714 Tasting Notes
Steep Information:
Amount: 2 teabags
Additives: none
Water: 12 ounces filtered boiling water (my pottery friends mug is 12 ounces)
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: dark chocolate bar, nutty
Steeped Tea Smell: mate, chocolate, nutty
Flavor: weak watery chocolate
Body: Light
Aftertaste: chocolate
Liquor: dark brown, you can’t see to the bottom of the mug
When I opened the canister I wanted to eat the bags right there and then! I have gotten used to The Republic of Tea’s “powdery on purpose” tins, so the cloud of coco dust didn’t surprise me and I certainly don’t mind chocolate wafting through the kitchen.
I was very excited for this tea, I had been expecting so much from it. What I got was a weak coco, like when you make the “prepare with milk” coco packets and accidentally make them with water.
I added the bags back in per some other reviews.
Next time, 3 bags, and maybe some milk.
Post-Steep Additives: none
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/02/republic-of-tea-teabag-mate-tea-double.html
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 5.1g (it was too hard to spoon measure)
Additives: none
Water: 1 teapot (2c) full filtered boiling, then let sit to 165 degrees
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: grassy
Steeped Tea Smell: grassy
Flavor: watery, vegetal, but smooth, maybe a little nutty?
Body: Light
Aftertaste: bitter, vegetal that lingers
Liquor: transparent with a green tint
I got this as part of a sample set from Life in Teacup.
I failed to follow directions and left the lid on (http://www.lifeinteacup.com/brewing-tea) the water was too cool, and perhaps I should have steeped a bit longer sigh. I am not even sure if i used too little to too many tea leaves.
Overall it was the weakness of the flavor and the bitter aftertaste that are turning me off. At first you sniff and there is the hint of grass. The you sip and you get smooth water…then grass/vegetal…and if you look hard enough this slight nut flavor comes out. Then you swallow, and you get this bitterness coating your tongue. The bitterness fades and you entire tongue seems to have a sheen of vegetation on it, it’s a fuzzy feeling.
Post-Steep Additives: none
My blog with images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/02/life-in-teacup-loose-leaf-green-tea-zhu.html
Preparation
i tried resteeping, hotter water, longer, it tasted a bit stronger but still too acidic, i tossed it, i think i ruined those leaves, i have enough for 1-2 more cups – anyone have any suggestions on how not to ruin them?
I’m not particularly familiar with this type of tea, but with chinese greens [this looks like a chinese green to me?] I typically cool the water further and steep shorter to see if that gets rid of any lingering bitterness. I’ve had to go down to 140F before. I’d probably try 155-160 for 1:30, but I’m not positive that will help, unfortunately. Best of luck! Hopefully someone who knows Zhu Ye Qing will drop by!
thanks, i’ll try much cooler water next time, i’ll have to wait until i’m not all hopped up on cold meds so i can taste it though!
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag, 3.7g including paper teabag and plastic wrapper and paper tag.
Additives: none
Water: boiling filtered
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Leaf Smell: nutty amaretto (contamination from other sample) vanilla with a slight caramel undertone
Tea Smell: rooibos, vanilla, woody
Flavor: rooibos
Body: Light
Aftertaste: caramel
Liquor: nice dark brown, fairly transparent
This was one of two samples I ordered from design a tea. The tea was lackluster and smelled much stronger and interesting and delicious than it tasted. It tasted weak and plain.
At this point I am not very enthusiastic about the second sample I got, but we’ll see.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Resteep: very weak and watery, plain rooibos, hints of vanilla in the smell and aftertaste
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: 1 flavia cup from hot water spigot
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Leaf Smell: Raspberry, grass
Tea Smell: raspberry and a funny citric tinge
Flavor: raspberry, slightly vegetal
Body: Full
Aftertaste: citrus, grass then sweet, short lived
Liquor: deep red, barely translucent
I got this from Janefan as a gift, based on my other experience with the green and white tea blend from celestial seasonings I didn’t have high hopes for this tea, but it surprised me and tasted like a solid herbal tea. The green and white teas get lost under the raspberry. I think this would be excellent iced.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Preparation
I haven’t tried it iced either, although I think I have another package around (CS used to give away free samples all the time!). I’ll have to try it iced, maybe next time my mother comes over. The raspberry is a bit intense when hot!
