694 Tasting Notes
This is a sample from the lovely boychik. Thank you!
This summer I got to try 3 of the Teavivre keemuns side by side. At the time I determined that the Hao Ya was my favorite of the 3. It offered the deep notes of cocoa as well as hints of fruitiness. I think for mornings the Hao Ya may still be my favorite as it offers a tad more briskness, but this is such an elegant tea. It is so smooth. with some of the familiar notes of keemun. When I sip I first am hit with the malt and cocoa aspects of this tea. At the end of the sip in comes a hint of floral followed by a fruity sweetness. I am not getting any woody notes or smoke notes in this tea. When I place an order for the Hao Ya I will add in a sample of all the keemuns to compare again. Thanks again boychik for the sample!
Thank you to Angel at TeaVivre for this sample!
I have had a few different TGY. Several for me have ended up tasting bitter and not very pleasant to my taste buds. The few that I have gotten right have been wonderful. This tea immediately goes into the wonderful category. I have been sipping on this tea all afternoon with no hints of bitterness. It is sweet and floral. As the infusions go on I get a creamy texture and hints of peach. I have done about 7 or 8 infusions and this tea is still giving! Thanks again TeaVivre for so many wonderful offerings. This is another one that will stay on the wish list!
I had this last night mixed with 2oz milk and sugar. Adagio is supper hit or miss with me. Either I love the blend or I hate it. This was really good. It seemed to be just the right combo of chocolate and mint and I could still detect that sweet rooibos as the base. This sample pack will not last log. I can see large rooibos latte’s with my nightly dark chocolate square this coming week as I am FINALLY finishing Gone Girl, only took 2 years.
I am attempting to keep the amount of tea I purchase this year to a minimum. It might mean paying more shipping cost to only order what I want or “need”. In the H&S department I have two friends who also like H&S who I have conned into helping me get the mint verbena that I have my eye one without paying shipping. One friend is exploring greens so I busted out all the greens I have and gave him samples before he puts in his part of the order. This is a sample I received a while back in a mystery swap and I am not so sure it hasn’t been tainted by being stored among other samples. I am getting a sweet green with a nutty after taste. I am not getting the grassy, spinach that several have mentioned. I might have to order a small sample from H&S to satisfy my curiosity. The tea that I am currently drinking is really good even if it has been affected by the lack of poor storage.
I think the first time I drank this it wasn’t something that jumped out at me. This morning it is really quite enjoyable for a flavored tea. I have given quite a bit of the 2oz I purchased away, but I look forward to enjoying what is left. In my opinion this does not resteep too well. It looses quite a bit of the intensity and flavor, but the first go around was a very nice hazelnut taste. I think this tea would greatly benefit from milk and sugar even though I don’t normally take my tea that way.
Had this tea after lunch today. I really enjoy mint tea, and that is mostly what I got from this blend. When the tea was freshly brewed the fennel stood out quite a bit at the end of the sip. As the tea cooled a little the flavors, mint, fennel and ginger, definitely blended together well. This is a very enjoyable herbal.
I ordered some of this back in October, but I haven’t busted it out until now. I came home early today to work from home b/c of the cute little winter storm we are having in KC. What goes better with a winter storm than a huge glass of stove top chai. Oh yeah!
I love chai, but most pre-made chais I buy from tea companies just don’t seem to cut it. They are weak in one area or another or the base isn’t grand. Having the chai spice to mix with the base of my choice or not mix seemed like a great idea particular for a gal who was looking to avoid caffeine at night. Today I made this with honeybush. It was good. There was a lingering flavor there that I am not sure was the honeybush or the spice. My next try with the spice combo will be just a plain batch of spice to really learn the flavor of the spice. I also thought a plain batch with a dash of cocoa would be fun to try as well. Oh the possibilities.I pulled this tea out this afternoon and made a cup semi chai style. Milk, sugar, simmer on the stove. This seems pretty much like vanilla citrus spice, minus the hole tea bit. This was yummy. Warm cozy flavor. It taste very similar to a short bread cookie to me with a hint of spice. I even indulged on a handful of my daughters animal crackers as I drank the cup. The combo was perfect to kick the sweet tooth craving.
I haven’t had a cup of this in a very loooong time. I finished up my work bag this morning and will have to dig into my tin at home. I had been thinking about the comforting citrus of earl grey all weekend and brewed this up first thing this morning. I think this tea will forever be a favorite. It has never disappointed and it seems to be the perfect mix of “cream” and bergamont.
It’s hard to pass up an excellent Keemun!
looseTman, which is your favorite?
looseTman, which is your favorite?
My all-time favorite: TeaVivre’s May 15, 2012 Premium Keemun Hao Ya was exceptional! I thoroughly enjoyed all 700g!
I have TeaVivre’s newest Keemun samples that I’m very much looking forward to reviewing.
I will have to watch out for your review!