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Recent Tasting Notes

Iced Latte!

Made this one today to drink during the afternoon and I was… kinda into it? It’s very earthy and pu’erh forward, but even more buttery and I found that the sheet intensity of the butterfly flavour was a little too much for me and not especially balanced out. The pistachio really just comes through in the finish. While that smooth, nutty note is authentic and tasty I feel like it’s too little of the profile in comparison to everything else going on. That said, I did drink the whole thing pretty quickly so it wasn’t all bad!

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Interesting tea. It seems more fitting to drink this tea on a ship in the 1800’s. Something about the smoky undertones takes me back in time to when spices and teas were not readily accessible without trade.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Coffee, Grain, Smoke, Soap, Sweet

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drank Sweet Pistachio Pu'erh by Tealyra
1711 tasting notes

Pistachio is such a strange nut flavor. I love it, but it’s not as common as almonds or cashews and it seems like different parts of it are prominent in different uses for it. This tea for example tastes way different than pistachio baklava or pudding, but they all still have flavors of the nut. I feel like I need more pistachio in my life to feel this theory out.

This tea smells delicious. The pu isn’t as murky and wet tasting as some that I’ve had and that works well in not overpowering the other flavors. The pistachio is nice and light, but present here and holds it’s own with the pu. The flavor is well rounded and has depth. It’s a good tea, fun to try, but probably won’t be a reorder.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Wild Berry Chai by Tealyra
1711 tasting notes

Have you ever placed an order for tea, received your order and wondered why you ordered a particular tea? Something that doesn’t fit your usual flavor preferences or sound exciting in any way? Maybe you wonder if it was a mistake, check your email and see it was indeed on your order? That is this tea for me. Wild berry chai doesn’t sound like something I’d be drawn to. Did I think I was selecting a different tea and didn’t pay attention? I have zero recollection on finding this tea interesting or adding it to my cart. Weird.
ANYWAYS… The flavors in this are very light. I do taste some fruitiness in there and the fruit seems well balanced. The spices are really faint for a chai. The flavors are not bold enough to have this with milk and have much come through. It isn’t a bad tea, it’s just not something I’m into contrary to what 5pm January 24th 2024 me thought. I need to have a talk with that version of me before ordering more tea.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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This is my first time trying this blend from Tealyra, but I’ve purchased it from other companies in the past (it’s a catalog blend) so ultimately this was more of a revisit than a new experience. Definitely very cinnamon forward, but also strong notes of clove and a peppery undertone alongside that rich, jammy apricot note.

In the past I’ve likened the combo of fruit and spices to ketchup, and I think kind of stand by that. Maybe, though, in hindsight it’s a little more chutney than ketchup!? Despite being a wholesale/catalog blend, I think it is one of the more unique chai profiles I’ve come across and many, many years later it continues to be a favourite.

tea-sipper

I love this blend and I’m a HUGE ketchup fan, despite hating tomatoes more than most things and I have never thought of ketchup at all while drinking this. haha. But now I’m craving ketchup…

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drank Banana Boom by Tealyra
15545 tasting notes

Sipdown (1379)!

Made this one as a larger Western style teapot because, well, that’s what you do with flowering teas. I have a box of these flavoured ones from Tealyra that feels like it’s constantly staring at me from the shelf it’s on, and I never want to brew them up because I’m never in the mood to commit to a full pop of one on my own – but I just bit the bullet today to get that sipdown in.

It’s… Well, it’s conflicting. Flowering teas are sort of always terrible; the quality of the tea used isn’t typically all that exceptional and they keep steeping all the way up until you finish the pot so they’re usually very bitter and gross by the end – which was the case here too.

All that said, the first half of this pot was actually shockingly lovely. Though very much on the grassier side, that slight green edge played in really well with the banana. It was super authentic banana with a mellow sweetness and a bit of a starchy sort of finish. With the base, it felt like eating a banana just a day off from being perfectly ripe. Not too sweet, and not at all candy or “banana runts” like. Not baked, banana bread style banana either. Really fresh, and just simple yet balanced.

And then it got over steeped and yucky. Alas, the curse of blooming teas.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzhTjaPufba/?img_index=1 (Fifth & Sixth Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb5dnC3Fm70

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59
drank Immunity Berry by Tealyra
2279 tasting notes

This isn’t a great tea. Fake berry mixed with sort of murky rooibos, a combo I’ve encountered many times before. I received four teabags from Sips by, so I’ll drink those as cold work teas, but I wouldn’t want this again. It’s just fake and okay.

