523 Tasting Notes
I got my first catalogue from Republic of Tea today and this was the sample that came with it. It isn’t something that I would’ve thought to buy for myself, but that’s what I like about surprise samples. The bag smells very yummy so I didn’t hesitate to boil some water. Brewed, it smells like candy. Possibly medicinal, as some reviewers have described. I’ve never considered medicinal fruit flavors to be offensive to my palate, so that’s not so much a con for me. However, it is a tea bag and it has that tea-bag flavor about it. I don’t know how to describe it, but black teas especially seem to have a uniqueness that they only get in a bag. I like the tea as far as bagged teas go. It’s something i’d likely pick up to brew if I saw it at someone else’s house or at a hotel. It Probably won’t be in my own cupboard, but I wouldn’t mind if it was.
When I first brewed this, I could smell the flower aroma right away. I though “oh no, not another orchid soup.” But I dared to drink it anyway. The flavor did not offend. The first infusion hardly tasted floral at all. It was a bit creamy and reminiscent of a green tea. The second infusion brings out more of the floral flavor. There is also a sort of smokiness that comes out in the second cup that balances the floral. the third infusion looses the smokiness. It has a very clean aftertaste. Some of the florals that are linked with honey or caramel notes tend to have a sickeningly sweet aftertaste that makes me feel like a just consumed a real flower. I like honey notes without floral, but together they don’t work for me. I probably won’t order more of this, but it was more tolerable than most floral oolongs that I have tried.
First infusion: 30 sec.
Second infusion: 40 sec.
Third: 60 sec.
Its been difficult trying to find good oolongs that suit me. This one is excellent quality, but it is not for me. I pick up too much floral aroma and flavor. It has other wonderful flavor notes too, but I can’t get past my dislike of florals enough to appreciate this one.
Thanks moraiwe for this sample!
Kukicha is one of my favorite green teas. This tea doesn’t taste much different than regular kukicha that I’ve tried from difference sources except that it is much greener in the cup and slightly bitter. I like it well enough, but I will probably just stick to my plain kukichas.
Preparation
Another of my samples from Dustin
Smells very sweet and cake-like in the bag
The taste is also very sweet: like sugar and melted cake sprinkles. I can tolerate this flavor so much better than most of Della Terra’s Dessert blends, but the whole super-sweet dessert tea thing is not growing on me yet. Maybe I’ll find just the right one someday, but this one is not it.
Preparation
Thanks to Dustin for this sample
*The dry leaf smells equally grassy and of vanilla
*The brewed cup has a stronger vanilla aroma, but still picking up on the green tea base.
The vanilla is much more subtle and natural than in other vanilla flavored teas I’ve tried. It doesn’t smell so strong of alcohol/vanilla extract like some others.
The flavor is more on the green tea side, while the vanilla plays subtly in the back ground. I like it quite a bit, but don’t know if I like it enough to purchase more. I tend to prefer unflavored greens in my permanent stock.
Preparation
oops! I accidentally posted this note under the Genmaicha Extra Green Tea Bag. I’ve since deleted that note, but in case any of you are wondering why this looks familar, now you know.
Got this in my sampler kit from Dens. It tastes very much like I remember Lipton’s Green tea bags tasting. No offense to it, I really liked the Lipton bags before I switched to loose leaf, but I always hated that it was ‘Lipton’ brand :p Perhaps the flavor of this is a bit richer, but still a similar overal flavor profile, I think.
backlog:
Brewed this about a week ago. It smells very strong of peaches in the bag. Almost too strong, but I like peaches. After brewing, it still smells like peaches, but the scent seems more artificial than before. The flavor is vaguely like green tea with a muddy blend of all the other ingredients. None stand out over the others and the blended flavor isn’t particularly delightful. I finished half of my cup before deciding that this one won’t be on my shopping list.
Smells like roasted honey. I dont think I noticed so much honey scent before, but I tend to pick up on more characteristics the more times I have a particular tea. First taste is still roasty like I remember, but finishes off sweet. I’ll probably be buying more when my sample runs out.
