1847 Tasting Notes
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.
Preparation
Thank you derk for those two tea bags. Nice addition to my collection!
However, in taste it is rather boring. There is nothing that says it is Darjeeling for me and the lemon taste is rather lemongrass.
Somehow too simple. I know I did steep only for 5 minutes while they suggest 10, but I didn’t wanted to have tannic and bitter cup.
Flavors: Lemongrass
Preparation
A 10-minute steep! Can you imagine haha.
10 minutes with Darjeeling would turn it into paint thinner or kitchen cleaner!
I sent this to you solely for collection purpose. Please don’t feel obligated to drink the other one!
I may give it to a guest. It’s very mild so, it will be welcomed by some.
Thank you Michelle for this tea from Rich — so thank you too, however, not sure when and if you will read this. But that’s not important. Sharing the tea is lovely.
So, yeah, after long shu puerh hiatus, I am trying a few again. I have received some tea samples from Michelle, so I am curious if I find love for them.
Searching for actual teas is sometmes hard. For example I thought there are spaces in the name of this, but apparently they aren’t.
First steep also as a flush, 5 seconds long
It has changed the color rapidly! While dry, the leaves were smelling after chocolate, but when wet, they are a bit peaty, woody and mossy. A little mushroomy maybe as well.
Brew is very light though, with strong woody presence and I notice some “dirt” taste. which can be only because it was brewed so weak and flavours weren’t able to develop well.
Ten seconds steep
Peaty chocolate? Weird aroma, but it is exactly what it reminds me. Taste is even more woody, thick, with red fruits aftertaste? It’s so short, but I bet it’s fruity.
15 seconds steep
See second steep and double the intensity.
30 seconds steep
Very thick, tends to be sweet and mostly chocolate. Again, red fruits aftertaste. Sadly, short and almost no mouthfeel overall.
45 seconds
Is it a hot chocolate? Nope, it’s Yiwu puerh. Tastes great, but thin. No aftertaste, no mouthfeel after a sip. Sadly. That’s reason for lower rating.
60 seconds
Just right timing to call it done. Brew is light and I got only woody notes. Maybe I did too big increments.
Flavors: Chocolate, Mushrooms, Peat, Red Fruits, Thick, Wet Moss, Wet Wood
Preparation
One month later.
ADVENT DAY 17
Yes, exactly one month later I have this tea again and this time from Advent Calendar. I have oversteeped it though, but it was somehow welcomed, because… I had slight headache and I really wanted bold and strong tea.
It was. All the mellow notes has disappeared. No marzipan, no nutty notes. But strong almond and malty cup. Slightly tannic and light astringent aftertaste.
Yes, it is intended to be drank with more careful steeping, but longer steeps aren’t turning it wrong.
Flavors: Almond, Astringent, Malt, Tannic
Preparation
ADVENT DAY 16
It’s sad to see another repe… wait, this is not tea I have tried before? I took the other, tea bag with same design and… indeed it is a different tea! YAY!
I have to say that today mint tea is greatly welcomed. We had an awesome, but very fatty lunch paid by the company. We had roasted duck leg, with two types of dumplings, gravy and red sauerkraut. But that’s not all. We had soup before. It was beef broth with vegetables, noodles and liver pastina. Again, not all. We had also a piece of honey cake and non-alcoholic punch as a drink.
So, pretty much I was stuffed and I haven’t been hungry even in time I have arrived home. That was 4 hours after the lunch! Yes, we have heavy lunches here and light dinners, not like vice versa in the English-speaking countries.
So yeah, spearmint tea. Settles down my stomach well, and it was minty. Obviously. It has got nice mouthfeel and sometimes it was even a bit citrusy and sometimes honey-ish.
Delightful, however a bit boring tea. I mean, what can go wrong with simple spearmint tea? Probably just using old and musty herbs.
Flavors: Citrusy, Honey, Spearmint
Preparation
Thank you for describing your lunch. It sounds delicious. What kinds of dumplings? (i live food details.). And yes, it sounds very heavy but well worth it.
In North America, many if not most, companies have cut back on Christmas lunches and staff parties. My department, for example, asked staff to partially pay for a buffet lunch at Christmas (while progressively adding tasks and new responsibilities that staff was not paid for.). So it makes me happy to hear about your holiday lunch.
Heavy lunches and light dinners are the way to go.
Also, mint tea after duck and the rest sounds like a good solution.
I think all the health books recommend that everyone eat breakfast, have a hearty lunch, and a light supper. Many if us woukd probably have fewer gastric issues if we had done so!
Dumplings and gravy? Yes, please. YES YES. I love gravy. I could just drink gravy. So definitely, I would welcome a cup of mint tea after that!
It sounds like a delightful gathering!
