695 Tasting Notes
This one started off with a really enticing aroma. Sweet peaches, zippy ginger, and a slightly odd medicinal note that made one feel they’d be cured just by drinking this. Cured of what? I have no idea. But give this a whiff and you’ll see what I mean. I’m not big on the taste. I could see this being great for anyone with a sore throat but it’s not really a flavor I enjoy if I’m not sick.
White tea is the unexplored, underappreciated part of the tea world. I too vastly underappreciate it. Especially one that comes from Ceylon. I wasn’t expecting much to be honest. I wasn’t very impressed with any of their green teas so I assumed the white would be marginal at best. I was wrong. This is fantastic. I’m currently drinking it gong fu style with water that could probably be warmer but the flavors I’m getting are sublime. The first few were filled with floral notes of jasmine and gardenia. The third infusion is earthy. Incredibly soft on the palate with no astringency. You can definitely steep it up to 6 minutes but make sure to try it at least every minute because the flavors at each are great.
The aroma is a bit grassy but mainly filled with hay notes. Like the hay you find in a stable or barn. And over roasted vegetables.
The differences that one can find from one plant is astounding. Even the region of Ceylon, which is generally known for its black teas, has a variety of different types. Take a Ceylon green, a Japanese green, and a Chinese green and you will get many different flavor profiles! It’s amazing! So far in all of the Teakruthi samples I’ve tried I have discovered most to have astringency but this one doesn’t have a bit. There is a bit on the second, though I am also using a smaller steeping vestibule. A unique mix of woodsy and earthy notes. Some nutty notes here and there. Wet forest floor in the wet leaf aroma after steeping but the most amazing smell as soon as the water touched the leaves. (There needs to be a term for this) Instantly my nostrils were filled with wet warm jungle. Like I wasn’t standing in my kitchen anymore. What an amazing feeling that was.
My afternoon ritual general involves a green tea of some sort. But this unassuming blend is perfect for any time of day. Light on flavor with gentle woody notes. Wet forest floor filled with twigs and a few leaves. The aroma is balanced and fair. Nothing too crazy. Soft hints of hardwoods and treebark. A tea like this is not suited for milk or sugar but for those purists like myself who like a cup that has refined flavor and nothing to sit and overthink about. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit and sip and not think about every little flavor and aroma in the cup.
Mint lovers rejoice. Black tea lovers rejoice! If you were looking for the perfect marriage between the two, this is it. The golden amber liquor shines but the aroma of the dry leaf and the wet leaf dazzles the senses and calms the soul. The dry aroma is strong with mint. It’s overwhelming. Mint to the face! The wet leaf aroma tones it down a bit with woodsy notes but the zap of mint in your nose is enlightening. The flavor is much of the same. Wet wood notes and the tang of mint. Palate will feel slight astringency and freshness all at the same time.
There are certain black teas that are off-putting to me. Instead of tasting the usually earthy notes, I taste wet dog. The smell of wet dog is pungent and you can’t get it out of your head once you smell. But eventually, I settle into the cup and notice the flavors. This one has compost and wet forest floor. It is slightly astringent but still has a nice mouthfeel. The wet leaf aroma is very nice. Deep wet woods after a nice misting rain.
Why do they call Star Anise, Star Anise? Because it’s shaped like a star? NO. Because it is the star of the show! This is a star anise tisane with green tea. Sorry green tea you are a sidekick here. You round the cup out nicely along with the lemon friends. But for the most part, everything is about Star anise. I’m feeling cleansed.
Now this is a great way to start the morning. Like the morning light rising above the horizon. It starts of gentle on the palate with with calming woodsy notes. The sun rises more and the astringency sets in but only slightly. Slight hints of compost and wet woods. Soft mouth feel. The wet aroma is very light. Reminds me of the smell of the woods after a campfire.
Everyone once in awhile I will drink a tea or have a matcha that is the unfortunate victim to poor packaging. The grey unassuming bag looks like it would be well suited for the job of protecting this matcha but I fear it failed. The dry aroma is nil. It’s part of matcha that I love, so smelling a staleness, a sort of packaging type of smell was disappointing. Surprisingly the wet aroma immediately filled my nose with vegetal and slight nori notes. Gave me hope. But that was dashed with the flavor. It tastes like the aroma. Not at all what I expected. At some point I’d like to get a sample to see if perhaps it really is the packaging or if the matcha they sourced just isn’t that good.
The aroma and the visual aspect of this tea scream Darjeeling. The way Darjeeling smells,
the slightly mineral, fresh, like a clean rainfall. It is a unique smell that I can only attribute to Darjeeling. Kinda like saying something tastes like chicken. But what is the taste of chicken? I Don’t Know it just is! Oh, fudge… Now I’m tasting chicken. That’s a weird mix with tea. Speaking of taste considering how it smells I don’t quite get those muscatel notes I’m looking for. This one is utterly perplexing. I have tried both infuser in cup style and gong fu style but I feel both lack the Darjeeling punch I was looking for. If steeped too little there is no flavor. Steeped too long and it’s astringent with a bitter woods flavor.
