1766 Tasting Notes
Wieeeeerd. This tea, it wierds me out! I’m so glad I only got a sample. Thank you SO much to the TE associate who gave me a sample!
The flavour on the first steep was very bubblegummy, in a fruity way. Like bubblicous! A little to much for me.
Then the second steep, there was far less fruitiness going on, but for some reason all I could taste and smell was SOAP! Bleh!
At first I wondered if my hand creme got in the cup somehow but there was nothing in the bottom of the cup and… well I would have noticed a big glob of hand goo falling in my mug!
Ah well, I’m grateful for the experience and the first steep wasn’t bad! (79 for the first, 60 for the second, I’ll leave it at 70ish then!)
Thanks so much to Azzrian for this sample! I totally agree, this is more sweet pepper than hot! and I don’t know what, but something else was amiss. Maybe it was me, but I don’t think so…
This one didn’t speak to me as tasty at all. The first of many misses today. But you know what? I didn’t mind for some reason. I was in a mood to experiment :)
u b strikn out!
yep, I think I’ve scored a run by this point! ha!
I still gotta try this tea someday, as I LOVE peppers and hot food …
SimpliciTea: I have some left, you are more than welcome to it! :)
Thank you, but no thank you. : )
Not at the moment, anyway. Still, I may open to a swap this summer when I have FINALLY depleted all of my samples.
LOL I hear ya, I am drowning in samples myself :)
PiNa CoLaDa!
Too much hibby!!!! yikes. but then I added some honey and it mellowed out a bit. Still super tart, but not in a sour kid way anymore.
Anyhow, thanks so much for the sample Azzrian!! I can really see where this one goes wrong for you. It smells a little gnarly, but the taste is more or less great… except for the teeny little bump when I swallow, where I get a hint of backass in the flavour.
I think it’s the pineapple, and how it’s blending with the hibby. Coconut is in there to somewhere. When I pick out the flavours, they are not making friends! it’s almost as if there is a wall of garbage up between them, but there are stunning gardens on either side!! how odd.
When it was super hot, it was actually really good. Now that my cup is cooling I can see how other reviewers might think it’s terrible. I better drink this one up fast now! gulp
this is such an intriguingly strange blend, I love reading your guys’ reviews for it. Taking one for the team! :D
Missy: yup, I stand by it! I don’t wanna know what frontass is like haha
DaisyChubb: it is very strange indeed! I definitely won’t be buying any… but I am glad to have seen what all the fuss was about. One of those it’s so bad I have to try it scenarios. ha!
LOL!!
LOL great review, made me laugh so thanks! teehee backass :D
Ass backwards would be a frontass right!?!
Totally!
Yogini: it made me giggle just writing about that… :P
ScottTeaMan: well I suppose so yah!! except… it sounds so much worse haha
Yuck. I can’t believe you liked this one. Should I save the rest of my sample package for you? I was going to throw it away. It literally makes me gag to think about it. I hope you don’t get an upset stomach! :P
lol errr thanks for thinking of me! I think this one is best for the compost! my stomach was ok, this time… ha.
Hahaha :P To the compost it shall go.
Oh Adagio… whatever made you think this was a good idea?!
Let me just say tea foot bath! For those teas you wouldn’t give to some one else, I throw some tea in hot water and soak my feet in it. It makes my feet smell nice while they soak at least. :D
huh, I like that idea Missy!!!
but for a tisane… does that make them sticky? lol
I’ve never had them go sticky. I’ve tried a couple of teas and I think the one had some fruit but not a lot. I do suggest a rinse after even with out fruit. The leaves tend to get in between toes, or on the top of your foot when you try to get out of the bath.
neat-o. Now I just need a bin to soak in. My bathtub won’t work because I don’t want any tea getting in the little jet holes.
oooh, epsom salts and tea! :P
Yeah I don’t use the bath tub either. A large bucket works well. Then you can get your ankles too.
yeah. It feels like something I should do at the cottage :P
Wooweeeee this tea is sumthin else!! so good!!!! Thanks to Kristaleyn for sharing with me!
Now on to the TEA!
