239 Tasting Notes
Let me begin by saying that this is NOT a high quality tea. These are leaf chips mixed in with tips. But perhaps it’s my background of drinking Lipton for so many years that allows me to purchase these things now and again and not care.
This tea is black when it’s brewed. It almost looks like the first brew of a cooked puerh. I had a feeling that it would be strong and tend toward bitterness, so I only brewed it for 3:15.
The tea hits the front of the tongue with a quick bite of bitterness before quickly mellowing out to something a little tangy. There’s very little astringency in the back of the palette. Once I swallowed, that rose flavor started floating around the palatal area.
Overall, it’s quite a pleasant experience, as long as you’re a fan of rosy black cheap teas.
Flavors: Bitter, Rose, Tangy, Tannin
Preparation
The black tea used for this blend is not as strong as I thought it would be. It barely comes through the other flavors. I feel as though the pear is an afterthought in this blend as well. You have to really concentrate to find it.
I have Davidson’s Mulling Spices for making spiced cider in autumn, and you can definitely tell that the same blend was used in this tea. It’s very heavy on cinnamon and clove—so much so that it should probably be called spiced tea with a hint of pear.
Overall though, I like the taste. It would be incredible on a crisp, fall day with a touch of maple sugar.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Clove, Pear
Preparation
This is a nice “middle of the road” tea in that the black used for the base is nothing particularly special. However, the peach flavoring is not too light and not too heavy. It’s fake enough to know that there’s no way you could get this flavor from a tea naturally, but not so fake that you feel as though you’re drinking flavoring.
Like any tea, it can be a bit bitter and dry tasting if you let it steep too long, which I happened to do this time. It’s still one of my favorites though.
Flavors: Bitter, Peach, Tea
Preparation
This is my first white tea, and I have to say that I am lacking the vocabulary to describe it. It’s extremely mild, with just the slightest hint of bitterness at the back of the palette after it is swallowed. The flavor can only be described as . . . tea, and perhaps a bit of hay. It’s not unpleasant, but I’m not jumping up and down over it.
Flavors: Hay, Tea
Preparation
Well that doesnt sounds right – keep with white tea as most is pretty lovely tasting imho
It’s probably not a very high quality white; it was extremely cheap.
Silver needle is usually pretty expensive. You should be able to brew it for a lot more than 1 minute as well. Mine I do 2:30-3 minutes
I think I’m in love. This tea has such an intoxicating smell with a light, delicate flavor of sweet milk with the slightest hints of green tea. I’m tasting a little bit of toasty honey and caramel, but none of the fruits and orchids I’ve heard people talk about.
I want to marry this tea.
Flavors: Caramel, Green, Milk, Sweet
Preparation
This is a very bitter, astringent tea. It tastes more like a black tea than the oolongs I’ve tried so far. The leaf doesn’t even look like an oolong. I’ve heard a couple of complaints about it being weak, so I brewed it for 2 mins. It sure wan’t weak, and the color came out a dark reddish brown.
If I were doing a blind taste test, I would say it was overcooked Lipton. I’ll try it again with a lighter steep time and temp to use up my leaves, but I’m not really looking forward to it.
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Hay
Preparation
Sometimes mere seconds can make the difference with that awful bitter taste that can come from some oolongs.. Maybe start flash steeping small amounts or something like 30 seconds.. Or maybe its just a bad tea
I was thinking thinking that it might just be temperamental. A couple people have told me that it was too weak; a couple have said that it was too strong. When I try it again, maybe I’ll just play around with the steep times and temps to see what I get.
It may well be a weird one – the picture even on the website makes it look weird. Indian high-grown white tipped Oolong? never had any before
The smell of this tea is overwhelmingly peachy, but most of that disappears when it’s brewed. It has a sort of roasty toasty aroma with an undercurrent of peach, which is the flavor that comes out. Maybe a toasted rice kind of flavor? It’s rather nice and light. No bitterness or astringency at all
I’m wondering if I can coax a stronger flavor out of it if I steep it longer the next time.
Flavors: Peach, Toasted Rice, Toasty
Preparation
The smell of the brewed tea is like a dark cinnamon roll and coffee rolled into one. And it tastes a lot like it smells. It has a dark, slightly bitter flavor that is reminiscent of coffee. The brown sugar, cinnamon, and maple flavors come through most strongly.
This would make an great breakfast tea for mornings when you’re craving something you probably shouldn’t be having for breakfast. It also makes a good dessert tea.
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Coffee, Maple Syrup
Preparation
It’s a beautiful tea—deep red with a wafting aroma that is the very definition of the color burgundy.
It’s odd how much this tea actually tastes like wine. It has a grapey, berry-like flavor, but it’s not sweet at all. It’s almost like a very, very dry red. The back of the palette dries out with each sip.
While I enjoy it, I think I have to be in the mood for a hot, non-alcoholic glass of wine in order to drink it. I’d be interested in trying it slightly sweetened and iced.
