1403 Tasting Notes

80

I have resurrected this aging tea by adding cacao nibs. Exactly the thing.

Fjellrev

Smooth move!

Evol Ving Ness

No kidding! It is so good that I am now plowing through this tea like nobody’s business.

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75

In-store sample.

This was just a cup of delight.

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drank Just Peachy by DAVIDsTEA
1403 tasting notes

In-store sample. It was just ok. Peach plus only slight hints of imitation flavour this time around.

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80

Chipping away at this. It’s a lovely cup, but I’d like more chocolate. Possibly adding milk would benefit this, but I am currently quite committed to drinking all my teas black and unsweetened.

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drank Jasmine Peony by DAVIDsTEA
1403 tasting notes

Sampled this in-store today and found that I liked it so much that I might find a way to justify a wee purchase. Jasmine fresh and light. Perfect for this spring light and optimism.

Flavors: Jasmine

Jlvintagelove

this one tempts me too

Evol Ving Ness

But hey, it costs $30 PLUS tax for 100 grams.

Arby

You don’t have to spend very much money if you only buy 10-25g at a time. flawless buying habit

Roswell Strange

@Evol – There shouldn’t be any tax on tea – regardless of whether you’re buying from DT or other companies. Sometimes you can get taxed on it when it comes in fancy ass tins/samplers/kits, but really that’s a tax on the container and not the tea itself. Just straight up tea (speaking specifically about DT, for example, the silver bags of tea or tins of tea) has no tax as it’s an ‘unprepared food/good’. That’s where the tax on samplers and stuff comes in – technically at that point it’s no longer ‘unprepared’.

Evol Ving Ness

Hmm, thank you for that, Ms. Strange. Very helpful.

And Arby, I might just do the wee bit. But honestly, I find moderation a huge challenge.

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drank Eggnog Chai by 52teas
1403 tasting notes

Chai day here. I toted this along to my afternoon events and was happy to have this bright spicy friskiness with me. The spice blend harmonizes beautifully with the black and honeybush mix. This chai is aging very well, but I am chipping away towards a sipdown.
Almost there.

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90
drank Gingerbread Chai by 52teas
1403 tasting notes

There was a quarter spoon of this left in the bag, but it was mostly ginger and spice. I made up the rest of the spoon with Janet’s Chocolate Coconut Chai and ZOMG! Exactly the thing! The ginger and spice from Gingerbread Chai refreshed and brightened the flavour of the other leaf and turned this into a very satisfying cup. I especially like that the ginger used here has texture, ie. tiny chunks rather than fine ground which adds that brightness of flavour to the blend. Beautiful.

I would most definitely pick up more of this blend should it ever become available again.

And it’s a sip down!

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63

Yes, yes, I am still drinking this.

At this point, it really varies for me. Sometimes when I just steep it up and let it sit for a bit, it is just so-so. Other times, like today, when I drink it leftover and chilled, it develops a richness, approaching chocolate, with delicate pillows of marshmallow vanilla. Not so much a Mexican Hot Chocolate, but lovely, nonetheless.

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60
drank Apple Strudel by DAVIDsTEA
1403 tasting notes

I used to stop into DTs every time they brought in a new season of teas to pick up small batches of the ones that showed promise to steep up at home.

It was around the time of Apple Strudel that DTs started dropping the ball.

I came across an unopened pouch of approximately 12 grams of this. Apple softened by the coconut. Hint of cinnamon. It’s ok. No pastry here though. The steeped tea is a bit on the thin side. I’d like a bit more body.

I imagine that it will be nice chilled tomorrow.

*edit—chilled, it is still just ok.

Nice enough when you want something that you can drink mindlessly. A bit disappointing if you want a delicious cup. However, the flavours I have here taste natural and just barely sweetened, so there is none of that imitation and stevia flavour blast that DTs will become so fond of in near future.

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100

Started the day with the full rich body of this delightful thing. Butter cream with a gentle sugar melon-like sweetness, followed by steadily emerging vegetal and floral sips in subsequent steeps. Each sip has somehow a bright flavour which meshes nicely with the spring sunlight, even though it continues to be winter here with chill and snow. I might call it a day at steep five now, or perhaps not.

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Profile

Bio

A monk sips morning tea

A monk sips morning tea,
it’s quiet,
the chrysanthemum’s flowering.

- Basho

(1644-1694)

Note to self—-you do not actually need any more tea.

My real tea obsession began in February 2015.

Not, sadly, when I had been living and working in China, though I very much enjoyed sampling a variety of teas during my travels there as well. No, no, that would have been far too sensible.

I am a reformed coffee drinker. I still enjoy a long double espresso with a good quantity or milk or cream from time to time, but for now, tea is my thing. All day.

*note—this is way out of date, so if we are doing a swap and you are checking to see what I like and dislike, mostly never mind what you find below. One of these days, I will update this. In the meantime, check what I’ve been drinking and use your own judgement. I like all the teas. Well, I am open to trying all the teas.

I tend to drink black, green, or oolong tea in the morning to early afternoon. Rooibos or
Honeybush or herbal in the evening. And perhaps some sort of sleepy-type tea in the wee hours.

This year, I’ve been discovering flavoured teas, so it may look like that is all I drink although that would provide a false impression.

Not a big fan of chocolate or mint in teas, but I will try them and, from time to time, have been pleasantly surprised. Also, usually I dislike a prominent cinnamon flavour, if untempered with other things, in teas. Again, I say usually, because there are exceptions.

Also, please note that haven’t quite gotten into the habit of updating my tea cupboard on Steepster, and it is unlikely that I will do this on any kind of regular basis.

I drink my tea black and unsweetened. If there comes a rare moment that I add something to it, I will mention it.

Finally, while I thank large and successful tea companies for tantalizing and beckoning me to the world of tea, I prefer to support independent ventures with real people, real enthusiasm and commitment, and real dreams.

Currently, I am researching monthly tea subscriptions. Perhaps it will keep me out of tea shops.

And here is Shae’s rating scale— which I am using with permission, of course— which more or less describes the way I have been rating teas. I am going to make more of an effort to stay very close to these parameters now.

Rating Scale

1-20: By far, one of the worst teas I’ve tasted. I most certainly will not finish my cup and will likely “gift” the rest to my sweet husband who almost always enjoys the teas I dislike (and vice versa).

21-40: This tea is not good but if I mix it with another tea or find another steeping method I might be able to finish it.

41-60: This one is just okay. I might drink it again if someone were to give it to me, but I probably won’t be buying more for myself.

61-75: This is a consistently good tea. It’s reliable but not necessarily special.

76-90: This one is a notch above the rest and I would gladly enjoy a cup of it any day of the week. I’ll likely be keeping this in my cupboard, but it isn’t one of my all-time favorites.

91-95: One small change and this tea would be perfect. I’ll definitely have a stash of this in my kitchen if you come over for tea.

96-100: No words can describe this tea. It’s an experience, an aha moment. Closed eyes, wide smile, encompassing warmth. Absolutely incredible. Perfect.

Location

Mostly, but not always, Toronto, Canada.

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