2725 Tasting Notes
Sipdown! (35 | 35)
Yum, such a tasty genmaicha.
I love genmaicha in general, but there’s definitely a range of quality. A lot of them have too much or too little rice, or the base is just not good. This one has a standard bancha base, yet it’s so tasty with mellow notes of sun-dried grass, hay, and toasted nori. Super smooth and satisfyingly brothy. And of course, the rice adds a rich, toasty, nutty flavor that makes it supremely cozy.
Yum yum yum. Happily I have another full-sized pouch of this to sip through! :D
Flavors: Broth, Butter, Dry Grass, Grain, Hay, Roasted, Roasted Nuts, Savory, Seaweed, Smooth, Sweet, Thick, Toasted Rice
Preparation
Sipdown! (34 | 34)
So for some reason, I’ve been drinking a lot of breakfast black teas with milk and sugar lately, which is extremely unlike me. I think it started because I was craving some comfort with the onset of cooler weather recently, and then I just kept doing it. So that was the case for most of this mini tin, as Ceylon isn’t my favorite and lends itself well to additions.
Having this last cuppa plain though, and it’s fairly tasty this way. Getting a lot more sticky dried fruit notes than I remember, particularly golden raisin. Also tastes a bit like generic iced tea. Fairly smooth, though I did keep the steep a bit short because of the dusty bits at the bottom of the tin.
4 down, 20 to go! x.x
Flavors: Dried Fruit, Hay, Metallic, Raisins, Smooth, Tea
Preparation
Sipdown! (33 | 33)
Another one that I noticed was low after packing up a tea package!
Still one of my favorites from Lupicia, I actually like it better than both Melon and Momo oolongs even though those tend to be more popular (IMO). Such a lovely sweet, luscious mango flavor on a silky smooth green oolong base. The light floral notes from the base really melds perfectly with the mango, making it a touch more aromatic.
So yummy! Happily, I have another unopened package somewhere, and also this is a permanent tea so I can restock it whenever I please. :3
Flavors: Floral, Mango, Mineral, Nectar, Peach, Silky, Smooth, Sweet, Thick
Preparation
Sipdown! (26 | 26)
I sent out a packet of this with a recent sample package for a new Instagram tea friend. And since that left me with only a single 5g sample left, I figured I’d finish it off! But never fear, I still have a couple of unopened 25g packages of this one… ;)
I love sakura… It has such an unusual but delicious flavor – light and floral, sweet and fruity, yet herbaceous and savory as well. Unlike anything else, really. This one doesn’t actually have any salt added to the sakura, but it still has that slight salinity to it. The sencha base is scrumptious as well, über smooth with a wonderful blend of vegetal sweetness, refreshing grassiness, and complex umami notes.
Such a well-balanced tea, and one I’ll have to stock up on each year while it’s available! I also have a sakura and mint tisane from Obubu that I’m excited to try. :D
Flavors: Broth, Cherry, Cut Grass, Floral, Fruity, Grass, Herbaceous, Mineral, Round, Sakura, Salt, Savory, Seaweed, Smooth, Spinach, Sweet, Umami, Vegetal, Viscous
Preparation
I love Obubu and am happy to support them, but the subscription is definitely not cost effective. It’s around $27 per month and you get four shipments per year, so it’s over $80 per shipment. Each one is usually 25g of 6 different teas, so 150g total.
So a couple of weeks ago, I somehow found myself on the Andrews & Dunham website. I don’t recall how, maybe I saw something on Steepster that made me curious to see what teas they had in stock. Regardless, I found this tea in stock and promptly ordered a tin. I have four of their other teas and they’re always enjoyable, if slightly neglected in my cupboard. I then promptly forgot about the purchase.
So fast forward to two days ago, this tea showed up at my doorstep and ooh, what a lovely surprise gift from my (slightly) past self! XD
I admit, I was slightly nervous when I smelled the dry leaf, as the smoke dominates the aroma. I don’t dislike smoked teas, in fact I often quite enjoy them, but it’s not something I drink often, and sometimes I do find them a bit too smoky. But I needn’t have worried, this is very well-balanced. The smokiness is obvious, but it’s not the only thing I taste, and it has a lovely savory meaty flavor as opposed to a charred or ashy one. Underneath is a lovely sweetness, an earthy woodiness, and also a satisfyingly chewy bread note. Perhaps a touch of dark dried fruit as well?
