288 Tasting Notes
I am still developing a taste for black teas, so I won’t actually put a number rating on this one. I can tell its very high quality, and I appreciate it’s smoothness. It has nummy cocoa notes. I have been resisting milk and sugar because I really want to appreciate the tea alone; it really is a good tea!
I keep this tea on hand for company that doesn’t like tea. :P it’s delicious with cream or milk and sweetener, and always a winner for people that don’t like plain tea. I am not the biggest fan, and I don’t know if it’s this specific blend or the actual rooibus that turns me off because I have no Idea what plain rooibus tastes like. It smells so good that I keep trying it and the result is always the same. It has a weird aftertaste. Again, I don’t know if thats what rooibus is like. So I won’t actually rate this one.
The scent of the leaves is very strong, so I steeped for only a minute and half, opposed to their suggestion of two to three minutes. The leaves are small and broken, and at first i think the flavor isnt affected. Initially, I taste very little bitterness.
As the tea cools i can taste more bitterness,which knocks off points for me. The bitterness starts off very subtle but builds until its a bit unpleasant. Next time I will only make a cup at a time instead of a pot, so it has less time to cool. And next time I will try steeping for only a minute or so.
To enjoy this tea, drink it fast right after its steeped, for a very short time.
This is my first gunpowder and I really like it! The smokiness really stands out in both aroma and flavor. Since this is my first one I’m not sure about the quality; the leaves after steeping look small and broken but not really bad. I bought this in bulk at a local grocery store and I am under the impression it wasn’t very fresh; I am a little ashamed to say I still like it! =) Now I’m really looking forward to trying more gunpowders!
I am a bit confused as my package of this tea says it is green tea, and the website says it is green tea. But it is listed here as oolong. The jasmine is pretty strong but I’m pretty sure it’s a green tea.
I love jasmine tea. It has such a pleasing aroma, and I find myself sleepy every time I drink it. As for how I like this one. As always, I enjoy it more as it’s cooling. I followed their recommendation of 195 degree water for 2 minutes. The jasmine is pretty strong, and I like it that way, but this actually comes close to being too strong for me. I didn’t think that was possible! Perhaps it wouldn’t if I steeped it for a shorter time. I don’t really taste the green tea at all.
For the second steep I steeped it for only a minute and half, and I like this much better. The jasmine isn’t so overpowering. There is still an underlying aftertaste that isn’t quite to my liking; I can’t pinpoint it but it ’s there. I am actually surprised by how much flavor is retained in the second steep though. That part is very nice!
The third steep is also quite pleasant, the jasmine getting more muted but still at the forefront.
