2036 Tasting Notes
Sipdown no. 6 of April 2019 (no. 55 of 2019 total, no. 543 grand total). A sample.
I was looking for the entry for another American Tea Room pu er that I’m planning to try a sample of today and saw that I’d rated this one below 80. Since I’m currently sipping down my lowest rated teas and this one is on the lower side, as well as, according to my prior note, not one I found very special, I thought I’d take the opportunity to add to my sipdown count and polish off the last of the sample.
I made it western style, and it’s actually kind of nice to have a big cup full that I don’t have to think too much about — just enjoy the warmth and the relative mildness on my congested sinuses. I don’t have any great epiphanies that I feel I need to add to my notes on this — the original note captures it pretty well.
Sipdown no. 5 of April 2019 (no. 54 of 2019 total, no. 542 grand total).
A surprise sipdown, courtesy of the BF’s sore throat which caused me to make a bigger pot than usual.
Nothing really to add to the original note on this. I did think about whether its rating should stay the same and decided it should.
Sipdown no. 4 of April 2019 (no. 53 of 2019 total, no. 541 grand total).
I love the name of this, but unfortunately the tea was just very good, not spectacular.
As I’ve been revisiting my teas working from the lowest rated up, I have been trying to pay particular attention to whether I ought to change the ratings on some of them. In some cases, that does seem warranted, either upward or downward. In others, the tea is exactly where I would have placed it were I trying it for the first time. This one’s rating seemed to me pretty spot on.
Also, it is starting to bother me that most of my lowest rated cupboard occupants are fruit blends or herbals. Particularly the chamomile blends. I have been focusing on sipping those down for a while now and I can’t seem to make a dent in them. Sigh.
Sipdown no. 3 of April 2019 (no. 52 of 2019 total, no. 540 grand total).
Definitely one of the better flavord pu erhs I have had.
In my original note, I complained about the ginger not being strong enough. Clearly I needed to shake the packet up because in the last steep of this, the ginger is quite strong and tastes like the spice, not a confection. It must have all settled to the bottom…
Sipdown no. 1 of April 2019 (no. 50 of 2019 total, no. 538 grand total).
I didn’t really mean to convert this into a take it to work tea, because I like taking green teas, oolongs, and white teas to work. But I got confused because of the sample tin and thought I was still drinking an Upton oolong. LOL.
Anyway, another one out of the cupboard! I have a couple of previous notes on this and don’t have anything of substance to add.
Sipdown no. 14 of March 2019 (no. 49 of 2019 total, no. 537 grand total).
Most of the last of this is cold brewing as we speak, with the last couple of spoons as my first morning hot tea.
I just updated my thoughts on it yesterday (the hot version) but I’ll note anything interesting about the cold version later if it’s worth writing about.
Meanwhile, I’m closing in on my stretch sipdown goal for March. One more and I’ll be 3 for 3! And most of these have NOT been samples, which is awesome!
Rethinking my rating on this one, particularly after sipping down the Teas Etc. Summer Currant recently.
This is really heavy compared to the Teas Etc. and this morning, it’s sitting like a rock in my stomach. The flavor is grapey as expected and not bad, but the heaviness seems unnecessary.
Also, as with other Simpson & Vail flavored teas, this has something a little generic about it, as though the mingling that went on in the shipping box is carrying over and flattening the flavor into some common thing that could be a signature if it were only something that was clearly done intentionally.
I noticed the same sort of thing with the Harney fruit blends. They all have a similar base of hibiscus, with a surface of the namesake flavor. But somehow that seems more intentional.
Bumping down the rating.
Another pu erh sample that I haven’t tried or written about yet. It has a sort of pungent, arboreal scent in the packet.
Gaiwan. Boiling. Rinse. Let sit 15 minutes. 5/5/7/7/10/10/20/30/40/60
The most noticeable change in this from steep to steep is in the color. It started as a sort of apricot color and moved to a dark amber.
The flavor seemed to me rather consistent from steep to steep, and rather what I generally taste in sheng. A sort of white chocolate, buttery note. This one has a bit of sweetness to it, and also some smoke.
I don’t get the bitterness others have noted, but then I steep very short. The one time I steeped sheng long, I did get quite a lot of bitterness.
It’s a good tea. I have to say that I’m discovering I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to pu erh. The production of doing multiple steeps makes the experience less enjoyable for me. I know I’m in the minority — and the mindfulness of taking the time to steep is relaxing to some people. But for me it’s more of a chore than anything else.
Then again, I could just be feeling the pressure of all that’s going on in my life. New car has arrived and I’m going to pick it up later today!
Flavors: Butter, Smoke, White Chocolate
Sipdown no. 13 of 2019 (no. 48 of 2019 total, no. 536 grand total).
This is probably better than an 80, so I’m bumping the rating a tad. My original note likened it to wine. I’m not getting that so much now, but then this tea is quite old and it’s possible that some of its wineyness was lost over time.
But like a nice red wine, what it morphed into with breathing for quite a long time was also interesting and pleasant. Much more of a subtle currant flavor, good for sipping while taking a day off and catching up on Madam Secretary episodes.
