1846 Tasting Notes
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ADVENT DAY 24
I won’t lie, I have expected some kind of holiday tea. Some distinctly German. Punch-like maybe? Glühwein?
But anyway! It is wonderful apricot white tea. Today even the base tea complements so well with the fruit. Honeyish → sweet taste of it.
Apricot is fruity and fresh, juicy as wel. Very genuine and sweet as well. One of the winners for me from this Advent.
I think that this Advent calendar shown me some blends I am considering to order one day, as well there were a few dismals. But that’s completely normal. One young man can’t love everything.
I also wish you happy holidays, a better next year and I wish you all being healthy, because that matters the most nowadays.
ADVENT DAY 23
Another repetition. But today I actually don’t mind it, because it is a cup I highly enjoyed. And it is somehow relaxing.
My impressions of this tea won’t change much since day 7. It is very cozy floral cup, honey-ish of linden, not medicinal in any way. It is naturally sweet.
Don’t be sceptical and get it :D It’s pleasant. Very.
Flavors: Elderflower, Honey, Linden, Sweet
Preparation
ADVENT DAY 22, drank 23.
Finally, and luckily, only one day without hot beverages. It seems that everything is pretty much okay, but… sadly I forgot I have steeping tea and I have it overbrewed a bit.
Yes… more than 5 minutes instead suggested 3. Dang. Because this tea deserves more love.
Luckily, it doesn’t turn bitter. Just too strong and tannic. Malt somehow hidden beneath. Sadly, I could not notice baked bread notes as Roswell Strange notices… because my wrong steeping. Dang… I am sure I would love them.
But it was (very) bold tea with lovely flavours, even they were muted. Great breakfast tea for sure. I guess I will order it next time. However not sure if the tea bags — no fuzz and lovely too, moreso great for exchange, or I should go loose-leaf?
I won’t rate as prepared very wrong. But even though it was very good.
Preparation
Loose leaf is always the better choice (unless it is a gift for someone who can’t manage loose leaf).
I know it is. But I am also tea bag (outer wrapper) collector. And those tea bags would be great for exchange with others.
Ah, yes. Now I understand more clearly.
Sorry for not being clear. Troubles of not native speakers!
No, no, your English is (mostly) fine. I just didn’t understand your reasoning for the tea bag preference.
If you see anything weird, don’t be afraid to write it down. Or in PM.
Ok, will do.
ADVENT DAY 22 (kind of diary entry only)
If I could, I will drink this tea. But I can’t. Hopefully tomorrow.
No caffeine, no hot drinks… because I had so strong nosebleed yesterday and today morning, I have decided to visit ENT specialist. She decided to “fix it” with some kind of device and yes, since then no nosebleeds. But boy that was hurting so much! And it was bleeding afterwards. I have a swab in nose all day… soon I will took it out. And then I have here a salve which should help with veins recovery and overall calming it down.
I hope it won’t be necessary anytime soon. Because it was nasty!
That sounds like a not-so-great experience. I hope you feel better soon!
That sounds terrible! Hope your nosebleeds don’t return.
I hope you’re on the mend now and soon able to enjoy all the teas!
Aww, sorry that you are suffering, Martin.
Hope things are better quickly!
That sounds terribly uncomfortable! Hope you are feeling better now!
Thank you everyone. Yesterday, all day my nose was hurting and having swab in all day wasn’t pleasant. Since then one little nosebleed from second hole, but I was able to stop it quickly. Since then no nosebleeds and… I can enjoy hot drinks again.
The salve is indeed helping and although it is not very pleasant as it is wax base and I have to let it melt; it helps and that matters.
Hurray! And the best part, of course, is that you are on the mend and are able to go back to drinking tea!
I am on the mend? Nope, pre-holidays cleaning up all day. Setting up the tree. Preparation for tomorrow fancy dinner. So not being on the mend. But yes, I am trying to relax a bit more than usual.
Hope you are feeling better soon!
ADVENT DAY 21
Although Roswell Strange had it twice in her Advent, it is my first time.
It is a green, so a colder water should be used. I was waiting for my stovetop kettle to have proper temperature, but I took it a rather earlier than usual about 80°C and then I just saw it should be brewed with 70°C. I think I got the temperature just right by lucky accident.
I did two steeps as suggested.
The leaf quality is exceptional for a sachet and so does taste. It is highly enjoyable green bean taste, lightly nutty and long mouthfeel. Extremely comforting. No astringency. Floral and awesome aroma.
I want more.
First steep 2 minutes, second steep 3 minutes. Unknown temperature, just I heard first bubbles in the kettle.
Flavors: Floral, Green Beans, Nutty
Preparation
ADVENT DAY 20
A sleepy tea? Well, I had to postpone drinking it for the evening. Because I wanted anything, but sleeping when I came home.
So, it is almost 8 pm, I already drank this tea (prepared at 7 pm) and soon, it’s time to bed. Don’t think I am like a little kid, but waking up at 5 am isn’t that much fun…
So, yeah… apple tree flowers are in the aroma and then somehow basic herbal. Maybe the mix is so wide, that it doesn’t smell anyhow particular.
In taste, it’s mostly chamomile and linden flowers. The latter causes also honey-ish taste, very pleasant. Short rough aftertaste of hops.
