411 Tasting Notes
From; http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1775/tea-review-special-tea-brew-lemon-ginger-snap-2/
I wish I was at home, reading a book on a nice summer afternoon, because this tea deserves that. Or at least it deserves a little more than sitting in my boring cube at work in the middle of winter. A nice light tea, with strong ginger and lemon tones. While mild, this cloudy sage-green brew is not subtle. It is definitely GINGER and Lemon. Ginger is the strongest element, and comes out more in the flavor while the lemon flavor comes out more in the scent. The herbal element here is more to the fore than the tea element; it really feels more like a herbal than a flavored green tea. The blend works well both sweetened and unsweetened. I also bet this would be lovely iced.
First time I tried this, I loved it to pieces.
Then, a few weeks ago, I was in San Fran, so I got to try it live and in person at one of their locations. And surprisingly, it was not as good as I remember. But because I loved it so much before, I bought some to take home.
So, I’m trying it this morning. And it’s not quite living up to the hype again, but is better than it was at their location. I think I like it stronger than they tend to serve.
I’m not dropping the score yet, but it I’m not as thrilled with the next few cups, I will.
Aigh! I had a lovely big pot of this and Sunday and used up almost all my tea before today, and today GIANT SNOWSTORM. It would have been perfect for today.
As always, love this tea.
I am so impressed, very very impressed with the Red Blossom Tea Company. I’m in town, visiting relatives, and forced them all to go to tea shops with me. We hiked up Grant street and found the pretty little shop. I mentioned to one of the shop clerks that I found out about them on Steepster. Another (whose name I later learned was Peter (?) mentioned that he’d read the review that Angrboda wrote about the Heritage Ainji. So I got to say – hey – that was me that sent it to her! Peter then let us try 3 or 4 of their oolong teas. And I just have to say, he was wonderful. He really took time to talk to us about the teas and explain a little bit of why they were like they were. (elevation, etc) And they were understaffed, it being the day after Christmas. So I was extra impressed with his time, attention, and care.
This was my favorite of the teas that we tried today. It’s a greener oolong with very floral and bright notes at the start, moving to a creamy and slightly astringent finish at the end. I splurged and got 2 oz of it for special occasions. Lovely brew, great company.