New Tasting Notes

59
drank Earl Grey by Twinings
1315 tasting notes

Old Tea Bag Sip Down
Part 5 & 6
Well, this is interesting. My parents had two of these but they both have different packaging. The first looks like the picture attached to this page. Yellow cream color and the second has a maroon box in the middle. The second one certainly beats the first in the dry aroma. The bergamot is very strong.
1: Wet aroma is lacking. Slightly woody with a hint of citrus. Nice liquor color. Rose and dark cherry wood. This must be the older one. It tastes like it’s been sitting for a few years too long. Vapid with a hint of citrus.

2. Wet aroma is kind of woody with a hint of bergamot. A hint darker than its predecessor with the same colors. Olf in flavor with a higher amount of bergamot flavor. A lingering camphor feeling along with a woody note.

So far I have learned that black and herbal teas last longer in tea bags then green does.

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87
drank Bi Luo Chun by Dobra Tea
206 tasting notes

Another sample I took home from Dobra. Have been away from my tea the last week as I am in the ICU and worked 90+ hrs last week ughhh. But today is my day off and I’m reunited at last!

This is my first Bi Luo Chun and I’m intrigued. Rolled into curls, but not balls like a ball-rolled oolong. It is primarily savory and not particularly “green” tasting like other green teas. The smallest leaved green tea I’ve tried.

No bitterness or astringency. No sweetness either. I don’t get any fruity notes as some websites say Bi Luo Chun often has. Longevity is 5+ infusions. Aftertaste is rich and creamy.

Dry leaves: Vegetal.
Wet leaves: Same
Flavor: Savory, nutty, grass, creamy.

Flavors: Cream, Grass, Nutty, Savory, Vegetal

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45

Old Tea Bag Sip Down
Part 4
My parents went to Germany a few years ago. I’m assuming this is a remnant from that trip. The dry aroma is a weird sweet cardboard. As I sit here watching it steep it looks more like an oolong or a black tea. The liquor aroma is slightly fishy a bit earthy. Maybe this would be better when it is fresh but right now… it’s not good. The leaf looks a little more decent than the last tea bag but it’s still a sad CTC. Ugh… yeah no… I can’t finish this…

Skysamurai

My mom informed me that it was 2016. So yeah… Old tea bag.

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51
drank Te verde by Gardenhouse
1315 tasting notes

Old Tea Bag Sip Down
Part 3
This is the one I’m the least enthused to consume. It’s already steeped but I am dreading bringing it to my lips. The aroma from the dry leaf was nothing. Literally. The wet leaf is surprisingly a bit citrusy with a hint of vegetal notes. But the appearance is hideous. Looks like they swept it off the floor. Tea dregs. Okay, moment of truth. Wh.. The heck is this??! It’s not good but it’s not the metallic overly grassy disgusting I thought it was going to be. It’s somewhat soft in mouth feel a bit citrus, a bit of veggies, finished with dried grass.Not bad but… weird. This is weird.

gmathis

This is a brave adventure you have started!

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77

TTB tea! I’ve ended up trying a bunch of pure chrysanthemum through various TTBs, and I enjoy them every time. This one isn’t quite as juicy and fruity as some, but it was quite refreshing cold. The cold resteep was tasty too!

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20
drank Blue Lavender Blend by Blume
2567 tasting notes

TTB tea! This didn’t blend smoothly, so it’s still a bit gritty. The flavor tastes sort of off or spoiled. I taste fruitiness and strangeness. Due to the color, I’d guess this has butterfly pea flower, which definitely brings a savory weirdness. Yeah, I hoped to enjoy this, but it’s really not good. Whipped cream helped a little.

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92
drank Qi Lan by Old Ways Tea
147 tasting notes

(2022 harvest) Light, greenish amber cast. Notes of oatmeal porridge, steamed wild herb, persimmon leaf, accompaning some expected yancha notes. Then quite a bit of floral quality in the mouth- magnolia flowers. Enveloping texture. Quite nice, and different.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 1 min, 15 sec 4 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

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80

Gongfu 4gr in 60ml gaiwan – 90°C, flash rinse, first three infusions are flash, then 10s, +5s for the next ones. (Total Infusions: 17)

Grazie alle prime tre influsioni veloci il tè si è mantenuto bilanciato per tutte e 17 le infusioni.
Nelle prime infusioni si riceve un buon profumo e gusto di frutta, seguito da una leggera cremosità
A metà del viaggio conducono la degustazione la cremosità e i sapori minerali, che persistono quasi fino alla fine.

Ottimo dancong, si sente tantissimo la differenza con altri oolong che invece sono aromatizzati con sapori di crema e latte, che rimangono piatti e non evolvono.

Anche il prezzo non è niente male.

Costs: 0.34$/gr

Flavors: Creamy, Fruity, Mineral

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 15 sec 4 g 2 OZ / 60 ML

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55

A sipdown! (M: 9, Y: 71)
Decided to steep remaining 7 grams gongfu, which means it will be quite strong, which I am not so sure if it is a good idea as I have started drinking it at 5.30 pm; but nevermind, sleep is for weak.

Once I added the leaves to preheated gaiwan, a whiff of leathery notes appeared with some red fruit notes. Also some stonefruits and overall I thought I found a good preparation method for this tea.

