54 Tasting Notes

85

Twisted tight package
Light, bright, and sweet on the breath
Goes well with my roll.

The dry leaf is rolled into twisted little bundles about the size of a grain or two of rice. It is still quite green with a little brown oxidation showing through here and there. There is probably about a 60-40 ratio of dark green to lighter. They smell like a slightly more perfumed version of hay or pet bedding.

My first steeping was yesterday, so I don’t remember details other than that is was a pleasing, brighter contrast to the darjeelings I was sampling. The leaves were still pretty tightly rolled, so I figured I’d save the rest for today.

I have no idea how long my second steeping was (the first was 3 mins on the dot). I got distracted and, honestly, it could be over OR under three; my sense of time is rarely accurate. The wet leaves are now half unfurled and smell like sweet grass. They are mostly whole leaves 3-4cm long. The liquor is light-gold in color and…..I just accidentally stuck my nose in it trying to fully smell its aroma! Feels like a giant dork xD Well, I’m halfway down the cup now and it’s not a strong aroma. Sweet, floral more than grassy. I’m enjoying this steep as much as I remember enjoying the last one. No astringency or bitterness.

Third steep, still going strong….Fourth….was a little lighter, so I steeped the fifth for 4 minutes. And four is where I think I’d stop. The fifth steep, while drinkable, is starting to taste astringent and I’d hate to ruin my memory of the good steeps.

Update
I had to update this rating because I really enjoy this tea! It’s the first one of the Simply Loose Leaf boxes that I’m thinking seriously of buying. And….it has to hit 85 since I’ve been pushing it on people. xD

Flavors: Floral, Grass, Sweet

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60

Muscat is a grape…
Pay attention to the tea!
It’s human error.

This tea is much darker than the last. This may be due to an oops on my part of loading up on tea and then not realizing how little water I’d heated up. So, the liquor is a dark mahogany. The scent is a little musky with a muskatel finish. (Yay knowing what a muscat is! Thank you delicious Japanese gummies!)

My first few sips are washing away the delicious brownie bite I just had, so they are dominated by TEA flavor. There is an astringency that I attribute to my terrible steeping. I can taste a bit of the grape, but it doesn’t have the sour/sweet I was hoping for.

(And…the rest of my post was lost due to not paying attention to closing out screens. I steeped this twice more. The second steep was alright. It had more of the muscat I was looking for-especially on the breath. The third steep was nigh undrinkable.)

Flavors: Grapes

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63

Hesitant approach
Behind the black is hidden
A sweetness unnamed.

So the wonderful Cheri (Cheri0627) was determined to change my opinion of darjeelings (which, until now, has been in the red), so she sent me a whole BOX of different ones to sample! This is my first tentative try. I also made sure to try and follow Amanda’s (Amanda ‘SoggyEnderman’ Wilson) suggestion about a cooler water temperature.

The dry leaves are very fragrant-a pleasant mix of floral and wood with an emphasis on floral. The wet leaves also smelled wonderful-and strongly! The liquor is a dark burnt orange.

I steeped for 3 minutes and was met with an interesting flavor. Not unpleasant, but I spent the whole cup searching for a flavor that was hiding behind the more standard “tea.” Was it fruity? Nutty? Floral? I settled on sweet, but that’s as far as I got. As it was worth exploring, I tried another steep.

I was planning on steeping for equalish time. But, as happens at work, time got away from me and threeish turned into 6! And as a further disruption, I didn’t get to it until it was cold. For a cooled second steep, I’m impressed with its drinkability. That hidden flavor is still there, but on the very last end of the swallow.

Flavors: Floral, Sweet, Wood

TeaNecromancer

Hehe, I was helpful :D If you are still wanting to experiment with the Darjeelings, when I get home from travel I should send you a few of my favorites.

MushroomBugg

Heh, as I’m learning that they aren’t all terrible, I’ll always take tea!

TeaNecromancer

Hehe, awesome! Now, let’s see if I remember this conversation in a couple weeks when I am home :P Feel free to remind me and I can get you a little package together

Cheri

I usually do mine at about 195° for 3 minutes. The different flushes taste different. I’m pretty sure I sent some of each flush.

MushroomBugg

You sent quite the array! I figure I’ll try at least one new one each day. _ Should keep me occupied.

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65

Tart and sage o’r come
The sweet, juicy liquid pie—
Sugar the diff’rence

This was one of the teas randomly given to me by a fellow steampunk club-goer. I was surprised to find that it was a little pouch of loose leaf! Dry, it smells very herby-the sage really comes out with a kind of fruity backnote. I lost track of time (of course, I’m at work) and steeped it a minute or so over the suggested 5. The liquor was a dark red—note the hibiscus is second on the ingredients list.

I found this tea to be tartly unpleasant, so I added some brown sugar. BAM! That kicked this tea up so many notches. Now the predominant taste is that of a crustless blueberry pie, very juicy and very worth drinking again.

