56 Tasting Notes
Sipdown! Hot brewed I was pretty unimpressed with this tea but cold-brewed it’s wonderful! I find it best if you start with warm water (about 140-160F), up to 12oz per 5/6 g, then throw that baby in the fridge and let it age like a fine wine for up to a few days. The longer you cold steep it the fruitier and sweeter it gets, with a hint of ripe plum and rosehip notes, a pleasant slippery mouthfeel and absolutely no hint of bitterness. It’s almost hard to believe it isn’t just a little bit sweetened.
This is one of the best cold brewed teas I’ve ever had.
Flavors: Hay, Plum, Rose, Sweet, Sweet, Warm Grass
Preparation
Oh no, eeech, eeeeeecccchhhhhhhh
I’ve never had a tea before that I actively disliked. Oh boy, I don’t like this one. I don’t know if it’s a bad one or if I’m just an uncultured swine and truly can’t appreciate the finer things in life.
Dear God, it’s terrible. I’ve brewed it several different ways and each time I find it just deplorable. I’ve done water anywhere between room temp and 160F, steeping times between 2 seconds and 2 minutes. Some crazy person online recommended brewing it with straight ice but I just can’t imagine that’ll save it. It’s wretched. I’m wretched. The only thing worse than the broccolifish taste is my guilt for not having an appreciation for this supposedly fine tea.
I acknowledge that it’s complex. Somewhere past my horror I notice a fine balance of seaweedy umami and a good deal of sweetness. Still I have nothing but contempt for this vividly green, tepid fishwash that I find before me.
Forgive me, Steepster. I’m unworthy. I’m so sorry.
Preparation
P.S. if there’s anyone out there with gyokuro experience who would accept the remaining leaves I will gladly send them in exchange for feedback on whether this is good gyokuro or deadly, deadly poison disguised as tea
Hey, I just noticed something. You may want to back off on the amount of leaf you’re using (10 grams for 3 fluid ounces seems like a lot to me). I do not have a ton of experience with gyokuro, but I seem to recall it being able to get vert astringent and seaweedy quickly. If you haven’t already done so, try using less leaf. If that doesn’t do it, then you may just have a bad tea. Either that or gyokuro may just not be for you. To be honest, it’s not one of my favorite things (bancha, genmaicha, and sencha are more appealing to me), so you wouldn’t be the only one of that’s the case.
I’m transitioning from a day to a night shift sleeping schedule tonight… which means I’m ingesting an alarming amount of tea. I did an all at once side-by-side of a 1st, 2nd, and autumnal flush Darjeeling to get an initial feel for how they compare side by side. Because I’m sleepy and minimally functional I grandpa-style brewed them fairly cool.
This 1st flush was honestly my least favorite of the three flushes! It was the most citrusy and astringent, with a light colored and sweetly fragrant liqueur. I was surprised at any bitterness at all considering the temperature of the water but then again I’m particularly sensitive when it comes to bitterness. I double and triple checked the listing which claims this is a black tea. I haven’t had darjeeling before this experiment but I SWEAR this is a green with its light floral flavors, quick-to-go-bitter tendency and lack of any rounder notes. Is this typical of first flush Darjeelings? Is this just because I brewed it a little haphazardly? Am I going insane in my exhaustion?
A future gongfu session will secure a rating. Until then, I’ll call this one “meh.”
Flavors: Lemon Zest
Preparation
I’m transitioning from a day to a night shift sleeping schedule which means I’m ingesting an alarming amount of tea. I did a side-by-side of a 1st, 2nd, and autumnal flush Darjeeling to get an initial feel for how they compare side by side. Because I’m sleepy and minimally functional I grandpa-style brewed them fairly cool.
I found this to be the most enjoyable of the three flushes. A delightful light-toasty and nutty dry leaf aroma that made a pleasant amber liquid. Tastes like cherries, oak, nuts, brown sugar. Supposedly this one has decent muscatel notes but I still don’t have any idea what that means. . . it’s possible my extremely gentle hand with this brew wouldn’t have extracted that flavor this round anyway.
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cherry Wood, Nuts, Wood
Preparation
I’m transitioning from a day to a night shift sleeping schedule which means I’m ingesting an alarming amount of tea. I did a side-by-side of a 1st, 2nd, and autumnal flush Darjeeling to get an initial feel for how they compare side by side. Because I’m sleepy and minimally functional I grandpa-style brewed them fairly cool.
I think this was the most interesting and complex of the three, almost like a blend of the first two! It had both caramel and citrus notes, not competing, almost taking turns on the palate. Very interesting.
Flavors: Caramel, Citrus, Wood
Preparation
This probably doesn’t count but I just wanted to yell into the void that I put some lemon vodka in a bottle of “Pom” brand pomegranate honey green tea and it’s doooope
One of my favorite bagged teas, best brewed two bags to a mug or one per teacup and with a little cream at the end. Easy peasy, soft vanilla, chamomile and sweet mint flavors go nicely with a cozy blanket on a sleepy evening. I only wish it were stronger on the vanilla! It’s no expertly done full leaf but a simple, humble little tisane is good from time to time.
