Cornelia Bean

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Recent Tasting Notes

63

Sipdown (303)

Going into 2021 with one less puerh in my stash and I feel good about that. Alas, it’s a decent puerh so this was probably the least stressful to drink. The key with this one is the mint is the strongest flavor, rather than the base. However, I don’t get much more beyond mint and the dense puerh mouthfeel so personally I’d rather have a mint tea on a different base if that’s the flavor I was looking for. Nevertheless, thank you Roswell Strange for introducing me to a decent puerh.

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63

Thank you Roswell Strange for sharing this with me. It was randomly selected for today’s #septembersipdown and I’m honestly so grateful it was a flavoured puerh and not a straight one. Gotta ease my way in.

This actually isn’t bad as far as puerh teas go. That’s due in large part to the mint which covers up the muddy/mushroom/umami qualities of puerh that I don’t really like. I don’t get much in the way of lime or rum if I’m being honest. Mostly this is a mint tea that coats your mouth like puerhs do with that thick/dense mouthfeel.

Oh wait…I take that back…some lime and rum are coming through in the tailend of the sip.

So, as far as puerhs go, this is great. As far as teas go, this is meh. I’d probably just have a mint tea on a different base instead of this. As such, I won’t be seeking it out again but I’m also not looking to toss the rest of the sample. So thanks again Roswell Strange for finding me a tolerable puerh :)

Roswell Strange

Tolerable is a success, in my books ;)

amandastory516

There are a few Cornelia Bean blends that I’m quite interested in (including this one), but I’m not sure the $25 shipping to the US is worth it.

VariaTEA

@Roswell Strange haha just such a low bar and yet so few puerhs reach it

@amandastory516 the last time I ordered from Cornelia Bean was years ago and if I am being honest, none of the teas really stand out to me. I don’t even remember what I got. The ones I had recently were samples from Roswell Strange so she might have better insight into whether the shipping is worth it.

Roswell Strange

I probably wouldn’t pay the shipping – all my Cornelia blends I bought at the store in person, on vacation. Though, I do really like the three pu’erhs I bought (this, Pistachio, and Anise). Those I will be very sad about when I finish them off.

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78
drank Pistachio Pu'erh by Cornelia Bean
15006 tasting notes

ther has got to be a puerh out there that some companies generically use for their flavoured puerh. If not, then i dunno what’s up. this one was from a few days ago and i remember thinking that the base tasted similar to other flavoured puerh i’ve had from a few companies. Still though, it was enjoyable and did have that pistachio flavour going on. thanks for the share VariaTEA!

VariaTEA

This is the first pu’erh I had in a while it was still to pu’erh-y for me. Roswell Strange loaded me up with this and so many others though so when I get brave, I try them.

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50
drank S'mores Fruit by Cornelia Bean
6444 tasting notes

Sipdown (287)

Thank you Roswell Strange for sharing but this is a nope for me. I made s’mores cookies and those have an awesome s’mores flavor. This tea, has something that is touching on s’mores, but then a mix of fruit that seems out of place and distracting.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_3WQvfAAE_/

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drank Pistachio Pu'erh by Cornelia Bean
6444 tasting notes

Sipdown (293)

I don’t know if Roswell Strange was trying to broaden my horizons or torture me or a bit of both but back in December when she gave me a bunch of teas, she gave me a bunch of puerhs. As many of you know, me and puerh are not friends but also if someone shares something with me, I feel compelled to try it. So to ease myself in, I went for a flavoured puerh.

This definitely has a great pistachio flavor. It’s clear and distinct but doesn’t overpower the puerh base, as much as I wish it would. The base smells earthier/muddier than it tastes, which is nice but it definitely still has those qualities. Per Roswell Strange’s recommendation, I added a shitton of milk.

There is something cookie-like about this with the milk. The pistachio comes through and so does the puerh, though not as strongly. With that said, I don’t know where it’s coming from but I’m also getting something that is sort of like rubber/latex – kinda like the flavor you get in your mouth after blowing a bunch of balloons. Also as I continue to drink, the smell of dirt that puerh has fills my nose and it’s just not my thing.

Thank you Roswell Strange for sharing! While this was better than puerhs I’ve had in the past, I’m just not quite at the point in my tea journey where I enjoy puerh tea. Who knows if I ever will be…

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67

I was excited to try a Sea Buckthorn tea as I recently drank a bunch of Sea Buckthorn in Russia, but this one is a bit underwhelming. The Sea Buckthorn taste could be stronger.

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90
drank Keep Well by Cornelia Bean
13 tasting notes

One of my favourite teas at Cornelia Bean.

