tea-sipper select Send Message

Another from Kawaii433! Thanks so much! I was curious why ‘Duck’ happens to be in the name for this, and it looks like the description says that ducks like this rice? hmm. So it’s a decent genmaicha then, with a memorable name. :D A balance of popped rice and green tea. It was never astringent for me, but I was really being careful with the parameters. Everything here that I love about a great genmaicha. I wanted that toasty comfort yesterday, on probably one of the last cooler days of the spring. And for my no caff choice today, Bird & Blend’s Figgy Pud for that same reason. Now it will be hot out today!
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 50 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 30 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – May Tea #5:- A cupboard staple

It always surprises me a bit when I think of Laoshan black tea being related to Laoshan green tea.  I know there are some fans of the Laoshan black out there, but the black version has always been so much flatter in complexity for me than the Laoshan green.  Which for me is a Cupboard Staple.  I wouldn’t even think to put Laoshan black in my list of favorite teas… I just forget about it completely.  But I’m so glad I know about Laoshan green!  I have a few older pouches remaining… and I love how Laoshan green in particular has different seasonal harvests.
2022 sipdowns:  62

From Kawaii433 a couple months ago now.  From my wishlist!  Thank you so much!  The first of the new ones that Kawaii sent over that I’m trying. I hope both you and Pachinko are doing okay, Kawaii… 
I love a good banana tea and this is that.  However, I was wondering about the fudge part of the name… I can’t really taste any chocolate, so I started to wonder if they meant not a chocolate fudge, but like a fudge that only tastes like banana… you know, how sometimes a fudge isn’t actually chocolate and there are different flavors, for example: maple fudge.   The only time I really experienced fudge was during a vacation in the Adirondacks, and tried many odd flavors of fudge, so I know different flavors are a real thing!  So maybe this is just straight BANANA fudge… but no.  After reading the description, Arthur Dove does mean chocolate.  ANYWAY, who needs chocolate flavor when this banana flavor is so so good?  Not quite candy banana, but also not quite plain natural banana. But this is one of the great banana teas if I’m not aiming for also chocolate!
Steep #1 // 1 heaping teaspoon for full mug // 29 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 2-3 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

This mini from the Mandala sampler looks like this photo and the only English on the wrapper says “Lao Cang”.  So I will post this here.  Another tasty puerh, though not as strong to me as the two that I have previously and recently tried from the sampler.  If I need a ripe puerh to be one thing, it needs to be Strong.  But there aren’t any negative puerh qualities here either, so that’s fine with me. Not bad, not great.  To be honest, the water might have been a bit cool on that first steep anyway.  Notes of cocoa, berries. Looking at the leaves, they also look like large quality leaves. Seems to be the standard for Mandala.  This one is a little light for me and sadly there are the most of these in the sampler.  oooo… what if I steeped two at once in a big mug?!?!  I will have to try that.  
Steep #1 // 29 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 //   3 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 6 min

So I have no idea the name of this mini puerh, so I will file any Mandala mini I can’t identify by Steepster photo under the Mandala sampler. I forgot to mention in the previous note, JakeB sent the sampler! Thank you, JakeB! Keep in mind this sampler is at least probably eight years old and is NOT the current Mandala variety of mini tuochas they have available. The white wrapping has a big brown circle and drawings of clouds at the sides. I can tell when the leaves unravel, this is another mini made with higher quality leaves, as they are quite big. The flavor is also rich for a mini – biscuity, bready. Second steep, the same plus cocoa. Third, a little weaker but still very delicious! I like this one a lot. Rating: 93 (I don’t want to rate the entire sampler based on one of the types in the sampler.)
Steep #1 // 29 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 17 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // many minute steep

From the sale a year ago… I guess they didn’t do a sale this year.  huh.  Anyway, this is… yerba mate!  Simple enough.  And I was happy to stock up a little more yerba mate for $1.  The brew gets quite the olive green color.  I’m not sure if it helped me focus more.  The flavor is impossible for me to describe.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 28 minutes after boiling //  2 minute
Steep #2 // 20 minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – May Tea #4:- A tea flavored like a favorite baked good

Wow, the flavor is still so amazing on this one, I’m a bit sad to finish it.   Really any baked good gets my seal of approval, so this prompt was an easy one.  I could wish for more cream cheese flavor here, but whoever does cream cheese flavor right?  But it’s so danishy and blueberry!   I think I’m doing great with these sipdowns.
2022 sipdowns:  61

additional notes: and having this one just cuz the lilacs are blooming! Still not quite actually lilac in flavor ( I would imagine) but it’s tasty anyway and the tiny flowers in the tea leaves are always a treat.

Another from Tiffany :) Thank you! While looking for this one on Steepster, there is so much coconut (fresh looking) in the blend that I was expecting a name with “coconut”. Such finely chopped ingredients here – it looks like mostly coconut and mostly rooibos. Do you ever do that thing where you go to set the mug down, but then take another sip, go to set the mug down, then go to take another sip…about a dozen times? That was this tea… and the other Dessert By Deb tea I had yesterday. But I guess it’s usually every tea for me! The suggested two teaspoons seems to work for these teas. Plenty of sweet, as wow, it seems like every type of sweetener is here except for stevia. Plenty of buttery coconut flavor. Though I do wish the balance was better here that some of the rooibos would be replaced with more black tea. But I have been drinking this one a lot due to the huge amount of coconut. Inspired by maple snow candy, which I would definitely have at least a couple times, as a child in NY! But with the coconut here representing snow (I would imagine), it’s a bit hard to make that connection between so much coconut and what should be maple. It’s delicious anyway, if you are looking for a sweet coconut tea.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5-6 minute steep

Steepster seems slow on new tasting notes today, so here is another one. (I am now 11 days behind on catching up on reading tasting notes!)

From Tiffany :) Thank you very much! This tea IS delicious and it’s the right sort of sweetener… not artificial. However, if a tea is mostly just sweet, I feel like naming a tea, it can really be any name that is sweet. I’m not sure what a Maple Butter Shortbread would taste like other than sweet. So it works! The rooibos really doesn’t seem to get through my basket infuser which is great – though the second steep seems like mostly vanilla and rooibos. (I usually use a T-Sac for rooibos but with the other ingredients, I just threw it in the basket infuser.) I guess most of the sweetness went into the first steep. It’s a tasty dessert tea, for sure, when you are looking for a SWEET TEA just not sure how much the name of the tea matters here. Very glad there isn’t any stevia anyway! Also grateful that I get to try these Dessert By Deb teas. :D
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4-5 min