1443 Tasting Notes
A.C. Perch 2022 Advent Day 1: White Christmas Tea
I wasn’t overly excited when I saw this one, but we were both pleasantly surprised. The scent is quite strongly cinnamon, but the blending of this tea was really well done with the spices not overtaking the base at all.
Nabo 2022 Advent Day 1: Pepparkakshus
The smell of this both dry and steeped is amazing. The spices here are lovely and almost sneak up on you – more at the end of the sip. The base is lovely and complimentary as well. I really enjoy that the spices aren’t too overwhelming/overtaking the base completely. A great cuppa!
2022 sipdown no. 61
This one I wasn’t too sure about at the beginning, but after about 1/4 bag, it really grew on me. I shortened the steep and found that quite helpful. The aronia berries really are at the forefront here, and being such a bold flavour I don’t get too much peach. I like to think the peach adds some complexity to this tea, because it certainly isn’t pure chokecherry. The blackberry leaf adds hints of sweetness, but nothing overwhelming or cloying. Overall another wonderful tea from Nabo and importantly, one I would certainly re-order.
Preparation
2022 sipdown no. 60
Thank you Martin for another great tea!
I am officially allowed to begin data collection for my thesis project and was prepping email drafts while I drank this tea. Naturally, I was so absorbed in what I was doing, I neglected to make a single note. However, I do recall this tea being delightful. The flavour popped with freshness and was mojito-like. I would really consider having these Curtis teabags on hand if they were available nearby.
Preparation
2022 sipdown no. 59
I feel terrible because I somehow made it through my entire order of this tea without ever making a note. I had this three times today (first, second, and third steeps) with every intention to thoughtfully consider what I would write in a note and didn’t. However, I can say that I have never tasted gardenias, but I can’t say I could taste anything specifically gardenia-like here. This was a delightful green oolong that I thoroughly enjoyed and would order again.
1st steep 200°F, 1 minute
2nd steep 200°F, 2 minutes 30 seconds
3rd steep 200°F, 4 minutes
2022 sipdown no. 58
Another lovely tea from Martin!
I found the blackcurrant to take a slight backseat to the mint, but actually neither was too strong. The balance of flavours was quite well done and the base was complementary. I could see myself enjoying this one again. A lovely surprise from a bagged tea!
Preparation
This one really is like a Swedish crisp (like the orange Anna’s cookie) — lovely! There is also a roasty flavour mixed in that adds some depth. Since this is a tea the taste is quite thin, but those cookies are thin (and gone in a second), so this really works!
Preparation
This smells delightfully berry-y. I’m actually smelling blackcurrant, though this tea doesn’t have that. I’m thinking it’s the mix of raspberry melded into the blackberry and blueberry. What is lovely is that it smells like actual berries as opposed to a stronger scented berry flavouring. The flavour is subtle, yet has a full mouthfeel. The black base is smooth and completely non-astringent. This tea is a winner!
Shame, but looking back to my tasting note — it wasn’t tea I was impressed about.
Phew, not just me.