681 Tasting Notes
A very nice EG. Floral but not astringent or perfume-y, and has a surprisingly bread-y mouthfeel. The bergamot is perfectly balanced with the high quality black base. Held up well to a splash of milk. This is a great company, too. Just an overall very nice experience.
Preparation
Definitely need to watch this close and be careful not to oversteep it. The rose can become overpowering VERY quickly. But when it’s steeped right, it’s very tasty, especially with some milk. Does NOT need sweetener.
Notes: Perfumey, floral, sweet, roasted, nutty, and woodsy.
There are supposed to be a whole bunch of health benefits from consuming Lion’s Mane mushrooms, so there’s that, too.
Flavors: Dates, Fig, Floral, Nutty, Perfume, Roasted, Roasted Barley, Rose, Sweet, Wet wood
Broke this one out today because the cooler weather got me in the mood for fall.
It’s old. I’ve had it kicking around for several years. I should have used more tea to make it a stronger brew… But it’s still good. Creamy, sweet, cinnamon, cloves, sugarcane, high quality black tea. I remember the base tea having a bit more of a bite to it when it was fresher, but I actually like the more mild flavor from the base because it allows the spices to shine through a bit more.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Cloves, Pumpkin, Spices, Sugarcane, Sweet
Steeps a bright, cheery orange.
Very brothy, warming, and pleasant. Slightly spicy. Not getting much of the rose, but the licorice adds a little hint of sweetness to round everything out.
It’s a healthy drink! Cheers to you all.
Flavors: Earth, Ginger, Licorice, Spicy, Sweet
This is from last week. I got this one in my August Sips By box.
I brewed it gongfu style, using spring water at around 190 degrees F, 10 seconds for initial rinse, 35-40 seconds for each subsequent drinking steep.
Leaves are huge and beautiful to look at once open. The liquor is a surprisingly light brown color, considering that this is such a heavily oxidized oolong.
I got notes of delicious roasted nuts, minerals, chocolate, and baked bread in the first two to three steeps. The flavor trailed off slowly after that. I got about 6 steeps in before the leaves were totally spent.
This was an amazing tea.
Flavors: Baked Bread, Chocolate, Mineral, Nutty, Roast nuts, Toasty
Preparation
I smell something faintly and pleasantly floral in the liquor. I’m thinking it’s the astragalus.
Dominant flavor notes in the sip are earth and roasted nuts/ barley.
It’s not too sweet, despite the figs and dates, which is fine with me.
I added a bit of milk to it.
I taste maple very slightly in the aftertaste.
It’s kind of a delicate cuppa, and not overly flavorful.
I don’t think I’d buy it again, but it’s definitely drinkable.
Flavors: Earth, Maple, Mushrooms, Nuts, Roasted, Roasted Barley, Toasty
Tastes like peachy cough medicine.
Flavors: Bitter, Herbaceous, Medicinal, Peach
These are a little kooky, perhaps…. herbal/ mushroom tea that tastes like coffee?
When I tore open the packet, I inhaled the dry leaf and got a whiff of cinnamon, but there was an earthy, umami quality to it that reminded me of tomato sauce, almost. Is that weird?
It steeped a delicious orangey-red color, and I got notes of cinnamon, earth, and herbal bitters. It DOES taste a lot like cinnamon coffee, and it holds up to milk quite well. People who like pu-erh would enjoy this one as a caffeine-free option.
Flavors: Bitter, Cinnamon, Coffee, Earth, Mushrooms, Sweet, Wet Earth
Preparation
Apparently I was super grouchy and snobby when I first reviewed this tea— so I’m upping my rating on it now.
Normally unflavored green teas are not my thing, but I do sometimes make exceptions for Japanese green teas. This one is rather nice. I love buttery sencha as a base, and the addition of the matcha gives it just the right amount of umami. This was also relatively low-maintenance with steeping, which was nice as well.
