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drank Ancient Emerald Lily by Rishi Tea
2037 tasting notes

I don’t think I’ve ever steeped a green tea for this long since my first really awful attempts to steep green tea before I started reading about teas and their various needs. But every single tasting note about this tea indicates at least a 4 minute steep time and Rishi recommends even longer. So I’m giving it a try at 4, figuring the worst that can happen is I get a really bitter, undrinkable mess and I just try again. I’m keeping the temp low, though Rishi recommends 185.

And miracle of miracles, it’s not bitter at all. But I’m not getting as much flavor as I’d hoped for reading others’ notes. I’m not worried, though. I figure I can try a higher temp and/or use gram weight rather than a spoon as I may have underleafed. Then again, it could just be that this is old. It was in a sealed packet, but even so.

I get grass/hay scent from the packet, a butter-vegetal aroma, and a sweet, vaguely floral green flavor. There’s some nuttiness in the after sip, though not very strong,

Not rating for now. I think I can do better with this.
Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML
2 comments
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pyarkaaloo
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it’s definitely not you. i’m not sure what to make of the flavor on this one.. it’s got a slight ‘corn’ aroma, at least to me, and i think it was mentioned by one other person. apart from that i don’t get any distinct character from this! i feel it’s so light, it’s kinda not there lol…i did get a second steep out of this one, and it tasted pretty much the same…and the leaves opened up some more. but this doesn’t really feel like a green tea, does it?

i was so taken in by the name, too… ‘Emerald Lily’…but the color is anything but green!

__Morgana__
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Whew, good to know it’s not just me. I’m determined to get more flavor out of this puppy somehow.

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Comments

pyarkaaloo
Delete

it’s definitely not you. i’m not sure what to make of the flavor on this one.. it’s got a slight ‘corn’ aroma, at least to me, and i think it was mentioned by one other person. apart from that i don’t get any distinct character from this! i feel it’s so light, it’s kinda not there lol…i did get a second steep out of this one, and it tasted pretty much the same…and the leaves opened up some more. but this doesn’t really feel like a green tea, does it?

i was so taken in by the name, too… ‘Emerald Lily’…but the color is anything but green!

__Morgana__
Delete

Whew, good to know it’s not just me. I’m determined to get more flavor out of this puppy somehow.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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