1186 Tasting Notes

78

Sipdown of this tea. I have soo many teas that I have tried this weekend that I didn’t log lol, and I take time to log this sipdown. Oh well, I will get around to writing notes eventually. I had an amazing weekend and now the bf is back this week, so probably not much logging this week. Ah well I am still drinking tea! This is a work sipdown, and I enjoyed this tea, but I tired of it as I went through the bag. Nice to try, but not a restock. See previous notes!

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86
drank Just Peachy by DAVIDsTEA
1186 tasting notes

A sipdown on this one, I went through it relatively fast, but today it tastes a bit artificial after the pure goodness of Mandala last night lol. Nevertheless, I will probably restock this, as I think it’s maybe the favorite of the first summer collection for me. Will have to see, as I have a crazy amount of tea right now and want to finish off some other DavidsTeas before restocking others. See previous notes!

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95

This is the first tea I tried from my recent first Mandala order, and while I don’t feel like writing an in depth note tonight, this is an AMAZING shu!! Probably the best I’ve had so far. Its light, silky smooth, and zero fishiness! I get mostly a light woody flavor, a touch of wild mushrooms, and definitely a creamy mouthfeel. Still has some sweetness to it though. A wonderful tea to have on a cool, rainy night. I am loving this and feel wonderfully relaxed, even with there being caffeine in this! I’ve only had 2 steeps but it is so good. Parameters: ~15s rinse with boiling water, first steep 20s, second steep 30s, probably a 10-12oz cup, I could even do smaller cups in the future.

Overall, I am digging this. Very pleased with Mandala so far, I have special dark and the lincang to try now as well as 2 samples! A great way to wind down along with a good book :) rating may increase after drinking more of this tea as well.

TheTeaFairy

Love this one too!

Dexter

Me too – I usually say that this is my favorite pu’erh, but Special Dark seems to be fighting for it’s share of attention… Hope you continue to enjoy your Mandala order. :))

mrs.stenhouse12

Its so good! I regret I have to go to sleep and not continue resteeping..a perfect end to the day :)

Garret

This has been my first tea of the day for over 2.5 yrs now. I am so happy that you are enjoying it! Thank you for writing for review and making a rating. I appreciate it so much. Hi Tea Fairy! HI Dex! Dex, your order gets shipped today. Already packaged up!

TheTeaFairy

Hey Garret :-) thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Can’t wait to get my super knife and play “destroy” with my cakes ;-)

Garret

TF – Just used mine on a tightly compressed 2009 raw cake. Worked like a champ. You’re gonna love it you destroyer, you!

Dexter

Awesome!!!! Thanks Garret!!! So excited new Yixing inbound – now to decide what to season it with….

mrs.stenhouse12

Hi Garret – my pleasure to write a review on this lovely tea! I’m trying the lincang now, also very good! Trying to decipher what flavors I’m tasting before I write a note though haha. So happy I’m finally trying your teas! Expect more orders from me in the future :D

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90
drank Honeydew Mate by DAVIDsTEA
1186 tasting notes

Ugh I cannot wake up this morning..sooo sleepy, I had a 15 min nap after showering while the cat also napped on my chest lol, at work my eyes just keep closing..I was drinking my final cup of Ginger Sage Spa Blend from my travel mug, but needed something with caffeine to get enough focus to even keep my darn eyes open. So hopefully this does the job. I need to stop going to sleep so late lol, 11:30 is much too late, especially after a weekend of not muc h sleep. Now my eyes are twitching lol. #tootired at least this tea is still not too bad, the flavor is changing and getting a bit weird as it ages, but for the most part it still tastes like melons and yum. More bitter, the mate flavor is coming out more as the flavoring fades. Will have to start working on sipping down this one. See previous notes!

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85
drank Hot Tropic by DAVIDsTEA
1186 tasting notes

I haven’t logged this much, but I am at a sipdown for it already! I did make a cup each for my mom and grandma a few weeks ago when they came for a visit so that used up a fair chunk, but they both liked it a lot! I will probably re-order this as its just so tropical and nice :) and my mom loves all things coconut so I’ll need it on hand for her haha. Until we meet again, Hot Tropic! See previous notes :)

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I went to sunterra (local grocery store) after my dentist appointment and they have Murchies tea!! I have been meaning to try some of their teas since a recommendation from the people we bought our house from, so I picked up 10 teabags of this one since it said it’s a milder tea. The dry sachet smells like a combo of green jasmine with black tea lol, generic black tea but not bad quality.

I steeped at 195 degrees for 3 mins, and it could be a tad cooler, I’ll try 185 next time to take off the slight edge. The tea is also fairly strong for an evening tea lol it might be more appropriate in the morning.

As for the flavor, this is a decent tea for a more basic bagged variety. It has a nice honeyed flavor with a softness from the jasmine. As it cools the jasmine comes out more along with some mouth drying astringency. Not bad, but I’d prefer it a bit mellower. The black tea is stable and good too.

Overall, a decent random sachet pick. I will experiment with brewing temps and steeping time to find the sweet spot, but I shouldn’t have a problem finishing this one up. The bf might even like this one! Happy I tried it :)

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87

I’m at a sipdown for this tea on this lovely Saturday :( I really enjoyed this tea! The final cup is crisp, bright and perfect for a sunny day like today. The lavender evokes a sense of peace and the bright citrus just cheers me up inside and out! Delicious and beautiful, here’s to a good day! I might do some painting, I started my acrylic painting course on Wednesday and it was just amazing! Relaxing and so freeing, and the three hours just flew by! I can’t believe how fast it goes when you are doing something enjoyable such as painting. Hoping to get back into it and keep with it even when the course finishes!

