820 Tasting Notes
Used 1.25 tablespoons for ~375ml of water.
The brewed liquor has a very rich malted scent that I was not expecting from the scent of the dry leaf. The scent brings Milk Oolong to mind for some reason.
Sweetness throughout. Light chocolate flavour. Hints of malted taste closer to the end of the sip. I find the mate a little overpowering and it doesn’t seem to compliment the flavour profile. The different flavors seem to be delicious on their own but seem to be out of balance for me. Overall, thin-tasting- very much unlike the flavour profile expected from the scent. The aftertaste has a rich chocolate malty flavour, especially on the exhale.
Many thanks to Kittenna for sharing this with me!
Preparation
Used 1.75 tablespoons for ~375ml of water.
This brewed tisane has a strong authentic cinnamon aroma. I am also getting scents of sweet icing and a distinct ‘baked good’ smell.
On the sip, the cinnamon flavour tastes a lot like cinnamon heart candies; very sweet with an artificial edge to it. The aftertaste is slightly smoky and reminds me of the scent of a blown out candle. I’m not detecting a strong baked goods taste in the sip of this tisane but it is present closer to the end of the sip, trailing into the aftertaste. I’m tasting a bit of the icing flavour but it isn’t as strong as it was in the scent.
As the tea cools, I’m getting more of the baked good flavour and the icing taste is coming out more as well. Baked cinnamon roll flavour is very strong on the aftertaste during exhale- it would have been nice to have this in the sip of this tisane.
This tisane may benefit from a longer infusion time of 8 or more minutes.
Many thanks to Kittenna for sharing this with me!
Preparation
this one you can let sit for upwards of 6 mins. I know i accidently let it sit for 10 mins and it was fine lol
Yeah- I have to stop being so scared of these teas, I mean it IS just a honeybush… still, I have nightmares in which I take a sip of a very expensive or very limited tea and it is gasp over-infused (the horror!). I’ll try to let my other honeybush samples run free a little bit more :)
Fun side note: I got a little panicky when I first realized that 52teas did not have any recommended infusion parameters. Amazing how much I rely on those from other tea companies.
Used 1.5 tablespoons for ~375ml of water.
Detecting coconut on the sip. The aftertaste has a very authentic coconut flavour. Very sweet throughout. Honeybush taste really comes out in the middle of the sip. I’m tasting the slightest bit of savoury tang which I can attribute to the cheesecake part of this tisane but, overall, I’m not strongly reminded of cheesecake from the flavour.
As the tea cools the creaminess is coming out, reminding me of coconut cream pie. That authentic coconut flavour is creeping into the main flavour of the tea from the aftertaste. I am impressed at how close it matches the flavour of biting into coconut flesh.
Second infusion at over 8 minutes. The flavour is noticeably weaker and would not likely do well past the second infusion.
In the future, I would like to try infusing this for a longer amount of time (8 minutes or more) to see if I can get more of a cheesecake flavour out of this tisane.
Many thanks to Kittenna for sharing this with me!
Preparation
I used ~1.25 tablespoons of dry leaf for 375 ml of water.
The brewed tea smells sweet. The mixture of fruity smells reminds me of the smell of ‘Nerds’ candy, perhaps. The fruity scents are a little bit strong for my liking, they have a sharp edge to it. I can also detect a buttery undertone in the aroma which seems to be coming from the black tea scent.
The black tea flavour is the first taste that I detect on the sip. Very nice to have it up front. The black tea does carry a buttery quality to and has an astringency which borders on bitter. The fruity tastes come though closer to the middle of the sip. I’m getting a raspberry-lime taste. I can’t fully detect the orange taste but I think that it must be contributing to the citrus quality that I’m getting from the lime taste. The end of the sip is a lemony-black tea taste which leads into a black tea aftertaste. The fruit flavours in this one taste very much like the ones used in candy. I’m being reminded of those ‘Rocket’ frozen treats with cherry, lemon and blue-raspberry flavours. I really enjoy the black tea taste I’m getting from this flavoured tea.
Bitterness comes through more as the tea cools.
