44 Tasting Notes

56
drank Roasted Barley by Wang Globalnet
44 tasting notes

This is just roasted barley, but I’ve never had it before, despite living next to a Korean grocery store. I was in the store today looking for an herbal tea to drink. So I bought some roasted barley to try it. I brewed it on the stove, 1/4 a cup for about 16 ounces of water. I boiled the water and added the barley and then continued to boil it for 5 minutes. And I added some honey.

Anyway, I like this brew. It’s malty and roasted tasting, which is unsurprising. I will probably keep drinking this through the winter. I don’t have much to say other than that.

EDIT: I made a second batch of this with a bit less barley, as I was looking over the recipe I was using and I realized I probably used too much. The second batch was not nearly as good. Anyway, for me, I think this brew needs 1/4 cup for about 12-16 ounces of water.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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50
drank Sakura Allure by Teavana
44 tasting notes

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90
drank Yunnan Golden Pu-erh Tea by Teavana
44 tasting notes

This is probably my favorite black tea that I own/ have had in awhile. I think the trick here is that it’s a pretty quality Yunnan black tea blend that is mixed with a tiny bit of pu-erh which makes it bright with a smokey aftertaste which is complex and exciting (I’ll address this point later, but it’s not at all a pure pu-erh.) I wouldn’t say this is the most amazing black tea ever, but it is a great standard cup with a lot of complexity.

I used to drink this every morning, probably two or three infusions, but I stopped drinking tea for awhile after I moved. I think it was the stress of relocating and settling into a new place. I’m having my first cup in awhile. This is a warm and comforting cup of tea, and the fact that I haven’t had it in awhile makes it even better.

I’m really excited to drink the second steeping, which I remember liking a bit more than the first. If I remember correctly, the tea loses a bit of the acidic bite at the end of the sip and rounds out to be smoother with the second infusion.

But now I need to address the name of this tea. It’s not a pu-erh. You can look at the leaves, especially when they are brewed, and differentiate from the darker leaves and the more golden leaves. I’m almost certain the lighter leaves, which are the majority of the blend, are the Yunnan providence black tea. Anyway, this tea doesn’t taste like a pu-erh, although it has hints of a pu-erh in it. It tastes much more like a high quality black tea. I love this tea, but never once while drinking it have I thought—wow, I’m drinking a recognizable pu-erh tea.

Still, it’s a great cup of tea.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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100

I love this tea, which surprised me. I picked it up on Black Friday, because I stepped into Teavana to avoid whatever was going on in the mall. Teavana was super busy as well, but it was a little less busy and at least it was kind of dark and dreamy and smelled lovely. Anyway, this tea is on 50% clearance, and I have thought about buying it before, so I bought a full 8 ounces of it, which was really smart of me because the full price is a bit steep for my budget. I have drank so many cups over the past few days. So many. I think I had four or five cups of it today only (I stopped counting after five. Because well—dignity.)

I love this tea. I wish I had bought it months ago. I love oolong teas and I love chocolate teas. The local coffee shop near my parents house when I was in high school served this amazing chocolate and vanilla rooibos blend that enchanted me. Rooibos has fallen out of favor with me, and I rarely drink it any more. Anyway, I haven’t really had this rooibos in a long time. However, this tea hits all the notes that rooibos blend did. Teavana’s blend tastes like cake and chocolate. What I mean is that the chocolate flavor has a creamy aftertaste that reminds me of a cake taste. I think the coconut is the reason for this aftertaste, but I love it.

The reason I didn’t buy it sooner is that I was worried about the maté in the blend. I figured that would mess up the caffeine content and also obscure the oolong flavor. It does not obscure the flavor of the oolong, which I will discuss in the next paragraph, and instead, the maté adds a roasted aftertaste which really works. I was surprised.

The oolong itself is pleasant. Unlike some other oolong blends from Teavana, I can taste the oolong. It’s a light oolong, but doesn’t seem to brew like a greener oolong per se, as it has a maltier flavors I associate with a browner oolong.

I’ll be sad to see this go. I purchased 8 ounces of it, and I hope that lasts me awhile. I’ve been drinking so much of this tea though… Hopefully someone on Steepster also likes chocolate oolong, and I can find a blend to replace this with when I’m finished.

I get two great brews from this tea, and I think the third brew is quite decent. I feel like I should include that.

This is one of my first reviews on Steepster. I’m sure everyone can tell.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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