4170 Tasting Notes

98
drank Ruby Pie by Butiki Teas
4170 tasting notes

Additional notes: I woke up thinking of this tea! It is even better this cup around (first cup was six months ago), especially with a raspberry danish. SOSOSO good. It is just perfect. The black tea base is the right amount of flavorful/astringent for the flavors. I used exactly one teaspoon and there was even an entire half of a teddy graham in the mix. A couple minutes after boiling for three minutes. Perfect. I have one teaspoon left from my sample but I definitely need to order from Butiki soon. I’m thinking of ordering some others too, but I’d really like to sample some of the new ones before I order.

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85

Thank you Tea At Sea for the samples! I’m just trying this one now, sorry! I used half my sample package it looked like — 1 1/3 teaspoon. I’ll mention right now that the looks of these leaves and the way they taste is more like OOLONG than a green tea: the green bundles. I’ve never had a green tea like this that was so much like an oolong.

Steep #1 // 30 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 min steep
The steep color is a very light mellow yellow. If this is a green tea it tastes like the mao feng types: like creamed corn or breaded corn. But the mao feng is also crossed with an oolong. There is a butteriness, a sweetness, a nuttiness, hints of vegetation (well, maybe because tea is.) It’s really very tasty. Almost like a milk oolong…

Steep #2 // 22 min after boiling // 2-3 min steep
This was another delicious cup. Less like a milk oolong this time around. But the leaves didn’t get that “oversteeped” flavor. The flavor of this one didn’t change like an oolong typically would, it was like the first steep but with slightly less flavor. I’d rather have that than the sharp oversteeped flavor. I really like this one, but I’d consider this an oolong and not a green tea.

Sidenote: I wrote this note before I noticed I mentioned most of the flavor notes that Steepster mentions! I guess my tasting is getting more refined!

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95

Thanks again for the samples, Teavivre! Always appreciated! I’m always willing to try another ripened pu-erh, especially from Teavivre. They would definitely be my source for pu-erh.

Steep #1 // 8 minutes after boiling // 1 1/2 minute steep after a rinse
I used an entire sample package of leaves. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to. The steep parameters say 10 grams, the sample size for sale on the site says 10 grams, but that could be for the 17 ounces they mention and not my 10 ounce mug. It looks like plenty of leaves: two big pieces and then some loose in the package. The cup doesn’t taste overdone anyway! The dry leaves look like a Yunnan with hints of yellow leaves in this pu-erh cake… that’s because it is a Yunnan. The flavor is nice, but probably not my favorite pu-erh from Teavivre. This deep red cup has a HINT of cedar flavor, even though I usually expect that from the raw pu-erhs. It’s very sweet though! But it’s still better than raw pu-erh in my opinion. It’s tough to explain what a pu-erh tastes like!

Steep #2 // 3 minutes after boiling // 2 min steep
This cup is much darker – it has lost the red color of the cup because it’s almost black. The flavor is the same, yet deeper as the leaves unravel. I really love Teavivre’s ‘Fengqing Zhuan Cha Ripened Pu-erh Brick Tea 2006’ and I’m considering buying a brick with my eventual next order. I can’t really remember why I liked that one SLIGHTLY more… but I don’t think it has that cedar flavor at all.

Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Just like the second steep! The more I drink pu-erh (even three big mugs in a day) the more I WANT to drink in the same day! Such a value with pu-erh leaves too… since I never get that “oversteeped” flavor with them… the third cup it’s just getting more delicious. I love pu-erh because it has the ability to be super dark and robust yet still have a mellowness to it, that doesn’t seem to ever get astringent. It’s a nice change from black teas. I’m not sure why so many people are scared of pu-erh: they deserve a chance.. give at least one ripened and one raw pu-erh a try… Teavivre is the perfect place to start sampling them.

