84
drank Carnival by Sanctuary T
2036 tasting notes

Sipdown no. 213. The third sample in the Sanctuary Sampler.

One thing I will say about Sanctuary T’s teas: they’re visually interesting. This one had what looked like red peppercorns in it. It smelled a little nutty, a little cocoa-y in the packet. After steeping it’s a light orange brown color and I can smell the almonds.

I love pistachios, and I’m not sure I’ve ever had them in tea. I’m also not sure I can taste them distinctly in this tea, but the overall effect is delicious. It’s a spice tea, but it isn’t too spicy and there’s no single spice that is yelling at the top of its lungs, probably because it doesn’t contain cinnamon, clove, or anise, all of which have a tendency to do that. As the tea cools, I can smell and taste the cumin and the coriander, which is pretty interesting. Cumin could have the yelling at the top of its lungs tendency but it’s quiet and enjoyable here.

There’s a softness to the mouthfeel, and a pleasant nutty-sweet aftertaste.

It’s really good. But like the Geisha Beauty of yesterday I’m not sure it’s something I’d drink a lot. Flavored teas with this sort of profile lean toward chai for me and I’m not sure how often I’d pick something like this over chai assuming I had the time to make chai. But I could see it happening. Plus, I drank this without additives and it didn’t need them.

Flavors: Almond, Coriander, Nuts, Spices

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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