98 Tasting Notes
So I haven’t had this in awhile, though I remember it very fondly. This was my first Rooibus and it wasn’t bad. I could taste the pomegranate which is always good but then their was the Rooibus taste that distracted me for a little bit. Over time I was able to cancel it out though and just enjoy the Pomegranate. Only weird thing is that after I drank this or any other Rooibus tea I would end up having messed up dreams every time with night sweats. Not sure if this has anything to do with the tea or not but it seems like a weird thing to happen every time.
Preparation
Smells a little earthy and musty with a hint of Chili pepper. Wet the leaves smell like soggy noodles. There is very little astringency and it is very smooth and light in the mouth. I probably could either use more leaf or steep it longer.
Preparation
Got a sample of this free today from a contest ans couldn’t wait to try it. Dry it smells a lot like someone dipped a flower shop in chocolate. Once steeped it smells a bit like coco nibs. I like the taste it’s not too strong not too mild and its very smooth. There is a kind of floral taste to it with a hint of coco nibs.
Preparation
Alright, let me just say that I know people who really like this and thats all good but for me this just tastes straight up nasty. The smell is pleasant to me though, reminds me of summer camp and making bonfires. The steeped tea smells even more like a bonfire and leaves a strong oder in my filter, oh well. The taste is very smoky and reminds me about the worst part of summer camp, starting up a failing fire. There is also an after taste that is very similar to smoked ham. I hate ham. Always have. So it’s safe to say that this is not something I want ever again. Though I might try from somewhere else just to see if this is something that is isolated to Adagio’s or to all of these. My roommate loves it though so they can have it.
Preparation
My youngest child loves lapsangs, but not all lapsangs. Some are oak campfire, some are pine, some are smed ham, some are like bacon, some like cigarette ashtrays (ick!), and some are downright tarry. Our favorites are Lapsang Souchong Black Dragon from Upton and Baker Street Afternoon Blend by Upton, and Lapsang Souchong by Teavivre. The best ones have a delicious natural sweetness to the base! Hope you find kne you like! Youngest says she couldn’t get through geometry without it. We had two pots today.
If you plain don’t like it, cook with it! Steam veggies with it in a t-sac. To clean your filter, make a paste of baking soda and that will take the flavor, scent and oils out if you rub with your fingers and then rinse. I clean filters with that all the time…and stainless too. Not things that you don’t want to scratch or seasoned clay…oh no! No soap in clay either…just hot water rinse!!!
Just count it as a notch on your tea tasting belt and move on with your head held high. (I don’t like lapsang much either.)
Dry it smells like kale or at least what I imagine kale to smell like, since I don’t think I have ever actually smelled kale. Has a nice light emerald gold color and smells like wet dewy grass on a fall morning. Very light taste that is similar to a salad without dressing. Doesn’t taste much different to me then any only Ti Kuan Tin, though I don’t really mind.
Preparation
The second best purchase for tea I have ever made. Does a great job steeping and filtering out tea leaves. Only problem is that is rather difficult to clean, at least for me.
Preparation
A variable temperature tea kettle that got my water to the correct level every time, sadly it died within 6 months and the company discontinued the model so they sent me a crappy replacement that only boils.
Got a sample size of this the other day along with a few of the other Master’s Collection teas. The tea is labeled as green tea but tastes and looks a lot more like a white to me. The smell of jasmin is very pleasant and tastes very light and smooth. As of this time I am on my 5th infusion and it has lost very little taste as well. In all, I am loving it.
Preparation
Matt: I notice you don’t have any reviews of Teavivre teas. They are fantastic, and you can try them free, go to Teavivre.com and click on the button for free tea tasting. They send samples free of charge as long as you provide your reviewing info, such as what site you will be reviewing on and under what user name. Their jasmine dragon pearls are amazing, and then they added an even higher grade that I didn’t think possible. Their monkey picked oolong is better than Teavana’s to me, and their ginseng oolong is excellent. They have so many great puerhs, too. I love the Mengku Palace but their Rioened Aged Mini Tuocha are excellent, and I have to keep those in stock for my son and his GF.
Thank you for the tip! I cannot wait to get some of their teas, I’ve actually been to their site before but somehow missed the fact that I could get free tea. Cannot wait!
when you go to their home page, just click on Free Tea Tasting Activity. It is about halfway down the page on the far right. It takes a while to arrive from China, but it comes registered mail and they keep up with the package. It is worth the wait. I end up buying at least half of what I sample, and often have to ord more for people who try their tea at my house!
Smells like rice and tastes like rice. I brewed it gongfu style so I got to taste it as it evolved. After awhile though it got very tiring. I would like to try it western style just to see if I will end up less annoyed by it that way. overall not bad but not really a favorit.
Preparation
One of my favorit black teas, though I only bought it when it was on sale for $5. It has a very earthy sort of taste with very little astringency. I am usually able to get at least 3 quality steep’s out of each bundle without loosing much taste.