525 Tasting Notes
I made a mug of this for the fella cause his throat is bothering him. It is much improved with a huge dollop of honey. I wouldn’t have known this on my own since I usually don’t like honey in tea. Next time I drink this, I’ll have it with honey as well. :) Upping the rating.
The first time I had a good cup of Japanese green tea I was all, “Whoa! Do they put seaweed in this! Yum!” I’ve always loved seaweed. Those kids who made faces at me when I had my yummy seaweed snacks are probably eating sushi these days. hah!
So anyway. I love seaweedy Japanese greens. It’s the last of my sample from Batrachoid. sad. It’s tastes a lot more savory this time. Seaweed and hay. And most importantly, warm. I wish I could drink from my toes cause they are freeeezing! Now I want sushi.
I woke up this morning with a thirst for some oolong. This happens about once or twice a week. I grabbed one of those sample pouches that are patiently awaiting my attention. This one’s got a real caffeine kick to it. But I’m pretty sensitive to that stuff so most people probably won’t even notice it. hehe
This is a perfectly good oolong that I didn’t really like. I thought it tasted perfectly ordinary and a little roasty. There was some sweetness in the peachy tones, but other than that, it seemed pretty boring. The quality was good, don’t mistake me. It’s just not my thing. I didn’t make more than 2 steeps when I usually make at least four with oolongs. I’m glad it was only a sample.
PS Does anyone else find that oolongs lose flavor if stored for a while? There are ones that tasted so floral and nummy. But when I go back to it a few months later, it’s kinda ordinary. Is it oxidation? I know my tins and bags aren’t exactly air tight… Sometimes I just buy too much because the larger quantities are usually a better deal. Maybe it’s not worth it if it makes my tea taste less good later.
Check out lemon balm!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_officinalis
As the name suggests, this is a calming drink. It’s related to mint but I find this more uplifting than mint because it smells so lemony. Lemons smell cheery to me. And if you let it sit in the water for hours, it draws out more menthol. Mmmmenthol! Overall, it tastes like mint and lemons. Mine also tastes like cooked greens cause I used fresh leaves and boiling water. I’m too lazy to dry it for the winter. It’s great iced in the summer too. It’s mild but very satisfying. I’m sure it’s more flavorful dried. :)
And you can all grow your own! I bought one plant a few years ago and now its growing all over the place in the weirdest locations. It’s sprouting the cracks in the concrete. You can’t kill this stuff!
It’s rare that I have black tea. I used to like it a lot more but tastes change. Sometimes I’m sad that I’m not that fond of black tea anymore. It seems that they come in a larger variety of flavors. Some days I try to convince my taste buds to like black tea again if only because I will have more options. I like options.
Well, today was one of those days. Failure. It was drinkable but I found little pleasure in it. It’s smooth and inoffensive but the flavor was one dimensional. and too…oxidized. let’s not mention the caffeine making me feel kind of yuck. The level of enjoyment doesn’t merit the the trouble I go through. I feel so depressing lately.
I’ll stick to herbals for the rest of the day. I’ll pluck some lemon balm from the garden! That should cheer me up. :D I bought one plant a couple years ago and now it’s popping up everywhere uninvited. Eating it is the only way. :)
So if you let the water boil and don’t want to wait for it to cool, is it ok to just add some cool water to the mug and top it off with boiling water? That’s what I did with this and it tastes fine.
It’s been kind of a weird day. I feel kind of like I’m in a dream. Is this real life? Anyway, it’s a soothing comforting tea. It’s not complicated. It’s just good. That’s all I need today. Tasty.
I had several more steeps. I lost count on how many. At least eight. They were all yummy. At some point there was a lemon rind flavor. Awesome! Honey all the way through. I’ll buy more of this when I get rid of all this tea I have around. :)
Strongly floral and honeyish. I don’t usually like darker oolongs, but this one doesn’t taste like the typical dark oolong. Honestly, it’s probably only medium dark, maybe less.
The fragrance and flavor are deeply floral. I’m not good at identifying the different kinds of floral flavors that are usually found in teas. Some expert will have to teach me. Volunteers?
There is also a pleasant honey flavor. Together with the floral flavor, it’s like a top notch floral honey. yum! And underlying the whole thing, there’s tea. Possibly lightly roasted. It keeps the whole thing from being too sweet and cloying. There’s also something a bit like plum about to be over ripe.
Man! This tea smells good!
By the third steep, the roasty tea flavor is stronger and the floral honey is starting to lose.
All my steeps are at a pretty low temperature so far. I find that higher temps bring out harsher flavors. I pretty much treat oolongs like white teas. I’m such a rebel. The leaves are starting to take up a lot of space already and it’s only just starting. I’m always amazed how a tiny amount of dry leaf takes over the whole pot. I can’t stop smelling the leaves. I want my laundry to smell like this. My puppies smell like laundry cause they roll around in the warm clothes from the dryer. Then my clean clothes smell like puppies. So does this mean I secretly want my puppies to smell like tea? My trains of thought take me to crazy places.
Steep four is still strong and delicious. All the previously mentioned flavors are still present but more mellow and blended. I will need to take a break from tea now.
How do you guys keep your tea leaves in between steepings? I just leave it in the pot if doing gong fu style or strainer if doing western style, at room temperature. If I leave it in the pot, should I keep the lid on or off?
This morning, I was looking for something smooth and comforting. This tea fits the bill nicely. I’m a little surprised I haven’t logged this tea yet since I’ve had it for a while. I bought this, along with a bunch of other stuff, when SpecialTeas was going out of business (70% off everything!).
The flavor combination sounded kinda weird to me, but considering the price, I figured it wouldn’t be much of a loss. Well I’m glad I got it. Even though it took some getting used to, I find it really comforting these days. It’s very smooth and slightly nutty. I’m getting to the bottom of the bag now where all the cocoa kernels have been hiding. As a result, my tea is now more chocolatey. Score!
I oversteeped this morning, but it was barely bitter. yay.
Ah, jasmine tea. No matter how many affairs I have with other flavors and kinds of tea, you will always be a constant in my heart. I took this sample with my to my sister’s last night and brewed everyone some tea after dinner. The fragrance of the leaves was lovely. The tea itself is very jasmine-y and very enjoyable. I found a flavor a tiny bit harsh though. It was in no way bad, but it didn’t have the smooth silkiness I’ve had in other jasmine teas. And I found myself wishing the tea flavor was a little more present. It was mostly flower, which is fine with me, but a little more green flavor would greatly enhance the experience.
The second steep was slightly less jasmine-y and more tea-y. The tea seems to be kind of roast-y. It didn’t taste all the green and maybe more like white tea.
I would have tried for a third steep, but it was late.
All in all, this is a great tea. It’s probably one of the better jasmine teas I’ve had. I can’t wait to try the jasmine pearls! :)
