564 Tasting Notes
Sipdown, although apparently I never put this into my cabinet to begin with! This remains one of my favorite teas, especially for first thing in the morning. It’s jammy and smooth and not tart at all, which I personally dislike in most berry teas. It reminds me a little of Harney’s Paris but with less vanilla and somehow even more addictive. I will be buying this one in bulk as soon as my cabinet is in better order!
Sipdown. This is a good, reliable oolong that I wasn’t expecting to like nearly as much as I do. It’s more earthy and chocolatey than I normally look for in an oolong (or any tea, actually!) but as with my favorite greens it goes with almost any food and has a complex flavor that’s always interesting. It reminds me of a mixture of Yunnan and Da Hong Pao. Mom loves this one too and I would gladly get it again.
Flavors: Chocolate, Earth, Floral, Honeysuckle, Roasted Nuts, Wood
Surprise sipdown! I wasn’t expecting to be finished with this one so quickly, but that’s what happens when you keep making huge pots of tea. Obviously I like this one. It’s surprisingly light and mild for a roasted tea and has a complex flavor—at times it almost verges on salty/savory, like roasted seaweed chips. It goes with almost any meal and is the kind of workhorse tea I can always grab when I don’t know what I want. Mom loves this one too and I’ll probably be rebuying it before too long.
Flavors: Green, Hay, Roasted, Salty, Seaweed
Another sipdown. This is nice but not quite a favorite for me. As with last night’s Butiki tea, I find myself wanting a little more something. The sip starts with an almost coffee-like chocolate, which is so dark it verges on bitter. While it’s not as bad as in some teas, bitter is just not my thing. I do like the aftertaste, which is almost like a medium-bodied oolong—there’s some caramel and burnt sugar taste to it, as well as something like stone fruit. I wish those notes were just a bit stronger.
Another sipdown. This is one of two teas I have called mango lassi, and honestly I prefer the DAVIDs version. This one is still good, but it doesn’t remind me of a lassi as much—blame my Indian food addiction! The rooibos in this one is mild and fruity, not at all woody like they can sometimes get. The mango blends with it perfectly, and it is a little bit creamy, like a lassi. I find myself wanting a little more oomph from it, but since it’s gone I won’t get to experiment. Oh, well!
Another sipdown! This and Calm are the only Tazo teas I’ve found that I would buy again, and because Calm is so close to some versions of CS’ Sleepytime, I generally just buy that one. This, however, I haven’t found a dupe for. The vanilla is surprisingly rich in this, like syrup, and the fruit is subtle but definitely present. The base isn’t overpowering like in some Tazo teas, and while it’s not the best white tea I’ve ever had it’s much better than I would expect for bagged. There’s definitely some hay and honey flavors going on in the background. I would consider buying this again, at least as a tea to travel with—I’m always on the hunt for above-average bagged tea to throw in my travel bag, and this qualifies!
Flavors: Apricot, Hay, Honey, Sweet, Vanilla
Another sipdown from this morning. I rated this pretty badly before, but it’s not actually terrible—mostly just mediocre. The vanilla is more marshmallowy than I’d like, and not intense enough to wow me. As usual I find Adagio’s black base tea to be overpowering and not that great. Definitely not one I’d get again.
Another sipdown, although I apparently didn’t have this in my (virtual) cupboard to begin with. I never quite found this tea’s happy place on my own, but the Breville’s standard green settings (175F, three minutes) are just about perfect. This is a mellow, sweet green with some steamed vegetable flavors—probably closest to snap peas. I’m surprised by how much I like it, especially since I’m not a huge fan of unflavored greens. It might even be one I’d buy again!
Flavors: Green, Green Beans, Hay, Peas, Sweet
Preparation
Yet another sipdown. It feels like all the tea I have at this point is either pounds or tiny little bits. Luckily the tiny little bits are easy to use up!
This one is so good. I’m picky about herbals but I’ll almost always drink this one. It’s like a liquid cinnamon roll, which is pretty much the best idea ever. I can’t help it—I love tea-as-dessert all day, every day. For whatever reason the Breville made this a little weaker than I usually do, but it’s still rich and sweet. I’ll definitely consider buying this one again, but because so many companies have a tea like this (DAVIDsTEA Forever Nuts and Benjamin Tea Roasted Almond come to mind) I may get someone else’s variation.