333 Tasting Notes
Finally, new tea! This one is the first of the set of four “single-size” samples I ordered from Steepster. As the description said there would be one each of white, green, oolong, and black teas, I was expecting the white tea to be a bai mu dan, but this turned out to be a welcome surprise.
The dry tea comes in tightly coiled little pearls, and the aroma—I’m not sure how to describe it, but it smells like nostalgia to me. Yes, a little floral, and a little grassy, but mostly it reminds me of the various nameless teas I would have while visiting relatives in China. There’s a slightly dusty, well-worn, people-friendly quality to it, and it seems to instantly summon one of those rainy summer afternoons in a room full of books.
I haven’t had much experience with white teas, so I approached this one with caution, even bringing out the thermometer that I usually neglect to use. The tea brews to a darker color than I imagined, and the leaves unfurl fully. The flavor is very different from what is suggested by the aroma. It’s light and delectably smooth, with a fruit-like sweetness that I spent a long time trying to identify, and finally realized was very similar to dried apricot. No astringency or “greenness” or course.
I only used half the package to make enough for a small cup (a mini-kettle-full of water), and I’m happy to be able to get a second serving out of this. In all, it’s probably the first white tea that I’ve really enjoyed. It also helps explain why I’ve dislike almost all flavored white tea I’ve tried—when the tea itself is this delicate, adding anything else is usually detrimental.
Flavors: Apricot, Flowers
Preparation
I’ve been having a love-hate relationship with this tea…first impressions were great, as my previous note on it indicates, but the fragrance of the dry blend is just too damn strong. I’ve been discouraged from reaching for it several times because as soon as I get a whiff of it, the sugariness is overly cloying. My tea containers don’t completely keep the scent from emanating out into the cupboard either. But then when I actually brew a cup, it’s perfectly mild. It is a mystery.
So sadly I’ll have to move the rating down a notch…I know I’m in the minority here, haha.
In terms of other tea news, Steepster samples arriving this week! And as for my Verdant order…“this tracking number does not exist”. Well, one has to have hope.
Finished my jar of this one as part of almond milk experiment #2. Adding almond milk to something that already contained almonds seemed…excessive? Probably not the most thought-out idea? But I went ahead anyway. The tea is already not very astringent, so it didn’t really need the milk, but the addition seemed to cut the fragrance down to a more subtle level. It is quite silky and rich, something that seems like it would be served at one of the local bubble tea shops.
While I’m slowly making room in my cupboard for my large batch of Verdant orders, it seems like they won’t be here for a long time. Patience!
Finished up my box of this one. It was always nice to have around for those times when I wanted a cup of something warm and soothing and not exactly subtle, but not too strong or flavored either. I’ll have to look for something similar to occupy the same place in my cupboard! A houjicha would probably fit the description nicely…
Usually I don’t add milk to a tea unless it’s a very strong or astringent black tea, or I’ve given up on it otherwise. And I really wanted to enjoy this tea for what it is, but something just wasn’t doing it for me. Most likely I’m used to loose leaf and large infuser sachets, and the leaf bits in a smaller bag just don’t have the same profile. I still have quite a bit, and there seems to be a lot of high praise for it, not to mention it is one of the few I have that do the job of waking me up in the morning. So, I finally decided to make this breakfast tea breakfast style, with almond milk and sugar, and it really is much better. The softer flavors of lavender and bergamot are eased out much more gently, and the whole thing is silky smooth. Here’s to a productive morning!
I picked this one up at a little coffeeshop near my new place. Art of Tea has some good blends, and this one had won some awards, so I was pretty excited to try it.
The dry blend has large, twisted dark green leaves with a few marigold petals. The aroma is very inviting, buttery with hints of vanilla cream. Once brewed, the liquor is very pale in color. The flavor for this tea is just fantastic, buttery and reminiscent of baked goods, almost like a soft and fresh madeleine cookie. I brewed this one both hot and cold, and the lemon myrtle is only really apparent in the cold brew, as a gentle, citrusy twist that blends into the creaminess.
This is my first experience with a pouchong oolong, and it’s similar to a dancong in some ways. The blend really brings out the best in this tea without distracting or detracting from it. I can foresee drinking a lot of this in the future!
I think this is my first note for anything that doesn’t have Camellia sinensis in it. I usually don’t go for herbal or medicinal teas, but I was audacious (or groggy) enough to try this while I was sick. The official description on the box literally says “slimy in a good way”. That wasn’t terribly reassuring, but it was accurate, and basically how a demulcent is supposed to work. It’s soothing and doesn’t taste icky, though I can’t say I was really in a state to make a good assessment of the taste. Sweet and…unfamiliar? Woodsy? Anyway, it was pretty not bad and worked fairly well, so I’m happy with that.
I’ve moved into my new place, which is really quite nice and cozy, but I haven’t been able to enjoy much tea due to a nasty cold for the last few days. Yesterday morning I brewed a small cup of the Xiao Zhong and took a deep whiff. Usually the smoky aroma would have knocked me backwards, but this time I only caught the faintest curling hint of it, which shows how much my sense of smell was impaired. The tea was…good? Probably? Anyway, it seemed wasteful to drink up any more of my limited supply while not being able to appreciate it.
On the bright side, I’m feeling much better now, and I ordered some of the new spring teas from Verdant, so I’ll be looking forward to that in the next week or so.
Tried hot-brewing this today. Honestly the blend looked a little scary for me to prepare hot, what with all the unidentified berries and multicolored flowers, but it turned out all right. The liquor is a very pale gold. The aroma is more fruity-sweet, with less of the earthiness I noticed before. The flavor is also sweeter, with a light, honey-like quality to it. The earthy/muddy aspect is, again, much weaker. A short infusion time (3 min) compared to the cold brew may have affected which notes come out. Overall, this one is pleasant and mild as a hot tea, but more interesting cold.
Again, I really hope they list ingredients for these blends in the future. While I don’t have food allergies, I’m hesitant to share or recommend this for those who do.
