767 Tasting Notes

80

I made a jug of this iced yesterday and started to drink it today. It is very nice with a dash of Yuzu citrus sugar from The Spice House. Being diabetic I don’t use a lot of sweetener in my tea, but a half teaspoon in a 12 ounce glass is just right. It’s very mild tasting and I don’t know if it is just the sugar, but it has a sweet flavor that is not overpowering. I remember having this hot a few days ago and not being too impressed. But as an iced tea this is great!

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more
gmathis

It’s still iced tea weather down here, too! How are you feeling?

Maddy Barone

@gmathis I’m trying not to complain. I’ve been more tired than usual, but I keep trying to do all the things I normally do. Which is stupid, because chemo. But on a happier note, I am not having continued nausea. So if I can just learn to cut myself some slack I’ll be doing great.

gmathis

I understand! Slack cutting is not easy.

ashmanra

Rest! Give yourself permission to rest and then enjoy every minute of it!

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80

So. On Saturday my air conditioner died. I live on a third (top) floor of an apartment building and my windows face south and west. The air conditioner is the wall type. I submitted a service order immediately but of course the maintenance people don’t come out on a weekend unless it is a dire emergency. Saturday wasn’t too bad, but a heat wave started on Sunday. The maintenance men didn’t come until late Wednesday afternoon with a re-furbished unit from the 1980. You might think having my rent increase by 27% over 5 years would buy me better service. Hmph.

Anyway. The new-to-me air conditioner works great. After 4 days of temps between 80 and 86 in my apartment I woke up this morning cold! I drank two cups of coffee and then decided to have some hot tea. I have had this bag for a while now and decided it was time to try it.

I was a little underwhelmed. I don’t know why. I think Whispering Pines has some of the very best tea out there. Top quality. It was smooth enough, but no flavor. It could be the mouth sores from chemo. My sense of taste (what little I have) has been affected by chemo. I am not going to rate this one yet. I get a short break from chemo from 9/20 to 10/9 so I will try it again then and see what I think.

Kaylee

Oof, that sucks. Glad they at least installed a working a/c.

ashmanra

Sorry you had to endure those hot days but glad you have an a/c unit that can make it cold enough to make hot tea delightful! Hope those mouth sores heal up quickly!

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30

Ugh! Hibiscus heaven here. I saw this at a local discount store and it sounded so good. Did I not notice that the first two ingredients were hibiscus??? I made a cup last night and drank to swallows before I poured it down the drain.

If you love hibiscus you would love this tea. I did not taste orange . I did not taste ginger.

Flavors: Sour

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec
gmathis

Right there with you. I consistently fail to check the small print :)

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75

This was a sample included with my recent August Uncommon Tea order. I was glad to get this one as I’m especially fond of flavored rooibos teas. I bet it smells heavenly, but I don’t have a sense of smell. And due to my current ongoing chemo I have a lot of mouth sores, so anything hot is painful, but so is anything cold. I brewed this at boiling and waited until it was at a lukewarm temperature to drink and I think I got some black licorice flavor from the anise. No almond/amaretto unfortunately. I will try it again when I’m done with chemo and see if I get anything else from it. Life sucks right now but it will get better.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
ashmanra

Thinking of you often, and praying for you, Maddy!

gmathis

Good to see a review from you! I’m praying, too.

Michelle

I hope life gets better soon!

Kelmishka

Urgh, mouth sores. :( Hope you’re able to find some relief from those and all the other chemo nasties.

Maddy Barone

Thanks, everyone!

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75

I was gifted a 50 gram pouch of this tea. I made a big jug of it iced. It is nice, a little weak maybe. I had it hot also, and it was a bit weak there too, so maybe it is just a really mild flavor. The color is quite pale. The flavor is a bit of a zing, but not sour like some fruit tisanes with hibiscus can be. It is refreshing. Summer has really started now. This week we hit 98. Way too hot for me. Since my blood glucose has been really high, I plan on lots of unsweetened iced tea for the next few months.

