379 Tasting Notes

90

Upping this puppy from 90 to 93. I already wrote a review of my gongu experiences but today I had 2 tsps in 8 oz, 3 min and then 5 min second steep. It is so good. A clean, yummy pu-erh with cocoa nibs that really come through with long steeps.

I visit a few times daily but haven’t written much. You know all that sipdown work we all slave away to do hehe. My life is always same ol’ same ol’, no complaints. Peace and quiet (except for the new upstairs neighbors that has a crying kid and loves to jump up and down while he’s at it lol) is always this girl’s preference.

I hope you are all well. Thank you all who share their life on here. Good or bad. That is one of the purest joys to me. Helps this anti-social girl connect. ^^

Preparation
Boiling
Martin Bednář

You know what? I am anti-social too in real life. But making tea notes is beating it. And because you guys are here so nice, I share even bits of my life. And I don´t care!

The name of tea is so interesting. I want to order it just because of name :D

Kawaii433

hehe <3 Martin… I hear you!

And oh the tea is wonderful and it’s not expensive. If you do, I look forward to your notes!

Martin Bednář

But the shipping costs are nightmare for me. Or I just need to do order big enough :)

We will see.

derk

waves always nice to see you around, Kawaii.

Kawaii433

Derk :D Hi hi ^^

tea-sipper

I was wondering about how you were yesterday, Kawaii, as I was sipping some Lupicia Strawberry Rhubarb you sent over. :D

Kawaii433

Tea-sipper :D

mrmopar

Me too. About 5 people around and that is all I want.

Kawaii433

Mrmopar, is the five people for a tea get-together? Hehe

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85

Busy day and I have more so hopefully I can add to this review.

Preliminary thoughts: Nice almond notes, as well as the spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger. Stays true to the Wuyi oolong rock teas… Minerals. It says lightly roasted but I would classify it more medium to heavy. Not charcoal-smoky flavor but more roasted flavors and notes. There were caramel notes, some warm vanilla notes. Nice mineral finish.

Roasted, nutty, fruity plum goodness.

Gaiwan, 110ml, 205°F, 9 steeps: rinse, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 35s,40s, 60s, 120s

I hope you are all having a great and productive day. ^^

Flavors: Almond, Caramel, Cinnamon, Cloves, Dried Fruit, Fruity, Ginger, Mineral, Nuts, Plum, Roasted Nuts, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 4 OZ / 110 ML
derk

Likewise to you, too. I’m done for the long weekend. Gonna try to put out 3 tea notes a day S/U/M. Only then will I feel truly productive and fulfilled :P

Kawaii433

hehe derk :D That would be productive! And I love your reviews so I completely approve! haha

Roswell Strange

Sounds so good! I’ve debated picking this up from Mandala a few times, and now I’m kicking myself for not having done so…

Kawaii433

Roswell, I hope you enjoy it when you do get to try it. Many noticed peach and apple… I got plum or prune (go figure lol) but it was definitely good. :D

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85

Heya all. ^^

Almost done with this bag so thought I’d share my thoughts. I bought a lot of raw pu’er in my last YS order so I was happy to see that I got this bag of green tea with it. The twisted dry leaves are thin, frail-looking… Had the aroma of hay and fresh cut grass. I put 8g in 110ml gaiwan, and after the rinse, the expanded wet leaves smelled so good. Vegetal, buttered asparagus and spinach, hay, sweet grass.

So far I’ve done 5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s infusions but there are many infusions still left based on my past experiences with this tea. The pale liquor has similar aromas to the wet leaves but I also smell steamed artichokes and a slight chestnut aroma.

It is robust as they say and has a nice aftertaste far after you finish the cup. There is a spiciness to it, I can feel it at the tip of my tongue minutes after. I did short infusions throughout because I didn’t want to experience any bitterness nor astringency. I’ve never had this any other way so perhaps on my last 8g, I’ll try it grandpa style or something. Maybe it won’t get bitter. I don’t know.

Recommended to those who like pungent green teas.

Update: Just had it again, the last of it this morning, and it got bitter with a 1-min infusion. I am usually a gaiwan girl so maybe I did something wrong >.<.

Flavors: Artichoke, Asparagus, Butter, Chestnut, Cut Grass, Hay, Spices, Spinach, Umami, Vegetal

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 15 sec 8 g 4 OZ / 110 ML

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85
drank Matcha Kirara Rice by Lupicia
379 tasting notes

So Lupicia’s Hawaii online store is soon to open up. I hope they will sell this one.

