New Tasting Notes

84
drank Jade Oolong by Adagio Teas
4170 tasting notes

From Meowster a while ago! Thank you! Despite its age, this is a flavorful oolong. Neither too delicate and light or too roasted and harsh. I actually steeped it four times (rather than my usual three with most oolongs) as I was getting along with it so well. The flavor notes are hard to find, but it’s agreeable and tasty. It’s GOOD OOLONG.
Steep #1 // 23 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 2 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 3 min

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88

A sipdown! (M: 11 Y: 43) prompt: An unflavored green

Prepared last 5 grams gongfu and it was lovely short eastern session with steeps 20/10/20/25/30/45/60 seconds long with loevly mouthfeel, derk notices bamboo and I have agree; regrettably it lose its lovely nutty notes it had when fresher; and noticed broth notes and again I have to agree with this statement of derk.

In meantime a quite heavy rain has come and it changed the impressions more towards warming up cups, with smooth mouthfeel and overall good feeling afterwards.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 5 g 4 OZ / 125 ML

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68

A sipdown! (M: 10 Y: 42) prompt: Your tea with the shortest name — and real sipdown, not an attempt like Lesa was. Also it was labled just Gold on my box, that’s why I count it as shortest name tea.

An office tea that I have finished last day in current office. Just after Easter I am moving out temporarily to Germany (for work reasons) until end of July. Then probably returning back to the current workplace, but different position.

This tea is quite lovely and robust, if done right. My average, 4 minute steeping time in my 500 ml Nordic mug was just about right for morning wake-up calls, while sometimes even for me too bitter and tannic.

Definitely I feel it was Praugue water back then. Right now I feel it is strong and robust, but not flat. It wasn’t somehow complex, though. Somehow typical bagged black, but higher than the dust offered by many other vendors. Raising the rating a bit as I finished a whole box of 20 tea bags. (60 → 68)

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 17 OZ / 500 ML
Leafhopper

If I remember correctly, Germany has some good tea shops. One I’ve heard of is Teekontor Kiel, which carries some oolongs from Chen Huan Tang, the producer of Tillerman’s Sweet Scented Dong Ding. I’d love to be reunited with that tea one day … However, their teas are quite expensive, much more so than the sadly closed Tillerman Tea.

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72

While it is hardly the “indulgent, voluptuous black tea” saucily promised on the teabag, this is much better than previous Palais de Thes.

It states it contains almond, cinnamon and vanilla, spiced with a hint of ginger. I get no ginger, but the cinnamon and vanilla come through well. There’s also alleged apple but it’s minimal.

It tastes rather like a poor imitation of Mariage Freres The de Noel brewed at half strength. I have taken to brewing my Palais de Thes in a small Japanese cup with about 100-150ml of water, since that is the only way they taste of anything to me.

I bought the Advent Calendar so am working my way steadily through. I think The des Amants is the best of a bad lot. But if you like this profile, just go for the Mariage Freres Noel. It’s a similar flavour profile and exceedingly more pleasant.

Flavors: Almond, Cinnamon, Vanilla

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 150 OZ / 4436 ML

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March Sipdown Prompt – your current favorite daily drinker

Sipdown!

A sad sipdown, but I do have other teas of a similar ilk so it’s okay. This is three months past it’s “best by” date and only a tiny bit muted, I think. Still Earl Grey plus flowers.

I like this one more than most of the tasters here, but I like floral tea very much. The bergamot isn’t too strong here but almost 50/50 balanced with the floral flavors. I drink it hot. I didn’t love it iced and cold. I think there may be some assamica varietal leaf here because the iced pitcher was quite cloudy. It tasted fine, though, but is much better hot to me.

Bonus – the black tea base is organically grown. A someday re-purchase.

