149 Tasting Notes
I haven’t logged here in awhile. Life has been busy, but also, in my home the computer seems to always have someone sitting in front of it (I’m going to have to make more of an effort to steal a bit of time and log what I’m drinking).
I made this tea this morning (it’s out of my ifjuly supply of awesome tea), and to say that I’m loving it would be an understatement. I followed ifjuly’s instructions that came in the baggie of this sample (her little notes with each tea are my favourite…), rinsing, then 30 sec. steep, followed by 20 sec. additions after that. She also added in a bit about it being good with a tad of milk and sugar…. So, I jumped right in and tried it like that, even though I’d never do that on my own, but only because I’d trust that woman with my teacup anytime. ANYTIME! Needless to say, it’s delicious that way. Which, thinking about it now, of course it would be, since the characteristics of pu-erh are so ‘baked good’-like to me.
This tea is amazing. Comforting and so yummy.
Thanks, ifjuly for once again making my tea experience incredible.
Flavors: Bread, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Raisins
I had been wanting to try this ever since I heard about it, but I’m really not one to buy big supply of something I haven’t even tasted yet….. Then swoops in ifjuly with a generous sample! That girl, I tell you…. :)
This tea is absolutely amazing…. winey but with spices. I can see myself absolutely loving this in the winter, as the cup in my hands felt like a mulled wine treat.
The pu-erh is so lovely here, and the liquor is beautiful.
I’m so excited that I got to try this one (and still have a bunch for more!)… yay!!
Rooibos wasn’t really my thing, but now I find myself craving it at night…. yup. I said it. I crave rooibos! (never thought I’d see the day…)
This was a lovely sample sent to me from Laurent at Nina’s (THANK YOU!!! :)).
For a nightly rooibos, this is perfect…absolutely perfect. Caramely, and creamy, with a definite toffee-like quality. My cup managed to cool, as I found myself distracted by pokemon (yeah…pokemon. I was playing pokemon ‘x’….that sounds so uncool….), but the cooled-down cup was just as good as the piping hot one.
I really loved this, and will be adding it to my ‘must buy’ list.
Second day of making whole pots of tea…which is unusual for me, since I tend to just do the ‘cup by cup’ sort of thing…
I’ve made this before in a single cup and loved it, so why not a whole pot?
The two teas are made for each other, in my opinion…. The Queen lends its smoky undertones to the brightness of the rose scented, and it’s just glorious.
Cheers , Mr. John Harney. This pot’s for you.
Made a big pot of this today, since I had a bunch of paperwork I had to write up on the computer (ughhhh…. paperwork…..)…
It was so, so lovely. Super fruity, but without any bitterness.
I’ve made this as a big pitcher of cold brew, as well, after reading ifjuly’s recommendation, and done that way, it’s so light and delicate….really fantastic!
Very saddened to read about the passing of John Harney on one of my tea blogs. I love anything Fruits d’Alsace especially strudel !!! RIP Mr. Harney and I want to try this tea!!!
(side note… If you want, I can stick some in a little envelope and send it your way, absolutely NO strings attached whatsoever. Just a tiny tea send out. Let me know! :) )
I know :( I just read it this morning. But look at the legacy!! He would love that you are drinking his tea and enjoying it so!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh that’s o.k.,,,thank u very much!! U must keep all your yummy tea and enjoy!!! I am going to order some in the fall when it cools off in the desert lol.
Alright! :) This would be fantastic as a fall tea… mmmmm.
And you’re right, his legacy is phenomenal.
Another fabulous pu-erh from boychik.
This one is so clean and refreshing, but with that character that I crave in a pu-erh…
These little bricks are so fantastic; they make it so easy to measure out the tea.
I love that I can drink it all day, too..it just keeps resteeping over and over.
Also, the fact that I can drink pu-erh at night and still sleep soundly is quite a lovely thing….
pu knocks me out. its like sedative to me, i drink it every night, gongfu style. Im glad you like it;)
I never would’ve tried it at night if you hadn’t mentioned being able to drink it without it keeping you up. Thanks so much for the tip! :)
Also, I’ve been doing all the pu-erh in my gaiwan. Is that the best way to do it, or is it good in a Forlife basket, as well? You’re my go-to pu-erh expert, so sorry for all the questions!
