212 Tasting Notes
Today we decided to compare Morrocan Mints in our cupboard. This one falls a bit short because the Market Spice rules supreme in the mint department. This may be a case of artificial flavorings vs natural flavorings. It could, also be the Market Spice has a lot more mint in the mix as well. It appears that way.
My expectations were fulfilled as far as the mints go. Sweet spearmint rounding out the crisp, refreshing bite of peppermint. I feel this tea is stronger in the gunpowder fu. The gunpowder being more prominent causes the mint to take back ground until the tea has cooled. Gunpowder here hints at roasted veggies with a bit of smoke. It is very smooth like a creamy butter. I’ll have to ice it soon and see what happens with it then.
Preparation
Hello Steepster! Today things seem to be moving smoothly enough I can try a posting. Since summer is right around the corner Dylan procured some samples of iced tea blends.
This one is pretty good but heavier on the citrus notes than I typically take. Citrus here seems to be plenty of orange with subdued grapefruit and an almost pungent note in the background. I did feel there was a fruity sweet flavor that rounded all the citrus out nicely. The base is smooth and brisk without any bitterness or astringency. Not a bad iced tea really if you like the citrus. I think citrus piledriver would suit me better. I love that creamy addition to the citrus.
Preparation
I drank this one right after my darjeeling comparison today. I find I can taste the darjeeling in it. That bright, coppery flavor I think must be a characteristic of darjeelings. I think the ceylon adds a depth to the sweetness of it and a hint of some thing like wood smells. I really like bergamot and vanilla together, but this is amazing. It has no perfume smell or taste to it at all and yet I still know for sure there is bergamot in it. Dylan thought this might be really good iced. I agree, I’ll save the last little bit for icing.
Preparation
It just occurred to me that I haven’t seen any posts from Dylan lately! I checked and haven’t managed to be kicked off his followers list, so I guess he’s just busy or something? Usually both of your notes are in sequence in my Dashboard :D
I am confuse as to how others are able to access my cupboard and review the teas I receive or purchase for review? Most odd. No uncle tom or what have you here. Do refrain and leave me be.
@ Krystaleyn we still both have you on our lists! We’ve been having issues with steepster, so he has gotten out of the practice of posting. I wish I could get to my notices more often.
@suele771 it appears you take issue with this review because you have reviewed it before. I reviewed it having no thoughts or concerns about teas you may have purchased or in your cupboard.
Today I decided to compare the Darjeelings I have here. I have four. Three from Upton and one from Goldenmoon. I actually tried this one a week ago or so. Now I need to find the best of the lot.
Again this is soooooo yummy. This one is bright and coppery too but very smooth. The fruity notes I think I get with darjeelings are quite apparent this time, lots of peach. I can’t find the bite I normally get with black teas. I’ve had it for about 5 minutes with another cup and they are both gone! Sad face.
Preparation
I thought this was pretty good too. ;)
I think this is a blend od FF & SF Darjeeling teas, right? Yes it is…….I was just checking my latest addition of the Upton Tea Quarterly-received today! :))
Not a bad price, not bad at all.
I’m still waiting for my new Upton catalog!
They sent me 2.
No fair! :)
I’m sure you’ll be reading yours in a couple days. :)) I wish they would only send me one.
Why, yes ScottTeaMan it is a blend. I really like it. I think it may be one that gets to stay in my cupboard, but I have to pass it through Dylan first.
This one took second place in the tea comparison the night before last. It had the same apple like sweetness to it but the jasmine fu was much stronger with this one. It was done well enough the jasmine did not have super powers. I would really enjoy this one if I hadn’t fallen in love with Teavivre’s jasmine pearls.
Preparation
This one fell pretty short night the night before last. It was very heavy on the jasmine and quite bitter. I brewed all of them at 176 for 1 minute. That was the instructions on the Teavivre package. None of the other packages had clear instructions. So one ring to rule them all. I think in the future I may have to try a lower temperature and see if I can get rid of that bitterness.
Preparation
This was a sample Dylan won in Teavivre’s facebook contest. Thanks Teavivre!
The night before last we did a comparison of the jasmine teas we have. This is the clear winner of last nights trial. I was fully prepared to deal with a nauseous tummy. This is the core of my hatred for floral things. To my delight I’ve discovered not all floral teas are equal. As long as the floral is not heavy or cloying I do not get a stomache from it. Score!
I thought the jasmine here was subtle. I could definitely taste it and had no trouble recognizing what it was. It just wasn’t rearing up to apply a breath weapon on me. The green tea was crisp, light and crunchy. It had a fruity sweetness to it that reminded me of apples. It was vastly different from the other greens I’ve experienced in a very pleasant way. The base and the jasmine worked perfectly with each other making this tea, in my opinion, jasmine tea perfection.
Preparation
I met a wonderful young man today in Teavana. We talked tea and he said he loved Jasmine Dragon Pearls. I told him I had just ordered a pound from Teavivre for myself and a friend. He was shocked and wanted to know how much it cost. I told him it was around $27 for the pound. He was really shocked then. Teavana’s works out to $96 a pound! Thank you, Teavivre!
That is awesome, finding a new tea friend. Teavana’s prices are a big part of my lack of interest in their teas. Cost and selling tactics.
Now here’s a great Jasmine tea! :))
Oops, $27 for a HALF pound! So $54 instead of $96. Great deal still, though!
That’s a good price.
@ScottTeaMan I was really impressed with it. I had totally given into the thought that I couldn’t have jasmine tea. Some of them make my tummy really sour and I end up holding back the gag reflex while I’m trying to drink them.
I agree with ScottTeaMan there, it’s still a good deal :D
HHHhhhmmmm…….I never have met a Jasmine Pearl I didn’t like.
Do you resteep the leaves Missy?? How many times??
I have tried a couple of different jasmine pearls and other jasmine teas now and in my opinion, this tea is the clear winner out of all of them! I always resteep this at least once too so it is definitely worth this price (which is also the best price for pearls!).
This one fell the shortest for me. It was the most powerful jasmine. I found the green tea base after I waded through the heavy, cloying jasmine. I got the standard green tea taste for a few seconds after the tea had cooled. This is the kind of jasmine tea that will give me problems. It’s like drinking sweet swamp water. They should really rename it to hulk smash jasmine tea. If you’ve found that your jasmine is weak before, give this a shot. It should clear that right up for you.
Preparation
Oh man this is good good good! I’ve heard the term “champagne of teas” applied to darjeelings before. I wouldn’t use it as I can’t stand that stuff. I really want to say medium bodied but what does that even mean?! In my head, medium bodied should be more complex nuances and a heavier feeling tea. (One of the plentiful tea aficionados can clear this up for me if they are so inclined.)
This is bright and coppery with hints of fruity like qualities. I’d say almost peach then grape, so you can tell I really can’t make up my mind on this one. There is a bit of a bite to this one. Nothing unpleasant, just a mineral taste, making it assertive. There is slight bit of astringency, what I think of as standard and acceptable, so over all a scrumptious tea.