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94

thanks again for the samples, Just Organic Tea! I’m especially up for trying a new assam. JOT’s instructions are 195 degrees. To be honest, their sample sizes look smaller than the teaspoon that I would usually use, so I thought of using less water as I was pouring too much water. :D The cup was delicious anyway! Not too light, not too strong… Even before I took a sip, I could tell this would be one of those assams that are pure tomato soup taste. Even from the fragrance! I finished off a tea recently that tasted this way: Steven Smith’s No. 49 Assam, even though the first cup I tried didn’t taste like tomato soup at all (though that had been six months before the second time I tried it.) I’m thinking my taste buds changed in those six months. Though I’d prefer to have my assam have notes that aren’t tomato soup, this is actually a very enjoyable cup (if there is one thing I can’t stand – it’s tomatoes, but tomato soup is much better.) This cup is rich but not too rich, it’s still very sweet, no astringency at all. I would swear it’s tomato soup made with milk. It almost has that consistency. It’s on the verge of being almost minerally like a volcanic oolong and it tastes a bit like iron. I never brew a cup with less than a heaping teaspoon of leaves, and I don’t usually steep black teas at 195 degrees. But this cup is so perfect, maybe I’ve been going about brewing my black teas all wrong. The second steep is nice too, just a little less tomato soupy. I could crave this once in a while.
Steep #1 // 10 minutes after boiling // 4 min steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 4 min (just half a mug of water)

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74
drank Cashew Turtle by 52teas
4170 tasting notes

Additional notes: Trying this one again a few weeks later like I said I would (well, according to my tasting notes, it has been two months and a week. Whoops.) Really, this one still has the same flavor as the last cup from the new batch did. I made sure my infuser had a cashew and plenty of chocolate nibs. The scent from the cup does still smell a bit like alcohol, but it might be better now. I’m getting hints of chocolate and cashew in the flavor, but not really any caramel unless that is what that hint of sweetness is. These flavors make the base black tea better than other flavors might. Even with the second steep, with the flavors decreased, the black base is more bearable. I see 52Teas is using all other bases than this one, like keemun, or even just honeybush, oolong, genmaicha… I love ALL of their other bases. Who even sells flavored honeybush?! Honestly, I think I’d avoid buying or even drinking this base in the future. But maybe that’s just my tastes… I see on the site they have four more pouches available for sale, if anyone wants to try it for themselves! I wish I could buy ALL of the other 52Teas right now. Monies though.
Steep #1 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 min steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 min

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Stephanie

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tea-sipper

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Kat_Maria

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tea-sipper

Yeah, I changed it to every two weeks too. Just to be kinder to my postal people. haha. Three people signed up with my code! thanks everyone! I at least wanted to get $1 off each box until the fifth box, to see if I want to continue with it. Goal met!

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74

I’m so thankful to get a package of samples from Just Organic Tea! Thank you so much! Quite a few samples. This one is up first. It’s an interesting list of ingredients: green rooibos, blueberries, hibiscus, cinnamon and some flowers. I haven’t seen a blend like this yet. And it’s decaf which is why I picked it tonight. The dry leaves smell sweet. They went into one of my T-Sacs. Just Organic Tea suggests 195 degrees for 4-5 minutes.

Steep #1 // 12 minutes after boiling // 4 – 4 1/2 minutes
I was expecting a red cup, but I realized this is GREEN rooibos. Don’t see many of those! The pinkish color is coming from the blueberry or the hibiscus then. It’s not a red cup, so it’s not a dreaded level of hibiscus. The flavor is a nice combination: I get a hint of blueberry and a little more hibiscus. The hibiscus isn’t an extreme amount, but it is dominant… that’s sad, as I would have loved a dessert-like blueberry and cinnamon cup. There isn’t much of a cinnamon presence either. I don’t like the flavor of green rooibos more than red rooibos, but this works! It’s not a blend I could be in love with, but it’s nice for what is. I’ll love the other teas from Just Organic Tea more…

ashmanra

I have never had green rooibos. How would you describe and compare the red and green. I dislike red.

tea-sipper

I had to look up my tasting note for Adagio’s green rooibos that I had a couple weeks ago. It’s also the only plain green rooibos I’ve tried. I said it was “tastes like apple or chamomile with a bit of a sourness to it”. I’d say the green is tangy and I like the flavor of the red better.

Courtney

ashmanra I also dislike red, but I can enjoy green rooibos blends. It’s not nearly as offensive to me haha.

