Liquid Proust Teas

I have been working on this tea for awhile and finally figured it all out in time to showcase at my fundraiser today :)

To me this taste like a honey gram cracker and to which others said that it doesn’t but explained the story about how they were created to suppress sexual appetite…

Anyways, this stuff brews a nice dark liquid with complexity. It is a loud tea and many heard it today. I ended up selling it, french toast dianhing, and watermelon baozhong. This was everyone’s favorite and I explained that it was one I worked the hardest on so it made me feel good! Still waiting for pictures from today because ti was a really fun event to answer questions about my journey as an online tea blender.

I had to admit that I have drank this finished version three different times before the event today. It took time figuring out the ration to mix and then roasting nuts as well as caramelizing sugar was a bit challenging. Hopefully I’ll get to share this with many at the Midwest Tea Festival.

Sipdown! I’ve enjoyed this one a lot – it has a great juicy blueberry flavour, and the genmaicha is toasty without being overpowering. I wasn’t sure how blueberry and toasted rice would work together when I first tried this one – it turns out pretty well! I’m sad to see this one depart my cupboard.

First cup of the afternoon! I’ve not had any genmaicha in a while, so I was feeling the love today when I came across this one in my “soon to drink” box. Also, the idea of a blueberry sandstorm is actually somewhat appealing, for reasons I don’t quite understand.

Both the liquor and the initial sip and very heavy on the blueberry. This pretty much had me jumping for joy, because blueberry teas that actually taste of blueberry seem to be a rare thing indeed. The blueberry here is sweet and flavour-accurate, too – not candy-like, or tart, or sour round the edges. It’s goldilocks blueberry – just right. The toasted rice emerges mostly in the mid-sip, along with a small hit of cinnamon. I’d actually say it’s more of a popcorn flavour than toasted rice, per say – it’s not as heavy or overpowering on the palate as some genmaicha blends I’ve tried recently. It’s a gentle, lightly toasty flavour and it complements the blueberry instead of overwhelming it. Blueberry and cinnamon never occurred to me as a combination, but I’m pleased to discover that they work well. There’s a gentle spicy warmth, the sweetness of the blueberry, and a popcorn/sugar puffs vibe from the toasted rice. It’s a great dessert tea.

1 tsp, 2 minutes, approx. 175 water. No additions.

I’m drinking this one just now. Also, it’s my 1500th tasting note! I bought this with my first Liquid Proust order, largely for the tangerine twist. I haven’t always been the greatest fan of jasmine pearls – many are too floral for my tastes, in a thick, mouth-coating way that I find pretty unpalatable. Not so here. I used 1 tsp of pearls for my cup, and gave them 2 minutes in water cooled to around 170 degrees.

The green tea base comes out first, with a deliciously smooth and buttery flavour with no bitterness or astringency to be found. The jasmine comes second, right in the middle of the sip, but it’s quite a light and delicate jasmine and not at all perfumey. The tangerine is confined mostly to the end of the sip – it just kind of pops up at the end as a bright, very slightly sweet citrus, with a touch of pithy flavour lingering in the aftertaste.

If I’ve one complaint, it’s that I’d have liked a bit more tangerine. It’s there, but I think the blend as a whole could stand it a bit stronger without losing anything. That’s a small complaint, though, because there is tangerine here and it works well with the green jasmine. I’d like to try this one cold brewed this summer.

Sipdown! I’m using up my last two pearls today, and after Friday’s success I’ll be resteeping them probably most of the day. I’d buy more of these with absolutely no hesitation.

Returning to my original bag of French Toast Dianhong, which I found a little floral the first time around. I’m pleased to say that I’m not getting any floral flavour today. I’m steeping two pearls in boiling water for about three minutes (no additions), and I’m currently on my second steep.

The first steep was quite sweet, with very strong vanilla notes and an overall caramel-like flavour. The second steep is a little more muted, but still delicious. The vanilla seems to have mellowed into a thick creaminess, and I’m tasting chocolate and a touch of hazelnut. It’s reminding me a fair bit of nutella, actually, although not as intense.

I’ll probably stick with this one for a while longer, maybe another steep or two. It was a good choice for today’s cold work morning!

ETA: I’m on my sixth steep now, and it’s holding up a lot better than I expected. It’s less intense in terms of flavour, but there’s still plenty of delicious creamy vanilla, and just a touch of chocolate. The base tea is more prominent, but it’s so pleasant; smooth, malty, and eminently drinkable, that it’s no chore to keep going with this one. I’d not tried resteeping it before today, but now I know what I’ve been missing!

This morning I brewed up the sample that came with my most recent Liquid Proust order – French Toast Dianhong. I was actually pretty interested to try a sample from a different batch than the bag I have, because I get a floral flavour from that one. While it’s not overpowering, it’s still…odd. This batch, I’m pleased to report, is much more normal. There’s no floral to be found, just chocolate, vanilla, and a lot of delicious maltiness. Total yum.

