I jotted down some notes in a Word document about this tea because I knew I wasn’t going to have time to log this when I wanted to [yeah, I’m a nerd, etc. etc.].
Auggy sent me this tea with the caveat that it was a possible “meh” tea, but that it was good for comparison purposes. Really, I’m up for trying something that’s going to give me a better range of comparison, so that means I’m game for pretty much anything.
I was surprised to discover that this had a really full flavor to it. Which I probably wouldn’t have been, had I remembered what Auggy had written about it, but I’ve never made claims as to the strength of my memory. Well, maybe except to say that it can suck sometimes.
Anyhow, this wasn’t weak. And I liked that. What I’m not sure that I liked was that even though it had a fair amount of flavor, it felt kind of…flat. Not quite as dimensional Jackee Muntz. It also had a kind of salty quality to it, which I normally wouldn’t mind, but this was tap dancing just a little too loudly for me. Actually, this one probably had the strongest malt taste to me of all three of the keemuns I’ve had so far [Jackee Muntz, Keemun Rhapsody, this one].
What I did like was that it had a sweetness to it. It reminded me of honey. Not gonna lie, I would have liked caramel [still can’t quite let go of that], but I’ll take honey. You’d think that the saltiness and the honey taste would have combined to make something resembling caramel, but for whatever reason, they didn’t come together for me.
In the end, this didn’t combine quite as nicely for me as the other two. The components read much more as separate entities than anything else, and while I think this makes it easier for me to pick tastes out from it, it makes for an overall experience that isn’t quite as enjoyable. I guess it’s kind of like what they say about a well-composed dish. You should be able to both eat the components on their own and combined into a bite and enjoy it all.
This certainly wasn’t horrible, but it’s not going to make my favorite keemuns list. I’ll finish off the sample though, no problem. Thanks for the experience, Auggy!
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I think I see the trend with these black tea. If you want a bolder cup, you’ll enjoy lapsang. I think it’s a good thing that I’m not ordering Series 2 of A&D.
I’ve had lapsang before and yeah, I do enjoy it. Haven’t tried GM’s yet though. I think for me it’s not necessarily…I don’t know. I don’t solely drink black or pu-erh, I drink them all. So, splitting hairs, I’m not sure if it’s bolder flavors that I want, it’s fuller flavors. I like dimension in my cup. I like to be overwhelmed with components. And if I’m not overwhelmed, I want those one or two flavors to be really, really good. When my tea tastes watery, I get sad. And if flavors don’t marry well, that also makes me sad.
I know I’ve said this a ton, but this one did benefit from being intentionally lost in my pantry – it got a lot smoother and less acrid. Turned out pretty nice, actually. But yeah, it’s not got a lot of sparkle or anything going on with the taste. It’s pretty one dimensional with no real development or intriguing depth to it. But it’s also one that made me appreciate the flavor and depth better Keemuns have so it’s a good little tea.
Well that makes sense. When it comes to food, I prefer stuff that are more bland / lighter, which might be the reason I like lighter tea. Like with spaghetti, I prefer incrementally adding the pasta sauce instead of it mixing all at once. Yes, I’m crazy =P
@Auggy It is a good little tea! This reminds me of the Top Chef quandry – where it’s like some of the food really isn’t THAT bad, but when you’re speaking based on comparison [and slanting things for the purposes of TV] it can make something sound worse than it was. It really wasn’t horrible!
@Ricky Oooh, I love spaghetti. Current favorite thing to do, actually – toss it in some olive oil, grate some parmesan cheese on top. Maybe add a bit of rosemary if I’m feeling fancy. Simple. Delicious.
Ack, rosemary. It’s too strong for me. Basil for me instead, preferably fresh ones :D Add a dash of salt and pepper, err what else…. nope sounds good enough, ehh maybe garlic salt instead of plain salt.
Hah! You do like lighter fare! Probably just means your taste buds are more sensitive than mine!
What did I tell you :D, it reflects on my preference of tea.
Except Ricky loves pu-erh, which is completely the kicker, since that’s not even remotely bland!
And I love plain-er pastas as well. I actually dislike tomato sauce. I know, I’m weird.
Not weird! We all have our food quirks. Tomato sauce can be a little too acidic for me. I require a balanced sauce.
Pu-erh is soooooo bland to me. To me it’s standard tea. I can down cups of it like water.
