New Tasting Notes

My last cup of this…I really hate running out of tea that I like esp more than one tea at once…sigh…

I am determined to make myself like this tea, because it’s not a bad tea. In fact, I can even say that it’s a good tea, and I just don’t ever want to drink it, for all that this contradiction is utter nonsense.

I’ve seen the information shared around steepster (by Ricky via someone else, I believe) about doing much shorter infusion times, and I will fall back on that if I have to…but I also saw something somewhere about Takgoti recommending to someone else that they steep longer to bring out the sweet part of this tea, so that’s kind of my plan today. Fact: I am scared.

There is just no reason for me to NOT like it, though. Nothing about it is bad. If I were asked to cite the reasons for finding it overwhelming, I would be unable to. It is tea.

It’s not even like it’s a strong liquor and likely to light up my nasal passages. So, wtf?

I completely refuse to be beaten by this tea. If I were able to point to anything about it and say this is what I don’t like, I would be content to let it go…but I can’t. I even find the smells and flavors interesting. So why do I not want to consume them?

The lack of logic there is vaguely offensive, somehow.

I will cultivate a taste for pu-erh if it kills me.

(Full leaf version)
I decided I’d give this another shot. I once thought it too dark, though this time I steeped it for just a bit, enough to get the flavor without being overpowering, and I kind of like it. The way I made it would probably be too weak for most people, but I’m used to sweet savory things. I still prefer Earl Grey, though.

My first cup this morning…wasn’t very strong tho…maybe my water wasn’t hot enough!??? Still ok tho!

Forgot to log yesterday…hummm…yummmmmmm

1 tsp matcha + 8 oz strawberry yogurt (fat free, organic & probiotic) + 1/2 cup almond milk + 1 banana = deliciousness!

I serve my smoothis over whole ice cubes instead of blending them in – seems to keep it colder longer without it watering down as quickly.

Ah sweet red heat.

Now that I think abpout it, this tea tea tastes quite a lot like Adagio’s Green Needle tea – only with a bit more ‘greeness’ add to it. And yeah, soooo not keeping to the tin’s steeping instructions.

I rinsed the tea for a bit longer than last time – about 30 seconds. It seemed to have removed most of the decaying-fish scent and it made the resulting tea a little less overpoweringly earthy. Don’t get me wrong, it still tastes like this tea is stiff enough to stand a spoon up in it.

I think I’m starting to enjoy this pu-erh, although I feel like it needs something sweet to go with it to cut some of the flavour.

I was thrown off by the name because it says “scented green tea” but earl grey immediately came to mind as I drank it. I need to test it again before commenting, but it was a fine tea as far as I remember. I understand it makes a nice iced tea, so I will try that as well.

the grandest of grand black teas !!

Perfect, fierce, amazing, etc. If I logged this every time I drank it, it would be embarrassing. The one true earl grey, all others pale in comparison!

Less terrible than I thought it would be, the citrus pieces help push aside that perfume taste I dislike so much. Definitely best plain with a bit of lemon!

Embodying everything I hate about earl greys, sickenly floral with a gasp of bergamot. Terrible to drink but fantastic to use in baking! Yeah, I said it. This is my cheap baking tea.

Steep Information:
Amount: entire sample, 3 heaping tsp
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces filtered boiling
Tool: Mesh basket strainer in cup
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: andes chocolate mints
Steeped Tea Smell: andes chocolate mints
Flavor: mint, woody
Body: Full
Aftertaste: mint with a hint of chocolate
Liquor: deep opaque black-red

This smelled similar to 52Teas Loose Leaf Black Tea ‘Chocolate Mint Flavored Black Tea’

Both were strongly mint.

This tea has two advantages (for me) – no bitter black tea flavor, and it’s rooibos (I need more caffeine free teas I love in my cupboard).

Post-Steep Additives: none

Resteep: 7 minutes, medium bodied, still the same profile, lighter coloring

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/jade-teapot-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea_2874.html

This tea is to delicate for my tastes, I like my earl grey to be a punch in the face.

This is a matcha powder that comes in individual packets.

I made a cup this morning and was a little disappointed with the results. I expected a richer taste, and even though I used only a small cup of hot water, the taste was a bit thin, almost watery even. Next time, I will try using two packets or mixing it with milk instead of water to achieve the thicker, creamier taste I was hoping for.

I’m not giving up on this one just yet! If it doesn’t work out as a drink, I could always find other uses for it — maybe in ice cream? :)

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp at first, then entire sample (approx 4 tsp)
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces filtered boiling
Tool: Mesh basket strainer in cup
Steep Time: a little over 12 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: barely a scent of caramel, and perhaps a re-heated burned caramel
Steeped Tea Smell: none
Flavor: woody rooibos
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: the burned caramel is there, like an after thought, not heavy but lightly
Liquor: dark red

After the first 7 minutes and 2 tsp of tea I found it to be a weak woody rooibos flavor, so I added the rest of the sample and steeped another 5 minutes.

I was not tasting the apple or smelling it. The cinnamon and almond surprised me as I would never have guessed they were there had they not been in the ingredient listing.

You need to like rooibos to like this tea as it is a very prominent flavor. The apple and caramel are too subtle for me.

Post-Steep Additives: 1/2 tsp German rock sugar, more caramel flavor brought out

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/jade-teapot-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea_17.html

I actually bought my first box of this tea while I was in Florida in the World Showcase at Epcot. It’s been a while sice I’ve had it (can’t seem to find it around here), but I remeber it being very nice and light.

This is a nice one. I especially like to sweeten it with raw sugar instead of white, as I do with many teas to which I don’t add milk.

More “strawberry” than “strawberries and cream” unfortunately, it has as much razzamatazz as the raspberry black tea I just tried. Adding milk does bring out the creaminess a little bit more, but overall I am underwhelmed by this tea.