4273 Tasting Notes
This is from Cameron B! Thanks again! I always wanted to try these little guys. I was intrigued to see if the flavor was anything like pancakes, or just that the shape it’s in is like a tiny pancake. I will say, it’s one of the sweeter raw pu-erhs I have tried… very agreeable… at least on the first steep… though not unraveled quite yet. The second steep is also very sweet! The third gets a typical “you’re-rushing-it” raw pu-erh harshness, but that is always my fault, every single time. I always go too hot on subsequent steeps. The fourth steep just seemed muted, which I guess is better than harsh. The first and second steeps were the best. I think I’m still ruining raw puerh by steeping them badly after ALLL these years. I just don’t think sheng is made for western steeping, making them never really something I want to drink. These steeps weren’t even a minute long! So possibly on the next little flapjack I will try even shorter steep times.
Steep #1 // 35 minutes after boiling // 55 second steep
Steep #2 // 32 minutes after boiling // 45 second steep
Steep #3 // 22 minutes after boiling // 40 second steep
Steep #4 // 22 minutes after boiling // 45 second steep
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – October 2024 Tea #4 – A tea with maple syrup or flavor
I went with my oldest maple tea for this prompt. It’s still VERY delicious and I love that the black tea doesn’t get lost in the strong maple flavor, almost leaning towards lapsang souchong territory, but not quite. Tealux/Tealyra doesn’t carry this anymore, but they do have another maple/smoky tea that I have always wanted to try. I’m not close to sipping this down, but I’m not ready to say goodbye to it yet anyway. For an ELEVEN year old tea, this is still great tasting.
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – October 2024 Tea #3 – A brisk tea
Sipping this one down for this prompt. Despite the name being a little cheesy/tea snobby, I did really enjoy this one. It’s strong without being harsh. One teaspoon goes a long way. The “breakfast tea” descriptor is accurate! market spice still carries it, and there are actually a couple other teas I would like to stock up on from them… so maybe that will happen at some point. (cinnamon orange black and cranberry cream). They are priced fairly cheap!
2024 sipdowns: 72
A general PSA to alert everyone that this is a really great, full, authentic pear tea. And these flavors are really holding up seeing that these leaves are EIGHT years old at this point. I bet it tastes almost the same as the first time I tried it. whoa.
Ooh well now I’ll have to add this to the wishlist aha!
Well, crossing my fingers this tea hasn’t changed at the shop in eight years. I WILL be buying it again when I run out.
Hmm they don’t seem to have a plain pear black tea anymore… They have a plain pear green and rooibos, but the black version also has ginger in it.
oh nooooo… I was afraid of that. Honestly, it seems like the exact same tea but with ginger added (alfafa leaves + marigold are still there.) But the pear was so good I don’t think it really needed any ginger…
If someone was so inclined, the ginger COULD be removed from the blend before steeping (which is probably something I might attempt…)
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – October 2024 Tea #2 – A tea that reminds you of falling leaves
This is the Oh,Canada blend with the exclamation point (!) It looks like there is a different blend without the exclamation point. This one is full of sweet tasting goodies. I chose this blend for this prompt, as the most obvious tea reminding me of leaves… as the blend contains the cutest little leaf sprinkles in fall colors. It hits the decaf sweet craving, for sure, without tasting like artificial sugars. I also could have chosen this blend for the maple prompt this month… but I will choose something else…
I just had to try this Yunnan from New Mexico Tea Co. It isn’t hard to try their teas when you can buy an ounce, which to me is the perfect amount of tea to sample something and have it a few times. This is CLASSIC Yunnan. A nice balance of gold and black to the twisted together leaves. I used a teaspoon and a half and the first steep has that lovely peppery Yunnan flavor. Definitely a tea to reach for when I am craving Yunnan, which is often. Not QUITE up to the standard of London Tea Room’s Ancient Golden Yunnan (trying to find one to replace that one) but I also didn’t use two teaspoons for this one like I do with that one, so maybe it would be similar if I steeped it the same way. The second steep was a little too weak flavored for my liking.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 min steep
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – October 2024 Tea #1 – October 4 – World Smile Day: drink a tea that puts a smile on your face!
I love this one. And it makes me smile as it reminds me of SO MANY peach teas I love that 52Teas has made in the past. Peachy Keen!!! Peach Blackberry Crumble!!! Smoky Butterscotch Peach!!! It has such a balance of unique peach/cardamom flavor. This one is ancient, so I am shocked it has such a great flavor today.
2024 sipdowns: 71
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – September 2024 Tea #9 – A tea that Kermit would drink
It’s EASY picking a green tea for Kermit. (Sorry, Kermit.) And it being called a “downy” green tea for some reason reminds me of a swamp? More than other green teas, anyway… I thought it would be a good reason to send this one on its way… BUT then I checked my stock list and I still have one more sample of this. argh oh well, it will be enjoyed whenever it is enjoyed.(Sorry, I’m really tired right now.)
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – September 2024 Tea #8 – September 27 – World Tourism Day: have a tea from a place you want to visit or have visited
There are many places I could dream of visiting at some point, but I also needed a tea with some kick this afternoon, so this is the one. Of course Scotland would be great to visit. I bought this from NM Tea co, hoping that it was like the English Tea Store blend that I really liked YEARS ago, and I think it is. The blend is part CTC but also a mix of a slightly bigger leaf, just like English Tea Store’s from years ago. Twelve years ago I gave English Tea Store’s Scottish Breakfast a rating of 96! I’d say that is excellent for a tea that is partially CTC. This one here is quite tasty, quite strong and perfect tasting for breakfast. The description mentions the dry quality, like a cask of Scottish bourbon. I will at least imagine that it is a match to English Tea Store’s blend, as I think some of their teas are sourced from the same place.
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – September 2024 Tea #7 -A tea from China
Finished some samples of this one. It is a tea that I also have in an 100gram amount, so it definitely means I thought it was great. I certainly can’t be buying 100grams of every Teavivre tea I think is great… that would be most of them. So if I have 100grams of something, it is exceptional! Otherwise it would just be about buying samples for the rare occasion I would like that great tea. I’m awake right now, I promise. I’m not even sure which harvest year this is. It MUST be older though, since I started writing years on my Teavivre samples at least in 2018. This one has no year written. Teavivre is my favorite shop to buy Chinese tea, so it is fitting I am using a Teavivre tea for this prompt today.
2024 sipdowns: 70
