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__Morgana__ drank Imperial Dragonwell by Shanti Tea

2036 tasting notes

I had thought Shanti had gone away as a company, but then I realized I got it confused with the Simple Leaf. I’m glad the company is still around. I don’t remember it being Canada-based, but maybe it has been all along?

As you can tell, it has been a while since I thought about this tea. I am cracking it open because I’m about to sip down another green. Law of conservation and all that.

It took me a while to develop a taste for Dragonwell, but now I quite like it as a rule. I like the juicier China greens as well, but Dragonwell is great for those days when I’m looking for something a bit less vegetal. Gunpowder green can fill that void as well, but like lapsang, it’s something that I like as more of a sometime thing than a regular thing.

In the tin, the leaves have a grassy-hay-like smell, almost tending toward the woody. After steeping, the tea is pale golden yellow and clear. It has a sweet, vegetal aroma that is reminiscent of asparagus with a grassy overtone, and a nuttiness in the finish that tends toward the cashew. As is characteristic, it’s less juicy in its vegetalness than some other China greens, which gives it a sophistication.

Very nice indeed.

Flavors: Asparagus, Grass, Nutty, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation

175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML

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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