I recently sipped a sample of this and loved it so much I bought 100grams during the sale. I could tell upon opening that this was a different tea from the sample, even though they were both from 2015. The rose fragrance is very prominent in this one, where it wasn’t before in taste or scent. The black tea seems different too. The leaves are larger here unless I’m remembering wrong, but the taste is definitely different though. The flavor is weaker now, like a light milky chocolate, when before the flavor was deeper and more complex – it seemed like it had elements of Keemun, Zheng Shan Ziao Zhong and sweet potatoes, which is why I liked it. I didn’t even mind that the rose was mostly missing from the sample, since the base so good. Now the rose takes over the flavor of the tea. This one seems more like the Yun Nan Dian Hong Full Leaf blend, though I can’t be sure. I’m disappointed it has changed from the 2015 sample! Lowering the rating from a 95.
Steep #1 // 2 tsps. // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // few minutes after boiling // 3-4 min
Harvest: 2015
This is You :-D
Profile
Bio
Hi! I love tea and trying new ones – it adds a bit of variety to my day! Books, music, TV & movies are my thing… and tea, of course.
Some of my favorite tea shops (still operating):
birdandblendtea.com
teavivre.com
52teas.com
svtea.com
whisperingpinestea.com
justea.com
harney.com
Dammann Freres
fusionteas.com
shop.Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea.com
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
Mandalatea.com
verdanttea.com
Favorite tea shops (RIP):
butikiteas.com
steapshoppe.com
steepcityteas.com
aquartertotea.com
dellaterrateas.com
zentealife.com
angrytearoom.com
theteamerchant.net
joysteaspoon.com
tealiciousllc.com
Rivertea
Specialteas
My icon photo is Richard Mayhew from the graphic novel ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry.
Most of the teas listed in my cupboard are actually sample sizes. I don’t really have 2,000 ounces of tea around here! Many of my teas have only one teaspoon left… maybe two. But I like keeping them in my cupboard list for reference to what I could be sipping. Usually, I write tasting notes once for each tea. I’m still drinking them, just not writing tasting notes each time!
I’m always in search of: Hattialli, Qu Hao black, Jin Jun Mei, teas using marshmallow root.
My dislikes: hibiscus, ginger (unless in chai), turmeric, bee pollen, charcoal type flavors
My ratings:
95-100 – Super awesome deliciousness favorites – cupboard essential
80-95 – Also pretty delicious
65-80 – Pretty good
50-65 – Okay
1-50 – Probably won’t want to sip it again
I’m planning on being a Steepsterer as long as there IS a Steepster, so if you’re not hearing from me, that means something happened to my health… if you know what I mean. (Or as evidenced by the great computer hiatus of 2019, something happened to my computer… I have a dumb phone so can’t access internet on that. As of 12/20/21 my wifi might start getting unreliable.)
Happy sipping!
Location
USA
