95 Tasting Notes

80
drank Dreamsicle Darjeeling by 52teas
95 tasting notes

This tea has a pleasingly light, crisp taste of citrus. It’s fantastic as an iced tea. It is not at all bitter or astringent and the flavors are very light. It’s like catching a whiff of orange and a hint of cream. The aftertaste is short, crisp, and mainly the black tea with a touch of creaminess. It’s delicious and very refreshing, but it may be that I might prefer slightly more leaf or a longer steep time. I brewed this hot and chilled it overnight.

Flavors: Citrus, Creamy

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec 7 tsp 64 OZ / 1892 ML

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84
drank French Vanilla Assam by 52teas
95 tasting notes

This tea tastes just like French Vanilla should. It is creamy vanilla and reminds me of French Vanilla ice cream. I brewed this last night and when I tried it hot, it was too strong, too astringent. I put the rest in a pitcher to chill overnight in the refrigerator. When I tried it this morning, I decided it still needed to be diluted some. Now it’s perfect. It is smooth, creamy, with a strong vanilla taste, and minor astringency. I just had to get the parameters correct for it to shine.

Flavors: Creamy, Vanilla

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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75

This has a pretty strong pear flavor. I find that Teavana teas usually have interesting names, but taste nothing like their monikers. This actually resembles pear though the taste is slightly artificial. It is intensely fruity with a slight green oolong aftertaste. Though the tea is pretty sweet without any added sweetener there is also a slight tartness. It makes a good iced tea, which is how I’m enjoying it now.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 tsp 64 OZ / 1892 ML

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This is a nice fruity white tea. And, 52Teas does fruity white teas really well. When I opened the bag I smelled banana. Wonderful banana. I love banana flavored teas. I have to admit that I’m not really sure what passion fruit smells or tastes like. Once brewed, the banana aroma gives way to a more general fruity aroma and taste. The banana is still there, but much more subdued. My first tasting of this tea was hot. Now I am enjoying it iced. It is good either way though I think the maltiness of the white tea and the individual flavors come through better when drinking it hot. I also love the aftertaste. It is slightly malty, slightly fruity, and sweet. The second steeping tastes more like a plain white tea, the flavorings are much less prominent.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 1 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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88
drank Walter Bishop Honeybush by 52teas
95 tasting notes

Strawberry ice!! This is what comes to mind when I drink this tea. This tea has the best strawberry flavor, sweet and natural. The crisp, light, bright flavor also evokes the sensation of being served with shaved ice. (This is not to be confused with amusement park slushies that have that icky artificial flavor and aftertaste.) The component I’m missing for it to be a milkshake experience is the cream (or is that more a texture than a flavor?). Doesn’t matter. I really like this tea.

As is typical for me, I brewed this using hot water and then cooled it overnight in the refrigerator and have been enjoying chilled.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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88
drank Walter Bishop Honeybush by 52teas
95 tasting notes

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92
drank Maple Pecan Oolong by Butiki Teas
95 tasting notes

This tea is fantastic! I enjoy it hot and haven’t tried it iced. This is unusual for me, but when I have small amounts of a tea, I’m less likely to make up a whole iced tea pitcher. And, when something is so good the first way you try it, it’s hard to try it any other way.

I am absolutely amazed that the pecan taste is so realistic. It’s very natural, right down to the slight astringency like effect that pecan skins can have for me. And, I’m not put off the way nut-flavored teas often do to me. The maple flavoring is also fantastic and why I bought the tea in the first place. I love maple flavoring. The aftertaste has a lovely long-lasting maple sweetness to it. The tea base is on the sour end of the tea spectrum, a bit astringent with a touch of woody flavor, and not sweet. Any sensation of sweetness is all due to the maple flavoring I think. It certainly isn’t like any oolong I’ve had before. I honestly wasn’t sure what I thought of it at first, but it has really grown on me. It matches the flavorings perfectly.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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80
drank Razzleberry Genmaicha by 52teas
95 tasting notes

I am enjoying this iced. It is pretty good. I definitely taste berries and the slightly toasty and savory genmaicha flavors. The aftertaste really reminds me of marshmallow treat.

Flavors: Berries

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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93

This is wonderful. It’s cozy and perfect as a hot cup of tea. I brewed for only a minute as suggested and the flavor is great with no bitterness. It’s a soft flavor. I can tell there is cinnamon and citrus (not obviously bergamot or orange, just light citrus) along with a chocolatey black tea, but nothing dominates. Everything blends together so well. I could drink this every day.

Flavors: Cinnamon

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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80

This is a lovely rose tea. I’ve generally come to not like rose teas, but this one I love. I think the rose adds a honeyed flavor in addition to the obviously perfumy rose taste. The black tea is nice and soft in the background. I particularly enjoy it iced.

Yes, SpecialTeas disappeared years ago. A sad event I still bemoan on occasion. However, I still have a few of my favorites from this company stocked up. When I learned that I wouldn’t be able to get any more I began to search for other options and hording what I had. This was about the time that I discovered Steepster.

Some tea really is only good for a year or less, but some seems to last forever. This is one that has changed little in taste in all the years it’s been stashed away in my cupboard. And, while I still find it delicious, I have since discovered other favorites that I enjoy more, so it is time to decupboard this one once and for all.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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