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90

my stash of this tea is almost over, which is a shame :(
I’m getting to the point that my tin needs to be at an angle so I can get the tea with a spoon, which is super awkward
however, I’m excited to get another one in my weekly rotation! probably going to go for my Lady Grey, which I’ve been neglecting… or maybe go to whatever is closest to expiring?
On one hand, I like having caffeinated tea during the morning, however, my oldest tea is herbal, and I REALLY don’t want it to go bad….

choices are hard!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
ashmanra

Sipdown dilemmas are real! Make a pitcher of iced tea with the herbal for lunches and suppers perhaps?

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33
drank Vanilla by Dilmah
377 tasting notes

Very strong artificial vanilla aroma, reminding me of vanilla pudding. Only traces of black Ceylon tea underneath.
Taste is better, because you can actually sense the tea and vanilla flavour is less intrusive here. However, there’s not much taste at all and all it leaves is a faint malty aftertaste.
Drinkable, yes, but mediocre and artificiel.

Flavors: Artificial, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 2 g 11 OZ / 330 ML

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77
drank Maple Sugar Shack by Tease
2284 tasting notes

TTB sample! I was dubious about this one based on the scent alone, but I ended up enjoying it! It’s a little mapley and pretty desserty. I feel like I get mostly a brown sugar vibe from it. Nice with milk and sugar!

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75

I’d sort of forgotten I’d bought a big bag of this Greek Mountain Tea and it’s gotten a bit old now, so I’ve been working my way through it. I started with some hot evening cuppas but quickly switched to cold brew as I’m finding the flavor especially refreshing. It has flavors of apple, mint, basil, and citrus, in a very herbaceous way, and it’s really easy to drink ice cold. I did find the flowers were a bit messy and hard to strain when I left them free-floating in my mason jar, so now I fill two fillable teabags to contain the fluffy stuff while it steeps. It’s a little annoying that it floats on top of the water even when really soaking it, but the flavor the next morning is still very nice.

Flavors: Apple, Basil, Hay, Herbaceous, Lemongrass, Mint

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 2 tsp 32 OZ / 946 ML

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73
drank Plum Pryanik by 52teas
1216 tasting notes

Made a warm cuppa of this yesterday night using 4g of leaf to a 350ml cup but the flavor wasn’t as strong as I was hoping for, so tonight I used 6g for a 500ml teapot with a long “leave the bag in” steep. The deep cinnamon and citrus aroma is very pleasant. The steeped tea is a very pretty red color on the pour, but the flavor still doesn’t feel as strong as I’d like… I think the problem is that the color and aroma remind me of hibiscus spice Christmas blends (which I really love and drank a lot of over a two week course of sinus infection) but this is a honeybush base which is just a more thin mouthfeel. The flavor is a bit similar, with a strong sweet cinnamon taste (with woody undertones, not like candy), but the citrus note is much stronger. The lemongrass really pops, very citrusy with a slight hay-like note. The woody and peppery notes of the honeybush blend very well with the cinnamon and lemongrass, so that pepper flavor doesn’t feel quite so out of place here as I get with other honeybush blends. I don’t taste plum, but that’s one of those tea flavors like cranberry that I never seem able to taste. I also have never even heard of a pryanik prior to seeing this tea’s name. (Idaho is not exactly a place of very diverse food offerings… We do have fry sauce, though!)

Flavors: Cinnamon, Citrus, Hay, Lemon, Pepper, Woody

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 6 g 17 OZ / 500 ML
gmathis

Fry sauce? One particular recipe or a cornucopia of various formulas?

ashmanra

I had to look up pryanik. And is that fry sauce like Canes sauce? Boom boom sauce?

52Teas

Sorry for the thinner mouthfeel, I know hibiscus would have added that – but I no longer use hibiscus in any of my blends as there is too great a chance of peanut cross contamination.

52Teas

For those who are unfamiliar with pryanik – it’s a Russian/Ukrainian holiday treat – like a spiced honey cookie often with a fruit filling.

