New Tasting Notes

69

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 nest ~4.6g
Water: ~16 oz
Tool: ceramic Tea Forte solstice teapot
Steep Time: a little over 1 minute
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: rice
Steeped Tea Smell: rice
Flavor: bitter, astringent, rice, green tea
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: bitter green tea
Liquor: translucent yellow-green

As an aside this online shop has amazing customer service, packaging, and products. I highly recommend them.

MilitiaJim appreciates that it is what it says, rice tea.

I started with a quick rinse steep to loosen everything up. As the nest unfurled the leaves were smaller than I expected. I ended up needed to strain the tea as I poured into my cup.

I think I was not patient enough in letting the water cool from a boil, or 1 minute was too long to steep the leaves as it was bitter. I could both smell and taste the rice.

I’m intrigued and can’t wait to try this tea again later, I am still new to pu-erh teas so the whole rinse and tiny steep concept is difficult for me to time correctly. To add trouble I also always over heat my whites and greens!

Post-Steep Additives: none

Resteep: same as the first in preparation and taste

This gets extra points just for being different and fun.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/chicago-tea-garden-tuocha-green-pu-erh.html

Preparation
1 min, 0 sec
Alex S.

Hey, AmazonV. I just had a quick couple of questions regarding Pu-Erhs in general, as I am quite new to them. Did you pick the tuocha apart before steeping? I heard you are also supposed to “rinse” the leaves. Does this mean first rinsing the dust and such off (as some cakes, tuochas, and bricks may be of a very old vintage), or should one just plop the tea right in the cup? Thanks!

AmazonV

Hey Alex – no i don’t pick apart the litte touchas as they are for single servings, cakes need to be pried apart with a knife (i think there are good youtube videos on this)

some people rinse (steep fast and throw out) the tea first to get rid of dust and such, just pour in the water to the pot as if steeping, swirl around, then right into the sink (only a second or so) you don’t have to though if you don’t want to (don’t just rinse it in the sink, you might end up loosing leaves, use your strainer or teapot or gaiwan)

AmazonV

you’ll notice the toucha coming apart the more you steep, these steep many times, until it looks like loose leaf wiht no help needed

Alex S.

Great! Thanks!

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71

Dear chai, it has been far too long since we’ve met. Now that our paths have crossed again, I wonder if it will be the same or not.

Steeped with rock sugar, added a splash of milk. It has been way too long since I’ve had a tea with milk! The smell is so wonderful, and so blatantly chai. The cinnamon definitely adds great smell making me even more excited to try this tea.

This definitely has a great chai flavor. It almost is too subtle though, but I’m sure I steeped it the right amount. The cinnamon flavor is great, and just all the spices make this a very flavorful cup. What’s really odd is the aftertaste. It’s almost bitter, but not quite, almost like gunpowder. Oh wait, wikipedia tells me that kashmiri chai uses gunpowder tea as a base—no wonder! I’m still not used to the taste of gunpowder tea, making this cup slightly disappointing.

Aside from the gunpowder-y aftertaste this is really a great cup. I don’ know if I would buy this again, but it definitely reminds me how much I miss having chai around (even though I’ve only drank it out of bags before)

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 15 sec

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83
drank Lemon Green by The Tea Table
216 tasting notes

Okay, this one can definitely get bitter if it’s left to steep too long. Not a good steep-in-the-mug tea! Although it’s worth noting that even oversteeped it has a sweet tang which lingers longer than the bitter does after sipping.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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77
drank Oi Ocha by Ito En
2977 tasting notes

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90
drank Rosy Earl Grey by Teas Etc
314 tasting notes

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74
drank Honeybush Vanilla by Adagio Teas
243 tasting notes

Edited:

I bought a sample of this from Adagio because I love using it to blend teas. The tea itself is made up of the small red-brown splinters similar to that of a rooibos, with a vanilla aroma.

I brewed tea, hot, no additives for seven minutes. The tea itself is a little bitter, but plain, light, rooibos-esq, with vanilla flavor. As I said, it is unfortunately a little tart/bitter in the front. However, the vanilla flavor and creaminess makes it very good.

I like to blend this one with other teas. Mates, chais, anything spiced. Adding the honeybush vanilla just mellows out any overwhelming flavors, brightens any underlying flavors and adds an overall creaminess with a slight vanilla flavor.

Overall, pretty good, especially for blending.

Preparation
7 min, 0 sec
Kathryn Ann

I’ve noticed that if you have the right rooibos they’re great for adding in other teas. :)

Cinoi

I couldn’t agree more, and this is one example of a right rooibos

Cofftea

Cinoi, this isn’t a rooibos…

Cinoi

Yea, I should have said “like rooibos”

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92

I think this tea is awesome! I like lighter tasting tea, so I didn’t follow Adagio’s recommendations for brewing:

1st infusion: 1.5 tsp/8 oz, 2 mins @ 170 degrees.
2nd: same as above, 3 mins

It’s a beautiful, incredibly refreshing cold tea on a summer day.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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75

Golden Moon Sampler Tea #21:
Guys, I think there’s something wrong with my tastebuds. I’m getting…chocolate from this?

