3986 Tasting Notes

90

DIY Kyoto Obubu Advent Calendar – Day 17

Is it bad that I never remember which sencha from Obubu is which, LOL? They have so many! XD This is a shaded spring sencha, Zairai cultivar. I didn’t realize, I guess they only have two shaded spring sencha? For some reason I thought more of them were shaded, but they seem to mostly vary in cultivar.

Annnnyway. This is lovely! You can definitely tell that it’s a shaded tea, it has a more intense and concentrated vegetal flavor that’s somewhere between a classic sencha and a gyokuro. Thick, silky texture as well, with a fair bit of viscosity to it. This one is like a concentrated vegetable shot – all deep green veggies like spinach and kale, but it also has a soft sweetness to it and a creamy undertone. Something slightly fruity in the finish, maybe a tart plum or even passion fruit.

Delicious, as all of their teas are. Now, to forgot all about this and have no idea which sencha this is next time… ;)

Flavors: Broth, Creamy, Freshly Cut Grass, Fruity, Kabocha, Kale, Mineral, Passion Fruit, Plum, Rich, Savory, Silky, Smooth, Spinach, Spring Water, Squash, Sweet, Thick, Umami, Vegetal, Viscous

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 0 min, 45 sec 5 g 7 OZ / 200 ML

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75

52teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 5

Ooh, interesting combo! When I was scratching it off, at first I thought it was Pomegranate Peach and was like “well, that doesn’t seem very festive” ha ha.

It smells a bit like some kind of fruity bubblegum or candy. And there is a touch of that candy/gum sweetness in the flavor as well, but mostly it tastes like pears. I can’t make up my mind whether it’s fresh or cooked pears, because I feel like it has elements of both. There’s a crispness to it that reminds me of pear skin, but there’s also a more sweet and concentrated flavor that makes me lean toward peeled cooked pears. I don’t really notice the pomegranate, but there is depth to it and a chalkiness that I usually get from berry flavoring, so I’m assuming that’s coming from the pomegranate flavor.

It’s nice! I feel like pear and cranberry would go really well together too…

Flavors: Berry, Bubblegum, Candy, Chalk, Crisp, Floral, Fruity, Malty, Pear, Powdery, Smooth, Sweet, Syrupy

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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75

Tea at the White House Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 17

This is an interesting one, because the caramel actually tastes quite dark. It still has that buttery caramel quality, but it almost reminds me more of the crisp caramelized crust on a crème brûlée. The base is earthy and smooth, which goes quite well with the dark, rich caramelized sugar flavor.

Nicer than I expected! I don’t generally love caramel teas but this was a bit of a different spin.

Flavors: Burnt Sugar, Butter, Caramel, Caramelized Sugar, Earthy, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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82

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 17

I feel like I’ve already two almost birthday cake-esque matcha with Mermaid and Ice Cream, but here we go ha ha.

This is definitely more cakey than the others IMO – a rich yellow cake flavor with swirls of sugary frosting on top. It has an even more buttery flavor than the ice cream version as well.

So really, it does taste like cake! Obviously birthday cake doesn’t really mean anything, but this definitely brings to mind a yellow or white cake with sweet buttercream frosting. Not sure they really need this in their lineup with those other two I mentioned are quite similar, but still tasty!

Flavors: Butter, Cake, Frosting, Grassy, Icing, Rich, Smooth, Sweet, Vanilla

Preparation
Iced 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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88

DIY Kyoto Obubu Advent Calendar – Day 16

So nice to have these springlike teas in the winter! This has such a lovely pure sakura flavor – a delicate balance of sweet and savory, floral and fruity. There is a touch of extra salinity from the preservation, and perhaps a hint of acidity from the plum vinegar as well. But mostly I taste sakura, and it’s delightful. :)

Flavors: Airy, Brine, Cherry, Cherry Blossom, Floral, Fruity, Light, Sakura, Salt, Savory, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 8 min or more 5 g 6 OZ / 177 ML

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58

Sipology Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 16

This is fine, the usual generic hibiscus-y white tea blend. I taste a little bit of cherry, but mostly it just tastes like straight hibiscus with a bit of mustiness from the white tea. Something in the smell is reminding me of rancid coconut, but luckily I don’t notice it in the taste.

Drinkable, but not exciting.

Flavors: Artificial, Cherry, Hibiscus, Musty, Tart

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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65

Thésaurus Tea Fandom Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 16

As far as I could see, my sample did not have any green tea in it. Mostly it was bamboo leaf and dried lime with some chamomile blossoms.

The lime is definitely the strongest flavor – it’s tart and zesty and a touch bitter. I do taste the sweetness of the bamboo as well, along with the pollen-like notes of the chamomile. I’m not sure they really go together? Particularly the chamomile with the sharp lime. Also, the lime bitterness is a bit unpleasant, especially in the finish.

An interesting blend, but ultimately not very balanced or harmonic IMO.

Flavors: Bitter, Chamomile, Citrus Zest, Lime, Pollen, Sweet, Tart

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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58

Tea at the White House Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 16

Not in love with this, it reminds me of the Earl Grey base that Dessert by Deb uses, as it’s quite earthy and mineral in an almost potting soil sort of way. And then there’s a bit of sweet maple layered on top, which just doesn’t blend well with the earthy black tea IMO.

Love the idea, just not the execution. :P

Flavors: Earthy, Maple, Mineral, Smooth, Soil, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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68

Compagnie & Co Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 16

Don’t you love it when companies tell you nothing about what a tea is supposed to taste like? “…flavoured with our secret Angel aroma” LMAO! So it tastes like angels then? :P

Honestly, I still don’t know what the “angel aroma” is, because I’m mostly getting the verbena. It almost tastes lavender-ish, maybe that was in the flavoring? There’s a light fruitiness in the finish, but I’m not sure I could hazard a guess at which fruits.

Mostly tastes vaguely floral/herbaceous with verbena and potentially lavender in there, with a touch of something fruity. Not bad, but meh.

Flavors: Citrus, Fruity, Herbaceous, Herbs, Lavender, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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78

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 16

Very tasty as an iced latte! It specifically reminds me of either peach ice cream (which isn’t common, but my mom and grandma used to make it at home) or the peaches & cream instant oatmeal from Quaker. It’s more of a candy or canned peach flavor than a fresh one, and the cream is very rich and custardy, like melted ice cream.

As usual, the matcha base is grassy and just a touch bitter. Then again, I have to prepare these with warm water to start because of the flavor granules, so maybe that’s why I notice more bitterness (I usually prepare my matcha lattes with cold water).

Flavors: Artificial, Bitter, Candy, Creamy, Custard, Grassy, Peach, Sweet

Preparation
Iced 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however. I also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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