985 Tasting Notes

91

Tea of the morning….

And this has come to take up residence in my cupboard. For some who are tea addicted, that might not seem very significant, but I am on the “paring down the stash” phase rather than the ramping it up. Additions to the stash at this point have to be exceptional to secure a place there. I am sure it is just part of the progression.

Leaves are medium length, with a good sprinkling of bright golden tips (brighter than the product photo in my opinion.) Very light on the notes of smoke, but everything else fits the profile of a good Keemun. This one also has a heavier mouthfeel than most of the Keemuns I have been drinking. It was the heftiness and body that made me pull the trigger on the purchase since the last version of Keemun in my cupboard was kind of thin. Yes, this one costs a little more, but it is worth it!

Usual teapot method.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
SimpliciTEA

Samples excepted, I’m totally with you on this one: “I am on the ‘paring down the stash’ phase rather than the ramping it up.”

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83

Tea of the morning… (SRP #45)

Leaves are large and loosely packed due to their size and very dark brown. The tea brews up a little lighter than I expected. Not a very red brew, but somewhere more caramel in color. Resteeps well which does help offset the cost a little. Definite notes of honey, but much lower on the cocoa notes that I usually search for on this type of tea. I don’t get as much of a complexity that I would need from a tea in this price range (just over $17 for 80 grams). I would choose Imperial Golden Monkey for a similar flavor profile from Upton at a slightly better price.

Usual teapot method at 4 minutes. Resteep at 5.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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84

Tea of the afternoon….. (SRP #44)

I have had this sample in my stash since last November. Not sure why I have not tried it until now, but I am pleasantly surprised. The tea base is very smooth and complements the almond flavor very well. Yes, pleasantly surprised. I find it very relaxing. And very much like dessert in a cup. I would definitely consider purchasing some.

Usual mug method. Lightly sweetened.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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87
drank Hu-Kwa by Mark T. Wendell
985 tasting notes

Tea of the morning…. (SRP #43)

This is the end of my sample of this tea, and I loved it while I had it. Thank you, again, narwhalclub!

It is probably about the smokiest I could handle, but it is very good with a little sweetner. I do have others that I like better that have a slightly smoother, more cocoa-noted base, so I will probably stick with one of them for the future. There really is only room for about 1 or 2 versions of Lapsang in my cupboard for the amount that I actually drink it.

Teapot method at 3 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
TeaBrat

I broke down and got the whole tin of this! I think it will take me a really long time to finish it off though.

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Tea of the afternoon…..

This one is from Dinosara. Thank you! OMG! This is so right up my alley! It is a good tea base and a super yummy citrus flavor. I am guessing it is orange and bergamot. It is just a little more lemony-but-not-quite-lemon than an orange tea would be. It is also nice to have such an orangey tea without spice! If there was an easy way to get some of this (besides Dinosara’s generosity!) I would be buying some. I guess for now it will just go on the list in hopes that I can get more one day. For now, I have about two more sachets and I will thoroughly enjoy them.

Usual mug method with a sachet.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Dinosara

Yes, this one I will have to get more of some day! Glad I “splurged” and bought the box in Mongolia!

SimplyJenW

I found one place online that sells a few Dammann teas loose leaf, but shipping was going to be about $10 for half a pound. So, I started playing around with a cart at the Dammann Freres site…. Weirdly, shipping was estimated to be only slightly more. I think I know where I am getting my birthday tea…. :)

Dinosara

Yeah, shipping is not so bad from Dammann themselves all things considered!

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95

Tea of the morning…..

I am down to the dregs of my first 50 grams of this tea. (Luckily, my pack rat tendencies had me purchase 100 grams from the outset!) It is wonderfully caramelly, sweet potatoey, with a bit of maltiness. I love this one. And I am enjoying my crisp, nearly-summer morning before the wheels get rolling.

Usual teapot method.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

Yum the best black flavors!

teataku

I love my sample of this tea and am very sad it’s almost gone! It’s one of my favorite morning teas because it’s chocolate-y but also robust, not so unlike Irish Breakfast. :)

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Tisane of the evening…. (SRP #42)

This one comes from Amanda. Thank you!

Surprisingly, I was in the mood for a hot drink this evening as the temp is cooling pretty well and the humidity is going down. I think it got up to the mid 80s today which necessitated my favorite Lychee iced tea for the afternoon. I am so thankful for the break in the heat. My new a/c system (since the old one pretty much died) comes on Thursday. I can definitely handle a high of 71 for tomorrow! Since I grew up with a/c, I am such a wimp for heat and humidity. I know some love not using it, but I pretty much need it to function on hot days. Low 70s is my favorite weather!

I am usually not a fan or rooibos, but I will admit that this one is interesting. I do agree with other reviewers that it kind of reminds me of yogurt. I did not really get rhubarb, but I do detect a creamy tartness. After the first few sips, I sweetened it to the point where I actually could only taste the sweet and the rooibos, so that was kind of an error on my part. I know it is not something I would buy, but it is always good to see how different flavors blend with a particular tea base. I am always up for a little palate training as well as flavor blending ideas, so I am thankful for the chance to try this.

Mug method. 3 tsp, about 15 oz. boiling water for 5 minutes.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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85

Tea of the morning…..