Let me start at the beginning, as usual, I drew this out randomly. I was pretty pleased because while out grocery shopping I had picked up a thermometer for frying that I am going to attempt to use to measure the temperature of my water. Yes, I am cheap. I’m a graduate student, this should not be surprising.

When I opened up the sample packet, I got melon right away. I marveled at the giant-ass leaves for a while but then got down to business. When I poured in the water, that’s when it began. The smell became pretty vegetal, but I was also catching whiffs of, yes, chocolate.

I did a two minute steep for my first cup and then brought it up to 3.5 minutes for subsequent cups. The first cup was…wow! Despite the smell this doesn’t taste vegetal at all! It’s light and sweet, and totally melony. Honeydew, I’d say. But I could be wrong, I don’t eat melon THAT often.

But there was still a problem. I was still getting chocolate! At the same time as melon. W. T. F.

Second cup, the longer steeping time has allowed the tea itself to come forward a bit more, and I am no longer getting the weird chocolate flashes. There is an undertone of, I guess fermentation that I think other people have likened to liquor, but it makes me think of overripe fruit more. I think the combination of the sweetness of the tea and the hint of fermentation was somehow combining to give me the idea of chocolate, don’t as me why. Maybe I haven’t had chocolate for too long and have forgotten how it’s really supposed to taste. Clearly a trip to the candy store is required.

But enough about me being weird. Let’s talk about the tea! I quite like it, but I’m not sure I like it enough to buy more of it. I am pretty much meh on melon, so I don’t know if this tea will have legs once the novelty wears off. I suspect it will not. Still, I give it a definite “maybe.” ;)

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 30 sec
Cofftea

I need to get the sampler so I can blend this w/ Adagio’s white cucumber!:)

__Morgana__

The chocolate discovery is interesting. Wish I had more so I could look for that?

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100
drank Luzianne by Luzianne
110 tasting notes

It is ice tea weather here in the Coastal South, so I made a pitcher of black and blue tea with this today. Two bags Luzianne black tea, about two cups of frozen blueberries, thawed, blended to release the juice and strained, two quarts of water, and a couple of tablespoons of agave nectar to lightly sweeten. Cheers, y’all!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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80

very nice flavor, raspberry-lemon ish

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec

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11

UGH.

I got this from my local coffee shop when I went with a friend and didn’t feel like a rich latte after a big meal. It sounded like it would be refreshing, cleansing maybe, just what I needed.

Not sure of water temp and I just left the bag in the cup. The smell was exactly like that NeoCitran lemon drink you make when you have a cold, which for me is a good thing as I always thought that hot-lemonade taste was great.

With high hopes I take my first sip and initially it’s fine. I get a nice tart lime flavour that gives my taste buds a tingle. And then I swallow and I get…chemical? Like serious, metallic, tastes-and-feels-like-its-got-to-be-poisonous chemical flavour on the back and sides of my tongue. It sort of makes me think of when you’ve touched coins and then put your fingers in your mouth, that sort of tongue-puckering metallic taste. In a hot cup of tea. Yeah…not so good.

Because I didn’t make this myself I can’t say whether something went wrong in the preparation but I certainly hope so. Otherwise this tea is supposed to taste like this.

UGH. UGH. UGH.

I’m going to go brush my teeth now.

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90
drank Thai Tea Blend by Teavana
243 tasting notes

I’m not going to lie, I was really in the mood for coconuts for most of today. So I actually started my day with a pot of this, made it hot, with a tiny bit of half and half in each cup.

The tea is of course coconut with some nutty taste, the black and rooibos blend nicely together and then the half and half adds a smooth creaminess that it was otherwise missing.

Still one of my favorites :)

Preparation
4 min, 0 sec

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83

My daughter came by today and started brewing this tea up. At 3 infusions, the orange begins to shine through. At four infusions, the taste changes to a Japanese green tea. This tea has multiple personalities! She did all this in my Chatsford, which I have NEVER done, because I thought the leaves needed more room..but once again her fearlessness shines through with tea:) She began brewing at 3 minutes and increased each subsequent brew by one minute.

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64
drank Thai Chai by Adagio Teas
243 tasting notes

In honor of the Deal of the Day I decided to make a pot of this. Brewed hot, no additives, two minutes. The short infusion time gives just enough time to let the spices start to develop but enough of the coconut and lemongrass come through so that this tea is not overwhelming.

