987 Tasting Notes
Backlog from a few days/weeks ago.
I’ve brought this to work, but I only got one steep out of it. Roasty, with some of that sweet TGY cream flavour, but I don’t know if this is a tea that really benefits from the nonchalant brewing style of a workplace. This tea needs more structured parameters, I think.
Sipdown and backlog from about week ago.
This tea was very fluffy, and I found that as I drank it off, it benefitted from overleafing. It was smooth, nutty, and didn’t have that rubbery note. I don’t know if I’d restock, but I’m glad I got to reevaluate this one.
I’ve had this twice so far and I’m not sure what to think about it.
On one hand, the first try was actually pretty decent from what I remember – nice and fruity and grapey.
But when I had it again yesterday, it tasted bitter like coffee. I’m going to blame that on the fact that I drank it at work and used the water there. But since I’m spending far more prime tea-drinking hours at work than at home, I should get used to it, I think.
Mmm, thanks very much to Oolong Owl for sending me a small sample of this.
I’m sipping it right now and the taste is malty, sweet, and complex. The brewed tea smells similarly spicy and chocolaty. In fact, it smells like chocolate-covered raisins! Now I’m craving Glossettes candy, but this will do in a pinch.
I think I’ll add this to my wishlist.
Edit: I just checked the Upton Tea Imports website and found that shipping to Canada starts at $13.60. Yikes. I may not restock this after all. Steepster-folk, do any of you have any suggestions for anything from Yunnan Sourcing that may have a similar flavour profile? Spice, chocolate-covered raisins?
I personally dislike yerba maté because it has a weird earthy taste, but I was willing to try this tea because the presentation is so unusual. However, I barely made it beyond a sip or two. The earthiness of the yerba maté mixed with the overwhelming sweetness of the licorice root to create something that was overpowering and highly unpleasant in my mouth.
I’m somewhat ashamed to admit that I poured the whole thing out after only a few sips. This tea was not for me.
Full review at http://booksandtea.ca/2015/09/chi-whole-leaf-tea-reviews/
The taste was much milder and smoother than I expected — the flavour of hibiscus was there, but I think the rose was more prominent. I added about half a spoonful of agave nectar and the sweetness helped bring out the fruity, jammy quality of the rose. I didn’t taste much jasmine, though.
As I continued to drink through the cup, the tartness of the hibiscus became more apparent, though it manifested less as a taste and more as a sensation of crinkling on my tongue. It’s interesting, but I would have preferred something a bit less astringent. The dry powder of this one was slightly less finely ground up than the others because individual flecks were more easily visible in the water.
Full review at: http://booksandtea.ca/2015/09/chi-whole-leaf-tea-reviews/