Overall, enjoyable and I already feel a bit drowsy, though I am not sure if it is tea effect :)
Preparation
Hahaha, I am often ready for bed at 7, especially when my neighbours, bless their hearts, wake me up at 3 or 5. So I get it.
The times in my life where I had 5am shifts/schedules I was lucky to make it to 7pm, let alone 8pm. I still want to whine at the memory (also not a little kid lol).
I remember the day of getting up at 1:30 in the morning to get ready for work. I don’t miss those days.
I don’t mind waking that early actually (I work from 7 am, but getting to train station, getting ready at home) and I usually arrive to my office around 6.40 am. It’s time for breakfast and then the work. I leave the office around 2.40 pm and in a hour I am sitting with hot cup of tea. It is good work-life balance for me.
mrmopar — that is awful time. But sometimes, we can do nothing but trying to survive it. I used to do night shift I thought I will never do and now I think it wasn’t that bad. Just another experience.
TASTING NOTE 1200
Oh well. Feeling slightly better than during the weekend, but it is still not top-notch. And moreover today job tasks were hard, stressful and tiring.
So, decided for a proper and hopefully enjoyable cup of tea. In my Paper & Tea Advent Calendar I have Sweet Lullaby which I am keeping for the evening.
So, this, Alabama grown tea. I used 4 grams and steeped for more than 5 minutes, because 4 seemed too short for me.
I got a cup of nice and smooth tea, surprinsingly malty for me, with sweet wood flavours and as gmathis noticed, sweet note on the tip of the tongue.
Somehow, and I guess it is rather the “easyness” to brew, it reminds me Guria Likhauri. It’s simple, but highly enjoyable tea. Great daily drinker in my opinion. Thank you a lot derk.
Flavors: Malt, Smooth, Sweet, Wood
Preparation
Glad it hit the spot today.
Am I the only one who is surprised tea grows in Alabama? Or is this common knowledge?
This summer, I flew home with seedlings pulled from the Alabama ground. With any luck and a good conversation with Mother Earth and the seeds I’ve started, there will be a tea farm in California within the next ten years ;) Though my efforts may be futile if the weather patterns grow any more dire.
Wow, keep us posted. That would be happy news if they were to take and thrive.
Fairhope Tea Plantation was a treat to visit! When I visited, Donnie, the owner said he only sold mail order when COVID was in full swing. Otherwise, I think he pretty much (minus maybe some bigger companies using his tea in blends) sells from his front door. Not exactly easily accessible, so the farm is not well publicized.
Better not well publicized and great tea and helpful, than big market share tea companies with not so good teas.
^that.
I haven’t gotten a chance to properly review it yet but Derk kindly sent me some of this one to try as well and I really liked it! It was delicious and I would agree with it being a good daily drinker.
My sickness has not left me yet. Blargh. But I feel a little better than yesterday evening, although I wasn’t sure about it at 5 am I woke up. Let’s see tomorrow if I will call doctor or will go to work. I hope for the latter.
ADVENT DAY 19
So close to the end of Advent season again?
But luckily, not a tea I had in advent calendar yet. I wonder how long I have steeped it today, but I am pretty much sure it has been more than 3 minutes as I did last time. It was nice strawberry tea, but no rose today… maybe because my stuffed nose (again!). Again no basil for me, or just so little. I noticed strawberries and light hibiscus. And pretty okay green tea base. Get me more basil in this and I will raise the rating.
Flavors: Hibiscus, Strawberry
Preparation
I hope you’re feeling better, Martin!
Martin, so sorry to hear that you are/were feeling poorly. I hope whatever it is/was has passed and that you are ok. Please keep us posted.
Thank you both. It seems it is in the end just a common cold (again!) and I feel slightly better today.
Two days later… or actually three since I wrote this tasting note and lots of changed for me. First of all, nosebleeds has started. That is common symptom with cold for me. But, it was yesterday and today so bad I went to the specialist. She looked inside, “fixed” it and said no hot drinks, no caffeine and no alcohol today. And I got sick leave for those two days. Friday is already a bank holiday here.
Oh dear. But hurray for sick leave! But no hot tea? Whatever will you do with yourself? Maybe cold steeping all those hibiscus blends?
You know what is worst? I have prepared this tea in a family pot and I was feeling that miserable, that I wasn’t able to enjoy it fully.
But noone was complaining it has got chamomile base. Actually, they rather liked it.
As for me, and as much I was able to notice, it was indeed nice mild tea with light sweet and red apple flavour complemented with cinnamon, but the spices were quite muted in my opinion. Age-related thing? My sickness? Dunno. Thank you anyway derk!
Flavors: Chamomile, Red Apple, Spices
ADVENT DAY 18
Now it is repetition. It’s sad, honestly.
And today, somehow… it was so generic spicy. Maybe I have oversteeped it, maybe I just wasn’t in the mood to enjoy a hot cup of spicy tea.
It wasn’t bad. It was just too plain for me.
Happy holidays to you as well, and may 2022 be better for all of us!
Happy holidays, Martin!
Happy Holidays, Martin!
Happy holidays! :)
Happy holidays!
Happy Christmas to you and yours, Martin, and happy holidays! Good health too especially for all those you care about. Including all of us tea people, of course.
Happy holidays! :)
Happy Holidays!! Here’s to drinking more tea in the coming year!
Thank you all!
Happy holidays :)
Thank you and same derk!