88

I’m running out of straight black (or unflavored black blends) to try! This is somewhat disturbing, because I thought that the majority of my tea collection was black unflavored tea and I can’t figure out whether the majority is oolong at this point or flavored black tea. I’m not motivated to count the teas in my cupboard. Too much to do today.

This one is really hitting the spot today. The smell coming out of the bag after cracking it open is chocolatey and tree-like. Chocolate covered tree?

The steeped tea has a baked goods, bready aroma that turns into a dark fruity one. I’m smelling blackberries here. The smokiness that keemuns often have here smells to me like toastiness instead. There’s a depth to the aroma that is pleasing, though it’s not what I’d call malty. The tea is clear, and lighter in color than I expected — a sort of amber, or light honey color.

The smoke comes out in the flavor, though it’s not overpowering and certainly not enough to be lapsang-like. It’s a smooth tea, medium-light bodied, and with a sweetness to the sip that is honey-like. It doesn’t taste winey to me; more like toasty bread with a hint of berry.

Very nice indeed. I’m glad to support a (sort of local) company like Silk Road.

Flavors: Blackberry, Bread, Chocolate, Honey, Toast

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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