18060 Tasting Notes
Last tasting note up for the night is for this ever-so-slightly festive cup of brisk black tea with aromatic notes of soothing lavender and an ultra crisp and cooling peppermint finish. It’s simple, but definitely gives off “aromatherapy in a cup” vibes which is, admittedly, a little funny to think about given the artwork on the bag is literally the Grim Reaper with a candy cane scythe. I enjoy the tea a lot though, even year-round. Having it in the winter just felt especially appropriate.
Hot cuppa sipped slowly out of a yunomi cup earlier this week! Definitely getting the bright grassy notes and sweet corn undertones of the sencha itself, but beautifully integrated with a fresh, floral ripe peach notes and just a hint of sweeter side of rhubarb for a bit of complexity and depth. So smooth and enjoyable!
Sipdown (3097)!
Pleasantly surprised by this one! It was very smooth with a really creamy mouthfeel and flavour that was led by sweet, nutty notes of marzipan, nougat, and whipped cream. Those sweeter almond-dominant notes were rounded out by a soft, jam-like raspberry flavour that brought out a lot of the cherry undertones of the almond. It was balanced, decadent, and still very fresh feeling overall.
Cold Brew Sipdown (3098)!
Finished this off as a large pitcher sipped over the course of several days. I think the pitcher came out a little thin, but still pleasant and a nice way to polish off an older tea. Notes of tart cranberry, sweet orange, and bright lime stand out in this cold brew with more of a spiced finish that leans into the cinnamon. Were it heavier and more saturated in taste and spices, it might give off a bit of a Mulled Wine profile. However, this was a little more fruity and punch-like while still having those festive elements.
I placed a “Black Friday” order with Yunnan Sourcing last week, though they don’t really do Black Friday so it was more just an order placed around that time frame. It was delivered very quickly though, so I’ve already started dipping into it…
One of the things I ordered was a bunch of these different infused cha gao/tea resin varieties. This was the most unique sounding to me, so it’s where I started. One resin in a twelve ounce mug, lightly stirred until it dissolved. Honestly, I was surprised by how mild the flavour was. So much gentler than any other tea resin I’ve tried, and honestly almost watery. In the future, to my surprise, I’d probably use TWO of the little half a gram resin pieces.
I don’t even know if I could describe the taste – it was SO soft and light.
Evening cuppa! As the name states, this tea does pack a pretty impressively minty punch. However, it’s all the weird little fruity quirks and undertones that I like about it so much. Sometimes I get hints of banana or apple, a creaminess perhaps, or a little bit of that peppery anise-like sweetness of the tarragon.
Iced Tea!
A coworker made a huge pitcher of this tea for everyone working in the lab to enjoy. He definitely added a lot more sweetener than I usually drink this tea with, and to be honest it’s already quite sweet on its own. At first I did appreciate the punchy, candied mango and citrus notes. However, it got saccharine really quickly and I found myself wanting to dilute what he’d steeped up. A good reminder that different people definitely have different tastes.
Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
An evening cuppa a few nights ago during a moment I wanted both a sweet treat and a cozy little hug. This delivers on both, with a flavour that essentially combines sweet banana taffy, less sweet baked banana, and a kiss of warming cinnamon. The undertones are a bit more earthy and mineral, with some of the oolong itself poking through. Still ultimately a sweeter chai, and with a banana flavour that I know is a bit more polarizing. However, I really liked it.
Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
Sipping on the last third of this mug as I tackle some tasting notes tonight.
By now this has mostly cooled down and I’m finding that with the lower temperature is coming a much more noticeably smoky undertone and finish. One that I don’t recall from past times drinking this tea, but that I really don’t mind at all. When it was hotter I was getting a lot more of the sweet, mouthcoating star anise and a stronger sandalwood note in the mid sip. Both are still present, they’ve just shifted a bit in intensity.
One thing that’s stayed consistent is that as I go in for a sip and my nose gets closer to the cup I get a strong aroma of incense. As if I’ve walked into a one of those tourist-y crystal shops that also have books on divination, tarot cards, and an inexplicable amount of buddha statues. You know the ones. It’s weirdly kind of nostalgic!?
Gongfu!
I’m still feeling florals after yesterday’s tea session, so today I pulled out Gardenia Red. It’s sweet and aromatic, with syrupy florals accented by punchy notes of ripe red berries and a bit of a brandied or stewed fruit undertone that’s a bit darker. At times, this session was almost saccharine in its fruitiness, though it never fully crossed that line. Despite that, the aromatics of the gardenia still really shine throughout the time spent with this tea. I’ve had it a few times now, but this is the first time gongfu. If you want to taste the full potential of this unique scented tea, then I would say this is the way to brew it.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DR2vcF-EuQF/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmBDd2aDGZc