We have been on a short vacation. We spent a few days in the area of Williamsburg, VA. It was nice to get away, and it looks like our construction is mostly done except for the painting we need to finish ourselves. It has been a great face lift for our house, even though it was necessitated by minor storm damage. Next up is a new a/c system. Yes, definitely first world problems. However, I do feel blessed that we can fix what needs fixing at this point, and the only real issue is the inconvenience. Yes, we are blessed.

Tea by Oliver Pluff seems to be teas that are offered at many touristy type period general stores. This particular listing is sold at Charleston, mine was sold at the Prentiss Shop in Williamsburg. They had a few other types of tea like Young Hyson, Earl Grey, Pinhead Gunpowder, Darjeeling, Oolong, English Breakfast. They come in a heavy zip baggie inside an envelope. I paid about $9 for 1/4 lb of this Bohea. The ingredients are Orange Pekoe and Lapsang Souchong. I figured it would be a nice, lightly smokey tea. I will eventually sample a more expensive Bohea, but this just sounded good. It is pretty much what I expected. I am amazed at how large the leaves are. For a tourist vendor tea, this is actually pretty nice. Lightly smokey, decent quality black teas. I did see that Oliver Pluff has a website and the prices are a little more reasonable there (really, I would expect that.) Would I buy it again? Probably not, but only because I will likely mix my own out of the two teas mentioned in the ingredients. I will enjoy this to the end, though!

Usual teapot method.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
TeaBrat

That is a good price, I do love Upton’s version of this tea though!

SimplyJenW

I was really glad to find this since the original Bohea dumped in the Boston Harbor was supposed to be made up of lower quality teas…

CHAroma

Woot!! You were in my hometown! :D

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93
drank Paris by Harney & Sons
985 tasting notes

Iced tea of the day……

So thankful I have enough of this in my cupboard now for making iced tea! This is a good one. The notes of berries and bergamot is great cold. The vanilla kind of adds just the perfect bit of smoothness in the beginning and a slight bite at the end. I can tell that I will be drinking this iced for years to come. I love it when I find a tea that is great iced or hot.

Usual iced tea method. (Brewed at boiling double strength and then iced.)

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Hesper June

Oh! I LOVE this tea!
I have been waiting for my order to arrive, and I have been thinking about how when it does arrive how I want to try it iced!
Now I know it will be just as delicious as it is hot:)

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87

Second tea of the morning….. (SRP #41)

My computer hates me today. I just lost my review.. Anyway, the short version of my intro is that I appreciate the new way they are packaging free samples. Less waste is always good in my book. Also, I appreciate that they have moved toward putting labels on the small manufacturer packages of samples, too.

This sample was provided by TeaVivre for review. I think I am on my last round of these. This has been so fun! Thank you so much to Angel and her team for introducing me to teas beyond my favorite China black teas.

The leaves are a tight ball and dark green. The liquor is an amber yellow rather than golden like greener oolong varieties. I am pretty sure the leaves are slightly roasted in this tea. It could just be the variety, but there is a light roasty or baked scent as well as flavor. It really reminds me of roasted green vegetables. The notes of butter with the heavy mouthfeel are there, but the roasted flavor is the most prevalent. I generally prefer greener oolongs, but this is good. It lies somewhere between the green and dark oolongs as far as flavor.

Mug method, 2 minutes, 185 water. No additions. Getting ready for a resteep.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 0 sec
ScottTeaMan

Tie Guan Yins are somewhere in between Jen…….I like them alot!

SimplyJenW

I think I have had some that were not roasty tasting, though.

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Profile

Bio

My motto: Drink the good tea!

Tea enthusiast, trying to keep up my cardio for the zombie apocalypse. I have come to accept that I am a western brewing black tea drinker as that is where my ‘tea heart’ lies. I started on loose leaf as a way to have my dessert and not suffer the caloric issues. Once I tried it, I was hooked.

I drink what I like, which is mostly China blacks, a few traditionally scented blacks and Earl Greys, plus a flavored tea here and there. I don’t mind spending a bit on premium varieties on occasion, but an expensive tea has to deliver. My favorite places to order are Harney & Sons and Upton Tea Imports. TeaVivre is great for Chinese tea.

My ratings are pretty subjective. If it falls under 70, I may not take the time to post about it unless I had something specific to say. If it is 70-80 I like it, but I will probably not rebuy. Favorites are over 80 and up, but sometimes the less expensive or more easily obtainable version of a similar taste will win out for my cupboard space.

Usual teapot steeping method: 24 oz teapot, 3 perfect scoops of tea (4 1/2 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Usual mug steeping method: 15 oz mug, 1.5 perfect scoops of tea (just over 2 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Usual pan method: 1 1/2 cups water, 2 perfect tsp chai (3 actual tsp). Simmer for 3 minutes. Add 2/3 cup skim milk. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Strain and sweeten.

Usual pitcher method:
5 or 6 Perfect Spoons of tea (this means about 7-9 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, brewed essentially double-strong in my 24 oz teapot for 4 minutes. Fill my Fiestaware Disc pitcher (about 60 oz.) halfway with ice. Add brewed double-strong tea to the pitcher. Stir it a little and enjoy. No additions.

(*SRP is my Sample/Stash Reduction Plan starting on April 12, 2012. I got so far, but just decided it was too fussy to keep track.)

Location

Ohio

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