326 Tasting Notes
Today’s tuo cha is nuoxiang (sticky rice?) raw puerh (糯香生沱).
Anyway, the scent of the liquor intrigued me. It reminds me of corn puffs cereal (seriously). Onto drinking the stuff, it’s actually quite pleasant. There is a sweetness, and refreshing light body to it.
The tuo cha unfurled more on the second steep, and the initial sip was really bitter. It ends on a sweet note (corn puffs!), which I’m attributing to the extra ingredient.
Three and four have the same thing going on, starts of bitter and then smooths out, with a sweet aftertaste.
Individual rating for this is about 75.
Preparation
Earl Grey is one of the first teas I was introduced to (in bagged from). So I enjoy occasionally having a cup of it and thinking about how different this blend is from the old bagged stuff. DAVIDsTEA definitely loves bergamot a lot! I remember getting to the bottom of the tea pouch and seeing the yellow residue from all the bergamot oil :O
Good stuff, but I get tired of the strong flavours very quickly. I know it’s common to put in milk and sugar, but I’m just not into that stuff (I’m lactose intolerant anyway). So I drink mine bare, usually served along side either a traditional breakfast or a hearty pasta dish.
Preparation
I always thought Earl Grey was drunk bare. It’s why I never drank it before because I like putting milk in my tea. That is I used to put milk in my tea so I am looking forward to getting some of this one so that I can try it in a better quality tea than bagged stuff.
That’s funny because I thought Earl Grey with milk was the norm! hehe
If you’re unsure of how much you like bergamot, I’d start with a 25g bag or have them brew it for you.
Used a bit more leaf today, and I like the result. Still has a rose flavour, but now I get some notes of chocolate. There’s a bit of maltiness and fuzz that lingers in my mouth, which I find pleasant. Next steeps had more notes of lichee, just like I experienced in my previous tasting note.
Overall I find the flavours very “rich”, so not the sort of tea I’d want to drink too often. Definitely a nice treat to make up for that ripe puerh and osmanthus from yesterday. :D
Preparation
Had another one before bed, this time it is ripe puerh and osmanthus (桂花熟沱). I’ve never heard of that flower before, and it could have stayed that way. Yuck! Maybe it’s an acquired taste, but I can’t find anything to appreciate about it. I couldn’t get past the first two steeps.
Individual rating for this would be about 40 (leaves a bad taste in my mouth). The other two ripe puerh I’ve had were ok, so I don’t think the tea itself is horrible.
Preparation
Oh no, Osmanthus leaf is one of my favorite additions to blended tea, maybe the leaf itself has a better flavour than the “flavouring” or the flower?
I think that either the flowers were not good quality (or good enough), or it’s a bad addition to ripe puerh.
You’re probably right on both accounts!
Thanks for the reassurance about osmanthus though. I’ll try and keep an open mind if I try anything with that flower again. :D
Today’s tuo cha turned out be more ripe puerh, this time with chrysanthemum (菊花熟沱). One lesson I learned about this one, even before drinking it is to use a tea strainer (the sort you place over the teacup, not to be confused with an infuser). The little bits of flower petals sneak their way out of my gaiwan :|
First steep was ok, a bit light since the tuo cha didn’t break apart.
Second steep is much stronger (yeah it finally broke apart), the ripe puerh and chrysanthemum kinda blend into a coffee like flavour. I noticed this before when I had a similar tuo cha from DAVIDsTEA (which was raw puerh, with bad instructions).
Third steep had a really strong flavour, and was a little bitter (I don’t mind this with puerh). I’m still going at :30 intervals, because the liquor is so dark LOL
Fourth steep, same strong flavour but a bit smoother.
Five and six, I don’t think the tea is awful but I am sure getting sick of chrysanthemum.
About this assortment, through a few ebay postings and another online tea store I can kinda tell by the wrapper colour which one I’m getting. I say kind of because the hue is VERY important. There are quite a few places that sell these assortments of tuo cha.
Including this post, I’ve had 2 tuo cha and they’re both shu. Can’t say I love drinking ripe puerh, but these were enjoyable. Also, I have these little guys inside 2 ziplock bags, and it still has a strong scent. I recommend keeping these away from other tea or scent-sensitive food.
Preparation
Oh the agony of finishing off a pouch of tea! I used the last 3 teaspoons to make a nice big pot of tea (ok not BIG big, but bigger than what I normally do).
Delicate, silky, muscatel, comforting.
It’s hard for me to use up special tea like this, so I’ll be resteeping the leaves until the flavour says good bye. :) And I can’t wait to say “hello” to a new FF tea next year.
Preparation
Just got this package today and tried a random tuo cha (there is no English on the wrapper so I never know what I’ll get). It turned out to be ripe puerh and lavender (熏衣草熟沱), which is a surprisingly good combo! I was even able to stomach the ripe puerh for 6 short steeps. So that’s a plus in my book ;)
I had pretty low expectations with this, because I know it’s cheap and flavoured. But the first tuo cha turned out to be pretty good. So far I’m feeling good about this compulsive ebay buy. ($12 for 40 puerh tuo cha).
Preparation
With the name “Organic Oolong” I didn’t really know what to expect. So the aroma of the freshly brewed tea was a pleasant surprise. Notes of honey, roasted oolong and that kind of cinnamon raisin bread scent really stick out.
The liquor goes down pretty light, but the honey flavour sticks in my mouth. It’s refreshing but leaves a rich texture.
Tea review based on 6 short steeps.
I love the Pumpkin Muffins at Tim Hortons.
Yeah, October/Pumpkin month is pretty sweet!