1837 Tasting Notes

70

A sipdown! (M: 3 Y: 35) prompt: A breakfast tea as it has been reminding breakfast blends when tried for first time.

Gongfu, 4 g / 125 ml, rapid steeps (5, 10, 15…)

Eh, nope. Something in this tea isn’t working well with me. It tastes so basic, so flat, so “black tea”. Tannic and metallic. The first steep (5 seconds only!) was somehow fruity as they promised. Harsh on the tongue. Long astringent aftertaste. Breakfast tea like. I believe that there are better teas from Ceylon out there.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 15 sec 4 tsp 4 OZ / 125 ML

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80
drank Tielka Breakfast by Tielka
1837 tasting notes

I received an assortment of teas: a pyramid tea bag, some tea in sachets, and loose leaf tea. I chose the pyramid tea bag because I wanted something simple but of good quality. The packaging is identical to what I had before, so I can’t tell the difference between the pyramid tea and the loose leaf visually. However, I assume the tea itself is the same, including the quality of the leaves, so I don’t expect a big difference in taste.

Now, on to the tea itself. It’s a lovely black tea, brisk and robust without being astringent or bitter. The dominant flavor notes are dark malts and rye bread, with the rye bread becoming more prominent as the tea cools.

Definitely a rich and smooth black tea. Perhaps the larger mug I used in the office diluted the tea somewhat. My mug at home is smaller, resulting in a more concentrated brew, which I find preferable.

Note: I received Tielka teas, included in this (and following) tasting notes, free of charge in exchange for a tasting note. I will do my best to remain unbiased, but of course, I am very grateful for this opportunity.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 300 ML

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99

A sipdown! (M: 2 Y: 34)
This tea has shown me that shu pu erhs deserve attention and if it’s well done, it’s a treat.

This treat I have received from derk and not just once. This treat I just needed today afternoon with awful weather outside, after working overtime, just to turn off all the thoughts and to get rid of memories of my panic attack earlier in the day.

Thank you derk for this wonderful tea and samples of it. It’s a treat I would never get otherwise.

Song pairing: Bruce Springsteen — Land Of Hope And Dreams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdGeSIHgCb8

Preparation
7 g 4 OZ / 125 ML

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75

Sipdown prompt: March 8 – International Women’s Day – drink a tea from a woman-owned company or named for a woman — working on it again! Having roughly 2 sessions left.

Rensina, owner of this shop, is (or was, not sure) a “colleague” of mine in tea bag wrapping collecting. Her blends are lovely too; as you could read in my notes. This note is just to write down that I am trying to fulfill the prompt. I will do my best doing that in March.

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86
drank Lesa by Teaoria
1837 tasting notes

Sipdown prompt: Your tea with the shortest name, but I have plenty (roughly 35 grams of 50 grams of the packaging) of this tea remaining. But the name must be one of the shortest definitely.

First time I had it it was quite sweet, malty and rye bread; somehow like cane sugar as vendor suggests; however today it was like a light morning breakfast tea with again malty notes, but definitely less sweet than the previous session. It was, stil very delicate and lovely. Of course it is like that because I have a soft spot for Georgian teas, maybe just because they are definitely less harsh than Indian teas for example.

I will try to recreate first impressions of this tea. I assume that colder water is the key; as amount of leaf was the same, as well as the volume of my vessel.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 4 g 10 OZ / 300 ML
Courtney

Georgian teas ❤

ashmanra

You beat me by one letter! My two shortest tea names had five – Carol and Mocha.

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76
drank Truffle Black Tea by Curtis
1837 tasting notes

A sipdown! (M: 1 Y: 33) — prompt: An evening tea, as drank in the evening :)

I was craving some sweet-thing tea and this is not my general flavour profile. So, I have been happy to find a last (hopefully) tea bag of this tea. And I found out I never wrote a tasting note, so I am doing it as a sipdown note.

Courtney ’s description it quite spot on. Cocoa marshmellow and also quite dark chocolate here!

Subtle, cozy tea. That could be definition of this blend. Surprisingly well done. A splash of milk or something similar would make a cup similar to hot cocoa I assume.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 300 ML

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I bought this for… reason unknown. Maybe I wanted to try fruit filled puerh, at least that sounds like a plausible explanation.

Anyway, I split the mandarin in half and picking some amount of puerh inside with a finger. Also adding some of the peel. I just hope it is intended to be steeped with the tea.

I tried it once before writing this note, but as my 4 years old niece was around, I was rather checking if my cup is far enough from the table border, than checking the tea itself.

Today I prepared 3g/3 mins with 90°C water.

