83

September 2019 harvest

The tea is so smooth. Too smooth for me, too smooth for western brews. But it’s strong! The profile and caffeine remind me of some Assam or Japanese black tea profiles. Dried cherries, tobacco and cherrywood are the most prominent flavors and they feel like they were sitting out in frosty evergreen forest air. It’s a cooling tea despite the warm flavor profile.

Check out the old note because I feel like so much of what I have to say is redundant. https://steepster.com/derk/posts/391280

Strange how I fell hard for a June 2018 harvest but this one has left me feeling ambivalent enough that I used most of it to make weekly pitchers of cold-brew for Kiki (which she loved and I never tasted). Looking at the wet leaf, I think this is more highly oxidized such that it presents as simpler and more straightforward.

93 for June 2018 harvest, 72 for September 2019, average 83

Flavors: Bitter, Butter, Cherry, Cherry Wood, Chocolate, Coconut, Dried Fruit, Evergreen, Fruity, Honey, Lemon, Lychee, Molasses, Orange, Prune, Raisins, Rosehips, Smooth, Tangy, Tannin, Tart, Tobacco

Evol Ving Ness

Wow. Funny how the harvest varies—greatly, in this case.

Leafhopper

I’m foggy about which years my two harvests of this tea were from, but I liked my previous sample more than the 50 g bag I bought during our big Black Friday purchase last year. I have a feeling that batch was from 2019, not 2020, though I could be wrong.

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Evol Ving Ness

Wow. Funny how the harvest varies—greatly, in this case.

Leafhopper

I’m foggy about which years my two harvests of this tea were from, but I liked my previous sample more than the 50 g bag I bought during our big Black Friday purchase last year. I have a feeling that batch was from 2019, not 2020, though I could be wrong.

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. And thus I step away.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile. Terpene fiend.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, Nepal and Darjeeling. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possess off flavors/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s pu’er, I likely think it needs more age.

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California, USA

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