545 Tasting Notes

65

Backlogging. Last Monday morning. (Why yes, I do jot down a list of teas I drink so I can tealog them in Steepster in order when I have the chance.)

First mug of tea after the exciting tea sale so even though I had a snuffy nose, I had to try a new tea. I couldn’t smell too much but the dry tea smelled sweet, maybe the honey, and of black tea. It looked black and short. I couldn’t smelled the steeped tea much. It looked medium mostly brown with a bit of reddish. It tasted like a good solid mug of sweet fruity black tea, better than most tea bags. The second steep was weaker but more fruity. (There is a better tealog for this tea when I didn’t have a stuffed nose in the piperline.)

I rated this tea a 65, which is right in the middle of my nice range (60-70).

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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67

Backlogging. Sunday evening.

Cool, refreshing, and fruity. Tastes like mango puree and black tea.

Preparation
Iced

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78

Backlogging. Sunday afternoon.

Three tasty steeps reminded me how much I like this tea. =)

But the more exciting news is why I no longer have to “ration” (tea really good, don’t have much left) this tea. My mom told me last Friday that she’d brought me a large tin of Harney and Sons’ Earl Grey for $2.99 on sale at William and Sonoma (it turned out to be an 8oz tin, which I will be splitting with grandma and her as that is waaay too much tea for just me). She told me she’d brought it about a week and a half ago and didn’t think there would be anymore left but that there was a lot of loose tea on sale. I happened to be going nearby the William and Sonoma on Saturday morning and thought that it wouldn’t hurt to look in case there was some left. Indeed there was! I got two tins of this one, Rishi’s organic Earl Grey, Rishi’s organic Emerald Lily, Harney and Sons’ Tower of London, and Harney and Sons’ Canton Green all for 50-75% off. Quite the exciting tea sale find!

1st steep: 3 min.
2nd steep: 3 min 15 sec.
3rd steep: 3 min 30 sec.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C
JacquelineM

Tea score!

Suzi

Sweet sale!

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67

Backlogging. Saturday afternoon.

I haven’t added the info in yet, beyond the name and company, because I don’t feel like getting up to get the bottle out of the refrigerator but also don’t want to backlog out of order. These were on sale at Earth Fare (regional Whole Foods-type grocery but better and better prices) BOGO so I picked up two to try. The Mango Tea is a blend of teas and fruit juices in a 32oz glass bottle. It is lightly sweetened, similarly to Honest Teas. The mango tastes like those mango purees you can get in small thin aluminum cans to make nice mixed drinks. Neither the fruit juices nor the teas overpower one another. You taste mostly mango from the juice blend and mostly black tea from the tea blend equally. Overall, nice and refreshing to have in the fridge in this heat.

Preparation
Iced

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84

Backlogging. Last Thursday morning, the day after the previous tealog.

I hadn’t had any Jackee for quite awhile before yesterday and while I got the caramel, I wasn’t as super happy over my mug as I remember being – it seemed weak. So I increased the steep time by 15 seconds and the water temperature by 5°. At first I thought it was better this way, but there was only hint of caramel. Perhaps I drank it too fast and didn’t let the mug cool enough for the caramel to come out. I think I’ll play with the parameters a bit before reverting back to my original favored ones.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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84

My main man, Mr. Muntz!

Jackee-Jackee
Fo-Fackee
Me-My-Moe-Mackee
Jackee!

My breakfast mug yesterday. It’s been a long time since I last had Jackee, months even. It went like this: no caramel, no caramel, where’s the caramel?, no caramel, half a mug left, CARAMEL! I think the temperature of the tea when you drink it has as much to do with the caramel as the steeping time and water temperature. It could have been stronger overall. Try increasing both a bit. The second steep had a hint of caramel.

2nd steep: 5 min.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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67

Backlogging. The night before last.

I tried to talk myself into another tea. But the Orange Rooibos experience the previous night was so nice that I couldn’t. Thus the experience was repeated. I steeped the second steep even longer than before and it came out alright again. This tea is one of those teas where you keep picking up your mug for another sip right after you put it down, then you keep picking up your mug for a sip even after you’ve finished the tea, sometimes more than once.

2nd steep: 15 min.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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84

Yesterday morning I had Tiger with breakfast – an English muffin with butter. It came out very strong. I drank the second steep right after the first. Mid-morning I had a smoothie to use up very ripe fruit – plain yogurt, peach, strawberry, blueberry, and spinach. It was one of the better smoothies I’ve made lately.

2nd steep: 5 min 30 sec.

Standard ceramic mug = 10 oz. One rounded teaspoon.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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67

So. I haven’t had any red rooibos, plain or flavored, in quite awhile. I loved rooibos, both red and green, when I first started drinking loose leaf teas/tisanes primarily. I had been wondering if I would still love red rooibos, or even like it anymore. I had been wondering if reading so many negative “sour wood” red rooibos tealogs, it would taste that way to me now.

I am happy to report it does not and I still love red rooibos. I think perhaps some people’s taste buds taste differently because I couldn’t get sour wood even when I was trying to find it. Perhaps that’s why some people like red rooibos and some people will only drink it if the flavor is masked.

I could find wood though.. woods, woodsy. Tongue depressor or popsicle stick in scent. In taste, like woods. A woods of birches, with a light early winter snowfall or the last snowfall of winter almost melted, in the early morning or early evening light. You know, like those photos with very little color, almost black and whites. That’s what rooibos tastes like to me. Serene and easy to drink. The orange in this one is very natural and more citrus zest than orange juice.

I remember steeping red rooibos twice when I used to drink them more often. But I’ve also read on here that rooiboses don’t resteep. Indeed, the last rooibos I had, a green one, was too weak on the resteep. I tried this one anyways, giving it a long time, since I did not think it would work. But it did. It was lighter and thinner, but not weaker and not watery at all. Still, next time I will steep the second steep even longer.

2nd steep: 10 min.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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76

One of the correct black teas to be mixed with A&D’s overly bergamotty EG. Used in my mug this morning. No second steep.

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

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Profile

Bio

I’m 33 years old, studying pharmacy, and have a surly cat named Bin. I love tea, coffee, beer, wine, and most things food and beverage related. I also love music, movies, reading, writing, and learning new things.

I’ve drank tea all my life but about five to six years ago, my close friend Spautz got into tea and got me more into tea. I drink black teas and tisanes/herbals most. Since receiving a variable temperature kettle from my parents for Xmas this past year, I’ve been drinking more greens, oolongs, and whites. I’m very very new to puerh. That is, I’ve had only one.

Ratings scale:
90-100 Awesome
80-90 Great
70-80 Good
60-70 Nice
50-60 Decent
40-50 Drinkable
30-40 Meh
0-30 Awful

Would I order this again ranking:
5 – definitely
4 – likely
3 – maybe
2 – neutral
1 – no

Location

Charleston, SC

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