564 Tasting Notes
This is the first matcha I’ve tried that I can identify. I’ve had matcha lattes and desserts before but this is the first one I’ve actually bought. I can’t compare it to other matchas but it’s not bad. I may try using this in other ways than straight up.
It’s interesting to drink. First it’s strongly bitter and green, almost grassy, then nothing at all for a moment or two, and then a very nice sweet aftertaste. Luckily I have some other matcha samples coming, because I’m definitely intrigued.
A nice jasmine green. The jasmine scent and flavor are very strong (a good thing!). It doesn’t have much of a bitter note like other jasmines can have, and it has a very pleasant sweet aftertaste. It’s also nice and light. The jasmine doesn’t overtake the green tea and the tea doesn’t hide the jasmine.
Finally, a chai I can handle! I’ve tried several in the past that had way too much pepper in them—too sharp. This one smells very sharp dry, but brewed it’s gentle and a little sweet. Right now I’m trying it plain but I’d love to have some with milk too.
The cardamom and coconut make this tea slightly floral, and the mix of flavors almost reminds me of some desserts I’ve had at Thai restaurants. I think I could easily get addicted to this blend in the winter months!
I’m really glad I got to try this tea. It smells like something I should be eating instead of drinking—maybe an apple tart or crumble. It seriously smells like something has been baking all day in my kitchen. Considering I love baked goods but a) hate baking and b) am wheat-intolerant, this is a huge plus for me. It brews up a soft rosy-pink color, which was a lot of fun to watch in a glass mug. I didn’t expect the taste to live up to the smell, but it actually does. It manages to taste like a fruity, nutty pastry without having a fakey taste like many “pastry” blends do. I’m impressed. Probably going to be buying this one too once I have space in my tea collection.
Next stop on my earl grey blend quest: this one. I’m actually surprised by how much I like it. The last tea with grapefruit I tried was extremely bitter, and this one isn’t at all. The grapefruit makes it brighter and fruitier rather than dark like I expected.
This tea brews up really light for an earl grey, but in my opinion that’s a good thing. It avoids all the heaviness and bitterness that can come with an earl grey and instead tastes bright and refreshing. I may want to buy this when my sample is gone.
Not sure I like this one. I got it as a sample with my last Harney & Sons order but unfortunately I’m not a grapefruit fan and this is far too bitter for me. I’m also not much of a white tea fan so far. Not enough flavor. This has a nice, sweet vanilla note but then the grapefruit follows it up like a punch in the face. The tea itself is there but it’s very mild and almost stale-tasting.
I should probably preface this by saying I’ve never had assam by itself before. Based on this sample I’m not in love with it, but it’s not bad. I probably wouldn’t buy it and make it myself, but if it was put in front of me I’d drink it.
It starts out mellow and slightly sweet and then has a bitter edge toward the end. Bitterness generally turns me off tea, but it’s not strong enough for me to truly dislike it.
This is a really nice oolong blend. From what I’ve tried so far I like oolong plenty on its own, but the addition of peach and almond in this make it feel more calming.
At first taste the almond as an almost roasted flavor, which then calms down and allows the peach and apricot to shine through. None of the other flavors overwhelm the oolong or cover it up, which I also like. I may be buying this one, simply because I can’t get enough of the mix! Almonds and peaches together make a delicious and balanced cup of tea.
Wow, this one is really interesting. It smells exactly like high-quality dark chocolate both dry and brewed. The taste is chocolate-almond at first, which then changes to a sort of smoky taste (the maté, I’m guessing, never had it before), and then finishes off with a light chocolate-berry taste. Very unique, sweet, and addictive! I like it more the more I drink of it, so I might just have to buy this one. The flavors are also changing as it cools down, and I’d love to try it iced.
This tastes pretty much like a standard earl grey. Maybe slightly less bitter than usual, but it’s not floral at all. Which is very disappointing to me because rose tea is one of my absolute favorites.
It smells fresh and floral in the bag, and tastes like a standard earl grey brewed. There’s a tiny bit of a rose aftertaste, but it’s so slight it might as well not even be there. I think I’ll try popping a few good rosebuds in with an earl grey next time, because it’ll probably get a better effect than this.
