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“An Ode to Tea” Alphabet Challenge – I

Another swap tea. Not one I would generally choose for myself, as it’s both an Adagio tea AND a chocolate tea, ha ha…

It’s fine. The Assam-Ceylon base is actually fairly tasty – malty and flavorful but only slightly astringent. The chocolate is very boozy and artificial, it reminds me of these carob-flavored chewable vitamins I used to have as a child.

Overall, it is rather stout-esque, as both the tea and the chocolate are dark, deep flavors. Not something I would ever order, but not bad!

ETA: It just occurred to me, this tastes just like Tootsie Rolls!

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Instagram swap tea! I just had to request this one in a swap, because the combination sounded too interesting to pass up.

However, I don’t really get pineapple here? It’s mostly sage, and there is a vague, slightly fruity sweetness to it, but I would never identify it as pineapple. Apple, maybe?

I’m not a sage lover, but it’s not over-the-top at least. It’s still a fairly mellow sage flavor that seems like it would be pleasant as an herbal tisane before bed.

But I wish there was pineapple! T.T

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Finishing off the last little packet from a Tea Club shipment of this. But I still have an unopened full-size packet, hooray! \o/

What a yummy, well-balanced sencha this is. Sweet, rich, vegetal, grassy, creamy, nutty, umami, hint of fruitiness – all in perfect harmony. Just a touch of bitterness, which really is a necessity for me. It’s very creamy and nutty up front, then transitions a bit to a richer vegetal and umami phase, and finishes with a nice refreshing and clean grass note and hint of pleasant astringency. There’s a little whisper of fruity floral there as well.

Love it. So happy I have another 80 grams!

“An Ode to Tea” Alphabet Challenge – H

Another one from the Lupicia group order that I haven’t tried yet! I’m digging this alphabet challenge, it’s a nice way to get a little break from the swap teas and small packets I usually work through.

This tea is decent, but it’s sort of generically tropical. I definitely get some mango, but it’s not very distinct. Overall there’s more of a tropical fruit punch sort of vibe in my opinion, and the flavors are a bit muddled. The base is also more astringent than I would like.

I’m still enjoying the cuppa, but I definitely prefer their Alphonso Mango, which has a nice juicy mango flavor and I think a nicer base? But won’t have any trouble finishing my 25g of this!

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Finishing off another tasty Taiwanese black tea sample this morning! This one is actually from Lishan, which is obviously famous for high-mountain oolongs. It’ll be interesting to see how those notes carry over in a black tea!

I can definitely see some similarities to a Lishan oolong. This has a lovely smooth creaminess to it, and the ubiquitous notes of nectarous peach. Happily for me, it’s not quite as floral as I generally find high-mountain oolongs, but there are some lovely light floral notes at the end of the sip. It also has some lower raisiny tones, and another fruity note that reminds me of overripe grapes. The bread and honey that I often find in Taiwanese black teas are there as well, rounding out the middle, as well as a hint of musty hay at the top of my mouth.

Super yummy! I like the extra creamy and peachy flavors here, and it’s definitely on the light end of things.

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Yum, this is one of my favorites from Obubu, and possibly my favorite hojicha full-stop.

It has such a light and mellow roasted flavor that’s not overpowering, and a lovely clear sweetness that lingers on the tongue. Notes of roasted nuts and grains, and crispy autumn leaves. And perhaps a hint of fruitiness, like sweet golden raisins.

And bonus, because of the maturity of the leaves and the roasting, it’s virtually caffeine-free! Oh-so-comforting and cozy for the evening.

This is the end of my bigger pouch of this, luckily Obubu just sent this out in the March subscription box, so I have a fresh 25 grams!

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So happy to get the chance to try this one via a swap, as I was very interested when I saw it on the Harney website, but wasn’t willing to pay $15 to try it.

This is definitely the best gingerbread tea I’ve had. It really does taste like a cookie, and has oodles of molasses flavor to really sell the gingerbread angle. The spicing is light and sweet, a nice mix of ginger, cinnamon, and a touch of clove.

I’m not sure whether I’ll order it or not… It’s a bit on the expensive side and I honestly don’t really crave spiced teas often. But I could definitely see picking some up once fall and winter come around again!

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“An Ode to Tea” Alphabet Challenge – G

Yay, time for another National Park tea! No idea what eleuthero root or pau d’arco should taste like, but I’ve had some prickly pear-flavored things before, and they’re usually sort of vaguely fruity and tart, but tasty! And almost always fuchsia, ha ha…

I’m really liking this tea! So far, most of the National Park teas have been quite good, which I’m pleasantly surprised about. This has a subtle fruity-tart flavor to it that reminds me quite a bit of rhubarb. And I love rhubarb, so that’s a good thing! Not sure about the other herbal-y ingredients, I don’t get much of an herbal/earthy note here. Bit of hay maybe? The base is very mellow with a soft woodiness. Something is adding a nice bit of sweetness, not sure what that is, but I dig it!

Another yummy one from the National Park collection! Not sure that I need it in my cupboard, since I already have a couple of rhubarb teas. But very happy to have tried it!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNYa1AnBy_R/

“An Ode to Tea” Alphabet Challenge – F

This is from the group order at the end of last year, and I’m just now getting around to trying it. I don’t have much left, as I split this tea originally and then sent some out in a couple of swaps…

It’s much better than I remember! Although I did recall this being the best of the fruit + chocolate teas. The raspberry is somewhere between fresh and candy, and the chocolate is cocoa-y and adds a nice depth and richness. The base is slightly astringent, but I’m not surprised since it’s a CTC blend, and next time I could knock 30 seconds or so off the steep time.

I bet this would make a scrumptious milk tea also. Glad to have a little of it back in my cupboard again!

Ooh, so excited! I adore sakura sencha, but this is the first time I’ve seen one from Obubu, and they were kind enough to include it in the March subscription box! \o/

I was surprised that the instructions recommend only 120ml of water for the 5g packet. But I suppose maybe it makes sense given there’s less actual tea than usual here, because of the added sakura blossoms and leaves. So I got to use a cute baby teapot!

This is so lovely. The base tea here is their Sencha of the Spring Sun, which is an unshaded spring-harvest sencha. It has some lovely vegetal spinach and umami notes, with a bit of fresh green grass on the side. There is virtually no bitterness, but a touch of astringency on the tail end with this fairly long steep time. It’s an excellent choice to pair with the sakura, as its flavor is mellow enough not to be overpowering. I love the taste of sakura, but I feel like I always have a hard time describing it in other words. There’s definitely some cherry, though it’s more subtle than you would expect from the name “cherry blossom”. It has a wonderful savoriness to it that really sets it apart from other flowers, and the floral presence is soft and light.

Not sure how this compares to my beloved Chasandai sakura sencha, I’d probably need to sip them side-by-side. It’s definitely different, because the Chasandai version has sugared leaves in it, which adds an extra sweetness. Although looking at the Yunomi website, it looks like it might be discontinued now…? T.T

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNV9yT1A4e9/