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90
drank Gen Mai Matcha by Tealyra
4163 tasting notes

I THINK this is the last I have to review from my summer order.  Despite being a few months old, I forgot that THIS is the color of what matcha SHOULD look like!  It’s such a bright green!  I really needed a matcha genmaicha in my tea collection again, as I really love the combination of the two — better together for a super power amount of flavor in one mug.  The toasty goodness of genmaicha wisping around with matcha in the mug.  So good.  I used a teaspoon and a half for a big mug, which might have even been a little too much.  Maybe one teaspoon is enough. I’m glad I have this in the cupboard and was hoping Tealyra’s version would be good — it is!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 33 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 //  30 minutes after boiling // 2 min steep

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Sipdown! This one didn’t survive very long, I got tired of fiddling with temps and steeping times for this old ass tea, so I cold steeped a jug and finished it off today

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Suprised that there isn’t a tasting note from my old account on here! This was an exciting find when I discovered it on Tealyra’s website. I mean, I had never even heard of white sencha. I wonder if it’s the cultivar that produces a ‘white’ leaf or if the processing is like white tea. I wanna say the former because the steeped leaves were a soft lime green with a few ghostly white buds sprinkled in. Much lighter than what is usually expected from a sencha. So far, the cups that i’ve had are lush vegetal green like a lot of trad senchas I’ve had, even if it’s hella old. Because it’s a little long in the tooth, I’m not going to be able to judge it too harshly. Hence no numerical rating. It’s nothing special at this point in time, but it does remind me that sincha season is coming up, and I am excited to get some fresh japanese green tea.

ashmanra

I have never heard of a white sencha! Sounds interesting!

MiepSteep

Yunomi has a ‘golden’ single cultivar sencha that actually looks pretty similar to this one! I love trying special one-off “novelty” teas like this :)

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70
drank Holistic Health by Tealyra
4163 tasting notes

Another from the summer order — I bought this because it seems like a healthy no-caff chai that also happened to have marshmallow root.  Always on the lookout for more teas with marshmallow root.  Sadly, the flavor is most LIKE stevia, reminding me of stevia, probably a combination of the licorice, fennel and turmeric.  Visually, the blend sure looks healthy.  Lots of goodies in there.  I’m not seeing as much marshmallow root as I would like.  The second steep is much the same – a very healthy tasting brew! Some of the spices make more of an appearance.  Hopefully there are some health benefits since the flavor isn’t winning me over.  I thought this would be a nice change of pace from sweeter nighttime options, so it’s a bit disappointing that the flavor most reminds me of a replacement for sugar.
Steep #1 //  1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 //  just boiled // 6-8 minute steep

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80
drank Orange Lemonade by Tealyra
2279 tasting notes

I super oversteeped this, but it turned out just fine! It’s a little tart and fancy, but mostly fruity and refreshing. There’s a hint of herbaceousness in there too, though I’m not sure which ingredient is the culprit. I got this from a Sips By box, and it’s certainly one of the better lemonade-inspired teas I’ve had. The herbaceous flavor works with the tart fruitiness. I’d consider purchasing more.

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83
drank Mango Maca Oolong by Tealyra
4163 tasting notes

From my summer order! I thought this sounded quite unique with mango, barley, roasted rice and maca root powder on an oolong base. It sounded both fruity and whatever barley might bring to the table. The description said the maca root powder might taste like butterscotch — which probably enhances the mango flavoring. The flavor is mostly mango! Which is too bad as I wouldn’t mind more of the barley or roasted rice coming across to balance the mango. The brew color in the mug is bright yellow. It could ALMOST taste like stevia, but I think that is the mango flavoring, or maybe even the maca. I’m starting to think that tea makers just find a generic fruity flavor and say “we’ll just call this mango”. I do miss the starchy quality of mango in some mango teas. But this tea could have been worse. It is very thirst quenching and disappears right quick.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // many minutes

Cameron B.

I agree, mango things almost always taste generically fruity ha ha.

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85

A good, classic Moroccan mint! Subtle mint flavor paired with a clear taste. Delicious!

