3219 Tasting Notes

drank Merci Mille Fois by Lupicia
3219 tasting notes

I adore this tea.

Lots of family showed up yesterday to surprise me for my birthday. This is one of the teas Superanna brought me for my birthday. She usually drinks green or white teas, but she and everyone else loved loved loved this black tea. So do I. This is a shelf staple in my opinion. It even resteeps well so you can steep twice in a row and mix the two for a nice big pot of tea that is more economical. Or you can just steep a teaspoon for yourself for brekkie and resteep and combine the two for a good breakfast portion without breaking the bank.

It is so fruity and good! I taste mainly the white peach and strawberry but there is raspberry here, too. Raspberry can sometimes overwhelm other flavors but it doesn’t here. Most of the time I forget there is raspberry in this.

surefire

Happy Birthday! :)

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drank Momo Oolong Super Grade by Lupicia
3219 tasting notes

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day, although we did have a few spells of clouds. Mostly it was warm and lightly breezy. Ashman and I had a little pre-lunch rest in the backyard beach chairs and lo and behold, we were descended upon by grandkids and kids! They had decided to surprise by coming for my birthday and brought food and all sorts of goodies.

This tea was one of Superanna’s birthday gifts to me and this was my first time trying it. The other two teas that she gave me at the same time (I had received one other tea earlier) were two beloved favorites that I had run out of but this one is new to me.

I have found another Lupicia favorite. The oolong base is pure silky green oolong, not at all roasty or toasty like Dong Ding or Da Hong Pao, but on the green side and so, so smooth. The white peach flavor, which is light rather than KAPOW, blends almost seamlessly with the gentle fruit notes of the tea so that they are perfectly intertwined. I am in love.

Edit to add: my package was fully in Japanese because it was purchased in Tokyo. I could tell the amount and time but not temp and made it at 190F instead of the recommended 212F which I just saw on the Lupicia Hawaii site. Didn’t matter. It was fabulous. It is also on sale right now and I am so tempted….

Thank you, Superanna!

Leafhopper

What a nice surprise! :)

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drank Honeybush Hazelnut by Adagio Teas
3219 tasting notes

Evening cuppa enjoyed outside with Ashman. This was in the free Communitea sampler included in my Adagio order.

There were two caffeine free samples left but the other had red rooibos so I opted for this.
The aroma is quite strong. The blend is mixed chopped browns and reds.

I have never had plain honeybush on its own but I have enjoyed a number of blends made with it. This has thin body but lots of hazelnut flavor. I enjoyed it. I think it could be quite decadent made as a latte.

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Sipdown

A decent oolong, but somewhat unremarkable if you are seeking lots of layers and nuance. Toasty and reminds me of Dong Ding. Wonderful with breakfast. I would definitely buy it again if I wanted something with a toasty profile.

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drank 40 Winks by Adagio Teas
3219 tasting notes

I think it was last night that we split this sample from the Communitea sample that came with my Adagio order, but it may have been the night before that. Yesterday was so busy that I have lost track.

I made a valerian tea for Ashman years ago when he was having issues with insomnia, but it had lots of licorice root and other herbs that somewhat masked the smell and taste. When I handed him this tea, he paused and then said, “This tea has a…..smell. A really strong….smell.”

“No, sir,” I told him. “This tea has a stank. There is nothing else to call it but a stank.”

In spite of the stank, it went down okay. It did have a kit of chamomile flavor that made it through the stank. As to whether it helped me sleep, I am not sure. I feel that my sleep was pretty much normal, although I have had some vivid dreams lately as it creeps toward time to get up.

I would not buy this for the taste or aroma, but if it really helped me sleep when I needed to, I would drink it.

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drank Papa Don't Peach by Savoy Tea Co
3219 tasting notes

This tea came in a handmade birthday card from gmathis! Many thanks!

