Samovar

I’ve had this sitting in a little bowl on my counter that is overflowing with other samples on my short list of things to try for a couple of weeks now. I decided that today was the day, since I’m celebrating the demise of two boxes of bagged black tea today from my “starter” teas.

I haven’t (knowingly) had a Ceylon black before by itself, though it does make appearances in black blends so I’m sure I’ve tasted it intermingled with other things. But solo, this is a first.

I really liked the look of the dry leaves. They’re dark and pretty and vaguely twiggy. I thought they’d make a very attractive nest for a very small bird, or a lovely, very small basket if they could be woven into such a thing. This may sound odd, but their smell is warm. The air around them gives off the impression of being some degrees warmer than the surrounding air. I haven’t experienced this before and thought it was a cool thing. They don’t have a very loud smell, in fact they’re less aromatic than just about all the other Samovar samples I’ve tried, as I recall. They do have a fruity smell, that is also somewhat like tobacco. Like a fruit flavored pipe tobacco. Cherry maybe.

After steeping, the aroma is of carmelized sugar, and a high, somewhat “narrow” note that might be wine or might be citrus. The tea is a lovely clear reddish tea color. A deep coppery color.

There’s a vaguely metallic note to the taste, though I must admit that I’m not sophisticated enough in my tasting of metals to be able to distinguish iron from zinc from copper. It’s a full, sweet flavor, with some malt, and some tang which could be either the aforementioned wine or citrus. It’s not as smooth as the other Samovar blacks I’ve tasted (which smoothness I had come to regard as a sort of trademark) but this could also be because I steeped this one a bit longer than I did the others because I was feeling adventurous today. Still, it’s not bumpy either. Not harsh. There’s a bit of toastiness and a coffee-like quality, not so much in the taste as in the overall impression of the flavor and body.

But is there raspberry?

Yes, with this caveat. My mother was a big crossword puzzle worker and she used to tell me that to be good at crossword puzzles you had to “throw your mind out of focus” a little, to be receptive to meanings you might not think of initially. To get the raspberry taste while the tea was hot, I had to throw my mind out of focus a bit. It’s there in the aroma, and in the aftertaste.

And, as I just discovered when I sipped what was left in the cup after typing to this point, it’s much more readily identifiable when the tea is cooler.

Wet, the leaves have an interesting reddish tinge. One of the other notes mentioned they smelled like tomatoes, so I had to give them a sniff. They do! (More like tomato sauce to me, actually.)

It’s not my favorite Samovar black, but it’s still an excellent drink. Onto the shopping list it goes.

Smooth and clean.

I have had this tea for at least a month and I finally closed my eyes and went for it…I steeped this one for a timid 1 minute. Suprisingly, I liked this one. It was warm and earthy and not fishy at all. The taste was full and to me, slightly sweet…I think this is on one of my favorite’s list…possibly…..

Thank you so much to LENA for sending me a sample of Samovar’s Breakfast Blend. The dry tea has a very pleasant and sweet aroma. It’s quite robust but the sweetness adds an appealing twist. This is a mannish tea with some real sweet soul.

The brewed tea is quite strong and certainly deserves consideration for anyone looking for a good shot of caffeine. It’s very malty. I added some milk and a bit of sugar and decided I prefer this tea with the additions. The sugar and milk seem to elicit more of the sweet overtones of chocolate and raisin and the milk cuts through the strength a bit to make the tea relax a bit.

I will certainly consider buying a full-size tin of this tea when I, inevitably, place another Samovar order.

Changed the brewing parameters a touch and ended up with a pretty darn awesome cup. Still zero astringency or bitterness, it’s sweet but not as sweet as when brewed more gyokuro-like. Instead, there is a fresh, clean, almost lemony main flavor to this. Really quite delightful.

Semi-Unrelated Tea Log Apology: I think this log should be turned into a drinking game. Everyone take a shot (of tea perhaps?) each time I type ‘fukamushi’. Sigh. Sorry. I just can’t help it. It’s my favorite style of sencha so everything gets compared to it.

This looks like a mix of fukamushi sencha and nori furikake. It’s kind of fun – little silty bits and little flaky bits. I am unsure how to brew this so I’m doing it a bit like gyokuro but a little shorter steep time since the pieces are smaller.

