1403 Tasting Notes
Slowly settling back into life here after a brief time away overindulging in music and food, both glorious. Both were good for my soul. The food choices were likely not particularly good for my health, but damn, my spirit sang.
And now, reality again. And tea. Thankfully, tea is a constant, either here or there.
Reached into my box from Daylon for another mystery sample.
A lovely lilt of floral as the water hits the leaves. Jasmine, smells like jasmine. The leaves initially appear to be a bit broken, but as they begin to unfurl, they are small and relatively slender, still attached to their stems and stalks.
The taste is honeyed jasmine and green and a bit of earth and a bit of astringency at the tail end of the sip. Lovely, and not all that different from restaurant jasmine green.
As the tea cools a bit, the body of the tea becomes heavier, a bit more grounded, as opposed to the initial heady floral notes.
I will update as I move through this cup onto the following steeps.
The second steep is creamy, but floral flavour is fading.
The third steep—the leaves are done.
Thank you, Daylon R. Thomas, for the sample.
Flavors: Astringent, Green, Honey, Jasmine
Preparation
I am pleasantly surprised with trying this one for the first time today. I’ve gotten into the habit of under leafing DTs, under a perfect DT teaspoon, to prevent the imitation flavour peek-a-boo and doing that is a winner with this one. The first and second steeps gave up a lovely mellow lemon and vanilla custard cup two three and four with oolong supporting it all. A good afternoon pleasure.
Flavors: Custard, Lemon Zest, Vanilla
Preparation
OMG — it hurts my spirit that this doesn’t exist any more. If you ever want to do a trade, I’d love to try this.
I’m so annoyed they didn’t keep this around for longer.
Super Starling, sadly, given that DTs had been doing the hyper-sweet imitation flavours lately, I had only bought a few grams of this to try. Too bad because I’d like to keep this one onhand.
I was talking about that to someone else — why so many fake alcohol flavors? If I want alcohol, can’t I have… alcohol itself?
The first steep was really lovely with all parts accounted for in perfect balance : coconut, pineapple, bao zhong oolong. The second steep was ok, and the party was totally over on the third. DT’s Coconut Oolong has spoiled me with its eight or more steeps of coconut flavour. Still, the first one was really really good.
Flavors: Coconut, Mineral, Pineapple
Preparation
That first steep got me through the cold morning I had it. Have you read my note on that one?
Totally agree, I was actually going to review this one next! I don’t resteep my teas, so I’m just gonna be writing about that delicious first steep. :)
@Mookit: I didn’t even realize re-steeping was a THING until this site. When I was a kid, my nana (grandmother) used to re-steep her Celestial Seasonings or whatever teabags. My mother would make fun of her behind her back for being so stingy. Reading people’s reviews now shows that sometimes re-steeps bring out different flavors, which is kind of exciting. So maybe my grandmother WASN’T stingy. (Just kidding. She totally always has been).
Was that the cold morning you had to sprint to an anthropology field trip?
If so, I’ve read that review, but somehow forgot that you were writing about this one.
It was in Madison, Wisconsin for a Dracula Ballet.
The one you thought of was the Eco-Cha Dong Ding.
Aha, no recollection of Dracula Ballet. I will backtrack. But not this moment as I am on the train and we appear to be arriving.
Came across this today and had to have it straight up and lightly steeped. Yum! Today, it tastes like DTs’ Birthday Cake on a black tea base.
It is what it is and sometimes that is just fine.
Flavors: Cream, Vanilla
Preparation
It’s been a bit of a rough week fighting off migraines while attempting to navigate through the more pressing life things. Ugh. Massive construction in the neighbourhood hasn’t helped. Thankfully, so far, things are quiet and still today.
That said, there have been pockets of loveliness. This tea is one of them.Beautiful depth of flavour here. The toasted rice comes through with the nuttiness of dense whole grains, such as wheat berries for example. The chocolate notes are more of the baked goods type, along the lines of toasted chocolate nut bread: chocolate and bready, but not particularly sweet. Nice work, Liquid Proust!
Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Grain, Nuts, Toasted Rice
Preparation
Was that one of the samples I saved for you?
Nope. I had ordered it from Liquid Proust directly.
You had included French Toast Dianhong, if I recall correctly. I am waiting for the appropriate moment. Some sort of cosmic alignment. :)
:)
Sounds lovely! I’m glad you were able to find at least some pockets of loveliness but wish there were simply more of those pockets.
There are always pockets of loveliness. Thankfully. I’ve been trying to be aware of what is when it is. Even the crappy bits. It’s a bit of a challenge. But, hey, good practice.
So need to try this but really need to keep on my cupboard downsizing.
I am revving up to send you an envelope, Sil.
Hard for me to identify the scent of the steeped tea: roasted and somewhat fruity and enchanting. I am quite enjoying this slightest hint of tangy plum on a creamy backdrop. There’s also something slightly peppery going on here. The brandy comes through too, gently, gently, in the distance. Lovely cup.
Thank you for sharing this sample with me, tigress_al.
Flavors: Brandy, Plum
Preparation
This is just glorious, both the scent and the flavour. Caramel with some cream backup and just a lovely base. The chestnut for me is totally missing in action, but it doesn’t matter.
Thank you, Daylon R. Thomas. I am really enjoying this.
Flavors: Caramel, Cream, Roasted
Preparation
Oh happy day! I found my teeny remaining pouch of this. Now that I’ve been drinking mostly green, white, and oolongs, this one tastes even better if that’s possible. Toasty rice marshmallow scent rises from my cup and each sip is a glorious embrace of marshmallow, roasted rice nuttiness, and smooth green goodness.
Flavors: Green, Marshmallow, Toasted Rice
Preparation
Tried this for the first time today. Interesting and strange mix of jasmine and milk oolong. I liked it, but throughout the cup, every sip was what? what? just getting used to the oddness of the two tastes in tandem.
The first steep was far more milk oolong on top of jasmine. The second steep was jasmine up front with milk oolong far in the background. Unfortunately, followed by an aftertaste of bitterness of oversteeped restaurant jasmine tea even though my steeps had been cool and quick.
I had left a full carry mug of this overnight and it is delicious cold. Yum.
Flavors: Cream, Green, Jasmine, Milk
Preparation
I did that one Gong Fu since the Milk Oolong was so bitter.
I thought it was the jasmine green and white that was bitter.
In my first steep, the milk oolong came in smooth and true.
The bitterness was with the thick buttery body when I had it, but I think you’re right.
To me, it seemed like two different happenings: the milk oolong and the jasmine rather than a united taste.
I was hoping that the creamy butteriness of the milk oolong would come through in later steeps too, but after the first steep, that was done. I didn’t bother doing a third steep after the bitterness of the second. Perhaps, I should try as an experiment. I will report on this once I get around to this tea again.
GCTTB 5 v.1
Smooth and mellow white tea blend. The base is lovely. I found a red peppercorn in my tea scoop, but none of the flavour of it comes through in the steeped tea. Apple and cream flavours are quite delicate. I wonder how much of that is due to flavouring and how much is due to age.
Flavors: Apple, Cream
That tea is MEGA strong with the florals. It works okay Gong Fu, but better with medium shorter steeps since it is so strong.
Agreed. I’ve been steeping continual immersion style lately. Works for me with most oolongs. I also tend to leaf far less than you do, which in this case has saved me from the floral bombardment. My first cup was very floral, but not excessively so.