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73

Sipdown (1422)!

A forgotten mug that ended up being consumed when it was super cold. However, it was really delightful that way – like drinking blueberry juice with a pop of tangy hibiscus and a bit of black currant. Really flavourful and juicy.

Not a favourite tea, but this was always very consistent and reliable as a nice fruity berry rooibos. I would probably repurchase if I was back in Winnipeg and had it more accessible, but it’s not a tea I’d go out of my way to restock.

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73

Sipping this one currently – it’ll be my last tea before bed today.

It’s super saturated and syrupy with deep notes of sweet blueberry and black currant. Because of the slightly more medicinal natural undertones of the currant, the mineral and woody notes of the red rooibos tea base feel a little more exaggerated and I could see this being off putting to some people. However, I don’t mind that hint of something more medicinal because I feel like it offsets these super juicy and thick berry notes.

I only have one more cup of this tea left so I’ll definitely be getting a sipdown this month.

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73

Cold Brew!

So, yesterday was the Super Bowl – I don’t really sport, at all, and I definitely didn’t watch the game. I figured, though, that this tea inspired by Winnipeg’s football team “The Blue Bombers” was about as close of an homage to the Super Bowl as I was gonna get – so that’s what I sipped on in the evening.

In my head I remembered this having a denser blueberry flavour, and this is true but there’s also a pretty strong black currant flavour that I seem to have forgotten about. It’s pretty coating and sticky on the palate, and I like that it’s not overly sweet and still has a plucky tartness about it. It was the unoffensive, fruity rooibos that I didn’t know I needed to make it through the evening – but I dug it!

I probably wont be sad when I finish this off (it’s not super unique) but I have no criticisms right now either.

Cameron B.

I watched the Puppy Bowl with the pugs, hah.

Roswell Strange

That sounds much better, tbh.

Cameron B.

It’s so ridiculous and over-the-top but still cute because puppies!

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73

Last tea of the night from yesterday – just some simple fruity goodness, plenty of currant and blueberry. Very comforting, well balanced mix of berries and honeyed woody rooibos excellence!

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73

Brewed hot and then forgotten about, then remembered and consumed cold.

Not bad; has a tartness from the hibby and a bit of a medicinal currant undertone that isn’t the most pleasant combo; could be from sitting untouched for so long in the evening though. Also age, possibly.

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73

Hot Cuppa.

Very, very blueberry – which is great. However, also notes of florals (lavender, mostly) and black currant with this overarching “wildberry” sort of quality. It’s a little bit tart, but pleasantly so. Rides the line between tasty, juicy currant notes and more medicinal currant very finely though.

I want this in some sort of alcoholic cider format type thing.

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73

Finally trying the last of the Cornelia Bean blends that I got last year…

This one is, I believe, inspired by the Winnipeg Jets. I don’t really sport at all, but I’m smart enough to know that’s a hockey team who’s team colour is blue. So, ergo, you have a blueberry/black currant blend with lots of cornflower – visually a huge pop of blue. I don’t really care about the hockey stuff though; what I do care about is the fact that this tea smells like buttery, cream blueberry pancakes!

Steeped up, it’s quite nice but not really pancake like at all. The biggest reason for that, I think, is the hibiscus – it’s not awful or overpowering but definitely gives the sweet blueberry/currant blend a tartness that cuts right through the sweetness. So, basically, it’s this GIANT wave of very natural, juicy blueberry followed up with the hibiscus. The currant is more like an undertone underneath the hibiscus. It treads a little bit into that bad medicinal currant zone but mostly avoids it. I did have a few sips where I thought that medicinal quality was a bit stronger, though.

At its peak when it’s REALLY hot, imo. As it cooled, I thought it got a little funky.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk8mm1Qmt-Y

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75

Had this one yesterday while working out episode outlines for the podcast I’m working on; I drank a lot of tea while working on outlines because it helped keep me focused on the project. It’s been a while since I last had this one but I really enjoyed it! It was so thick and rich, with deeply nutty and SUPER creamy pistachio notes and smooth earthy pu’erh. What I enjoyed most about it was how distinctly nutty/pistachio tasting it was without tasting sweet either.

Soooo good!

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75

Morning cuppa.

