911 Tasting Notes

61
drank Honey Pear by Golden Moon Tea
911 tasting notes

And another tea is out of my pantry! YAY! Slowly I’m getting rid of the little single or double cup amounts of leaf I have. Whee!

Honestly, not as good as the first time I had it. I let it cool too long and they honey pear flavors have flattened out and gotten musty. And overall, there’s just too much honey taste to it.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 30 sec
Ricky

Only four more GM samplers for me! What shall I do when I’m all out?!?!?

teaplz

I think I have… 7 more? And a lot more with more in each package… bah. SO MUCH TEA. I think I’m finally going to be able to pawn some off to Jon, though!

Ricky

Haha, great idea! Just make sure he posts up a tasting note =P or you can write one for him ;)

Cofftea

He should:)

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75
drank Vanilla Jasmine by Golden Moon Tea
911 tasting notes

Had enough leaf to make a squidge more than half a cup. Very cream soda-y. I didn’t have enough tea to get to the point where it developed enough to get me to the super yumminess of before. I’m thinking larger cups of this are tastier.

Preparation
4 min, 0 sec

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89

I was really surprised to see so many gold leaves in this tea. Sure, they look a little dry but it’s still neatly unusual. I didn’t smell the leaves really but I sure can smell the tea – even from across the kitchen! It smells pretty fruity, actually, with a chaser of malty cardboard. I’m trying it straight first off to see how that goes, but I do appreciate a good stout blend that can handle sugar and milk.

This is very smooth. And pretty much like it smells. A deep, fruity taste (makes me think of dark berries – particularly cherries) followed by a solid bread-y, bake-y taste (also dark – more like wheat or rye bread than white). For the second half of my cup, I added a little milk and sugar. Some of the nuances are smoothed over – the bread-y is just bread-y now, not a dark bread-y – but it stands up to the addition nicely. Very smooth, no rough edges but a solid core of upright, stout tea-ness with faint fruity on the front and fresh-baked bread-y on the end.

It’s not quite a drag-me-into-the-morning-kicking-and-screaming type tea (Adagio’s Irish Breakfast is a bit more aggressive in that manner) but the nuances and depth of flavor make it a really classy cup, especially for an Irish Breakfast.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
teaplz

This one was really tasty! The dark fruit taste was definitely something I enjoyed with it! Malty goodness as well!

sophistre

Aha! Bake-y and bread-y! I seriously thought I was going crazy earlier when I kept thing…bread? No, not bread, something LIKE bread…wait, no, it is bread. …is it? Haha, this note was incredibly vindicating!

sophistre

Er, kept thinking. Haha, sometimes my fingers think they know better than I do what I want to type. >:|

Auggy

@teaplz – It is a good cup! Probably the least in-your-face Irish I’ve had but I have a feeling that my hands might be shaking just a little after a huge morning-sized cup!
@sophistre – Haha – I totally understand! Glad we are not insane! (Or if we are the insanity is easily spread via the internet).

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74

Perhaps this wasn’t the best choice for my morning tea – I have a feeling my tongue will be tingling for a good portion of today.

I’m still surprised by how mild tasting this tea is. To me, it is a mild, thin, lightly vanilla-ish tea that has a sweet warmth to the smell and a nice tingle on the tongue from the taste. Actually, it seems a bit spicier than the last time I had it. Potentially because there was more chili in the bottom of my sample and/or the fact that my mouth and throat tends to be more sensitive to spice when I have a cold (which is almost fully gone – YAY!).

I do think this tea would be better if I could find some actual chocolate taste in it. I’m a little tempted to dissolve a bit of chocolate into it, but that might be a little too thick for the tea. Something to contemplate. Ironically, though, I shared this with the husband thinking he would like it due to the chili. I didn’t tell him what it was and asked him how he liked it. His response, " I’m not really a fan." Why not? “It tastes likes there is chocolate and I don’t like chocolate in my tea.” Huh.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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34

So, it’s 2am and I’ve had a lot of caffeine today. A lot. But I’m not tired yet (not really surprising, huh?) and I want some tea. Since I really don’t need any caffeine right now, I went with this lovely fruit smelling beastie from the delightful teaplz. And it does smell lovely. Light and fruity, though maybe not quite strawberry… I’d vote for raspberry or an unripened blackberry, but that could be the smell of the leaves – berry leaves pretty much smell all the same to me.

I’m having trouble identifying the smell of the tea. Fruity, tart… sorta strawberry-y but mostly not. A smell of burnt sugar, maybe caramel. And sour. I’m typically okay with honeybush – not in love or anything, but okay with it (rooibos typically is the evil one) – but I’m thinking that the sour smell I’m getting is the honeybush. As the tea cools a bit though the sour smell melds a bit with the fruity-that-we-shall-call-strawberry to make a sour gummy fruit smell. This could be interesting.

