533 Tasting Notes

88
drank Black Beauty by Mandala Tea
533 tasting notes

208F for 2min at 12 oz
While this tea was steeping, all I could smell was hot chocolate and dark chocolate. The taste as less intense than the smell. It still tasted like hot chocolate, but was less sugary than that drink.
Very comforting and satisfying tea. Great chocolate flavor. I got two steeps out of the leaves. One of the better chocolate teas out there. Raising the rating.
Though I had White2Tea’s Sugar Rush last night that was also chocolaty, but much more sugary. I wonder what would happen if I mixed these two together?

Flavors: Chocolate, Cocoa, Dark Chocolate

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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73

7.3g (2 waffles), 100ml gaiwan, 205F
rinse – thick
5s-thick, musty?
8s-thick, musty floral
10s-drying, coating
5s- frutier, hint of bitterness

Long lasting fruit aftertaste. not sure how much I like this though I have more to play with. Thinking about running this at 195F to see how it goes.

Flavors: Bitter, Drying, Floral, Fruity, Musty, Thick

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C

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84

Sipdown. Backlogged to 9/1/19
One planet in my 100ml gaiwan, 212F
Short steeps – 8s, 8s, 10s, 10s, 20, 30, 30, 30 etc

Overall – mellow , sweet and juicy. a tea that produces a lot of salivation. Green apple.
I tried this in silver and the cup cut the sweetness and the depth I was getting in ceramic.
I liked this planet a lot. I tasted this tea for a long time – I went on a 1 hour walk and could still taste it!

Flavors: Green Apple, Sweet

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81
drank Milan Dancong by white2tea
533 tasting notes

2017 Milan Dancong
Pretty behind on these reviews from the tea club.

I think I had the water too hot for the beginning of this session. It was a much better tea at a cooler water temperature. Long lasting tea – I got 9 steeps from this.

200F, 100 ml shibo, time – 10, 10 , 20, 20, 30, 30
These steeps were much more mineral and woody. Kind of drying as well. Some fruitiness, raisin in aftertaste, and tangy.

Steeps 6-9 were with much cooler water 185F ish
These were fruitier with a thicker mouthfeel. It got much sweeter as the water cooled.

Of the two Milan Dancongs from this tea club (still have the 2018 to go), I liked the 2017 better.

Flavors: Drying, Fruity, Mineral, Raisins, Tangy, Thick, Wood

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75
drank 2016 Milan Dancong by white2tea
533 tasting notes

200F, 100ml shibo, work – no real timing set (10s to 1 min). From White2Tea Club.

First several – weirdly chocolaty, drying, kind of mineral, slightly fruity

Second steep set with much cooler water – might be 190 or 185F
produces a much more fruity and juicy tea. it’s sweeter and seems like it has more body. I wrote viscosity and more ‘liquid’. The drying from earlier is gone or is much reduced due to the cooler temperature.
Fruity aftertaste throughout.

Flavors: Drying, Fruity, Mineral, Sweet, Thick

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73

Sipdown
Strong peach flavor that lasts for a couple steeps. I can’t taste the oolong underneath it. It looked like a good quality tea though. Flavoring’s a little one note for me – no aftertaste at all.

Flavors: Peach

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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83

100ml shibo, 200F, 5g (~10 or so steeps with varied timing) Sipdown
A lot of roast in the aroma of this tea. It’s a thick, slightly sweet tea with some minerality. Lightly roasted – which is in the aroma, but not in the liquor until it cools down toward room temperature. Slightly longer steeps (~20sec) bring out fruity and juicy notes. The aftertaste of this tea is long and sweet.
I wasn’t too excited to try this tea – most roasted oolongs are not for me. Pretty sure I received as a sample with my order. This one is an exception. I enjoyed this tea.

Flavors: Fruity, Mineral, Roasted, Sweet, Thick

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 tsp 3 OZ / 100 ML

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76
drank Shui Xian Oolong by white2tea
533 tasting notes

From W2T club:
100 ml shibo, 205F, 5g?

Taste is dark fruit like raisins. Roasted sour at the end of the sip that goes away as the steep count increases. Long lasting fruity aftertaste. It did get astringent as the steep count went on and became much more drying. I don’t mind the roast here as it goes away relatively quickly. I got 8 or so steeps.

Flavors: Drying, Fruity, Malt, Raisins, Roasted, Sour

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec

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86

Sipdown @ work.

I finally purchased another variable temperature kettle for home and brought in the boil only kettle to work. Just in time too since the breakroom hot water (coffee) machine broke yesterday. It’s nice to have hotter water and a little bit of temperature variation.

100ml shibo, 200F, severe underleafing 2-3g max
Wish I had a little more leaf, but it’s a good recovery from the lukewarm tea I just had.

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74
drank Keemun Queen's Hope by Lupicia
533 tasting notes

Sipdown.
Slightly overleafed today, but there wasn’t enough left for another cup. Chocolate and malt, a little bit of sweetness. And a bit of unpleasant taste – metallic and off at the very tail end. Aftertaste is creamy, unpleasant taste doesn’t stick around – so kind of a plus? I’ve had better keemuns than this tea.

Flavors: Chocolate, Creamy, Malt, Metallic, Sweet

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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Profile

Bio

I started my tea journey with Stash/Celestial Seasonings tea bags years ago. All loose leaf, unless I’m sick or traveling.

I like black, oolong, white, herbals, and raw/ripe pu’erh. I don’t drink green tea often.

I play video games, read, and do pottery. My current favorite tea mug is one I threw and glazed.

I generally review teas twice – initial and final steeps.

My cupboard is completely out of date. I have a spreadsheet (it’s current!!!) that’s over 300 teas. Pretty equal amounts of black, white, oolong, raw, & ripe with a little bit of green/herbal.

Ratings
85-100 are teas that I loved and want to keep in stock.
71-84 are teas that are good. I may or may not get them again. Source for daily drinkers/work teas.
60-70 are teas that I didn’t like. I’ll finish what I bought.
Anything less than 60…nope.

Location

Iowa

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