hint of astringency at the back of my tongue. My taste buds are getting their workout. Similar to the aroma, I’m tasting something besides the spinach, but what?
Second steep, 74C for 5 minutes. Still lots of flavor left but noticeably less than in first steep. Definitely prefer the first steep but won’t turn my nose on the second one.
Overall very delicious tea. I have to say I prefer sencha ashikubo taste wise but when you take into consideration the price and the taste together, this could definitely take a spot as my everyday tea. :)
Preparation
I’m sitting here with freshly baked raisin scones and a cup of this yummy tea. It just arrived today with my weekly order.
It smells beautifully… Sweet with notes of caramel and rum cake. The taste is very pleasant and mild. Having it with scones is a perfect marriage. My seven year old added a splash of honey into her cup and gobbled it up. Yum!!!
Creme brûlée is one of my favorite desserts and this tea didn’t disappoint. :)
Preparation
I’m drinking this lovely darjeeling and previewing books about tea… Paradise!! :D
I got this last week with my order. While it does not set fireworks for me, it is a very tasty tea, delicate and earthy. Definitely something I like to have in stock. I love having it straight up or with additions of sort. For example yesterday I had it with some lavender… Oh it was good!!
Today I added some white chocolate and vanilla bean and then a splash of milk… Mmmmm… exquisite!
Preparation
I decided to have the Dragon Pearls with my tea biscuits this evening. Thanks to my recent purchase of digital thermometer I was able to fine tune the brewing of this fragrant tea. I noticed in the past that this tea has a tendency of turning bitter fast, therefore proper temperature and timing became crucial here.
I steeped it at 80C for 4 minutes with excellent results. The brew is pale in color, mild on the tongue with prominent floral notes which are not too overwhelming for my taste.
Still one of my favorites but I’ll be curious to try another company when it’s time to re-order just to see how this one holds up in comparison.
For this afternoon I decided to dig into my High Mountain Oolong that I got last week. During my first tasting I couldn’t rate it because I wasn’t sure how I feel about it. I liked it but it wasn’t the over the heels love from the first sight (or taste… lol).
I steeped it at 94C for 5 min.
This tea intrigues me. I don’t know what it is, I can’t put my finger on it. The taste is slightly vegetal and buttery although different than the green tea… different vegetable perhaps? I detect mild and very pleasant astringency at the back of my tongue. There is something else though… Underneath it all I taste and smell something sweet… and floral, and that really intrigues me because I’m not sure what it is. When I close my eyes I see flowers in the wooded area after a pouring rain…
Overall this is a very delicious tea. I enjoy it a lot. What I don’t enjoy is the price. From time to time though this will be a lovely treat. :)
Preparation
Sipping on Dragonwell this morning… Yum!! Still one of my favorites. Wonderful vegetal flavor with a slight note of astringency at the back of my tongue. Delicious. :)
I envy you. My dragonwell is still somewhere in transit between China and here (Europe). ETA: another 4 weeks!
My supply was getting dangerously low so I just put in another order yesterday. Luckily it only takes 5 days to get to me. I’ve been wanting to try Teavivre next time though and according to their info I’ll be waiting 22-30 days to get here…. :o. As long as I don’t run out in the mean time…
I got a sample of this in my latest order and this morning decided to try it out. I am new to loose tea overall but have been already introduced to straight green tea via Dragonwell.
This one did not disappoint. I love it. It has a beautiful light green color and a delicious aroma that I can compare to vegetables with butter. The taste is mild, vegetal with a hint of grass and spinach. There is a delicious aftertaste that lingers on the back of my tongue for a while… It reminds me of wood burning over the open fire, toasty and smoky somewhat.
The price tag is the only disappointment I have. At almost double the price of Dragonwell I don’t see this as my everyday green tea especially since I enjoy Dragonwell just as much… This one is simply too expensive. I would like to keep a small stock of it for special occasions though.
A little while later….
I just made my first successful resteep, although in less water than the first steep. The aroma is still buttery and vegetal and the taste still packs a punch… Lots of wonderful flavors going on there. The woody aftertaste that I noticed during the first steep is still there which makes me happy. Overall this tea is more cost effective than I previously thought. I resteeped at 82C for 5 min. My steeping times are usually longer and I tend to suck most of the flavors out of my teas during the first steep, if one doesn’t count the rinsing of the leaves which I do first for 15 sec or so. This tea is different though… It packs a lot of flavor in a little sample.
Preparation
I just got this in the order yesterday, my first time trying out oolong. Not just any oolong either, High Mountain Oolong at $10 for 25g. This stuff better be good.
I’m not sure I want to rate it yet, I think I should give if a bit more time. After one steep, it smells slightly vegetal and a bit floral, very delicate smell though. The taste is vegetal with a hint of astringency at the back of my tongue. The color: very pleasant, bright yellow.
I don’t know yet how I feel about it. Very nice but my socks are still on my feet.
Preparation
This is one of the teas that could surprise you and then… surprise you again. At least that’s what happened to me. You can check out my interesting introduction to Dragonwell in my blog:
http://paradiseinmyteacup.blogspot.ca/2013/01/my-journey-with-dragonwell.html
I just love this tea. It is my every day after breakfast tea. My morning doesn’t seem right without it.
After steeping it smells vegetal, a little grassy with a hint of spinach I dare say. The taste is very gentle and vegetal and the color bright, delicate green.
If you’ve never tasted loose green tea before it might surprise you, and then, work it’s magic on you like it did on me.
Preparation
Ahhh… this tea sings to my palate every time I have some. The aroma and the delicate taste gets me every time. I just love this tea. Tonight I made a nice pot after dinner and enjoyed it together with home baked cornbread cakes. Mmmm… so good! :)
I feel like ever since I started making tea appropriately (ie. correct time and temp), that I have an internal time clock for 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, etc. Its not really useful for anything else other than timing tea. But I am more than OK with that!