SerendipiTea

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Recent Tasting Notes

83

So…I am really very much at odds with this tea. Not knowing a ton about darjeelings, I’m not sure how this measures up in terms of what you typically get from them, but I think that I could really like it. Here’s what’s got me scratching my head.

Steep one was VERY bitter. I followed what they said on their website, which said five minutes in boiling water, so maybe toning one of those aspects down could get rid of it, but at the same time, the bitterness…I don’t know. It kind of began to remind me of wine at one point, and that was likely because I could really taste the grape.

It took me a while to get used to what “grape” can mean when I got older. As a younger me, I used to devour white and red grapes brought home from the grocery store. We used to freeze them during the summer and suck on them. I sometimes ate grape-flavored candy, or have a grape-flavored soda, or, though this was far from appealing – grape-flavored medicine.

Now, grape means much more to me than that one-dimensional [well, two-dimensional if you count red vs. white] grape taste I knew then. I’ve had dolma, though that technically involves leaves, and I’ve grown to love wine, so this tea fits in with my newly acquired idea of what grapes can taste like. In fact, it kind of reminds me of the flavor profile that dolma can take on.

What this REALLY makes me think of is this spray that I got from Caudalie. It reminds me of it a LOT. It’s in the taste, it’s in the smell. And I don’t mind it, but it could be a turn-off point for some people.
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml;jsessionid=VBQGKJ50ET4RICV0KQNQIGQ?id=P6025&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=4171 – the spray is awesome, just as an aside. Super refreshing. Makes me face all tingly.

The thing that I found very intriguing about this is that it sweetens a lot in the aftertaste. You drink it, and I discovered that letting it sit for a little bit allowed it to settle so the aftertaste would be stronger, and it’s kind of intense but afterwards? Complex, and dare I say delicious? I was really digging it. It reminded me a lot of wine at that point.

In the second steep, the bitterness was almost gone. I stopped there because I got distracted or…maybe it was time for dinner or something. I’m not sure. But I ended it with cup two. I’m definitely going to make some time for this over the weekend so I can play around with it any more.

I’m glad that I soldiered through the bitterness to discover how enjoyable it ended up being because otherwise I would have surely sent Auggy a ‘BLECH BLECH BLECH BLECH BLEEEEEEEEEECH’ email for sending it to me. It makes me think of warheads – you sit there and suffer through the bitter sour taste, but that makes the sweetness at the end just that much better.

Changing some things around could completely get rid of it, but…I don’t know. The more that I think about it the more I kinda like it.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Auggy

Three things:
1 – I am addicted to Sephora. Love it.
2 – I love Caudalie (though not as much as Sephora).
and
3 – I think I normally do this tea about 3 – 3:30. Significantly less than they recommend but it brings out a lot of the muscatel/grape but not much bitter. So you might see how it goes with a lower time. Might be happier.

East Side Rob

I tend to be a five-minute steep guy with black teas, but I find the Darjeelings like shorter steeps, lest they get tannic on you. Try shortening the brew time to three. You might be suprised.

takgoti

I’m going to have to try this again tomorrow with a three minute steep. Given that what I liked out of this I REALLY liked, I’m getting that “I think this is gonna be good” feeling.

East Side Rob

…You might even be SURPRISED if Rob would check his spelling before he hit the “post comment” button.

takgoti

Hahaha, no worries. We’ve all done it. And comment editing is on the way!

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87
drank Colonille by SerendipiTea
260 tasting notes

The length of time between when I got this sample from Auggy and when I actually finished it [today] should be indicative of how spectacularly horrible I am about finishing my samples. It makes it harder to finish them when they’re good, because then I know I’ll need to go through the process of piecing together an order and I can’t really think of anything else from Serendipitea that I really want. Anyone have any suggestions to toss my way?

On the last cup of this, I was stuck with that conundrum so many of us often find ourselves in – I didn’t have enough to make two cups, but I had too much for one. Either I could use some of my smaller mugs and spread it out or dump it all in, shorten the steep time, and hope for the best.

I opted for the latter, since I was feeling impatient. The tea was going to be accompanying me through a programming assignment and I needed a quantity that could last me for a while.

The decision made for the best 3 cups of Colonille I got out of the sample, hands down.

I wish I’d paid closer attention to the actual quantity when I dumped it in there, but I’d say it was maybe…1.75 tsp-ish? I set the timer for 2:30, but got distracted and pulled it out a bit late.

No astringency, to the relief of my palate, just smooth, smooth, smooth, warm, vanilla goodness, darkened by whisps of cacao and blanketing my tongue. This tea doesn’t hammer you with sweetness [though I imagine that it would hold up to additives well – I think that Auggy can confirm validity on that estimation] but the flavor profile evokes it quite nicely, if that makes sense. What you’re left with is a lovely, comforting, rather mature cup of flavor.

