379 Tasting Notes

85

I buy Goji berries (dried) all the time and I put them in homemade kefir jello and smoothies. I got this as a sample from TeaVivre and well, just like any other Goji Berry… If you make a tea out of it, all you taste is sweetness. It is natural sweetness. I can vouch for that because I tried making a tea out of my no sugar added organic goji berries that I have in the fridge and it was exactly the same. So, I’m just going to eat these straight because if you make a tea out of them, the berry taste doesn’t come out in the tea, just the sweet taste of the berry. I’m not going to dock the rating though because it is far too sweet for me because I’m sure people who enjoy Goji berry tea will love this too.

Flavors: Goji, Sweet

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89

Yummy Genmaicha. It’s very similar to the other Marshmallow treat Genmaichas from 52Teas but now I think this is my favorite because of the bananas. :D Just like I love their pancake breakfast but my favorite is the one with bananas. ^^

Flavors: Marshmallow, Toasted Rice

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90

Quick note. I see mixed reviews on this one but I really liked it. It was a very light fruity taste, but it was perfect for one of those super thirsty days. Good sencha. I really like the Bird & Blend teas, at least the ones I tried. They aren’t overly sweet and they don’t have artificial sweeteners. At least the ones I tried.

Lemony, raspberry flavor, a hint of apple. The color threw me off before I tasted it. It’s so… BLUE! lol, It looked like Koolaid. I recommend it and look forward to buying some B&B teas and matcha once I get some more sipdowns. Thanks so much, Tea-Sipper!

Flavors: Apple, Grass, Lemon, Lemon Zest, Raspberry

tea-sipper

I knew you’d like this one. :D

Kawaii433

DELETE3 minutes ago
hehe I do! I’m going to have to get some of the blue raspberry one since you said you liked that one too.

tea-sipper

They are both very similar! Though if I remember correctly, the Blue Raspberry doesn’t have any lemon.

tea-sipper

I’m having this one again today and I think Blue Raspberry and Lemon + Raspberry are both too similar to stock both. There isn’t too much lemon in Lemon + Raspberry, so they almost seem the same. Though Blue Raspberry has that POP of raspberry since the blend is strictly green tea and raspberry, rather than a ton of extra things like flowers that Lemon + Raspberry has.

Kawaii433

kk good to know. :) Thanks!

Martin Bednář

And I am sitting here, checking my reviews and thinking if I have such a different sense of taste :D

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90

Yummy. It’s vacuum freeze-dried lemons so you can guess what it tastes like. lol It tastes incredibly fresh unlike other types of lemon tea. It was sour but not too acidic like if I dropped fresh lemons in there so it was a wonderful nighttime drink, especially after a heavy meal. I’ll have to stock up on this because it is so convenient. I could also use it to add to my other teas. I like sour so I brewed it Western 16oz / 355ml, 212 ºF, 4 or 5 pieces lemon but I would think most would like a little honey with it.

I’ve been having to drink herbal tea instead before I go to bed cause all the tea was keeping me up all night. I still stay up all night hehe but at least when I fall asleep, it’s less interrupted. I usually drink their Tartary Buckwheat and/or Hawthorn Berry Herbal tea so this was a nice switch. The Goji berry is good too but in tea form, it’s far too sweet for me.

I’m shocked, as is the world, at NBA Legend Kobe Bryant’s and his 13 yr old daughter’s death. Some of my fondest memories are going to Laker games with my dad. #RIPKobe

Flavors: Citrus, Lemon, Lemon Zest, Tart

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML
Martin Bednář

I am not a basketball fan (unless it is World Cup), but yeah, it is such a huge loss! Even here, where basketball is not popular it is news no. 2 (right after a “saved” a lots of country money on highway toll system)

Kawaii433

Martin, it’s so sad. 9 people died. I have a private pilot’s license and flew in that area for years and it’s a bad area for visual flight rules… Right now, it is looking like it was preventable :( so sad…

Martin Bednář

Indeed it is, and I can’t imagine it in so much basketball country as US is. I heard about 5 people, but every single one was necessary for someone!

