60 Tasting Notes
the 2nd in my first shipment from Kimicha’s Black Tea by mail club. i’m not a huge fan of Earl Grey. usually i find the bergamot taste a bit cloying, but this cream version is deliciously creamy, to state the obvious. the fruit taste is very understated, just a wee taste toward to end of the sip. unfortunately i’m still tasting a bit of bitterness, as i did with Kimicha’s organic black assam. i’m wondering if a slight decrease in temperature from boiling would make the bitterness go away.
have just received my first shipment from Kimicha’s Black tea by mail club, which is quite different from a blackmail club, thankfully. The Organic Assam is one of two teas I received this month & it is the first I chose to try because I eAssam as part of Irish Breakfast, my favourite tea. the first thing i noticed was its fragrance when i opened the package. It is an olefactory delight. usually i have to steep teas beyond their longest recommended steeping time because i like my teaspoon to stand up in the cup, but in this case the max 5 min steeping time may be a bit much. i taste a wee bit of bitterness that probably wouldn’t have been there if i’d steeped for less. still, it’s a full-bodied tea. it’s the first time I’m drinking Assam on its own. I can see why it’s used as a base for blends. i like it, but feel like there’s something missing. i might try blending it with another tea. if anyone has any experience with Assam blends, I’d be delighted to hear…
leftover from a wonderful international tea swap group i used to belong to, this Bushmen’s Brew is probably ancient, but it still tastes quite nice to me, perhaps a tad too sweet for my liking, but it is, after all, a honey-based teasan. the colour is very red. i had never heard of honeybush before. that was the joy of the tea swap, new discoveries.
this is a tea i drink for comfort & to ease stomach aches. it’s very gentle, has a subtle floral flavour. i like it best with a wee splash of honey. it’s not an adventurous tea, but when your stomach needs soothing & your body feels icky, it’ll help. in Mexico, i drank manzanilla tea when the stomach turned.
purists are going to be horrified by this, but because this tea isn’t particularly strong, to bring out the flavour a bit more by way of contrast, i sometimes add lavender & i find the combo delicious. if you are someone who likes sweet smoky, this might be a way to invigorate this tea if you have a bunch of it left (like i do).
i love all things coconut & the smell of this tea had me at hello; however, the taste is not that interesting. the label promises all kinds of fine treats: almonds, chocolate, yada yada, but i fear these delectables are in the tea blurber’s head because they certainly don’t show up in the tea. even at a fairly low temp for green tea, this was still quite bitter & needed honey, more than a dollup. this is a blah tea. very disappointing. don’t believe Teapia when they tell you they’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts, at least not for this tea.
my husband brought this home for me one night, mainly because he knows i like tins & this tea was in a delightul square tin. he also knows i love tea. it was such a loving, thoughtful gift. the vanilla aroma is the first thing to praise about this tea. makes me feel cozy and at home. i find it tastes best with a bit of milk & sweetener, either a teaspoon of honey or a sugar cube. i have a South African friend who is horrified by the addition of anything to roobios, but i find roobios can really hold flavour. the only thing i dislike about this tea is the licorice taste. it really doesn’t need it, in my opinion, kind of clashes with the rest of the sweet flavours by adding a touch of bitter, medicinal taste. but aside from that, this is a delicious tea. love the wee triangle see-thru bags too. i like to see the twigs & bits in my tea.
back to the tea bags again, alas. i prefer to make this by steaming it with milk in a pot on the stove. i’ve tried to do it in the microwave but it just isn’t as tasty. so i boil a cup of milk & a bit of water with the chai tea bag. for this brand of chai, i need only one tea bag. another brand, President’s Choice (Loblaws) requires two, while a chai from Starbucks is ridiculously peppery to the point where it’s too much to handle. after the milk boils, i simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally. i add honey to my cup & strain the grotty skin off the concoction. this is tasty, perhaps could be simmered for a few minutes longer to be as strong as i normally enjoy.
desperate for strong tea in the morning, i’m now drinking afternoon darjeeling. call it an act of rebellion. i find it almost as strong as my beloved Twinings Irish Breakfast. i found it as bag tea in my local grocery store. first thing in the morning, i am not competent enough to handle tea leaves. this tea is good with a long steeping, at least five minutes, a sugar cube & a wee dollup of milk.
& after steeping it for less time & brewing in a tea pot with loose leaves rather than all tightly coiled in one of those wee tea ball thingies, i have to say that there is no trace of bitterness at all anymore. it’s delicious. in fact it’s almost gone.