1040 Tasting Notes

70
drank Tokyo by Harney & Sons
1040 tasting notes

What in the world is Bancha? I don’t know anything about green tea, but Nxtdoor was generous enough to send me some of this so here goes.
I was pleasantly surprised by this. I didn’t find it bitter at all, it was sweet and toasty nutty. I didn’t really get caramel specifically, but it was sweet. I’m not sure if I would have been able to say sesame seed, but it is nutty – reminds me of genmaicha.
This is better hot, not as good when it cools. This will never be on my favorite list but am glead to have tried it. Thanks Nxtdoor for sending me this sample.

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76
drank Checkmate by DAVIDsTEA
1040 tasting notes

This is just what it claims to be. Chocolate and coconut that’s what it is. This isn’t that bad, it’s actually better than I expected it to be. It’s a little strange with both the white and black base. Steeped about 85 C and that seemed to work.
All and all this is a decent chocolate tea, not my favorite but pretty good.

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62

This was just ok. I thought it wasn’t fruity enough. I wish there was more cherry/blueberry flavor. This is too subtle for me. If a tea is going to be a flavor, it should embrace that flavor.
I added some straight cherry tisane, that helped.

Anna

“If a tea is going to be a flavor, it should embrace that flavor.” (!)

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93
drank Da Hong Pao by Tao Tea Leaf
1040 tasting notes

I spent the day at work enjoying this tea. I’ve had it before, and I don’t think I appreciated it as much the first time around. This is a top shelf oolong. I’ve been drinking several different versions of this lately and this one is hands down my favorite. It is really pricey, and I know that shouldn’t factor into it, but somehow it does. Is this twice as good as others I’ve tried (it costs twice as much as some), I’m not sure, but it is really good. If you want to splurge on an excellent oolong – this would be a good choice. I’ve upped my rating a little bit and I would probably rate this even higher if it wasn’t for the cost.

scribbles

Am so happy you are enjoying their teas!! I agree…pricey, but tasty…when off hiatus in next month you can expect more…will pm you before I visit their shop.

Dexter

LOL thank you!!!! – NO – you don’t have to do that. Spend your money on tea for you!!! What I would like is a catalog. Can’t wait for their new web site to get up and running. See what else they have. I think what is currently listed is only some of the amazing stuff they sell.
This is my favorite Red Robe style oolong. Jin Ping Gong Fu is my favorite black. Their tea is just amazing. Some of the others I thought I really liked just don’t compare. Thank you for introducing me.

JustJames

this was lovely…

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20
drank Toasted Walnut by DAVIDsTEA
1040 tasting notes

Why in the world would any company call a tea that tastes like pineapple and coconut Toasted Walnut? Name aside this is awful. Its sickeningly sweet, fake, chemically pina colada. The green tea base did not get bitter, but the decent base was totally obscured by the candy pineapple. I didn’t taste any nuts, much less walnut. Toasted to me, implies some sort of nutty, almost smokey flavors – I didn’t get any of that either.
Sorry David – I don’t like this one.

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85
drank Canadian Blueberry by The Tea Haus
1040 tasting notes

I’m up-ing my rating on this a bit. This is a really versatile tisane. I’ve cold steeped it with black tea and with green tea. I’ve added it Adagio’s Primeval for a bit more of a blueberry punch. This might not be perfect, but you can do a lot of things with it. I will miss having it in my cupboard.

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40

What I learned today. Ceylon is not my favorite black tea. I didn’t like this at all. Really astringent, reminds me of over steeped red rose tea bags. I don’t know enough to judge if this is what all ceylon is like or if it’s just this version. This was not for me. Put the last in the fridge to cold steep. Hoping it is better that way.

Edit: If it’s possible, I thought this was even worse cold. Nope can’t do it. I don’t like it.

ashmanra

Don’t give up on Ceylon! LOL! High grown ones turn me off but I love the low grown. Maybe you can get a sample of Nina’s? I hear it is really good. I get a great one in Chaoel Hill, NC called Ceylon Extra Fancy that has the biggest leaves you have ever seen!

Dexter

Thanks ashmanra. I’ll take your advice and not give up on them, will try a couple more. I didn’t really expect this to be high end black tea, but was disappointed that it was almost undrinkable. Will try and source some from another vendor.

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86
drank Fruits d'Alsace by Harney & Sons
1040 tasting notes

This is what fruit black tea should be. Thank you so much Nxtdoor for sending me some of this!!!
I seem to have a hard time finding the fruit flavors in fruity black teas, but not this one. There is a ton of fruit flavor in here. Not sure I can pick out the individual fruits, but I like it none the less.
I’ve been having a bit of an odd tea day, so it doesn’t really surprise me that I’m getting a bit of “odd” in this one too. I’m getting some chocolate. I don’t think there is suppose to be chocolate in here. Either my taste buds are on the fritz, this got a little cross contaminated, or I over steeped it and I’m associating the bitter with chocolate. No matter what, chocolate or not, I really like this. For sure the best fruit black tea I’ve drank. Thanks Nxtdoor for sending this my way.

JustJames

dammit, i didn’t grab a sample of this either in my order. (facepalm) i forgot about paris as well.

Dexter

IMHO This is awesome, Florence is awesome, SoHo is great, Paris….not so much. (I haven’t tried Tokyo yet – I’m a little afraid of it)

Nxtdoor

Yah, Paris was hard. I think if we play with the steeping we can get it. Tokyo must be an aquired taste. I got no sesame, nothing but some weak not so good green tea. But I will do it more carefully next time, overleaf and hope for the best.

JustJames

oh, i did grab the SoHo blend!

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95
drank Colored Species by Mandala Tea
1040 tasting notes

Wow, I’m having a tea moment…………
I went through a phase where I was seeking oolongs. At that time I hadn’t really determined yet that I like the ones that are more oxidized. I was buying pretty much anything I could get my hands on. As I was trying them, I decided that the green ones really weren’t to my taste. Because of this process, I have MOUNTAINS of oolong in my house.
I brought this to work today, need to be drinking down my oolong stock.
OMG!!! This is nothing like what I was expecting. This changes everything that I thought I knew about green oolongs.
First steep – smelled really floral and sweet. The taste was less floral than it smelled. It tastes like a light oolong, some woody, really sweet, but not grassy at all. Hard to wrap my head around this.
Second steep – took the lid off my infuser and CLOVER – wow it was like I was transported into a field of flowering clover. This steep is sweeter (if that’s possible) and a little veggie ish, but still not grassy.
This tea stood up to a solid 5 steeps, each a little different than the others. I can’t really describe what it’s like. There are honey notes, maybe even a little honeysuckle – woody, honey, tiny bit earthy. Just amazing.
This tea will never be my go to tea on a daily basis, but it could defiantly be something I would choose on those days when you want something lighter. This is by far the best green oolong that I’ve tried – I have some of Mandala’s Milk Oolong, could it possibly be better than this?

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93

This is another fabulous sample sent to me from the amazing scribbles. I’m really having a good time with the Tao Tea Leaf teas that she so generously sent me. I’ve already placed an order to get more of a couple of them and to try a couple more.
This is a really nice oolong. It’s more woody than most of the ones I’ve tried – in my world that’s a really good thing. It’s easy to drink and was forgiving with my strange steeping parameters re being at work. This is not as mineral tasting as some other oolongs are. I really like it. Thanks scribbles for introducing me to this tea company.

scribbles

So happy that you are enjoying their teas! :D

Dexter

LOVE that black tea that I was struggling with the name!!! I ordered more of that and a couple of others. I got free shipping and a personal email for Tao of Tao Tea Leaf thanking me for my order saying he had included some samples and included shipping tracking number. Good customer service, I thought the ones you sent were really good quality. Little pricey, but liking this company. Canada Post is estimating delivery tomorrow!!! Thank you for pointing them out to me.

scribbles

I have visited his shop twice, and very impressed with his customer service on both occasions. He recommended that black tea that you and JustJames enjoyed…I was going to choose another one, but he said that one was better. He also threw in so many free samples on both occasions, it was ridiculous! I am fortunate it is a local shop, and will spend many dollars there!!

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Profile

Bio

C.S. Lewis – “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”

I needed to update my profile. I joined Steepster 03Mar13. I am just amazed at how much my tastes have changed since then.
When I discovered loose leaf tea about a year and half ago, I didn’t know anything other than my local Davids and Teavana/Teaopia. Stumbling onto Steepster CHANGED EVERYTHING.
Hello, my name is Dex I’m a tea addict.
I’ve been through the “I need to try every single tea out there” phase. I really hope the worst of that has passed. I’ve learned enough to know that I only need to try HALF of all the teas out there. LOL
When I started this journey, I was all about the flavored rooibos and fruity tisanes. Don’t get me wrong there is still room for dessert (chocolate/caramel/nutty) Rooibos teas in my cupboard and I still do enjoy them, BUT I am quickly learning to appreciate the some of the straight teas of the world.
Big bold (but not icky)pu’erh is suddenly my favorite, followed by woody/roasted oolongs. I’m just starting to explore straight black teas, and have found some that I really like.
Generally speaking I’m not into greens at all, only like the occasional green oolong, and white teas are just too mild for my tastes (unless they are fruit flavored). I still enjoy really good fruit tisanes, but am now cold steeping them.
I don’t like floral/herbal blends, and mint anything is not on my preferred list.
I am still exploring new teas, adapting to my changing tastes, understanding more every day how little I really know about tea. Ultimately I would love to find approximately 50 teas that I just “can’t live without” and always have them in my cupboard. That might not be practical, but that what I’m searching for. It’s going to be a fun journey.

All in all, I love this site. I’ve met some wonderful people, and have gotten to try some amazing teas because of them. It really restores your faith in humanity when you get a note saying “oh by the way I sent you some tea”. Wonderful, generous, people here.

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Manitoba Canada

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