Do you always have heavy lunches rather than dinners? Whenever I have a heavy lunch, I feel like I could have a nap mid-afternoon — which I’m sure wouldn’t be appreciated by my employer! XD
I felt the same when in Germany, they often have a large lunch and then dinner is a smaller meal.
Martin, do you have long lunch breaks to allow for heavy lunches and maybe a nap? Do they in Germany?
When I lived in places with big lunches and habitual afternoon naps, it was initially difficult to get used to, but then I loved it.
Evol Ving Ness: I love your curiosity! They were bread dumplings (search for houskové knedlíky) and potato dumplings (search for bramborové knedlíky). I am sure you will find recipes for them because it is something that Czechs miss the most while being abroad.
We had this lunch as we have to order it day before. We always have to order lunch (one from 4 meals, then there are some healthy one and one “grill”). So, if you don’t want it, you don’t get it. So, it was part of “normal lunch”.
It was indeed deligtful ashmanra, however work effeciency has lowered a lot after this lunch.
Courtney: Yes, usually we have here heavy lunches and light dinners. Sometimes it is indeed hard without the nap. So, you have to plan the work accordingly. After lunch some easier tasks, but hard ones in the mornings.
Cameron: I feel it is central Europe thing :) We have heavier lunches usually.
Evol Ving Ness: No, no long lunch breaks. As usual, we have 30 minutes for it. Depends on the job you can rest a bit or not. But no naps, no longer breaks.
Thanks, Martin! They look good. We also have a lot of dumplings, like these, for meals with soup or gravy. My mother many different kinds, some like your bread dumplings with bread and/or bacon.
I am especially curious about food because I love to eat. Thank you for indulging me. :)
Too bad about the short lunch breaks. Boooo.
You are welcome :)
ADVENT DAY 15
… again?
Damn. I put it into wishlist, but I haven’t been expecting seeing it so quickly. It was in day 3 and loved it.
I won’t repeat myself. See that tasting note. It’s same. For real! However, today I wasn’t able to enjoy it that much as back then. You know, busy days…
Preparation
ADVENT DAY 14
I have to agree with Roswell Strange, it has got mojito vibe. But first, when I smelled the sachet, I got chamomile.
But brewed, it went well. Green tea with mint. Hints of citrus, quite delightful.
As Roswell wrote, it is indeed nicely balanced and mint was fresh in this tea — so no muddy taste. However, somehow quite boring? I mean that I have tried several lemon green teas and this has got added mint, which is nicely refreshing, but not adding much else. I haven’t got Julep itself yet, but I saw it should be with bourbon and sadly (or luckily?) no bourbon notes in.
Flavors: Chamomile, Citrus, Mint
Preparation
ADVENT DAY 13
I have arrived home, awfully tired, picked up some Christmas gifts and some work stuff I have to do at home, because I had no mod to do it in the office. I have some neglected stuff there and I have to fix it ASAP. Oh dear. Tomrrow my probation period ends. It flies.
And I am supposed to have caffeine-free tea? And again some Ayurvedish? It can be good.
Error! It was good. I calmed down a wee bit. Tea relaxes. Soothes wild mind.
Enjoyable cup with lemongrass/gingery notes. Smooth and not fiery. I guess I have Ayurveda teas connected with Yogi teas. Gently citrusy. Mellow… but just not my cup of tea.
Off to work!
Flavors: Citrusy, Ginger, Lemongrass, Smooth
Preparation
Another tea from derk (thanks!), as I was looking for simple black tea and this is it. However, it is so similar to the morning green tea from Paper & Tea. I mean in terms of flavour. It is very simple, easydrinking cup of tea. Light tea, light astingency, rather floral notes.
Nice mouthcoating quality, but aftertaste fades quickly and leaves some wood notes in the mouth, not harsh and overall it’s quite a smooth tea.
As derk wrote, it is a nice everyday cup, but nothing phenomenal. Maybe fresher it would be better, maybe it’s not just that complex as other Indian teas.
Flavors: Astringent, Floral, Wood
Preparation
ADVENT DAY 12
I had this tea at 9 am. Now, it’s half past 2 pm and still haven’t wrote a tasting note, because, simply, I don’t know what to write!
It was so simply green tea, rather on seaweed spectrum. Naturally, it was grassy as well, but so simple and unoffensive nor offensive… it is just nothing to write home about.
Flavors: Grass, Seaweed
Preparation
hehe. I love seaweed flavor. So I’m guessing this one was most likely a Japanese green then. I love this note though. This. Tea. Just. Is. haha
Hehehe, so something like this in the tea world. :)
I don’t mind Japanese green seaweed-ness, but it was too simple?
Indeed Evol :)
I was just teasing you, Martin. :)
Some teas aren’t bad per se, but sometimes I expect just more :)