We should let NTSB do their job, I don’t want to say anything about causes, becasue – it could be anything. Maybe more troubles were in air there.

Kawaii433

Martin, yeah I agree. I was just reading the recent report and they said that the pilot was under VFR rules and usually in fog, you have to be under IFR rules. It would be horrific if it was preventable is what I’m saying. You’re right about those 9 people. Every one of them was loved by someone. Tragic.

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90

Lovely sencha with a perfect balance of apricot and spices. I always appreciate a good high quality cup of sencha. Creamy, vegetal, slightly buttery feeling. The little freeze-dried apricot bits give this an authentic apricot taste. The ginger notes are subtle, not overbearing, not artificial. Nothing in this cup comes off artificial. A perfect balance of nutmeg, spices to make it a warm cup. I adore this one. Highly recommended especially if you love apricots.

Flavors: Apricot, Creamy, Fruity, Ginger, Grass, Nutmeg, Spices, Vegetal

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 4 g 16 OZ / 473 ML
amandastory516

I absolutely love this one too! Such exceptionally balanced flavors.

Kawaii433

amandastory516 :D

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95

I had read that one of the reasons Anji Bai Cha is so healthy for you is because less of the theanine is converted to chlorophyll, and therefore, it has a much higher theanine content, ~3-4% higher than most green teas. Theanine has lots of health benefits, if curious, there is a lot of data on it. I personally like the relaxation aspect but it doesn’t make you sleepy at all. Adds concentration and mental alertness.

The dry leaves are long and slender, a pale green, sharp looking. The dry leaves had a slightly grassy aroma, and the extremely pale yellow-greenish liquor also had a slightly grassy aroma with hints of fruits, citrus.

Deeply umami. Rich and smooth mouthfeel. Slightly nutty, maybe chestnut. Definitely vegetal: Asparagus, celery, green beans, some soybean notes. Don’t quote me but I believe the high presence of amino acids also contribute to this thick mouthfeel, the brothy-ness, a little sweetness in some infusions, and alas, a complex tea. It’s full of amino acids that help lower cortisone, therefore reducing stress levels.

Very nice.

Flavors: Asparagus, Celery, Chestnut, Citrus, Fruity, Grass, Smooth, Umami, Vegetal

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 0 min, 15 sec 4 g 4 OZ / 110 ML
tea-sipper

I just received my tin of Dragon Well from teavivre today that I won during their Black Friday giveaway. I’m so thrilled.. especially as the tin is beautiful and somehow I have managed to miss all their tins so far with all the Teavivre I have acquired. :D

Kawaii433

That’s great! Congratulations on the win :D. I really love they Dragon Well too.

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93
drank Sweet Potato by 52teas
379 tasting notes

Very nice sweet potato Yunnan tea. You can see the little bits of sweet potato floating in it and the cinnamon is just right to add more warmth and flavor. Without the sweet potato, I’m positive it would still be a delicious cup but the added bits of dehydrated sweet potato, as well as the added organic flavors, kicks it up a notch for me.

Highly recommended. It’s really yummy.

I had a quiet Christmas. I am watching a Russian drama series called Life of a Mistress. It’s pretty interesting :) and a couple of weeks ago, I got to visit my family and saw my nephew again. I was happy to see he was still interested in tea! I brought him another package of a tea he really liked. My brother is doing better, my mom is taking care of him. He’s put on some weight but still dreadfully underweight. It still doesn’t feel like Christmas since I lost my dad awhile ago. I still say “Gotta go visit mom and dad”. Having said that, I still had a pleasant visit… And after coming home, having a beautiful peace and quiet Christmas at home, good movies, and nice tea was great. :D

I hope you all had a great Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays tea buds <3

Flavors: Cinnamon, Spices, Sweet Potatoes

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 15 sec 4 g 16 OZ / 473 ML
tea-sipper

Happy everything! It’s great you were able to get your nephew to start drinking tea. I’m sorry you lost your dad, even if it was a while ago.

derk

Glad to hear your brother’s situation is improving. Sounds like he has loving family to help him through this. Merry Christmas to you :)

ashmanra

My father passed away in 1988. I had been married for less than two years and had a little baby just a few months old. Life was so full of new things and mostly what I felt was anger – not at him, but anger that I couldn’t go show him the baby’s first tooth, first steps, etc. mad he was gone.