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96
drank Energizing Chai by Zen Tea
4170 tasting notes

Additional notes: I wanted a chai pu-erh this morning so here is this one! Thank you MissB for sending a bit over! I only had two teaspoons left in my sample and I’m definitely interested in buying more when my samples run out. I adore this blend and I’m shocked more people haven’t tried it. I’m the only person in the ‘own’ list on its page! I’m a little worried because it is mostly organic (and especially the organic coconut) that this blend would taste old quick. But it’s still tasty! Maybe not as amazing fresh, of course, but still tasty. I have even more appreciation for this one now because it has chocolate carob which I really love now – really nice chocolate flavor. The vanilla beans crunching in my teeth. Slight coconut and pepper flavor. It’s a very earthy blend. I’m surprised the yerba mate is green and not the roasted kind, but steeping it boiling doesn’t seem to ruin the mate. If you’re a fan of pu-erh, this is definitely one to try. I wish a bought a couple sample pouches with my recent Zen order just to add to teaboxes. Did I sell this one enough? I’d love for more people to give it a try.

Stephanie

This DOES sounds really good!

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82
drank Sweet Yerba Mate by Samovar
4170 tasting notes

Ouch. Harsh. 47 rating for this one?!? No way…. excuse me while my rating makes this one higher than 47:
Another from Rachel’s sale a while ago – thanks again! This might be my favorite of the Samovar yerba mates I have tried. This one has some licorice in the blend and it really adds a sweet flavor that pairs really well with the yerba mate. Smooths it out. I just love the earthiness. I thought star anise was licorice though, but this isn’t star anise. Searching the Wikipedia page and it says they aren’t related. hmm. I wonder why I thought that. The color of the cup is very green – a very unique color.. I haven’t even seen other yerba mates look like this. Very good. Maybe Samovar has improved this one since the other tasting notes? Most of my Samovar yerba mates have half a teaspoon left, so it looks like I’ll be combining some of them to steep. (I guess these were supposedly one cup samples anyway.)
Steep #1 // 30 mins after boiling // 2-3 min
Steep#2 // 15 mins after boiling // 3 min

LiberTEAS

Star Anise has a very licorice-y flavor.

tea-sipper

Well, that would confuse me then. haha.

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84
drank Pineapple Oolong by DAVIDsTEA
4170 tasting notes

This one is thanks to Janelle! I was craving an apricot oolong and lo and behold I actually had one (with pineapple too!) There are big pieces of apricot and pineapple in this bright green bundled oolong. I used a teaspoon and a quarter to even out the amount for the sipdown..

Steep #1 // 22 min after boiling // 4 min steep
There is an off-putting scent to the cup before I take a sip… almost like the preservatives of the pineapple & apricot or something… but it disappears further down the cup. I’ve had a stray oolong actually taste like pineapple on its own, so this is the perfect pairing. The color of the cup actually is pineapple colored (yet clear of course). The flavor is nice – the pineapple blends with the oolong. I’m not sure I’m actually tasting apricot. Haven’t had too many of those anyway. I can’t really taste the oolong on its own. The pineapple could have tasted fresher though… there was something preservative-like about it… like a candied pineapple rather than a freshly chopped juicy pineapple, but that is to be expected. Dries the mouth a bit, though it’s thirst quenching in a way. I could probably drink the entire cup within seconds.

Steep #2 // 22 min after boiling // 6-7 min
I would think 6-7 minutes would oversteep these leaves (it was Davidstea’s suggestion) but they really didn’t. It makes the oolong taste more like the pineapple and the pineapple has lost that preservative flavor, so it’s a better cup. (Maybe I should have rinsed the leaves the first cup?) There is a mellowness and a sweetness to it. I’m really surprised these leaves didn’t get tangy. I had the second steep with some actual pineapple chunks with my breakfast this morning. I love pineapple. This isn’t a bad blend – I would have liked more apricot flavor.

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82

Additional notes: Sipdown! I think I used way too many leaves than I should have but it tastes okay – the flavor is actually intense at first – but in a super green tea way, not in an astringent way. I expect the second steep will taste like a ridiculous amount of strawberries like the last time. Make way for the Teavivre green tea samples on their way!

ETA: No strawberries this time around on the second steep. hmm.

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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
Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
Mandala
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

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