I am terribly naive when it comes to wines, and thus cannot speak to the merlot-yness of this tea.

Flavors: Blueberry, Hibiscus, Sage, Sweet, Tart

Preparation
6 min, 15 sec

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77

Dark liquor worries
Aroma tantalizes
A delight to sip

This little treasure was given to me by a woman in my steampunk club. No explanation, just “You like tea. Here, take this ziplock baggie of random teas”. It came in an adorable little box with no brewing instructions and I brewed the heck out of it (I’m at work; distractions are par to the course).

I was surprised at how dark the liquor was, like a mahogany varnish. The smell is delicate and definitely full of pear. When I sip it, I can tell it’s oversteeped, but its just the barest edge of…bitter. I agree that it tastes like a light black, without the grassy earthiness of green. (Is that what white tastes like?) And I do get some of the pear flavor coming through, definitely at the front and end (breath) of the taste. It’s light, and I enjoy that it’s sweet and not overwhelming. I would love to try this again with a shorter steep time. But, for now, This is a nice wake-me-up-on-a-cold-afternoon tea.

Flavors: Pear

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10
drank Relax by Pukka
54 tasting notes

As the color, dull
So the taste uninspiring
Why do I lic’rice?

Why do I keep brewing the random teas I’ve been given without first looking at their ingredients? xP Well, here I am with another licorice tea. At least no one can say that I never try them. Here goes…
The dry bag smells yummy, a bit of spice (ginger?) and sweet (marshmellow root? Not too licorice-y…).The liquor is a vaguely cloudy dull goldenrod.
With my first sip….I am hit with a storm of flavors…and a sickly sweet remains in my mouth. Nope, can’t stand it. The initial flavor is interesting, but not worth the licorice-sweet aftertaste.

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57

Pleasing color red
Matches the bag it came in
Pleasant enough taste.

It smells pretty delicious with the creamy vanilla scents coming out strong. The liquor is a dark reddish color. Maybe it’s because it’s still hot, but when I drink it, I mostly taste generic “hot liquid” flavor with a chaser of sweet vanilla. xD What I find interesting is that the decaying leaves smell/flavor I have thus far associated with rooibos is not present. Though, I am hard pressed to describe what it is I /do/ taste. Maybe….earthy.

Flavors: Vanilla

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25
drank Chai Chocolate by Tazo
54 tasting notes

Chai tea-where’s the spice?
Sickly sweet licorice sits
In my down-turned mouth.

At the beginning of the sip, I mostly taste the cocoa. So thumbs up for the chocolate coming through! At the end though, the licorice takes over. Were they trying to sweeten it with gross?I don’t pick up most of the other spices, so this just tastes like a weird chocolate tea to me. Interesting, but as I don’t like licorice, I think I’ll pass up a second cup.

Flavors: Cocoa, Licorice

Preparation
5 min, 0 sec

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65

The cup warms my hands
As the scent of lemon lifts
Sipping liquid gold

I’m not familiar with elderflower flavoring, so I’m tasting this with one hand behind my back. The liquor is a clear goldenrod color and I can smell a lot of lemon/citrus notes. The flavor is quite smooth, floral with a lemon/citrus sourness. The longer I drink it, the more pucker/astringency I get.

Flavors: Citrus Zest, Lemon

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15
drank Darjeeling by Fairglobe
54 tasting notes

I taste the paper
Unfamiliar darjeeling
The tea or tea bag?

So, I didn’t like the last darjeeling I had either. I’m starting to wonder if I just don’t like darjeelings, or if it’s a quality issue since I’m back to swapped bag teas after a binge of loose leaf. I’m still not sure what flavor to specifically associate with a darjeeling, so who knows. The only way I finished this cup was with a lot of brown sugar dumped in.

TeaNecromancer

What temperature did you brew it at? Darjeelings can taste just awful when brewed in boiling or really hot water like other black teas…I thought I hated them for years because of it!

Cheri

also, different darjeelings taste really different, and most teas just labeled “darjeeling” are of low quality. I could send you some of a variety of flushes and qualities if you would like.

MushroomBugg

Amanda, maybe that’s the problem! I have one bag left; I’ll try it today with cooler water.
Cheri, would you? That would be so sweet! At this point, I wouldn’t try money on looseleaf darjeelings. But maybe if I had something of quality, it would change my mind…

Cheri

Message me your address, and if I have any other teas in my cupboard that you’re interested in. I’ll get a package to you out in the next weekish.

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Profile

Bio

I’m just starting out on my tea journey. There is so much to learn. O.o

First stop: try as many of the free teas around me as possible!

My ratings:
0-15 I couldn’t even finish the cup
15-35 I regretted brewing the cup
35-50 Drinkable, but not enjoyable
50-60 Drinkable
60-75 Recommendable, enjoyable, also intriguing
75-85 Wonderful, hits-the-spot
85-95 I’d love another cup and I’ll push one on you, too
95-100 The best tea ever

Location

Washington, USA

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