my mom uses royal raspberry packets (about 10? 12?) to make a pitcher of iced raspberry tea (plus some lemon and sugar) in the summer and it’s delicious, i think these are a pretty good substitute – except those are herbal and these have caffeine – so i guess it would just depend what time of day you wanted the tea :)
Sounds good! I’m wishing it were summer already… then again we drink Southern sweet tea daily around here so it’s not like I need to wait if I don’t want to!
resteep fail, don’t bother
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: boiling filtered 1 – 8 ounces, and 1 – 12 ounces
Steep Time: a little over 6 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Leaf Smell: sweet, floral, woody
Tea Smell: floral, sweet
Flavor: woody, dry, floral – not sweet not bitter
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: sweet, but short lived
Liquor: transparent reddish orange
I can’t taste the hibiscus at all, and am disappointed. I enjoy hibiscus. I think it might do well next time with some sugar or honey. As far as other red teas I have had this is not among my favorites and I don’t plan to buy it again. It is well executed (packaging, quality, amount) but doesn’t have enough pizazz.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: 1 flavia cup full of hot spigot water
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Smell: sugar cookie or shortbread cookie, vanilla
Flavor: citrus, sugary
Body: Light
Aftertaste: butter, shortbread
Liquor: golden honey, semi translucent
Gift from janefan, I have a feeling the air got to it a bit as the smell was weak and everyone else seems to have been hit by a string smell. However, the taste and aftertaste were truly a sugar cookie, very delicious! I am so glad I got to try this tea. My coworkers seem to love it too.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 bag
Additives: honey
Water: 6 ounces boiling
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Smell: apple, pomegranate
Flavor: sour / citrus tart
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: apple, lemon, fruity and tart
Liquor: deep pink
i expected the honey to lessen the citrus tart, but this tea overpowered the light honey completely.
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag, 2.4g
Additives: none
Water: 160 degree hot spigot, 1 mug full
Steep Time: a little over 6 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Leaf Smell: Strong Jasmine and honeysuckle
Smell: Jasmine, honeysuckle, lovely floral sweetness
Flavor: slightly vegetal, floral, i really had to feel for the flavor as it was watery light
Body: Light
Aftertaste: floral, sweet
Liquor: light clear green-brown
smells delicious but was a weak flavor, though a strong after taste. Perhaps it needed to brew longer? I think adding sweetener or creme would kill the flavor. It was a nice tea, and a gift from JaneFan
Post-Steep Additives: none
Preparation
I have a bag or two around here still – not sure I ever actually tried it! I’ll have to keep your notes in mind when I do. It was part of a variety pack from Te teas. I have a tin of Harney’s Dragon Pearl Jasmine which is what I drink when I want Jasmine green.
I didn’t see any other reviews so if you tried it you didn’t log it :) I do love variety packs from companies it gives you a chance to evaluate their teas overall, instead of having one tea flavor your opinion of them (if it’s your first purchase).
I am much more a black than green girl, but for my jasmine I tend to go for Teavana Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls Green Tea – I’ll have to get my hands on a Harney’s Dragon Pearl sample at some point and compare.
Steep2: a bit more bitter and less aromatic, but still good
Steep3: a bit more bitter and less aromatic, also less after taste, but still good
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: 12 ounces hot spigot water
Steep Time: a little over 5-6 minutes, enough time to get to train stop from store and take out bag
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Smell: cinnamon, clove, ginger
Flavor: ginger, pepper/cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black tea
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: ginger pepper burn, followed by a warm cinnamon and a slight bitter tinge probably from oversteeping
Liquor: dark brown, maybe a little red tint
Probably should not have gotten this so late as now I’ll be up all night, but I couldn’t resist. I do think it would be better with some honey and creme so it would be a proper chai, but if you ask for that they give you the concentrate (my favorite Starbucks drink-Chai tea latte!). I think this would be a nice tea to make chai at home with.
Post-Steep Additives: none
