Martin Bednář Send Message

Apparently not in virtual cupboard anymore, but:
A sipdown! (M: 2 Y: 74)

Possible prompt will be added later.

A sipdown! (M: 1 Y: 73) Prompt: A teabag tea (August)

Not a trouble for me to check off this prompt as I have many teas in tea bags; and this is no exception.
However, all I remember from this tea that it is a dismal for it’s very weak in lavender and bergamot being very faint and generic. Definitely, sadly, not worth the money.

Western method, 3 grams, 2 minutes steeping, 80°C water.

The remaining 3 grams and so I will try gongfu later.

I have been surprised to see on the pouch label temperature saying “80-90°C” but as my brother prepared a colder water for his coffee I took a little more sensitive tea today morning; and below are my impressions for this Japanese black tea sample I bought when I have been in Dresden, in Teerausch. However, it is available from more vendors world-wide (Europe?)

Aroma is woody, with hints of rose and spices, maybe sweet cinnamon and hints of black pepper.
In taste instead this tea is quite mineral and tannic; a little bit flat tasting compared to Indian teas; but yes, it is a whole different terroir for tea plants. Marimo Tea who carries this (very same!) tea too, says on their Facebook post: “If autumn had a taste it would probably be this one.”

I have to agree, as fall slowly creeps to our lives, with sunset coming sooner than expecting. It’s warming up cup of tea, again with woody notes, with interesting, almost bitter (in a good way!) aftertaste, spices as allspice, muscatel, star anise and anise. Some vendors also see the fruity line in the tea; saying it’s sour cherries with cinnamon.
While I do notice fruits, I am not sure it’s sour cherries. I am not able to point out a exact fruit though.

As I wrote before, it is an autumn-time tea giving fall-vibes. I assume it is the spicy flavours and woody notes.

A little bit of sore throat is never fun. What’s worse, it’s just a few days before my 2 weeks vacation starts. And on Saturday I need to be ready for wedding I am invited to.

Lime Flowers to the rescue.

Wonder where I caught it. My brother? AC? Train with sick students as yesterday a new school year started?

Reading the notes before brewing the tea is sometimes a plus, sometimes it makes me not feeling right, but all tea deserves love and at least one attempt brewing it. Thank you Kaylee for sending me a sample of 10 grams, I have used a half for my steeping today and…

Oh boy this is sweet. Some bitter notes there, probably the turmeric, swamp water like color, very dusty ingredients. Nope, I didn’t pieces as in picture by vendor. Nothing like that.

Luckily steeped short and with green tea temperature. But even though I have finished it, I am not a fan. Actually, I will probably finish it fast to get rid of this tea.
Ruined by stevia, for sure. Maybe there is more stevia than green tea itself. Hard to say.

A sipdown! (M: 4 Y: 65) Pine Sap Lapsang by white2tea
A sipdown! (M: 5 Y: 66) Jungpana Clonal Delight 2nd Flush by Lochan Tea Limited (thanks Leafhopper!)
A sipdown! (M: 6 Y: 67) Prompt: A grassy tea — Makinohara Kukicha by Curious Tea
A give-down! (M: 7 Y: 68) given to my grandma, who was looking for fruit teas — Red Berry & Flower by Birchall
A give-down! (M: 8 Y: 69) same — Borůvkový džbánek (Blueberry Jug) by Gresik Valdemar
A sipdown! (M: 9 Y: 70) Ancient Yunnan by Octavia Tea (thanks Kaylee!)
A sipdown! (M: 10 Y: 71) 2009 Liming Jing Pin Gong Cha Ripe by Chawangshop (thanks Michelle and Rich!)
A sipdown! (M: 11 Y: 72) Prompt: March 8 – International Women’s Day – drink a tea from a woman-owned company or named for a woman — Pistachio by Your Daily Tea Cup

What I love about tea, is how heteregenous this plant is. Consider how diffrent black teas can be, some are malty… some are almost chocolate like… some are tannic and bitter. And from same plant we do have green teas with very diverse flavours too. Not mentioning other teas, like oolongs and puerhs.

Also, sometimes it is crucial to keep proper amount of leaf and temperature used. This is the case… Too many leaves and you get nice, flavourful tea, but losing some delicate nuances. Also too hot water means you lose flavours.

With this tea seems it is a must to follow the vendor instructions — 1g/100 ml and boiling water that cooled down to 85-90°C. I did exactly that and I got exactly described flavour profile.

A wonderful dark orange brew with aroma of honey and sweet spices, like cinnamon. In terms of flavours, it was very, very similar — being round, smooth and quite intensivy spicy (again the cinnamon notes, like in Ding Dong), forest honey with slight earthy and wet forest floor aftertaste.

