OMG I just noticed this morning that Ricky’s no-icon-uploaded-icon isn’t actually, because it’s mirrored! Never realised that before.
I’m feeling a little more human today, so I’ve made a pot of one of the remaining Bethany-teas.
I’ve tried sniffing the leaves, but they didn’t really seem to have much in the way of a smell. Pouring a few out in my hand, all I could really smell was my skin. I’m fairly certain the leaves aren’t actually supposed to smell like me, so I’m assuming it’s actually me smelling like me.
My expectations based on other people’s posts about this are dangerously high, so I’m a little worried about that. It’s always better when it’s the other way around. Low expectations → pleasant surprise. I’m also dangerously impatient and tempted the start before it’s really done steeping, even though I know that this rarely gives a good result.
Right, it’s ready now. Cocoa notes, check! And I’ve only poured the first cup. Fruity notes, check! They’re loud too. It smells a bit like when I was little and my mother made homemade jam from the blackcurrant bush we had in the garden.
What a surprising flavour! It’s very fruity in flavour. I’m surprised that this is supposed to be a plain tea. It definitely tastes like there’s been some sort of addition to it. I’ve checked the other teas that Bethany sent me, and I don’t think it sounds like any of those have rubbed off.
First there’s a little bit of a peppery sort of note, just a hint, and then there’s the tart fruity flavour. I can’t pick up the cocoa in the flavour, only in the aroma. Or maybe there is a small hint of it on the finish, but I’m not finding that on every sip, so I’m a little in doubt as to whether or not it’s something that I’m convincing myself that I can find because I really want to find it.
It’s good, but my enormously high expectations haven’t really been fulfilled. I could have lived with the fruit note not being quite this strong.
(Are we sure there isn’t any flavouring in this?)
ETA: I’ve pushed the rating down again as I’ve been drinking. This fruityness is getting a bit… much.
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Haha, yeah I couldn’t figure out an avatar (steepster really needs some default ones for us to choose :D) so I was like why not be different and reverse the little blue teapot :)
gasp…. I noticed that once but I didn’t think anything of it. Not so good at connecting the dots over here…
I noticed that, and I got really confused, because I was wondering HOW you did that. I thought it was maybe because you were a male, and they got a different teapot… but I was WRONG. Nice job, Ricky!
This makes me wonder if the blackcurrant smell I get off of my Teance Yunnan Gold is actually in the tea or from sitting next to a blackcurrant tea when I first put it in my pantry. Because the smell seems to be getting stronger since it has been in the tin, but at the same time, it just seems… wrong.
Ricky, I feel like I totally outed you now. :D
Auggy, that makes me wonder if we ought not try and get some of our mediocre teas at least twice from different suppliers/shopping rounds… You know, to see if it’s consistent. But if it was mediocre, why would we want to spend more money on it? Dilemma!
Ahhh, my secret’s been blown! I’ll think of a new icon soon enough. Actually, I was given this icon, because the steepster gods wanted to play tricks on me :(
One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just isn’t the same…
@Angrboda Too bad there weren’t cocoa notes in the taste. I feel like that would have really toned down the fruit. Was it cloying? Or just…loud?
Takgoti, I wouldn’t say it was cloying the way the vanilla note in the ML Orange Jasmine thing was towards the end of the pot (don’t know if you’re familiar with that one. It’s from Mighty Leaf), I’d say it was more just loud. A sort of flavour that was okay in smaller quantities but after a while it was just too sour and sort of un-ripe. Bit like if you add some salt on food, for example, and accidentally add a little too much. In the beginning it’s fine, but after a while it’s just too salty. So, okay, maybe a little cloying but not all the time. Or something. If any of this makes sense. I feel like I’m contradicting myself a lot here.
If I had been blind-tasting this one, I would have sworn it was some sort of berry flavour.
Ah, okay. I’m not familiar with ML Orange Jasmine, but I completely get what you’re saying with the salt thing.
This is an unexpected review for this tea, but interesting. It has definitely been on my list of stuff to try. Since I don’t normally go in for overt fruity flavors, maybe I should stick with a smaller sample…thanks for the useful info!
Haha, yeah I couldn’t figure out an avatar (steepster really needs some default ones for us to choose :D) so I was like why not be different and reverse the little blue teapot :)
gasp…. I noticed that once but I didn’t think anything of it. Not so good at connecting the dots over here…
I noticed that, and I got really confused, because I was wondering HOW you did that. I thought it was maybe because you were a male, and they got a different teapot… but I was WRONG. Nice job, Ricky!
This makes me wonder if the blackcurrant smell I get off of my Teance Yunnan Gold is actually in the tea or from sitting next to a blackcurrant tea when I first put it in my pantry. Because the smell seems to be getting stronger since it has been in the tin, but at the same time, it just seems… wrong.
Ricky, I feel like I totally outed you now. :D
Auggy, that makes me wonder if we ought not try and get some of our mediocre teas at least twice from different suppliers/shopping rounds… You know, to see if it’s consistent. But if it was mediocre, why would we want to spend more money on it? Dilemma!
Ahhh, my secret’s been blown! I’ll think of a new icon soon enough. Actually, I was given this icon, because the steepster gods wanted to play tricks on me :(
One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just isn’t the same…
@Angrboda Too bad there weren’t cocoa notes in the taste. I feel like that would have really toned down the fruit. Was it cloying? Or just…loud?
Takgoti, I wouldn’t say it was cloying the way the vanilla note in the ML Orange Jasmine thing was towards the end of the pot (don’t know if you’re familiar with that one. It’s from Mighty Leaf), I’d say it was more just loud. A sort of flavour that was okay in smaller quantities but after a while it was just too sour and sort of un-ripe. Bit like if you add some salt on food, for example, and accidentally add a little too much. In the beginning it’s fine, but after a while it’s just too salty. So, okay, maybe a little cloying but not all the time. Or something. If any of this makes sense. I feel like I’m contradicting myself a lot here.
If I had been blind-tasting this one, I would have sworn it was some sort of berry flavour.
Ah, okay. I’m not familiar with ML Orange Jasmine, but I completely get what you’re saying with the salt thing.
This is an unexpected review for this tea, but interesting. It has definitely been on my list of stuff to try. Since I don’t normally go in for overt fruity flavors, maybe I should stick with a smaller sample…thanks for the useful info!