117 Tasting Notes
Tea #8.
I keep forgetting that Tazo does loose leaf. It’s a surprise every time I remember again.
Tried half a cup of this one this morning — I decided I could use the energy and focus, even if it was just the placebo effect. I wasn’t terribly impressed — it was just okay. I wanted it to taste like those chocolate covered orange marmalade sticks from Trader Joe’s (the old ones, before their dis-and-re-appearance). The orange was not quite marmaladey, but not quite fresh tasting, and it didn’t mesh with the chocolate as well as I might have liked…
I think there’s a chocolate orange tea in the box somewhere, I should try that and see if I like it better…
Tea #7.
This one was actually on my shopping list, because it sounded really tasty. Chai, with rose petals? Yes please.
I was disappointed to find that one of the spices is not quite to my liking. I was going to say fennel, but apparently there isn’t any in the blend. Coriander, maybe? It’s hard finding a chai with the right balance of the right spices in it. Maybe when I figure it out, I should just get some rose petals to add in, and see if I like that better…
Tea #6, I think?
I’m not a huge fan of white tea to begin with, but the flavorings sounded and smelled so tasty… However, I’m pretty sure my water was too hot because the tea ended up with a lot of weird bitterness. =/
I think white teabags are definitely not a practical choice, for me, because I tend to use teabags on campus, or at gas stations, or while camping… basically in environments where I have little control over my water temperature.
Basically: this tasting note probably means absolutely nothing to anyone, except as a reminder to myself that white teabags are a bad plan (except adagio’s white blueberry, which for some reason tastes like chocolate when made with boiling water).
This was tea #4 from the TTB.
I’m a sucker for anything rose flavored, and this tea was certainly rosey! Rose and almond seems like an interesting combination, and it smelled really good, but I didn’t get as much almond as I would have liked in the taste, except for the last few sips… I’m thinking my half cup wasn’t really enough to judge it by, so I’ll try it again a little later, but I think I might like this one… We’ll see.
Tea #5, from the TTB.
Drinking teabags tonight, because I don’t want to bring my teapot downstairs and someone drunkenly vomited all over my kitchen. =[
In less icky news, I am enjoying this tea! But I have to admit, Harney & Sons blends, however much I enjoy them, tend to be pretty subtle and the flavors all muddle together for me. I wouldn’t be able to pick out stone fruits or honey or whatever it is that’s supposed to be in this, it’s just a pleasant, slightly fruity flavored black tea. I think I might enjoy Paris more, but if I ever feel like switching it up, this one is certainly an option…
Tea #3 from the TTB.
I like the apple-y-ness of this one, it goes well with the oolong base for a pretty authentic apple experience. However, the oolong is not really what I like from my oolongs, and I’m not a huge fan of the caramel here. Man, caramel is really disappointing me today, isn’t it? I don’t know why… All in all, it’s okay, but not for me.
Admittedly, I may have underleafed this one. Do 52teas just not come with steeping instructions?
Tea #2 from the TTB.
The smell is my favorite part. It’s got that wonderful earthy quality that puers have, which reminds me of hiking through the woods without another soul to be seen. The puers I’d tried previously tasted like rainy woods, but this one smells dry and warm and toasty because of the caramel toffee. I am definitely a fan.
I was initially a little disappointed by the taste, because I expected the caramel to be stronger, but it’s pretty subtle. The taste in general is pretty inoffensive, without some of the harshness or earthiness that some puers tend to have.
I should note, however, that my experience with puers is pretty limited. I tried a couple different ones at a friend’s two or three years ago, after which I semi-regularly drank the World Market version and Lupicia’s Strawberry & Chocolate as a dessert tea… But dessert puers really appeal to me, and since this is one of the few I’ve tried it’s definitely in the running!
Does anyone have any good dessert puers to recommend?
First tea from the “considering” TTB! Super exciting!
I needed something to calm me down from the anxiety of making awkward phone calls, so a hot chocolate tea seemed like just the thing. I used a tablespoon for ~6 oz of water and then added some heavy cream. It was delightful! Chocolatey, with a dash of spice, and that toasty caroby and mate taste. (Have I ever actually tried straight mate? I’m not sure.) I’m also getting a vaguely citrusy note, which is probably from the cinnamon. I’m very glad that I’m not getting the licorice taste that someone else mentioned…
Overall, it’s like hot chocolate, with a little bit of something extra that makes it feel not quite so… empty. I like it. =]
This one is weeeird… I can’t decide if I like it or not. Admittedly, I did cold steep it and leave it in my fridge for probably a week… so maybe this isn’t the cleanest trial.
It smells kinda like root beer and kinda like toothpaste. Which, y’know, isn’t really a bad thing, because I kinda like the taste of toothpaste, but those are not two things that I expect to go together, at all…
It kinda tastes like toothpaste, too. But there’s also something autumn-spice-y and something a little bit fruity and something a little woodsy to it… Unfortunately, it also has a hint of whatever that weird taste is that I tend to associate with mold. I get that with rooibos a lot. Dunno what it is….
I dunno. It’s just so… strange.
… more coherent tasting note to follow. Hopefully. >.<
