5 Tasting Notes
This is my favorite tea available at the market. It’s perfect. I have it at all times of day including before bed and it’s the best tea. It’s light — it’s sort of smokey and definitely fruity, but there is also a nutty/buttery sort of taste/and feel to the tea. Unlike some other oolongs I have – you need to watch the steep time. With Choice oolong I leave the tea bag in the entire time I drink the tea and it never gets bitter. To me it only taste even better. This is really a great tea. Try Bigelow’s Chinese Oolong and then try Choice oolong if you are looking to really compare and contrast oolong tea. Definitely buy this.
Pu-Erh tea has been getting a lot of press lately for being a great metabolism booster… Amazing energy properties and wonderful antioxidants. I saw a box of 100 at a local Asian market for VERY CHEAP. It’s funny because at the nature food store down the road it’s nearly double the price. I was skeptical of the quality since you get 100 bags! Lipton doesn’t even give you that much… I brewed my first up, and I was sort of grossed out. It reminded me of Fukijima…muddy, earthy, a little bit mushroomy, but my taste buds detect seaweed…. or some green/sea type plant. Nonetheless I finished the cup. Every time I brew it — I am glad I am one tea bag down from the 100. Pu-Erh is not my cup of tea, but this Prince of Peace is not so bad especially for the price and it is drinkable. I mean… without sugar it really reminds me of basement must… which is a nice comforting quality… I suppose. The tea isn’t bitter. It has a little kick to it, but really it is mostly the smell and the FIRST taste that gets me… as you swallow the tea and let it linger in your mouth it isn’t so bad. I would recommend trying this if you can find it for 3.99. 100 tea bags is great and you can share it with your friends and see what they think.
I tried Pink Flamingo on a whim and it is pretty amazing. The dry tea smells citrusy and sweet with the last note being a menthol (refreshing) scent. I have had it hot about 3 times and really love it. It isn’t really tangy (maybe a slight zing), but not that prominent. Yes, this would be amazing iced with some agave… But I also enjoy it hot. The carrots add a nice mouth-feel… If you steep it for a while it reminds me of a delicious vitamin C infused broth (some of you are like “yuck”) but its delicious.
“What do you want for your birthday?”
“Matcha!”
“What?”
That’s right… Matcha. It’s perfect…. This Matcha Matsu isn’t a super high grade matcha, but it’s a heck of a lot better than anything you get at another coffee/tea shop (mostly because you can determine how sweet or unsweet you want this to be). It’s really too good to be true. I like it plain, I like it steamed, I like it mixed with ice and blended with almond or soy milk. You can’t go wrong. A little of this matcha goes a long way and it’s potency is incredible. I find myself more energized after drinking an 8 oz serving of matcha versus any of the mates I’ve had recently.
The first sip is…. earthy. I don’t know how to describe matcha… It’s earthy, yet nutty, sort of creamy in a weird way. It’s a unique flavor. I think pine is an interesting note — and it’s definitely in there, but I would just say “earthy” which encompasses moss, pine, seaweed, and fog. Everything. It’s really a blissful experience. Pouring, measuring, wisking. The key lime green color. This is the perfect birthday gift for me. Thanks mom!
Preparation
I can’t sleep and I’m bored — probably not wise to drink a black tea at 1 AM, but I don’t care. I’m in the mood for something tasty.
Saigon Chai is a pretty decent chai tea. I like it better than Coco Chai Rooibos only because coconut is such a strong flavor in most of the DavidsTeas I’ve had. I don’t feel like coconut in January. Not today at least… Saigon Chai is very nice. I am on a second steep and I left it in a little too long so it is sort of astringent. I enjoyed the first steep a little more which was only about 4 minutes. It’s just a nice, warming cup of chai. I taste clove and cinnamon immediately, and then as I swallow the tea I feel the bite of the peppercorn. I do like the peppercorns in DavidsTea chai. The first sip you definitely feel the bite of them (not like an atomic firebomb… it’s a nice bite) — it’s very warming. Also cloves… I pick up clove immediately only because I am partial to the scent and flavor. This is great… nothing TOO unique, but I’m glad I received the sample of this. I always get chai samples though…. Sigh.