Actually, it’s surprisingly mild. Woody but not sour (hallo honeybush) with a tart almost-strawberry fruit taste coming through, especially on the aftertaste which is pretty much all fruit. Ultimately though, it just doesn’t work for me. The flavors aren’t quite right and just don’t mesh for me. Additionally, I keep smelling sourness as I sip and that’s not cool (also not cool is the aftertaste I’m getting that seems remarkably related to that sour smell without actually tasting sour). I do like the fact that the flavor isn’t overwhelming though so that keeps it from being a bad tea (I realize my rating seems to contradict that but I had to go right below the yellow face). And in a running theme, the husband likes it more than I do so I’m the lone voice of ‘meh’ for this tea.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 7 min, 0 sec

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100
drank Yunnan Golden Buds by Samovar
911 tasting notes

The leaves are so cute – like the smaller, golden cousin of Downy Sprout. And the smell? Like cocoa powder. I’m not used to brewing blacks at such a low temp but I’m gonna go with it because that’s what takgoti says the tin says and honestly, given how delicate and fuzzy the leaves look? I can see the need for cooler water.

The tea smells insane. I smell different things with each whiff. Honey, molasses, sweet potato, earth, cocoa… Buttered sweet potato pops up the most frequently with molasses as a close second.

Oh my god. The taste. It’s gorgeous and there is no way that my description will do it justice. First off, it is sweet – like raw sugar or molasses or cane syrup. Then there is a taste towards the back of my tongue that is basically sweet potato. Perhaps a sweet potato dripping in butter. But that implies a heaviness or thickness that isn’t there. Instead, this is soft and beautiful – like listening to a string instrumental. It makes me want to just close my eyes and listen to what my taste buds have to say.

The second steep (@3:30) is a little darker flavored… a little more sweet potato, a little softer on the raw sugar. Still fresh and rich and delicate and flavorful and beautiful.

This tea literally wowed me. More than once. Quite simply, it is beautiful. This tea is an experience. So. Good.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 30 sec
teaplz

:O Another 100 for this tea! I have some of it, but I’ve been saving it up… this and the Four Seasons Oolong! Wheee for awesome Samovar! And you make this sound absolutely incredible. Seriously.

Teaman

Great job on the description! My mouth is nearly watering in desire to have some of this.

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80
drank Four Seasons by Samovar
911 tasting notes

I don’t typically make green oolongs with anything close to boiling water, but I thought I’d give it a shot since that was what was recommended (I also don’t typically rinse my oolongs because I’m lazy, but again, it was recommended so I gave it a shot). I’m thinking next time I’ll use cooler water since the leaf now smells a little cooked. None of that smell is in the tea, though, so it might be a-okay. The tea smells thick and rich, texture-y with a hint of sweet floral on the end.

The taste is really quite surprising. Well, part of it is. The initial taste is a lot like SeredipiTEA’s Four Season’s Forever Spring which was a good tea but felt a little flat for me. The first half of the sip tastes like that – not the flatness but the same darker green taste. But then as it hits my tongue fully, there is a lighter flavor that gets laid on top of the darker, richer flavor. The light flavor is very faint but sweet. Based on previous oolong experiences, I’m thinking (hoping) that a lower water temp would pull the note out more.

Ultimately, I feel like I’m missing something with this tea. It’s decent but it has a tease to it of being so much more. I’m going to wait to rate it until I try it with cooler water. Because if I can find the parameters that make it sparkle, I think I might love this tea but right now it’s just sort of unexciting for me.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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93

I’m seriously in love with smoky teas. No, correction: I’m seriously in lust with them. It’s a physical craving. None of this emotional, touchy feely crap. We’re talking pure, visceral enjoyment. That being said, yeah, I’m looking forward to trying this tea.

The leaf smells awesome. Sweet and smoky – a bit like a sweet barbecue sauce. (That’s a good thing, in case you were wondering). So hello lapsang souchong! Once I’ve poured it into my cup, it smells a bit earthy, like a good Yunnan. I have no idea if there is Yunnan in here, but I do get something that smells like it. There’s also something that smells a lot like Jackee Muntz, so some Keemun.

The taste is much less smoky than the smell… there’s got to be some Yunnan in here. Because that’s the main taste. A nice, smooth, clean, earthy black tea. That’s not to say it isn’t smoky. It is, but the smoke doesn’t overpower (for me). Then there is a little chaser of high, sweet smoky (I’m going to say this is the lapsang souchong) and a darker sweet but still smoky taste (which reminds me of the Jackee I just had so I’m again going with Keemun) sort of wraps around the whole tea taste.

This strikes me as very coffee-like. Not in taste so much as overall taste intensity. Very dark flavored. Sweet on the edges with an acidic smoothness (is there such a thing?) and richness to it. Not a chewy tea, but there is definitely some weight to it. The husband, on the other hand, is reminded of barbecue sauce (which I can totally see). He says that this is something he’d like on meat, but not in tea. Then he had me smell the pecan-smoke Liquid Smoke and while the Liquid Smoke is much smokier smelling, with the sweetness I can see a similarity even if the tea is lighter (not light, just lighter than the Liquid Smoke).

