Morgana Send Message

570 Followers / 390 Following

__Morgana__ drank Denong Wild (2009 vintage - mixed harvest) by Bana Tea Company

2036 tasting notes

I had the same problem trying to break bits off of this cake today that I did with another yesterday. It was a little easier because I was able to stick the knife into the end of the rectangle.

The cake doesn’t have much of a smell at all. No fishiness, no leather.

Gaiwan. Boiling. Rinse, 10/10/20/30/40/60/120/240/300/360

I think I didn’t use enough leaf, and I’ll increase it next time.

The color started at a cognac and gradually became lighter instead of becoming darker first.

On the upside, there is no fishiness, and there is no standard earthy/mushroomy flavor.

On the downside, and probably as a result of too little leaf, it gave up the ghost pretty early. I could have stopped after 4, which is when the flavor started to fade.

Before it did, it started with a sweet, molasses-like note that was prominent in the first two steeps. In steeps 2 and 3, a nutty, pecan note came out. In steeps 3 and 4, there was a coffee aroma.

The tea has a smoothness and complete lack of objectionable qualities. Giving it a provisional rating in the mid-80s until I can try it again with more leaf.

Flavors: Coffee, Molasses, Pecan

Preparation

Boiling 3 g

I Like This

13 likes

0 comments

People who liked this

Profile

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