Their mixture of Kirara and matcha is a tasty one. The little popped rice bits are bright green, dusted with matcha, along with the sencha leaves. It’s an interesting looking tea. Looks almost fluorescent. It smells of toasted rice (imagine that :P) and light sweetness, some grass. The liquor has a very toasty-roasty aroma. The wet leaves are bright green and you can see the little rice bits have all their green dust washed off and they are reddish brown. It’s medium-bodied, with a nice lingering naturally sweet rice finish. I didn’t find it bitter and there was no astringency, but yet it had the consistent and typical characteristics of a good warm cup of green tea. Recommended if you like kirara rice and matcha.

Flavors: Grass, Popcorn, Rice, Roasted, Sweet, Toasted Rice

tea-sipper

This is a good one… I have a really really old harvest of this. haha. Poor tea.

Kawaii433

tea-sipper, there is an expiration date that I’m trying to beat on this one (and some of their other greens)… I have a few Lupicia’s that I have till July. I’m afraid to ask you what “really old” is for you. haha :D

tea-sipper

yeah… it’s probably best not to ask. :D

Kawaii433

hehe tea-sipper :D

typo correction from above Lupicias*

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89

Mixed reviews on this one. Lots of reviews so I’ll just add a lazy my two cents. ^^

I like it a lot. I saw a lot mention stonefruits but I get a lot of cherry, baked tart cherry notes. For most of my bag, I used a gaiwan with 8g, 130 ml, rinse, 9 steeps, 5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 45s, 1m, 1m15s, 2m. My liquor was a dark amber brown due to it being so concentrated. No astringency, nor bitterness, smooth, full of fruity flavor, splash of roasted nuts and spices, a good mixture of tart dried fruit and honey sweetness.

Flavors: Apple, Bread, Cherry, Dried Fruit, Honey, Smooth, Spices, Sweet, Tart

Preparation
8 g 4 OZ / 130 ML

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85

The coconut and banana are perfectly balanced as tea-sipper said. I prefer a strong banana but that’s one of my personal faves but having said that, it captures the Coconut Banana Cream pie very well. The light colored tea smelled of fresh coconut. Some banana slices and lots of coconut slivers in the mix. The hojicha gives that bready, lightly roasted flavor and the blend of those three main notes were yummy. There is a little woodiness to it, also slightly nutty notes due to a good hojicha. I had it 5g in 110ml gaiwan yesterday and today I had it as directed. 1.5g in 12 oz. A little goes a long way. Both ways it was a good cup(s) of tea but I really liked it in the gaiwan, high concentrated, strong tastes, short infusions.

Flavors: Bread, Coconut, Roasted

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 g 12 OZ / 354 ML
tea-sipper

I’m glad the new blend is still so balanced! I’m also glad you liked it. :D

Kawaii433

tea-sipper, thank you for your iiput on this one :D. I did! :)

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70
drank Vanilla by Lupicia
379 tasting notes

This one is definitely not for me… It doesn’t taste nasty or anything, it’s just so artificial tasting. One of the few Lupicia teas, I just can’t do. I can’t even get myself to think about the base tea lol. Maybe I’ll try it with a splash of milk or something. It’s like water with a bunch of imitation vanilla flavoring in it. >.<

Flavors: Artificial, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec 3 g 5 OZ / 150 ML
tea-sipper

At least this one tried with vanilla… their assam didn’t have any vanilla flavor at all. :/

Kawaii433

lol tea-sipper, yeah. That’s a positive way to look at it

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88

Sipdown and time to write about it. :)

Toasted rice, good genmaicha, the aroma of coconuts and mango… The taste is very natural, nothing artificial. The mango flavor is a little light for me but you can taste it in the finish. Toasted rice is the main note, and it’s a very creamy feeling tea.

52Teas has made me rethink coconut teas. I love fresh coconut but hate artificial tasting coconut so other than eating coconut straight, I generally stay away from any coconut flavored foods, drinks.. Etc. In their teas though, both the aroma and taste of the coconut is really good.

Flavors: Coconut, Creamy, Mango, Toasted Rice, Toasty

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
derk

Gah, I’m the same about coconut in tea. This and the Foggy Morning reviews are tempting me to dip my toes.

Kawaii433

hehe derk… This month’s tea is a coconut banana pie o.O. Now I’m tempted to go try that too.

tea-sipper

Kawaii, the coconut banana cream pie was my FAVORITE blend from the previous owner of 52Teas, Frank. And I’ve tried so many teas from 52Teas over the years, so that’s saying something. haha. You should give it a try!

Roswell Strange

(It’s hard to go wrong with a 52Teas banana blend in general…)

Mastress Alita

Unless you hate banana, like me. :-P But I will get on the soapbox and say I am absolutely cursed with my coconut going bad so fast, yet the coconut 52Teas uses is not only some of the best tasting coconut I’ve ever had in tea, I also have yet to have it go bad on me while every other coconut blend in my house is doomed. I am a fiend for their Foggy Coconut and Coconut French Toast with Cardamom Maple Syrup.

