69 Tasting Notes
Fairly mild for a breakfast blend. If I didn’t know it was a Yunnan, I would have guessed this was primarily a Sri Lankan tea. The aroma is salty and vegetal. The taste is a mild bread and butter taste like a buttered dinner roll. A gentle, neutral sweetness. Moderate astringency. Medium amber colored liquor.
Preparation
Bread and butter? Weird. I’m not a black tea person, but that makes me wanna try this…
Well, that’s what I get out of it. Ask 10 people and get 11 different descriptions, but it really does remind me of a buttered dinner roll. It is not a strong buttery taste like some oolongs, but it is there. It has a smooth mouth feel and neutral sweetness that also contribute to the buttery feel for me. That said, it is still a black tea with noticeable astringency, so depending on what you don’t like about black teas, this may not change your mind.
The vanilla flavor is light and very well balanced with the natural tea flavor. Beneath the vanilla, the taste is earthy with currants. The aroma is mild vanilla and oak. The vanilla is dominant in the aftertaste. Mild astringency. Liquor brews up copper colored.
Preparation
Brews to a medium amber color. Smells like bread and honey. Tastes mild and malty with a little something like cooked collard greens and a little honey sweetness. A hint of bitterness. Moderate astringency.
Preparation
Rich cocoa aroma and taste. It is not a one note tea, but the cocoa impression is so strong that I’m having trouble sussing out the nuances. A little charcoal, maybe a little cherry. Very smooth with only a hint of astringency and no bitterness. Coppery orange in the cup.
Preparation
Brews up a medium orange color. Aroma of fresh biscuits. Robust mouth feel is almost chewy. Solid malty taste with a fruity sweet finish like grapes. Moderate astringency that is not overpowering.
Preparation
Dry leaves smell like sandlewood. Wet, they smell like tomatoes. Liquor brews up pale reddish amber and has a bit of the tomato smell of the leaves along with a salty smell similar to the Adagio Irish Breakfast I had earlier. I’ve had other breakfast blends with a similar nose. Is this characteristic of Sri Lankan Teas? The flavor is bright but fairly neutral. I do get a hint of raspberries. A roasty aftertaste that dissipates quickly.
Preparation
This sample compliments of Erin’s cupboard clean out.
Brewed up a light amber. Smells mildly salty and roasty. Taste is very mild for an Irish Breakfast. A little maltiness, not much else. Saline aftertaste. Maybe I need to use more leaf.
Thank you Erin for the chance to try this one.
