5 Tasting Notes

100

Love. This. Tea.
It will always have a cherished spot in my cupboard.

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Inspired by the “Mistakes you made with tea” discussion, after duly noting that most of distinguished participants confessed to oversteeping as the biggest mistake, I resolved to steep shorter and first experiment with what looks like a decent tea.
Oh, short steep – but 30 seconds?!! Seriously? Do I trust Garret enough? OK, he is a fellow runner, he can’t be too bad…:)
I would not dare to assign any rating numbers to anything I am so unfamiliar with – but – pleased to say – it does taste good! The package says “roasty, and full-bodied” – maybe next steeps will taste that to me, after Garret allows at least a 2-minute steep… the first I perceive as more jasminy.
30 seconds? Who would have thought?

ashmanra

I have been stalking this tea on his site. Do you get a cocoa or chocolate aroma from the dry leaves or from the tea? Keep drinking and keep me tooted! :)

ashmanra

LOL!! I typed “keep me posted.” Really. Stupid autocorrect!

Garret

YAY!!! You are doing it! It’s been the best of winters to run here in the midwest! I haven’t missed a run – a bunch of us even got together in the worst blizzard this year and did 6 miles. It was wonderful :)

When I am sipping tea, there are plenty of times when I begin with only a 15 or 20 second steep after the rinse. Maybe someday, we will get to sip tea together. After a nice long run, that is :) Wishing you joy in NY, my friend!!

TeaRunner

@ashmanra – now that you mentioned it – a dark chocolate whisper is somewhere in the tea. I could not dectect it in leaves, but I am just training my senses to even register experiences subtler than Assam (or Cabernet Sauvignon for that matter).

TeaRunner

@ Garret – LOL – yes, I remember days when I used to love jumping out of the snowplow’s way, in my standard-issue “Public Works” reflective vest so the guys would not yell at me! This winter, in my old age, I focused on days with clearer weather. I am already kicking myself!
On another note – I absolutely adore those mini Touchas . I could order more of the same or – what should I try as the logical next step in ripe Pu’er? I was kind of thinking Yiwu Sheng Pu’er 50g Mini-Brick 2006? Or something that is bolder and more pronounced in taste than its cousins?
I’ll appreciate your advice. Thanks!

Garret

Just back from an amazing winter run…. seriously needed to blow off some steam as we are all working hard to get this new tea shop open in the new city! Gorgeous run… you ever have those runs where you just want to keep going? That was tonight…

If you are into the tuochas, you have been drinking the ripe style pu’er. I love the yiwu bricks (I brought them back during a trip in 2008)… there are only 3 or 4 left now – they are a green style pu’er. If you are going to head into the green style pu’er, I would suggest starting with a really accessible green pu’er like the 2008 silver buds cake we had pressed. You can always just try the one ounce option… great tea… can’t mess it up :) Sheng pu’er is quite a different animal from ripe tea. I love them both, but they are quite different from one another.

If you want to pursue more in the ripe tea category l like the mini-tuochas, there are many to try. The Phatty Cake is extremely popular for us. And today, I was drinking the Year of the DRagon cake I had pressed last year and am quite excited about where that tea is headed as it ages… I really recommend opting for one ounce options of several teas and seeing what grabs your fancy… and even if you stick with ripe tea, I can definitely recommend trying the silver buds cake from 2008. There are only 13 or so of the cakes left so try an ounce (or a cake) before they are gone.

And as always, let me know if I can help in any way. I’m happy to help… and not just because it’s my business :) Long may you run!

TeaRunner

Thanks a million, Garret! I could have emailed you @ Mandala, but figured more people might find this informative and helpful if they stumble upon your advice. I’ll do my homework over the weekend.
Congratulations on the New Tea Shop in the New City! Yey!That calls for a serious celebration with your best merchandise.

Where I am, I pronounced it officially the end of winter (despite 30 degrees and a howling wind – whatever…) and had trouble extricating myself from the car after a drive after a run. But that’s good pain, right? What’s more, I am profoundly salivating over Hoka Bondi…
Thanks again, talk to you soon. Happy trails/roads!

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81

It seemed like a weird combination of ingredients, but turned out to be a nice surprise. I can’t really taste any of the listed ingredients separately at all, but they combine nicely into a unique cup.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
yssah

following you :)

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95

Perfect herbal tea – full of amazing flavor, with intense red color. On re-steeping, new flavors open up.

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80
drank My Morning Mate by Teavana
5 tasting notes

I sampled a cup at a Teavana store and liked the chocolate/nut/spice combination very much. The flavors do not overwhelm. I requested my tea without milk or sugar so I could have a better picture and had to react quickly to prevent the guy from pouring it into a cup full of ice! Really nice, even after it cooled down so I guess some people might want to make iced tea out it. Note to self – get some of it so I can try if I like it brewed a little stronger.

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Bio

I rely on long, slow, solitary runs to remain sane. I run a decent mileage, but I don’t race.

I have always been a big fan of what Mike Harney describes as British Legacy Black Teas. I tend to use more leaf and steep longer than recommended. I like my tea to have a bite. The word “astringency” in a description of tea makes me want to buy it…

Location

Westchester, New York

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