615 Tasting Notes

62
drank Maghreb Mint by Rishi Tea
615 tasting notes

I think the peppermint cleared my sinuses when I was brewing this. Wow!

That said, I had to rifle through the blend to find the green tea because there is so much going on here! Initially, it has a really nice ginger flavor on a background of peppermint, which is followed by a really peppery taste. The after feeling is cool (y’know where you breathe and your mouth feels cold? yeah. that.) The peppermint and licorice flavors became more pronounced as the tea cooled. A pretty solid minty tea.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 45 sec

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97

Dear Evergreen,

I am falling in love with you. Each sip of delicious buttery asparagus brings me closer to you. Your lemony finish makes my heart beat a little faster and my tongue dance in ecstasy. Your delicious creamy, smooth mouthfeel makes me feel like a teenager in lust and I get all twitterpatted when I think about it. My tastebuds adore you and I think this is really meant to be. So please, please never leave me.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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44
drank Coconut by Adagio Teas
615 tasting notes

I need to bring better (but not great) tea to work. This isn’t working out.

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34
drank Spicy Plum by Cameron's
615 tasting notes

So Cameron’s is a company founded in Shakopee, MN that just happens to have looseleaf tea in my grocery store of choice. Which is awesome really as I live in a place known for beer and cheese, so teahouses are far and few between.

That being said, this blend is really meh to me. I definitely taste plum. But the only other thing I taste is hibiscus. And no amount of sugar is getting that to get to a level that I really enjoy. It makes an okay before bed cup when I really don’t care all that much though. I likely won’t be getting any more.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 30 sec

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78
drank Kamba Berry by Butiki Teas
615 tasting notes

I got this as a sample with my Butiki order because strawberries, blueberries, and ginger oh my! I’m usually wary about hibiscus, because it often imparts a tartness I can’t get over, but here we are.

First thing I noticed was what a pretty color my tea was. It’s this really lovely pinky purplely almost wine colored color. Second thing I noticed was that it was tart buuuuuut not as tart as I was dreading. Instead it tastes a lot like concentrated blueberry on my tongue with a kind of dryness that keeps me drinking. It actually reminds me a lot of California Tea House’s Blueberry Syrup only with a sweeter strawberry finish. I liked it a lot more after I added a touch of sweetener. It seemed to pop the strawberry flavor and tame the hibiscus a bit.

I’ll probably pick up more of this once the weather warms because I think it would be an amazing iced tea.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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88
drank Genmaimatcha by American Tea Room
615 tasting notes

I’m a huge fan of genmaicha. It was the first tea that brought my fiance over to the dark side, and this just adds one more level to that awesome. It’s so toasty and just a little frothy. I still keep regular genmaicha on hand, but I usually turn to this first. The matcha adds a fantastic layer of flavor depth and makes it an actually green green tea.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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44
drank Coconut by Adagio Teas
615 tasting notes

I like the flavor here initially. It’s smooth and creamy like coconut milk in my tea (with a thinner mouthfeel). That taste alone is what bumps this score. I can’t, however, get over the metallic aftertaste I can’t shake now. Blech :(

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec

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63
drank Blackberry by Adagio Teas
615 tasting notes

I find Adagio’s flavored blacks get bitter really fast. Like. Really fast. So three minutes is on the very upper end of how hard I’d push one. That being said, at 2:30, it was a smooth cup with mild astringency. It’s a good background to most flavors they have. This one though, isn’t really blackberry to me. It’s certainly fruity, but too tart for my tastes. It’s a great bring to work tea (where it’s boiling or nothing water) because it steeps quick and it’s certainly better than supermarket bagged brands.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec

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78
drank White Shizandra by Zhi Tea
615 tasting notes

This one is really strange to me. It smells peppery but tastes vegetal orange-y with a bit of tartness. The shizandra berry has a little bit of bite and I wasn’t really thrilled with my first two or three sips. In fact, the first taste seemed unremarkable until the layers of citrus and berry hit me. But I warmed up quickly to this tea after that and found I really like it!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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90
drank Pink Sonoma by Red Leaf Tea
615 tasting notes

Wonderful floral tea. Notes of jasmine and rose make this so delicate and balance really well with the white tea. And the finish is really clean and has a lingering taste of grapes and apples.

I might try a longer steep next time because I think there’s more I can be getting from this tea. But even if not, it’s still really really yummy.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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Profile

Bio

Intro:

Name: Lauren
Location: Wisconsin (previously a Chicago girl)
Occupation: Student by day and super hero by night
Super Hero? Yep!
Which One? I can’t tell you that! Secret identities and such. Just know I’m not the hero they want, but the hero they need.
Sidekicks: Fiance and two budgies, Skitter and Gandalf

Hobbies:

Reading, writing, cooking, video games, computers, drawing, crafting, papercraft. Oh and tea.

A brief history:

I grew up in a family where the only working coffee maker was in my dad’s office. So the name of the game for my mother and I quickly became (bagged) tea. In 2004/2005, I discovered Adagio Teas. I don’t remember how it happened, or why I decided to pursue a purchase but here we are. I haven’t looked back.

My tea tastes have changed over time and I’ve moved from liking solely flavored teas (mostly black and white) to enjoying Darjeelings primarily, though malty unflavored blacks, fresh tasting greens, and lightly oxidized oolongs come in pretty high on my list, too. Of course, I still enjoy a good cup of flavored tea. I prefer caffeinated teas, as I have a horrible caffeine addiction that I don’t plan on kicking any time soon.

Red rooibos and lapsang souchong (or other strongly smoky teas) are my arch nemeses and I will see them defeated and removed by force from my cupboard. Like all thing, there are exceptions, but I assume they’re guilty until proven innocent.

I really don’t like negatively rating things, because I feel like if you don’t have something nice to say, you probably shouldn’t say it. But in the interest of non-biased tea reviews I’m going to give it a shot. I view every tea as a potential adventure so I’ll try most things at least once.

I love trading and swaps are always welcome! Please note, though, what it in my cupboard includes amounts ranging from a couple cups to 4 ounces or more, so please PM me to find out if what you’re seeking is available in that trade amount.

According to my spreadsheet, I also have about 100 other 1-4 cup samples that are not in my cupboard.. Feel free to message if you’re interested in see the spreadsheet for possible swap options as well.

Tea Ratings:

100-95 Nectar of the teagods that has been bestowed upon my unworthy tongue. I will never let this tin run empty.

86-94 These are the teas I would like to keep regularly stocked, but sometimes life gets in the way. Lovely teas, but not quite god tier. I still get cravings for these.

74-85 Good teas, but not amazing. I enjoy these, but may or may not restock once they run out. I would still recommend these to others.

60-73 Not bad. I’ll gladly keep drinking my cup, and wouldn’t say no if someone offered me this tea. I probably won’t rebuy these as there is likely something else that is comparable and better.

47-59 Certainly drinkable and might even have some characteristics that I enjoy, but I won’t pick it up again

30-46 I’ll probably finish my cup, but this tea isn’t to my taste OR it’s just overwhemingly mediocre. Life’s too short for bad tea.

11-29 This cup is in the sink now and I will never willingly consume this again. If you see a tea rated this way, I probably followed it with mouthwash.

0-10 Please say a prayer for the cup I destroyed in the process of disposing of this tea in the quickest manner possible. I may need tea therapy before I drink a similar tea again.

Location

Wisconsin, US

Website

http://atinyteapot.tumblr.com/

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