1839 Tasting Notes

68

It isn’t that long I have tried this tea for last time (apparently 3 months ago) and exactly same as previous steeping. 3 minutes, boiling water.

This time it is from Madeline though. Thank you!

I think it is pretty much same as the previous note, though I haven’t noticed any malty notes today. It was drying, bold black tea. Not sure about rich taste, as it was, for a change quite one-dimensional.

Good for mining (keeping this cute typo for morning), when I don’t want anything, but strong tea. Keeping the rating on 68.

Flavors: Biting, Drying, Tannic

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 300 ML
gmathis

Someday when I am bored, I need to make a top ten list of my favorite heavy-duty “just tea” black teas. I think Twinings would definitely make the cut.

tea-sipper

I would love to see that list, gmathis!

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66

A tea bag from Madeline. We agreed on swap on 11th September, send each other envelopes, but mine arrived just today! Thank you Madeline — here is her profile https://steepster.com/mallen657 as I have invited her here and she “loves this place”. She contacted me through Postcrossing.

I have quite terrible headache today and I wanted to try something, more-less new. I never had green tea with mint from Bigelow before. I know and assume somehow standard quality of tea and mint. But it’s new tea bag for my collection for sure, and that was actaully major reason why I have agreed on the swap.

It is as expected; quite mild but tasty base. And then lots of speamint. It is very refreshing. Easydrinking tea, the green base is indeed basic and somehow common hay-like, not really much of fresh green tea. The spearmint is rather like chewing gum. Maybe too strong for me as it almost “kills” the base.

Flavors: Spearmint

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 300 ML
gmathis

I won’t say I’ve never had a Bigelow tea I didn’t like, but in general, it’s a solid, reliable, inexpensive grocery store brand.

Madeline

Glad it’s a new one for you! I actually haven’t tried it yet, but my girlfriend’s a big mint fan so she added that one.

Shae

Welcome to Madeline! And I hope you’re feeling better, Martin. Headaches can be so exhausting.

Martin Bednář

I think it was some one-day sickness as I feel completely different today (I prescribed paracetamol to myself though for few days)

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71

I have this tea for quite long time, prepared few times, but never wrote a tasting note.

Maybe because it feels like a common herbal tea; which is tasty, but missing the oomph factor. Ingredients are tasty and all are organic, which is nice. I can imagine drinking it in Alps mountain hut, as the name suggests. (Organic Mountain hut Tea)

I have noticed mostly peppermint, but it isn’t much strong; then thyme (I like it in teas and need to get black tea with thyme somewhere again), but it is overall mellow and easydrinking.

Just nothing to repeat for some kind of quality or special taste. It’s herbal with all its positives and negatives. I do like it.

Flavors: Herbs, Peppermint, Thyme

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 300 ML

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66

Found out while adding this tea to database; it is Korean Green tea with rice (aka Korean version of Genmaicha)
Received this tea from postcrossing quite long time ago; I think it can be half an year.

I have only little exprience with Korean green teas. So that said, I don’t know their qualities and flavours.

This tea bag I let steep for two, maybe three minutes in the water of 80°C approximately.

It was smooth drink with nice base which was nicely grassy (again, a sweet grass notes) and rice. Yes, certainly to was with roasted rice, as genmaicha should be.. but this time I felt like it was overpowering the base and it was rather rice with hints of green tea. It was quite sweet in my opinion and my stomach felt bit heavy afterwards.

Flavors: Buffalo Grass, Toasted Rice

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 300 ML

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82

Oh well. It seems it is more than year and something from my last note of this tea. Truth is I prepare it very rarely, because the chunk of the tea is incredlibly hard to pry apart.

But I managed to make a slice of approximately 3 grams and prepared rather grandpa today. I still have left, so if anyone is interested, let me know!

The tea was quite weak maybe… but I prepared it with bit of colder water as well. It got around 85°C temperature when I measured it after I filled my cup of 300 ml.

It was milder and no astringency at all, unfortunately, as it is long time from its bamboo prison it lost its special bamboo notes as well. It is mostly stonefruits in taste; though it is still quite enjoyable. Bit on sweet side between sips, like sweet grass pretty much.

