17502 Tasting Notes
Cold Brew!
I’m currently sipping on this cold brew while I work through tasting notes, and it’s just so fresh and juicy! More of the crisp, umami notes of the sencha on the backend of the sip, but the sweet white-fleshed Japanese style apple notes are like this refreshing explosion that kind of coats the whole palate. In a delicate and floral way, though? It’s hard to put into words aside from, like, there’s just a lot going on but it doesn’t emotionally feel like a lot? Y’know?
I’ve been trying to decide what yerba mate RTDs to get for my next fridge restock, and to my surprise and delight the local grocery program that I’m part of (LUFA) recently added all of Mana’s product line up to the drinks they offer – so I picked up a case of this one!
I’ve tried it once previously and really enjoyed the sweet green melon note, but found the mind a bit jarring with how herby it was. I wanted to give it a second chance though, especially now that it’s summery and melon is so spot on seasonally. I think knowing the mint is more herbaceous/earthy and less cooling made a world of difference because I found this really refreshing and enjoyable! Melon first, and more of the mate and mint combo to close out the sip.
My expectations for this were low after having such a disappointing experience with the last two flavours I tried from Saint James. However, this was the first one that was drinkable to me. The raspberry flavour was distinct and fresh, but not strong enough to overtake the black tea. Most importantly, it did not have that metallic, unpleasant bitterness to the aftertaste. The trade off, I suppose, is that this was the first drink where I could taste the lingering sweetness of the stevia after the sip. However, I don’t personally hate stevia (even though it’s not my preference) and I would MUCH rather that sweetness than the awful chemical taste I was getting from the other two…
Still wouldn’t be a repurchase, though.
Do you ever tuck teas away to rest or age and then totally forget they’re there!? This morning, I’m cracking into a cake that I must have shoved waaaay, deep into the back of my pumidor shortly after getting it. Up until now, it’s basically been untouched while I’ve been chipping away at the previous year’s pressing. Oops. It’s quite lovely, though, with a thick soup that’s an engaging balance of front-loaded sugar cane and green melon sweetness and fuzzy apricot skins, followed by a mid sip that’s almost grizzly with its woodier and slightly saline brothiness. The finish ties the two sides of that coin together with a coating sweet taste that’s equally earthy and herbal. It makes me think of ginseng flowers, a bit, or the style of jiaogulan that is coated in glucose. Bizarre, but not bad or unwelcome – and definitely a lovely, warming qi as I sip on it!!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMBJD-eJeBJ/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN0aAXFLDn0&ab_channel=DavidDeanBurkhart
This is Nazanin’s third tea blend, and I think immediately my new favourite of the three. The black tea base is bold with a medium to full body, and the cardamom just really packs a soothing, aromatic punch of spice. It is slightly citrusy and very camphorous with an almost pine sap kind of note to the finish. Despite the strong camphor, it’s overall a very warming blend which feels appropriate given that the word “Joon” is a Persian form of endearment, meaning dear. Used, I believe, the way you might affectionately call someone “my dear” or “my love.” I do slightly wish the quince was a little stronger, but a pinch of sugar/sweetener seems to pull forward more of those orchard fruit-like notes.
Overall, it’s an incredibly beautiful blend both in flavour and intention, and such a beautiful addition to the rest of Naz’s lineup!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMEAJB6SXEj/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoPnFN9zMwI&ab_channel=apriljune
Gongfu!
I’ve been going through this tea a whole lot quicker than I expected to. There’s just something about the rich body but smooth and almost whipped feeling sweet flavour that just seems to always appeal to me no matter my mood. Like the name implies, it has strong honey notes throughout the session. There’s also an almost marshmallow-like taste that coyly seems to flirt between more of a fluff and more of the golden, caramelized taste of a toasted campfire style marshmallow. Between the two, sweet and creamy are pretty heavy hitting descriptors for the session, though notes of malt, sweet potato, and cocoa nibs in the undertones do a pretty solid job still keeping the profile anchored and not all surface level sugars.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMIgvDyApus/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcGcjLv2tiY&ab_channel=AlmostAMVEVO
Iced Latte!
Made this with some milk using the “water bottle” method where you just shake the ever loving fuck out of it until the matcha is smooth and frothy. I still am really enjoying the balance of flavours of this one. It’s got a touch of chocolate and a more smooth and creamy mint note that really emulates the icecream vibe well. Not herbaceous at all. And it’s been refreshing as a fruity flavoured matcha alternative this summer.
A very, very glittery and sparkling cuppa that I made earlier this week. It’s light, refreshing and fruity-leaning with some brighter lemony top notes and then a little more of a strawberry note in the midsip. Sort of gives off Strawberry Lemonade energy, but in a more delicate and less sugary sorta way.
I have so many Vahdam teas to drink through, but I never feel inspired to brew them up…
I made this one a few nights ago though because I was craving something more chocolate-y. It’s definitely smooth, and one of the more pleasant and unique Vahdam teas IMO if you’re not super big on all the spice heavy blends. Which is me. But of course it does have some spice because Vahdam really can’t help themselves. Cinnamon, mostly. Almost gives this tea a bit of a Mexican Hot Chocolate kind of vibe that I find pretty pleasant.
If more Vahdam teas were like this I probably wouldn’t struggle to drink through them so much…
Made this as a hot cuppa with a splash of cream in it. The cream definitely added a thick, rich quality and amped up the more buttery caramel notes of the blend. However, I also felt like maybe I was getting more of a fruity undertone as well – particularly in the finish and aftertaste. I couldn’t quite pin down where it was coming from, but it did kind of distract from the caramel popcorn direction. In the end, I might have preferred to just drink this one plain.
