Terroir Tea

#tiffanys2021sipdown Tea #114 overall / Tea #30 for March

Thursday 3/25/21 — another easy one. Got this from a swap or buy awhile back (although it looks like from amoda subscription which I do currently subscribe to) made hot plain pitcher to pour into kombucha jar.

#tiffanydrinkstea #tiffanys2021 #tiffanysfaves #tiffanyinthe614 #tiffanysteasipdown #sipdownchallenge

Gongfu Sipdown (611)!

I acquired this tea quite a while ago, so this was pretty old by the time I got around to sampling it – but it was in a vacuum sealed package so that probably helped preserve it. It also tasted totally fine brewed up…

I drank this while trying my first ever cherimoya! Honestly, the tea was good/solid but the fruit was INCREDIBLE. It was inconvenient and messy to eat, but I was just blown away by how creamy the flesh of the fruit was and the incredible taste. This is what I wrote on instagram about both the tea and fruit, and how they worked together:

“I can definitely see why this fruit is called a “Custard Apple” – the creamy texture of the ripe flesh and subtle, sweet notes that taste almond like a subdued banana/mango hybrid are delicious, and work well with the sweet, floral and creamed honey notes of this Ali Shan. The intensity of both the fruit & tea match pretty dang well, and the nutty notes ofthe tea still contribute enough contrasting flavour…"

This was also, by pure happenstance, the fourth Ali Shan I had during the week!? Nothing against Ali Shan, but it’s not a favourite kind of oolong of mine, so I though it was weird how much I had it in such a short span of time…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/BxV3rgOnwh4/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkBjoY7eyvU

(So hyped for this album! All of the singles have been so fucking good!)

This tea reaffirmed my liking of darker oolongs. I’ll let the company’s words start out this description:

“Completely different from typical dark oolongs, floral and spicy aromas emanate from the amber coloured liquor and prepare your palate for a complex flavour that starts with wood and caramel. The taste of dried apricot lingers with a pleasant mouthfeel that’s both sweet and floral, making it hard to have only one cup.”

I pretty much got what they described in more detail via Western. This tea is surprisingly heady for a darker tea, with a rich floral and sweet smell like roasted dates. The first sip was more complex after two minutes and was equally aromatic and syrupy: gardenia, maple, cherry, caramel, then wood in the finish. Second, more gardenia, apricot, cinnamon, wood, honey. Third, continuing gardenia, caramel, and a bit of a date or a fig note. Fourth, faint maple wood, clove, honey, and hyacinth. The same went on in the later steeps becoming a little fruitier each time, more towards something like a cherry.

In short, a heady and syrupy tea that lived up to the unique description the company gave it. I’ve only had a few dark oolongs that were as good or complex, and the only other similar tea in my stash right now is the Eco-Cha Honey Fragrance Oolong, which is roasted. This one, however, is not and I think that is to this tea’s benefit. It is “dark”, but it still had an oolong’s profile overall with a decent mix of green and red in the leaves. I’m not sure who to recommend this one to. It is sweet enough for a newer drinker, but it might be too sweet for some. I’d consider grabbing another sample, but nothing exceeding 50 grams for me personally.

Thank you for this incredibly generous sample, Terroir. Now, I realize I should have gotten more of this when it was half off. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the time with it.

Of course, the company’s notes are on point western, and mostly gong fu. I likely over leafed my sample gong fu. being close to 7 grams in a small vessel, but it kept on giving more cups and was crystalline in body. Osmanthus and corn are the most prevalent flavors this tea possess with a little bit of a side of butter in the aroma. The florals were prevalent in the very faint yet noticeable scent. There was of course some viscousity and occasional green notes, but the osmanthus was the most clear with some other hints like almond or spice. I swear I got nutmeg in the second and third steeps gong fu in the aftertaste. I could have imagined it, but since there is a very light roast to this baby, I might not be wrong.

This tea does go through some evolutions gong fu and western, albeit at slight rate. Nutmeg, honey, corn, and honeydew were in the gong fu sessions, and osmanthus with different variances in the texture were more common western. Sometimes, the liquor was as light and clear as morning dew, or more appropriately, morning mists as fresh as the mountainous imagery that Terroir sells the tea with. Other times, it was dry and heady, or as smooth and unassuming as fresh cucumbers. To think I would get six cups western, and 13 that over leafed gong fu session.

