1759 Tasting Notes

59
drank Orange Pekoe by Tim Hortons
1759 tasting notes

a little bitter yet overly sweet. Not my fave, since my black tea obsession really kicked in. Oh well, no time for filling/steeping a bag at work so this will have to do! milk and sugar help :)

is anyone else going to the Art of Tea festival in Toronto on the 18th? there is a half price coupon at buytopia: http://onespout.com/deal/view/182108

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84

I can’t believe I haven’t rated this one yet! I could have sworn that I had… hmm.
Anyhow, this was at one point a fave of mine, but not as much now that I am here in TO. See, I bought this in Florida, and the water must be different there because this tea in particular is not what I remember! The coconut oolong, which I also bought at the same shop, tastes better here, but not the rainforest mate. Odd huh?
Here, I taste more of the licorice, and the mate, whereas in Florida, it was all about the fruitiness. Can hard/soft water make that much of a difference?
Who knows. Oh and I am definitely getting the mint here, where I never noticed it prior. That said, it’s still very smooth, and I quite enjoy my yerbas.
So, my rating is based on these factors then:
1. This tea is useful, keeping me energized for the moment but it won’t cause me trouble later in the evening when I try to get some sleep. I also enjoy the yerba taste, as mentioned above. and again, it’s super smooth, also a good thing
2. I’m not a huge licorice or mint fan except in very particular circumstances (icecream for instance. I love mint chocolate chip!)
3. The fruity part, which initially drew me in is gone.
Thus, this tea would have previous received a score of 90, but is now relegated to 84. Oh well. C’est la vie!

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87
drank Marco Polo by Mariage Frères
1759 tasting notes

ugh, so I made the fatal error of eating an apple just prior to having this tea! Note to self: Apple and tea do NOT go well together. I really should have known better. What was I thinking?!?
This was an interesting experience, but not one I’d like to repeat, and not by any fault of the tea!
The apple was somewhat sour, but it must have been sweeter than I had considered because the tea was just off. I think I didn’t make it strong enough either, because it tasted a bit watery. and flowery! The first time I had this one, it was more fruity and sweet, but this time it was all floral with a slight minty spice in the finish. The thing is, I had to add sugar, and more than I prefer under regular circumstances so it muddled the taste.
Dang, this one is all my fault to. I’m not changing the rating, I’d like to remember this tea the way it was the first time i tried it.
QuiltGuppy it looks like we’ve both had some puzzling tea-scapades today! thanks again for sending me this one :)

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95

Mmmmmmmm this was just what I wanted. Ya know when you crave something very particular, and then manage to fill that want with the perfect thing? well, this was one of those times. The brewing circumstances turned out to be ideal as well. I will have to remember: 1.5-1.7 tsp(extra large mug), 5 min steep, boiling water. Perfection!!
I think my beloved Lover’s Leap could have done a better job… the only thing missing was that extra complexity I search for. No matter, I so badly wanted a bold, malty tea with milk! The last few days it’s been missing from my diet so it was becoming an issue. It was all I could think about! haha.
Anyhow, this rating is artificially high(previously an 86), but I’m ok with that. I feel that tomorrow will be a Marco Polo day though, if I’m home that is :)
Sidenote: does it annoy anyone else that when you create a second tea review and change your initial rating, it does the same to your earlier review as well? I know I am!! (annoyed)

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87
drank Cucumber Fusion by 52teas
1759 tasting notes

Hmmm, this is an odd, but good tea. It’s comforting, very smooth, VERY refreshing and the flavours mesh together nicely. At first I wasn’t sure, about the cucumber part, but I think it comes out more as it cools. Also, I tried a few teaspoons in a separate cup with a few drops of milk, which really brought the cucumber out- almost like it activated my taste sensors. Now that I am back to drinking it plain(I did add half a teaspoon of sugar though) I am getting a strong “cucumber” essence. In fact, it’s so refreshing that it leaves a hint of burning freshness as an aftertaste. Not quite spicy but somewhere between spicy and thirst-quenched.
This would be interesting iced I think… more than most(I’m not a huge fan of iced tea, but this one piques my interest). I think I’ll try it that way next- one more serving left!
Thankyou for the experience PoliticalMachine!! This was most satisfying! :)

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91

This is loads better than the Osmanthus Oolong I bought from TR!!! wow, I had no idea it could be this amazing. I could swear it tastes kindof milky, with an added moment of spicy floral tea in the swallow. This was had at work, in the office, so not much time was allowed for noticing the details but I will, next time!!
thankyou so much QuiltGuppy!! this tea really made up for my terrible tea choice this am :)

QuiltGuppy 14 years ago

It really is an outstanding Osmanthus Oolong. I swear it has a milk oolong base. I went back and bought 200 g of it!

