351 Tasting Notes
This tea apparently has been around for a long time. I see reviews that date back 7 years ago. hehe My quick thoughts are that it was a delicious super roasted black tea. I drank it once the way Mandala suggested and gongfu cha style many times. Lots of notes of baked bread, dark cocoa, malt, dried fruit, stonefruits, chocolate, some mineral towards the end of the infusions. It was smooth and really easy to reach for and an easy sipdown. I’ll probably add this to my next order. I’m just now exploring their black teas since I enjoyed their oolongs and pu’erh tea very much.
Flavors: Baked Bread, Chocolate, Cocoa, Malt, Mineral, Muscatel, Roasted, Smooth, Stonefruits
Preparation
Not a licorice fan but this is very tasty. It has a very subtle licorice note, and the raspberry taste is very good. Slightly tart. Nice. It has a creamy flavor background, surrounded with vanilla notes. It was a nice surprise.
Flavors: Anise, Cream, Licorice, Raspberry, Vanilla
Definitely, a tea to help relax oneself.
Tense couple of days for me. I found out that my nephew’s ex-girlfriend said he was “cyberstalking” her. After hauling him in, keeping him for 48 hrs, he’s out. His new girlfriend is there for him, said his ex is just angry and jealous. I have experience in criminal law (before I decided to put my chemistry background with my law) but he is in California, and I’m in another state but I did what I could and got the facts (or lack thereof), and spoke to people. I believe the charges were dropped. I looked at his FB and saw a few of his posts that read “Happy birthday. Will love you always.” and a few other sweet posts. Going to sound like a typical aunt here but he’s such a good kid. Good work ethics, has a samurai personality, always wants to help the less fortunate out. Hopefully, it’ll all work out for all involved.
Ah yes, the tea. :)
It’s quite savory, with chestnut aroma, slightly nutty, some floral notes, grassy and very subtle astringency, and a very nice sweet aftertaste. I didn’t get the toasted walnuts mentioned but a continued subtle chestnut flavor, floral and mineral notes. Vegetal, seaweed, marine. As I continued it got slightly bitter, but will drop it down a notch in temperature next time. Boiled chestnuts are the star here. In the later infusions, I got an interesting cantaloupe note.
Gaiwan (silver): 110ml
185℉ / 85℃
5 steeps: rinse, 15s, 25s, 40s, 60s, 90s
Flavors: Broth, Cantaloupe, Chestnut, Grass, Marine, Nutty, Seaweed, Vegetal
Preparation
I got a free sample of this (yay and thank you) and have decided that I won’t put a numerical rating on it because well, I’m not a mint fan.
But here’s the deal.. This is really good if you do like minty freshness. It is unique and has all the right notes of a good black tea. The mint notes are very light, not overpowering, it balances well with the spices. I got a few clove notes, some anise. It’s delicately sweet with honey and it lingered well after I finished my sip, and so did a light fresh cooling sensation. If you like mint and a great black tea, then I recommend this. If you’re like me and mint just isn’t your thaaang, then pass. ^^
Hope you’re all having a wonderful and productive day, teafriends.
Flavors: Anise, Camphor, Fruity, Honey, Malt, Mint, Spearmint, Spices
Preparation
I don’t do much with mint at all. The exception is old style cucumbers with vinegar to soak in. For some reason I add mint to that concoction.
mrmopar… I have never tried it with cucumbers and vinegar. I eat cucumbers and vinegar all the time though. Hmmm :D Maybe I’ll try. hehe
Intriguing. I have a very large mint plant this year, and have made mojitos and added it to a salad; I think I will have to try it with cucumbers/vinegar!
Fantastic Assam. I got a package from Whispering Pines today. I tried the new ones that I’ve never had before, and this one was today’s favorite. Loved their Jin Guan Yin Black too (I’ll write about that soon). I may add some thoughts as I work through my ounce of it later on but I think Tea-sipper gave a fantastic review on it so that’s all I’m going to say for now. ^^
Flavors: Baked Bread, Cocoa, Cream, Dried Fruit, Fruity, Malt, Raisins, Smooth, Sweet
So vegetal. Steamed green beans, spinach, asparagus, slightly nutty, buttery, slightly sweet, some nice chestnut notes, stonefruits, umami…
Really enjoyed my sample of it yesterday. Would love it get more and give it the gongfu style treatment. This time, I use my new TeaVivre glass and 185℉, grandpa style.
Flavors: Asparagus, Butter, Chestnut, Spinach, Stonefruits, Umami, Vegetal
Additional note:
Sipdown.
Over 300 reviews on this tea, so here are my quick thoughts… It’s good stuff. I always feel that TeaVivre’s teas are underrated. I really enjoyed this batch, and will probably get more. Sweet potatoes, malt, lightly floral, peach and stonefruit, baked bread… Smooth mouthfeel, nice aftertaste.