My daughter happened to be off work on my birthday yesterday and we spent lots of time on the porch enjoying the gorgeous day until after lunch when I had to work. She was with me when I opened the mail, and we both had a good laugh when we saw the name of this tea.

I made it to go with breakfast today, and laughing turned into scheming. How soon can I order without feeling guilty about recent lack of sipdown progress? Because right away, this tea reminded me of some tea that I LOVED but I couldn’t pin it down at first.

Patient mindful sipping and rooting through tea memories came up with the way my first sip of Perseus ever hit at first, but Perseus has some bergamot in it. Could it be Magic from Gurman’s? Maybe. I loved (and reviewed) that one many times on here years ago and all those notes have disappeared into the Steepster void.

The bottom line is that this candy-fruity black tea was stunning with breakfast and needs to be on shelf one day.

I like several peach teas from Harney and Sons and while this tea is peachy there is something about it that has a general fruitiness less specific to peach that made it extra delicious to me.

Thank you, gmathis!

gmathis

Glad you like it. Reminds me of peaches and cream.

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March Sipdown Challenge Prompt – Pi Day and Einstein’s Birthday

Superanna gave me this tea and said I could go ahead and unwrap it, but I decided to save it for my birthday and have it be my breakfast tea. This was purchased in Tokyo, I believe, so I had to add it to the data base. The Hawaii store doesn’t sell it.

Pi Day is my actual birthday, but I tip my cup to all of the March babies here, and there are so many of us!

As for the tea, the dry leaves unfurl to quite an impressive size on steeping. The steeped tea has a rich aroma, a lot of body, and a thick, creamy mouthfeel. Lightly steamed asparagus is the leading flavor note to me, and I love asparagus. This has a richness that I associate with the word umami, but I don’t know if I am using that correctly as this has none of the seaweed or briny notes you might find in some teas that carry that description.

Many thanks, Superanna, for a rare and delightful tea treat that I might never have been able to try without your trip to Japan!

Courtney

Happy (belated) birthday! This sounds like a lovely tea to enjoy on your birthday!

Michelle

Happy Birthday!

ashmanra

Thank you!

Leafhopper

Happy birthday! Glad you could enjoy a beautiful tea!

Stoo

Happy Birthday, ashmanra! I hope it is/was a tea-lightful day! :-D

ashmanra

Thank you, Stoo!

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This is my favorite thus far of the Adagio samples I received, and how neat is it that a custom blend was included in their Communitea subscritption?

I thought it would be a match for Lupicia’s Chocolate and Strawberry Puer, but it is different. Because there is also orange and hazelnut flavoring, as well as cream, the strawberry is less distinct in this one. This is chocolate with general fruitiness.

I was already a fan of Adagio Puerh Chorange so this one appealed to me. Resteeped well, too.

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drank Samurai Mate by Adagio Teas
3219 tasting notes

This tea was a sample with my Brigadoon Breakfast order.

The aroma of the dry blend was heavenly. I prepared myself for a super fruity treat on this warm and sunny spring day of outside yard work.

The steeped tea is quite different, though! Now it smells like cinnamon candy, the kind that is so strong that it tastes like clove. Because of the drastic change, I sweetened it and put it in the fridge to chill and drank it with lunch instead.

It wasn’t bad, but I am not a cinnamon candy fan, and I was so looking forward to the tropical fruit flavors I smelled in the dry blend. I am glad I got to try it, but I wouldn’t buy it for myself.

Courtney

That sounds like quite the change in scent!

ashmanra

It was a disappointing change for me, for sure! But it was an okay tea, just not a fave for me.

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drank Carol by Lupicia
3219 tasting notes

March Sipdown Prompt – your tea with the shortest name

Not a Sipdown but how can it be that I am opening the last pouch of many already? This is one of our favorite strawberry black teas. When it is gone, I may try Harney’s new strawberry black if it is back in stock.

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Bio

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about fourteen years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs.

We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey.

My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

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North Carolina

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