412 Tasting Notes

69
drank Green Chai by Dragonwater
412 tasting notes

Wanted something warm and spicy, but mild and not needing milk, today. This was perfect – sweet green tea with almond and clove. The clove is really standing out today. Looks like it’s back in stock over at Dragonwater, so yay! They’re one of the companies that got me into tea.

1tsp, 3.5 oz water, short steeps

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 45 sec

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80
drank Four Seasons by Samovar
412 tasting notes

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90
drank Love by TeaFrog
412 tasting notes

Swiftly becoming my go-to evening tea – creamy, citrusy sweet with no additives.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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90
drank Love by TeaFrog
412 tasting notes

yum yum yum… so happy my full Teafrog order arrived! This is so delicious, orange, and sweet. Tasty plain or delicious with milk and sugar.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more

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75
drank Masala Chai II by TeaFrog
412 tasting notes

Got my Teafrog order today! I actually tossed this in as an afterthought, having forgotten that they offer a free sample with every order. So! I used a little less than a teaspoon, because the spices smelled very strong and the black tea is tiny CTC pellets: 3/4tsp for 7oz water seems to have worked fine. The dry leaf smells pretty strongly of anise to me, but the taste is more balanced. With milk and sugar this is a good, spicy chai that I might buy more of (I don’t think I’d want to drink it plain though). I might stretch it by adding some plain black tea next time.

ETA: Lasted fine through 3 steeps, with a little extra Assam. It’s a very nice blend, somehow managing to be spicy without either a pepper or ginger kick.

3/4tsp leaf, 7oz water

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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83
drank 1001 Nights by TeaFrog
412 tasting notes

Having this iced, sweetened, and with milk tonight at G’s request; ’tis the last of the sample, but more should be arriving soon!

It’s surprisingly good like this – something about the chill or the milk actually makes it taste like flowers instead of fruit! Still pretty sweet, even on its own, but a tiny dash of sugar turns this into a dessert tea like violet ice cream. Mmmm…

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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80
drank Bleu Peacock by Mighty Leaf Tea
412 tasting notes

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59

Still a very fake vanilla (which tastes even stranger laid over the real mint and chamomile) but it is soothing, and sometimes it’s nice to just toss a bag in a mug for bedtime.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

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21
drank Sweet Thai Delight by Yogi Tea
412 tasting notes

Thanks to Lisbet for the sample! (I know I rated it badly, but I do like getting to try new teas)

(Backlogging) I wanted to like this, I really did :( It’s sweet, and cinnamony, but I just couldn’t get past the anise. I’m a licorice hater. I really couldn’t drink this hot, so I put it in the frige overnight and tried it cold with lots of milk the next day. That was… drinkable, so if you only have a mild anise dislike, cold+cream might work for you. The rooibos is detectable, and a perfectly good base for this blend.

Anyway, between anise, my distaste for chicory, and the fact that my mother only drank herbal teas when I was a child, there’s good reason that I thought for years I didn’t like tea!

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more
gmathis

Yogi is way too licorice happy…I thnk I have yet to try one I really liked; there’s a cocoa spice that isn’t too bad.

teabird

Lisbet sent me a bag of that too! I just haven’t reviewed it yet. It was definitely better, but the chicory still kinda puts me off :( That one gets into pretty much any herbal blend that rooibos doesn’t.

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Profile

Bio

Some notes on ratings:

I’d have separate rating scales for tea types if that were possible (probably Black, Flavored Black, Darjeeling/Dark Oolong, White/Green/Light Oolong, and Herbal) because the flavors and quality markers are just too different. A flavored black rated 100 isn’t better than every oolong I’ve ever drunk, just delicious for a flavored black.

Ratings are a combination of my enjoyment and the perceived quality – I do often demote teas a few points for artificial flavorings, small quantity of steeps supported, or weakness of flavor (requiring extra leaf).

I pay less attention to the number than the order of my ratings; I don’t necessarily keep a stock of everything rated 80+, but if two breakfast blends are rated 82 and 84 I consistently enjoy the 84 more.

And in case it’s not obvious? I am not an expert. I don’t even know what I like until I taste it sometimes, but I’m ok with that :) I like learning to like new teas, as well as enjoying the comfort of familiar ones.

Location

Boston, MA

Website

http://www.twitter.com/_teabird

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