1204 Tasting Notes
One-sachet sipdown, I suppose. I don’t know, there’s something unsatisfying about calling it a sipdown when I only had one cup’s worth to begin with. I remain undecided on the question.
Pretty sure this came my way courtesy of the same friend who sent me the DF jasmine. Weirdly, I thought the dry leaf smelled a bit sweet and spearmint-y. It’s a very clear peppermint once steeped up though. Very cooling, with a hint of sweetness but not spearmint-y. One of the better peppermints I’ve had.
I was in the mood for a honeydew blend today! I do think that this one evokes honeydew milk tea. The honeydew is pretty candy-like; I agree with Roswell that there’s a bubblegum-y element to it. On its own I would probably find that unpleasant. The creaminess rounds it out though, making for a nice balance.
I’m not ready for summer to be over, so have been reaching for summery teas this weekend. This one is still delicious. I did two steeps in a giant mug and then couldn’t sleep all night. Whoops! I cold brewed the final steep and it made for an amazing iced tea. The spot-on fruity lychee flavor is refreshing. Stopped caffeinating early today though – lesson learned!
Sipdown! A bit of an inglorious end though – my partner accidentally dropped a bandage into the tea after it was ready and before I had even had a sip! So I didn’t actually drink the last cup, but it is gone. Honestly, this was never ginger-y enough for me anyway.
Does it count as a sipdown if I only had one bag to begin with? A friend grabbed this for me from some nice hotel she stayed at. I consider myself very lucky to have people in my life who know about my slightly odd hobbies and find little ways to support them rather than make me feel bad about it! I don’t take that for granted at all.
The tea itself is very floral and fragrant to me! Clear jasmine scent and flavor on a somewhat heartier base than I was expecting. I would happily drink this again, though I have other good jasmines that are probably easier to get and more affordable.
I was super thirsty after PT today and didn’t want to wait until I got home, so I picked up this bottle on the way. I love rose and don’t love my bottled teas sweetened – making this an easy choice. On the up side, the rose is definitely noticeable. I personally don’t find it unpleasant or overpowering because it’s a flavor I enjoy. Someone who isn’t a big fan of rose or florals probably wouldn’t like this though. Alas not a huge fan of the base tea. It’s very present but somehow not very distinctive. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was intentional. Like they were going for an impression of “this is definitely tea but not anything notable” because that would appeal to the broadest range of palates. I don’t think I would seek this out again just because there are bottled options I like better.
Sipdown of the 2023 version. I definitely used too much leaf! I thought I had an awkward amount left and was just using up the last of it. Actually I mis-estimated and had fully enough for two separate brews. Honestly it came out quite good though. What I really wanted was gyokuro, but this was on top in the drawer and I didn’t feel like digging around for the gyokuro. Doubling the leaf on this sencha gave me a pretty gyokuro-like result anyway! The first steep has a thick, smooth, almost syrupy, mouthfeel. The flavor reminds me of miso soup – savory, vegetal, a bit mushroom-y, and a touch marine. The second steep came out even more flavorful with a stronger marine note. By the time I finished the second steep, my heart was racing the way it does when I’ve had too much caffeine too fast. I don’t know whether this is formally a high-caffeine tea but it’s definitely high caffeine for me!
I decided to cold brew the final steep. I’m on the fence about how it came out. I steeped it in the fridge for 24 hours but it still came out much more watery than the first two steeps. As it came closer to room temperature, the flavor opened up a bit more and I got a pleasant vegetal, salty flavor. Even the mouthfeel seemed thicker when it was not as cold. So the cold steep technically worked, but the end result was likely the same as if I had done a hot brew and allowed it to cool to room temp.
Sipdown! This mostly got drunk as a work tea. It’s a solid floral. No weird edge or aftertaste, but also not the greatest jasmine I’ve ever had. Which is really the sweet spot for a work tea – good enough to be enjoyable but not so phenomenal that I want to pay more attention to the tea than the work.
Had a migraine the other day so I pulled this out. Basically the only context in which this tea gets my attention. The mint is just way too strong – it’s more breath freshener than tea blend. So strong that I have to warn my partner in advance before I brew it up so he can hide from the smell. But when I have a migraine, the powerful mint scent is helpful aromatherapy as part of my treatment plan. As for the base, this might be the only oolong I own that can’t really take a resteep. The leaves are pretty cut up and unfurl very quickly.
The name just makes it sound elegant!