Tossed in a preheated pot, the leaves smell awesome. So thick and rich. Really delightful. I love the smell of green tea in a preheated pot. If you’ve never smelled it before, give it a shot. It’s awesome. Anyway, as I pour the tea into my cup, little flecks escape through my filter and flurry around inside my teacup. It looks like a green tea snowglobe which I find kind of charming. I like this tea so far. It’s cute.

Mmm, tastewise this is like a mix of different sencha styles. It’s got the smoothness and utter lack of astringency of a fukamushi sencha. But there is a nori-like endnote that makes me think of something less steamed. I think, if steeped too long, this endnote could develop into an unpleasantly pungent bitterness, but as it is, it just gives a nice counterpoint to the fresh feeling I’m getting from this tea.

I’m actually liking this one. I tend to go for the sweet fukamushi senchas so this isn’t my typical Japanese green, but the lack of astringency makes it very friendly for me. Sort of like the fukamushi lover’s asamushi or something. I think next time I’m going to treat it like a fukamushi and see how it goes. So far I could see having some of this on hand to break up the potential monotony of a tea pantry that usually ends up all sweet fukamushi.
2.5g/5oz

Anyone drunk (or over-caffeinated) yet?

This is quite a complex tea! The leaves alone smell so decadent. I know this was a great choice for a dessert tea, I just wish I had a dessert to pair with it. I taste milk chocolate, a bit of cedar/woodsyness, warmth from the vanilla beans. The aftertaste has something a bit like the coppery taste after biting my tongue, maybe it’s just earthy flavors I haven’t quite explored yet. I’d enjoy tasting this tea again, it has many interesting characteristics.

So, my 4-Hour Work Week Samovar thingy came a few days ago, but I hadn’t had the chance to open it up until today. And…I discovered that the included book is missing! This is actually not a huge problem for me, since I ordered the special for the yerba mate…but even so!

Anyway, I must be seriously insane to be sipping on yerba mate at nearly 8pm in the evening. I’m questioning my own judgement here…but really, it smelled nifty and…new tea! Too weak to say ‘no’.

I’m really digging the smell, honestly. It’s very grassy…but less like the soft green grass of summer, and more like pond reeds of some kind, or something slightly woodier, something thicker, with a stalk. Bamboo, maybe. Not quite sure. It’s an earthy, nutty, but grassy (reedy) smell with a green note at the very end.

The description notes that there’s licorice root in here somewhere, but if so it’s so subtle that I’m not able to isolate it on its own, which for me is a good thing.

It almost has a savory chalkiness to it. That sounds terrible, but I’d say that it reminds me of…I don’t know…oats or some other grain before you turn it into granola or oatmeal or what-have-you. Not chalky, per se, but…

Oh, I’m totally spacing the words that I want. Maybe finishing this cup will help!

This is a pretty robust cup. I can see people either loving it or hating it, but I definitely dig it. I’m really looking forward to trying the other two that came in the set!

As part of the 4 Hour Work week pack of Yerba Mate, I’m trying out the Mate with Peppermint.
First sip and this tea made me smile – there’s something about the smell of peppermint that makes me smile – it’s so refreshing. The peppermint really cuts the haystack-like taste Mate naturally has. With the many benefits of mate paired with the peppermint flavor it’s going to be very difficult to not drink this everyday.

This herbal blend took a few cups to get used to but now is one of my favorites, reminds me of a campfire. It has a wonderfully strong taste, I highly recommend giving it a try!

Just wanted to say that my Samovar order arrived today so I opened up the tin of this to see how full it was because I was afraid after Shanti’s post and it was up to the top. Shanti, you should definitely contact Samovar about your lack of full tin. It sounds like you got a defective one.

For my Friday fun, I briefly considered a themed set of three tasting notes. Not similar teas, just three teas organized thematically. It seems like a fun idea, and I may yet do it so I won’t reveal the theme, not that I would expect a tremendous number of people would either remember it or were familiar with it in the first place as it is rather a niche item. Can you tell that I have limited creative outlets these days?