Indigobloom 14 years ago

ah lucky girl! something about “milky” tea makes me happy, I wish I knew why

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60
drank Paris by Harney & Sons
1759 tasting notes

I’ve resigned myself to disliking Earl Grey permanently now… except the rooibos variety which tastes less earthy somehow. I wonder how it would taste with another base? I’ve only ever tried it with black and rooibos. Hmmmm.
This one has such rave reviews, I figured that it would atleast be tolerable for me, but that was apparently not in my cards. Luckily, they let me return the tin after sampling a bag, so atleast I didn’t lose any money on it! :)
I don’t mind the lemon so much… though I am very picky about citrus in my tea, but that combined with the bergamot is just too much. I can’t taste any vanilla at all in there either and I didn’t feel that any of the flavours gelled together at all.
Oh well, I can’t adore every type of tea right?? I just wish I could understand why this one has such appeal! and why nobody else ever mentions the earthy note that bothers me.

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85

This is the one I walked away with a cup of over lunch hour. Not bad… but I imagine this would make for a better base to go with other ingredients.
The shop offers a “make your own tea” option so I’m thinking about trying this with strawberry and attempting to replicate my DT experience only with Silver Needle instead of White Peony.
One day I will go in there and just chat with the sales guy for a few hours… he doesn’t mind letting customers sample and he seems to enjoy educating us as well so I am in heaven there! :)
The tea itself was a pretty standard “white” for me, albeit a quality one. I do wonder how it would have presented using a gaiwan though. and I think I need to try their version of White Peony before jumping to any conclusions.
Overall, I still prefer the White Peony from Tea Emporium… I mean, if I had to pick just one straight up white to go with. It’s less fuzzy tasting and more aromatic.
(though we chatted awhile. I think it may have been oversteeped. that’s twice in one day! arg)

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drank Keemum by Tea Dynasty
1759 tasting notes

Disclaimer: I cannot recall the exact name of this tea. If you know what it is, please correct it! they only have one Keemum variety so it should be a no-brainer for someone with a decent memory. Sorry to fail on all you Steepsterites!
Anyhow, on to the tea. The guy in the shop gave me a sample… using a gaiwan!! apparently the store plans to sell them for a reasonable price in the near future! so exciting :)
and the flavour?
It was interesting! I quite enjoyed it, but I’m not sure about how to rate it. My brain has yet to decide precisely how much I like this one. The floral/smoky note was mild but pleasant, and the black tea was also mild, but the liquid itself was a touch thick in the first few steeps. By the third round, the smokiness was gone, replaced by a mild spicy note that hid in the background all the way to the finish. There was a slight floral aspect as well, more pronounced once the smokiness faded.
I don’t think I would buy any, moreso because there is a minimum purchase of 50g and there are so many other teas I’d like to try before lapping myself in tastings.
Also, this is my first Keemum, and so I really have no idea how it compares. In time I will!

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75
drank English Breakfast by Teaopia
1759 tasting notes

Ick. I think this one may have been brewed incorrectly. Perhaps to long. It was bitter!!
I haven’t had much luck with English Breakfast in general, but it never seems to be the fault of the leaf… but the circumstances. It must be a cursed tea.
Even when I added sugar, and agave, it was still not so tasty. More boring than anything else. Sure there was maltiness, but also a dusty part to it that muted everything and made me think of Twinnings EB.
Don’t let this rating throw you off though, there is a good chance that the guy serving me was distracted and missed the timer. It was quite busy in the shop this AM.

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Bio

Let’s see… I’m a tea and workout fanatic, I work in HR, and most of my friends consider me to be an egg. White on the outside, Asian on the inside :)
-from philosophy to food, I love it all
Otherwise, what you see is what you get! I can be very straightforward and yet shy.

Also, I’ve started taking tea sommelier classes and it is an absolute blast! Well, so far I’ve only finished the first out of eight courses, but I am really looking forward to the next one.

Anyhow, if your curious as to how I rate things, this is how I work…

0-25
Like eating dirt, or some other unsanitary indelicacy that mentioning in my profile here would likely get me banned.
I don’t think I’ve found cause to banish a tea to the wasteland yet though so who knows what it’d inspire ;P

25-50
You know that expression “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”? I imagine drinking that water would be terrible enough to warrant this rating!
I’d never make my enemy drink this, but perhaps I’d throw it at them. Good thing I don’t have any enemies!

50-70
This is “tea”?? I tried finishing the cup… but my body rejected it. There may be others who enjoy this tea, but it’s beyond me!

70-80
I tried liking it, and I can almost get there! I certainly don’t hate it, but something is holding me back. Allergies? Men in white suits? who knows… certainly not me!

80-90
Lovely tea! Not my all time fave but close. I likely wouldn’t repurchase, but may decide to based on many factors: price, accessibility, whether it fills a “tea gap”, medicinal applications, and how often I crave it.
Every once in awhile I find the sweet spot that bumps these up to 90+. Those are the days I need to buy a lotto ticket!

90-95
Sweet Camellia! this is realllly good tea! Don’t talk to me until I’ve finished my cup…

95-100
Tea of the gods. I would do anything to get my hands on more of this liquid gold!

Location

Toronto (Mississauga, but I work in TO)

Website

http://hrslinger.wordpress.com/

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