Decent, but not worth previous 85 rating. I have lowered it a bit.

Today I found an interesting company: https://www.barharbortea.com/ — they are from Maine and it seems they have naturally sourced berries in their teas. Their tea bags would look very nice in my collection as well, so I wrote them an email asking for some samples or something, as I don’t want buying box for 13 USD per 15 tea bags I find unamusing. And moreover, I haven’t find out if they even ship over the ocean.

But I would like to support small businesses somehow, even their teas seem quite “boring and typical flavours”.

Flavors: Buffalo Grass, Stonefruit

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 g 10 OZ / 300 ML
Cameron B.

Ooh, that company does seem intriguing, I may need to order some of their blueberry and maple teas at one point. :P

tea-sipper

I hope they send you samples! I’ve been to Bar Harbor and have never heard of this company.

Martin Bednář

They haven’t replied (yet?). Quite a bummer, but I give them few weeks and then I will forget about them again. I have website saved, though.

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90

This is second tea I have no idea about. It is from What-Cha, based on White Antlers order (Thank you!) and delivered as a gift to my house. And again, like Manna Green tea from Georgia, it’s not even on the website of What-Cha. So Alistair, I assume it is again some very limited quantity of tea I am lucky having in my hands and I am grateful!

The tea itself is quite crushed, but not yet CTC. At least I don’t think so. Tea from Persia… ehm Iran nowdays, seems very rare. Harvest is from last year summer. Wikipedia don’t say much:
“Historically, Lahijan is the first town in Iran to have tea plantations. With its mild weather, soil quality and fresh spring water, Lahijan stands to have the largest area of tea cultivation in Iran. But today the country’s tea industry is deep in trouble and the verdant gardens that once sustained millions of farmers and their workers are used only for grazing sheep and other personal purposes. Despite having one of the world’s most avid tea drinking populations, the Iranian tea economy is reeling from an influx of foreign imports and smugglers who, local traders complain, often have close family ties to powerful figures in the Islamic government. The consequences are plain to see. In Lahijan, the historic capital of Iran’s tea industry, land that was once a lush vista of tea bushes is now occupied by houses and flats, built by tea factory owners who have moved into the building trade in response to their industry’s decline. Several of the town’s tea mills are derelict. Others are at a stand-still or operating at half capacity. Some 40% of the half-million tea farmers in tea-rich Gilan province have gone out of business, because the factories are no longer buying their crops. Hundreds of thousands of pickers have been forced out of work. "

That said, I am happy to have this opportunity to try it. I took two teaspoons and steeped for four minutes. I was quite afraid it will turn astringent, bitter and dark, but Alistair have correct preparation method on the label and it turned out great!

I don’t want to believe, but it was quite tannic, but sweet as well and lots of red berries, while mostly I noticed red currants I think. Weak in malt, but instead it was bit with roasted nuts (maybe) flavour. It reminded me as well bit of Guria Likhauri (tea from Georgia), but much less malty and no “jam” notes. The aftertaste lingers and is it mild one and it’s not rough at all.

It is quite strong in caffeine as well as I had it as breakfast tea. Not that perfect as Mokalbari, but another great and tasty pure black tea.

Flavors: Berries, Red Fruits, Roast Nuts, Tannic

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 10 OZ / 300 ML
White Antlers

wow! That sounds like a wonderful way to start the day, Martin!

Martin Bednář

It was; it is such an amazing tea. Especially the long steeping for such broken leaf surprised me.

What-Cha

Glad you enjoyed it, I did have a more premium handmade version also but sadly US regulations made the sale of Persian tea very complicated and means it’s not viable.

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88

Two teaspoons, around 80°C . Western.

It is, as I said before, kind of floral tea, but somehow mild; not overpowering the base tea which is… well kinda common, but certainly not bad one..

It was kinda anise-like as well today, base was quite bold and I think it is from that. The lotus seems genuine for me and not artificial. I like this tea that much I put a watch on this tea on vendor website. Alistair, I hope you will be able to get some.
I think I have last session left, so I will keep that for gong-fu brewing.