Frolic

I missed out on this one and I’m really hoping it comes back for the 12 teas of Christmas.

derk

Oh, Foggy Coconut, that’s the name. Do want.

Kawaii433

tea-sipper, I’’m going to get it then. hehe
Roswell, I agree. I have loved all their banana teas I’ve tried.
Mastress Alita, bah about hating bananas :P and I remember a post or two of yours that you mentioned your coconut tea going bad.

Kawaii433

Frolic, there are a few, especially the banana ones, that come back soon.:)
Derk, ok, I’ll check it out. Thanks ^^

Frolic

I’m not a huge banana fan abut boy do I love coconut.

Kawaii433

Ah hehe, ok. I was just saying that I’m like you that I hope some teas come back. :D

tea-sipper

Kawaii, I hope you like the coconut banana cream pie. I will feel better missing out this time around if you buy it. :D

Kawaii433

tea-sipper :D

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85

Free sample from What Cha. Yay.

I didn’t take any notes that day. I did something I normally do not do, and I didn’t weigh it. I just put the whole sample in the gaiwan. I had it a few days ago… But I wanted to make a quick note. I really enjoyed this tea, and as Daylon mentioned in his note, it lasted a long time. I literally drank it all day, and it never stopped giving out the flavor. I’ll have to get more and give it the full gaiwan treatment (timing, temperature… Etc.) to be able to get a good flavor profile next time. It is complex.

It was citrusy, slightly floral, honey-sweet, and lots of stonefruit notes throughout the day. No matter how long I steeped it, it never got bitter and that is a plus. Overall, I am really a fan of their Vietnamese oolongs.

Flavors: Citrusy, Fruity, Honey, Orange Blossom, Roasted, Smooth

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 15 sec 5 OZ / 147 ML
derk

Oh, thanks for your note! It’s a reminder to buy some more with my next order. I really like this tea cold-brewed during the summer with a short rinse to help those tight little nuggets open up.

Kawaii433

I will definitely try it cold-brew next time then too. :D

Kawaii433

derk, what is your typical tea to water ratio for cold brews? Thanks in advance. ^^

derk

Hah, I went to What-Cha’s website to check the review I left there for this tea since I didn’t write one here. The website has been overhauled and previous reviews no longer exist! I’m pretty sure I used 2 heaping tsp to a liter because I like my cold-brews lighter in flavor. 5g:1L?

derk

I do remember being able to get 2 separate overnight brews out of the leaf which impressed me.

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90

Sipdown on this one. Been working on trying to finish all my green teas. Wrong type of tea to stock up on lol.

Quick additional note on this one (already wrote a review on it). If you like jasmine tea, these pearls are definitely the one to stock up on. Because they are so tightly rolled, they remained fresh. The tea is so buttery smooth, creamy, and full of flavor. As I said in my first note, there is zero soapy taste. No artificial nor perfumey aftertaste just the fresh taste of perfect floral jasmine. Today (gongfu style) the stonefruits, particularly apricot came out in the middle steeps and blended so well with the jasmine. Highly recommended if you’re drinking Jasmine tea for flavor or health and are turned off by the overly perfumed aroma of others.

Flavors: Butter, Floral, Jasmine, Smooth, Stonefruit

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 4 OZ / 110 ML
derk

Yeah, this is great jasmine tea. Thanks again for sharing some with me.

Martin Bednář

Well, that sounds like a good jasmine tea. How hard is getting them there :/

Kawaii433

Derk, you’re very welcome.

Martin, Mandala has it in stock.

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Profile

Bio

Longtime casual tea drinker. In the past, mainly Matcha, Gyokuro, Sencha, Genmaicha… Etc. I like all teas: Green, oolong, black & pu’erh (prefer ripe over raw).

Chanoyu (for matcha prep) and Gongfu cha (for other types of tea) are the main ways I prepare my tea (Gaiwan, Yixing teapot, Kyusu). I drink all tea… Usually unflavored. This past year, I’ve tried many flavored now because of all of you lol. As long as there aren’t artificial sweeteners, it’s all good.

Favorite stores: TeaVivre, What-Cha, Mandala Tea, 52Teas, Whispering Pines, Bird & Blend, Yunnan sourcing, White2Tea, Lupicia.

The flavors I dislike: Artificial sweetener, lavender, violet, any strong floral-perfumey tea; cantaloupe, papaya, honeydew, rose, licorice, anise, jasmine, any mints, leather.

Favorite flavors: Citrus fruits (especially grapefruit & tangerines), granny smith apple, bananas, guava, mango, tamarind, watermelon, stonefruits, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, milk, cinnamon, creme, bread/pastry, nuts, toasted, roasted.

I generally don’t add anything to my teas unless they are flavored, then I may add a splash of milk.

As I explore, my ratings may shift. 90+ generally means I’ll keep it on my shelf.

Location

USA

Website

https://www.facebook.com/kawa...

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