Mastress Alita

“Fry sauce” is an Idaho/Utah thing… typically it’s just 50/50 ketchup/mayo though some places have their own varieties (I quite like ones using BBQ). You ask for “fry sauce” here, you get it, pre-mixed. Any other state I visit they go, “You mean ketchup?” and then I have to ask for a side of mayo and mix it myself at the table. :-P

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75

The leaves have a nice smell to them – a bit like fresh moss, pine, and sweet grass, may something citrusy mixed in there. The wet leaf is floral with that moss-forest-y vibe. The floral and grassy notes are transferred into the infusions. I’d say this tea is quite stable with each infusion being similar to previous ones. Perhaps the 2nd infusion has the most pronounced floral character and has the most body. ‘Zairai’ senchas tend to remind me of Chinese green teas and this is no exception. There is a sharpness that is almost gasoline-like that reminds me of very fresh sheng pu’er tea. If you have a sensative stomach, you might find this tea slightly unpleasant during the initial steeps, but I was fine. There’s a balance that’s struck by the thick, soft body of the second and 3rd infusions and the moss-like vibe in the. nose that counters the sharp grassy/gasoline-y-ness. It’s a unique tea for sure.

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95
drank Warm Maple Cream by 52teas
4170 tasting notes

additional notes: I had to check my other notes to make sure I hadn’t already said that I seem to forget about this GEM in my tea collection. It is aging so so well. I really wish more of you were able to try this one. I think it is one of Anne’s best creations. Though I know the problem with that is since it is a mix of white tea/houjicha it will probably never find its way into an advent. It’s so so good though. Even still, it tastes just like a maple cream filling of a candy. A perfect blend. Raising the rating from 89! (I think I raise it every time I have it!)

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94

One of Martin’s notes reminded me of the stash of puerh from Michelle that I should be trying!  Thanks again, Michelle! Looking through the samples, I was looking for “golden buds” specifically, as I recently realized that might be the trick to my favorite shou.  Put a big chonk in the infuser.  To be fair, the leaves don’t LOOK golden at all.  It’s all quite uniformly dark.  The flavor is lovely!  Sweet, so sweet.  No negative qualities here.  I almost want to call it the most breakfast shou?  But that is odd, since I would consider most shou for breakfast… and it could be lingering cinnamon from the last tea in the infuser.  The second steep is the same, quite deep, quite sweet.  Coffee, bittersweet chocolate, rich.  Everything I like about a shou.  Four solid steeps, a very slow unraveler.  I love it.  I actually tried a FIFTH steep, for 20+ minutes, but the brew was relatively weaker, so I don’t think I would bother with a fifth steep again.  This cake really does support my theory that it’s all about the “golden buds”.  Sadly, I can’t find a cake of this anywhere (I suppose streetshop88 doesn’t exist anymore either.)  Interestingly, Rich’s original note from 2015 says he paid only $20 for it!!! Rich also originally noticed a lot of golden buds in the cake which must have changed color by the time it arrived to my infuser! 
Steep #1  // 23 minutes after boiling // rinse // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 10-11 min
Steep #5 // just boiled // 20+ min

Album: Gaz Coombes – Turn the Car Around
Song: Not the Only Things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl2NQ8lK0k0

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88

I was in mood of flavoured oolong today. I have some other oolongs that have last serving left but no, I just had to pick this one. Just had to.

I weighted 4 grams of this wonderful tea; visually as well as the quality of the ingredients. Big pieces of jasmine and lemon myrtle with nice amount of beautiful small balls of oolong. I haven’t checked on the scale the ratio, but I believe it could be 2 grams of oolong + 2 grams of herbs.

I have used, as suggested, 85°C water and steeped for 3-4 minutes; haven’t timed exactly… but it was closer to the 4.
A very nice whiff of lemony scent was coming from my mug and then the floral note took part as well. The scent was heavenly.
After removing the strainer I got a wonderful light clear green coloured liquid that was right something I wanted to drink… but it still too hot.

When sipped for first time, I distinctly noticed the myrtle. Slightly lemony and herbaceous in the same time, accompanied with floral notes of jasmine. In the end of the sip there was a slight mineral aftertaste, probably from the oolong itself.