Flavors: Peppermint

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 2 min, 0 sec 26 g 47 OZ / 1389 ML

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92

A leaf from the Sanxia District of northern Taiwan, this tea is crafted from the same leaves as a Bi Luo Chun green, and picked when the leaf is young. The dry leaf is long, twisty and black with twinges of maroon and a touch of gold.  The dry leaf certainly has a fruity fragrance!  And in a blind taste test, I would certainly guess this is a Taiwanese tea.  It’s very close in appearance and flavor to Premium Taiwanese Assam.  An explosion of lingering mouth feel, very fruity.  That lychee again, but also strawberries.  A bit of a drying mouth quality.  Second steep, it tastes more like a Ruby 18 varietal.  The third steep seemed a bit weak and not sure if it was worth a third steep, mostly tasted like a faint Ruby 18.  The first steep was definitely the best.  Maybe I needed to use lower temps and less steep time in the steeps to recreate that first cup of amazing flavor. It’s odd this tea is VERY similar in flavor to the other black tea from Tealyra I had the other day, the Wen Shan Bao Zhong black.  
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug // 22 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 18 minutes after boiling // 2 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 4 min

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91

A sample! I was very intrigued by a tea named after my favorite oolong, Wen Shan Bao Zhong, but as a black tea! I had to try it. The leaf is huge and wirey. The fragrance of the dry leaf had such a scent of added fruit flavor, that I thought there was flavor contamination from something else. But steeping up the tea, I don’t think there was scent contamination. The brew is very light for a black tea — it almost looks like a roasted oolong. The flavor is mostly like a Ruby 18 varietal (which is what the dry leaf looks like, now that I think about it, including that hint of scarlet in the leaf). But it’s also fairly fruity, like plums, or maybe something even odder like passionfruit, and also a bit starchy, the second steep is actually very tangy. It’s very clear in the lingering mouth flavor. Or a better word than “clear” might be vibrant, which the description mentions.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 3 minutes after boiling // 4 min steep

I left the above note in a draft for a while, long enough to forget what I said… so here is a second steep session a while later, without peeking at the note above: there is a sort of tangy fruit scent to the dry leaf and flavor of the first steep: tamarind + lychee or something. It reminds me how a Taiwanese Assam tastes like strawberries. Maybe these varieties with huge leaves usually taste like mostly fruit. The second steep is mostly tangy fruit again, then as it cools is like tomato soup with some starch. The third steep is a deep red and tastes like mostly like hot tomato soup! It’s definitely a unique tea. Though it’s a light brew which I normally wouldn’t like, I DO like the complexity of flavors. And it certainly doesn’t remind me of any oolong, Wen Shan Bao Zhong or otherwise. Now that I typed up all that, I read the note on the first steep session above and I’m amazed the flavors have seemed to evolve THIS much already in only a couple months. Second steep session: no thoughts of plum, passion fruit or Ruby 18! Tea is weird! 
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug // 25 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 4 min

ashmanra

I adore Wen Shan Baozhong! Try to always keep it on hand. I can really see a black tea version tasting as you describe here.

tea-sipper

Yep, I was intrigued to see what my favorite oolong could do as a black tea. :D

LuckyMe

Had no idea that Baozhong black tea existed! On my list of teas to check out..

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This tea makes my head hurt a little.

Not physically or even, like, conceptually? I actually LOVE the idea behind this blend. I think it’s super fun! There’s just soooo much flavour happening in this cup and I definitely don’t think it’s entirely cohesive. Like, the bergamot is strong y’all – but so it the aromatic coconut and the hint of tropical fruit. It’s like I want to say to the tea “Hey, calm down! No need to shout”. I don’t even know if that makes sense.

I think I need to experiment here. The individual flavours are good but I need them to come together in a less competitive way. Does that mean making this iced? Sweetener? Milk? I think something has to happen …but what!??

Nattie

Have you ever tried Bird & Blend’s Earl’s Paradise? They use different fruits but I’m curious how they compare, I haven’t came across many fruity EGs.

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58
drank Melon Rising Sun by Tealyra
15545 tasting notes

Sipdown (1948)!

Made a nice big 32 oz teapot of this blooming tea, and I’ve been sipping on it throughout the morning today. I can really taste the vegetal grassy flavour of the green tea, and I’m not loving it at all. I’m at a bit of a crossroads though because, despite not liking the base, the additional melon flavouring is really quite beautiful. It’s sweet in a kind of subtle way with floral undertones – very clearly a honeydew flavour but almost a more Japanese style honeydew!?

I keep going back to the pot because this flavour is so enticing to me, but that green tea finish kind of kills me at the end of each sip too. It’s so conflicting to my palate. If only the melon flavour was strong!

Nattie

English Tea Shop do a surprisingly accurate honeydew melon tea. The base is practically non-existent, but the melon smells and tastes SO true to life.