It much earthier than I have expected. I also notice some of the cardboard / paper note which seems like a flaw to me. It’s not what I was expecting, to be honest. Also, earthy note is strong and then it fades into that I wrote about. I do notice some of the orange zest, but rather in aroma than the taste.

As it cools down it is getting better. Not by a lot, though. Have I used wrong steeping parameters? Was I supposed to steep it gongfu only? Was it packed in the paper wrapping for too long? Discuss below.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 10 OZ / 300 ML
gmathis

Nieces and cats can be hazardous to your tea!

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83

Once you read name of this tea, it will remind you Stash’s green tea with the same name. I hope that Basilur took notes and made a better tea for us. First of all, this is not a green tea. It does contain stevia though. And no raspberries in; instead there is half of the bag filled with hibiscus (yes, sometimes it has raspberry flavour, indeed) and there is more of the orange (8 per cent) than pomegranate (4 per cent)

But it smells actually nice and genuine. I do notice raspberries (well, there is an aroma of it) as well juicy pomegranate. At least, aromas fit the promised notes.

Even flavours seems to be fitting the name. Juicy pomergranate with something like raspberry seed note; also there is something tart but both fruits are a bit tart themselves, so this is not a flaw because too much hibiscus used. I assume that the stevia tames it (and well done). Also it’s not metallic, herbaceous or other off notes as that dreadful tea I mentioned by the beginning of the note.

I assume it is pretty good example of this flavour profile. Juicy, a little tart, fruity, both flavours well presented.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 300 ML

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85

I tried it grandpa, 3 grams from the chunk and it was surprisingly easy to pry; so I have just “opened the chunk” if you know what I mean.

Steeped for quite long. I haven’t checked; but I assume around 4-5 minutes and I had a great cup of tea.

Quite strong, wet forest floor aroma and taste, along with camphor and I noticed also petrichor (okay, that was maybe the enviroment as in meantime rain came). All covered in somehow lovely sweet smoky element and molasses as Roswell Strange notices in 2021 vintage.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 g 10 OZ / 300 ML

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I have received two tea bags of this tea from derk — thank you!

I generally avoid spicy food, and what is “mildly” spiced is sometimes way too much for me and I can’t imagine what “hot” really means.

I was feeling nothing but cold today early evening, so I decided to brew something that should warm me up. I am sure I would fin many other chais, lovely full bodied teas, or something in between, but I took this one. Afterall, I need to drink it anyway so…

Dry bag was spicy, but somehow okay-level. I have a spicy tea, so naturally it’s spicy; but also a bit sweet and some spices tried to peek out too.

I brewed it and steeped rather short. Afterall, it’s evening already and I would like to sleep; and this blend contains black tea. Aroma left me “just drink me” impression, so I thought it won’t be bad.

I HAVE BEEN SO WRONG! After first sip, still quite hot (by temperature) I had my mouth completely in fire (by habanero) that I almost spit it out. I did not, it left my eyes wide open, habanero fire was slowly going through all the veins and I feel not cold anymore. Not a surprise IMO!
It was cooling down and I was still trying to drink it. And actually, it is getting better. Hard to find any chocolate in this, rather some general sweetness, and some ginger and allspice spices is there beneath heavy blanket of habanero.

Oh dear. No, I am not able to rate this tea and won’t be. But looking forward to sip it down — the second bag.

derk

Oh no, so sorry it lit you on fire! I tried it a few times and found it not very spicy at all. It tasted mostly of cocoa shell and some spices. How wrong I have been! I do not mean to torture you, my friend! Maybe it is unevenly blended so you got to taste the true side of habañero, while I sit here and cry that it is not spicy enough for me :P

Mastress Alita

I’m extremely spice sensitive, too. Someone will tell me “This isn’t very spicy, about a 3 out of 10” and then I try it and scream in agony, “That’s more like a 3,000!” But on the flip side, whenever I seen the thousands of tea reviews saying that hibiscus is “way too tart!” or “so sour!” I scratch my head and go, “No it isn’t, what’s tart about that? I could do with MOAR TART!” Different tongue receptors, I guess…

Martin Bednář

Maybe second one will be milder. Hopefully :D

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Bio

I am drinking almost everything. Tea bag collector who moved to wonderful world of loose leaf.

Trying to rate differently tea bags and loose leaf as tea bags have usually worse quality.

Photographer now and then. Postcrossing and geocaching member. Very curious person. Logistics student (should finish in June 2021).

Buried in tea right now. Is in my cupboard (trying to be updated) which sparkled your interest? Write me, I would gladly share with you. But I don’t want anything in return now :)

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Czech Republic

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