79
drank Chocolat Menthe by THEODOR
2037 tasting notes

I wasn’t able to drink tea and write notes yesterday because I was out of town, so today I’m continuing with the project to taste all the teas in my stash and write notes about them.
I’m just really tired of seeing a bunch of “no notes yet” in my cupboard.

I don’t know whether my taster is off this weekend or what, but both the Fruits D’Alsace I had earlier this morning and this seem to me like they need to be stronger. It is possible my taster is off. I had a stuffy nose last night and something going on with my right ear. But I woke up without any of that, so I thought I had nipped it in the bud.

The smell in the tin is fairly faint to me, but it smells mostly, but not richly, of chocolate. There is some mint, though I’m unable to discern what kind. I think it’s likely to be spearmint which I find to be less aromatic than peppermint.

The aroma has less chocolate, more mint, and a sort of malty tea smell that makes me wonder if there is Yunnan in the blend. Its a dark color, orangish-brown. Not a lot of red.

The flavor, too, has more mint than chocolate. I wonder if this is a what got into the spoons issue, or whether it’s an age issue, or whether this is just how the blend is. It’s a very subtle flavor all around, both the chocolate and the mint. So if you like subtle, this is probably a good choice. The aftertaste has a nice blend of chocolate and mint.

I tend to like richer chocolate, so that’s reflected in the rating. But it’s still a quality blend.

Flavors: Chocolate, Malt, Mint

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML
Cameron B.

I found Fruits d’Alsace to be somewhat lacking in flavor as well, so perhaps it’s not just you!

__Morgana__

Oh, good to know!

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Cameron B.

I found Fruits d’Alsace to be somewhat lacking in flavor as well, so perhaps it’s not just you!

__Morgana__

Oh, good to know!

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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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