429 Tasting Notes
Dec. 14 Tea
This is my first time trying any African Honeybush tea. I am pleasantly surprised. The honeybush is very small so I used one of the bags sent with the teas. This tea has bits of pineapple and coconut and smells of pina colada and rum. The taste is what really surprises you, it does taste like a pina colada with a touch of rum. I am more of a black tea drinker and while this is a tisane I would not drink every day, I really liked this.
Preparation
This is called Leaf Tea, but it looks like any other tea bag with fannings in it to me. This is a very mild assam tea with no bitterness or astringency. It has a slight malty smell but just doesn’t taste like an assam to me. I would call this a drinkable tea as it has nearly no taste. Its Aussie grown and I would love to try some real leaf tea from there, but this tea just doesn’t make the grade for me. Next time I’m going to try 2 tea bags and see if I can make it a little stronger.
Preparation
Just lettin you know, none of it is grown in Australia. Pure Assam means purely tea grown in the Assam region of India. However in their other blends roughly 10-20% is grown in Australia, the rest is imported. I recommend their Premium Blend, its quite good. And if you’re looking for a completely Aussie grown tea, try Daintree. It’s completely grown in Australia.
This tea reminds me of kuchika and I prefer kuchika over this tea. I really don’t know what to say other than its drinkable. Its organic and its in a bag. Its just not my cup of tea. I think “bleh” might be a good word.
Preparation
What can I say about this Oolong tea? That its ordinary…yes. I can’t find anything that stands out about this tea except that its organic. It does taste like an Oolong and its an ok tea. It’s drinkable, but I like exceptional teas and this is just not one of them. Another sale tea (2.75) at the health food store.
Preparation
I made a trip to my local health foods store and bought more of this assam tea. At 1.60 an ounce its cheap and also makes a very nice brisk full bodied cup of tea. I’m getting no bitterness and almost no astringency. This tea is not as harsh as some assam teas I have drank. Its a very smooth cup with a kick to wake you in the morning. I may buy a pound next time as the price drops to a buck an ounce. (I’m not sure why this is cheaper in Freeport than online, but it is.) This is one tea I can drink every morning with no regrets.
Preparation
This tea is very similar to the Scottish Breakfast but tastes a little stronger. The Kenyan tea is dominate in this blend but is still much milder than any other African tea I have drank. It still has a kick to it and is not bitter at all. More steeping may cause bitterness but I like the 3 minute steep. The tea is very tasty and while it says afternoon tea, I’m drinking it for breakfast and it works. Another T.J.Maxx tea @$5 for 125 grams.
Preparation
This tea really surprised me. I was expecting a very strong tea as the leaf was very broken and small. The tea does have a kick but is much milder than expected. My tea sense is getting better as I can detect assam, ceylon, and kenyan tea in this blend. (Much more Kenyan than the others). The tea is lighter in color than an assam would be and is not bitter at all. There is a little astringency but not enough to bother anyone. I really enjoyed drinking this tea. The tea was very inexpensive as I found it at T.J.Maxx for $5 for 125 grams.
Preparation
“My tea sense is getting better as I can detect assam, ceylon, and kenyan tea in this blend. (Much more Kenyan than the others)” I think your Tea Sense has arrived & is here to stay!!! Good for you that you can pull all that out of a brew (I still can’t and struggle to find descriptive words never mind actual sourcing!).
Sorry I have been absent for a month but my wife and I have been moving into an improved remodeled house. It took almost 2 years to get it the way we wanted it. I even have a tea pantry now (Its really more of a hutch but its all tea).
This is a very nice Ceylon tea. Its woodsy and fruity and reminds me of a darjeeling. I even like the pyramid tea bags although they are stuffed after steeping. I’m going to try cutting open a bag and steeping to see if there is any difference. I have been drinking Dilmah as breakfast tea for the last month (I have 4 varieties) and it has really grown on me. Now to try other Ceylon teas. I have to buy more tea as the last month has really done a number on my stash.