378 Tasting Notes
Sipdown of an ancient sample from TeaSparrow. Surprisingly good, for something that has been languishing for like 10 years. Lemongrass and peppermint in the nose/mouth with that liquorice sweetness on the back of the throat, and an earthy herbal note that I assume is the raspberry leaf. Maaaybe a hint of cardamom if I really concentrate, or maybe it’s just the power of suggestion. Good night time blend if you’re not into chamomile.
Taking inspiration from a Tealyra blend, I just steeped 2g of this hojicha and 1g of peppermint leaf, roughly 300ml water, 180F, for 3-ish minutes. This is a very pleasant combination, and yes, somewhat reminiscent of a mint-chocolate cookie. Highly recommend.
From a Tea Runners box. I had it both hot and cold steeped this morning. I think I somehow overleafed the cold steep because it came out with a strong green tea flavour with some umami and a bit of thickness to the mouthfeel. Not unpleasant, but a bit strange contrasted with the fruit flavouring. The hot steep came out more balanced, still not super strong with the fruit flavour, and I would never have identified it as strawberry and rhubarb specifically, just a vague but pleasant fruitiness. I threw both sets of leaves in a jar with cold water for another cold steep in the fridge, so we’ll see how it is tomorrow. So far my impression is: good, but not so good I want to get more of it.
From my Tea Runners box this month, and I’m drinking it both hot and cold brewed this morning. This is a decent peach tea, with a good “fresh peach” flavour. I don’t detect any ginger in either the hot or cold preparation, which is impressive because ginger is not exactly a subtle flavour component. I was a bit perplexed by the white/green/oolong base, but it works. The base tea is subtle but present, adding a fresh, crisp, juicy vibe to the peach flavour without any astringency or bitterness. It’s a very solid flavoured tea, so I wish it were marketed on that basis without all the unwarranted claims of “health benefits”. And they need to either add more ginger or take it out of the name, sheesh.
Flavors: Peach
Third steep of these leaves! First time was an overnight cold steep. Second and third times I poured on hot water, let it come down to room temp, then put in the fridge overnight. Coconut flavour is less, but still there. Oolong flavour still there, and no unpleasant astringency or bitterness.
Random old sample from davidstea, chosen last night because I wanted something simple and caffeine-free. It was fine, tasted the way you’d expect from a rooibos vanilla blend. I just mixed the second steeping of this with the second steeping of the earl grey I just tried, and that was actually a pretty good move.
I got an “Earl Grey Supreme” in a Tea Runners box and based on the similarity of description I’m pretty sure it’s this tea. It’s just ok. Strong bergamot scent in the dry leaf that carried through to the brewed tea. Black tea base is unremarkable and a bit astringent. I ended up adding some honey and milk, which made for a pleasant drink, so I won’t have trouble finishing this sample but I have no desire to acquire more.
I put four different teas in the fridge to cold steep overnight, so when I pulled this one out I absolutely couldn’t remember what it was. Not to worry, I remembered as soon as I opened the jar and was hit with a blast of coconut aroma! This is very nice as a cold brew. Crisp, vegetal green oolong with creamy coconut.
