1759 Tasting Notes
I tried this with and without milk. It was better without. A nice simple sipping tea ala dairy.
Will have to try another cup, as I was too distracted for taking notes, or rather noticing the finer details. Tis the first day of 2017 after all, and there is lots to do :)
I tried this with about 95c water and about 90 seconds, which resulted in a generically spicy cup, and some background roasted rice notes. I didn’t catch any notes of frosting, other than the odd feeling moment during occasional sips. Next time I’ll try with some milk and sugar as recommended on the package, and at a lower temp/longer steep time.
I’ve not decided anything about this one yet, so this note is more for my reference than anything else!
Preparation
So much yum. Just the way I remember. Perfectly cherry!! and almond. Indugent and comforting. Oh yes. I do wish it was a tad stronger in the flavour. It wouldn’t stand up to a latte. Still gonna try it one of these days.
I’m on staycation with the boy, so added a few drops of triple sec, inspired by the “blueberry tea” recipe… amarreto, grand marnier, and tea. The true alcohol version actually does taste like the berry, despite a lack of anything blue in the ingredients. My concoction today is quite delish, but not blueberry though. Still, I am a happy girl.
Nostalgia lives here :)
The Black Forest isn’t a tisane, because it has tea in the blend:
Ingredients
Black tea, cocoa shells, hibiscus, natural chocolate flavor, vanilla extract, natural cherry flavor.
Although I see the dreaded Hibiscus is an ingredient, and blends usually are overly tart (overdone) with it, which I do not like, and is another reason for me to rethink purchasing Black Forest.
Indi, sounds like their Christmas Morning blend. I love it!! I’ve only gotten the teabags, but I drink it every season for Many years. You can smell the Jasmine and it gives the bend a smooth lightly flowery taste (if that makes sense). My Christmas Morning review from December 12-13, 2011:
@ScottTeaMan I don’t recall the black forest being tart. Maybe it was merely that batch of teas that was terrible. If the assembly line forgot ingredients etc, I can see it being bland.
Yes, the Christmas Morning! Love it. Odd, because I despise jasmine teas. In that blend, it seems to work for me and I’ve never figured out why, other than it could be added in a small enough quantity that it imparts only a smidge of flavour
Really loving this tea!! I must try it as a latte soon.
Plain, it was rich and comforting. A touch bitter when hot, due to the coffee I think. Half a tsp of sugar helped. The chocolate and creamy coffee notes were more present in the second steep. I didn’t get much oolong flavour, but then, I don’t think that was the point here :)
The old me rated this at 90, under Teaopia. Now? Still ahhhhmazing. But I have perspective. Or maybe i’m jaded. hah. Even still, 4 points lower than 90 isn’t much.
Anyhow, I tried it both hot and cold brewed. Delish both ways, and just the way I remember. I love the cola flavour, and it really does wake me up! This is the only tea in my order that I bought 50g of. All the rest were samples. Because I knew it would be worthwhile. I’ve missed you old friend!
This was ok. No additions.
Light blueberry flavour, which is a refreshing contrast to David’s Blueberry Jam.
I’m not a huge on the base, but I imagine there aren’t many Assam’s out there which would pair well with bluberry. (assuming the base is ceylon, as most flavoured black teas are)
Also found it very smooth, and easy for sipping. There are some teas out there that I adore, but for some reason I can’t easily drink quickly if needed. I’m happy to say this isn’t one of them :)
This would go well iced, I think!
I must have underleafed this. My cup was smaller than normal since I’m at the boyfriend’s place and he only has a few mugs. (or room for mugs, or else I’d bring some!)
So using a regular teaspoon seemed too much. Next time I’ll know better.
There was a peculiar tartness that I once associated with astringency, without the mouth dryness. Very ceylon-esque.