Sadly, I have to write that those aroma notes are only positive thing on this tea. Tea tastes flat, like English breakfast from cheap (!) tea bag, there is nothing but tannic water flavour. And moreover, drying. On the positive note, there is hardly any astringency or bitterness.
Shame, shame, shame!
Lowering the rating from 70 to 55. Am I too rough for this tea? Maybe…

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec 7 g 4 OZ / 125 ML
TeaEarleGreyHot

I think a stern rating from time to time helps to characterize one’s palate. :-) Just because I like something doesn’t mean you will!

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84

(2022 harvest) “High Mountain Rou Gui.” Good aroma, with a nice, expected cinnamon oil quality, but there’s also a little bit of a bitter, phenolic note- maybe the from the charcoal roast? This carries through on the palate. A bit of a letdown for my first proper Rou Gui.

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45
drank English Breakfast by Mosaic
1315 tasting notes

Old Tea Bag Sip Down
Part 2
Mosaic has tea. They are not a tea company. This is a ‘classic’ blend that many companies offer because many people know it and know what to expect. Mostly. The leaf is very CTC. Not very pretty. A basic leaf mush. But then I look at the tea liquor and I go, “huh”… that actually is a nice liquor color. Rose gold with an orange rim. But it has been sitting for a bit. It’s lost quite a bit of flavor. A bit of dry wood. Maybe some birch and cedar along with a bit of varnish. Despite the fact that it has been sitting for a bit I can tell this still would not have been the best tea. It’s decent but nothing I would seek out. And speaking of seeking out, you can’t buy this from the company unless you are a company that wants to sell their tea. I suggest staying away, far away, from their matcha. That picture is atrocious.

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70
drank Passion Fruit and Orange by Oteas
1159 tasting notes

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Argh. It’s faintly tea colored water than anything else. Boo!

ashmanra

How awful! I almost bought this one. Glad I didn’t!

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1
drank Yerba Mate [duplicate] by Guayaki
146 tasting notes

I bought this tea when I was doing 120 hour work weeks. I would’ve drunk anything to survive that time in my life. Just poured a cup and got a strong nauseous feeling from both the aroma and the flavor. Out it goes.

Flavors: Mold, Wood

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62
drank Puer by St Croix Tea
146 tasting notes

A very lightly flavored puerh. Did not have a lot of character. With how I feel about “natural flavors,” and the lack of flavor in this tea, I wouldn’t buy again.

Flavors: Dirt

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80
drank Apricot by Harney & Sons
146 tasting notes

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80
drank Apricot by Harney & Sons
146 tasting notes

Wonderful aroma while steeping! Good but not great tea. Some honey with the apricot. Sour aftertaste.

Flavors: Apricot, Honey, Sour

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80
drank Apricot by Harney & Sons
146 tasting notes

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80

Huh, another situation where I came to just mark a sipdown and somehow there is no prior note for it. I actually enjoyed this one. It reminded me of strawberry milk, though admittedly I always had it as an oat milk latte so I can’t promise that the blend on its own would have the same effect. Hibiscus is clearly part of how that effect is created so hibiscus haters will probably want to steer clear.

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70

No notes yet. Add one?

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 7 OZ / 200 ML

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69

Old Tea Bag Sip Down
Part 1
I couldn’t take it any longer. During halftime, I went through my parent’s tea cupboard. Some were dumped. Some I tried and they failed. And then there were the tea bags. I am doubtful but heck let’s journey. No idea of how long this has been in their cupboard. Despite that, the flavor is pretty good. Let’s see if it goes with Tikka Masala. Actually, yes. It does. Though mint tea complements it better. This ground apple is decent in old age.

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85
drank Baileti by Teaoria
2056 tasting notes

A sipdown! (M: 8, Y: 70)!
A bit intentionally I am focusing on sipdowns and finishing small amounts of tea, which go stale faster.

This time I picked up in my box this one; I have read my previous note saying I will focus more on the flavours and I really did.

However, even I have tried my best, I can’t point out the actual flavour profile! It was smooth and malty, somehow quite sweet (I have used roughly 3.5 grams), somehow floral, but overall I feel that is not what I was experiencing.
Vendor claims flavours of fresh plum and honey, but I don’t feel it is that either. Confusing tea and well, I am afraid I am not able to find out and I will need to buy a pouch of this one to find out and send to others to find out their opinions… and maybe then I will see what this tea is about.

Keeping the rating on 85, definitely nice breakfast tea, although drank in the afternoon with a apple pie.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 4 g 10 OZ / 300 ML

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85
drank Smoky Spice Black Tea by 52teas
4326 tasting notes

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – November 2023 Tea #3 – A smoky tea

It’s in the name!  There was an awkward amount of leaf left, and I’d rather have a too strong cup of chai rather than two steep sessions that are disappointingly weak.  So into the infuser it all went.  I do not regret it!  I probably should have been using more leaf the entire lifetime of the tea.  It’s much better stronger.  It’s slightly smoky while having a sweet aspect to it.  A decent amount of spices and then I can also tell there is some of the honeybush flavor peeking through.  I just noticed there was also vanilla bean in this one and somehow I always miss tasting vanilla in all 52Teas blends. I think I will raise the rating from an 82 because this is a well balanced blend (and again, I bet the overleafing usually improves a tea IMO.) I am extremely behind on my sipdown goal, which is a given, as I’m still away from the majority of my tea collection.   
2023 sipdowns: 93

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76

TTB tea! This has a level of smokiness that I can stand. I would have preferred a bolder black tea as the base, but this is not bad. My partner who doesn’t love tea actually quite enjoyed this one. I didn’t taste the jasmine at all.

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