I didn’t feel like doing a whole gong fu thing tonight, so I just did a few lazy western steeps – 5 grams, 8 oz of water, and 3 steeps ranging from 30-45 seconds each.

This tea smelled really interesting right after it was rinsed. I sensed a deep, earthy, sweet smell that reminded me – of all things – of toasted marshmallows. Thinking about it more closely, I suppose that was the nuttiness I was reacting to.

I didn’t get much mushroom flavour out of this, but it was nutty (walnut and almond skin, I think) and vaguely fruity. Smoky. A little astringent. I was sipping this while writing up the second draft of some website copy for a freelance client. Glad to have one smaller thing off my plate (and a small serving of tea in my cup!)

PS: Thanks, ubacat for sending this to me! Sharing a tea box with you has been so fun.

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Bio

Updated March 2016:

I’m a writer and editor who’s fallen in love with loose-leaf tea. I’ve also set up a site for tea reviews at http://www.booksandtea.ca – an excellent excuse to keep on buying and trying new blends. There will always be more to discover!

In the meantime, since joining Steepster in January 2014, I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on my likes and dislikes

Likes: Raw/Sheng pu’erh, sobacha, fruit flavours, masala chais, jasmine, mint, citrus, ginger, Ceylons, Chinese blacks, rooibos.

Dislikes (or at least generally disinclined towards): Hibiscus, rosehip, chamomile, licorice, lavender, really vegetal green teas, shu/ripe pu’erh.

Things I generally decide on a case-by-case basis: Oolong, white teas.

Still need to do my research on: matcha

I rarely score teas anymore, but if I do, here’s the system I follow:

100-85: A winner!
84-70: Pretty good. This is a nice, everyday kind of tea.
69-60: Decent, but not up to snuff.
59-50: Not great. Better treated as an experiment.
49-0: I didn’t like this, and I’m going to avoid it in the future. Blech.

Location

Toronto, ON, Canada

Website

http://www.booksandtea.ca

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