464 Tasting Notes
I tried this with a little tonic water to do as a tea pop. It brings out the plum flavor even more.
I’m so glad my grandmother likes this! She hasn’t been feeling well and has been refusing to drink enough, but she finished a whole glass of this. I’m hoping I can coax some more down her later.
14 ozs of water, 2 ozs of half and half (the only milky substance I had on hand), 1 tbs of matcha and a dash of honey. All went into the shaker bottle for a cold, yummy morning treat as I try to work up the courage to run in this hot, muggy weather. The treadmill at the gym is looking mighty appealing right now.
Cold-brewed for a couple of hours. The plum flavor is very strong and in a good way. There is a substantial floral under tone to the plum, which lingers even after thee plum is gone. The white base is subtle, sweet and leaves a slight dry-mouth. Not a bad tea at all!
I also have the feeling that this tea would make an excellent hot toddy in the winter!
So I wanted 3 oz of this when I went to Teavana, so I asked them for 2 oz so that they could do the whole “Oops! I poured too much” sales spiel. I ended up with exactly how much I wanted.
I love this one as an iced tea! So does my Mom. A pitcher of ths doesn’t last long.
Ok. This is getting weird. This Kusmi tea also tastes like soda to me! This one is more like Dr Pepper with a squeeze of grapefruit. The spices just tingle on my tongue and work up my nose like carbonation bubbles. The dry leaf is intoxicating and I would be tempted to leave it out all day to let the whole room smell like it.
From the description I was expecting more citrus than there is. There is a slight citrus bite to it which I can tell has some grapefruit elements, but I was expecting more “zing” or brightness to the flavor.
There is a nice, natural vanilla in this tea, however the rest of the spices muddle together. I can’t quite distinguish them from one another- they just come at you like a wall of scent.
Honestly, I can barely taste the base through that big wall of spices. All I can tell about the base is that it is black and it’s not astringent. I have a feeling that if I had this one as a latte, I would enjoy it more- It reminds of a chai the way the spices are so strong.
Is it weird that this tea tastes to me like cherry cola? The “red fruits” in the description are definitely cherries and maybe some currants. There are also some flowery cherry blossoms in there, which tastes slightly syrupy. That sensation is probably strengthened by the bergamot oil’s mouthfeel. The caramel has a lingering burnt flavor to it- This in combination with the sharp bergamot flavor causes a tingle in the mouth, which definitely could pass off as carbonation. The base is a pretty mellow black blend, slightly sweet, slightly tannic.
Even though I have a sweet tooth, I think this tea may be a little too much for me. Just like soda, there’s a harshness to the sweetness and I won’t want that often.
Backlog from yesterday: I’m finding all the tea that I got from Le Palais de Thes blends tend to taste very, very similiar. It’s all overwhelmingly perfume-y with generic bases. Also, I find that some of their descriptions of flavors are different on the packaging than they are on their website, which I find disconcerting. I’m a stickler for accuracy in description since I’m allergic to some things.
I cold-brewed the rest of what I had of this overnight. Cold-steeping this cut down on the perfume elements and it was much more pleasant, especially the rose. The base is still very generically black with a little sencha. There is also some fruity elements: The sample package says papaya, the internet description says mango… I’m leaning more toward papaya.
An ok tea, but I’ve definitely had better fruity AND better floral teas.
Oh how I love this tea! I’ve been drinking so much Laoshan black, I needed a lighter alternative this morning, so I stuffed this in my bag quickly before I left the house for work. I’m very glad I did! This was perfect for this morning’s craziness at work. I still can’t get over how sweet this tea is naturally.
1st steep: 174F for minute and a half. When I say that this tea is creamy, I want you to understand that it’s extremely decadent like drinkng heavy whipping cream. Even the mouth-feel is exceptionally thick and smooth, covering every part of my mouth with the creaminess.
It is delicately vegetal. I would call it asparagus, but I see how people could call it soy beans. In the scent, more than the taste I’m picking up florals- sweet and delicate. I’m so glad I chose this for languishing Sunday morning.
As it cools the greens get darker like spinach and I’m pickng up hints of minerals.
2nd Steep : 165F for a minute and a half. The green tea flavor is stronger in this steep, butt thankfully not fishy. Still creamy, but less so. The florals seem to have gotten stronger as well, reminding me of the scents of spring. The mineral aspects are also a little stronger. Mmmm, fresh dirt! :-D If I slurp this tea it gives the impression that I’m drinkng a freshly mixed matcha latte.
3rd Steep: 161F for 2 minutes. The florals have definitely come into their own on this steep. I’m picking up faint citrus notes now. Back to asparagus, not spinach. The creaminess seems to go hand in hand with the dirt now, which is an interesting taste.