But I don’t think I have time to do the themed notes and also taste this tea, which I have been waiting to taste for three weeks now. I knew from what others had said about it that it would be pretty special, so I wanted to taste it at a time when I was alone in quiet, which is rarely the case in this house. Today I’m working from home and I’ve just finished most of what was on my plate for today so I’m taking a small break before the last push, and I am taking advantage of the quietness and aloneness to do it.

I am finding that oolongs are probably my favorite kind of tea. I say probably because I really love blacks, too, so it’s a toss up but for this. Oolongs have a rare gift that I truly appreciate and that they may only have in common with pu erhs, in my experience. They can really transport me to another physical, mental and emotional dimension. They’re supremely relaxing to me, and yet they also provide that state of quiet alertness I’ve read so much about. The seem well matched to meditation. I may test that out at some point: drink oolong and then meditate.

This oolong is an oolong’s oolong. It has a whole lot of special going on.

When I opened the sample packet, I noticed immediately that the leaves smelled like flowery butter. Though they are less floral-smelling that those of the Life in Teacup An Xi Tie Guan Yin Grade II modern green style, the floral note they do have is similar. There’s gardenia, and more. Where the LIT had a pure, delicate floral note, these have a stronger one that is, perhaps, boosted by the creaminess of the buttery fragrance.

The leaves range in shades of green from fairly dark, almost forest, to much lighter, and are tightly curled, almost to the point of pearliness. They are fairly small, but substantial-looking.

First steep: 2 min. A light yellow, very slightly green liquor. Intensely floral, intensely dewy, creamy, rich aroma. Silky smooth in the mouth and tastes of flowers and creamy butter, with a fresh green note. It’s like a more intensely flavored, fuller-bodied version of the LIT. A more grown up version of the LIT.

Second steep: 3 min. A darker yellow green. I’m looking for the fresh baked bread, and unbelievably, it is there. The melt-on-your-tongue, white, fluffy innards of a fresh Italian or French bread loaf while it’s still hot, drizzled with sweet butter and consumed outdoors under an arbor on the grounds of a Tuscan villa or in a garden in the suburbs of Paris.

Third steep: 3:30 min. The agony of the leaves leads to having to transfer them into a bigger filter. They’re completely unwound and voluminous. This steep is all about the dairy. It may be milk, it may be butter, it may be cream, it may be all three at the same time or in pairs, but it is all dairy all the time. The LIT is like a baby’s breath and lovely. This is like burying your nose in those soft baby neck skin folds (clean ones!), and lovely as well.

Fourth steep: 4 min. The greenness of the oolong emerges this round. It isn’t what I’d call vegetal, more the greenness of the floral aspect. The taste of the fragrance of fresh flower stems, green but inescapably floral. The dairy has receded, though it is still present. Though I can’t test it, I feel as though my breath probably smells very fresh right now. :-)

Fifth steep: 4:30 min. It’s like the tea is waving goodbye and receding slowly into the distance. The silkiness is tapering off, as is the butteryness. What is left is flowers, like the memory of perfume on a pillow. It’s a graceful taper, but I feel the tea is telling me it’s over until next time.

This was an incredibly wonderful way to refresh on a Friday after a long week. This is something that I must have in my life, at least until I find something that tops it. Along with the LIT, I now have two favorite oolongs. I feel moved to bump up the LIT a bit since I enjoyed it, in its own way, and since there is now, no matter how much it may be clogged with other things, a place reserved for both of these in my cupboard.

How lucky I was to get these from the generous LENA. Thank you! 6 months ago I would have confidently asserted that I dislike Jasmine tea because my only experience was with one of those wretched tea-bags (probably Bigelow or perhaps Twinings).

But recently I’ve grown to really enjoy and be impressed by the subtle aromas and tastes of green and white teas. The Jasmine flavour is one that I’ve grown to esteem. I think that Samovar’s Jasmine Pearls are, hencefar, the best I’ve experienced. The tea manages to be floral and biscuity. The characteristic buttery taste of some green teas is here but this is most certainly a jasmine tea and not merely a riff on a green tea.

The jasmine aroma is delicate and demure, yet it asserts itself beyond the taste of a biscuit-y tea, or a butter-y tea. I suspect, and not just from the price, that Samovar has one of the very best, if not the best, Jasmine Pearls for offer on the marketplace.