2 balls, boiling water, 3.5 minutes. Splash of milk.

I went through my tea box again this afternoon and pulled out some more treats to try while I’m still off work. I get bored easily when I’m not working, so the fact that I’m really enjoying this extended Easter break tells me more than anything else that I really hate my job just now. And obviously I need to do something about that, but that might be easier said than done.

But anyway, the tea. I’ve been curious about this one for a while. I used two of the smaller balls for my cup (my cup is big), but I think with the larger ones I’d just use one. I gave it 4 minutes in boiling water, and then added just a splash of full-fat milk.

I can say from first sip that this stuff is the best. It’s chocolatey and malty up front, with strong vanilla and custard notes in the mid-sip. There’s also a touch of cinnamon/nutmeg towards the end of the sip, but only the smallest hint. What I did notice as my cup cooled was quite a prominent floral note which is a little at odds with the other flavours. I’m sure it wasn’t there to start with, but I certainly noticed it towards the end of my cup. Really, though, the rest of it was so good that I’m not about to let that put me off. I’m impressed with this one, and I’d certainly repurchase once my bag is finished.

I’m still pretty new to pu-erh, but I just landed lots of samples thanks to Andrew, including this one. Yesterday, I steeped this four times with 4g leaf and 250 ml of water. The second steep was fantastic. It tasted like a caramelized butter. So good. I should mention that yesterday I had about 5 pieces of the fruit.

Today, I went with 4g leaf and 100 ml of water. I’m on steep 3 right now and am starting to get that caramel flavor again. I only have one piece of the fruit, and I got a nice taste of it in the first steep, but not as much anymore. I am really enjoying this tea, and will get some with my next order.

Thanks again for this, Andrew!

Sipdown (592)!

Another one that I had sort of forgotten than I still had in my cupboard. Finished it off yesterday in a large teapot though…

I can’t really remember what I’ve thought of this one in the past; it’s been a long time since I last had any of this. This time around, though? I mean, I didn’t dislike the flavour or anything but I really couldn’t taste much else other than the Honeybush in the blend. It was REALLY distinctly honeybush flavour; woody and peppery, and just a little bit earthy. I might as well have been drinking a miraculously caffeinated pot of straight honeybush. I like the flavour of honeybush, so that isn’t a bad thing or anything – but I was expecting a little more pu.

This is a queued tasting note.

Drank this one hot a while back; I remember enjoying the mellow chocolate notes and slight woody rooibos flavour that crept in but I have the distinct recollection of also feeling like the cup was rather “sludgy” and I can’t remember why I got that impression for the life of me. The heck?

My commute tea for the day;

I’ll admit; I’m not the biggest fan of this blend. It’s far from bad or unpleasant, but I’m really disinterested by it in general. Even this latest hot mug was just… there? I picked out notes of earth and chocolate with a thicker, brothy mouthfeel but the flavours were all quite muddled and bland and it was a really forgettable cup overall. Basically, it was just something to drink on the way to work for the hydration/caffeine and the routine.

In my personal opinion, I think that LP certainly has better blends out there.

Thank you Liquid Proust for the generous sample!

I’m trying this one first as a cold brew. I remember when LP was in the process of blending this one I made a note to myself that while it didn’t quite sound appealing enough for me to buy it (no offence) it WAS something that I wanted to eventually get a chance to sample, so seeing it included in my most recent package from LP was definitely exciting!

It’s funny, he wrote something along the lines of “I know it sucks” on the sample but I actually quite enjoyed it! I found that it had the sweetness/richness I’d want out of a tea named for a candy bar but that it wasn’t cloying/artificial tasting and the the primarily Pu’erh base really grounded the flavours in a positive way! I loved the mellow chocolate notes paired with the earthier, almost game-y Pu’erh. Though, I did just finish reading Daylon’s review and I agree that because it’s a pu’erh blend it falls in a weird “in between” zone where it’s not gonna be fully appreciated by hard core Pu’erh drinkers or novices. It’ll take someone with a sort of ‘medium’ familiarity…

You know, like me.

This tea is a bit strange. It’s got a good jasmine flavour to it but I’m getting all kinds of other flavours as well. I can’t really pick out the white tea from the green but it still blends nicely together. I think I can pick out the honeysuckle but there are 3 ingredients that are foreign to me. I don’t know what these taste like:
Bee pollen
blue pea flower
dried star fruit

It might be the bee pollen I am picking up. Just wondering what those above things taste like. It’s a strange mix to add to the tea but it does work. LP, you are very creative. Can you give a little insight into this tea? I’ve read your tasting note on it and saw your Facebook video but still wonder… why star fruit? Why bee pollen? What is blue pea flower?

Thank you Andrew! This was quite lovely. And I got it right after I ranted about how particular I am with Dark Roast Tie Guan Yins. Lemon pie is what I smell. Like a fairly cooked and crispy lemon pie.

