88

My car broke down last month forcing me to rely on mass transit to get to work while I try to find a new car. This has effectively doubled my total daily commute time to 3:30 hours, not counting the time to the train station, and involves 4 transfers between buses and trains. As bad as that may sound, its actually a lot less stressful than driving in rush hour traffic. I can easily pass the time reading, YouTubing, and people-watching. It does however expose me to the elements. I’ve really felt it these last couple of days when the weather dipped below freezing here in Chicago prompting me to put aside my green teas in favor of roasted oolongs and blacks.

This is a basic but pleasant dong ding with chocolate and toasted nut overtones. Along the way, there are hints of spice, wet rock minerality, and a peach-like fruitiness. I also picked up whiffs of chocolate chip cookies (Chips Ahoy to be precise) and s’mores in the wet leaf but didn’t taste it in the tea. It’s warm and toasty without ever tasting burnt even when hit with boiling water. The roast on this tea is mellow thus allowing you to taste more of its underlying character. I’m a little disappointed though in how quickly it fades. The flavor starts to drop off around steep #4-5 leaving behind kind of an oily aftertaste. Then again, it’s a budget tea so expectations need to be adjusted accordingly.

Flavors: Almond, Caramel, Chocolate, Cookie, Mineral, Roasted Nuts, Stonefruit, Wet Rocks

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 1 min, 0 sec 3 g 4 OZ / 120 ML
evol-ving

Funny how intense cold weather brings us closer to the darker teas. Good to hear that you are not too tormented by the commute.

tea-sipper

Ouch with the commute. Stay warm!

LuckyMe

Absolutely, I find myself changing teas with the seasons. Tea lattes are warming in the winter too. Commute is what it is but hey, there’s always an upside to things.

evol-ving

Agreed. Amazing how much good tea helps ameliorate almost any situation.

Leafhopper

I also find myself gravitating toward roasted oolongs and black teas during the winter. I can go months without wanting a Wuyi oolong and then go through most of a bag in a couple months. And yes, good tea can definitely make things better.

Mastress Alita

I sipped down two teas during a recent car break-down crisis myself as a coping mechanism. Tea is the universal emotional balm!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Comments

evol-ving

Funny how intense cold weather brings us closer to the darker teas. Good to hear that you are not too tormented by the commute.

tea-sipper

Ouch with the commute. Stay warm!

LuckyMe

Absolutely, I find myself changing teas with the seasons. Tea lattes are warming in the winter too. Commute is what it is but hey, there’s always an upside to things.

evol-ving

Agreed. Amazing how much good tea helps ameliorate almost any situation.

Leafhopper

I also find myself gravitating toward roasted oolongs and black teas during the winter. I can go months without wanting a Wuyi oolong and then go through most of a bag in a couple months. And yes, good tea can definitely make things better.

Mastress Alita

I sipped down two teas during a recent car break-down crisis myself as a coping mechanism. Tea is the universal emotional balm!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

My Rating Criteria:

95 to 100: Top shelf stuff. Loved this tea and highly recommend it

90 to 94: Excellent. Enjoyed this tea and would likely repurchase

80 to 89: Good but not great. I liked it though it may be lacking in some aspects. I’ll finish it but probably won’t buy again

70 to 79: Average at best. Not terrible but wouldn’t willingly drink again

60 to 69: Sub-par. Low quality tea, barely palatable

59 and below: Bleh

Fell into tea many years ago and for a long time my experience was limited to Japanese greens and flavored Teavana teas. My tea epiphany happened when I discovered jade oolongs. That was my gateway drug to the world of high quality tea and teaware.

For the most part, I drink straight tea but do appreciate a good flavored tea on occasion. I love fresh green and floral flavors and as such, green tea and Taiwanese oolongs will always have a place in my cupboard. After avoiding black tea forever, Chinese blacks have started to grow on me. I’m less enthusiastic about puerh though. I also enjoy white tea and tisanes but reach for them less frequently.

Other non-tea interests include: cooking, reading, nature, philosophy, MMA, traveling when I can, and of course putzing around on the interwebs.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/melucky

Location

around Chicago

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer