2252 Tasting Notes
Every time I’ve had this previously, I’ve complained about it being wimpy. Had about 1/3 of an Adagio-sized sample tin left and just dumped the whole mess in a tea-for-one to get rid of it. I should have done that sooner…finally, flavor! Still light, but finally found the “butter zone.” Was good for our first really chilly afternoon in months when I didn’t want heavy caffeine. Upping my rating just a scoosh.
This is a sample from Doulton I’ve been waiting and waiting to try until weather made an evening cuppa welcome. And it was worth the wait. It steeps up almost milky in texture—I guess that’s the yogurt—but is sweet and caramelly and syrupy without really needing extra additives. I’m thinking it’ll be even better with a little milk.
I have a longer review ready for itsallabouttheleaf.com, but this one disappointed me a little. It’s good tea—nothing I’ve tried from Golden Moon is less than excellent quality—but seemed a little too nondescript for a breakfast tea.
Preparation
Most herbal stress busters lean on a lemony base, and TeaFrog’s Stress Reliever fits the stereotype. It’s pleasantly lemongrass-heavy when you examine the dry blend and when you drink a steeped cup.
(Reviewed and rated for medicinal value for an upcoming www.itsallabouttheleaf.com post.)
Here’s the first part of a more scholarly (?) studied (?) dissertation at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1099/tea-review-golden-moon-sugar-caramel-oolong/
The name of this tea is somewhat misleading—it represents the ingredients accurately, but doesn’t convey its character well at all. With sugar and caramel as the leading adjectives, I expected a heavy, sweet tea with the flavor of Sugar Daddies that would be fine alongside a doughnut or work well as a dessert tea.
If that’s what you’re looking for, best move on.
But…
First time I’ve ever consciously tasted “not rooibos” in order to compare the two. Really nice…there’s something just a touch sharper in the taste profile than rooibos; enough so that my husband mentioned a similarity to Red Zinger minus the tartness. Better still—it was inexpensive; our local health food place has bulk-by-the-ounce so it’s doesn’t cost much to experiment!
I use a lot of leaf for my whites, ~1TB most times.
Yeah, that’s the lesson I’m learning with whites too. I have a tin of Rishi’s Snowbud that I didn’t like at all until I started using more leaf (like two grams in a 4oz pot), but then it was delicious. Buying a tiny scale and measuring my whites by weight has let me enjoy them a lot more :)
I agree teabird… I use it for other teas, but whites are the reason I bought my scale- craming the long, delicate leaves in a measuring spoon is a MAJOR P.I.T.B.