1118 Tasting Notes
Backlogging.
Yesterday was insanely busy, and this ended up being my one and only cup of the day. On the plus side, we were able to start putting in the new floor – yay!. It’s great to not have to walk on the subfloor. The rest of the flooring will go in this week, and then I’ll be able to get kitchen counters and a sink. You have no idea how much I miss my kitchen sink!!!
Ok, on to the tea. This is a very citrusy tea. It has the super sweet, highly acidic flavor of a good blood orange paired with a smooth and almost mellow base tea. The combination is very good. I used the last of the sample Zen Tea sent, but I’ve put this on my shopping list and will definitely order some. I’m thinking this will make a fantastic winter tea. Just the bright sunny boost I’ll be looking for on a cold dark morning.
Another tea I received from a swap. This one came from Artp. A friend of his went to India and came home with tea. How great is that?
I don’t have any information on this tea except that it is a first flush darjeeling. What I can tell you is it’s a beautiful tea. It brews into a coppery colored liquid and has mild floral smell. The taste is initially floral before becoming fruity and sweet. The fruity note reminded me of apples or pears – very crisp with a clear sweetness. There is also a caramel flavor as the tea cools. It’s most noticeable at the end of the sip. There is a bit of astringency, but it’s a darjeeling so it’s to be expected. I like the dryness in combination with the fruity flavors in the tea. It’s funny, but even though this is a first flush it reminds me a lot of autumn.
This one is a winner all the way. Thanks again, Artp!
I have been wanting to try this tea for forever, and thanks to Stephanie now I can. Thank you!!!
So. Much. Marshmallow. This is a good thing. The tea is sweet and creamy yet toasty from the rice. I’m loving the balance between the marshmallow and Genmaicha. There’s definitely a marshmallow treat flavor happening which becomes more apparent as the tea cools a bit. Oh yeah, I can see myself enjoying many cups of this one.
Backlogging from yesterday.
I received this in a swap package from Courtney, and I have to say after reading the description of it I was excited to give it a try.
Whoa, this is a sweet tea! No additional sugar needed. Lots of banana flavor which I really like. Surprisingly, I’m liking the chocolate, too. I’ve never been a huge fan of chocolate in teas, but it works with this one. It’s a really fun herbal, and I think it would make a great after dinner dessert tea for a dinner party. Or a kid’s tea party. Or a before bed treat….
Thanks for sharing this one, Courtney!
We have been working on some major home renovations for over nine months now, and quite honestly, I’m ready to be done. This weekend I’m hoping to get a lot done, so tonight I’ll be staying up waaaay past my bedtime to do the prep work. Ugh. Since I have to be awake I thought I’d drink my favorite EGC. I almost never drink this tea late in the day, so it does feel a bit like a treat.
My daughter has perfected the art of sleeping ‘til noon, so when she woke up and asked for breakfast at lunchtime I thought I’d join her. I settled on bacon, toast, homemade fig jam, and this tea. This is such a good Irish Breakfast tea. Robust and strong. Lots of malty notes, but not at all bitter. I added cream and sugar and enjoyed thoroughly.
breakfast is awesome for any and all meals.
Agreed JustJames! Also, homemade fig jam sounds awesome! Do you have a fig tree Veronica?
I don’t, but my grandpa does. He knows I love figs, so he ships them to me every year. Some years I get 2 lbs, and some years I get 10+ lbs. This was a 10+ lb. year. :)
And JustJames you are so very right. Lunch was great!
Awesome! Fresh figs are the best!
my sister has this huge tree covered with them. she chucks them out because she doesn’t like them!!! i love fresh figs… they’re like a buck fifty per in stores right now!!! i may never recover!
Throws them out! … I think my heart stopped for a moment. My grandpa has chefs from New Orleans, which is over an hour away from him, come out and pick figs at his place. Seriously, there’s money to be made in figs. Tell her to look into having someone who owns a stand at the local farmer’s market come out and pick them and then split the profits. Tell her angels cry when figs are thrown away!!! ;)
I feel deprived. I have never had a fig that wasn’t Newton-ed.
oh, i have mentioned it. literally a fortune to be made from that tree! she’s not motivated though. so the birds eat them or they wind up in the compost.
i can’t prove it, but i swear fresh figs hold medicinal value. but i am predominantly irish…. could just be superstition, lol.
My morning cup. I can’t see myself ever not loving this tea. It has such a wonderful sweet strawberry flavor and a lovely creaminess from the vanilla. It’s beautifully blended and it can be resteeped. What’s not to love?
Backlogging from last night. This was my bedtime tea, and I have to say it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite herbals. It starts off as an almost peaches and cream tea, but as it cools the marigold gives a lovely floral note. The apricot also becomes more apparent as the tea cools. So you begin with peaches and cream and end with an apricot floral tea. It’s absolutely enjoyable from the first sip to the last.
Bumped up my rating a bit to reflect my current love for this blend.
Sipdown!
I’ve blown through this sample pretty quickly. The juicy blueberry flavor and the black tea base are just too good to keep on the shelf. This one will probably be ordered sooner rather than later. As much as I love this tea I’m not rating it any higher because I have to time it perfectly or I end up with a lot of bitterness in my cup. The last two times I’ve made it I’ve used the stopwatch feature on my phone to time the tea as it steeps. Keeping the leaves in for even 15 seconds too long causes bitterness, so I only make Adagio teas when I can be hyper vigilant.