Years later we bought the house next door to where I grew up and I missed him so badly that it felt like I had been punched in the chest every day. I constantly thought of what we would be doing together if he lived next door – we would grow tomatoes together, and I knew he would have come over in the mornings to build the fire (we largely heat the house with wood.) it seemed nearly unbearable – years and years after he died! I still miss him, but it did get easier. I look forward to seeing him again one day. I need to share a big hug with him.

Hugs to you, and what an awesome memorial to him it is that you miss him and have such a place in your heart for him, so we all know what a great man he must have been.

Kawaii433

Thank you all <3 and ashmanra, Thank you for sharing, and I understand. hugs

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94
drank Nine Lotus by Mandala Tea
379 tasting notes

Received a free sample of this and oh, yum!

Busy day on a chilly overcast day, so I’m drinking this grandpa style. I saved a little to do it gongfu next time. This is so good that I may just grandpa it again.

First impressions: The leaves are awesome looking, long and thin, vibrant green. The liquor is virtually clear with a light greenish-yellow tint. Very creamy mouthfeel, almost buttery, when sipping but has a crisp ending. Because I just used a little of the sample, so I can gongfu it later, it was perhaps more light than usual. Maybe with more of a sample, I’ll get more umami or vegetal taste. I did get a little of that but not much. It was just a calming, delicate fruity taste, a twinge of lemon and other fruity notes with lemongrass notes, with no bitterness, really low astringency and slightly naturally sweet throughout. Highly recommended.

Flavors: Fruity, Grass, Lemon, Smooth

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 g

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84

Additional notes on this lovely tea. Last time I had it, my nephew was staying with me so I didn’t gongfu it. This time I did.

There is still that warm, comforting spice that I can’t name and it goes well with the oats notes. I still don’t believe it is cinnamon. What is it?? lol Anyway, it’s a warm taste. Lovely.

Lots of fresh red apples, apple skin, some berries… As it tasted when I made it as directed, it still comes off as a yummy lightly spiced-oatmeal-apple pie. Creamy barley notes, more raisin than honey sweetness. No bitterness at all, almost dessert-like and it’s rich, full. In the beginning, I got some sweet potatoes but only, in the beginning, it remained full of oats and fruity notes throughout all the infusions. Tasted some lychee and stonefruits notes somewhere in the middle. Warm, fruity, oat-y, yummy. I think I prefer my ‘Golden Lily’ this way now.

Flavors: Apple, Apple Skins, Bread, Creamy, Fruity, Lychee, Oats, Roasted Barley, Stonefruit

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 3 tsp 110 OZ / 3253 ML

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87
drank Pure Buds Black by Mandala Tea
379 tasting notes

Really nice flavors throughout the infusions. Sweet Potatoes, baked bread, sugar cane, dark cherry, hints of cocoa and caramel, malty, earthy, honey, mineral, and stonefruits. Slightly astringent.

Gaiwan 208 ˚ F, 110 ml, 6g, quick rinse, 6 infusions: 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 1 min., 2 min.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. :) I made a huge bowl of soup and watched The Irishman which I enjoyed and also The Crown Season 3. It sucks being away from my whole family who are in Southern California but I enjoy my peaceful evenings with games, knitting, and movies very much!

Flavors: Apricot, Bread, Caramel, Cherry, Cocoa, Fruity, Honey, Malt, Sugarcane

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 6 g 4 OZ / 110 ML
tea-sipper

I wish you could have seen your fam on Thanksgiving but the peace must also be nice. Yesterday, I was sipping a tea you sent over. :D

Kawaii433

tea-sipper Yeah, peace and quiet is always nice hehe. Yay for sipping on some tea I sent you. Give me a holler if you want more of anything in my cupboard :D.

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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

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