That’s also how I can approximately describe it. Lemon really takes a balanced control of the taste being simultaneously tart and sweet. The body is on the lighter side, but the mouth feel was a little bit thick. At least for me. I get bits of roast and char in the background. Again, the more cooked aspects of this tea reminded me of a pie a little bit. In some ways it reminded me of a fattier lemon tort or cookie. It really has a more savory quality that I can’t quite accurately describe, so I’m just calling it savory for now until I can think of a more precise adjective. I over-describe with sensualist language anyway.

I definitely think it is worth a try and it certainly made me like dark roast Tie Guan Yins a little more. But like Andrew writes in the description, it really is for more experienced drinkers. At the same time, the lemony quality might convert a curious few.

I hope that this review is somewhat helpful. That said, I brewed it at 190 F, steeped it five times, and started off at 50 seconds in three ounces.

One morning I gong fu’d this with the seed and it was excellent. I’ve concluded that I really like this tea with this seed gong fu’d in the morning.

Oddly enough, it’s become my morning green tea. I’ve also found that I get a lot more energy from green tea than I do some black teas. As in black teas wake me up groggily with some jitters on the side, oolongs usually soothe me and allow me to focus, and most green teas give me clarity and energy. As for whites and pu-erhs, it depends on the type of white and pu-erh. That’s all for now.

Oversteeped at two minutes. Slightly astringent Gyokuro with a vanilla accent and bare fruitiness that disappears in the tea. I almost thought I was drinking a matcha.

Steep 2 at 90 sec, and I thought I was drinking the 7 Oolong Blend. There was a weird floral that popped up like osmanthus, though I know that’s the jackfruit seed and the vanilla. Liquid hot sprite. I’m just rambling anyway. A morning of high blood sugars and a breakfast of almonds, coffee, creamer, and tea encourages cogent delirium. However, the weather is heavenly in Michigan. I’ll have a few cups outside before I workout today. I might even decide to dress up and show off.

I will write about this again, but I had two pleasant cups from a light teaspoon of this.

I was looking for a solid green tea that I can drink daily-not too sweet, not too grassy. This was a happy medium…though the umami and spinach notes are normally strong with Gyokuros. The vanilla, though, made it a creamy grassier. Vanilla was more dominant. It almost reminded me of vanilla frosting in how whispy it was-but it was not nearly that sugary or thick. More like the type of vanilla flavoring. Wispy vanilla is what I’ll stick to.

I did not have a seed in this cup, but I tasted on occasional fruitiness that reminded me of a Japanese candy I tried when I was growing up in Hawaii. Not quite sure how to describe it. Maybe nectar might be close, but my cup was way too light and vanilla like to make that official. I still tasted some umami and classic green tea grassiness from the Gyokuro. That profile was the back ground and body though.

Like I said, I’ll write on this tea again. I can officially say it made my morning easier before I had latte. I will drink this pretty often.

Holidays TTB: I think the main flavor I get out of this is peony? followed by jasmine. It does have a mild astringency that dries the back of my throat a bit. This has a pleasant, very light, fruity flavor. Looking at the ingredients it is likely that it is currant that I am registering. This is different than anything I can remember having. It’s tasty and worth a look into purchasing.

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox – Round #5 – Tea #49
This was the last one in the teabox! I’m not sure how Liquid Proust was able to get the butteriness, sweetness of syrup and starchiness of french toast in this tea. Whoa! The flavor is so accurate! We’ve got Butiki level flavoring going on here. And Liquid Proust Teas is so new! This was also the perfect base for these flavors. The Dian Hong is so light, barely an amber colored brew, that it can really showcase the french toast flavors. But I usually like my black teas darker, which might explain the lower rating.
Steep #1 // few minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5 minute steep

GCTTB5 backlog:

This one is a very very twiggy oolong with some fruit flavouring added. I’m having a hard time isolating the flavours on this one, but I’m getting a similar sort of blackberry/blackcurrant note as I found in the Blackberry Sage Keemun above. I can also taste the base tea underneath, which I think is a lightly roasted Tie Guan Yin. As the tea cools, the fruit flavour fades and the base comes out more.

GCTTB5 backlog:

This one is definitely a more successful blend of flavours than Fauchon’s Peche et Thyme, as I could taste the fruit plus a savoury undertone, but the former was stronger than the latter. There was a really jammy, rich quality to the fruit flavouring that reminded me more of blackcurrant rather than blackberry. I saw a chunk of dried fruit in the dry leaf, but unfortunately I didn’t get a closer look at it.

I had taken a sample of this out of the GCTTB5 to try later since I didn’t want to have the box for too long.
This was an ok tea for me. There was slight notes of malt and honey. I read through the other notes, and now I feel like there was a hint of beeswax as well like Lala and Sil mentioned. To be honest, I find that kind of weird. Oh well, I’m glad I got to try it. I guess I can’t like every tea!