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86
drank Green Vitality by Tealyra
4163 tasting notes

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – February 2024 Tea #2 – Your most unusual tea

I suppose this is an unusual tea, or at least one I thought of, for its appearance, its flavors, and its ingredients.  I wish I could find some more blends with candied aloe!  But also, fennel? Sea buckthorn? turmeric SLICES? chlorella algae powder???  All very unusual.  And these are just some of the ingredients.  But together, the flavors are tasty enough — I would think they might clash.  But a really long steep melds everything together for a really unique cup of flavors.

ashmanra

That sounds like a truly unique blend to me! I have never before heard of candied aloe.

tea-sipper

The aloe MIGHT be the most prominent flavor in this one, though it’s hard to tell with so many weird ingredients.

Martin Bednář

Definitely unusual!

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86
drank Green Vitality by Tealyra
4163 tasting notes

I wanted to try this one because I was hoping it would be similar to DavidsTea’s discontinued Eucalyptus Mist.  Also, the photo of the blend is just colorfully amazing - a rainbow of chunky herbal ingredients.  Sadly, it isn’t QUITE like Eucalyptus Mist, but I do enjoy this blend for what it is on its own.  (A long shot to compare the two blends as I was just going by the “candied aloe vera” in both blends.)  My sample didn’t have too much rooibos visible in it, and I also didn’t see any big pieces of the turmeric.   There is also some added chlorella algae powder in the blend which is supposed to be good for detox which I could always use more of with my unhealthy diet.  Flavorwise, I’m glad the turmeric wasn’t overly present.  It’s really a soothing combination of flavors and unique — sweet yet earthy in the best way, a bit like licorice from the fennel with a subtle minty finish.  Sweet enough from the perfect amount of blackberry leaves, I think.  It’s really tastier than I’m describing.  I’m glad I tried this blend! 
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 11 minute steep 

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Sipdown (1952)!

Steeped a pot of this on Saturday afternoon while listening to the rain. The gentle vanilla notes, though a little fondant like, are silky and soothing. Coupled with the cool air and pitter patter of lightly fall raindrops, it’s a really calm and almost meditative combination. It’s been a long time since I last had a blooming tea but something about today just made it seem like a good idea. Sometimes you have to revisit the classics to respect them!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck3935aOWg4/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoS7kFSFSAQ

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Cold Brew!

After a couple days of almost exclusively pumpkin/pumpkin spice teas (I’ll get to those tasting notes shortly) this cold brew is like a cold glass of ice water after a week of wandering the dessert. The lemon notes are so juicy and tart and it really is, like the name implies, very refreshing. My only criticism is that I bought this because I was really intrigued by the idea of a cucumber lemonade and I don’t feel like I taste nearly enough of the crisp, cool vegetal notes I’d expect. I can get a million lemonade teas that are tasty like this one, so I’m a bit disappointed they seem to have skimped out on the cucumber…

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78

For the sipdown prompt “a dessert tea.”

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chocolate mint rooibos in my collection… I bought this in my birthday order last year, and it’s the only tea from that order I’ve broken the seal on because I was craving it so bad.

It isn’t my favorite Chocolate Mint Rooibos that I’ve had… I had one once that had apple and yogurt pieces in the blend and that one had a richer and more creamy flavor. But this is perfectly serviceable, and is scratching the itch I had for a chocolate mint herbal this evening. There isn’t a strong chocolate flavor, but it is present enough that the flavor of the rooibos base isn’t discernable. The mint has a strong presence, a little cooling and a little candy sweet. It gives off a very soothing vibe.

Flavors: Cocoa, Dark Bittersweet, Mint, Peppermint, Sweet

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 12 OZ / 350 ML

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99

If you didn’t see my rant a couple weeks ago, they made these tuochas on the new batch I bought, they didn’t taste the same.  This time, I was attempting to cut one mini tuocha in half, to steep with a full tuocha (for 1 1/12 tuochas) but it was too much of a pain/ made too much of a mess, without actually splitting in half, on the verge of injuring myself, so I just threw TWO tuochas into the infuser, just for this session!   The second steep is DARK.   Throughout all the steeps, I would say even with two tuochas, none of the steeps quite had the COMPLEXITY of the previous 2022 purchase of the bigger tuochas, which is odd, as two of the smaller ones are definitely much more leaf than one.  So I’m wondering if the leaf might be slightly different, and it isn’t just the size of the tuochas that matters here.  Drinking two tuochas was certainly better in flavor than just one!  But again, not as good as the old batch, either way.  So not sure if it is worth it to steep two together in the future?  A fifth steep for 15+ minutes had some nice depth to it, at least…
Steep #1 // TWO tuochas for medium sized mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 7 second rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 11 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 10 min
Steep #5 // just boiled // 15+ min

Album: Helena Deland – Goodnight Summerland
Song: The Animals – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo_c7NJxWe8
Bonus Song: Bright Green Vibrant Gray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA12STWhAZ4

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