1500 Tasting Notes

70
drank Sweet Chai by Love Chai
1500 tasting notes

Day Two of testing teas from Love Chai, and I decided to make another cuppa this. Today, I’m enjoying it more, but it’s still not my favorite chai.

Some things I noticed today that I completely missed yesterday:

- it’s made with the Queen of Assam tea from Love Chai, which I LOVE (just tried that on its own);

- the cinnamon is so present because there are huge chunks of cinnamon bark in it (straight cinnamon bark, too, which was odd yet lovely)

- everything in this tea is BIG. Meaning, no small, dry, brittle pieces of anything. It all seemed luscious, fresh, high-quality.

- It smells amazing as it steeps, and it’s really pretty to watch as the huge tea leaves unfurl.

Still, having said all that, it’s not my favorite. I’m not sure if it’s the big spice pieces. I find I enjoy the flavor of a chai more when the spices get muddled somehow, ie the oils of the spices get into the tea leaves prior to steeping.

Again, might just be a personal preference for flavor, although I did really like the big chunks of everything.

I wanted to love this – and I do LOVE LOVE LOVE the base tea – but it’s just not signing for me.

Package suggested 3g of tea per 200mL of water, no temperature suggestion other than “hot water”, andsteep for 3-5 minutes. I used a DAVIDs Tea “perfect teaspoon” (2.5 tsp at the time I bought it) in 16 oz of water, heated to 200F, steeped for 4 minutes.

[Note: I was gifted this tea in exchange for an honest review].

Flavors: Cardamom, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Fennel, Sweet, Thick

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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92
drank Queen of Assam by Love Chai
1500 tasting notes

This is freakishly yummy.

First, opening the bag delighted me – huge, long, unbroken tea leaves. Yay! My favorite. I don’t know why, other than maybe it’s fun to watch (and I find, delicious to drink).

Then, I had a sip. And another. And another…. you get the point. I gobbled this up like salted chocolate. (Put that in front of me and I inhale it).

Less malty than the Premium Assam Love Chai sent me, more chocolaty and rich, a touch thicker, sweet on its own but better with a touch of sweetener.

I could easily carry this around with me all over the world, it’s that good.

Bag suggested 3g of tea in 200mL, no temperature suggestion, for 3-5 minutes. I used a “perfect teaspoon” from DAVIDs Tea in 16oz of water, 200F, for 4 minutes.

Price: 3.99 pounds for 40g (approx $5 USD at the time of this review). Worth EVERY penny – I’ve paid way more for far less.

[Note: I was gifted this tea in exchange for an honest review].

Flavors: Chocolate, Honey, Tannin, Thick

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Sil

sounds lovely.

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70
drank Sweet Chai by Love Chai
1500 tasting notes

I understand why it’s called Sweet Chai – the fennel – but I’d say this is more cinnamon than anything else. I do get the smoothness from the cardamom (which I love), and the tea is strong and malty. Still, there’s something about the fennel… I want it less present, more in the background. Even with the strong cinnamon at the forefront of my sip.

I’ll steep this again tomorrow to give it another go, I feel like I didn’t do it justice.

Flavors: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Fennel, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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82
drank Premium Assam Tea by Love Chai
1500 tasting notes

Malty, full-bodied, quite chocolaty with some added sweetener (I use stevia), smells divine – like a rich, warm leathery study complete with freshly baked cookies and a thick beer.

Which, I guess, is what many good Assams smell like, thus the draw.

I’ll admit I’ve drank a lot of Yunnan of late, so I was a bit surprised at how small the tea was. Again though, nothing out of the ordinary… just my foo-foo tea drinking habits.

I was given this tea in exchange for reviewing it, and I have to admit I’ll happily drink it all. There’s nothing that wowed me, but it’s also a really solid brew.

I normally steep all my blacks at 200F / just under boiling, and I find this really brought out the flavors in this (and the other teas I tested today).

The price is what stunned me – it’s inexpensive yet doesn’t taste like it. 3.99 pounds for 90g, or (about) $5 USD plus shipping.

