I needed a pick-me-up and what better one than tea? Well, unless it is tea provided by lovely Steepsterite Angrboda. Which is what this is, so rejoice!
The dry leaves smell like hay or dried grass. It’s sweet and nature-y but not deep/dark enough to be earthy. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten this exact smell from tea before and I am intrigued. It makes me think of the middle of summer when everything is dry and the sun beats down mercilessly and I desperately want to be out by a pool. For the record, that kind of day? Is pretty perfect for me. So I like this smell. A lot.
Once it gets in my cup, it smells much sweeter – I’m cycling between honey and fruit and syrup trying to peg the exact smell. There is still the underlying nature-y smell but it is very faint, though it comes out a bit more as the cup cools.
Wow, this is a sturdy cup. Bold but not really rough, it is surprisingly sweet, like I’ve tossed some raw sugar in (I haven’t). There’s also a sweet malty taste that isn’t so much bake-y as it is not-quite-burned toast. The end of the sip has a faint bitterness that reminds me of walnuts or maybe those dark, not-so-happy pecans. If given a longer steep time, it might become unpleasant but currently it’s not quite there (though I did do a pretty long steep time for not putting anything in it, so kudos to this tea for taking that so well). Instead, that edge makes me want to see how this is with a dollop of half & half in the cup. (Though I imagine there are those out there less wussy than I that would enjoy the sweet and almost bitter mix in this tea and not think to smooth it out with additives.)
I think this tea is Golden Moon’s Sinharaja’s more rough-and-tumble cousin. It has similar sweet notes to it, making it taste like there is raw sugar in the cup, but this one has a bit of an edge to it that makes it a little too strong to be the all-day tea Sinharaja is. I definitely don’t think sugar is needed at all in this puppy since it is nicely sweet but I think I want to give it a shot one morning with a little half & half to see if I can’t smooth the end taste a little. I speculate that it could be pretty freakin’ nifty then.
3g/8oz
Preparation
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It took a few tries for me to be able to rate it because it took a while to work out if I was making it wrong or if it was just supposed to be like that. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s supposed to be like that. I was sceptical at first, but it’s grown on me. :)
I agree about the sweetness though. It’s one of those that have a strong note of honey.
I can totally see that. I’m actually anticipating upping the rating a little once I play with this. Mostly if I can decrease the nutty bitterness at the end by either shortening the steep time or by adding a little half & half. And I’m pretty impressed by the sweetness, too! I have a feeling this tea and I might end up getting along very well.
Funny that we’ve rated it so similiar, though. :) I just checked, I only gave it two points more than you. :p
Well, you know. FTGFOP = Far Too Good For Ordinary People. Always nice to get a little confirmation of being special. :D
Oh and also, I just remembered (because you inspired me and I made a cup), while you’re right that it doesn’t really benefit much from sugar, I think a bit of liquid honey really brings out the sweetness in it without making it taste like sweetener has been added. Not too much though, just a little bit. If you like honey, it might be worth a try.
Ha – well that score might change depending on how well it responds to changes I make – I’m really hoping it’ll get higher because I think it has so much potential! And nifty about the honey, I will keep that in mind! Any idea how it does with milk?
I’m having it with a bit of milk at the moment, and I like it just as well with as without. I think the milk smooths out some of the cardboard, but not so much the tail-end of the flavour. It might vary depending on the fat content of the milk you use. My preferred milk has 1.5%
Hmm… I’ll have to give this a shot and see how it goes then though maybe it won’t be as happy as I had hoped.
It took a few tries for me to be able to rate it because it took a while to work out if I was making it wrong or if it was just supposed to be like that. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s supposed to be like that. I was sceptical at first, but it’s grown on me. :)
I agree about the sweetness though. It’s one of those that have a strong note of honey.
I can totally see that. I’m actually anticipating upping the rating a little once I play with this. Mostly if I can decrease the nutty bitterness at the end by either shortening the steep time or by adding a little half & half. And I’m pretty impressed by the sweetness, too! I have a feeling this tea and I might end up getting along very well.
Funny that we’ve rated it so similiar, though. :) I just checked, I only gave it two points more than you. :p
Well, you know. FTGFOP = Far Too Good For Ordinary People. Always nice to get a little confirmation of being special. :D
Oh and also, I just remembered (because you inspired me and I made a cup), while you’re right that it doesn’t really benefit much from sugar, I think a bit of liquid honey really brings out the sweetness in it without making it taste like sweetener has been added. Not too much though, just a little bit. If you like honey, it might be worth a try.
Ha – well that score might change depending on how well it responds to changes I make – I’m really hoping it’ll get higher because I think it has so much potential! And nifty about the honey, I will keep that in mind! Any idea how it does with milk?
I’m having it with a bit of milk at the moment, and I like it just as well with as without. I think the milk smooths out some of the cardboard, but not so much the tail-end of the flavour. It might vary depending on the fat content of the milk you use. My preferred milk has 1.5%
Hmm… I’ll have to give this a shot and see how it goes then though maybe it won’t be as happy as I had hoped.