1541 Tasting Notes

drank Da Hong Pao 大紅袍 by T Shop
1541 tasting notes

No notes yet. Add one?

Flavors: Bark, Earthy, Forest Floor, Orchid, Peach, Roasted, Smooth, Wet Rocks

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88

Much tamer than the Nepal Jun Chiyabari Himalayan Shiiba I had from another vendor several years ago. Lots to discover here. Magnolia nose. Within the soft texture is a mid-toned tropical jackfruit taste and a cool, quartz-like mineral element. Complex fruity aftertaste morphs with each steep, bringing out notes of peach, pineapple, banana, plumeria, lemon, cream, ginger, passionfruit and grapes.

This harvest reminds me of Nilgiri high mountain black teas. I think it has to do with how the density of flavors are expressed within the texture. Like those teas, the character of Himalayan Shiiba really shines in glass teaware.

Thank you Martin for another generous sample of Nepal Jun Chiyabari tea!

Flavors: Banana, Bread Dough, Caramel, Cream, Floral, Ginger, Hazelnut, Honey, Juicy, Lemon, Magnolia, Milky, Mineral, Passion Fruit, Peach, Pineapple, Plumeria, Silky, Soft, Spinach, Tangy, Tropical Fruit, Umami, Vanilla, Vegetal, White Grapes

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 0 min, 30 sec 5 g 5 OZ / 150 ML
Martin Bednář

My brother who had it once or twice said it is indeed a fruity tea. He was so puzzled when I said him it is plain tea :)
Definitely very fruity and mellow and I am actually considering getting another pouch once available.

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90

2nd flush, June 2022

Classy and elegant yet strong and rich with a dense aroma. Big hands with scratchy palms, firm squeeze, soft touch. Teak and tobacco, malt and prune. Such a classic black tea.

Assam teas don’t often find their way into my cupboard, usually because they’re too abrasive and without much nuance. This one, on the other hand, I’d be happy to buy again when the Assam itch needs scratched.

Flavors: Astringent, Balanced, Berries, Black Pepper, Blackberry, Cherry, Chocolate, Coconut Husk, Cream, Dark Wood, Dried Fruit, Fruity, Gooseberry, Green Bell Peppers, Leather, Malt, Malty, Mineral, Molasses, Oregano, Pine, Prune, Red Wine, Rich, Smooth, Soft, Tangy, Tea, Tobacco, Tomato, Woody

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 10 OZ / 300 ML
gmathis

Do those big hands do chair massages on shoulders that haven’t done manual labor all winter? ;)

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70

This came from a Twinings herbal sampler box that somebody left on the counter next to the water dispenser. It’s newer but called Bedtime Blend. Did Twinings switcheroo the names again?

I don’t know that I could tell the difference between this and Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime.

Flavors: Chamomile, Herbal, Lemongrass, Meadow, Spearmint, Sweet, Tangy

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 8 OZ / 236 ML

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40
drank Pomegranate & Raspberry by Twinings
1541 tasting notes

Smells like red jello and vitamins, tastes sweet-tart. This one’s too sharp for me. The pomegranate flavor is pretty spot on, though. I like Twinings Holiday Berry better. It has more of a darker red fruits flavor. I also seem to be in the minority for not liking this tea.

Flavors: Acidic, Artificial, Bright, Floral, Pomegranate, Red Fruits, Rosehips, Sweet, Tart

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 8 OZ / 236 ML

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58
drank Holiday Berry by Twinings
1541 tasting notes

Tastes like strawberry jello liquid with a little something extra. Not too sour. Strong aroma. I’m not particularly fond of these kind of hibiscus-based strawberry jello liquid teas but for those that like this “red fruit” flavor profile, I do recommend. Hehe.

Flavors: Acidic, Artificial, Berries, Fruity, Jam, Pleasantly Sour, Red Fruits, Sweet, Syrupy

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 8 OZ / 236 ML

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30
drank Orange & Cinnamon Spice by Twinings
1541 tasting notes

Dreadfully watery and flat.

Flavors: Bright, Cinnamon, Flat, Medicinal, Orange Zest, Rooibos, Watery

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more 6 OZ / 177 ML

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88

I was editing my review for this tea to add a few tasting notes. While I had the pop-up window open, I accidentally swiped right or left on my touchpad and that deleted any history of my review. Except I can see that a “review”# still exists in the admin site but the accompanying “note”# is gone. I wonder what is the difference between a “review” and a “note” in Steepster’s programming.

So to anybody who swears they’ve reviewed a tea but “Steepster ate the note”, this might be how it happened.

Boo >:<

Flavors: Almond, Astringent, Beer, Broth, Brown Sugar, Brown Toast, Camphor, Caramel, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Citrusy, Cocoa, Geranium, Grapefruit, Honey, Juicy, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Malt, Malty, Oak, Oily, Peanut, Rose, Rye, Salty, Soft, Tannin, Tea, Vanilla, Wood

Martin Bednář

Okay, this is the least expected explanation I read about Steepster eating notes.
Ecactly as you said…. _"what is the difference between a ‘review’ and a ’note’"? We will never find out I am afraid!

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71

Looks like the ingredients for this have changed since I last had it. It now contains ginger rhizome, ginger rhizome essential oil granules, moringa leaf, turmeric rhizome, caraway fruit, cinnamon bark, ginger extract. That’s a big difference compared to the old formula with ginger rhizome, blackberry leaf, stevia leaf and lemon myrtle leaf.

I like it better now but I like turmeric. That’s about all I taste — ginger and turmeric, none of the other stuff. It’s spicy and rooty but not overwhelmingly so. Thin. Came in handy this past week at work when I felt like hot garbage.

Flavors: Ginger, Roots, Spicy, Thin, Turmeric

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drank Laoshan Huai Mi Hua by Verdant Tea
1541 tasting notes

Pagoda Tree flower buds. Very interesting! The brew smells savory like marinated then grilled skirt steak and a dash of cocoa with soft cinnamon? The tea is a golden color, sweet and thick and creamy with some background complementary astringency. Very floral perfumey and nectarous — they are flower buds after all. Nutty like sesame-honey candies. Then a flash of that cola flavor. It feels very warm going in but then this most excellent cooling feeling emerges and lingers long with the perfume and natural nutty sweetness.

I never prepare Verdant’s teas according to their parameters because they’re so generic but this time I did. 5g to 8oz, 175F for 20s. This turned out very well in a glass mug with glass infuser. Steeping the second cup now for 30s.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Cocoa, Cola, Cooling, Creamy, Floral, Honey, Nectar, Nutty, Perfume, Sesame, Sweet, Thick

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 5 g 8 OZ / 236 ML
derk

5g of flower buds is a lot. Made 3 cups last night and still going this morning. I will switch up the brewing parameters to see how little material I can use to make a brew that tastes as good as this first attempt. It tastes so much like something that I can’t quite figure out. Honey-nut-cinnamon-cocoa-floral something.

ashmanra

Interesting! I need to look up pagoda tree. I had not heard of it.

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Bio

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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Location

California, USA

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