100
drank Tan Yang Te Ji by TeaSpring
1353 tasting notes

SNIFFFFFFFF!

Oh yes, the wood-y lovely autumn-y aroma. It reminds me of dried pine needles, actually. A little spicy and a touch of cocoa-y yumness. I remember that cocoa note being much stronger though. It’s coming through in the cup, but not really in the leaves.

In the cup, I found the funniest strong note, though. A bit like boiling broccoli or green beans. A sort of rough but green note. Weird thing is, I can only find it if I keep my nose at a certain distance from the cup. If it’s too close I just get sweet cocoa, if it’s too far away I get spicy slightly smoky woodness, but at that specific middle distance it’s rough green vegetables with a little butter.

This aroma? This aroma alone was so worth waiting for.

SLUUUUURRRRRRRP

Oh yes. I remember this. The initial very fruity flavour with strong notes of cocoa in it. There is a little smoke on the tail end too, but not too much. It will come. It usually showed up the strongest on the second steep for me.

I used plenty of leaf, water gone slightly off boil and a, for me, half-lenght steeping time. Good experiences were made with this method when I had this tea last. Bit expensive on the precious precious leaf, granted, but I dare anybody who’s tried it to tell me it’s not worth it. As a result I’ve got something that has a little astringency. Just a bit at the roof and back of the mouth, and other than that it’s so smooth and lovely. Such a long flavour.

The smoke comes through on the aftertaste here, building up gradually as I drink, and the same is happening for the cardboard-y Assam-y quality. Little by little it’s making its presence.

How I’ve missed this tea! I grieved and mourned when I used the last of it earlier and finally they have it again. A different year and a different harvest, of course, but this harvest totally measures up the other one. I’m turning it all the way up to a hundred points now. Like Auggy said, when I shared it with her, it just has everything as it is. Nothing about this tea can conceivably be improved. You can find stuff that is as good, but nothing that is better. I simply can’t see that happening.

It’s THAT good!

Now, if anybody needs me, I’ll be in the kitchen drawing little hearts on the label.

(I can’t figure out what people mean when they say a tea is ‘chewy’ because chewing a liquid? Really? That doesn’t sound like something I want to do, but I’ve gathered they mean it as a good thing, so maybe this has that too.)

JacquelineM

I think chewy means it tastes a certain sort of caramely. Like an old fashioned caramel chew candy. When I taste the tea it makes me want to chew the caramel candy :) If that makes any sense!

Angrboda

I think I’ll just stick to calling it some sort of sweetness, then. I don’t really find the idea of chewing tea all that pleasant. :)

Auggy

Chewy for me is more of a dense mouth feel, sort of textured instead of silky. I tend to get it from Irish breakfasts and the like…

Auggy

PS – YAY TAN YANG!!!!!!!

sophistre

Yeah, it’s a quality that’s hard to pin down. I get it with green oolongs too, which are pretty silky…and some greens, like Sencha. Maybe it varies for all of us! I’d say a dense mouthfeel is probably the common thread though.

Also, this tea sounds delicious. :(

( :( because I’m tea-grounded until I get rid of some of my tea. >.< )

Charles Thomas Draper

I must have some. A glowing review….

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Comments

JacquelineM

I think chewy means it tastes a certain sort of caramely. Like an old fashioned caramel chew candy. When I taste the tea it makes me want to chew the caramel candy :) If that makes any sense!

Angrboda

I think I’ll just stick to calling it some sort of sweetness, then. I don’t really find the idea of chewing tea all that pleasant. :)

Auggy

Chewy for me is more of a dense mouth feel, sort of textured instead of silky. I tend to get it from Irish breakfasts and the like…

Auggy

PS – YAY TAN YANG!!!!!!!

sophistre

Yeah, it’s a quality that’s hard to pin down. I get it with green oolongs too, which are pretty silky…and some greens, like Sencha. Maybe it varies for all of us! I’d say a dense mouthfeel is probably the common thread though.

Also, this tea sounds delicious. :(

( :( because I’m tea-grounded until I get rid of some of my tea. >.< )

Charles Thomas Draper

I must have some. A glowing review….

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Introvert, crafter, black tea drinker, cat lover, wife, nerd, occasional curmudgeon.

Contact Angrboda by email: iarnvidia@gmail.com

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Bio last updated February 2020

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