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Big bags section tea after long, long time.

I tried to find any information about this tea from Argentina, but no luck. I will let library ladies add more inforamtion if they will be lucky.

I took the bag out of foil wrapping and well, the aroma was very strong artificial strawberry and raspberry. It reminded me some soft drink powders (dunno how they are called elsewhere), especially the red berries flavours. Then it reminded me bit bubblegums with again, red fruits notes.

When brewed, it started to be cloudy and apparently black tea with fruit flavour. I was bit glad, as I wanted fruit black/green tea.

The taste wasn’t that artificial, rather not at all; strawberry was the one who won the most dominant fruit award. Somewhere in background there was raspberry. I don’t know if there are some other fruits; tea bag (and box) shows only those two. Base tea have seen better times, I blame the age for being it bland and bit rough in mouth.

A sample of 7 grams I received from ashmanra. Thank you!
Yesterday I was playing in my thoughts all the day with my travel to US. When I decided to go sleep, I was sad it won’t happen anytime soon because it goes quite pricey. I would love to see you all in real life; but studies first and then I don’t know. We want to visit Balcans with my friends; but who knows how situation will look like. I went so obsessed with it, I thouht even for a moment it will be possible somehow soon (flight tickets to US are quite cheap nowdays, which makes sense as, who the hell would fly there, nowdays).

The tea I prepared is though, dismal. For some reason I thought it will be some high end black tea (no hurt feelings, ashmanra!), it even looked so nice! But the tea is, ehm, quite basic. The brewed tea after four minutes steeps is quite astringent, way too malty and very drying! I don’t think I have overbrewed it (suggested was 3-5 minutes), or overleafed, but… It just was so strong and quite one-dimensional. LuckyMe said that it reminds Lipton and I have to agree. It is bit like coated with some tea essence making it strong and malty, but that’s all.

A tea bag apparently from postcrossing, though I don’t know where exactly as I don’t have received anything from Albania so far.

Well, it is what it says it is. I have hoped for some orthodox tea base. No matter if green or black; but it seems it was lemongrass, lemon pieces and that’s it. It wasn’t sour; but nice lemon notes. Quite juicy; I have noticed as well lemongrass notes but what’s in the bag remains a mystery.

I was surprised that it wasn’t turning red while brewed, it rather kept water colour, maybe it get bit yellow, but after 5 minutes steeping time it was still very light.

Song pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWIHvuABaFU (Today I found out it’s Scooter) For some reason I couldn’t find it in ages.

Quick note: This tea is going to be discontinued from tomorrow. Anyone who wants it… it’s time for last orders!

Tried, sipped down but won’t re-order I guess.

I don’t mean it is bad tea. It certainly isn’t. But probably I had different thoughts of non-smoky Lapsang Souchong. I had one before, I wonder what company it came from. I don’t really recall, but probably it was White2Tea. Oh, one order so far from them in my life. Should get Waffles again.

But back to this tea: It is nice, mostly malty, baked bread, sweet potatoes notes. Good for breakfast tea, although it is bit drying. Luckily less than last time; but overall, well… it was just very basic tea.

And another SIPDOWN goes to Puerh. Still lots of tea remains.

Made about 20 seconds rinse. Or — stove → my table rinse ? Haha. Yep, it was that “far”.

Rinse was fine. Bit bland and vegetal, but yes, there was some taste. Now I let the leaf absorb humidity, I think it is for 5 minutes (reading some not important things all over the internet), thinking about my cross-US trip that I want to make happen, but not anytime soon. Train stops in Elko, NV; but what to do there? There are amazing mountains, but not sure if I want hike there alone?! And where is any public transport (okay, to be honest I know I need car rental)

First steep is around 20 seconds as well. Apparently humidity entered the leaves well, as it is more flavourful, though not a big leap forward. It seems to me roasted which is weird for sheng and for that I noticed before. But pu-erhs have so weird paths sometimes. For example, wet leaf smells after jasmine, okay!

Second, I decided to make bit longer (30 seconds actually, if somebody even cares); and wet leaf aroma tends to be more malty-honey-black tea like. I feel like my nose is playing some game with me today because I couldn’t recognize twice the same stuff even it doesn’t changed since then (no additional steep or anything like that). Taste buds are feeling another vegetal notes with some menthol cooling effect. Interesting and very enjoyable.

