4161 Tasting Notes

72

Teabag sampler! After enjoying their No. 10 Blend, I figured I would give this a try, since it’s described as being quite similar. The ingredients lists are actually identical, but apparently the Ceylon used in this tea is stronger (from the photo, it looks like a CTC).

It’s quite nice. There’s a good balance of tea flavor with the lemony bergamot and soft jasmine. The description implies that there is more bergamot in this blend, but I think I would have to compare them directly to notice that. I will say, the black tea part of this is tasting a touch cardboardy to me, not sure if that’s the CTC or if for some reason I’m tasting the paper bag. Haven’t noticed that in any of their other teabags, so I assume it’s the Ceylon.

Enjoyable tea, but I think I do prefer their No. 10 Blend. And a good thing too, since I picked up 2 ounces of the loose leaf version in my last order! :P

Flavors: Acidic, Bergamot, Cardboard, Floral, Jasmine, Lemon, Metallic, Mineral, Paper, Smooth

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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82

Sipdown! (10 | 139)

Finished the last little chunk of this sample off after packing some up to send to a tea friend.

This is just a lovely no-nonsense, super forgiving, easy-drinking white tea that is packed with flavor. Nice satisfying and soothing notes of hay, oats, and autumn leaves, along with tangy apricot leather and a honeyed sweetness.

Would definitely consider picking up a cake of either this or Moon Waffles, but let’s be real, I’d never drink it all LOL. But will certainly reorder some in the future!

Flavors: Apricot, Autumn Leaf Pile, Dried Fruit, Dry Leaves, Floral, Grain, Hay, Honey, Nectar, Oats, Smooth, Stewed Fruits, Stonefruit, Straw, Sweet, Tangy, Thick, Woody

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 4 g 16 OZ / 473 ML

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70

Sipped with additions in bed this morning. I’ve started a habit of making myself a cup of tea (usually with milk & sugar) and going back to bed for an hour or so after I feed the puglets at 7:00. Really been enjoying that extra time to wake up a bit and scroll on my phone or read.

Anyway! I do think I prefer it this way, as the creaminess of the oat milk and a touch of raw sugar brought out the vanilla notes much more. However, this does have a prominent peppermint leaf herbaceousness to it, and to me, that part is a bit odd with milk.

Will definitely sip through the pouch, but this one won’t be a reorder for me. To be fair, I am almost always disappointed in these “Santa’s Secret”-style peppermint & vanilla black teas. And yet, I feel compelled to keep trying them LOL. I guess I can’t really blame the tea at that point! XP

Flavors: Herbaceous, Mint, Peppermint, Sweet, Vanilla

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 4 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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70

Look at me, trying these new teas in such a timely fashion. Who am I and what have I done with myself? XD

This one is just okay. It mostly tastes like peppermint leaf (presumably amped up with peppermint flavor), I don’t really get much in the vanilla department. The base is fairly balanced, slightly tannic but not overly so. It is a little bit weak on flavor though, so the peppermint dominates. There’s just a hint of sweetness, I assume from the vanilla flavor. The sugar pearls are so cute…

Looks like I need to try this one with milk. Tomorrow’s tea of the morning it is, ha ha! :P

Flavors: Acidic, Cooling, Herbaceous, Menthol, Metallic, Mint, Peppermint, Sweet, Tannic

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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80

Had with oat milk and sugar this morning, and it was lovely. I still think it’s more of an eggnog tea than a pumpkin one, but yummy either way!

I had a Murchie’s cart all ready but hadn’t quite pushed the button yet, but they marked their fall teas (including this one) down by 40% this morning, and the 2-ounce size of loose leaf was already sold out when I looked. So I ended up panic-ordering 4 ounces instead ha ha, and will definitely be willing to share the extra if anyone is interested! :P

Flavors: Cinnamon, Clove, Creamy, Custard, Eggnog, Nutmeg, Spices, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML
Courtney

The panic order XD!

Cameron B.

Ha ha I’ve been trying to make myself wait a few days to order things, to think it over and make sure it’s not just an impulse buy. In this case it almost worked against me! XD

But I ended up getting twice the tea for almost the same price, so I guess that’s not a bad thing. Extra for sharing! :P

TeaEarleGreyHot

Ha! I was keeping a few items in my Tealyra “cart” for a few days also as impulse-control, when not only did I receive a 25% discount coupon, but conversation with a neighbor revealed they were doing the same! We combined our carts, both saving 25% AND qualifying for free 3d delivery! ding-ding-ding!!!!