Anyways, goodbye lovely tea (that most other Steepsters despised :P) and maybe we will meet again! See previous notes!

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86

My A&D order arrived on Tuesday, quite fast shipping as I ordered it on Canada Day (a week?? ok VERY fast shipping lol). I tore it open and smelled all the teas except my restock of Mount Grey as I’m saving it for when I’m out of the current tin, and they all smell soo lovely. However I have been going easy on caffeine again, mostly due to stressing about the blood test this week lol (it went smoothly BTW, my mom managed to distract me and it went well! First one that has EVER gone well lol). And this tea arrived after my test, so it was my reward haha :)

I had a tough time deciding which black tea to bring to work today, but this one won out, mostly because it seemed the least potent/caffeine filled of the three lol. The smell was quite malty from what I remember at home (I’m drinking it at work) and I steeped for 3 minutes with just under boiling water (~200 degrees).

The liquor is a light brown and has a slightly fruity scent, unless that is travel mug contamination. As for the taste, yes I hate reviewing teas for the first time when they come out of my travel mug, but this one is definitely bright and creamy. I got some actual butteriness at one point lol. I think there must be darjeeling in this, it has that fruity dryness but is not overpowering. There is maybe also a bolder black tea mixed, as I’ve found (with my limited experience with darjeelings lol) that they seem a bit lighter than other black teas. Whatever the combo is, it is darn good, has given me a right kick in the pants at work and I plan to get lots done for the rest of the day since I’m still nursing this cup.

Overall – a tasty malty tea with fruitiness and punch. Bright, a good morning cup, and I do like the tin, along with the swag that came with my order (pins, a coaster, temporary tattoos (!!) haha love it!) Another win from A&D! No rating until I brew it in optimal conditions, aka not in the travel mug.

Oh, and another aside – my allergies are wreaking havoc with my system today. Must be the forest fire smoke again ughhh I have been sniffling, sneezing and a general mess haha. Only my nose at least! And it’s like +20 C today..a vast change from the 25-30 degrees it’s been for the past week or so. My body is freaking out and freezing in my office, and my mind is also thinking it’s autumn..umm not yet lol. Get back on track weather, don’t be cloudy, rainy and cold!

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89
drank Golden Earl by Verdant Tea
1186 tasting notes

Blahhh it’s Monday. The worst kind of Monday too, the bf goes back to work for 2 weeks up north, busy day at work, booked a blood test for tomorrow (I am very terrified of them and have put it off for almost a year…wish me luck!) and was nervous about it all day, and there’s been a bunch of smoke from forest fires drifting into the city today so I can hardly breathe. Enter Golden Earl, a golden winner of a tea for this blarg day. Citrusy, fresh, helping me breathe, tasting like chocolate, oranges and sunshine. I do very much enjoy this tea. Also didn’t have the energy to go to the gym today, also adding to my blah mood. Thank goodness for good tea! I wish it was still the weekend, which was AWESOME, but too short. Ah well, tea will get me through the work week, and starting my art course Weds (!!). See previous notes on this lovely tea!

Flavors: Chocolate, Orange

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93
drank Strawberry Cream by Zen Tea
1186 tasting notes

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! I have had a lovely day at a friend’s bbq drinking, visiting and eating :) now I am at home with the cat ready to watch the fireworks on TV and had to have a tea from a company based in Canada ( I will also probably have some DavidsTea later). So I dug out this tea, which I haven’t had in ages, and steeped up a cup. It smells delicious and is still too hot to drink, but I’m sure it will taste as yummy as always. Here’s to a good day! See previous notes on this tea :)

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Profile

Bio

Hello all, I am an electrical engineer (read:NERD :D), who is a bit obsessed with tea! I discovered loose tea in 2011, DAVIDsTEA in 2012 and it took off from there. I really started drinking/enjoying tea because it was excellent to take to class in the morning and because I can’t handle coffee! (unless it’s a really good cappuccino or latte, or decent decaf haha)

I enjoy a variety of teas – current favorites being ripe and raw pu’erhs, chinese black teas and herbal/green rooibos blends. I also enjoy white, green, and oolong teas, although I tend to drink them more in the warmer months. I have also tried matcha and guayusa, but I don’t drink them too often as I am a bit sensitive to caffeine. As a result I don’t drink black teas as often as I used to, but in moderation I can still enjoy a wide variety of teas.

Oh, and I have a severe peanut allergy and try to avoid most other nuts, just to be safe. Limits my tea choices a bit, but that’s ok. However I have tried almonds and found out I can eat them, so I have been trying a few teas with them in them.

mrs.stenhouse12’s rating system
(as of 04/19/13)

95+: Absolute favorite, will try to always have it in stock, and when I don’t I pine over it!
90-94: Awesome teas, will probably purchase again a few times
80-89: Very good tea, may restock at some point
70-79: happy to have tried and will gladly finish, but not restock
60-69: not horrible, but not the best, will finish if I have some though
50-59: not a favorite, probably will have a tough time finishing the bag
-50: yuck. I don’t want to have it ever again.

Location

Canada

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