70
drank Hunan Silk by TeaSource
1216 tasting notes

Summer Vacation! The iced tea in my big water bottle today happened to be a blend of three different Chinese teas — a heicha, a jasmine green tea, and a white tea. When I opened the package, it smelled strongly of melon; not that strong, artificial watermelon flavor used here in the states, but the Asian “melon” flavoring that is similar to cantalope and honeydew that is commonly found in Japanese candies, sodas, and shaved ice. And I was really surprised by that, because nothing in the tea description mentioned it being melon-flavored. It just said it had “fruity and floral notes.” I didn’t even smell anything floral… just really, really strong melon.

So I didn’t even bother trying this tea warm, I just cold brewed it, strained it, and stuck it in my water bottle. And… it was about as strongly melon-flavored as it smelled. I wouldn’t say it was unpleasant, though, because it actually somehow came off really juicy on the tongue, as if I’d actually just eaten a slice of cantalope. The flavor, of course, wasn’t quite the same, because it tastes more like that honeydew/cantalope melon-hybrid flavor, but the mouthfeel just somehow came off strikingly similar to that juicy sensation of having just chewed up a slice of cantalope. And though I couldn’t smell any floral notes, I could actually taste a slight floral sweetness to the tea, though it was subtle, and seemed to somehow bring out the honeydew flavors a bit. There was also a very subtle citrus note right at the end of the sip. The tea is very naturally sweet, and almost feels like a melon soda, just lacking the carbonation and having an overall more refreshing feel. Or maybe I’m reminded of soda because though it’s sweet, it actually has a slight tanginess to the aftertaste, which I find quite pleasant.

I don’t know if it’s because I cold steeped this, but I would never think there was heicha in this… the base felt very much like a green/white base to me. It even steeped up a yellow color. I have no idea if it was because of the way the tea was prepared, or just a matter of leaf ratios… guess I’ll have to play with it more.

So… from the name and description, I would never expect this to be a very melon-flavored tea. If that is what you are looking for, this is the tea for you! It took me by complete surprise, but I’m not disappointed by it. I drink a lot of iced tea, and I’ll be using this one up exclusively that way.

Flavors: Cantaloupe, Citrus, Floral, Honeydew, Melon, Sweet, Tangy

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 4 tsp 32 OZ / 946 ML

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Bio

Hi! I’m Sara, a middle-aged librarian living in southern Idaho, USA. I’m a big ol’ sci-fi/fantasy/anime geek that loves fandom conventions, coloring books, simulation computer games, Japanese culture, and cats. Proud genderqueer asexual (she/they) and supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. I’m also a chronic migraineur. As a surprise to no one, I’m a helpless tea addict with a tea collecting and hoarding problem! (It still baffles me how much tea I can cram into my little condo!) I enjoy trying all sorts of teas… for me tea is a neverending journey!

Favorite Flavors:

I love sampling a wide variety of teas! For me the variety is what makes the hobby of tea sampling so fun! While I enjoy trying all different types of teas (pure teas, blends, tisanes), these are some flavors/ingredients I enjoy:
-Dessert/chocolate/vanilla/caramel/cream/toffee/maple
-Sweet/licorice root/stevia
-Vegetal/grassy
-Floral/lavender/rose
-Spices/chais
-Fruity
-Tropical/pineapple/coconut
-Bergamot (in moderation)
-Roasted/nutty
-Tart/tangy/hibiscus/rosehip

Disliked Flavors:

There are not many flavors or ingredients that I don’t like. These include:
-Bananas/banana flavoring
-Hemp/CBD teas
-Smoke-scented teas/heavy smoke flavors (migraine trigger)
-Perfumey teas/extremely heavy floral aromas (migraine trigger)
-Gingko biloba (migraine trigger)
-Chamomile (used in blends as a background note/paired with stronger flavors is okay)
-Extremely spicy/heated teas
-Medicinal flavors/Ginseng
-Metallic flavors
-Overly strong artificial flavorings

With the exception of bananas and migraine triggers, I’ll pretty much try any tea at least once!

Steeping Parameters:

I drink tea in a variety of ways! For hot brews, I mostly drink my teas brewed in the western style without additions, and for iced tea, I drink teas mostly brewed in the cold brew style without additions. Occassionally I’ll change that up. I use the https://octea.ndim.space/#/ app for water-to-tea ratios and use steep times to my preferences.

My Rating Scale:

90-100 – Top tier tea! These teas are among my personal favorites, and typically I like to keep them stocked in my cupboards at all times, if possible!

70-89 – These are teas that I personally found very enjoyable, but I may or may not feel inclined to keep them in stock.

50-69 – Teas that fall in this range I enjoyed, but found either average, lacking in some way, or I’ve had a similar tea that “did it better.”

21-49 – Teas in this range I didn’t enjoy, for one reason or another. I may or may not finish them off, depending on their ranking, and feel no inclination to restock them.

20-1 – Blech! My Tea Hall of Shame. These are the teas that most likely saw the bottom of my garbage can, because I’d feel guilty to pass them onto someone else.

Note that I only journal a tea once, not every time I drink a cup of it. If my opinion of a tea drastically changes since my original review, I will journal the tea again with an updated opinion and change my rating. Occassionally I revisit a tea I’ve reviewed before after a year or more has passed.

Inventory:

My Cupboard on Steepster reflects teas that I have sampled and logged for review, and is not used as an inventory for teas I currently own at the present moment. An accurate and up-to-date listing of my current tea inventory can be viewed here: https://tinyurl.com/xjt9ptx3 . I am open to tea trades (within the United States only!) at this time. Note that I will not trade teas that I currently have in a quantity less than 50g (samplers, 1oz packages, etc.) or any teas that are currently still sealed/unopened in my cupboard.

Contact Info:

Feel free to send me a Steepster PM, or alternatively, check the website URL section below; it goes to a contact form that will reach my personal e-mail.

Location

Idaho, United States

Website

https://teatimetuesdayreviews...

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