15752 Tasting Notes
I’m a fan of all the different years of Skinny Dip productions, but I definitely have a soft spot for the original. Though the leaves are rather brittle and a little challenging to break off the cake without getting a lot of sediment in the process, it’s such a smooth and refreshing tea with cool, creamy notes of cucumber pulp and a natural floral sweetness that just adds a sort of polish to the whole cup!!
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3V8Zs9uDnH/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYkBf0dbs5I
Started my morning by steeping up Volition Tea’s new whiskey barrel aged oolong, Drunken Dragon, paired with some of the most delicious (albeit “extra”) shortbread I’ve ever had. The oolong was smooth and sultry with a distinct profile rye whiskey and oak that blankets a solid foundation of grilled peaches, spring flowers, and clean and crisp minerality. I adore that there’s practically equal emphasis on the bouquet of aromatics as there is on the taste – it’s just a delight to the senses!! And of course, I’d be remiss not to acknowledge how well the bright candied orange on the shortbread from Maa Maa Dei pairs with the whisky and stonefruit notes of this scented tea. Just wow!!
This is the third year I’ve partook in Volition Tea’s Lunar New Year box, and I’ve had nothing short of an exceptional experience each time! The curation of tea always feels so spot on, and the pieces of teaware from Monsoon Pottery are nothing short of works of practical art. This has definitely become a tradition for me – one that I would highly recommend to other tea drinkers and that I hope Annie will continue for years to come!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3YmeFoO_AX/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BizV9lKaZZw
Gongfu Sipdown (2528)!
Sipping down what is, I believe, the last of these oolong sample packets. Sometimes, with a tea stash as insanely large as mine, it can be tricky to keep track!! It’s a delicious tasting oolong though, and the fact it’s rich in GABA is just an added bonus – especially on crazy days like today where I could really use the extra bit of focus. The steeped tea is so fruity and sweet with saturated notes of golden honey, red dates, and orchard fruit which go alongside the more gentle finishing flavours of toasted grains and nuts. Very smooth with a lush, “round feeling” liquor that leaves a beautiful lingering sweetness on the palate!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3bHqA8O4XF/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFmovmenhoU
Last but certainly not least tasting note of the night!
Y’all already know I adore the watermelon flavoured oolong base that Deb is blending over top of for this tea, so there’d have to be a lot wrong with the cup to ruin it for me. That sweet, candy-type melon note is just too damn good. I will say, I think the jasmine in this blend is lacking. Not a biggie for me, because this is kind of just an excuse to drink more of the watermelon oolong – but if you were buying this blend hopeful for more floral character then I could see it being a bit of a let down.
Totally forgot that I’d tried this tea before but, as it turns out, even nearly ten years later my thoughts haven’t changed a whole lot. Basically this is much more strawberry forward than pomegranate, but even that flavour is deeply outweighed by the rather unpleasant (and seemingly low quality) rooibos base. It’s just very, very woody and medicinal tasting. Plus, I’m generally a pretty big fan of rooibos and not sensitive to the medicinal flavours many people tend to be off put by, so if this is too medicinal and unpleasant for me… Well, I would hate to be someone already sensitive to that taste.
Cold Brew Sipdown (2516)!
Another older sample that feels nice to polish off since I have many comparable teas in my stash. I recall not loving this the first time I had it, but as a cold tea I think it was a step up. It’s definitely still really tart in a sharp way and despite having such an intense red berry flavour (cranberry or raspberry??) it’s really devoid of natural sweetness. Not inherently bad because I definitely don’t always want a sugary berry blend, but it does make it feel unbalanced to me and also really makes you pucker! In some ways, it’s closer to drinking a straight hibiscus infusion. Time and place, though. Time and place.
Cold Brew!
Doubled up on the sachets to make a 24oz cold brewed tumbler. This was honestly really delicious and a spot on quick late night solution for the fruity but cold drink I was craving. Just like a mostly pure play fresh strawberry note, with a hint of citrus. At the double teabag dosing I even ended up getting a resteep that wasn’t half bad! I rarely resteep my tea (if I did I’d never get close to making a dent in my stash), but I just felt like I needed more of this…
Iced!
Made this today with a small splash of milk but I didn’t really love it. In fact, I kind of struggled to finish my mug. I think I just made the concentration way too intense which really brought out a lot of the vegetal notes of the matcha and the strong floral undertones of the raspberry flavouring in this blend. On its own I don’t think that would have been a deal breaking, but something about the florals and the milk just were fighting today. Super non-cohesive and just a little disappointing.
Iced Latte!
I woke up on Monday with an intense craving for this tea specifically, and I’m glad I was able to perfectly scratch that itch. The iced latte was just so smooth, and it tasted almost perfectly of banana bread minus the butter. But the hojicha just filled in those nutty notes and the general cozier baked good elements to create a phenomenal drink.
I’ve been really into pistachio flavoured things lately and thankfully I’m privileged enough to have such a large tea stash that I’m flush with options, though it really still feels like I have room for more. If anyone has a favourite pistachio blend, I’d love to hear it!
This one is sweet and nutty with a rich pistachio note counterbalanced by a cooling menthol/camphor from the highly aromatic mint and cardamom in the mix. It feels sort of Middle Eastern in profile. The pistachio and cardamom combination, in particular, makes me think of some dishes from Iran/Pakistan – though you’d probably see an addition of rose, too. It’s delightful, though!
I’m so happy B&B brought this one back.
