6 Tasting Notes
Dark Matter 2016 number 7.
Does anyone here also drink scotch? This is like if Laphroaig Quarter Cask was a tea.
I really love the smokey flavor and the thick liquor this tea offers. Definitely interested in teas like this/would buy more.
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Pine, Salt, Scotch, Smoke, Wood
Preparation
Tea 5 from my 2016 Dark Matter
I don’t know that I love it, but as far as shou goes, this is the best one I’ve had. Thick and comparatively sweet. I’m pretty sure I like my shou brewed inky black, as I have enjoyed those infusions on this one more. That being said I’m still just not a fan. Too earthy/minerally. I quit on this one early because there are so many teas and life is too short to drink tea you don’t love.✌
If you are a shou-head, this one is probably pretty good.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEUz0uMj_fZ/?taken-by=pyramid_king_brandon
Flavors: Earth, Mineral, Sweet
Preparation
Tea 4 from my 2016 Dark Matter haul.
Eh, I dunno. I’m still not convinced I’ve found a ripe I really enjoy, though this one was more palatable than the others I’ve tried so far. This one was only slightly fishy. Maybe I’m just really sensitive to the fishy pile taste? And I don’t particularly like teas that smell like the inside of a boathouse and taste like lake water.
But this one was okay lake water. The kind of lake water I’d drink again if offered it in some public/social/cultural setting. :)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BESHG51j_Vq/?taken-by=pyramid_king_brandon
Flavors: Decayed Wood, Earth, Wet Earth
Preparation
My second tea from the 2016 Dark Matter.
Now this is an oolong that’s more up my alley. This tea brewed up a nice amber color and the leaves are impressively red in hue; fitting of the tea the more I got to know it. The first few steeps were wooden, with barely any roast flavor to speak of. That almost immediately gave way to these lovely honeysuckle and creamy notes, with this sprinkle of cinnamon dancing around my mouth as I aspirated. When it ended, it went quick. However that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it left me wanting more. A nice little firework of a tea.
This is one I’m incredibly likely to order more of.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEJq6-Mj_cP/?taken-by=pyramid_king_brandon
Flavors: Cinnamon, Cream, Honeysuckle, Wood
Preparation
This was my first tea from the 2016 Dark Matter.
This tea was pretty okay. I really enjoyed it in the later steeps but the first few steeps were almost uncomfortably floral and in your face. Much akin to brewing a Michael’s craft store. I enjoy floral notes, but not as the prominent flavor. As far as oolongs go, I think I enjoy the more creamy and savory ones. It lasted my usual 10 steeps before I decided to call it quits.
I would definitely recommend this to someone who enjoys intensely floral flavors.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BECBshYj_aD/?taken-by=pyramid_king_brandon
Flavors: Floral, Mineral, Roasted
Preparation
My 3rd tea from 2016 Dark Matter. After seeing no real reviews except for LP’s raving, I decided to give this one a go as it had caught my eye from the moment I first saw “Pine Needle”. Forgive my still-developing pallet if I can’t do it justice with my description:
“That’s an odd name,” I thought, but the taste is a far cry from anything pine. It has a nice, creamy mouth-feel and it goes down silky smooth. I heard of all these chocolate flavors and smells in other reviews on other teas but I had never experienced one until now. There’s a definite, strong dark chocolate smell to the tea that was so surprising I had to ask my girlfriend to smell the lid of my gaiwan to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating it. The malt and hay flavors are present throughout and compliment the chocolaty flavors nicely. It ends light and sweet and left a chocolate covered cherry smell in my little 50ml cup. I lost track but got almost 10 solid steeps out of it as far as I can figure. This is my favorite of the 2016 Dark Matter so far and I will inevitably buy more when I can find it on the Life in a Teacup website (halp?). It’s just that good.https://www.instagram.com/p/BEMtbonj_SD/?taken-by=pyramid_king_brandon
Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Hay, Malt
Preparation
Here you go… http://www.lifeinteacup.com/ He may not have the Pine Needle listed. I find the website awkward, but you can e-mail him admin@lifeinteacup.com and he is very responsive.
Yeah I second the awkward website notion. I don’t see it using the search function so it looks like I’m going to e-mail. Thank you for your help!
My pleasure. The site owners are on retreat until 4/20, I think, so until then, you will just get a generic response. If you do order, try the Tie Guan Yin Red (Black) tea. That is how it is listed. I think you’ll enjoy it.