Haha, im no expert, still newbie. i think i can do it in Forlife as well. just lift the basket. i would use 4-6oz for this brick and shortish steeps. i also have this strainer
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/strainers/1556-sst-stainless-steel-dual-layer-mesh-filter-strainer-for-tea.html
keeps all bits and dust out of cup
This comes out of my MissB box of tea (I’ve kept all the samples she sent me in the original box, because it feels like a present each time I open it… haha). I wanted a full flavoured black this morning, and boy am I pleased.
Cinnamon is the predominant flavour to me, but followed right on its heels are toasted nuts, raisins, and baked apples….
It really reminds me of a yeasted breakfast bread, heavily spiced, with a drizzle of sweet glaze on top…. Maybe like a “King’s Cake”? The yeasted, woven type (I make one every year at the holidays…).
This is incredibly delicious and probably one of my favourite ‘cinnamon’ teas I’ve tasted so far. Thanks so much, MissB!
Flavors: Apple, Cinnamon, Raisins, Roasted Nuts
Preparation
I’m really loving this… boychik sent me this to try, and I can not thank her enough.
I remember reading in one of her reviews that she was getting a plum pudding sort of thing from her pu-erh—not this one, another one (if that never happened, boychik, and it’s just a dream of mine, please forgive me…ha!), and I’ve gotta say, that’s what this is to me. It’s like I just unwrapped my pud after cooking it for hours on the stovetop….I even get walnuts here (I know, I’m probably crazy…)… It’s absolutely delicious.
Doughy sweetness, with hints of fruit and chocolate….
I could drink this all day (and I have….) :)
I was just brewing this one for two days in my new Yixing to speed up the seasoning. 7g in 150ml, so good
Oh, Yixing! I have yet to delve into that… the seasoning of the clay is so interesting to me! New teaware is always so much fun. :)
I am so happy that you got me to try this…. oh shou, how much i love you INDEED! lol
Before I get into it, I want to give the biggest thanks to boychik for sending me this. THANK YOU!!! :)
I’m completely new to pu erh, so forgive me, as I lack the experience to properly assess this tea…
The first steep smelled like chocolate quick bread—warm and doughy, with that baking powder tang in the back of my throat on the inhale (which is a weird thing I love about some baked goods—that tang)….smooth and batter-like.
On tasting, there’s a slight tang, like from pancake batter—that same tang I could detect in the scent before sipping… I could get addicted to this.
2nd steep: The liquor is much darker, almost coffee coloured. The tea smells like yeasted waffles….and it TASTES like yeasted waffles… Oh, nom, nom, nom!! There’s a note of raisins with a sweetness that starts at the middle and lingers until long after I swallow… still buttery and smooth.
3rd steep: Still getting the baked good/yeasted waffle scent, but now I’m picking up a bit of creaminess along with it… like I’ve thrown a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top of my baked treat. Hello yummy! Yeasted waffle dusted with powdered sugar, topped with whipped cream…now throw in a bit of spiced raisin. This tea is unreal; I’ve never had anything like it before…
I’ll stop now, since I could go on forever…. This is fantastic.
Another tea out of my MissB box of awesomeness (thanks so much!!)….
Last night I wanted an herbal something. Perhaps it was because we were going to watch the latest Game of Thrones episode, and an herbal mug seems like something a Maester would give you (although, I’d only trust one if it was handed to me by Maester Aemon….)….. This reminded me a lot of the traditional medicinals blends I used to drink all day when I had little babies (my youngest is 9 now…I have no idea how that happened….). Although, this is MUCH better….
The herbs are defined but balanced, and while I’m sure it’d be yummy with honey added, I didn’t go that route since it was sweet enough as is.
I’m really happy that I got to try this, since when I shop for tea, I tend to skip over herb blends like this, and I really should be paying more attention to them.
She is amazing! This tea is amazing!
Really happy you enjoyed the Special Dark. It’s one of a kind. I keep working at sourcing super-duper small batch ripe tea like this. It’s out there, just not always so good. Thanks for writing the review! With gratitude, Garret
Thanks for sourcing such wonderful tea!! :)