GCTTB3

Backlog from last night:

This tea smells sooo good when you open the package. A beautiful mixture of orange and spice. However, when I brewed it last night, I let it steep for far too long (I was in the basement dealing with laundry). Despite this, it was still pretty good, though adding a bit of honey didn’t do much to change the flavour.

One thing I’ve noticed about red rooibos is that it seems that there are two kinds of rooibos tastes. Some teas have rooibos that tastes woody and medicininal – this seems to be the majority. However, sometimes I’ve had rooibos that tastes somewhat citrusy and peppery – there’s a watery bite in the background that reminds me of watermelon rind.

I can smell the difference when it’s steeping, and this particular tea definitely seemed to smell like the second kind of red rooibos, which is the kind I prefer. I wish there were a way to find out what rooibos it would be before I tasted it, though, so I could avoid the woody kind.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
gmathis

Understand your woody vs. peppery observation—I’ve had both, too.

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gmathis

Understand your woody vs. peppery observation—I’ve had both, too.

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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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