348 Tasting Notes
Tried this after a night of social drinking. Nothing like a “hair of the dog” tea to brighten your day. This stuff – unlike other flavored teas – actually doesn’t dilute very much after the initial dry whiff. The flavoring holds up after a good steep. As an added bonus, some of the natural floral characteristics of the Ceylon base also show through.
Full Review: Pending on www.teaviews.com
Preparation
I had this sent to me by Gorreana after they caught wind of me whining about it on the SororiTEA Sisters page. What I didn’t expect was to receive so much of the stuff. In short, I adore this pekoe. It has a character quite like a Darjeeling OP but without the spicy overtones. That could be a good or bad thing, depending on your preference. I found it to be very balanced, sweet, and barely bitter.
Full Review: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2012/05/23/orange-you-glad-i-broke-my-pekoe-in-portugal/
Preparation
I forgot I even had this when I was digging around for new teas to try. I thought I had passed on all my golden teas to my brother. Oh, glorious morning! This tastes just like a Yunnan gold-tipped Dian Hong only with a lighter mouthfeel. It’s sweet, earthy, partially creamy, medium-malty…and quite the waker-upper.
Full Review: Pending on www.teaviews.com
Preparation
I purchased this after trying it at Phoenix’es “Teattle” shop. It was – without much exaggeration – one of the most unique teas I’ve come across. I’m still hard-pressed to define it, but I do my darnedest here…and explain how it makes me feel like a bit of a “tea hipster” – an old one at that: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2012/05/08/youve-probably-never-heard-of-this-tea-before/
Preparation
AS always, an interesting review.
Thanks. That’s what I aim for.
Am I wrong or have you been posting sporadically lately?
I will confess, I’ve been incredibly sporadic.
My sister lives in Eugene
I know it. There’s a nifty teashop called “J-Tea” out there that I have yet to venture to.
Have you ever been to the Stash shop in Tigard?
All the time.
My sisters has lived in OR 3 or is it 4 years and she has never been to Stash. What about Tao of Tea? I think that would be my first choice.
The good ol’ Tao of Tea was my first jaunt into loose leaf teas.
I always enjoy your reviews….
Thank ya. I always get a kick outta yours as well.
I could see what looked like flecks of Darjeeling second flush and plump, tippy leaves of Golden Yunnan. The smell was earthy and floral. On introduction, there was a bit of a citrus snap, followed by a slight tannic bite in the middle, then it snapped at the top note with a presence of peppers, allspice, honey and Keemun sweetness.
Full Review (If you can call it that) Here: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2012/05/02/guan-yins-tigers-and-lords-oh-my/
Preparation
“I was randomly contacted through Steepster by a rep for Teavivre a couple of months back with a glowing opportunity – that being to try several of their wares. The dry leaves for this new batch were all twisty green-’n-gold excellence with a peppery sweet aroma. It reminded me of honey dipped in pyrite. Each and every time, the liquor turned out exactly as I hoped – deep gold-to-amber, reeking of honeynut-chocolate. On taste, it was as I expected, if not a little bit more.”
Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2012/01/27/review-teavivre-yunnan-dian-hong-black-tea-3/
Preparation
“Bai Lin Gong Fu – other than sounding like the name of a cheesy 70s martial arts flick – is a black tea hailing from Fujian province, China. Smelling it an experience, for I found it hard to pinpoint what to call the scent; I settled on “caramel musk” – even though that sounds like a male aftershave. This was different from the other two Bai Lins I’ve tried – which both exhibited more earthy, Yunnan-like tendencies – but I still favored its robust roundhouse kick of a taste.”
Full Review: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/
Preparation
The founder of Handmade Tea had me at “whiskey oak-smoked” with this one. The yerba mate base is given that very treatment. Peppermint and cinnamon round out the rest. The introduction is smoky, while mint dominates the middle. The aftertaste reminded me a bit of Keemun. Even with my prejudice against peppermint, this was a heckuva holiday blend.
Full Review: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2011/12/13/hark-i-herald-booze-blends/
Preparation
True story: I tried this right after getting out of a showing of Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. Even two beers couldn’t erase the badness of that movie. Perhaps tea could do what alcohol failed to do. Thankfully, it (mostly) did. This is the anti-sencha; the anti-Japanese pan-fried green tea. There was quite a bit of complexity going on with the flavor – equal parts citrus, tang, sweetness, seaweed and a tickle of vinegar. And the best part? It was a green tea I could boil the s**t out of with a lazy brew-up.
Full Review: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2011/12/05/in-a-pickle/
Preparation
You’re brave to bother trying to see that movie in theaters! Even the book was terrible, IMO. The Vampire Diaries and True Blood (books and movies) are way better! :)
I am vampire’d out. Luckily I still have my zombies.
sounds yummy
I’m a Harry Potter fan, myself. And I thought that Robert Pattinson made a better looking wizard than he does a vampire.
Interesting….if I ever order from Norbu, I’ll give this one a try. :))
Interesting Linked review too.
@LiberTEAS – If you only saw him in Harry Potter, you’d think the boy had talent. Especially for making a Hufflepuff seem cool.
@Amy – It is…if you’re a fan of weird.
@Scott – Thank ya.
This was a different sort of Yunnan black. It was gold-tipped, so it was inevitable that I was going to like it. What I was NOT expecting was how burly it would be. Dare I say, this was a gold tea that could rival some dark Assams out there? It tasted of peppers, earth, smoke, and leather. Yes…leather. And it woke me up right quick to boot.
Full Review: http://beastsofbrewdom.teatra.de/2011/11/22/tea-like-leather/
