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March Mad(Hatter) Tea Tournament!
Round #1 – Match #14    Yunnan Sourcing – Premium Grade Anxi Ben Shan oolong Spring 2017 VS.  Tea Haus – Marzipan

If anything this tournament is forcing me to write notes for teas I haven’t yet.  Teas that are five years old.  Teas I bought new.  I’m glad I sent some of this to LuckyMe way back then, to confirm there is nothing really special with this tea (even when fresher).   Which is why I haven’t written a note yet.  To my knowledge, I also haven’t had any Ben Shan oolongs before, so not sure what I’m looking for.  The first steep is incredibly silky and reminds me of hints of peaches and cream.  The second steep is a bit like tamarind while still peachy.  I shouldn’t be neglecting this one!  This never gets astringent, maintaining a thick quality throughout.  It’s soothing and tasty enough. 
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 18 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep#3 // just boiled // 2 min

The Marizpan has SO MUCH flavor and it’s SO OLD.  How is this possible?  It’s also a soothing cup today.  It’s the most actual marzipan tea of any tea I’ve had, both with flavoring and actual almonds that take it to another level.  It would certainly win the Marzipan Tea Award.  I’d buy this one again, but I doubt any flavoring used today would last this long. (I have a theory that new flavoring, like bergamot or almond, has to be more “natural” these days, meaning not only Less Good and Accurate but also not as lasting when the tea ages.)  Another tough call but the winner today is:  Premium Grade Anxi Ben Shan

AJRimmer

Ha yeah I don’t care at all if things are natural or organic. I want fun, strong flavors!

tea-sipper

Yup, unless those “organic/natural” flavors can actually compete with the other flavors!

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Comments

AJRimmer

Ha yeah I don’t care at all if things are natural or organic. I want fun, strong flavors!

tea-sipper

Yup, unless those “organic/natural” flavors can actually compete with the other flavors!

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Bio

Hi! I love tea and trying new ones – it adds a bit of variety to my day! Books, music, TV & movies are my thing… and tea, of course.

Some of my favorite tea shops (still operating):
birdandblendtea.com
teavivre.com
52teas.com
svtea.com
whisperingpinestea.com
justea.com
harney.com
Dammann Freres
fusionteas.com
Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
Mandala
verdanttea.com

Favorite tea shops (RIP):
butikiteas.com
steapshoppe.com
steepcityteas.com
aquartertotea.com
dellaterrateas.com
zentealife.com
angrytearoom.com
theteamerchant.net
joysteaspoon.com
tealiciousllc.com
Rivertea
Specialteas

My icon photo is Richard Mayhew from the graphic novel ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry.

Most of the teas listed in my cupboard are actually sample sizes. I don’t really have 2,000 ounces of tea around here! Many of my teas have only one teaspoon left… maybe two. But I like keeping them in my cupboard list for reference to what I could be sipping. Usually, I write tasting notes once for each tea. I’m still drinking them, just not writing tasting notes each time!

I’m always in search of: Hattialli, Qu Hao black, Jin Jun Mei, teas using marshmallow root.

My dislikes: hibiscus, ginger (unless in chai), turmeric, bee pollen, charcoal type flavors

My ratings:
95-100 – Super awesome deliciousness favorites – cupboard essential
80-95 – Also pretty delicious
65-80 – Pretty good
50-65 – Okay
1-50 – Probably won’t want to sip it again

I’m planning on being a Steepsterer as long as there IS a Steepster, so if you’re not hearing from me, that means something happened to my health… if you know what I mean. (Or as evidenced by the great computer hiatus of 2019, something happened to my computer… I have a dumb phone so can’t access internet on that. As of 12/20/21 my wifi might start getting unreliable.)

Happy sipping!

Location

USA

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