I rinsed this once for a few seconds before getting to the real steep, but I think I should have rinsed again because the first steep was really weak. I mean, I thought that for a moment there this one was a waste! but don’t worry, it got progressively better, it really did!!
The second steep was great, salty and a little sweet. Like buttered green vegetables (though I can’t pinpoint which ones precisely) wrapped in something hay like. Hay-leaf?
The third steep was less salty, only in the aftertaste but in it’s place was buttered sweet corn bread! oh YUM!!! The immediate aftertaste was sweet, with an afteraffect of having had something lightly salted.
The fourth steep was less bready, but still strongly so. However, it shared the spotlight with something else that was a bit nutty and sweet. Hazelnuts perhaps?
Also, I found the faintest suggestion of something apple but I had trouble distinguishing it from the nuttiness so I can’t be sure.
One other thing. It was all so smooth, I can’t believe a tea could be so velvety. Like silk!
Overall, I am very pleased with this oolong but I regard it as a special experience… it would be too much to have every day. Like a trip to the spa! Thanks again Kristaleyn!
Absolutely wonderful analogy…a trip to the spa. Some tea’s are just that way!
yep! and if I had it every day, then the other teas that I love might become less special. Can’t have that!
Everone seems to like this tea…….alot!
I recommend it Scott! HIGHLY!! :)
Oh, good I’m going back through all these posts :) Glad you liked it. I think I gave you a pretty small sample (as I need get it right yet myself), so I’m glad you didn’t fail like I did the first time :)
I still have enough left for another cup! but yes it’s very good… definitely try it again :)
Nice description! My experience with wulongs is usually like this. The best ones don’t even begin to reveal their true colors until at least the third steep.
thx Chadao! I agree, the second or third steep is usually the best one, by far. I’ve only ever had one where the first steep was better.
Lookeee what I bought!! HEHEHEEEEE Yes I am giddy :P
My Tea Master has been sitting unused for months because I couldn’t get the tea stains/tannin taste out… it’s two years old now and that is supposed to be the life span of a plastic product anyhow so I am thinking of tossing it, or just hoarding it in the back of my cupboard for emergencies.
I am SO glad that there is this baby to replace it! but then I am also sad because the reason I got it for half price is also the reason my fave local tea shop is soon to go bu-bye :(
Oh well, I might as well enjoy it while I can. Nothing good lasts forever right?
Bloom this is like my PIAO 1 pot! It’s nice for pu-erh’s too! Enjoy!
neat-o!! I will definitely enjoy this one on Sunday! (after my exam. sighs)
Ooh! Kind of like the thing I have :D
Is it? Did you get yours from Teaopia?
It’s a very similar design, but not the same thing. The one I pointed out in Tsaa was the exact one I had. I got it from TreasureGreen Tea Company in Vancouver (a birthday gift from my aunt). I only use it for straight teas – don’t want anything sticky to get in the filter.
yeah I am not using ANY rooibos in that baby. no sireee! but I do need to buy something besides tea sacs that will work for that :/
Pick up a stainless steel filter basket like the one DavidsTea carries. Works great for rooibos, and easy to clean.
oh yah! good idea. I’ve been waiting for them to go on sale but I might just break down and buy it :)
Yeah, I had a PIAO I teapot that looked exactly like this but it broke. :( Tip: Don’t hold the basket upside down and bang it repeatedly to get the leaves out. It made the ball come loose and then the bottom fell out. SUCH a pain to fix. I pretty much had to finagle it with tweezers for about 30 minutes every time I wanted to use it until I finally got fed up and threw it out. But when it worked, it was awesome! :)
lol awww sorry to hear CHAroma, that sucks!
I’ll keep that in mind for sure!! Hopefully you’ll find one on sale soon :)
Live and learn, haha! If you treat it with TLC, it should last a long time.
I’ll try!!
I have a habit of killing my teaware, with overuse/not washing asap… we shall see!
Oh hey this is amazing!! not exactly what I was after… but really good nonetheless!
With milk and sugar, it was just like banana pudding, with a hint of chocolate for good measure. Now, this would have garnered a rating of 94 if it was like that on it’s own, but I had to add TWO packets of sugar to get that flavour. I never add that much sugar…
And thus, sadly, I must downgrade the rating here.