Flavors: Chocolate, Leather, Malt

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Sil

that’s awesome!

Evol Ving Ness

Sounds like a winner.

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91
drank Coconut Puerh by Teaja
1500 tasting notes

Still amazing more than a year later, and another 50g.

Yes, this is one of the teas I MUST carry around the world with me.

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83
drank Naked Chai by Teaja
1500 tasting notes

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70
drank Vive le Thé! by Palais des Thés
1500 tasting notes

Had this twice now, not getting anything out of it other than a bit of spicy grass. It’s very, very subtle. Which is odd considering there was a huge chunk of what looked like dried orange peel in this steeping.

Flavors: Grass

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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83
drank Thé des Vahinés by Palais des Thés
1500 tasting notes

First steep (yesterday) was very floral; lots of soft rose in here like only the French do in their teas. Do I enjoy floral teas? Not particularly. So, this surprised me with its gentle softness and delicate flavors.

I gave a bit to the lady I’m staying with to try, who didn’t like it. “Too floral”.

Second steep (today), just as dark of a tea, less tea-tasting, more rose and softness today. I wish I had another word for it, but that’s all I’ve got.

IF you enjoy lightly scented, delicately floral teas, I’d definitely try this. High rating is for the tea quality – it’s truly up there – not for my liking of it. It’s not the tea’s fault that I don’t like florals… I can still recognize and respect it’s beauty and feel.

First steep 3 min, 2nd steep 5, rounded it to 4.

Gift received via RedditGifts (seriously, go check it out). Many thanks to a kind redditor!

Flavors: Floral, Licorice, Rose

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Arby

If you don’t plan on drinking this, I’m always up for a trade. I love Palais de Thes and like floral teas too. I got some great teas from reddit’s tea and coffee gift exchange too!

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80
drank Vive les Fêtes by Palais des Thés
1500 tasting notes

This tastes and smells like Christmas to me. Almond spice, light and creamy (like a marzipan), it’s quite lovely and unexpected.

Flavors: Almond, Cinnamon, Creamy, Marzipan, Spices

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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80

Ooh, yummy. I love Heath & Heather teas. Very very coconut-y (with the addition of some Truvia). Light, flavorful, can’t even taste the green tea. Lovely.

Received in a tea swap from my Instagram account (http://instagram.com/teatravelninja) from a lovely Polish lady. Thank you!

Flavors: Coconut, Creamy, Green

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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Profile

Bio

A few years ago, the obsession with tea started. The cupboard got bigger and bigger, more swaps occurred, group buys, secret rendezvous with local teapassionistas… and that’s how you end up with 500+ different kinds of tea in your home. At one time.

Almost all of the tea was given away, sold, or otherwise shared. A few relics still remain. I now travel full time with only two carryon bags to my name. One quarter of those bags are tea.

It’s still a challenge to avoid the chipmunk-like hoarding of The Teas, yet, the lightness of being from having so little compels me more.

If I have enough, I’m happy to share. If I’m in your area, I’d love to swap, meet for tea, and explore together.

As for the day-to-day stuff, I’m focused almost entirely on Love, (yes, with a capital L), Spirit/Self, transformation, travel and my writing and speaking work.

What kinds of teas do I normally like?

YES: flavored teas, fruity, dessert, chai, and spicy (REALLY spicy).

A FONDNESS FOR: all white teas, malty black teas, any herbal or medicinal teas, strange/weird teas you can only get in one place.

ALLERGIC TO: strawberries, lavender

DISLIKES: any added sugars, grains, lapsang souchong, and overly floral teas – I might enjoy a Jasmine Green every once in a while, but unless it’s a creamy floral tea (think roses in a chai, or the smoothness of a floral note in a French tea), I’ll likely pass. Earl Greys are a hit or miss with me; heavy on the cream or fruit notes and I might like it, heavy on the blergamot and I definitely won’t.

http://instagram.com/teatravelninja

http://teatravelninja.com/

Location

Canada

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