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A tea from my blind Farmerleaf sheng shopping spree in the spring.

I was steeping 5 grams in my 125 ml gaiwan with steeps starting 10 seconds and adding 5 seconds increments. Quick rinse.

Oveall impressions are good, there is no astringency, mild sweetness as Marshall Weber notices. I am not that sure about apricots, but definitely there are some stonefruits in flavour. Not overly complex, but great daily drinker for sure. For that price, worth it. Surprisingly long mouthfeel.

A sipdown! (M: 1 Y: 88)

I usually buy to the office some common and grocery shop available teas; mostly because I don’t want anything extra fancy there; and I just need a morning booster and nothing much else.

But this tea has betrayed me. Considering it’s on higher price point than most of the tea bags available, it is a true dismal.

It should be brewed in 250 ml of water and steeped for 3-5 minutes. I have a mug with double volume and 3 minutes steeping was often too much!. And also, sadly, I noticed nothing but astringency combined with bitterness. Just a hot, bitter drink; with absolutely no flavour of the base tea. Well, maybe better than dust, but again, as I wrote, considering the price tag… I am disappointed.
Sadly, never more for me.

I am surprised to see my tasting note for this tea. Maybe the Italian text misled me and I just thought it’s something different.

That note is from 22nd January 2019. Now, it says “6 years ago”. Whoa.

Anyway, I have to agree with my past self. Unnoticeable green tea, fresh orange and little warmth… probably the ginger.

Perfectly suits “hot drink, called tea”. No flaws, but a bit boring.
Will I get more than 2 likes today? :)

Courtney sent me 3 tea bags of this festive tea; thank you!
I was a little hesitant brewing this while it’s still just November; but decided to give it a try as I wanted something simple (yep, tea bags were preferred), if possible mouth (throat) coating and had a tooth for something sweet.

Well, as I have a sore throat, I wanted to have it coated with a good tea and well this quite delivers it! It had all expected flavours. Hot chocolate, refreshing peppermint and floral lavender. Not much of vanilla in my cup; but maybe I wasn’t just focused enough. Definitely an easy-drinker and I liked it in the mug. I wasn’t a fan when I took it from the outer wrapping, the aromas were sooo strong.

Just marking October sipdowns:
A sipdown! (M: 5 Y: 82) — 2018 Smoove Cocoa Minis by white2tea
A sipdown! (M: 6 Y: 83) — Sweet Himalayan Green by Vahdam Teas
A sipdown! (M: 7 Y: 84) — Royal Grape by Richard
A sipdown! (M: 8 Y: 85) — 2003 Yunnan Nonpareil Lao Cha Tuo Old Tea Nubs Ripe Puer Tea
A sipdown! (M: 9 Y: 86) — Sweet Potato Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong Black Tea by Yunnan Sourcing
A sipdown! (M:10 Y: 87) — Arya SFTGFOP1 SPL Flush 2022 by Lochan Tea

Thank you all that I got teas from; and happy to sipdown all the teas. But in the total number of teas, it doesn’t seem to have expected effect. I need to go through Steepster virtual cupboard and real cupboard / my system; to see if it is even correct here. But checking the system (where I have maybe the half of the tea), it says too much tea for a single drinker.
And for December I have 3 Advents (so far?); so that will be a definitely a hard month to do any sipdowns at all.

This tea is from Courtney as well as others I am drinking recently; and next session will be a bit weaker… and a sipdown. Thank you!

After two two-hour drives is this man tired. The interview went well and I was calm and replied well to the questions… however it seems it isn’t what I have been expecting.

This tea is a great wake-me-up-tea; strong, robust and brisk. In the first session I had I got no smoke; however during today session, I got that as well.

Maybe if I got this in better quality or paying more attention; I would find more detailed descriptors. Not sure about the price tag, but it seems like a good daily drinker to me.

As others have, I received this tea from derk. Thank you! Based on the notes I’d read, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was on my wishlist, so I knew it would be good or at least interesting.

I followed Leafhopper’s preparation method, using the same water temperature and steeping times. The result? A truly wonderful tea.

A beautiful bouquet of floral notes filled my gaiwan. The tea had a smooth, creamy mouthfeel that lingered pleasantly. It transported me to a foggy autumn day, surrounded by yellowing leaves. I almost felt like I was in the mountains.

Each infusion was perfectly balanced, with a delightful floral complexity that was hard to pinpoint. Later infusions took on an intriguing, forest-like character, eventually settling into a simple, grassy note. Even in its final stages, the tea remained complex and special.

By the fourth or fifth infusion, the leaves had fully unfurled. I longed for a glass gaiwan to fully appreciate their beauty as they floated and expanded in the liquid.

This is an exceptional tea, without a single flaw. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to try it. I saved half of the 8-gram sample, eager to savor it again. It was the perfect, relaxing oolong to enjoy on a stressful day before a job interview.

A change in workplace will mean a move, but if I want to move forward, I must seize the opportunity. Of course, they’ll need to hire me first!

A sipdown! (M: 4 Y: 81)
This is a pretty decent and “classic” Earl Grey. A bold black tea base, with strong, but not overpowering citrusy notes; but I didn’t noticed any smoke. Maybe as I am not so sensitive, I just drank strong tea :)

Now, let’s focus on other teas from Courtney! Thank you for a Danish tea experience(s).

This one smells just foul. Can’t describe it well, maybe a decaying hay or something? Maybe it’s the promised combo of vanilla and violet; but it just doesn’t work well in my mug.

But the taste is not that bad. While I never had a candy cane (it’s not a thing here), it’s something I am pointing on that the most. Peppermint and creamy vanilla and there is nothing like violet in flavour. It’s also very sweet thanks to all the licorice root used.

Happy to try this (as every tea), but nothing I would buy a box of. Not only because of the scent; but also I just don’t need any detox teas. Anyone knows what artichoke is good for as a tea?

I have received (actually bought) a bunch of Italian tisanes from a tea bag collector friend. It has been a while. While the box wasn’t big, I hardly finish some blends. But today, I decided to try one of those sleepy blends (there are many chamomile blends). This contains no chamomile and I decided to have a relaxing tea; while other family members have requested Shanlinxi by Bok (received from Leafhopper — they love it!)

This blend contains a herb I never had before. For ingredients see description; but the herb I mean is California poppy (Eschsholtzia californica Cham.).

The blend doesn’t smell too bad. But after suggested 5 minutes steeping time, the flavour is somehow generic herbaceous (not a surprise though), with bitter finish. That’s strong flaw, however I managed to drink it all; I just expected some orange fruit flavour as orange is there. As there is no licorice root, it’s not sweet at all.

Fine herbal tisane, now I wonder how sleepy I will be and if I sleep well.