Preparation
2 min, 0 sec

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84
drank Apple Pie a la mode by 52teas
96 tasting notes

I have a ton of homework left for tonight (blah) and a whole gallon of milk that expires today, so I decided to whip up some black tea. I also bought sugar for the first time! Yay! Sugar!

I’m not a /huge/ fan of apple cinnamon flavored things (although I do like apple pie), so I wasn’t expecting to like this very much. To me, it tastes like sweet (well, I added sugar and milk) apple-flavored black tea, with a generous side of creamy graham cracker and spice. I’m not tasting any vanilla, but the milk I added does give it a nice creamy feel. It’s pretty good, but just not my thing. It did, however, exceed my expectations, as I was expecting to hate it. I’m sure people who like apple flavored things will love this tea. My rating is more of a personal preference thing, and not a reflection of whether or not this tea tastes like it should/good. Thank you Ricky for the sample :)

Edit: There’s almost a coffee-with-vanilla-creamer-ish taste to my cooled down cup…an interesting development!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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85
drank Shiki Matcha Powder by Maeda-en
248 tasting notes

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90
drank Genmai Cha by Yamamotoyama
248 tasting notes

I wanted one of my absolute favorites for my afternoon tea. I made this with a bit of matcha powder (http://steepster.com/teas/maeda-en/2498-shiki-matcha-powder) to give it a kick~

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51

Of the three teas in the third series, this was the tea I feared the most. I am not a smoky tea fan by any stretch of the imagination. I can appreciate a delicate smoky back note to a tea so long as it enhances the overall tea flavor. But one that is so strong in its smoky essence that this is the first aroma I sense, and the first flavor I taste… not for me.

But I still ordered the collection as I was lured in by the Steepster Select offer… and I do love the Earl Grey and especially the Jasmine of this collection. And… I must admit, I LOVE the tin and its graphics. Reminds me of Motley Crue.

Yet, I am a taster, so I didn’t want to let this tea to without tasting it. It is smoky. I “rinsed the tea.” It is still smoky. I added raw sugar. It is still smoky. Then I heated up some milk, added a dash of cinnamon to the milk, and whipped it into a froth, and turned this smoky tea into a smoky latte. It’s still smoky. But, with the little touch of cinnamon and the latte… it’s a tolerable smoke for me.

My dear Doulton … if you don’t mind, I am sending the rest of this to you. I have seen how much you love it, and I truly appreciate the work you put into the Dammann Frères teas. I hope that this small token will show you how much I do appreciate it. I also hope you don’t mind… but, I took the tea out of the tin. I … um… collect tins. And I love this one… The tea, sans the tin, but safely deposited into a tea storage bag… will be headed your way in tomorrow’s post.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Stephanie

I’m glad you braved tasting Caravan! Thanks for documenting it! :)

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drank Copper Knot Hongcha by Teavana
311 tasting notes

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50
drank Mango Tea by Sunny Caribbee
788 tasting notes

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tsp
Water: filtered, 212° 1 mug
Tool: make your own paper teabag
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: mango fruit black tea, maybe some floral too
Steeped Tea Smell: black tea, hints of floral and fruit
Flavor: black tea, slightly astringent and a touch bitter
Body: Medium
Aftertaste:
Liquor: dark brown

I went over my mom’s house to drop off samples of tea, and then we enjoyed a cup of tea one of her patients got her. They tend to find her unique loose leaf tea. This batch came from the Caribbean and was not cheap (I of course looked it up online).

Mom used her variable temperature Breville electric kettle and the paper make your own teabags to make us tea.

The tea was a smooth, slightly bitter and astringent, black tea. Another disappointing Mango tea, as I could not taste the mango.

This was not a full strong tea I would recommend as a first wake-up cup of tea, as it was not that kind of strong caffeine hit.

Post-Steep Additives: none

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/sunny-caribbee-loose-leaf-black-tea.html

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Stephanie

I love mango! It seems like a strong flavor—so why is it so elusive in teas? I ordered an H&S sample of Mango Black which should be arriving next week. I hope I could taste the mango in that.

AmazonV

@Stephanie oh I hope so! yes it is not a shy flavor sigh

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87
drank Neapolitan Honeybush by 52teas
310 tasting notes

I really like this as an afternoon treat. Yesterday I sweetened it too much (which helped me to believe it’s ice cream label). Today I was careful to barely sweeten it. I still like it. Its good, not fantastic. But good.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

I had neapolitan ice cream today! This would have made a great floaTEA.

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83
drank Lychee (Lichee) Oolong by Lupicia
248 tasting notes

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83
drank Lapsang Souchong by Puripan
248 tasting notes

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65

(Backlogging) Fifth and final tea served at the Murder Mystery Tea Party. I wanted to finish off with something “lighter” so I went with this blended tea since it was a mix of white and green teas. It has a grassy flavor and feels very light.

Cofftea

Wonderful teas… and a wonderful idea!

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