1360 Tasting Notes
2024 sipdown no. 52
Thank you Cameron for sharing!
The steeped scent is coffee and cinnamon. Coffee and cinnamon are at the forefront and the base adds depth and smoothness overall. There is perhaps a subtle hint of banana towards the end of the sip, though I wish it was a tad more banana-forward.
The second steep was just as flavourful with a touch more sweetness. A lovely cup overall!
2024 sipdown no. 51
Thank you Cameron for all the teas! <3
This one is maple-y, though I’m always left wanting with these maples teas — I wish for proper maple, not ‘maple flavour’ (perhaps too maple snobbish on my part) :P. The base is smooth enough with no noticeable atringency, though there is no cranberry or apple to speak of.
I like both, but I agree that I wish there were more teas with a more authentic maple syrup flavor. There are a couple from Dammann that I thought got close.
I suppose I could add maple syrup, but it’s just not the same. Ooh, which ones from Dammann?
I think it was the Noël à Manhattan one? It has a ton of other flavors too, I just remember the maple part being rather authentic.
<3
We spent two wonderful weeks in California and although I indulged in iced coffee excess, I also made it to two tea houses.
This one I had pre-planned in my research ahead of time. The dry scent of this is very watermelon, and not cloying at all. Similar to a diluted watermelon drink made of fresh watermelon. The tea has dried watermelon and papaya and the taste is very light, yet very ‘watermelon burst’. The base is green oolong, light and airy with little flavour of its own.
Preparation
2024 sipdown no. 49
I used two teabags for my 15oz mug of this tea. This one has that similar apricot-perfume scent as H&S, but more toned down. The flavour is subtle apricot and the base isn’t as bitter as the Murchie’s blackcurrant. This one isn’t bad, perhaps not overly memorable.
I cold steeped a single teabag in a smaller mug and the apricot is more washed out, resulting in very little flavour and a relatively un-noteworthy black base (no bitterness).
2024 sipdown no. 48
My colleague shared a few teabags with me of this (and Apricot). I steeped two teabags for my 15oz mug and it’s underwhelming. There’s a bitterness with some blackcurrant in the background, but more like dried blackcurrant that’s been sat in the back of the cupboard for too long. As far as a bagged blackcurrant, H&S has this one beat.
I cold steeped a single teabag in a smaller mug and it tastes very similar, though with less bitterness. This variation is overall a nicer cup and more refreshing.
This has a malty, almost milky quality to it and is robust without being astringent. It does have an edge, but with a strict steeping time and temperature the tea turns out quite nicely. I ordered 250g of this in May and have only a handful of cups remaining, so that alone paints a picture of my thoughts on this tea!
Teaoria generously included this sample in my order!
I thought this was hojicha, but it’s actually medium-dark green tea leaves as opposed to the brown stems of hojicha. Neat!
The taste is very roasty and toasty with hints of sweetness at the end of the sip. There is a subtle flavour of raw hazelnut. I easily get three steeps from this tea. I haven’t yet tried for more steeps, but perhaps it’s possible.
1st steep 2 minutes 30 seconds
2nd steep 4 minutes
3rd steep 5 minutes 30 seconds
Yeah, the name isn’t the most accurate, since the banana is a bit subtle. One of my favorites from them though!
I’m impressed with them so far, this one is super tasty! :)