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Anlina drank Four Seasons Spring Oolong by Green Terrace Teas

894 tasting notes

I’ve had this sample for a while now, but just cracked it open. I’m feeling kind of crappy today and had a couple of appointments to go look houses, so I figured a good travel mug of tea would help sustain me.

I put 1tsp in my 16oz travel mug with 90C water about 2/3 full, then topped it up with cold water after a few minutes. I’ve been sipping at it for about three hours now.

Initially this seemed like a pretty mild, average green oolong. A bit fruity and floral, a touch of tang, but nothing really distinctive. After about half an hour, I was really taken by surprise at how the flavours were developing. Super intense, in your face honey, cinnamon and pastry! Very evocative of eating baklava (way, way more like baklava than DAVIDs’ offering this winter.) A bit of growing bitterness and astringency, but nothing unpleasant. And then on the finish, grass, peach and apricot.

Wow! I’m really impressed with how complex and unique this turned out to be. I’ve since arrived home and tipped the leaves and remaining tea into a teapot and added a bit more hot water. This has mellowed out the bitterness and astringency without dulling the flavours. Wonderful!

I love that I discovered notes in this tea that I might never have experienced if I’d only done my usual couple of short steeps.

Flavors: Apricot, Astringent, Bitter, Cinnamon, Floral, Fruity, Grass, Honey, Pastries, Peach

Preparation

195 °F / 90 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Indigobloom
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hope you’re feeling better :)

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Indigobloom
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hope you’re feeling better :)

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Bio

I grew up drinking jasmine green tea with meals, but really fell in love with tea on a trip to Britain in elementary school. My first great love was Earl Grey, and I still adore it and all its variants.

I discovered the beauty of loose leaf tea much later, when, on impulse, I picked up a few teas that were on clearance at a home store. My introduction to loose leaf teas were Masala Chai and Provence Rooibos by the Metropolitan Tea Co and an unknown brand of kukicha and gyokuro (little did I know what a precious treasure I’d stumbled onto with that.)

At the time I was lucky to live in a place with multiple tea shops and several places to have afternoon tea, which is a delight I still miss.

Tea is part of my daily ritual and a nice, affordable way to appease the collector in me.

I enjoy distinctive whites, greens and oolongs, flavoured blacks, and herbals that are heavy on the citrus, lavender or mint.

Rating rubric, to give myself some consistency:
0-15 Yuck, not even drinkable.
16-30 Disappointing, not really inclined to give it a second try.
31-45 Disappointing, but maybe there’s potential? Worth one more try, prepped differently.
46-60 Mediocre, not terrible but not memorable.
61-75 Not bad. I’ll definitely finish what I have and might buy again.
76-90 Very enjoyable. Tasty, complex, it’ll keep me coming back.
91-100 BEST! I love everything about it and I will drink it forever.

Beyond tea, I’m a sex educator, polyamory activist, and radical queer. I love backwoods camping, abstract painting, baking & cooking, nail polish, cats, ceramic sculpture, and home nesting.

Location

Winnipeg, MB, Canada

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