This isn’t a refreshing tea for me, it’s a calming tea, and I find it best prepared as the dusk approaches and things are beginning to wind down. Three cups in, the flavor did not diminish much, which might have been due to the large amount of leaf I used, and I would have kept going if I didn’t feel the need to switch to something lower in caffeine. [Though, I suppose most of the damage had already been done by that point, caffeine-wise.] With this last experience, I’m going to have to give it a ratings bump. And start thinking seriously about putting an order together.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 45 sec
Auggy

Their Mango Magnus is pretty good though the mango really shows up best with milk… City Harvest Black is very similar to this one but with the addition of orchid which gives it a creamier, sweeter feel… their Burroughs’ Brew is my favorite coconut tea – like toasted coconut strips… You might like their Forever Spring oolong since Four Seasons reminded me of it but I never found the love in Forever Spring that I did (eventually) in Four Seasons… Oh, and Lili’uokalani is the worst ‘tropical’ tea I’ve ever tastes. It is peach. That is not tropical. And that’s all I can contribute to your potential order.

sophistre

I just got some stuff from them a little bit ago…I’ve just been remiss about adding tasting notes. I’ve been enjoying their Siam for caffeine-free, though.

teaplz

Buccaneer is also really good. As is Fiji. And I’ve been craving their Autumnal Darjeeling for some reasn.

Their Milk Oolong is also really good, and tastes sort of like Samovar’s Four Seasons.

Yeah, SerendipiTea is pretty awesome. And their shipping is really good!

takgoti

Thanks for all the recommendations, ladies! I’ve got an order forming in my head now. Though, can I just say: Oh my god their website has an obnoxious navigation scheme!

Auggy

Ugh, so much so! Their website is annoying and a half. Blah. But can’t wait to hear what you decide to order!

teaplz

Don’t need to order the Milk Oolong just yet… I’ll be sending you some of that in the upcoming weeks! Whee! I haven’t tried any of the teas Auggy recommended, but I’m sure they’re good.

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87
drank Colonille by SerendipiTea
260 tasting notes

I needed a break from brain work earlier today, so I decided to make some tea and beat up some people on Fat Princess. I got some chai cooking on the stove and brewed a cup of Colonille, sent to me by Auggy, to tide me over while I was waiting. And beating.

It could just be that I was distracted because I was too busy burninating on little cartoon people, but I couldn’t taste the chocolate that this is supposed to have in it. What I did taste was the vanilla. I’m going to have to try this alongside the Rooibos Bourbon Vanilla Carolyn traded me, because although one is rooibos and one is black, they remind me very much of one another.

What I can say about this is that it’s warm, inviting, and for me is equivalent to a tea hug. It’s something I want to revisit when I’ve got some place comfortable to sit with a blanket and a book. And maybe a fire. And maybe replace the book with a PS3 controller. And maybe whilst sitting there I’m destroying some cartoon lives on Fat Princess.

I’M SORRY! I’ve got asploding on the brain.

Seriously, though, going to need to drink this again when I can give it the attention it deserves. What I got out of it, though, I enjoyed.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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81
drank Cocoa Loco by SerendipiTea
4 tasting notes

Rooibos+vanilla+bits of chocolate=one great tea. A mug of this makes a great dessert, or pair it with some some cookies for an extra special treat. I like to add a little milk, but this tea has a creamy taste all on its own. You can really taste the vanilla and cocoa, but they don’t overwhelm the flavor of the rooibos.

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51

Ceylon just is not a favorite. This isn’t as good quality-wise as some that I’ve had but it’s okay. I probably like it more than the nicer one I had before since that one tasted of raspberries and I don’t like raspberries. This one is just kind of a general, not overly exciting Ceylon.

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75

This one is a bit dry, but very tasty in my opinion. You can taste the natural sweetness in the steam rising up from the cup. The color is deep golden…very pretty. It smells faintly of green tea but tastes nothing of it. I’m digging the slightly nutty flavor. I could drink this one all the time. I bet it would be tasty iced too. Yea Darjeeling!

I’m glad Auggy sent me a full sample tin!

Auggy

Yay! Glad you like it!

Cofftea

I gotta get in the mood for this one. Maybe tomorrow to take a break from greens- don’t want to get sick of them!

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28
drank Lili'uokalani by SerendipiTea
911 tasting notes

Holy monkeys. My first sip and the fruit just smacks me upside the head. Which is really mean first thing in the morning, especially when I’m in such a not-happy mood. I think if I were in a better mood, I might have enjoyed the overpowering fruit aspect of this (though maybe not), but as it is, I just wanted to dig through the liquid to find actual tea. I think there was some tea taste at the end but it could just be the result of my taste buds being beaten into submission.

I wasn’t sure what fruits exactly were included while I was drinking it and if pushed to guess, would have gone with peach (which is in it). Which is so incredibly NOT what I think of when I see a name like Lili’uokalani. Peach is not a tropic fruit.

