239 Tasting Notes

70

Hmmm, I taste neither pumpkin nor any kind of spicy chai-ness in this tea.

You know those country themed stores that sell signs made of burlap with the words Peace, Love, Family on them? They sell candles that smell like blueberry muffins and sugar cookies? That’s what this tea tastes like to me.

The dominating flavor is fake butter with cinnamon, clove, and brown sugar. It’s JUST like those candles.

The base has a bit of that malty black flavor.

Hmm…not for me I think.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec
Shae

I was disappointed when I first had this one too. It’s just not at all what I expected.

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85

Not much time to write, unfortunately, but I wanted to get this out there before Steepster blew up again.

There’s not much to the base on this one, maybe a bit of toasty savoriness.

Coconut is strong and fake, which is good if you’re in the mood for that. I was, so yay.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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85
drank Glitter & Gold by DAVIDsTEA
239 tasting notes

Not too bad for a flavored tea, but I am kind of “over” most flavored teas. This must be the newer version, since I didn’t get any cool glitter effect.

There is some malt and astringency; that’s pretty much all there is of the base. Tastes like a cheap Indian base, which hey, I’m cool with.

Of course, the flavors mask the tea, since this is Davids. There’s maple, brown sugar, almond extract, vanilla, a little bit of creamy saltiness. It’s a nice dessert tea.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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87

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written. It’s been a while since I’ve tried a new tea! I’ve mostly been sipping down flavored stuff lately.

This one was perfect for this afternoon, since I started the morning off with a green. Wet leaf smells of caramel and chocolate. It reminds me a bit of some Chinese blacks, aroma-wise. There could be a little orange peel in there, something fruity. The brew smells of a weaker version of the same. However, a coworker said he got mushrooms off of the brew, so…who knows?

I brewed this one strong, like Valerian steel. I poured that entire 10g into my 155ml gaiwan and gave it a good 5 seconds. It’s strong! Malted, bitter orange caramel bomb. The brew is orangey red in its anger, and very Indian tasting.

As strong as I brewed it, I’m half expecting it to get out of the cup and run away. But for the expected bitterness, there’s very little astringency. A credit to the leaf?

I

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 10 g 5 OZ / 155 ML
Daylon R Thomas

Like Valerian steel XD

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75
drank Long Life Oolong by DAVIDsTEA
239 tasting notes

I was craving some peaches and cream oatmeal today, so I thought I would save myself the calories and make this instead.

It’s very peachy, but there’s something sharp smelling in the flavoring that’s like alcohol and rooibos. It’s pretty fakey, and that’s putting me off a bit. The tea base itself is nowhere to be found.

And I still want peaches and cream.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 30 sec
MrQuackers

I threw this in a mug with a filter, the other day. After a very very long steep, it was great.

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93
drank Milk Oolong by Rosali Tea
239 tasting notes

Another sample from a tea friend trade. Working through the samples!

Green beany smelling, a fresher, higher quality leaf than I am used to smelling in a flavored milk oolong. The Jin Xuan green flavor is strong in the brew, making it bright and green tasting. Sometimes it’s oddly dark green and a little umami.

There’s a little of the caramel milk flavor, but it’s light. It manages to linger through the many steeps I took this through. Though it starts out with no apricot in the beginning, it grows much stronger later.

Thanks for a lovely sample, tea friend!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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91

Got a sample of this as a gift from a tea friend, thank you!

The dry leaf smells of woody oak and pine. It’s very sweet smelling, like a cigar. There’s even a tiny bit of smoke, as though someone is BBQing ribs over a pine fire miles away.

The brew is mostly like the smell. It’s a clean, woody pine forest with a little smoke. The mouthfeel is smooth like velvet. It seems long lasting for a shou.

I think one of my favorite shous so far.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec

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97

I was just going to sip this down, but it was so good that I think I am going to keep it around. First of all, it lasted well for two steeps, which is pretty impressive in my book. I don’t typically have the desire to actually drink the second steeping of a flavored blend like this, as it’s usually a more disappointing version of the first steep. Talk about a depressing cup of tea!

This is the kind of tea that is very obviously meant to show off their coconut (flavoring), which I have had in two blends now and is amazing. The tea is all about the coconut and vanilla flavor, which reminds me of Jello instant pudding. I am always picking up the almond extracty taste (alcohol and all) a little, but it gets a bit stronger as the brew cools.

The mouthfeel is a bit thin, and the black base is almost nowhere to be found except the slightest bit of malt and astringency. But it makes up for it in custardy creamy flavor. I am almost afraid to know what a latte version of this would taste like.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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84
drank Spearmint by Adagio Teas
239 tasting notes

Difficult to mess this one up—it’s straight spearmint leaf!

Tastes just like it should; it’s like drinking spearmint gum. I’m not a huge fan of mint, but this spearmint is okay if I’m in the mood for it.

Makes a good pre-sleep tea, as it reminds me a little of brushing my teeth.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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88
drank Red Jade GABA by Origins Tea
239 tasting notes

This was another of my samples from the reddit giveaway.

First off, let me say that my coworkers and I wholeheartedly disagree with the tasting notes on the bag, which said that the tea tasted of sourdough and honey.

But this tea was quite nice. It had a warm, comforting feel to it, as well as that undefinable Christmas flavor that I chase after in the greener oolongs. My coworker and I were trying to define that flavor. It’s spicy—nutmeg maybe? Sweet potatoes? She thought she maybe tasted some evergreen tree in there.

Of course, floral was the predominate flavor, but it wasn’t overwhelming like the Jin Xuan. The only thing that II could really fault this tea for is that it is temperamental. It is easily made astringent and even a bit bitter if brewed too long.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
Daylon R Thomas

I’ve seen some describe dark and greener oolongs using mint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, menthol, and pine for that escalating mouth feel, sometimes in the taste. I’ve had a Cui Ruan that had a weird cinnamon cream thing going on amongst all its grassiness. The darker roast thing that goes one with the Vietnam Buffalo sometimes reminds me of chestnut, but not always. It’s very fall-winter tea making me think of that holiday too.

Does any of this match to what you are talking about or am I just rattling on your page lol?

Hoálatha

I’m thinking maybe I resonate with the the cinnamon (but maybe with sweet potato), cream, and pine. Chestnut maybe? I would have to be tasting one and thinking of chestnuts to see if I could taste that.

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