This tea visually looks very nice as well, though I don’t get that many golden buds in my pouch, but looks so delicate and there are lots of trichomes on some leaves too.

Semi-sipdown. I have now last 5 grams to be tried western; but this note will be about gongfu brewing.

Parameters: 5g / 125 ml gaiwan / 90°C water / quick rinse
Steeps: 7s, 15s, 20s, 33s, 45s,

Even dry, this tea is burst of tropic fruits, florals, a little of green oolong. When rinsed, the aromas were even stronger, making me feel I am in a botanical garden greenhouse with all the tropical flowers around.

1st steep
Very smooth and round mouthfeel, a little oily, sweet and again full of the tropic flowers which later changes on the roof of the mouth to tropic fruits and some local ones; as derk notices… peaches, sweet and very ripe pineapples, mango, papaya. Later aftertaste of honey and creamy vanilla, almost custardy like. Mouthfeel lingers for very long even steeped this short.

2nd steep
Before adding water, I did very fast smell of the used leaves and boy they are so fruity! The fruits mentioned above, with a stronger floral note; intoxicating smell that brings me into some tropical islands. That’s weird, never been in those.
All above as in first steep, but double the strength. Heavy especially in the florals, I wish I could recognize them, but rose. Again… very long mouthfeel and amazing relaxing and calming capabilities.

3rd steep
Yes, it gets a little rougher. Not so honey-ish flavour, but instead there is light roasted, curled, green, oolong, maybe bug-bitten. It’s a little different sweetness.

4th steep
Intended 30 seconds steep, however I was made some error when doing countdown and…
It still gives me a lots of florals and less of the fruits, which isn’t a flaw. The vendor mentions the oolong notes, and I do agree with them. The fruits tends to be more citrusy, instead the tropical fruits, as mentioned in previous steeps. But not sour or anything, just peel of the citruses, it is pomelo and grapefruit (a really tiny bit of bitterness). Hints of vegetal notes in aftertaste (maybe it’s the oolong).

5th steep
How I wish having a bigger gaiwan to see all the leaves floating; well that means I would need also a glass gaiwan. They are so gorgeous. Derk is right!
The flavours are not so intensive anymore, however it still gives me good impressions, definitely not washed out. I could drink it all afternoon (oh well, I did).

This tea has a great qualites, lasts long, lots of interesting flavours, definitely worth every penny spent. Maybe I have missed out this year harevest, but if you come across Nepalese Shiiba, I can highly suggest getting it. Because it gives impressions of fruit tea, while it’s plain tea. Lasts long and it is also very versatile, as… I had similar impressions of that fruity line even when steeped western. I will write a separate note for that steeping method.
Later steeps are more oolongy, which can be welcomed by some tea drinkers and again, it shows me how not correct can be “labelling” teas of their type. This is offically labelled as a black tea… but in terms of flavours it definitelly isn’t, as you could read in this note. Of course, first two, three steeps are the best; but as I wrote… it keeps giving and while 5th steep was somehow weaker, it wasn’t done for sure. I will keep steeping — but I will end the note here. I assume that you know that you can steep many teas many times, but writing the impressions about every single steep is tiring and also boring.

Probably it was Shae who sent me a few tea bags of this tea; but I just put them into my stash in the place which I don’t check often and how surprised I have been to see so many teas there, so neglected!
So, this was in closed zip-lock bag, so I took it out and brought to work. Because only flavoured black tea I have there is Earl Grey (from Czech company), which isn’t very good in fact; and I don’t want to have huge stash in the office as I am not sure how long I will stay there (I may work in different office, not company — at least for now). I just looked and see this is caffeine-free blend. It’s not flavoured black tea? :O

I digressed greatly from the tea I haven’t even started writing about…
Well, honestly it surprised me how sweet it is. Not in a bad way, however I thought it is definitely more sour.
But it’s fine and definitely easy drinkable, in easy preparation method so I don’t have to take care too much, which is definitely a virtue for me in those stressful work days from early hours.

Not tasting much of the cake either recently; the pastry flavour is a little bit missing, but yes, I will finish my small stash of this fast.

Shae and others who joined me in the TTB last time I took part, thank you. And also thank you Devon that I actually could try that and I was really sure I need it to have with me. Now I have… and maybe I am not that much impressed anymore, but still, I like it. No tossing out.

Searching for fruity raspberry tea, without caffeine?
Search no more!

This is a raspberry jam in the mug, nothing more, nothing else. Thick tasting tea, not watery as some tea. A little too sweet, if you ask me, but there is none of stevia awful aftertaste. And although there is Vitamin C and Zinc gluconate, it doesn’t taste medicinal; though I am not sure how helpful they are if you use boiling water.

Raspberry intoxication