Honestly I like this tea more than I thoguht. I assume it’s because so unique combination and it works so well. Just keeping the right ratio between base tea and other ingredients seems a bit tricky.

Note: I received Tielka teas, included in this (and following) tasting notes, free of charge in exchange for a tasting note. I will do my best to remain unbiased, but of course, I am very grateful for this opportunity.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 45 sec 4 g 10 OZ / 300 ML

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40

Lots of ginger in aroma (which is spicy, citrusy, very warming), lots of turmeric in colour. Taste is quite distinct, spicy, but rather short (except for the lingering ginger spiciness). Only traces of honey flavouring in the back.
It’s not exactly bad, but too one-dimensional for me.

Flavors: Citrusy, Ginger, Spicy

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 2 g

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40

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80

Mulled wine inspired infusion.
And yes, it smells like mulled wine, with lots of apple and cinnamon, very warming and cozy.
Slightly sweet from stevia, slightly acidic, with a touch of licorice, very flavourful. Great winter warmer.

Flavors: Acidic, Apple, Cinnamon, Licorice, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 2 g 10 OZ / 300 ML

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70

Fairly solid base black tea with distinct malty character, only hints of orange and cinnamon. I really like the balance here, because this tea is not overdone, it still is a black tea only subtly aromatised.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Malt, Orange

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 2 g 11 OZ / 330 ML

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66

Not bad for a cheap brand. Malty, slightly astringent, with subtle earthy and very subtly smoky undertones. Definitely better than I expected from this gifted tea.

Flavors: Astringent, Earthy, Malty

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 2 g 11 OZ / 330 ML

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75
drank Turkish apple by Lord Nelson
377 tasting notes

Strong apple and slightly citrusy aroma, cinnamon more in the back.
Distinct but fitting malic acidity, only a touch of stevia sweetness, cinammon and licorice appearing after a while.
Casual but nicely warming.

Flavors: Acidic, Apple, Cinnamon, Citrus, Licorice

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 2 g 7 OZ / 200 ML

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88

This is the other new unsmoked lapsang I bought from Wuyi Origin in my Black Friday order. The name intrigued me, though I honestly couldn’t tell you what a bamboo forest should smell like. I steeped 6 g of leaf in 120 ml of 195F water for 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds, plus some long, uncounted steeps.

The dry aroma is of honey, sweet potato, wood, florals, and something I’ll call bamboo. The first steep has notes of honey, malt, wood, sweet potato, bamboo, and lemon. The tea is a bit drying. The next steep has more sweet potato, lemon, orange, orchid, honey, bamboo, and tannins, with a squashy citrus feeling and some dryness. Steeps three and four give me ethereal orchid, lilac, and bamboo, plus honey, citrus, sweet potato, and tannins. There’s a lovely honey, floral aftertaste. The next few rounds are floral, a bit lemony, and full of honey, tannins, bamboo, and wood. The final steeps feature honey, malt, earth, minerals, grass, wood, and tannins, though they’re still pleasant enough to drink.

Like all of Wuyi Origin’s lapsangs, this is a high-quality tea that I enjoy. I like the citrus, florals, and that elusive taste of bamboo, though I’m not such a fan of the tannins. It won’t replace their Wild Lapsang in my heart, but that’s a high bar to jump over.

Flavors: Bamboo, Citrus, Drying, Earth, Floral, Grass, Honey, Lemon, Lilac, Malt, Mineral, Orange, Orchid, Squash, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes, Tannin, Wood

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 6 g 4 OZ / 120 ML

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Iced Tea!

Whisked this up at work this morning but just as a straight iced tea – no milk since I found it so weird last time when I went the latte route. Thankfully that seemed to be a good choice! The hojicha was pretty dark and roasty but ultimately refreshing and almost like an iced coffee in some of its flavours. The mango was bright and contrasted really sharply against the darker toasty grain and espresso notes. Almost had that very slight pine-y note that I associate with mangoes that are just under ripe, but not in a bad way. The whole drink was dynamic and refreshing and all the flavours just really sprang to life.

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