Adding milk helped a bit. Hmph. I had planned to make my next cup with a bit of eggnog, but now I feel like it needs another go as a regular tea. But I only grabbed a sample… what to do, what to do?! #firstworldproblems
These reviews comfort me. Now I don’t feel so bad for finding this tea so darn boring! I didn’t bother with a second infusion. And I had to add half a tsp of sugar to make it appealing… which did bring out the tobacco and fruit notes a tad, surprisingly. But before that? a cup of meh.
I was off Keemum for a long time, as I found it a bit thick and that the thickness could overwhelm the nuances of the tea. Now I’m really curious if that remains true!
This is quite tasty!!
I’m enjoying the slight buzz from eucalyptus, along with a sort of tongue numbing effect, in a pleasant way that reminds me of the drink. It really does taste similar to a mojito. That airy effect from Graveyard Mist (52teas) is there as well. Lots going on here, which pleases me! It is clear that a lot of work and thought went into crafting the mix of flavours.
Not 100% spot on Grapefruit Mojito because that would really call for fresh mint leaves and well I know that isn’t possible. The grapefruit isn’t quite what I imagined either although I can’t pinpoint why, but I would definitely say it is very much there… a tad mild, which is ok by me, I fully expected the mint to take over.
oh. Also, I added a smidge of sugar, since mojitos are quite sweet. It really brought out the flavours more, and helped them gel. Didn’t need much, but that tiny bit was helpful.
Altogether, the blend is well executed and unique. I bought another sampler for a friend this Christmas and I’m glad I did, I think she’ll love it!
On a more personal note, it’s Christmas Eve and I’m feeling quite all over the place. Emotions are high for a bunch of reasons; Holiday demands being one of them, of course :)
Then there is the fact that I’m on different meds now for adhd. they don’t address my anxiety issues directly, not like my previous meds, and the dosage needs to be upped… a lot… which my doc won’t do til I meet with the specialist she plans to refer me to(he’s on vacay til Feb). In the meantime I forget alot of stuff, constantly. and I worry about everything. I’m mostly ok with that for now, since the previous meds turned off my ability to get excited about things, or appreciate them properly. I feel like it affected my empathy as well, so had to use my logic in order to not be an arse to people. My logic always didn’t come through, nothing is perfect right? Sorry for the ramble. Just felt like getting things off my chest! So yeah, all of that and residual work stress, Nothing feels “right” these days. Like I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop, or… well that is another story haha.
Oh. Also. My aunt is unwell, this may be her last Christmas, so we all had to get the flu shot for the sake of herd immunity. First time ever… as I’m seriously not a fan. I always planned to get it if and when I needed it and not a day sooner. For some reason having flu vaccine in me is quite creepy, yet I have no problem with other ones. Perhaps because the flu version is annual? I dunno.
Anyhow. I’m grateful for a lot of things in my life, so am trying to focus on that. I’m headed out to Christmas Eve dinner now. Happy Hannukah and Merry Christmas/Kwanzaa to those who celebrate!
One thing I’m grateful for is my tea family here on Steepster and facebook. I know mental wellness issues are stigmatized, but I think the more we talk about it, the less so it becomes. I’m not bold enough to do that on fb just yet
A great cuppa!! Nice and malty. More malty than your average tea, which is what I have always sought out in my morning teas. Yup, I’m a fan :)
Definitely also getting plenty of cocoa notes, and a bit of copper. And a hint of smoke. Similar to the Cupan Tae blend, but different enough that I could justify, barely, having both in my cupboard at once. So glad I got this one
I’ve actually tried this tea. A couple different batches from years past from Upton Tea Imports, & I really enjoyed it each time! My St. James lots always possessed a minty quality that I really enjoy! The last lot I tried had a wintergreen quality, and had that crisp Ceylon character. :D
Great to know it’s consistently delicious! I only have a sample, but it might just go on my list to reorder one day, if they have a sale again… their prices are decent, and they are local to me, albeit online only. I’m in trouble if they show at the tea festival haha.
Can’t wait to see if I can find that minty note!!!