1630 Tasting Notes
I"ve had the Epiphany Tea twice while playing Hogwarts Legacy. I boycotted the game for a while and failed. It does a better job with Hogwarts then the films did. JK Rowling is still blacklisted for me personally for all kinds of reasons, and I think that doing another adaption of Harry Potter so soon after a failed Fantastic Beasts franchise is a bad idea….I know there might be some that will disagree, yet there’s so many artistic issues that could come up. Are they going to reuse John William’s score, for starters? As for the tea, it’s helped with my headaches. The fruity combo with the pu-erh and the vanilla is really welcomed. I’m deeply regretting not adding this one and the throat tea to my last order.
I’m heading over to the 89% territory for the black/day version of the blend. I keep coming back to it. I hope I don’t regret not splurging on another serving of this one since I got two more mint teas in bulk from them….a Pu-Erh Peppermint Bark and a Matcha/White Tea Candycane tea that I hope are amazing, because this one was something that worked really well for me.
I’ve had this tea for well over a year and I still don’t know what I think about it. I’ve had it gong fu and western, and I think it’s too drying when I do it wrong. It’s rich and floral and stemmy for a black tea, heavy in the malt, chrysanthemum, and lychee departments. Of course it’s body is viscous and incredibly, but the chrysanthemum note throws me off and hedges on bitter. It’s more dehydrating compared to my other black teas, which is surprising because this one is described as a smoother tea overall by other reviewers on instagram and by the site. I contemplated sending a sample of this one to Derk and Leafhopper, yet it’s so finicky. I finally nailed down making it in my mug western for about 2-3 minutes, light on leaves no more than 3-4 grams.
Flavors: Chrysanthemum, Dried Fruit, Drying, Floral, Lychee, Malt, Plum, Tannin, Twigs
I’m really enjoying this one. It’s good hot or coldbrew in a thermo. I’m still looking at my stash and feeling overstuffed. I’ve got so many good black teas I’ve snubbed because I don’t want just malty teas. I’ve gone through my oolongs fine and almost too quickly, and I’ve actually gotten through my green teas fine too. White teas, I’ve been too slow on, and I’ve gone through moods where I prefer flavored stuff. I feel like a traitor sometimes, but then again, I won’t passup my green oolongs…which is why I’m running out.
This one does stand out because its a remarkable balance of flavors I really like. I ended up doing a massive order from Magic Hour for their limited holiday teas I didn’t get to try since they were on sale for memorial day. However, there were other teas I went over that I planned on ordering to restock. I got one of them, but didn’t get the Epiphany or the throat chakra one like I planned. And the holiday teas were an average between 3-5 oz EACH, so, they better be amazing. Otherwise, I’m a moron.
I got the combo to try it out in my last order. It was a fun set of blends that surprised me.
I’m not usually huge into mint blends, but I use them when my stomach is off or I have a headache. The last good one I had was the Bedouin Blend from Adhara, and there’s similar vibes in this one.
The lavender and jasmine actually sweeten these up and give the tea a denser body than a usual herbal. Both have the same vanilla mint profile that you get from those pastel colored mint white chocolate candies you get at Christmas or from a grandma. My girlfriend thought of buttermints when smelling them. Tasting them, the profile is the same as the smell, and a little bit richer.
I preferred the daytime tea a little bit more because the black tea thickened the body just enough to add a hint of malt, but it’s more butter mint floral combo instead of malty black. The nighttime one is a bit thinner, and is a little bit more satisfying as a coldbrew.
I feel boring in how I’m describing them, but I really like these blends. The candy profile got me going through half the daytime bag and it’s helped with cravings, so it’s a bonus. It felt atypical to me and combined things together that worked really well. It was not overly drying, and it was very refreshing and creamy for an herbal style tea.
Flavors: Butter, Candy, Fennel, Floral, Herbs, Jasmine, Lavender, Menthol, Mint, Vanilla, White Chocolate
Sending some derk and Leafhopper’s way. I hope both of you like this one! I finished a wopping 6-7 grams of it gong fu, and it was satisfying. It went back and forth between the quality nut like roast of chesnut, to greener cups of honey and lilac. My earlier review sums up my opinion and note pretty well. I’m happy I tried it, and happier that I’m sharing it. I’m not sure if I would have been able to finish 75 grams of it despite how much I like it. This tea is something you take your time with in spring on the weekend to fully appreciate it yet.
Got a sample, and I’m pretty pleased with it. I thought the Mango was a little bit more muted than I like compared to the peach, but the profile was balanced well with the Gayusa. I liked the Renewal a little bit more because of its rose, but this one can grow on me. I’ve mugged it western, and it’s super refreshing. I’ll finish it easy for sure even though I’m not ready to rate it. I think I like Momo a little bit more too in terms of price.
I’ll likely change my mind again. The leaves probably need more room to breath.
Flavors: Floral, Mango, Peach, Sweet
Backlog:
Of course I loved all the fruity ones.
Lychee Oolong-Obviously a favorite. Almost candylike, has some notes you get in a milk oolong at the base, though it’s clearly tie guanyin. Rebrewed it four times western at increments of 2 minutes and more. I kept coming back to it.
Lychee Black-just as good, if not better and more fruity. There’s a little bit of a cocoa malt note in first steep, but later steeps make it punchier like a natural coolaide.
Peach Oolong-exactly as expected and satisfying. It also had more of a milky texture and aroma surprisingly, edging more towards thick and creamy white peach. I really liked it.
I’d definitely get another box of the Lychee Teas and the Jasmine Black if it weren’t expensive. Definitely a step up above your usual teabag overall.
I got the Yuzu Cloud a few weeks ago, and now time to review. It’s got the same profile as the others, but with the expected citrus kick. It’s a little bit sweeter and more floral/citrusy making some parallels to Earl Grey, but the smoke and cocoa profile is more prominent than the actual citrus. It does work gong fu, but western with a little bit of cream really emphasizes the citrus. I liked it more than a few others, but it’s not as strong as Cocoa Smoke for me. I still think it’s a great tea. Derk, they’re all on their way!!!!
I thought this one was intended to be an oolong, but no, it’s a white tea for this month’s Wanderlust Collection. I was surprised there was no vanilla and expected a potpouiri vibe with all the flowers in it.
Trying it out, it actually nails a very balanced floral boquet in a clean glass of butterfly peaflower blue. Rose, red currant, bergamot, and lavender are the overall flavor with the chamomile base mending with the white base in a smooth clean body. The chrysantemum sweetens it, but thankfully, is not more dominant than the other florals. I kept coming back to it with just two teaspoons gong fu and tumbler style. Fortunately, I got a generous amount in my sample bag this time. It’s comparable to the Cancer blend and the Crown Chakra blend. This was actually what I wanted and hoped the crown blend to be like, so it’s a win.
It’s good coldbrew in a lazy tumbler style to. I could see myself finishing this one quickly. I still like Ravello a little bit more, but I also could grow more fond of this blue gem.
Flavors: Bergamot, Creamy, Floral, Fruity, Lavender, Red Currant, Rose, Sweet
Ahhh, I agree with you on JKR but am admittedly curious about the game. I boycotted Blizzard for a year… realized the mental health impact of losing a community space with friends was hurting me more than it would ever hurt them.
Anyway. Hm.