417 Tasting Notes
I had a tiny sample of this, so I figured I might as well start with this tea. It’s going to be an all Phoenix day (some of my favorites). I’m celebrating because tomorrow starts the first day of my vacation. I’m heading home to NY (and taking tea with me!). This is the first real vacation I’ve had in at least a year. I believe it was over two years ago that I took a short road trip with my very best friend, Allie, and her boyfriend Andy to Sequoia National Park and Los Angeles.
I’m finding myself extremely sensitive to bitter tannins this morning. Last night I brewed some New Vithanakande FPOPFEXSP Black Tea from the Republic of Tea, and it came out so, so overly tannic and bitter. They are still having a buy one refill bag get another one free on their “Rare Tea” collections. I picked up a bunch because they have a lot of good everyday Darjeeling teas.
Anyhow, this tea, the Phoenix Mi Lan Xiang also seemed a bit on the bitter/tannic side in the first brewing, and then again in the second. Either my palate is off, or my tastes are becoming more delicate. Oh well. On to the next tea…
Preparation
I believe I have ToiToi to thank for this sample, but I haven’t seen her on Steepster for a while…
This was also a very nice tea. I’m not a huge fan of most Celon teas, but I of course had to find that out by trying a whole bunch. ;-) This one is very smooth and easy to drink.
Preparation
I’m giving this a higher rating than it probably deserves. I brewed a cup of this and then was distracted by this: http://jezebel.com/lets-adopt-all-of-these-rescued-farm-animals-immediate-1486782561 which led me to almost cry and then go to Farm Sanctuary’s site. 12 minutes later, this was severely over-brewed, but it didn’t get bitter or super-astringent. I love leaves that are forgiving, and I am in a generous holiday mood so I am giving this a high rating!
Preparation
I’m still a bit put off by Tillerman Tea since I was last there and one of their salespeople tried to sell me a milk oolong by telling me it gets its flavor from being washed with milk. :-/ I also prefer to purchase my tea from places which are upfront about when and where the tea was harvested. There is no year, never mind month or season of harvest on the package. Oh well.
This tea initially seemed much like a milk oolong which had been roasted. The wet leaves had a juicy smell that reminds me of a Phoenix oolong after the initial steeping. The wet leaves after the second steeping had a heavier roasted aroma. I enjoyed this tea, but I found it a little strange that the smell of the leaves, the flavor of the broth, and the aftertaste didn’t really seem like they could be from the same tea. I can’t wait to try it again, though. :-)
Preparation
Ew, no tea is actually washed in milk though, right? It would probably go bad.. in an hour.
I found that funny too! Tea washed in milk………????
That’s hilarious.
This is actually not the only time I’ve heard that milk was somehow involved in producing milk oolong. It is a really silly and somewhat gross idea!
Tried this again this morning. I was able to smell the rose that others and the website mentions last night, but this morning I was able to detect the “lime” flavor that I missed last night (my dinner was soup that had lots of garlic and sriracha). This is a tea that I would drink happily with both sweet and savory foods, but it’s not the kind I would drink alone. Right now I am about to brew another cup to have with the Sakura/Matcha Kit Kats my mother brought back for me from Japan. I know they aren’t vegan, but I’m making an exception because they were a gift… I’m not sure if this is going to be a good combination or a terrible one!
This was my morning cup. I brewed a single bag in a 4-oz cup. It was strong, but good. The aroma when it was still too hot to drink seemed very fruity to me, but when it cooled a bit it didn’t seem fruity at all…Maybe a bit of citrus. Anyhow, this is a sipdown. I am trying to finish some of the my teas that I have very small quantities of. Now that I am past my “must try every tea” phase, I’d like to start buying larger quantities of teas I love and not worry so much about having so many different kinds!
Preparation
This has to be my favorite Yunnan black that I’ve ever had. This or perhaps the first batch of Golden Fleece I tried. The wet leaves have a bittersweet chocolate aroma that I didn’t remember from the first time, and I also didn’t remember how very smooth it is. It also has some slightly earthy almost mushroom like notes. Incredible tea!
