Shogun

I made this one iced again and it turned out very differently. I may have steeped it a little too long. It was still very refreshing and fruit-filled but it finished a little peppery. It also had a distinct horseradish aftertaste. This may sound a bit unappetizing at first but I had this with a cold salad containing slices of beef and it was actually a perfect compliment to the meal.

My initial view of this tea may be a bit skewed since I just downed a chipotle chocolate chip cookie. The tea makes me sad that it isn’t rhubarb season any longer. The rhubarb is the champion when you first smell this tea with the raspberry creeping up faintly behind it. The color is that of a traditional green tea and once the steeping has finished the wonderful sweet smell is nearly gone. Though while you sip the smell slightly charges and reminds you of whats to come. Once again the rhubarb rules this tea as you drink it. At first you get that slight earthy green tea tone quickly followed by the slightly bitter sweetness of the rhubarb. Overall a very enjoyable tea, though I suspect that once the heated treat I just recently consumed fades away the teas flavor will stand out even more.

Smells so amazing. One of my favorite teas.

I think I’m just about ready to give up on my quest for a great (or even good) rhubarb tea. I tried this one hot and cold-steeped, and in neither iteration could I taste anything really identifiable as rhubarb, raspberry, or vanilla—just some vague fruity/sweet notes piled on top of a rather vegetal base. There was an unpleasant chemical note to it, as well, which reminded me of my unfortunate run-in with DF’s The des Marquises recently.

Interestingly, when I forgot to take my brew basket out of the cold steep and accidentally let it go for 12+ hours, the chemical taste was much reduced (as opposed to the 6-hour mark, when it was still going strong). I still got an odd combination of vegetal base plus muddled fruits, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

I think this was my first blend from TeaG—my parents went to Chicago a few weeks back and were kind enough to pick it up for me—and I can’t say it was everything I’d hoped for. Still, their Earl Grey, which my parents also brought back, is nice enough that I’m still looking forward to trying some more of their stuff in the future.

An Ode to Tea challenge #2– S

oh darn, really thought this would be a sipdown when I measured it out!  But next time.  The flavor here is lasting quite a while.  Tasting: Raspberry.  Rhubarb.  Vanilla.  I had to look at the description to see if these were actually in the tea (I haven’t had this much and it’s old) and yes, all three of these flavors were there.  I like this combination!  I wouldn’t mind having this stocked. I love a tea with lasting, accurate flavors.   That probably means this last serving will linger around.