It was great gongfu style and great with milk this morning (a new & necessary habit I picked up so I can drink some black tea in the morning since my tummy is hating me these days).
Highly recommended.
Flavors: Baked Bread, Floral, Fruity, Malt, Stonefruits, Sweet Potatoes, Yams
Preparation
Additional note:
Sipdown. Last time I tried it grandpa style (cause the name lol) and this time I’m taking it through the full gaiwan treatment hehe. I put the 8g ball in a 110ml gaiwan and doing short infusions with boiling water. Starting at 10s, adding 10s each time.
I wanted to make an additional note for myself (and others) that the aroma that I got after the rinse was soil, dirt (not sure if I smelled the wet leaves before) but the flavor of the first 10s infusion was so clean and it has such a pleasant smooth mouth-feeling.
It is so mellow and carefree. Savory, slightly sweet. Nice cha qi, somewhat stimulating, mood lifting but relaxing. I’m certainly going to enjoy this throughout the night. I think I’ll get a few more on my next order to bring on short trips.
Preparation
Larger than usual pearl balls. Pretty to look at, dark and gold mix.
110ml Gaiwan, 212℉, 5 steeps: rinse, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 60s. The wet leaves smelled heavenly, like a dark chocolate fruit bar. The balls unraveled fairly quickly. A strong aroma of a mixture of dark malted cocoa, strawberries, dried berries, and honey.
The taste is lighter than the aroma but with the same aroma notes. Dark chocolate, malt, honey, and fruit notes. The taste lingers for a long time after the sip. I think this would go wonderful with a dessert. It’s always so yummy to take a bite of cake or donut and then chase it down with a great tasting tea as the taste mixes with the dessert. Every sip, I thought about that. lol I don’t have any sweets in the house but I’ll have to get some to try it sometime with this tea. I don’t recall thinking that particular thought with any other black tea. I really like it, and recommend it for a great daily drinker.
Hope you are all doing well. Me… It’s always same ol’ same ol’ and working on sipdowns, trying to behave and not buying too much of any new tea for now.
Flavors: Berries, Chocolate, Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Dried Fruit, Honey, Malt, Strawberry, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes
Preparation
I really want to like this tea. This morning I used six pearls in 300 ML water at 100c and brewed for three minutes. All I got taste wise was a weak brew that tasted of wood and wet hay with a slight chemical note :( . No chocolate, fruit, honey or sweetness of any kind. This was my fourth attempt with this tea. Any suggestions, Kawaii433? Everyone else seems to love this tea.
Kawaii433: tea looks so good! But how I am doing? Yay, I made 3 exams last week, which is kind of cool. But I am thinking that I would love week compltely free and alone somewhere enjoying just teas. I am kind of overwhelmed with school stuff. So it is quite meh.
Teatotaler, I liked it best with a 110ml, ~7g, short infusions. It is a light brew but I don’t get wood or wet hay or a chemical note. I did try it at the 3 min and 5 min infusions, that was good too but seemed even more light due to the higher volume.
Martin, yay for you!! 3 exams out of the way is always such a great feeling <3
3 gone, 3 to go!
Thank you, Kawaii33! I will try your brewing parameters. I refuse to give up on this tea!
Martin, good luck on your remaining exams! :)
Kawaii – Every sip!? I wish you would have had a dessert to go with this tea! haha
Teatotaler – I also usually find this the weakest of black dragon pearls, so it isn’t my favorite. For that reason it’s one of my least favorite black teas from Teavivre. But they can’t ALL be favorites.
Martin, good luck with the rest of them!
Teatotaler, you’re very welcome. I hope you find the right parameters.
tea-sipper… HAHAHAHAHA omgosh, ok maybe every other sip LOLOL
A sentence that has never been spoken in my house – “I don’t have any sweets in the house…” LOLOL Good for you, you must be a healthy eater! My husband proposed when I gave him a pound cake, so he gets one every June 21st…and a bunch of cakes and cookies the rest of the year!
I’d say “that must have been a GOOD pound cake” but you probably hear that a lot. :D
lol it must be the best pound cake!
Additional note:
Sipdown and this was pretty good as an overnight cold brew. :D The floral notes were more pronounced in the cold brew, still has some malty, honey sweet, yam notes, no bitterness. I prefer the gongfu cha taste profile better because of the strength of the brew, strong malty, yam, cocoa notes, subtle rose but it’s just so lovely watching the dragon balls and the pink rose petals in it unfold in my 1-liter mason jar. So pretty :D.
Flavors: Flowers, Honey, Malt, Rose, Spices, Sweet Potatoes, Yams
mandala has lovely black teas!
@Sil, of the ones I’ve tried so far, I agree with you. :D