My description of this one is honestly unoriginal, so I’ll polish it up with the few things I found distinguishable about it. One, it was light but flavorful and very easy to drink. Two, it had the right amount of caffiene and L-theanine to sustain me into the morning. Three, the osmanthus note combined with whatever the nutmeg aftertaste I got was welcoming. I would easily recommend this tea to a newer drinker, and I do not think this tea will disappoint those who like it on the lighter side when a light tea is done right. I’m not sure that I would pay $19 for 50 grams because it was priced at $9.50 when I almost got it, but I do not think it’s entirely unreasonable and Terroir definitely has some good tea. I only say that because I’ve seen companies charge as much as $24 for Alishan that was not as good.

Oooooooh this was a lovely gift. Thank you, Terroir Tea for this sample.

I was happy to receive it because I know what a lot of people rave about this particular terroir and variety. The company describes it as “not your typical tea,” and more akin to an oolong because of its lower oxidation. Smelling it, it has the biscuit muscatel aroma of Darjeeling in the dry leaf, albeit fruity. The tasting notes are more obvious and as sweet, muscatel, and peachy as described providing 6 ample cups western. Unlike the Makula, the texture was viscous and welcoming every time. Wood, apricot, and butter popped up in the slightly subtler ending brews, yet remained sweet.

I know that I could be more original and precise with my notes, but “peachy” is sufficient, as well as “recommended.” Get it while it’s on sale.

Terroir Tea is doing a MASSIVE sale on their teas at 50% most of their main selection, so while I was on the quest for a Nepalese Oolong, I figured a $7 beauty for 100 grams would be nice. The company was even nicer with a whole host of samples that I lucked out with and am continually impressed by. Roswell Strange’s review of the Musky Thunder inspired me to try the company out, especially that tea, but alas, they were out. However, I could not say no to a cocoa roasty Himalayan Tea.

The notes of cocoa and stewed fruit were spot on, especially in the dry leaf with an extra aura of autumn and biscuits. The brewed cup western at 3 minutes shares the aroma, but the taste was slightly disappointing. It does compare to its 2nd Flush Darjeeling Counterpart very well and possesses the rich cocoa profile and autumn leaf feel that I love. Unfortunately, the mouthfeel was plain and thin compared to the other samples in the lovely order. This is shame because the tea is sophisticated. I may try it gong fu to see what more I can get out of it.

I would recommend it as a cheap alternative for a Darjeeling 2nd Flush for the time being, and I highly recommend picking up some tea from Terroir for their sale because they do have good ones available from Taiwan and India.

Gong Fu Sipdown (458)!

Well, I got my new phone today – and spent pretty much all evening setting it up. I think I’ve essentially got myself all set up, minus the fact I’m missing essentially ALL of my contacts. That’ll be a slow process rebuilding that, though…

And along with the new phone, I decided it was about time I got in on this whole instagram shenanigans! I’ve loved silently stalking the beautiful tea photos people link to here on Steepster, but I think it’s about time to share my own/be a little less silent with my love of everyone’s photography. So, if people want to add/follow me on Instagram, I went with the user name ros_strange. I did attempt to follow as many people as I could think of here on Steepster that I knew had an account, but I’m sure I likely missed people.

As for the tea; this was sort of a VERY messy/informal Gong Fu session that I enjoyed while I got my phone all set up tonight; and my inaugural instagram post! I only did about five infusions, and I didn’t really time them or anything – I just went with gut feeling, which is sometimes just as good as precision. The dry leaf aroma of this tea was heavinly – it smelled so strongly of condensed milk, raspberries, and orchid! Sweet, and rich/potent! It made me very excited for the session.

Overall notes in the session were a mix of strong, sweet florals such as magnolia, orchid, and jasmine as well as undertones of fresh fruits – the mix of floral and fruit elements such as raspberry and peach notes made me think quite strongly of early spring, and hanging out in my grandma’s garden which was always filled with fresh flowers and overgrown raspberry bushes just waiting to be plucked! The raspberry element and that sort of nostalgic imagery also ties in for me the fact there was an almost heavy cream/condensed milk like sweetness to this oolong. We used to pluck those fresh raspberries and wash them off then eat them in the garden in HUGE bowls topped with big dollops of whipped cream, and that’s greatly what’s springing to mind here. Other things in the session were general grassyness, and a bit of sour chlorine like sharpness – but only the latter in the first infusion, after that it was totally fine.

I easily could steep this even longer but it’s QUITE late right now and I really should be limiting my caffeine intake…

Sipdown (2623)!

Took me a long time, but I finally finished off this tea earlier this afternoon. It made for a very nice medium bodied black tea with a touch of up front astringency that I felt really well mirrored the notes of walnut present in the mug – kind of like the natural dryness of eating raw walnuts. It was also malty with a golden honey-like undertone and a bit of a graham cracker note mixed into a floral finish.

