78

Another of my old What-cha teas. Brewed western, I had the same problem I had with my black Dragon Pearls, where the leaf didn’t properly open up during the steep time (come on leaves, be in agony!), so this may have to be a tea for gong fu or grandpa brewing, as well.

What I did get from my western-brewed cup was a delicate green tea with a lot of sweet florality, honeyed pears, and a soft vegetal taste, though I can’t quite place it. It’s actually quite pleasant, considering the age of the tea and the lack of unfurling I got from the pearls. Mostly, I’ve been preparing this as a cold brew, though, since that is my main preparation method for “past their prime” green tea. This also allows me to leave the pearls in a mason jar for twenty-four hours in the fridge, which allows them enough time to open up fully, before straining. The flavor in my iced brew still has the qualities found in the warm cup, but I’m definitely getting a stronger, less delicate flavor (the floral tastes more prominently orchid here), and I’m also getting a citrus taste that lingers on the tongue. Very refreshing!

Even though there is now snow on the ground I still like to keep a cold brew in the fridge and that is likely how I will finish off this bag.

Flavors: Citrus, Floral, Honey, Orchid, Pear, Smooth, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 g 12 OZ / 350 ML
Martin Bednář

I have just imagined leaves screaming for mercy. With googly eyes.

Mastress Alita

Ha! I was participating in a Tea Quiz in a vendor “booth” (aka a Zoom room) on the International Virtual Tea Festival and one of the questions was “What is the unfurling of the leaves in the cup called?” The answer… “agony of the leaves.” I didn’t know that one! (But I did take fifth place and won a set of British boxed teas!)

tea-sipper

oh cool, you won something! I half forgot and half was busy and half was enjoying the nice weather to “attend” the tea fest. :/

Mastress Alita

I don’t think new accounts can be made now, but if you had an account made for the event but “missed out” you can still sign into the site and watch any of the content from the “Pre-Recorded Sessions” section until January 31st!

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Comments

Martin Bednář

I have just imagined leaves screaming for mercy. With googly eyes.

Mastress Alita

Ha! I was participating in a Tea Quiz in a vendor “booth” (aka a Zoom room) on the International Virtual Tea Festival and one of the questions was “What is the unfurling of the leaves in the cup called?” The answer… “agony of the leaves.” I didn’t know that one! (But I did take fifth place and won a set of British boxed teas!)

tea-sipper

oh cool, you won something! I half forgot and half was busy and half was enjoying the nice weather to “attend” the tea fest. :/

Mastress Alita

I don’t think new accounts can be made now, but if you had an account made for the event but “missed out” you can still sign into the site and watch any of the content from the “Pre-Recorded Sessions” section until January 31st!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

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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