Still, I am tempted to buy some. I’m on a dessert tea kick lately, I dunno what’s gotten into me. It wasn’t long ago that I hadn’t touched a dessert tea in months! Ah well.
Now, I am on the hunt for a great chocolate herbal tea (rooibos or otherwise).
Trouble is, I don’t want any other notes besides chocolate to mess with it. That means no mint, no spice… or banana. I just want CHOCOLATE! You’d think that wouldn’t be so hard to find. I’ve had no issues finding caffeinated chocolate teas… le sighs
Stay tuned for my note about my teaware purchase!! YAY!!!
Interesting!
It seems this has picked up some of the scent from one of my other teas… so the taste/smell are a little muddled.
That said, I can still taste some of the muscatel notes and they are pretty good! drying like a Darjeeling but juicy like a grape.
I just wish the grape note came through a little more.
Thank you for the sample Bonnie!… I could see this one becoming a favourite
Thank you so much for sharing this precious tea with me Azzrian!
It’s so… sweet!! I added NO sugar, but it really tastes like I did! Wow.
I love how light it is, and slippery. Yes this is very good tea!
When it is hot, I taste a jasminey sort of floral/fruity note along with the hay Azzrian mentions. It’s nice and crisp to, while the sweetness runs deep into the flavour, lingering long after the swallow.
At first, I wasn’t in love with this one but as it cooled… well sometimes love burns slow! ;)
Lately though, my affair with whites has cooled. There was a day when I was all over them. Now, as much as I do enjoy the occasional cup, it isn’t often I crave one.
I could make an exception for this though. Yup, I deem this the great white tea!!
On a side note, I love that the leaves are fuzzy. Like pussy willow! :P
Edit: after many sips, the sweetness seems to have built up in the aftertaste. I feel as if I’ve just downed a teaspoon of syrup. Oh my!! (I love you George Takei)
I wonder how this would fare iced…
Frisky with those White Tea’s! A love lost found again?
I have been very tempted by this lately!
Bonnie: I just tried a second steep. While still good it is heavier on the jasmine like flavour (obviously not jasmine because I didn’t react) but I am not a fan of that note. It fades somewhat as the tea cools but at that price I’d like to have a tea that resteeps well and I’m afraid of trying a third infusion now :/
Amy: oh it is so worth it!! very tasty, but as I said above… I’m not sure I can justify the cost for myself.
I have tried 3 of their white teas already and can’t justify buying anymore until I finish off what I have!
Oh you will find a way – you will :)
Where there is a tea, there is always a way Amy
I agree, you will figure it out Amy! :P
Talk to my credit card about that one – ha!
Bonnie! you inspired me to have some delicious Lapsang Souchong with your review the other day! thank you for the sample. Deeelicous!
This is malty and smokey and just overall good. Mmmmmm.
With a sprinkle of sugar and some milk, this is my cup of “country home”.
I’m trying to figure out how it differs from my other lapsang experiences… and I think the main thing is that I feel like the leaves are not just smoked… but burnt. In a nice way!
Also, somehow, it tastes alot lighter… but rounder yet not as deep.
Mmmm. Thanks again Bonnie! xxx
I cannot get into Lapsang. Blech
yep, it’s definitely one of those love it or hate it teas! glad I am on the love side :P
Helps to try different kinds I have a mild blend.
me to. The Spice Exchange lapsang is very light, in the smokiness. Russian Caravan is lighter as well!
I definitely love lapsang! =) glad to be on the love side too (currently- my cup smells like sweet BBQ sauce)
bbq! oh yummmmm. getting hungry now!
more wah…bleh!
bleh!! have you ever eaten hand creme before? worse than soap!
lol and why are you eating hand creme!?
I was cringing when I read about the soap smell/flavor. Ewww!
long story Missy! I thought it was custard on the spoon… but no it was some stray hand creme. Blech!
SimpliciTea: yup. There is no better way to describe it than ewww!
That sounds like some thing I would do! :D
Missy: watch out for the escaped hand creme then. It will get you! :P