drank Guria Likhauri by Dobra Cajovna
3393 tasting notes

I had nightmares last night. I had a really, really bad morning. And I hurt my back and it has been getting steadily worse all day. Also, it has been raining for two days and it isn’t supposed to stop soon and I really, really need sunlight. It was just an all around bad day. Did I say bad day yet?

Until shortly after lunch.

The mail was delivered. And there was an unexpected envelope from overseas. The Czech Republic to be precise! It was tea and a postcard and a letter from Martin! Steepsterites to the rescue! Even though it was still raining outside, the sun came out in my kitchen! The teas were this one, two from Bird and Blend which is a company I have never tried before, and another called Kali Laska.

Well, it is New Year’s Eve so of course I am going to try Martin’s favorite black tea, Guria Likhauri! This will be my NYE celebration! Cuz I am wild like that.

Youngest gave me some Champignon cheese for Christmas – a delicious soft cheese with mushrooms, so I made a plate of that, crackers, Hickory Farms turkey summer sausage for Sam the King of Dogs, mozzarella which was pretty bland and hardly worth mentioning, and some Bon Maman cherry preserves to try to make the mozzarella interesting.

I measured the leaves and determined that there was enough here to make a small pot.

But oh those leaves! I rarely see black tea leaves that look like this. They are thick and twisted, sinewy, and so shiny – really glossy black and beautiful. They exude character – the life of the tea bush is almost palpable. I think I had a tea from Old Ways Tea that looked like this. Just looking at leaves like this makes me feel awestruck with the miracle of tea and the beauty of nature.

The aroma was complex and layered with a deep woodiness and fresh, sharp grapes, like muscatel. The muscatel aspect was like the scent in darjeeling but not as sharp and high as darjeeling. As I start to sip I inhale and the aroma floods my senses before I even get any tea and it is fruit – stewed, rich, dark. Stone fruit?

There is no bitterness and no astringency, and I can see why Martin says he drinks this grandpa style. You surely could. It’s that smooth. While the tea sits in your mouth, I would say it has medium body with a touch of creaminess or oiliness like the texture of some ripe puerh. After you swallow, woody notes linger. And something else….minerals! Definitely minerals.

My husband sips and says, “This is fruity.” Normally he says, “This is hot and has tea-like qualities” when I ask if he likes a tea, so the fact that he pointed out a specific impression from the tea means it made him take notice. (Maybe he can take review lessons from Kiki!) He drank A LOT of it.

There is no way I am wasting any of this, so I steeped it again. We finished our cheese and I am now sitting alone drinking the third steep as I type and while it is lighter than the first steep, it still has way more interest and flavor than many teas have on their first steep.

And wow, as it cools, it has different notes. Some teas get so astringent as they cool that you really have to reheat the cup to finish it, but not this one. The minerality is increased, the muscatel has decreased, and the stewed fruit – plums with a pinch of brown sugar maybe? – is still present but light. Mostly minerals and woody flavor here at the end.

Still good and I still want more, so fourth steep here we come. Paler now, minerals and a more noticeable sweetness. Well, that was unexpected. Almost like a licorice root sweetness so I guess this may be what they call hui gan? Was it there before and I missed it?

A delightful tea, and I see why it is Martin’s favorite.

Many thanks, Martin. It made my day.

Many thanks to the Steepster community for being who you are. May 2021 be blessed and filled with hope, joy, peace, fellowship, and good tea!

Courtney

All the best for 2021 and beyond, and I’m so glad your day turned around! :)

DrowningMySorrows

Hurray for tea and cheese saving a rotten day!

Martin Bednář

All the best for 2021 and I am super happy it has been delivered still “in time”! Your tasting note did same trick with my mood as the tea-mail :) I am glad I have measured enough even for sharing, and sharing is caring right?

I really need more of this tea. It is that great. And quite cheap one. I would love to visit Georgia (the country, of course) one day.

I am happy that I made you happy :)

ashmanra

Oh, Martin, the stamp was so pretty, too! And on Thursday afternoons I teach a family of young ladies and one of them does the most adorable whimsical art and she often uses postage stamps to add a collage effect. I was able to get the stamp off the envelope undamaged and give it to her to use. She likes it very much.

My Christmas gift from her was an illustration of Flavia de Luce, a character in some of my favorite novels. If I see the stamp pop up in any of her art work I will try to send you a photo!

White Antlers

Happy New year ashmanra. I hope this finds you feeling better in body and mind. <3

ashmanra

Thank you, White Antlers! May this year be awesome for you!

Martin Bednář

Ashmanra: I am happy that you liked the stamp too, and I am grateful that it comes to use and not only for postage! I really liked it too, quite unusual in my opinion.

mrmopar

Happy New Year to you too and all the people on here. Hoping 2021 will be a better year for all.

White Antlers

mrmopar A very happy New Year to you! I hope the welcome and kindness you showed me years ago when I was new on Steepster comes back to you this year a thousand times over.

mrmopar

@White Antlers, you too. You are a great friend and I am glad we met here. Your kindness brings joy on here everyday as well.

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Comments

Courtney

All the best for 2021 and beyond, and I’m so glad your day turned around! :)

DrowningMySorrows

Hurray for tea and cheese saving a rotten day!

Martin Bednář

All the best for 2021 and I am super happy it has been delivered still “in time”! Your tasting note did same trick with my mood as the tea-mail :) I am glad I have measured enough even for sharing, and sharing is caring right?

I really need more of this tea. It is that great. And quite cheap one. I would love to visit Georgia (the country, of course) one day.

I am happy that I made you happy :)

ashmanra

Oh, Martin, the stamp was so pretty, too! And on Thursday afternoons I teach a family of young ladies and one of them does the most adorable whimsical art and she often uses postage stamps to add a collage effect. I was able to get the stamp off the envelope undamaged and give it to her to use. She likes it very much.

My Christmas gift from her was an illustration of Flavia de Luce, a character in some of my favorite novels. If I see the stamp pop up in any of her art work I will try to send you a photo!

White Antlers

Happy New year ashmanra. I hope this finds you feeling better in body and mind. <3

ashmanra

Thank you, White Antlers! May this year be awesome for you!

Martin Bednář

Ashmanra: I am happy that you liked the stamp too, and I am grateful that it comes to use and not only for postage! I really liked it too, quite unusual in my opinion.

mrmopar

Happy New Year to you too and all the people on here. Hoping 2021 will be a better year for all.

White Antlers

mrmopar A very happy New Year to you! I hope the welcome and kindness you showed me years ago when I was new on Steepster comes back to you this year a thousand times over.

mrmopar

@White Antlers, you too. You are a great friend and I am glad we met here. Your kindness brings joy on here everyday as well.

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Bio

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about fifteen years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs.

We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey.

My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

Location

North Carolina

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