The only flavored tea from SerendipiTea that has disappointing.

takgoti

If that word is pronounced how I am pronouncing it it’s really fun to say. Shame about the smacking, though.

Auggy

You would think that being named after the last queen of Hawaii, the tea would be a little more noble and well, tropical than tarted up like a cheap, peach-flavored hooker. But alas, no. I don’t think the queen would have smacked me, but the street walker totally did.

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75
drank Buccaneer by SerendipiTea
6 tasting notes

Steeped for about 3 min. Very nice coconut and vanilla flavors. Didn’t really taste a chocolate flavor, but very yummy.

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75
drank Colonille by SerendipiTea
45 tasting notes

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75
drank Colonille by SerendipiTea
45 tasting notes

Found this at a local farmers market, never heard of the company. Really good! Nice find on my part!

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75

I drink this all year, often cold-brewed. Great taste survives multiple infusions.

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75
drank Once Upon A Tea by SerendipiTea
24 tasting notes

Lovely non-caffeinated dessert tea.

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75

Love this tea….but I thought it was a GoldenMoon tea? Are these the same things?

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75
drank Gen Mai Cha by SerendipiTea
2 tasting notes

This is my go-to green tea. Perfect for the early morning tea, or an afternoon/evening drink.

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75

A lovely Chai, which is a staple in my tea cabinet…. I’m having it plain now, but it is great with sugar and milk, and iced as well.

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66

Trying this out with my new gaiwan. Flavor still doesn’t have the depth I was hoping for but it is concentrated enough that I can taste something very much pineapple-y.
Gotta add, as it cooled a bit, it became quite enjoyable. By far the best cup of this I’ve had.

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66

Used more leaf to see if I could make this tea rise above mediocre. The flavor now has more depth. I still don’t taste pineapple notes, but there is a sweet, almost citrus-y flavor to it that layers on top of the normal green oolong flavor. Could still be improved but is nicely drinkable.

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75
drank Gen Mai Cha by SerendipiTea
15 tasting notes

Love the size of the leaves and presentation of rice. Good and roasty. Second infusion just about as lovely as the first. Would be fantastic with some sushi…if only my local sushi joint served this tea and not the bagged stuff!!!

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90

I’ve posted about this tea before, but it was at the beginning of my fascination with loose leaf. Sadly, a lot of teas that I loved at the beginning of my introduction to loose leaf have suffered as I delved more into the fancy-schmancy teas. Just as bagged tea used to be fine in my cup, so did almost any flavored tea. Now? It’s a different story.

Thankfully, this tea is one that holds up well. It’s a different drinking experience now compared to two years ago, though. When I first had this, I pretty much put sugar and milk in with any flavored black tea. Now that I no longer have to fill a travel mug and deal with a morning commute, though, it’s a rare day that I put in any additives. With sugar and milk, this was a creamy, sweet, dessert-like coconut concoction. Let me tell ya, it was pretty good.

But straight? Well, I think I might enjoy it more. The coconut flavor is more honest-to-goodness coconut instead of dessert coconut. There’s even a slightly musky under note that makes me think of fresh coconut. The tea taste isn’t overly strong – the coconut is definitely the star – but it’s not like it is hiding. Just like it acknowledges that the reason it exists is to give the coconut a place to shine. Mild with a little prickle of dryness (but not to the point of calling it astringency) the tea gives a good, faintly woodsy backdrop to the honest coconut flavor.

Coconut always makes me think tropical thoughts. Slightly different coconuts (sweet, musky, dry, toasted) all give me slightly different tropical thoughts. This one has evolved from toasted coconut on the road to Hana in Maui (when it is sweetened and creamed) to sitting on the mostly empty Kailua beach, feeling the silky sand under my hands and quietly watching a little puff of cloud go by in a bright blue sky.

Carolyn

My tastes have also evolved. I find flavored teas almost all too strongly-flavored for my tastes, especially when comparing it to a good cup of Dragon Ball black tea with a bit of unsweetened creamer or a straight up green or puerh. Perhaps flavored teas are teas with training wheels?

Auggy

I would totally agree with that. It seems most “normal” flavored teas are rather harsh and overwhelming to me now but they did make a good gateway drug, leading me to the super flavorful unflavored teas and to the more delicate flavored teas. So I suppose they get credit for that!

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84

I’m so bummed. This was my last bit of this tea in my stash and I had to pitch it because it was gritty/grainy that seeped thru my strainer thingie

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84

Tremendously strong but just what I needed for a Monday Morning!

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84

This is REALLY Strong today – but it’s still good!

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84

Must have oversteeped today because it’s extremely dark and bold in taste but it’s still good if you like the bolder side of tea which I do

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84

A Great Way to Start the Day!

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