136 Tasting Notes
I think I hit the target on this tea this time. I used 8 pearls for 16 oz the first time. This time, I went with 15. Apparently this is a lot more than most people use, but it gives me the strength and malty flavor that I love, and it’s still very smooth. I decreased my steeping time from 10 minutes to 5 minutes, immediately after boiling. I’m definitely going up to 95 for my score on this one. Overall, regardless of the tea, it seems that I always use a lot more tea leaves than recommended…is this common for anyone else?
This tea is delicious. I don’t even really like that word, but it fits in this situation. I have kind of found myself in an Earl Grey rabbit hole in the last couple weeks. I went from never trying Earl Grey and assuming that it’s not for me to liking 3 different Earl Grey teas and purchasing quite a bit of it. Bergamot is not my favorite, but it’s nice when it’s subtle, or, in this case, mixed with other flavors. It combines very nicely with the vanilla. I’m not sure which black tea is used for this tea, but it is extremely smooth, which helps to make that bergamot/vanilla combination even more enjoyable. I know Teavana is pretty much the Starbucks of tea, and they’re often overpriced, but I must say, I like quite a few of their teas. Sorry I’m not sorry. :P
I’ve found quite a few Teavana teas that I myself enjoy. No shame in enjoying different teas! Not everything needs to be top-notch brand quality. :P
Absolutely! I really like a lot of Teavana teas…I just don’t always like their prices. I have found comparable teas for quite a bit cheaper, and teas of slightly lower quality that I’ll purchase more often because they are more reasonably priced. :)
This tea lives up to its reputation! It’s incredibly smooth, a little sweet, with a cocoa earthy flavor. The only small downside was that it was a little lighter than I expected. I used 8 pearls for 16 oz, and steeped the tea immediately after boiling for 10 minutes. It held up well to multiple steeps, with about the same flavor each time. I think I will try 12 pearls next time and most likely change that one negative into a positive.
I am fairly new to the matcha game…I have had a few different matchas and I own a matcha kit, but my whisking is still a little suspect. I’m sure there are many matchas out there that are better than this one and less expensive. That being said, I like this tea a lot. Japanese green teas are my favorite, and this matcha has that grassiness I like…not as much grassiness as my beloved gyokuro (and not as sweet), but it’s smooth and milky. I would be interested in a grassier matcha…I’m sure there are some out there. I used a half teaspoon for 16 oz of water, and ended up adding an additional 8 oz of water and whisking again halfway through, which must mean my whisking sucks, haha.
I have stayed away from Earl Grey previously because I’m not big on flavored teas, but it was inevitable that I’d get sucked into this classic sooner or later. I would prefer less bergamot flavor, as the flavor is stronger than the Teavana Earl Grey I had a few days ago. However, I didn’t like the Teavana Earl Grey until the second cup, so I’m guessing that this one will grow on me as well. I’m apparently very easily satisfied when it comes to tea, which is good for me…new additions all the time!
I am finally getting around to trying this tea. I’ve seen it in several stores, and decided to buy it last night. It’s very good, the flavor reminds me of a Dian Hong black tea…sweet potato, maybe…malty, but somewhat sweet. The caffeine level is good, it’s not smacking me in the face, but it’s doing the job of gently waking me up on an easy Saturday morning.
I’m visiting my mom, and she had this one in her cupboard (a gift from my sister that my mom would have never opened). I’m not really into Earl Grey or flavored black teas, but this tea is enjoyable. The bergamot flavor is well-balanced, not too overpowering, and it’s solid caffeine-wise…slightly malty, which I like. I wouldn’t purchase it, but I’ll gladly drink it if it’s available. :)
I found an Ahmad tea locally!! It’s the only one I have seen available around here, but I’ll take it! Good strength, smooth, better than many higher-priced teas…pretty much sums up every Ahmad tea.
I agree with your assessment of Ahmad teas. I like the pricey stuff but am perfectly content with the quality of nearly every one I’ve tried from Ahmad. Have you tried English Tea No.1? Lightly scented with bergamot – not an Earl Grey but really a nice cup. I’ve found it in loose leaf on occasion. I miss it.My wife will shoot me, no literally – its worse ;) but I may have to look for it again. So much tea so little time.
Awesome! I’ve had only had the English Tea No. 1 one time, in the bagged version, but I loved it! I’ll have to give the loose leaf version a try! I like their loose leaf Assams and Ceylon tea as well! I’m thinking of putting in a big online order, I’ll add some of the English Tea No. 1! Thanks for the recommendation!
This is a pretty solid standard breakfast tea; good strength, malty without being bitter. The one other plain Harney & Sons black tea I have had, Ceylon and India, is one of my favorites, so I have to say, while this is good, it is not quite what I expected. Also, as I always consider cost, $9 for 20 sachets is fairly steep considering what else can be found for that price. I’m glad I gave this tea a try, and will enjoy drinking it, but it won’t be added to my regular inventory.
I have tried a few different rooibos blends, and, so far, I feel like vanilla works best with rooibos. The vanilla flavor smooths out the rooibos without dominating or completely masking the rooibos, like a lot of fruit or chai rooibos blends. I would put this slightly above the Celestial Seasonings vanilla rooibos, and pretty much on par with a loose French vanilla rooibos I purchased from a local tea store in Fredericksburg, VA (they didn’t mention the brand, maybe Simpson and Vail?). This is the first time I have tried anything from Republic of Tea. Their teas seem kind of overpriced, but they were 40% off at World Market today. I’m starting to bring rooibos teas back…tons of antioxidants, basically impossible to oversteep, and caffeine-free, making them great for evenings! I will definitely purchase this one again when I run out…if it’s on sale. :P
I use a lot of leaf but I gongfu only. If I make western my ratio is 3 g /8oz. I always weight my tea, some leaves are long and fluffy, some tiny, eliminates guessing and works 98% successful brew
Awesome, thanks! I’ll get a scale and aim for that ratio. This particular tea is very light when the pearls unfurl!
When I gongfu I use 6 g /100ml for red(black tea) rinse and short steeps 5/10/15. I don’t time it’s approximate. You should give it a try. It’s fun. You can combine steeps in one big mug if you want or don’t have time. But I really like to the changes from steep to steep
Cool, I’ll have to try it! It is really fun to manipulate steeps to get the qualities you like most out of a tea. I spent more money on this tea at Teavana than I had planned on Monday, so I’m glad I was able to get a nice cup with a simple adjustment. :)