1839 Tasting Notes
This was my tea yesterday in the office. I had a rehab in the morning before work; morning exercises aren’t for me at all!
And overall, when I came to the office I felt not relaxed, but rather a bit tense, perplexed and overall just feeling weird. I need a vacation or change a job. Or both.
Anyway, I had a very small tin since I joined the first TTB there; somehow forgotten, somehow just neglected. But decided to brew it yesterday, because… what can go wrong? No St. John’s wort, that’s good. I can’t have that herb in any form.
Okay, this tea made me so drowsy. I assume I even felt asleep in the chair for a little while. So, yes, I guess it is a good for relaxing.
Taste-wise it is a nice herbal with some bitter and salty finish, like a dandelion root? But overall it was fine. Just maybe drinking it at work isn’t the best.
Preparation
Huh, I never wrote a note for this tea?
And I thought I prepared it a few times! But I had 15 grams, which means like I had it just once?
Prepared as on label: 5g tea, 5 minutes, 90°C water. Definitely smells smoky, but in flavour it is rather like a coffee tea! Definitely and distinctly coffee.
Nice and round mouthfeel though.
Preparation
A forgotten last sample from Teaoria. Maybe because it is actually a herbal, so I wasn’t looking forward to try it? Maybe because I have same based tea from Georgian Tea 1847 which I haven’t tried (yet!)?
Anyway, decided to brew it today evening and I was wrong… I was supposed to look forward to try it. On blind test, I would say it is a mellow, flavoured black tea.
Jammy blueberry, sweet flavour, syrupy, interesting texture. A little, but pleasantly, sour.
Aroma is, surprisingly, rather citrusy (vendor says bergamot, not that sure about that) and berry-like.
Definitely I can recommend “Motsvi Chai” as a caffeine-free alternative to black tea and also as a nice cup for evenings with no-caffeine-in drinks.
Not a sipdown as I have used all at once.
Preparation
A sipdown! (M: 19, Y: 19)
Nepal Shangrila Gold by Klasek Tea — last two and something grams drank grandpa, 90°C water. Equally good as my gongfu session.
A sipdown! (M: 20, Y: 20)
Irish Cream by Curtis — again really strong in boozy scent, flavoured just right… just the mouthfeel could be a bit longer.
A sipdown! (M: 18, Y: 18)
Why obviously sick people use public transport? To spread the germs?
Anyway, I haven’t slept much today (roughly 5 hours); draining day at work; and that public transport issue meant a few things. I am really tired and exhausted. Headache if I didn’t took the pill, so some extra healthy (full of vitamins) tea definitely wouldn’t hurt. And I need to finish a few teas as I bought 8 new Basilur teas today.
This one is quite pleasantly tart, somehow fruity. I don’t need to keep it in my cupboard, but not bad. Somehow generic, though.
Preparation
This seems to be a universal problem. Maybe people can’t take sick days? Maybe they just don’t care?
I know social and workplace policies are different in other parts of the world, so the reasons may be different as well, but in the States a big part of it is, yes, a lot of people can’t take sick days and also don’t have cars/can’t afford to take a cab.
We have “sick leave” here, which means that doctor makes you stay at home. You get 60 per cent of average wage during those days, which can be critical for some, I assume.
I had a single tea bag in my herbal box and today afternoon I wasn’t looking for any plain teas, instead some fruity blend would be nice I thought.
Took this one, saying on front side: “blackcurrant, rosemary, honey & hibiscus”. That sounds good. Ingredients on the other side: “nettle, hibiscus (24%), apple pieces, natural raspberry flavoruing with other natural flavoruings, rosemary (5%), beetroot, natural honey and blackcurrant flavourings with other natural flavourings (3%) thiamin, natural flavouring.”
Ehh, is this anything but flavouring?
Dry bag was soo medicinal with raspberry whiff. Steeped for 3 minutes gives me impression of artificial raspbererry; but when sipped, it’s just plain, and weak raspberry flavoured tea with herbal finish. Luckily it’s not tart, but it was very, very flat tasting.
Preparation
A sipdown! (M: 17, Y: 17)
“A buttery pastry” tea as described by Courtney is top-notch description of this tea. Sadly, it smells better than it tastes, but if you are looking for some flavour profile descriptors, here are a few: buttery pastry, vanilla, brown sugar and creamy.
Prepared as a family pot tea — 2L / 2 pyramids steeped for 5 minutes.
I have had 10 grams left and I never wrote a note for this tea? Let’s split it up and prepare western today. They say it can handle harsher steepings and western method definitely is.
Parameters: 5 grams / 85 °C water / 300 ml / plastic strainer / 4-5 minutes
Also, the leaves used to be more green than now; now they are definitely more yellow than they have been. I assume it is high time to sip down this lovely tea.
And how it is lovely? Well, first of all look at the picture. Long and wiry, not broken leaves, wonderful hue of fresh green color, with wonderful aroma; sadly no fuzzy leaves here.
Aroma is slightly nutty and buttery, grassy and meadowy, definitely it seems very fresh to me (this mostly applies for previous sessions, when it was much fresher). Now it is still quite nutty and grassy, but it is like a hay a bit.
When steeped:
1st steep
Definitely it is still very nice, though sadly in the flavour it is obvious it’s not so fresh anymore. The meadow notes are like in Indian summer, so hay is there; not so aromatic and floral, but lovely nutty aftertaste is still there and quite distinctive. No astringency or bitterness, even after such long steeping.
2nd steep
I would need to have side-by-side to notice differences between those two steeps. Second one seemed to me a bit more buttery and more hay-like, but that slightly nutty and some other notes like sunflower seeds are prominent.
In conclusion, it is good tea for western steeping too (I did it before though) and looking forward to use remaining leaves for gongfu steeping. It won’t last long, as I have wrote, it is high time to sipdown this tea. Afterall, it is a green tea… which tend to get over their best time quickly.
Preparation
I have grabbed quite a few tea bags from the TTB solely for my outer wrapper collection.
This was one of them and it is a first one I have brewed… from those grabbed teas per bag each.
Well, when I opened the envelope I have been struck with pineapple, which is strange as there is “Spiced Apple Tisane” on the back side of it. Nevertheless, I decided to brew it and step it as intended, so looong steep.
It has turned into apple juice, mouthcoating and fresh, however not much of spices. But as an evening thirst quencherit works well and it is actually quite tasty.
So, Thank You to the person who added it in. Also, the envelope is very kawaii, as you can see in the picture. It looks very same.
Preparation
A sipdown! (M: 16, Y: 16)
Yay, another office sipdown!
As I already wrote in note about English Breakfast from Basilur… I usually used to “blend” this tea with some black tea base — English Breakfast and after I have finished one, it was “Gold” by Basilur. However, last tea bag I decided to prepare plain and oh boy… so tart.
I agree with Courtney, it seems it is not equal and consistent in the bags… sometimes full of hibiscus, sometimes full of cranberry. She wrote about that during the sips, but it is also true for each bag. When it was more towards cranberry, it was definitely better.
Stevia? Well, I haven’t noticed anything from it here.
Now I have there Forest Fruits by Basilur as a fruit tea. I just hope I won’t have to dilute it with black tea base again.