Swap Sample Sipdown! (64)

From Kawaii433, of course!

I’ll be honest, I really didn’t enjoy this one…

The rinse was extremely tasty, with sweet notes of honey and dried apricots, comforting roasted grains, and a light floral overtone. I was excited for the steeps to come!

Unfortunately, all of the remaining steeps had a really strong floral note that was just too much for me. It was almost perfume-like. I don’t know if that’s a normal aspect of da hong pao, or if I just did a terrible job with my steeping parameters…

I stuck with it for seven steeps total, just to see if there was any change in the flavors. I was actually surprised that the taste didn’t seem to change much at all after the first steep. There was still plenty of flavor left in the leaves when I called it quits.

Kawaii did send me another da hong pao sample as well, so I’ll have to try that one out and see how it compares. Maybe da hong pao just isn’t for me!

5g – 110ml – 200°F – 5/15/20/20/30/40/60s

Flavors: Apricot, Bitter, Dried Fruit, Earth, Floral, Grain, Honey, Mineral, Musty, Perfume, Roasted, Sweet, Wood

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 g 4 OZ / 110 ML
Kawaii433

hehe I was just going to write that this one (the Medium one) is way better than their dark roasted one. The best one to me though is the YS one because you can taste the nuts. I hope that was the other one I sent you.

Cameron B.

Did you find this one very floral? I feel weird that I had such a different experience.

Kawaii433

Nope. I usually can’t stand floral teas… I was re-reading your notes and was wondering could I have mislabelled it. Did it look green or roasted? hehe

Cameron B.

It was definitely roasted, looked similar to the other dark oolongs you sent. :(

Kawaii433

Better yet, did it look like the picture? I know I sent you one that I found too floral, called the immortal prayer but that one is in its own foil package.

Kawaii433

Ok, then that would be it. So strange. I wonder if you did it boiling and longer time period. I did it at 25s with boiling. I sure hope you get to try another DHP though.

Cameron B.

You did also send the dark roast version, along with Golden Peony and Shui Jin from Mandala. So I’ll see how those compare!

derk

Here is a short conversation on Da Hong Pao:
http://walkerteareview.com/dialog-authentic-da-hong-pao-or-big-red-robe/

“More often than not, what is being sold as da hong pao are blends that consists mostly of Huang guan yin, an incredibly floral cultivar.”

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Kawaii433

hehe I was just going to write that this one (the Medium one) is way better than their dark roasted one. The best one to me though is the YS one because you can taste the nuts. I hope that was the other one I sent you.

Cameron B.

Did you find this one very floral? I feel weird that I had such a different experience.

Kawaii433

Nope. I usually can’t stand floral teas… I was re-reading your notes and was wondering could I have mislabelled it. Did it look green or roasted? hehe

Cameron B.

It was definitely roasted, looked similar to the other dark oolongs you sent. :(

Kawaii433

Better yet, did it look like the picture? I know I sent you one that I found too floral, called the immortal prayer but that one is in its own foil package.

Kawaii433

Ok, then that would be it. So strange. I wonder if you did it boiling and longer time period. I did it at 25s with boiling. I sure hope you get to try another DHP though.

Cameron B.

You did also send the dark roast version, along with Golden Peony and Shui Jin from Mandala. So I’ll see how those compare!

derk

Here is a short conversation on Da Hong Pao:
http://walkerteareview.com/dialog-authentic-da-hong-pao-or-big-red-robe/

“More often than not, what is being sold as da hong pao are blends that consists mostly of Huang guan yin, an incredibly floral cultivar.”

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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, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- November sipdowns: 8
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 151

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.

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

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

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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