191 Tasting Notes
Smells yummy. The vanilla scent is very strong in the dry leaves. I quite like it. I don’t taste the vanilla so much in the tea, though I’m not sure. I think I got hints of vanilla, but nothing to sweet or intense. A nice after dinner tea, I think. I don’t know that I’d order it (I got a sample from a friend), however.
Preparation
I still don’t get the cherry flavor. Which I completely don’t get, because I had pieces of cherry in the dry mix I brewed. Anyway, today I got more of the vanilla flavor that people talk about, after it had cooled off. It seems like a lovely white, I don’t dislike the base. I just don’t get why I miss the flavor boat on this one. I even brewed it for five minutes just to try and get the flavor. Argh.
Preparation
I do get the cherries on this one, and I steep for 4 minutes at 175 (I have the Breville one touch, which is the only reason I know that…). So maybe a tiny bit colder on the water? Also, the flavor is more of a cherry almond than a pure cherry in my experience – if that helps at all as far as pinning down the flavor.
I don’t, however, get the pancake taste from the pancake breakfast blend unless I add sweetener to it – it’s a black tea with a strong maple scent if I leave it unadulterated. I added that because I saw that the pancake blend was one you managed to taste fully.
Maybe with both teas it’s a case of just having taste buds sensitive to different things? Or maybe it’s in the preparation method/steep time? That pancake blend is one I’ve been trying to get right for a while and it’s eluded me so far – if you have any tips I’m open to it!
Anyway, sorry that this was both very long and very unsolicited – feel free to disregard it. I just wanted to let you know I totally get the frustration of knowing you are SO CLOSE to an amazing cup of tea, if only you could just figure it out! :)
I will try going slightly colder with the cherries jubilee on the next go-round. I did notice on a lot of the tasting noes that people did 175 degrees, so maybe that will do the trick. That whole not-getting the flavor business? It’s like not being invited to the cool kids party all over again.
As far as the pancake breakfast tea goes, mine had cooled quite a bit before I actually had any. That was when the buttery, pancakey flavor came out. Before that it was more the maple syrup with hints of the other flavors. I was amazed at how much more clear the different flavors were once it had cooled. Which is rather sad, since I’m a fan of piping hot tea (which may be why I miss so many flavors).I don’t tend to taste what I’m “supposed” to taste. I read all these tasting notes, and rarely do I get what other people get. Sometimes I think (okay, wish) that it was just other people blowing smoke and that I’m not unusual in my lack of “I taste X feature”. I don’t know that my sense of taste is discriminating enough to pick up different flavors. Sometimes I think that while I want a sophisticated, nuanced palate, the reality is my palate runs more toward Cheez Whiz and Bud Light.
Thanks so much on the pancake breakfast advice – I do like my tea to be hot and I tend to try and drink it before it cools too much, so that could definitely be why I’m missing out.
My palate is still being developed with respect to tea, in that I can get a flavor if it’s been suggested, but I won’t be able to place it without the extra help most of the time. I am enjoying the learning process though – that’s half the fun of tea drinking I think. Outside of tea, my palate normally runs on the Cheez Whiz/cheap beer spectrum as well. :)
Anyway, good luck with the Cherries Jubilee – I’ll look forward to your next tasting note!
Light. Sweet. A delicate green that isn’t as vegetal as some I’ve had and liked. Its a refreshing change of pace. Also, the dry leaves are lovely, all curled and twisted in their little sample tin. This would be a good after-dinner drink, when you are winding down in the evening. Less optimal as a morning tea. I need something that beats me over the head with flavor in the morning.
Preparation
I got it! I got pancake flavor on the drink, not just while sniffing! Yay! Its so exciting to really taste what you’re supposed to taste! That is all. Still delicious, and unfortunately, not really in the mood to enjoy the tea or really, enjoy much of anything. Oh well.
Preparation
Damn Fine Holiday blend, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee in the morning, when I’m trying to wake up.
I love thee in the afternoon, when I’m trying to stay awake.
I love thee in the evening, even though you keep me up.
Perfect, as always. I’m very glad I’m aesthetically driven and loved the packaging, since I got a fanfreakingtastic tea out of my packaging-driven impulse buy. I surely will miss this when it is gone. But until that time, I’m going to enjoy every cup.
Preparation
Preparation
Stashdown #5! I got a sample of this from Caligatia. She’s very generous with her tea. A very good trait in a friend, if I do say so myself. Anyway, back to the tea.
Other people used light and delicate to describe this tea, and yeah, I can see that. For all that I like blends, sometimes a girl just needs a straight up single note tea that is what it is. It isn’t as smooth as the Yunnan Gold I had earlier, but is charming in its own, simple way. A solid tea when all you want is tea. I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it!
Preparation
Stashdown #4! This tea is wonderful lukewarm. I bet it would be even better hot. I made my to-go mug of tea only to leave it sitting on the counter when I left for work. Its been one of those days. Everything is just sort of off kilter and not-quite-right.
Anyway, back to the tea. Ah, yes, this is a lovely black tea. It has a smooth body, and a somewhat indescribable taste. Not like a typical black tea that I’ve had recently. Less bold, but more sophisticated. It doesn’t need to whack you on your head to make you take notice. I don’t get the peppery notes that the tea description talks about, nor the cocoa notes that Caligatia mentioned today at lunch. I think my lack of descriptability stems from being very full from a very delicious lunch and wanting very badly to take a nap. Or it could be that I’m bummed that I accidentally left a mug of a tea that I very much wanted to enjoy sitting on the counter at home this morning. Tea just isn’t the same reheated.
Preparation
Sipdown #3! I got Exotic Pear as a sample from Butiki Teas, and I quite enjoy this one. Fruity and floral are two of my buttons, and this tea hits them both in the right way. Neither one to me is overpowering the white tea, I still get a fair “tea” taste. The floral and vegetal notes to me are stronger than the pear note. I wouldn’t call it juicy pear, like others have, I don’t get that strong a pear hit. I’d call it more “hint of pear”.
So far, most of what I’ve tried from Butiki I’ve really, really enjoyed. I think I’m going to be a dedicated customer. I can’t wait to try more of their teas.
Preparation
Sipdown cup #2! I’m aiming for four sipdowns this morning before I go to work instead of my usual huge pot of tea. Next up is a sample of Blueberry Purple tea, my second go round at a purple tea. I can smell the blueberry as the water hits the leaves—it makes me happy. I do love blueberries, so anything with blueberries is something I’m predisposed to love.
My first go round at purple tea I wasn’t such a fan of. This is better. Much better. It has a less astringent flavor, which makes me suspect I oversteeped my pot of the purple tea I made the first time. The blueberry isn’t as prominent in the brew as it was when I poured the water. Definitely an earthiness and a woodiness to the brew that isn’t bad by the cup. I also suspect that I might like the purple tea on a cup-at-a-time basis, rather than four cups at a time, like I made it when I first got it. That probably is a good lesson in general. Perhaps new teas ought to be made just a cup at a time instead of a four pot cup at a time. Hmm, things to ponder.
