348 Tasting Notes

87

Had this as my afternoon tea. Light, sweet, fragrant… very nice.

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73
drank King's Golden Monkey by Teayama
348 tasting notes

I tried this twice this morning. First decided to brew at 90 degrees instead of boiling, because golden/tippy teas seem to like gentler handling. It was decent, malty and fairly smooth with just a hint of bitterness that wasn’t unpleasant. It was kind of weak, though, and the second steeping was even weaker. So I tried it again, same amount of leaf, same temperature water, but steeped for 5min instead of 3. Better! Rich and malty, starting to feel more like a decent breakfast tea. Bumping my rating a bit.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec 3 g 10 OZ / 295 ML

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85

Thanks to OMGsrsly for the sample! Mmmm, this is delicious. I started drinking it without reading the description and I was thinking that it tasted like some sort of caramel dessert. Now that I’ve seen nougat in the description, I’m going back to it and realising that really is what it tastes like. I added milk and sugar to the 2nd half of my cup, which really brings out the desserty-ness of this tea, but it was pretty delicious plain as well.

Flavors: Caramel

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 10 OZ / 295 ML
Sil

another convert to divine temptation!

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75

Thanks to OMGsrsly for this sample. :) I actually did try it back when I first received it, but I was coming down with a cold and worried that everything was going to taste weird. I do remember thinking that I could taste cocoa and grain notes, as well as something else that I’m guessing is the “dirt” flavour OMGsrsly gets from this. I liked it! Mmmm, yummy dirt. ;)

So today I decided to brew it along side the Jin Pin Zhenghe Gongfu tea by Tao Tea Leaf. Western style, 2.5g in 10oz of near-boiling water for 3min. The leaves of these two teas are actually really different: the TTL one is mostly long, black, twisted leaves with just occasional golden tips; this one is small, curly leaves with lots of golden tips. :)

Today I’m getting mostly grain and malt, with a bit of sweetness and a bit of sourness or acidity. Not much cocoa or dirt today, lol. I think I might have underleafed it a bit though – usually I go for 3g in 10oz, not sure why I went with 2.5g today. By comparison, the TTL one has a richer flavour, more malt and more cocoa and less acidity. I don’t think I’ve figured out the optimal brewing parameters for this yet, but happily I still have more of this sample to experiment with! :)

OMGsrsly

Glad it works better for you! :D

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85

Mmmm, this is really good, I think it’s one of my favourite flavoured rooibos blends. Nutty, creamy, cinnamon-y, with just a bit of apple. I made it a bit stronger this time, and it’s even better this way – extra sweet and creamy. Kind of reminds me of an oatmeal cookie, which is a bit random, but in conclusion: YUM.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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70

Mixed this with cinnamon rooibos chai again today. It’s ok, I still like the combination of smoky and spicy, but there’s something not quite right about it. Not sure if it’s that the lapsang base doesn’t have enough flavour underneath all that smoke, or if the flavouring in the chai is bugging me. Or maybe my tastebuds are just messed up from this cold. :)

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drank Yummy Chai by Nourish Tea
348 tasting notes

I made this on the stovetop, which I think makes it extra spicy. Started with 1c. water, 2 tea spoons of the tea, brought to a boil then turned down to simmer x 5min. Then I added 1c. milk and 1 tbsp honey, stirred constantly until it came back to a boil, then took it off the heat and let it sit for another 5min. Strained into a mug and added a bit more honey. Yummmm.

OMGsrsly

Oh yum. I have a blend at home, I should do this tonight.

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78

Drinking this one for the ginger today. Also tastes pretty good with honey added! I’m all congested and my sense of smell is messed up so I’m not getting any of the subtle flavours today.

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70
drank Calm by Teayama
348 tasting notes

I decided to make this one tonight in the hopes that the licorice root might soothe my throat. I think it’s helping a bit! Either that or all the honey I added is helping a bit. :) Anyway, I finally went and got my strep throat diagnosed and got some antibiotics today, so hopefully you guys won’t have to put up with my complaining for much longer.

Maddy Barone

:( I had strep a few years ago. I remember what an agony it was to try to swallow. I felt like I had a sharp pop0corn hull stuck in the back of my throat. Not fun. Hope you feel better soon!

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70
drank Heal by Teayama
348 tasting notes

I mixed 1 tsp of this with 1 tsp of guayusa this morning in an attempt to wake myself up and make myself feel better. I added a generous dollop of honey (all I want when I’m sick is tea with honey) and it tasted pretty good and perked me up a little. Still not convinced there’s anything particularly healing about it, but who knows. :)

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Profile

Bio

Well it has been over a year and everyone I know thinks my tea obsession is a bit out of hand, so… I guess I’m not a total newbie anymore. :)

I’m drinking a lot more pure tea these days, though I still love a good flavoured blend too. Current favourites: Chinese and Taiwanese blacks, fresh Chinese greens, oolongs both green and roasted, sheng puer.

I really love companies that buy directly from tea farmers, and have an emphasis on quality and sustainability. Favourites: Verdant, Whispering Pines, Eco Cha, White 2 Tea. I live in a small town in the middle of nowhere, so I buy almost all my tea online.

For hot tea, I’m usually brewing in either a 100ml gaiwan, or a 10oz mug with a steeping basket. For cold tea, I cold brew overnight in 500ml mason jars.

My cupboard on Steepster doesn’t include small samples, just the ones I have at least 15g of. So if you see something you’re interested in, I probably have enough to share. :)

Location

Northwestern Ontario, Canada

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