Very yummy, and I certainly don’t regret ordering it on a whim. I haven’t been disappointed by A&D yet! :)
Flavors: Bread, Charcoal, Dried Fruit, Earthy, Malt, Meat, Savory, Smoke, Smoked, Smooth, Sweet, Thick, Wood
Preparation
Sipdown! (25 | 25)
Warm, cozy chrysanthemum tisane. The little sample packets were stuffed to the brim with small white blossoms.
The main flavor note for me is somewhere between chamomile and musty hay. It has a very soothing gentle and sweet herbaceous flavor. There’s a touch of sweetness that reminds me of licorice root as well. And of course, that signature pepperiness that I always find in chrysanthemum. Perhaps a touch of cooling, menthol-like flavor at the end of the sip?
It sounds like an odd combination, but it comes together in a somewhat complex yet easy-drinking tisane. There’s a brothiness to it that just feels so restorative to me, perfect for winding down at the end of the night.
Flavors: Anise, Broth, Chamomile, Grain, Hay, Herbaceous, Honey, Licorice Root, Menthol, Musty, Pepper, Savory, Straw, Sweet, Thick, Viscous
Preparation
Sipdown! (24 | 24)
Another Fortnum mini tin down! (only 21 more to go… o.o)
This is a fairly enjoyable strawberry black tea. Definitely a more candylike strawberry IMO, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It reminds me of those strawberry candies with the strawberry-print wrapper that are juicy in the middle. Sweet strawberry with just a bit of tartness to it, which keeps it from being cloying. The base here is almost certainly a Chinese black tea, as it’s completely smooth with a strong earthy character. A bit of musty hay as well.
Overall a pleasant tea to sip on, but nothing to write home about. Now that I think about it though, I’m not sure there are any strawberry teas that I’ve really loved. At least, not plain strawberry. So maybe it’s just not my thing.
Flavors: Artificial, Candy, Earth, Smooth, Strawberry, Sweet, Tart, Wood
Preparation
I love those candies! But you’re so right—a really good strawberry tea that tastes like actual berry is hard to find.
Mine is all gone as this was a favorite and one of the first to be finished off! Tomorrow I hope to put a big dent in two more mini tins.
Sipdown! (23 | 23)
Another pair of Teavivre samples down!
This is a lovely jasmine tea. The leaves are beautiful – white and downy and spiraled up into cute little rounds. As for the taste, the jasmine is very strong, but it’s sweet and juicy, almost fruity, and decidedly natural-tasting. I don’t taste much of the green tea because the jasmine is so powerful, but it’s quite smooth with a bit of minerality. Overall, this tastes like drinking pure jasmine nectar.
Delicious. I’m really not sure how I’ll pick which jasmine tea to get when I eventually get around to ordering from Teavivre…
Flavors: Floral, Flowers, Fruity, Jasmine, Juicy, Lychee, Mineral, Nectar, Round, Smooth, Spring Water, Sweet, Thick
Preparation
So a Canadian friend of mine from Instagram asked me to order some of this and ship it to her, since the company doesn’t ship to Canada. I figured while I was at it, I would order an extra package and try it myself!
Yeah, no. The ginger is quite spicy, which I don’t mind actually. However, otherwise it’s essentially like drinking brown sugar water. It’s so sweet and too much for me, ha ha… I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since it’s literally a block of brown sugar and I assume date syrup, with some ginger mixed in.
Luckily I know she loves it so I’m planning to pass on the rest of my pouch along to her! :)
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Ginger, Spicy, Sugar, Sweet
Preparation
Another one from the sub box.
This is going into my rehoming box, as I don’t enjoy almond extract/marzipan-type flavorings in tea – I tend to find it cloying. Marzipan is the main flavor here, and it’s accented by sweet and warming cinnamon. I don’t really taste coconut at all. It’s also a bit sweet for me, which is a common issue with Deb’s teas.
But I’m sure someone else will enjoy it, so I’ll put it aside for a swap or TTB. :)
Flavors: Amaretto, Cinnamon, Marzipan, Sugar, Sweet
This post makes me smile. Thank you.
Ha ha I don’t know why, but you’re welcome? XD
I love good genmaichas. Here, there’s a balance of all the things and I especially like the toastiness and coziness of the rice.
Genmaicha is the epitome of cozy tea to me! Also hojicha. ❤
Agreed – genmaicha is the coziest tea. :D