4170 Tasting Notes
Did I love the name of this one! Vanilla! Mint! I had to try it. Sadly, there is Eleuthero Root in this blend, which to my tastebuds is very medicinal flavored and it’s drowning out my dreams of what I wish this tea to be. I hardly taste any vanilla and what should be peppermint tastes like spearmint to me. There should also be honeybush here, but I don’t notice it. Maybe that is where the vanilla flavor is located. So whatever Eleuthero Root is has kind of ruined this one. But again, happy to find all this out for the small price of one dolla.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 35 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 30 min after boiling // 2 min
Flavors: Medicinal, Spearmint
Ancient Alphabet challenge – S
Aw, I really liked this one but now it’s quite faded. I could swear I’m only tasting blackberry leaves. I had to check the ingredient list to make sure that there isn’t actually blackberry leaves here. There aren’t. So it’s sad to say this has aged terribly. I’d buy it again but only when the cupboard is tamed. (Not like I can buy it again.) Well, that throws what I said in my last tasting note out the window…
Ancient Alphabet challenge – R
Now that this is ancient, the smoke is all but gone BUT that means there is room here to notice that this base black tea is quite delicious. Not a horrible Ceylon covered in smoke, but probably keemun. It’s delicious. All of these old teas have really been shining. So I think this Ancient Alphabet challenge was successful in reminding me that the old stuff is still worth steeping up, even more so than I previously thought.
From the Cinco de Mayo sale from last year. I’m trying to write some notes for the last few teas before then, if they happen to have a sale again this year (though I will be refraining from that sale this time around.) This is a decent example of English Breakfast. I can tell it is NOT just Ceylon, and looking up the info, I’m correct. It still isn’t the best black tea I have ever had, but it’s a mix of Ceylon, Chinese and Indian teas. There is a sweetness here, dried hay, and when it cools, hints of stonefruits. The second steep gets a bit more bitey, but retains that fresh fruit quality, then maybe hazelnuts. (I notice a flavor note from another Steepsterer says “nutty”.) Worth trying for a dollar!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 24 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep
On another note, it looks like Maya Tea is going allergen free, so they have many good blends on sale to make room for new recipes.
Flavors: Hay, Hazelnut, Stonefruit
Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – April Tea #10: A woody tea
YEAH finished all ten prompts and all ten were true sipdowns. Now, I definitely loved this tea when I first tried it, and the flavors are still on point. I would definitely buy this again! I think it’s my favorite cinnamon apple rooibos. And of course, I associate rooibos with being little pieces of wood. This blend is a great balance of cinnamon, apple, and those little yogurt pieces. This is actually quite the high quality rooibos that isn’t too woody after all. I forgot I had rated this rooibos tea a 97 – whoa. What a nice end to this tea… two excellent steeps. This pouch is gone but I have another one around here somewhere.
2022 sipdowns: 57
additional notes: Having this one again a month later and raising the rating from 74. I’m surprised I only gave it a rating of 74 a month ago, as there are some real clunkers of bergamot blends out there and this is NOT one of them. This IS a solid Earl – just as long as I use two teabags in a big mug. The flavor is quite good. I really like it. This could be a go-to tea for me, if I’m looking for STRONG, BRISK, TASTY BERGAMOT. It seems like a tea I’d drink at a lighthouse or something… Or great on a sunny yet brisk and windy day (as today is). As whoa, this tea is also brisk yet sunny. It’s a real energy booster and brightener.