Cameron B.

Woohoo, yay tea friends (and tea neighbors)!

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75
drank Venus by Mishka Herbs
4161 tasting notes

I somehow found this company through Instagram, and they offer a free sampler so I figured I would give it a try. Picked one at random to try tonight.

This is a nice enough tisane. The chamomile is at the forefront, with just a touch of floral rose and light citrusy notes in the background. I don’t think I notice the raspberry leaf? Though I’m not entirely sure what it tastes like either, so who knows.

I don’t think I would order this specifically, just because it’s mostly chamomile. But it was a pleasant enough evening cuppa.

Flavors: Chamomile, Citrus, Floral, Herbaceous, Honey, Lemon, Light, Musty, Pollen, Rose, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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78

Another teabag selection from Murchie’s.

This one is lovely – it’s quite similar to the No. 10 Blend, which I also enjoy. They have mostly the same ingredients, but this has Darjeeling in addition to the Keemun and Ceylon black teas. I do taste the hay-like notes of the Darjeeling here, though I would have to try both teas side-by-side to know which one I preferred. This is just such a nice, mellow, easy-drinking tea for the afternoon. Quite smooth with a balanced flavor between the black and green teas, and discernible but gentle jasmine and a dash of lemony bergamot.

I’m already plotting another order, since they went and released two more seasonal teas a couple of days after I ordered (sob). I think some loose leaf of either this or the No. 10 will probably show up in that one… :)

Flavors: Acidic, Bergamot, Citrus, Floral, Grain, Hay, Jasmine, Lemon, Metallic, Mineral, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML
AJRimmer

I hate when that happens!

Cameron B.

Their strategy seems to be to stagger their holiday releases for some reason…

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80

Another one from my recent order. I just got the box of 10 teabags because I didn’t want to commit to sipping though 50 grams ha ha. I’m not huge on pumpkin spice teas, but the description sounded good.

I’m glad I took the chance, as this is quite nice. It actually reminds me more of eggnog than pumpkin pie, because of the strong nutmeg presence. It tastes sweet and creamy with a custardy richness, and then there’s the right amount of warming spices – mostly nutmeg, but I do taste the cinnamon as well, and a touch of clove.

I’ve only tried it plain, but I imagine it will be wonderful with additions as well. Maybe I’ll try that for my morning tea tomorrow!

Flavors: Cinnamon, Clove, Creamy, Custard, Eggnog, Nutmeg, Rich, Spices, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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68

Got more teas in from Murchie’s, woo hoo!

Unfortunately, this one is disappointing to me. Steeped plain, I didn’t taste any maple at all (though I could smell it). With oat milk and sugar, I do taste a touch of maple. It’s just odd to me because their other maple teas are almost too maple-y for me. As far as the spices go, I mostly taste clove, which happens to be my least favorite ha ha. There is cinnamon and a bit of ginger as well, but mostly clove. It ends up almost reminding me of an orange spice tea.

Bah! I feel like I’m crazy, because other reviewers mention it having a lot of maple… :|

Flavors: Acidic, Astringent, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Maple, Metallic, Pancake Syrup, Spices, Tannic

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML
thereadersteacup

I feel like some of their maple blends are hit or miss for flavor based on the batch… My order just came in too and I’m excited to try it all…. What’s first… hmmm?

Cameron B.

It’s a bit unlucky too, since I don’t love clove. I guess we’re just not a good match ha ha.

thereadersteacup

Yeah… Hit or miss, though I’ve enjoyed the two new ones I’ve tried.

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78

Sipdown! (9 | 138)

Yay, another sipdown! It’s been a good week for those. (We won’t talk about how I’m still in the red for the year though, AND have more tea on the way…)

Really enjoyed this tea warm with oat milk and sweetener, or as an iced milk tea. It definitely does taste like toast with jam, and to me the jam is somewhere between strawberry and raspberry. One of my favorite jams is actually the Four Fruits from Bonne Maman, so a mix of red fruits is right up my alley, ha ha.

This is a bit of a pain to get ahold of here in the States, so not sure I would bother trying to restock it, but enjoyed it while it lasted!

Flavors: Bread, Grain, Jam, Raspberry, Red Fruits, Strawberry, Sweet, Toast

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- November sipdowns: 13
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 156

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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