So yeah, I love this tea. It’s dark and broody and smoky and sweet and perfect for an overcast rainy day like today.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Angrboda

I completely agree about the smokies. They are an addiction :) I’m suspect you might like my black powder too.

sophistre

Man. I’ve been avoiding trying the lapsang sample I got because I’m sort of afraid of it (despite liking smoky teas)…and now I’ve got a ton of smoky-tea notes popping up on my dashboard. I suppose it’s a sign!

Auggy

Yay for smoky tea fans! Hehe!

Dan

OK, you got me. I just ordered this tea and the other 2 that come with it. I cant wait until it comes. This is my first venture into ordered tea by the internet. I love smoky tea too.

Jillian

LOL, and here we’ve been calling strongly smokey teas ‘Man Teas’!
XD

Angrboda

Yes, the only way to be man enough to drink them is to be a woman. :p Just ask Ricky. ;D

Auggy

Hahaha!

And yay Dan! I think any smoky tea fan would really enjoy this one!

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94
drank Downy Sprout by Samovar
911 tasting notes

When I was little bitty, I had a Winnie the Pooh blanket that my grandmother had edged with satin. I carried that blanket everywhere. In fact, I probably still have it in a box somewhere. The main reason I loved it so was because of that satin edging. I would pet it and rub it against my cheek and just enjoy the softness. The leaves of this tea feel like the satin on my Winnie the Pooh blanket. I want to pet them. So soft. For that reason alone, I would love this tea.

But the fact that this tea has the taste of warm and nutty cuddles plus light and sweet summer flowers? Totally made of win.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

Awwwww!

sophistre

I second that!

Angrboda

Never underestimate the power of Pooh Therapy! When I’m feeling really down in the hole, watching some Pooh-bear in the Disney’s classic incarnation always helps a little. Or just reading the very tattered book that I’ve had since before I can remember. :)

gmathis

Aww…I’m so rumbly in my tumbly…

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40
drank Vanilla Mint by Golden Moon Tea
911 tasting notes

Mmm. Mint. Creamy mint. I am seriously going to keep the package around just so I can sniff at it. The mint feels so good in my nose. Mint is good. Not sure on the water temp (go brewing at work!) but I’m guessing around 195-ish. I let it cool for a minute or two before putting the leaves in. While I waited, I sniffed the package.

I also studied the dry leaves while I waited and kind of wish I hadn’t. The Gunpowder looks like mouse droppings. I feel like there has been a mouse wandering through my leaves. It’s bringing up bad memories of mouse droppings on my desk and a no-kill trap being chewed open and the forced use of a less-than-no-kill trap. Let’s just brew this up and forget all about mice.

Sadly, all brewed up this tea doesn’t smell as friendly to my sinuses as the leaf did. It’s sort of musty with a tinge of mint. As it cools a bit I get more mint and less musty. Maybe a hint of vanilla.

Sipping it tastes like a milder version of the 50/50 blend I do of Adagio’s spearmint herbal and cream-flavored black teas. I was going to say blander but it’s not. I think it’s got a bit more depth to the flavor. It’s actually nice but not what I was expecting based on the strong smell in the package. I get the vanilla most as I inhale while taking a sip and then there is a bit of mint-with-solidity-which-I’m-assuming-is-tea taste and then the whoosh of mint after I swallow.

This is nice and accomplishes what it sets out to do (be a creamy mint tea) but ultimately, I just don’t find it all that impressive.

Preparation
3 min, 0 sec
Jillian

Aww, but I could tell you all sorts of fun stories about trapping deer mice for my Wildlife Management class…. ;P

gmathis

I’m with you on the unfortunate appearance of gunpowder … you should SEE the faces at work when I spill a few leaves on the counter when filling a tea bag and pick them up and drop them in my cup ….

fcmonroe

@gmathis—That’s funny!!

I still remember the one time we had a mouse. I was in university housing, and they put down poison so the droppings were a sort of teal green. Someone left out an empty bag of potatoe chips, the rodent crawled in, the bag tipped, and he couldn’t get out!! Worked much better than the glue traps which were totally ignored.

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Bio

I’m trying to be a better tea logger and actually post semi-regularly again! I’ve let my tea tasting senses become too complacent – it’s time for some focused and attentive tea drinking!

Sometimes my notices for PMs and such have been questionable. Email me at your own risk at aug3zimm at gmail dot com.

1 – 10 – Bleck. Didn’t finish the cup.
11 – 25 – Drinkable. But don’t punish me by making me have it again.
26 – 40 – Meh. Most likely will see if the husband likes it iced.
41 – 60 – Okayish. Maybe one day I’ll kill off what I have in my pantry.
61 – 75 – Decent. I might pick some up if I needed tea.
76 – 85 – Nice. I’d probably buy but wouldn’t hunt it down.
86 – 100 – Yum! I will hunt down the vendor to get this tea!

Not that anyone but me particularly cares, but there it is.

Location

Texas

Website

http://pinkness.danzimmermann...

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