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Apparently it’s few days only since I drank this one for first time and now it is sipdown as well. Well, thanks for sample derk!

Prepared same as 9 days ago — 3 grams of tea, western. 4 minutes steeping.

Aroma is storngly toffee! Then honey, stewed fruits. Oh wow, such different!
Taste is different too… do I steeped it longer today? It is stewed fruits, malts, little but noticeable astringency. Certainly this tea feels heavier today, I don’t notice any roasted nuts today. Not even that citrus zest. I am not that sure about easy-drinking tea too.

Whoa, 9 days difference, so big difference in tea as well. There is only one same thing. I am tired. I woke up about 3.30 am (after going to bed in 10 pm) and haven’t slept since. I don’t know why.

Decided to brew pu-erh in gaiwan again, I need to calm down and this somehow works well to me. Not just tea, but sitting and enjoying the cuppa.

I prepared 5 grams in 85 ml gaiwan, boiling water in thermos. Quick rinse (10 seconds), letting humidity for 5 minutes to entry the chunk of tea.

First steep was ten seconds long and it brewed so dark… bit oily brew. The taste was quite boring, typical shu flavour, woody, no notes of chocolate I noticed last time.
Second one was with 5 seconds extra, brewed even darker, the taste is nice and mellow, but again that typical shu, without any complexity. I haven’t reached that soup is ultra thick and will coat your mouth throughout the session, just like a good old Irish stout! yet too. But it looks like that for sure. Some sweet notes bit reminding vanilla appears.

Third one, 25 seconds. It’s not that dark! Dark mahogany colour right now, clear.
Indeed some sweet notes are there. Not sure about the vanilla, but sweet. What is sweet, but somehow mild? Not sugary sweet? Is it that notes of chocolates I noticed other day?

Another. 30 seconds.
Smooth shu. There are no rough notes. Decent.

45 seconds. I am drinking it somehow fast. Do I hurry? Noo! Why then? Anyway, it’s so nice, mellow, easydrinking.

Another 45 seconds long steep. Did I bite dark chocolate? No, it is just a tea.

Praying for justice and calm heads in US, I hope that methods of police will change too. I don’t consider normal kneeing on someone’s neck. Moreover when he was trying to breath. I don’t say that riots will solve anything, but honestly I am not surprised. What else they can do? Should they remain silent? I am afraid that is what they want.

Hmm. Received two tea bags from derk, but for some reason it was forgotten. And moreover not even in my virtual cupboard. I decided to brew it 5 minutes in freshly boiled water, without any checking how I should make it. And by coincidence I prepare it fairly similar to derk. THANK YOU to California.

Anyway to the tea; I needed something to calm nerves a bit, and this worked beautifully. I did not passed mathematics exam I took today (yes, in Saturday), which indeed made me sad. I had so high hopes. So next week re-sit.

This tea struck my nose with its spearmint notes. Refreshing, fresh; then hints of flowers and in background hints of vanilla. Brewed, vanilla notes with flower notes are there in aroma, but in taste it is mellow vanilla flower tea. With cooling aftertaste of spearmint. It is bit sweet for my tooth, but basically I can’t say any disparaging word.

No song pairing, okay, let’s make one (cover from Bob Dylan): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMurtgI1CTI
Food pairing: store-bought chocolate mousse
Photo pairing:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/152410333@N04/49952614157 — taken today after I went to our garden to mow grass (with scythe), but as it was dry, it was too hard to mow. I gave up pretty quickly, but honestly I wanted to take few pictures…

Big bags series tea.

Well, it’s not bad; actually, quite tasty.

The mint is very nice and pleasant, refreshing and smooth. But it is that strong that base tea is overpowered and not noticeable. Probably the base is as well good, just weak in flavours. No malty notes; almost nothing as I wrote before. I would like base stronger, or weaker mint.

Certainly it has got peachy flavour. And rose flavour.

But it was quite weak in flavour. Maybe cold-brewing as suggested would be great idea.

But I am glad that I noticed both flavours; and it worked quite well. But only so light!

I have to downrate this one a bit (84 → 80), I brewed completely same as last time.

It tasted pretty generic green tea with no grassy notes, rather just mineral and little seaweed. Little bit it reminded me ocean air in aroma.

Probably old, I know…

Another attempt with this one.

Unfortunately, kind of sad one. I am really not fan of this one.
It’s really not nutty, but this time I noticed almonds and marzipan. Unfortunately, with hojicha it don’t work well, as hojicha is quite strong moreover combined with black tea. The base is bit overpowering. I expected more nutty flavour than almonds/marzipan. One last tea for this one in the pouch.

SIPDOWN

That was quick! And I should order more. For mornings it is great tea – it has caffeine boost from black tea base, but it is sweet and fruity from raspberries, bit tart from herbal part of the and everything coated with cake flavour.

I will order more when I will place another order at Bird and Blend!

Last received sample from my order…
I am sad that I did not order whole pouch! Hmm, it is really delicious!

That says enough, right?
Okay, I know it doesn’t.

Opening tea bag brought me strong smoke aroma. They say it is pinewood smoked Lapsang Souchong; but although I want a smokehouse, we don’t have it. And I don’t know anyone who have. So I can’t be sure if it is pinewood smoke.

But… Brewed tea!
I expected it bit less smoky but actually almost all smoke flavour is gone. But some remained and that’s just right level of it. It was smooth with flavours, little bit of forest aroma/taste (I know you can’t eat forest, but you know what I mean with forest flavour, right). It!s bit meaty too. But that smooth taste and aftertaste…

Base tea isn’t much pronounced, which is bit sad to be honest. It’s smooth, but some malty or sweet flavours would make it little bit better for sure!

EDIT: Tasting note no. 600 !!!

Received from tea bag exchange last November. Since then it was in huge bags section.

I don’t really enjoyed it. It was easydrinking but meh. Red fruits in Italy probably mean big load of hibiscus and strawberry and raspberry flavours. They claim it is natural, but it is pretty artificial.

Natural flavour is an extremely vague term that really doesn’t tell us much about what’s actually in the product we’re eating (from Google search and quickly found)

Pretty much I understand it is that. Nothing and pretty artificial probably. There are no red fruits in ingredients.

And taste… come on Twinings, you can do better! Even in fruit tea category. Bleh, meh, only tartness from hibiscus and… little bit of strawberries. So little that maybe I just thought it’s there because of picture on tea bag.