Flavors: Anise, Floral, Orchid

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 10 OZ / 300 ML

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I have small “mushrooms” of shu. I got them as sample of “not great shus” from Donatzsky from r/tea year and something ago.

I decided to brew one of them today, grandpa; boiling water. Quite a boring preparation method, but I was craving for some dark, bold tea.

Honestly… It wasn’t that bad at all. I have expected something completely foul and undrinkable.

It was earthy, wet woody, but drinkable. Somehow…

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85

I found some tea bag left of those, and decided to brew it.
As a collector I took it out of foil wrappers earlier, so it wasn’t so potent as earlier, but it was still very nice herbal!

The mint was probably most present nowdays, with kind of earthy thyme and sage.
Hmm, too bad that coop have those wonderful teas only in Switzerland.

On side note, it seems my brother caught Covid-19; he just lost all sense of smell (and common cold never did it to him); we made measures earlier… so we are safe but of course it isn’t great at all. Results should come in Saturday

White Antlers

OH NO! Martin, I am so sorry to hear about your brother. My oldest friend, who now lives 11 hours away from me, got COVID earlier in the year. He did not even know he was sick. He lost his sense of smell for a month and his toes turned purple (for real, not being funny) and he later learned he had been infected. He is in his 60s and has other long term health issues but he came out just fine. I wish the same for your sibling.

gmathis

Praying for your family—may you be healthy and anxiety free!

Mastress Alita

Hoping the best for your brother. My sister is currently fighting Covid infection and has just developed the no smell/no taste symptom herself.

mrmopar

Praying for you and your family Martin.

tea-sipper

oh no, all of our siblings are getting covid right now, which.. I guess is saying what is happening to the world right now… I’m wishing the best for all of your family, Martin!

Martin Bednář

Thank you everyone, I appreciate it a lot! We bought him some necessary things today (he got 1 year old, wonderful and cute, daughter). So far it seems he lost the sense of smell, which is in current situation the minor trouble.

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85

I had to search what Sloe Gin is. That spirit sounds interesting and i would like to try it.

To the tea… be cautious; aroma is very pungent; not sure if it is elderberries; but probably yes :) and it smells after gin (actually rather the base — drupes). But it’s so strong!

While brewed, it is still very aromatic. Even my father noticed it and he said: “What the … are you drinking again?” Hihi. I told him and well, he was surprised.

I took one heaped tea spoon and second was quite empty, as I was afraid it won’t be too tasty. How wrong I was after three minutes steep! It is with nice base, some sweetness and although no actual gin (not sloe gin, as I have no idea) notes, there were some drupe notes I think… Smoky in the finish and back of tongue.

Not a tea which I will look for every day, but certainly an interesting blend worth trying and I think I will finish it without problems when looking for something bold and flavourful.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 10 OZ / 300 ML
White Antlers

Martin, this brought back memories! The first hangover I ever had when I was a young teen was after many many sloe gin fizzes. Gawd-I was so sick! Bottled sloe gin has a slight aroma of almonds that comes from steeping the fruit’s stones as part of the mixture. It’s a delicious drink-and lethal (or so it felt the next day) in large doses.

Martin Bednář

I am glad it wasn’t really lethal for you White Antlers, but I can imagine it. Maybe it was bit almondy in taste; but certainly not overpowering :)

teaqueen

The worst hangover I ever had was from gin as well. This tea sounds like an interesting idea though! Gin flavorings with smoky lapsang actually sounds delightful, and no hangovers involved…

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Profile

Bio

I am drinking almost everything. Tea bag collector who moved to wonderful world of loose leaf.

Trying to rate differently tea bags and loose leaf as tea bags have usually worse quality.

Photographer now and then. Postcrossing and geocaching member. Very curious person. Logistics student (should finish in June 2021).

Buried in tea right now. Is in my cupboard (trying to be updated) which sparkled your interest? Write me, I would gladly share with you. But I don’t want anything in return now :)

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Czech Republic

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