94 Tasting Notes

While I wait for a restock on my favorite Chocolate Tea (Harding Spring, from Trailhead Tea) I grabbed a small bag of this to try, thinking that perhaps a rose chocolate might be a nice switch from an orange chocolate.

It’s a perfectly serviceable black tea with some chocolate flavor to it, but I can’t really discern much rose in there. I will finish this sample bag, and feel no compunctions to buy more. There’s nothing wrong with it, but there is no sit-up-and-demand-I-drink-more to it, which means I don’t need to keep it in my cabinet.

Flavors: Cocoa, Malt, Smooth

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90

This is the chai that I grabbed by mistake when I thought I was pulling the Mt. Everest Blend off the shelf, which explains why I was inexplicably tasting clove – and a bunch of other delicious stuff.

And by delicious, I mean, I might have a new favorite chai. This stuff is fabulous. The clove might be a trifle overpowering, but everything else blends together in an amazing taste combination that is right up there with my lamented Coconut Chai from Zhena. (And Steepologie has a coconut chai that I will be trying, at this point, it’s just that the store was out when I ducked inside to snag a bunch of 2 ounce samples.)

The fact that there is pepper in this chai (some of them leave it out) is – I suspect – what really makes it for me. I like the chai blends to be both fierce and smooth, and a lot of them just go for smooth. The oolong is an interesting choice for the tea base, because it’s making the whole thing a touch more floral – again, a plus for me.

I will be ordering more of this. It will be replacing my base chai tin on my shelf, when I finish that one off. Highly recommended.

Flavors: Clove, Floral, Pepper, Spices

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(Oops! I opened the wrong bag. This review will be updated shortly to reflect the correct tea, when I get a chance to try it. No wonder I was tasting clove!)

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76

I like Bourbon. I like Chai. So when I spotted this one, I decided I was going to try it.

Since I’m currently lacking my handy-dandy electric kettle, I had to settle for making this one with nearly-boiling water; I suspect it would do better with slightly less hot water (something in the 185F range). I also made it with just a splash of milk.

Verdict: Quite good, and it grew on me the more I drank it. The lapsang souchong, which ordinarly would be a turn-off for me (I like smoke, but not in my tea, go figure?) accented the apple and the honey in ways that I had not anticipated. My usual preference for a gingery bite was also present. I found myself wishing I had a good sharp cheddar and some crackers to pair this one with, but I’m out of crackers at the moment. I will probably try it again when I have access to those.

There is a distinct aftertaste that I’m less fond of, and suspect would also do well with a cheddar; after thinking about it, I suspect that’s the anise. (I like licorice, so it’s not a problem, but those who don’t should be warned.)

All in all, I probably won’t go out of my way to buy this tea again, but I will enjoy drinking the remainder of the 2 ounce container I bought of it, and I do not regret the purchase at all.

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85
drank Chestnut by Adagio Teas
94 tasting notes

Every year, my friends and I do a Secret Tea Swap – you can either send tea from your stash, or you can order something to be delivered. This year, a friend sent me Adagio’s Chestnut tea along with a bunch of others. (Golden Yunnan, which I already knew I adored, and several others.) Having had mixed luck with some of Adagio’s teas, I tried it carefully.

And I was absolutely delighted. I’ve reordered it twice at this point. There is a lovely nuttiness to this tea, not bitter like walnut or sweet like almond, but truly hazel-chestnut like. I love it with a splash of milk, and I brew it quite strong – 4 minutes at 180F. (Not hotter, it gets unhappy at a full boil.)

This is now one of my staple “OK, I need a tea that’s going to last me all morning,” teas, and I can rebrew the leaves twice, though usually I’ll only do it once. Definitely a keeper.

Flavors: Chestnut, Hazelnut

Aiko

Awww a secret tea swap sounds fun!

Keshwyn

We do it every year, around the winter solstice. It makes for happy tea drinkers.

Cameron B.

What a cute idea, I love tea swaps!

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65

I got a tasting packet of teas from Friday Afternoon because I was in the mood to try a bunch of new stuff, and said, “Send me random teas.” So they did.

It’s an Earl Grey I don’t instantly loathe! This is saying something positive for me, but not necessarily for anyone else? It is, however, still discerneably an Earl Grey – I can taste the bergamot pretty clearly, and as usual, my reaction to bergamot is “nope nope nope nope.” So, not for me, but nothing wrong with it if you like Earl Grey. Otherwise, the chocolate is definitely there, and I can’t taste the orange or vanilla at all.

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64
drank Peachy Dream by Friday Afternoon
94 tasting notes

I can smell the peach and strawberry, but the hazelnut that is hypothetically in there eludes me. It didn’t do anything in particular for me? Nothing wrong with it, it was simply “there.” For someone who’s big on peach tea, definitely worth a try.

(I got a sample pack for the fun of it, this was one of the ones in it. Hence trying it and going, “Yup, tea, that’s fine.”)

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50
drank Pina Colada by Adagio Teas
94 tasting notes

It smells like a Pina Colada, which is wonderful.

It tastes like hibiscus, with more hibiscus, and then some pina colada aftertaste. Less wonderful, alas. I’m glad I only got a sampler of this one, I will not be picking it up again.

Flavors: Hibiscus

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drank Kentucky Bourbon by Adagio Teas
94 tasting notes

Nothing wrong with it, but the Lapsang Souchong is too strong for my taste.

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80

I am definitely enjoying this tea – a friend gave it to me as a “welcome to the office!” gift. Lightly malted, I’m having trouble smelling individual notes right now because I’m in the midst of an annoying allergy attack (curse you ragweed) but there’s a very smooth taste in there that reminds me more of Assam than Ceylon. My friend recommended it with a tiny bit of milk, because it’s sweet enough on its own to not need sweetener, and she’s right. I might even try this one straight, which I do not usually do because I find there’s too much tannin in pure black tea. The aftertaste is also quite pleasant, and doesn’t leave my mouth feeling “sticky.”

The tea itself has large, intact leaves that are twisted into long skinny tendrils that unroll beautifully in my loose leaf pot. (This has the added joyous benefit of making them very easy to get OUT of the pot after I’m done brewing.) Second brew is only slightly less flavorful than the first, another added bonus. :-)

I brewed both the first and second steeps 4 minutes with the water going into the pot at a rolling boil. Definitely will try to keep this one on hand.

The package lists the URL to find it here: https://www.yuchi.org.tw/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=373

Flavors: Malt, Sweet

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Profile

Bio

Ratings:

95-100: I will keep this on my shelf at all times if possible.
85-94: This tea is probably in active rotation in my house and getting drunk a lot (or it’s about to be).
75-84: I liked it. I will probably keep a small tin of it around.
65-74: I liked it. I might keep a small tin of it around, but I will not mourn its loss if it disappears from sale.
50-64: Meh.
0-49: No.

I like real tea (camellia sinensis). Black with milk and no sugar, unless it’s a really froofy chai latte. Green with no milk.

I’ve discovered through trial and error that I really don’t like Rooibus, even when it’s mixed with black tea. (Sadly.)

Herbal tisanes are not out of the running, but I have to be in the right mood and they have to be sufficiently strongly powered that I don’t miss the tea leaves.

By preference, I drink loose-leaf, but I will drink bagged tea if it’s good enough.

My icon is a piece of fantastic art by Ursula Vernon called Cattail Tea.

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