20 Tasting Notes
Next time I’ll definitely steep this a bit longer, although you can definitely taste the peach- it’s strong but not overpowering. This tea has a bit less robust taste than most other Lupicia blends I’ve tried, but I chalk that up partly to the decaf and partly to a shorter-than-usual steep time (I usually like to steep my black teas for at least 4 minutes but I wanted to take care the first time I was steeping this one).
I’ve never met a Lupicia tea I didn’t like, and this one is no exception- it came in the mail today from Dinosara and it’s fantastic! I was skeptical about decaf teas but I’ve found myself liking them more and more recently now that I have to wake up for work every morning- can’t have a full-strength cup of tea with dinner anymore!
Flavors: Peach
Preparation
This is an alright oolong but it’s definitely not the best, especially when considering the relatively high price. I’ve been steeping it in my ingenuiTEA at work (the ingenuiTEA is perfect for doing multiple steepings of teas, I’ve been very impressed with it) but it definitely tasted oddly flavorless on the third steeping, which is disappointing. I’ve been careful not to use too-hot water, but it seems like the leaves just don’t have as much flavor as other comparable oolongs. First brew was 3:00 at ~190, second brew was 3:30 at ~190, third was 4:00 at ~190. All in all though, it’s a good tea for the first two steepings, with somewhat of a sweet taste.
Preparation
Moving has meant that I haven’t had my PG tips for the last couple of weeks, and although I enjoy all of the trappings of loose-leaf tea once I’ve had some caffeine in me, I just cannot do it first thing in the morning. Found a box of these teabags in a cupboard and decided to give it a go- and was pleasantly surprised! This is a very enjoyable tea, and it’s significantly hardier than PG tips (which I’ve found needs to be brewed more like a green). It’s really very delicious, hearty, and full-bodied, perfect for the morning!
Preparation
This is a wonderful light jasmine! The green tea is clearly of good quality, and neither flavor/aroma overpowers the other, which is nice. Next time I think I’ll let the water cool down a bit more though- it’s just a wee bit scalded with a 2:45 steep time ~2:00 post boiling.
Preparation
I’ve been erring on the side of caution re: temperature and steep time with my black teas lately, and that works really wonderfully with Paris Ginza! It has hints of strawberry, which I’m loving- it’s light and fruity, but with a robust body that doesn’t taste too strongly of caramel. One of the best teas I have- I’ll definitely be investing in more Mariage Freres when I get the chance!
Preparation
I love this tea! It’s the perfect tea for summer. It’s light and fruity, which is definitely a guilty pleasure for me! I’ve been following the brewing instructions (although giving it a little more time on the second steeping) and it’s been perfect!
Preparation
I was really disappointed by this tea. I bought it in a fit of homesickness – I’m very far from my native Vermont, and when I saw it in a Russian mall I thought it was too good to be true! It came in the coolest tin, too (UVM green and gold!) so I figured it would be worth an impulse buy. But I’ve been so disappointed! I’ve really tried to make this tea work – experimenting with steeping times, water temperatures… even cold steeping it! But nothing seems to make it taste good. Like Jillian said, it’s got a really weird, synthetic flavor to it that makes the whole thing taste frankly kind of gross.
This is the first time I’ve had a really bad experience with loose leaf tea… but I suppose it had to happen eventually!
Preparation
This is a great black tea! It’s strong enough to stand up to milk and sugar, which I’ve been enjoying in the brisk mornings as the weather has been cooling down (it reminds me almost of chai!). It’s a perfect morning tea- just the smell of it is enough to get me out of bed :)