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69

I had this one last night. It is the second bag from the advent calendar. I did not like it very much when it was hot. The hibiscus was prominent. However as it cooled I liked it more. It might be a nice refreshing glass as an iced tea on a hot summer day.

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I found this single wrapped bag waaaayy in the back of my tea drawer. I wonder if it was part of an advent calendar that I put aside because of the hibiscus? It said Best Before January 2022 on the wrapper..

Ooops.

The flavor seemed muted to me. Probably because it was old? I got a bit of zing from the hibiscus, a faint hint of spices. I didn’t get any orange. Between my bum nose not being able to smell and the age of the tea I just didn’t get much. It was drinkable but not very flavorful. I bet it would have been better two years ago.

ashmanra

There you are! I haven’t seen you post in a while and was wondering how you weee doing!

Maddy Barone

I am unfortunately back to fighting cancer. A new spot appeared on my liver and was found at the end of January. I’m doing very well. I’ll be done with this round of radiation next Thursday. I have been drinking a cup of herbal tea most evenings, mostly my trusty peppermint. Maybe I’ll branch out into cold brews soon. :)

ashmanra

I am glad to hear you are doing well in spite of the new spot. Hugs from afar!

gmathis

From me, too!

Michelle

Keep fighting! I hope the peppermint helps, I usually feel brighter after a cup. Sending healing vibes through the interwebs

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68

I tasted absolutely nothing wit this tea. I don’t have a sense of smell, so I don’t actually taste much anyway, but I had this at the height of the worst cold I’ve had in a long time, so that probably didn’t help. It was literally warm water. At least it wasn’t sour, bitter or astringent. I got plenty of flavor from the Cold 911, so it couldn’t have been only the cold that kept me from tasting anything from this one.

I keep trying to find another caffeine free tea to add to my evening rotation. This one was drinkable, but nothing I need to order a tin of. I have another teabag of it and I will try it again.

ashmanra

Harney has a decaf peach and a decaf apricot!

Maddy Barone

@ashmanra Those sound good.

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70

Another of the chocolate dessert teas from my self selected sampler from Republic of tea. I liked it. It was pleasant and inoffensive. I have a second tea bag I will be able to drink, but I won’t look for more of this.

The dessert teas have been nice, but none of them has wowed me. I’m glad to have tried them but I have no urge to place an order for any of them.

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72

Just brewed this one now. This is a good day for hot tea. It is -7 F with a wind chill of -39, and a blizzard warning until 6pm. There was a funeral scheduled this afternoon at my church and I am helping to coordinate the coffee/desserts for the visitation time, but it was postponed. Part of me is sorry it was postponed, but I suspect the crowd would have been quite small. And in my heart I am glad to not have to go anywhere in this mess!

I learned from my last RoT cup and used a 6 oz cup this time. The flavor was good. I could kinda taste the chocolate and the peppermint was present too. A nice little dessert cup. Not one I will buy a tin of but a nice treat on a cold windy day in North Dakota.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 6 OZ / 177 ML
ashmanra

I can not imagine those conditions! Stay safe and warm!

gmathis

Ooh…you’re making me crave Junior Mints!

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Profile

Bio

I love cats. I love alone time. I love sitting indoors on a cold winter night with a book or my knitting while drinking tea. I don’t have a sense of smell, so many of the more subtle flavors of tea escape me. Two of the things I CAN taste are bitter and sour, so any tea that has even a slightly bitter taste is nasty for me. And what others might perceive as pleasant tartness may be horribly sour for me.

I’m also a writer. I love writing, and a mug of hot tea helps me get through the hours sitting in front of the computer. Although I’m a comparatively new tea drinker, I’m jumping in feet first. Feel free to recommend any teas you think I might enjoy.

100-91 – Wowza! I want to keep this tea in the cupboard all the time.
75-90 – Very nice. It would be good to have this tea on hand from time to time.
60-74 – OK. Wouldn’t keep it in the cupboard, but I would drink it again.
45-59 – If a friend served this I would drink it to be polite, but it’s not really my cuppa.
Lower than 45 – Blech. It was too sour or bitter for my taste. Would not drink it again.

Location

Fargo, ND

Website

www.MaddyBarone.com

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