Today I was a little more careful. I used only 4 ounces of water. I still don’t think I’m getting the full effect. I’ve noticed that the tasting notes are all over the place on this tea. I can smell the floral aspects which are pleasant but not to-fall-in-love-with. I can also pick up on a sun-shiny buttery aspect of the tea.
I think my palate prefers the big boom to the delicate touch. In terms of being a tea drinker, I feel a bit like Sir Walter Scott felt about Jane Austen: "The Big Bow-wow strain I can do myself like any now going; but the exquisite touch, which renders ordinary commonplace things and characters interesting, from the truth of the description and the sentiment, is denied to me. "
The exquisite palate is denied to me but I certainly enjoy those Big Bow-wow teas.
My ratings, by the way, reflect my own pleasure in the tea and have nothing to do with the tea’s actual merit or lack thereof.
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How else would you rate the tea?
GREAT use of that quote! I actually won a GM sampler from a blog contest about a month ago, but it hasn’t arrived yet. All these sampler reviews lately are making me impatient! “I must have my share in the conversation, if you are speaking of music TEA.”
Trying to rate a tea on objective “merit” seems like an exercise in futility to me. Your descriptions and imagery are much more useful (and interesting!) than any attempt at an impartial judgement.
Reminds me of Robin William’s tirade on J. Evans Prichard’s textbook preface in “Dead Poet’s Society” … you can’t rate poetry (TEA) like you do American bandstand…it’s got a good beat, but you can’t dance to it! Poetry (TEA) was meant to be savored! Begone, J. Evans Prichard! Rip it out! Rip! Rip! I don’t hear enough ripping! (Sorry…getting carried away…)
Denisend, I was just reflecting that I’ve had no tea-tasting classes and I don’t know enough about the history and pedigree of teas (not to mention each year’s harvest) to speak to that aspect of tea-tasting.
How else would you rate the tea?
GREAT use of that quote! I actually won a GM sampler from a blog contest about a month ago, but it hasn’t arrived yet. All these sampler reviews lately are making me impatient! “I must have my share in the conversation, if you are speaking of music TEA.”
Trying to rate a tea on objective “merit” seems like an exercise in futility to me. Your descriptions and imagery are much more useful (and interesting!) than any attempt at an impartial judgement.
Reminds me of Robin William’s tirade on J. Evans Prichard’s textbook preface in “Dead Poet’s Society” … you can’t rate poetry (TEA) like you do American bandstand…it’s got a good beat, but you can’t dance to it! Poetry (TEA) was meant to be savored! Begone, J. Evans Prichard! Rip it out! Rip! Rip! I don’t hear enough ripping! (Sorry…getting carried away…)
Denisend, I was just reflecting that I’ve had no tea-tasting classes and I don’t know enough about the history and pedigree of teas (not to mention each year’s harvest) to speak to that aspect of tea-tasting.