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__Morgana__ drank Ryokucha by Samovar

2037 tasting notes

Backlog. Let’s call this one Sipdown no. 2 of November 2019 (no. 107 of 2019 total, no. 595 grand total).

This was the last tea I sipped down before I fell off of tea for a while.

Three observations. One: I did ok in sipdowns for 2019, but I am a bit annoyed with myself for not making my goals each month. Also annoyed that I got all the way to November and then didn’t finish out the year. As it is already the third month of 2020, I’m not going to count sipdowns monthly this year, but I’ll count them as they occur (if any do — at this rate who knows).

Second, this tea didn’t age well at all. I usually don’t notice a lot of difference over time with teas. I have great storage capabilities and live in a climate that allows me to avoid humidity. But this one — no.

That sweetness that I remarked upon when I first tried this was totally gone, and all I could taste was a ricy flavor which, without the sweet green to offset it, was like drinking dissolved rice krispies and not wonderful. At least I have the memory of it when it was fresh recorded. I think the fact that this was not pleasant was what led me to an off tea period in the first place, which is surprising as I do love my Samovar teas.

Third, with this sipdown I am now at 17 cupboard pages. WOOT!

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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