1759 Tasting Notes
Welp. This cuppa was pretty much all hibby.
I was in the mood for something absurdly sour so it kinda worked out.
When I grab more, I’ll have to remember to shake up my tin before doling out the tea.
The cup I had not long ago was better. This is almost a sipdown, so I’ll need more soon. For experimentation yanno
When I first bought this it was overwhelmingly floral. I made very small cups!
I miss the RC from Tea Emporium. One of the few they did exceptionally well.
Now that I’ve had it a few years, the floral is quite nice. Faded isn’t always bad!
Today I infused it three times in a small tea cup and combined the three into a large mug. Very nice. Smooth and just overall pleasant. I always get lost in the cup and forget to take more specific notes other than to say this is a basic Chinese black base with some mild background cocoa notes and maybe sugarcane. The rose is very perfume like.
Fresh, this would have gotten a lower rating. About 65-70. Aged? much better. One of those that I procrastinate due to my memory of how it once was, and then I remember, it’s loads better now! and never regret my cuppa. I could have sworn this was in my cupboard here on steepster…. but nope, I just added it to the database today.
So I uhhhh got this sample from someone. No idea who! Someone accidentally dropped their tiny spoon in my box of samples and in rooting around for it, separated from the envelope indicating origins. So to whoever graciously gifted me this, thank you! EDIT: It may have been MissB, so thanks again! :)
Anyhow. The tea. I’ve had it for awhile, so it may have lost some flavour. But overall it was pleasant. It was very fruity, and slightly tart in a rather refreshing way.
I was shocked to see that the ingredients included the evil berg. I didn’t taste it at all, nor did it make me feel unwell. So either I’m getting over this darn allergy, the berg had faded, or it was only a teeny tiny bit. Whatever, I’m just glad it went over ok!
Overall, I enjoyed it and would gladly have more if it weren’t a sipdown.
This is goooooood. Highly malty and bold with a slight astringency that comes across as sour, in a pleasant way. It lingers in the aftertaste. More astringency comes out as the tea cools. And when I say malty, I mean… enough to fill a malt ball. Ahhhh love it!
There is a slight dustiness underneath it all. Not in a bad way… more like the tea is covered in velvet, or rather the tea is sipped through a velvet cover? It’s an interesting sensation!
I love how complex this is. The molasses type note in mid swallow is fun as well, not something I see that often in an Assam, not this strongly anyhow! :)
Thanks for the sample Nicole!
My card was separated from this cake, so I’m not certain this is the correct tea.
There are strong fruity notes and a hint of smoke, so it makes sense…
Really loving the dryness here. It was why I bought the cake, after all!
Sadly, I may have burnt the leaves, as I absentmindedly dunked the leaves when the water was rather hot, shortly after I poured the boiled water. It doesn’t seem to have done much damage so I’ll have to see what happens next time I brew it up.
I’m on the third infusion now and it has only gotten sweeter, and a bit lighter.
Funny, I bought this because I’ve been craving the flavour profile, and yet I’m tempted to age it and see how that goes. Except.. it means that I’d have to avoid hoarding. Knowing me, my tastes will change long before I finish of the cake (I hope), so that I can store it for experimentation down the road.
I’m quite happy with this investment :)
Are you a member of their tea club? How do you like it?
Sadly I am not. I grabbed a bunch of cakes at the Tea Festival. My tea preferences are too wide ranging for the subscription not to overwhelm me haha. I’ve heard good things about it, but most people I know end up with far more than they could consume and cancel it after they pile up
I love how robust this tea is. Nice and malty.
This first cup I didn’t focus too much on the flavour notes, since I was getting ready to head out the door and needed the caffeine.
Can’t say I noticed the cranberry, with or without the milk. It was rather sweet on it’s own, but I added a touch of sugar to try and bring out the fruitiness. No go, apparently.
The natural sugar note felt ,more licorice like than cranberry.
That particular sweetness isn’t one I’m terribly fond of in some blends, generally the “healthy” or medicinal types. Usually I don’t mind it in chai so I’m not sure why it didn’t work for me here. It may have been the distribution of spices in my spoon of course, or some other factor I haven’t figured out yet?
More investigation required!
This is good. Plain. Highly astringent mid and tail end of the sip. Malty throughout, in the aftertaste as well. I didn’t much like it sans milk or sugar so it’s a bit one dimensional.
It reminds me of Tim Horton’s tea. Or rather, a good cup of Tim’s tea… what I hope for it to be anyhow! Tim’s tends to be hit and miss, no idea why…
Also this is my second cup today. First one I tried with the hot tap water, second one was with boiled kettle water.
I definitely like the latter better, as it has more complexity and depth. First cup was much the same, only the liquor was thicker and the flavours were muted. Still, not bad for when I’m in a rush I suppose.
Also? total klutz moment as I dumped milk all over our carpeted floor. le sighs
Thank you for the sample Nicole!!
This was all soft and gooey today. Not quite chewey. Later infusions had more depth. Overall notes of bread, hay, linen and malt. Slight mineral influence. This time I went super light on the leaf, so I should try more next time. Lately I’ve been going with smaller cups in an effort to get through more infusions. In my mind, that’s getting closer to gongfu. ha!!!