She means, a tomato sauce that’s saturated with flavors ;D. I quote “it’s bolder flavors that I want, it’s fuller flavors. I like dimension …… I like to be overwhelmed with components. And if I’m not overwhelmed, I want those one or two flavors to be really, really good.” Love it! Don’t get sad over tomato sauce, it’s not worth it.
@Ricky, actually I think she said, “*I’m not sure if* it’s bolder flavors that I want, it’s fuller flavors.” And your taste grouping doesn’t hold true because I’m starting to really love lapsang souchong and I love Keemun, but I don’t like strongly flavored food. Give me pasta with a little butter and I’m happy. The husband uses a lot of seasonings and stuff in his food and it’s too much for me. I can’t eat it. For me, I think it just comes down to appreciating good tea and the nuances of flavor it has, whether bold tasting or soft and mellow.
Well, the idea was to manipulate her words, ahh you caught me :D
Pasta + butter, yum!
Dude…that’s not cool!
Aww, sorry! * tippy toes away from this conversation now and hides in my tea cupboard *
I think I see the trend with these black tea. If you want a bolder cup, you’ll enjoy lapsang. I think it’s a good thing that I’m not ordering Series 2 of A&D.
I’ve had lapsang before and yeah, I do enjoy it. Haven’t tried GM’s yet though. I think for me it’s not necessarily…I don’t know. I don’t solely drink black or pu-erh, I drink them all. So, splitting hairs, I’m not sure if it’s bolder flavors that I want, it’s fuller flavors. I like dimension in my cup. I like to be overwhelmed with components. And if I’m not overwhelmed, I want those one or two flavors to be really, really good. When my tea tastes watery, I get sad. And if flavors don’t marry well, that also makes me sad.
I know I’ve said this a ton, but this one did benefit from being intentionally lost in my pantry – it got a lot smoother and less acrid. Turned out pretty nice, actually. But yeah, it’s not got a lot of sparkle or anything going on with the taste. It’s pretty one dimensional with no real development or intriguing depth to it. But it’s also one that made me appreciate the flavor and depth better Keemuns have so it’s a good little tea.
Well that makes sense. When it comes to food, I prefer stuff that are more bland / lighter, which might be the reason I like lighter tea. Like with spaghetti, I prefer incrementally adding the pasta sauce instead of it mixing all at once. Yes, I’m crazy =P
@Auggy It is a good little tea! This reminds me of the Top Chef quandry – where it’s like some of the food really isn’t THAT bad, but when you’re speaking based on comparison [and slanting things for the purposes of TV] it can make something sound worse than it was. It really wasn’t horrible!
@Ricky Oooh, I love spaghetti. Current favorite thing to do, actually – toss it in some olive oil, grate some parmesan cheese on top. Maybe add a bit of rosemary if I’m feeling fancy. Simple. Delicious.
Ack, rosemary. It’s too strong for me. Basil for me instead, preferably fresh ones :D Add a dash of salt and pepper, err what else…. nope sounds good enough, ehh maybe garlic salt instead of plain salt.
Hah! You do like lighter fare! Probably just means your taste buds are more sensitive than mine!
What did I tell you :D, it reflects on my preference of tea.
Except Ricky loves pu-erh, which is completely the kicker, since that’s not even remotely bland!
And I love plain-er pastas as well. I actually dislike tomato sauce. I know, I’m weird.
Not weird! We all have our food quirks. Tomato sauce can be a little too acidic for me. I require a balanced sauce.
Pu-erh is soooooo bland to me. To me it’s standard tea. I can down cups of it like water.
She means, a tomato sauce that’s saturated with flavors ;D. I quote “it’s bolder flavors that I want, it’s fuller flavors. I like dimension …… I like to be overwhelmed with components. And if I’m not overwhelmed, I want those one or two flavors to be really, really good.” Love it! Don’t get sad over tomato sauce, it’s not worth it.
@Ricky, actually I think she said, “*I’m not sure if* it’s bolder flavors that I want, it’s fuller flavors.” And your taste grouping doesn’t hold true because I’m starting to really love lapsang souchong and I love Keemun, but I don’t like strongly flavored food. Give me pasta with a little butter and I’m happy. The husband uses a lot of seasonings and stuff in his food and it’s too much for me. I can’t eat it. For me, I think it just comes down to appreciating good tea and the nuances of flavor it has, whether bold tasting or soft and mellow.
Well, the idea was to manipulate her words, ahh you caught me :D
Pasta + butter, yum!
Dude…that’s not cool!
Aww, sorry! * tippy toes away from this conversation now and hides in my tea cupboard *