Following steep was just a tiny bit longer. 10 seconds to be exact. Steeping slowly don’t kill the tea fast. It just keeps nice qualities and while I would say that vegetal notes aren’t great, they actually aren’t. But it suits the tea session today and yep, would like some fruits, but hey, there is nothing wrong with vegetals.

Another steep. I somehow lost myself in thoughts, and ideas and everything. Well, I actually indeed enjoy the free time and free mind I have now! And result is long, a minute long (maybe bit less) steep. Huh… Results are nice though and I got the wished fruit notes. Yes, it started getting a peach taste.

Uhh, now it is herbal. But like too much basil and nettle. Not very tasty. But it was shorter than last time.

I guess this is one of the last steeps. Little fruits and herbals. But it was at least smoother than last time.

Okay, last steep. I am steeping this tea for an hour, which isn’t a problem, but ran out of water in thermos. It was nice session, but it’s time to move on. The tea is past its best time as well. It reminds me now only a bitter water without much pleasing taste. Interesting how it can go so abruptly.

SIPDOWN
A nice sencha in my opinion. I don’t have drank much of Japanese greens, or Japanase tea in general but considering it as “green tea” only it has got everything I would expect.

Grassy taste. As it is more than year old, it turned bit more to seaweed which isn’t much I would like, but it is that.

Finally today I did that supershort steeping time as it is suggested. 60-90 seconds, I went for two minutes but higher volume of the mug.

Turned out nice and worth 82/100

Huh. Apparently I haven’t wrote about this tea although I had it before. The pouch was opened, but I haven’t wrote the tasting note. Weird… but probably I wasn’t in mood writing. I just hope it wasn’t deleted (accidentaly).

Anyway, prepared grandpa with two teaspoons of the blend.
It wasn’t easy to drink it as blueberries, some lemongrass was floating on top of the brew, but I took them out with a spoon and then it was nice.

Very nice actually. As I don’t know the difference between Key Limes and “normal” limes I just thought it is just lime-blueberry tea. It works well together! Blueberries were like fresh and full of taste — I just should smash them to relase all the flavour next time, and refreshing as it was indeed lime flavoured. And that citrusy feel from lemongrass was nice too today. We had quite high temperatures (around 26 °C) which is unusal for September here.

It wasn’t Steepster who ate my tasting note this time. It was my laptop who died of low batter all of sudden.

Again a celebration tea.
I passed yesterday an exam from Algorithms and programming, yes, it is that one I failed week ago. It was close-call though even this time… but I have managed it.

I overleafed badly this tea though. I have used all remaining 7 grams for my small-ish gaiwan. But somehow I wanted to get rid of it. I remembered it wasn’t much impressive as I have hoped, but today it was better actually?

Yes, I wasn’t taking much care — I just filled thermos with boiling water and slowly I was pouring it into gaiwan, did some random long steep and poured the tea to my tea cup.

Wasn’t caring about it. That led to several not so tasty steeps. But then even short ones were nice! I noticed vegetal notes, sometimes it was full of astringency and bitterness, but following shorter notes brought the cake flavours. It was creamy, cake-y, some stonefruits (as actual fruit), sometimes bit juicy. It wasn’t typical poundcake flavours which I would expect, but it was pretty much okay.

I wasn’t that impressed about this tea though. Last time I was careful and was okay, this time I wasn’t careful and it was… just nice sheng. Nice sheng that impressed me with its energy that it gave me, although I am bit trying to not associate tea with some other aspects, I noticed something similar as Togo said. I was somehow filled with all the ideas i want to make true, what places I want to visit and even I decided to check out how to travel to Ljubljana (Slovenia) as I want to visit this country with my Swiss friend (I wrote about her here few times already). It is bit weird, but I don’t want go there with my best friend. Maybe because he isn’t that much into sights and those things. Maybe I just want have vacation wihout him.

Hmm. Slovenia don’t want Czechs in their country now though. Hopefully it will get better and maybe it will be something I won’t forget. But for sure I won’t forget that promise of visit!

Raising the rating a bit.

A tea I have from dreamloomer. Thank you!

An okay fruit tea as yesterday Raspberry Herbal. But this one is apparently apple & cranberry.

It is very apple in taste. Fresh and ripe red apples with its skins, expected flavour, nothing artificial, it was quite genuine in taste. The cranberry was present as well, although much weaker but I liked it as it was present as bit tart, but nice aftertaste.

Enjoyable herbal!