This was a blah tea for me. I brewed this up on Sunday and tried the multiiple infusions. Sure if I squint my eyes, I may be able to detect some of the flavor notes that the other reviewers noted…This oolong is very subtle. This would be a perfect drink for an afternoon of calm introspection reading at a desk…I just am not sure if this drink fits into my routine….

I was inspired to drink this today, even though The Amazing Takgoti sent me this sample months ago, because of the little Bon Appetit article about Pu-Erh in the May issue. I spent a very enjoyable SIX HOURS sipping multiple steeps of this tea!!!

When I did the rinse, I said “OH NO!!! This smells TERRIBLE!!! There is no way I am going to be able to drink this!!!!” It didn’t smell like fish tank, fish, or even earth. It smelled like something odd I never smelled before!!!

My first steep had that smell, but lighter. When I went to take my first sip…nothing like the smell!!!! So interesting! The blood orange and ginger made it familiar and delicious, but the pu-erh was earthy and complicated and like nothing I’ve ever had before! It wasn’t even like I was drinking tea!

My additional steeps cycled through a spicy Thai broth, then a mellow broth, and then there were some coffee like elements, and now the flavor is getting fainter and there is just a subtle lingering ginger note.

Is this mellow, calm, pleasant feeling what they call the pu-erh high?!

Despite having my mind completely made up that I was going to hate this and spit it out, I totally enjoyed it! It’s so odd that I couldn’t see myself having it every day, or even every week, but I certainly want to have it again!!

I am sampling this Masala Chai thanks to the benevolence of LORI. I agree with her note that this is a smooth Chai with no one spice predominating. I think it is very well crafted and spicy.

If it were earlier in the day, I would be adding some black tea as one tasting note recommended. Overall, the is the richest and most robust Chai I’ve had. I’m not really tempted to embrace Chai as a way of life but if I ever feel compelled to keep it in stock (and I’m a very easily compelled woman) I may select this blend. Right now I’m marinating my own blend with a good strong Keemun base and several of the usual spicy culprits and some real vanilla beans (JacquelineM got me started on the vanilla bean thing). I’ll wait to see how that emerges.

With milk brought almost to a boil and some sugar this tea is a veritable meal in itself!

(Backlogging) This was the third tea I served at my Murder Mystery Tea Party. It was served right after the “murder” because I felt that the mint-ish flavor would help calm everyone’s nerves.

Thank you so much to LORI for sending me a generous sample of this tea. I knew that I would like it. As a Lapsang Souchong addict, I’m partial to any smoked teas. This Russian Blend is not exception. While it does not have the deep scorched-earth taste of some smoky teas, it is an exceptional blend that adds an element of fruit and natural sweetness to the smoke. Their notes suggest an apricot taste and I fully concur with that.

This may be another tea that I will have to purchase a full tin of because of the exquisite blend. I’m not certain how Samovar’s blenders managed to strike such an expert balance between smoke and fruit without allowing the smoke to take over. It’s a nifty hat trick.

Just tried this tea for the first time!

I have to say that I was extremely excited to get this tea, as I’ve heard great things about it from many people!

The smell of the dry leaves was kind of sweet and earthy, just as I’d heard, however whenever I rinsed the tea and made the first steep (5 min), the smell was kind of off putting and surprising to me. This being my first pu-erh, I wasn’t sure whether or not it was normal, so I just went with it.

The taste to me was…odd.

I’m not going to say it was bad, because my palette is still developing for tea, and I know I have a lot to learn. I didn’t taste the sweetness in any of the three steeps that I made, just a very earthy, dirt like taste.

Having finally tried Maiden’s Ecstasy, it wasn’t quite what I expected, but I’m going to keep drinking it and hope that I start to acquire the taste.

As a final note, I’d say: Give this tea a try, but don’t be surprised by the unique flavor.

This is my first unflavored oolong w/multiple steeps. First and second steep, mild , pleasant and relaxing flavor. Not sure if I am crazy about this tea…But again this may be reflective of my personal tastes/oolong inexperience and not necessarily the quality of this oolong…

I would have to disagree w/Samovar’s claim that this is a replacement for coffee- it certainly does not have the rich and strong undertones present in coffee….