818 Tasting Notes
Needed something strong this morning. After even a 3-day weekend, I had trouble getting back to work this morning. Turned into a productive day though. I feel bad not resteeping this one, so I steeped the leaves twice. I still think the second steep is the best. :)
Wanted some marshmallow graham cracker goodness, and this fit the bill! I just made another fan of this tea too (my mom), who asked me to keep her in mind the next time I order from Della Terra! Funny how we’re not satisfied with just enjoying the tea ourselves, but must make others love it too! ;)
Hadn’t had this one in awhile. I’m trying to drink down my current stash instead of buying even more tea, but all the mother’s day sales are killing me! I’ve been good though…let’s see if it lasts!
This tea came out a little weak today. Guess I didn’t put enough leaf. Still good dessert-y earl grey to me.
Dang! TastyBrew, your steeping parameters were right on!!! 185 degrees for 3 minutes is the BOMB! I am so happy to have my variable temperature kettle! With those steeping parameters, the pastry flavor becomes more pronounced and fully compliments the blueberry. Yay!
Got a sample of this tea from my mom. I’m still hesitant about green teas, because of their grassiness, but I do like toasty ones. I guess this is bancha, which I’ve not tried yet. The tea reminded more of squash than grass. Like zucchini. It also had a slight floral flavor, and was slightly sweet. I’m not sure why, but I got a little spiciness from it…maybe as a side effect of the floral note? Not sure I’d buy this one, but it helped to educate me a little more on the green tea realm. :)
SO FREAKING GOOD!! Okay guys, now that it’s here, after 2 days of me worrying that it was lost, I am in heaven! I did a little happy dance when I finally got it! The tin is really elegant. I just wish I could read the French that is written on it (although that makes it even more special)! I couldn’t for the life of me remember how long I steeped this tea when I tried the little one cup sample, so I went with 4 minutes.
OMG, totally met my expectations, and every bit as good as the sample!! The most noteable aspect of this tea is how silky smooth it is! I actually think I will steep this next time for 5 minutes, because I don’t think I really need to worry about astringency here. The raspberry and red current are complimented by the caramel and vanilla. Perfect balance of flavors! I am SO happy I bought 100g of this! Now, I think I need a scone! Haha!!
Yay! I plan to order this one in the future. It was my fave of my samples!
ashmanra – you won’t regret it! I’m curious, what is your favorite Nina’s tea?
That is a tough question! Grand Amour is definitely way up there at the top of the list, Demain is very nice hot and cold, and Nina’s Japon was the surprise love. I had not had genmaicha before and didn’t think I would like it, but this is smooth and so beautifully and artfully flavored that it really won a place in the top three for me. Magicienne was very good, and Eve has a lovely peach flavor. But there are so many I haven’t tried yet. I liked Thè des Anges, too. So I would have to say right now that Grand Amour and Japon are my top two, with Demain not far behind.
Drinking this again after upping the quality of chocolate hazelnut spread that I buy. Wanted to see if it compared better to the new spread versus the sugary Nutella I was buying before. The result….maybe. It’s a little closer to the new spread. I really like the new spread…far more nutty, with a more crunchy than smooth texture, like there are real nuts in there! Anyway, I still like this tea, but the spread is better! Ha!
Double sipdown! So, I didn’t really have a full cup of this left, so I added the last of the vanilla comoro, and it turned out pretty good! Only steeped it for 3 minutes, since the vanilla comoro gets astringent quickly and the banana teas tend to come out better with less time also. Yay for enjoying the last cup, and yay for clearing more tea out of my cupboard to make room for new tea!
