Additional notes: So I bought samples of most of Teavivre’s black teas a while ago due to an awesome sale. I’ve been trying these over a while, stocking up tasting notes to post them all at once. I HAD been meaning to try them fresher (these are 2018 harvest) so take these tasting notes with a grain of salt depending on how fresh you think these samples are. If anything, they are all still sealed. I’m aimed for all the same parameters.Starting with the “lowest” quality, but for many tea shops this would be a very high quality keemun! The flavor certainly screams keemun – all the keemun characteristics are there. It’s very sweet with that wine-like flavor that keemuns seem to most have out of any black tea. But the first steep also has a note that does say it’s lower quality, like a woody flavor, but the second steep really becomes something else and it’s REALLY good which is surprising for a second steep! Maybe it’s waiting for 20 minutes (which I don’t usually wait that long but I really liked a black tea I had the other day after waiting 20+ minutes). But usually the reverse is true – that the second steep gets that sort of overbrewed woody flavor. Not with this one! This is just a very strong standard keemun. And I like keemun strong.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min steep
Harvest: 2018
Profile
Bio
Hi! I love tea and trying new ones – it adds a bit of variety to my day! Books, music, TV & movies are my thing… and tea, of course.
Some of my favorite tea shops (still operating):
birdandblendtea.com
teavivre.com
52teas.com
svtea.com
teakruthi.com
harney.com
angrytearoom.com
Dammann Freres
Yunnan Sourcing
fusionteas.com
AprTea.com
Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Plumdeluxe.com
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
justea.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
whisperingpinestea.com
Mandala
verdanttea.com
thenecessiteas.com
Favorite tea shops (RIP):
butikiteas.com
steapshoppe.com
steepcityteas.com
aquartertotea.com
dellaterrateas.com
zentealife.com
theteamerchant.net
joysteaspoon.com
tealiciousllc.com
Rivertea
Specialteas
My icon photo is Richard Mayhew from the graphic novel ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry.
Most of the teas listed in my cupboard are actually sample sizes. I don’t really have 2,000 ounces of tea around here! Many of my teas have only one teaspoon left… maybe two. But I like keeping them in my cupboard list for reference to what I could be sipping. Usually, I write tasting notes once for each tea. I’m still drinking them, just not writing tasting notes each time!
My dislikes: hibiscus, ginger (unless in chai), turmeric, bee pollen, charcoal type flavors
My ratings:
95-100 – Super awesome deliciousness favorites – cupboard essential
80-95 – Also pretty delicious
65-80 – Pretty good
50-65 – Okay
1-50 – Probably won’t want to sip it again
I’m planning on being a Steepsterer as long as there IS a Steepster, so if you’re not hearing from me, that means something happened to my health… if you know what I mean. (Or as evidenced by the great computer hiatus of 2019, something happened to my computer.) :D
Happy sipping!
Location
USA