Very, very thick and creamy mouthfeel with a rich but not sweet pistachio flavour. I think it’s really important to make that distinction that even though the pistachio was a strong flavour it wasn’t a sweet one; if anything it was more salty and the entire cup leaned very much towards the umami side of the taste spectrum. Also a bit of a “meatiness” to the earthy pu’erh base tea. Very full bodied though and a good tea to sort of start the day with – very ‘bold’/present.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41CchibIF74&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=2&t=0s

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75

I was craving something nutty, and this certainly hits the spot. It’s just got such crazy full bodied and well fleshed out pistachio notes it’s almost even a little bit too nutty. It’s also creamy, and has just a slight bit of saltiness to the point where it just kind of feels like I’m drinking the equivalent of yummy, natural lightly salted pistachios. Of course earthy undertones from the pu’erh as well – it’s very hard to drink a flavoured pu’erh and lose the base flavour: it’s so distinct.

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75

Made this one up as a latte today!

I was going to just do a regular hot tea for my first tasting, but it was a pretty crazy day so I figured I’d treat myself and go for the ‘upgrade’. I took extra time to make it look super pretty too; I only got to make the one tea at work today so it felt good going all out with it.

Flavour wise this was pretty nice! It wasn’t overly sweet, and I think I actually would have liked a little extra sweetness – adding a pinch of vanilla would probably do the trick! However, the pistachio came through quite nicely/clearly and was a very well rounded nutty flavour! Obviously the milk made it creamier; though pistachio is a pretty creamy nut in the first place. Strong earthy undertones from the base, but not as strong as I would have imagined. Not without room for improvement, but I definitely liked this one overall! Cornelia Bean seems to really excel in the flavoured pu’erh debartment!

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84

Cold Brew Sipdown (637)!

A little torn about this sipdown because everyone loves a good watermelon tea, and that feels like a flavour that is definitely a cupboard staple for me. However, I do have other watermelon teas on hand right now. Plus, we’re coming out of summer and I think that just makes it the right time to say goodbye to this blend. I’m sure I can get it or something similar to it again next summer.

As for this brew specifically? Definitely way less apple heavy than the hot cup of it that I just recently had; this was more of a watermelon jolly rancher flavour crossed with watermelon juice (the kind you buy from the store, not the actual juices of a watermelon). It’s sweet and just a little tangy – a great summer treat!

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84

Hot cuppa.

I’m close to a sipdown with this one, so made some hot cuppas for myself, my sister, and my mom which left just enough tea leaf for a cold brew. Tasting note to come on that cold brew later. For now lets focus on the hot cups. I let mine steep for a really long time, so it got really rich and potent. Problem is that there’s a lot of apple in this blend. I don’t know; not really a problem I guess, but definitely a BIG contributing factor to the taste of this tea. It gets a little like a sweet cider, but with a note of equally sweet watermelon. So, like a watermelon cider.

I love it; but it’s also weird. So, this is a little bit better iced just because it feels more normal…

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84

Cold Brew!

This was a lovely cold brew; very refreshing/hydrating with a cooling watermelon note overall. Apart from that delicious watermelon flavour this was a little bit one note as a brew, but I pieced together an AWESOME food pairing for this one and that really elevated the experience/made it bloody brilliant.

Essentially it was my cold brew, but with a dish of Blueberry Basil gelato paired up with it and some freshly sliced honeydew. So, there were multiple layers of melon and just an extra boost of refreshing/cooling from the gelato. Plus, I find when you pair something herbaceous (basil) and fruit it always makes the fruit pop. Which was definitely the case here!

Yum yum.

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhuxRjLHSjW/?taken-by=ros_strange

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84

Iced, from earlier in the week.

I think I slightly underleafed because this was a little more watery than the last time I drank it but it was still very delicious! Definitely more watermelon candy than actual watermelon, with some interesting apple and bubble gum sort of undertones going on? The bubble gum sounds weird as a tasting note in this blend, but it’s certainly not the first time I’ve experienced bubble gum as a flavour when it comes to melon blends and I doubt it’ll be the last. I agree with my first impression – this one channels some serious DT Luscious Watermelon vibes as a whole.

It’s really, really good though.

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84

Hot cuppa.

Reminds me a lot of DAVIDsTEA’s Luscious Watermelon which makes sense, there’s a lot of ingredient overlap. I liked all of the melon teas DT did this summer, and I understand that doing Luscious Watermelon on top of all of them would have been excessive but I was a little sad when it didn’t make a return. Nice to know I have something very similar to fall back on, though!

This is a little milder in flavour in my opinion with some more obvious apple and strawberry notes in addition to the mellow but I’ll take the trade off ‘cause it actually makes for a brew that’s a little less candy sweet and bubblegum-like. It’d make a pretty stellar iced tea or cold brew, as well.

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74

Sipdown (713)!

Finished this one off iced over the course of the week. It’s really gotten strange with age; still drinkable but has a more pronounced apple note to it and the pineapple feels a bit funky/waxy – like the bulk dried pineapple you’d get at Costco. Meh.

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