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drank Nina's Japon by Nina's Paris
987 tasting notes

I’ve heard so much about this tea that I really had high expectations. However, this brewed up really weak, and I’m not getting the interplay of caramel, rice, and vanilla that others are experiencing. Because it was a green/black blend, I lowered the steeping temperature to avoid the green becoming astringent. But even after 3 minutes of steeping, it wasn’t very strong.

I’m going to pack up half of what I have left remaining to give to Jude. I don’t know what it is, but I can never get Nina’s teas to turn out just right. Really frustrating! Reserving a rating for now.
Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
1 comments
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Jude
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I definitely enjoyed it more than you did but not to the level of the rave reviews here. Thanks for the fun swap!

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Jude
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I definitely enjoyed it more than you did but not to the level of the rave reviews here. Thanks for the fun swap!

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Bio

Updated March 2016:

I’m a writer and editor who’s fallen in love with loose-leaf tea. I’ve also set up a site for tea reviews at http://www.booksandtea.ca – an excellent excuse to keep on buying and trying new blends. There will always be more to discover!

In the meantime, since joining Steepster in January 2014, I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on my likes and dislikes

Likes: Raw/Sheng pu’erh, sobacha, fruit flavours, masala chais, jasmine, mint, citrus, ginger, Ceylons, Chinese blacks, rooibos.

Dislikes (or at least generally disinclined towards): Hibiscus, rosehip, chamomile, licorice, lavender, really vegetal green teas, shu/ripe pu’erh.

Things I generally decide on a case-by-case basis: Oolong, white teas.

Still need to do my research on: matcha

I rarely score teas anymore, but if I do, here’s the system I follow:

100-85: A winner!
84-70: Pretty good. This is a nice, everyday kind of tea.
69-60: Decent, but not up to snuff.
59-50: Not great. Better treated as an experiment.
49-0: I didn’t like this, and I’m going to avoid it in the future. Blech.

Location

Toronto, ON, Canada

Website

http://www.booksandtea.ca

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