Thanks to Kittenna for this sample!
Preparation
I used 1.5 tablespoons for 375ml of water.
The aroma of the brewed tea is fresh mint.
Complex flavour profile. Sweetness throughout. Mint is in the background. Roasted green tea taste is detectable but not a significant part of the main profile. A slight bitterness in the aftertaste. The marshmallow is a very nice match for the spearmint and gives the mint a softer, sweeter edge. The taste reminds me of fresh morning dew.
Light, fresh, fog-mist-like aftertaste.
Second infusion for 4 minutes still has enough marshmallow-mint flavour to be enjoyable. The roasted green tea taste is also allowed to come through more.
Thank you to Ellyn for this tea!
Preparation
I used 1 tablespoon of dry leaf for 375 ml of water.
The black tea aroma is dominant in the scent of the brewed tea. There are notes of toasted sugar as well.
The black tea flavour overpowers the tea. There is only a hint of toffee taste in the middle of the sip. Tea taste trails off into a bitterness with a sharp edge.
I think that this tea may have to be brewed for a shorter amount of time.
Rating: 64
Thank you to Ellyn for this tea!
Preparation
I used ~1 tablespoon of dry leaf for ~375 ml of water.
I notice a complex flavour profile. I’m getting floral notes on the sip leading into a spice taste at the back of the tongue. I can detect the cumin and it compliments the flavour profile rather nicely. I am really reminded of Indian food with all of the savoury spices. I can maybe detect a hint of pistachio as well. This tea has a creamy feel to it and a definite buttery quality. I can taste the black tea flavour quite strongly in the aftertaste.
The second infusion (5 minutes and 15 seconds) looses a lot of the spice flavour. This tea would not likely do well past its second infusion.
Thank you to Ellyn for sending this to me!
Preparation
I used 1.5 David’s Tea Perfect Spoonfuls for my Aqua-ovo.
The first thing that strikes me about the brewed leaf is the scent- it really does have a scent that strongly reminds me of cookie dough and transports me back to times were I have made chocolate chip cookies. I think that it smells like a mixture of vanilla extract and chocolate chips.
There’s an odd bland taste on the sip but this blooms into a very chocolate chip-like flavour. After taste really does taste like cookie dough. I can mildly detect the white tea in this one. I’m not sure if the slight astringency mixes well with the light sweetness and chocolate chip flavour. I usually associate that strong type of flavour with a dark chocolate and thicker cocoa tea. I’m detecting a little bit of nutty taste (from the almonds and walnuts) which compliments the flavour profile. As the tea cools, I am detecting more of the caramel taste coming through from the cream caramel pieces.
Overall, this tea has a nice rounded flavour.
I was able to try a sip of this tea cold at the end of my cup. It was very sweet and chocolatey. This may be a good tea to have iced.
The second infusion (7 minutes) is noticeably dilute in flavour but still carries an overall pleasant taste profile. The cocoa taste is still quite strong at the end of the sip. The sweetness is still present.
Preparation
Sorry! I always mean to be more specific but I’m always so excited about the tea I forget. I use the AquaOvo Therm-0 to brew my tea (http://www.aquaovo.com/Aquaovo/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=137&lang=en). I fill it to about 375 ml. I add that in my tasting notes as a reminder for what vessel I used so that I can replicate the preparation for subsequent infusions (or change it as necessary to improve the flavour to my tastes).
Smooth black tea flavour present in the background. Coconutty roasted sweetess at the forefront of the taste. Light sweetness of the chamomile trailing into the aftertaste. Possibly hints of white tea peeking out but the other flavours are quite robust and take over. Near the end of the sip gives a taste reminiscent of chocolate with the leathery black mixing with the coconut.
Rating: 84
Second infusion at 5 minutes, flavour still coming through quite nicely.
Preparation
When drinking this tisane at a lukewarm temperature, the punchy-ness is really able to come out in the brew. I’m getting coconut and almond on the sip which blooms into a grape-like taste that blooms into the rooibos flavour. Strong rooibos flavour and coconut-almond flavour on the aftertaste.