Not the most amazing black tea I’ve had, but for one with such a unique and experimental terroir I think it’s really quite solid!

Another that I brought to work today.

I like this one a fair bit, but quickly skimming through past tasting notes I think I was remembering it today a little more fondly that I’ve found it in the past in actuality. It was okay today though; I made a mug but then ended up dividing it in three to share with my coworkers as they were interested in Austalian tea as an origin/terroir and thought the dry leaf smelled good and intriguing.

I find this one sweet, woody, and tasting of mixed fruits such as overripe plums, black cherries, and blackberries. A little bit umami as well. It’s medium to full bodied, and coating on the palate as well. I find the dry and steeped leaf aroma much better though; it has the same notes but just richer. Smelling the leaf after the infusion was bordering on intoxicating…

Drank it. Loved it. Don’t remember the details about it…

Had this late into the evening earlier in the week.

I was so tired though, and I downed this pretty quickly and without a whole lot of thought so unfortunately I can’t really say what it tasted like since I simply wasn’t paying attention. I mean, smooth is an obvious one because I definitely would have noticed had it been really bitter or astringent. I had picked it out because when I cracked open the package it just had this lovely woody aroma to the dry leaf, but I don’t even know if that translated into the cup or not.

Shrug.

Evening cuppa from last night.

This was damn good. It was wickedly smooth and very full bodied with a nice mix of flavour notes, the main ones being: fresh baked French bread, walnuts, malt, fine cocoa powder, and raisins. It was one of those sort of mugs where you literally can’t put it down. I’m talking, pick that shit up from the counter and the next time you set it down it’s empty.

Currently sipping on this one.

This is a really interesting Australian black tea that I got my mom to pick up for me on her vacation to BC; it was one of a couple teas from Terroir Tea Merchant that I was specifically interested in. I’ve had a few green teas from Australia now, but I think this is my first black tea? What’s really interesting to me is that basically Australia is modelling their tea growing after Japanese practices – but Japan isn’t exactly renowned for the black tea, are they? So I’m curious what exactly this will taste like…

The dry leaf is certainly inviting enough though; lots of sweet malt and cocoa notes coming off it, and a bit of an earthiness? I wonder how that will translate flavour wise.

Steeped up, I’m enjoying this one a lot! It’s very smooth and full bodied, with a thick soup that coats the inside of the mouth. The top notes are sweet, and are all elements/flavours that I would sort of associate with being inside of a bakery: malt, cocoa powder, honey, fresh baked bread, molasses, and a touch of cinnamon. The body is a bit deeper, a little more savory while still being sweet: malt, wood, dark chocolate, raisin bread, and maybe even something kind of like leather?

The finish is the really interesting part to me, though. It’s a lot less sweet than the rest of the sip, and has a bit more of a burnt toast and dense black pepper kind of thing going for it on top of that malty quality. It’s tickling the back of my throat in a similar way to how blends with actual black pepper or peppercorn in them do. It’s also a little drying.

I think right now I like this one on the whole, but I’m curious to explore it a little further and see if the flavour profile is consistent to what I’m getting from it now. I wish it was just a touch sweeter going into that finish because the black pepper tickling sensation isn’t my favourite thing ever. It’s not a deal breaker, though.

Sipdown (620)!

Just reread my first tasting note for this tea, and it’s interesting because my thoughts for most of the time I spent drinking this infusion were that it reminded me a lot of Glossette’s Peanuts – and I see that when I tried this the first time I compared it to Glossette’s raisins.

Kind of nice to see that there’s at least some consistency to how both my brain and palate work…

Managed to sneak in one last cup of tea before I have to get ready for work right away!

I’m always excited to try a new Nepalese tea, and I’ve really enjoyed the offerings from Terroir Tea that I’ve had so far so adding this to my Amoda sample order was a really easy decision for me.

Dry, the leaf reminded me a lot of Glossette raisins: smooth, sweet and chocolatey with that raisin undertone to it. Now that I’m drinking it steeped up, I’m finding it a lot more malty/woody and floral, with some raisin/muscat sort of undertones and just the tiniest hint of cocoa and overlying sweetness in general (perhaps the honey that’s described). It’s fairly medium bodied overall, with a nice balance of flavour and softness to the top notes and finish. Pretty different from the dry leaf aroma, overall. I really love how smooth it is though, and the thickness of the mouthfeel.

Reminds me loosely of a 1st Flush and 2nd Flush Darjeeling cross/mix.

See my full review on Sororitea Sisters:
http://sororiteasisters.com/2017/06/16/himalayan-musky-thunder-from-terrior-teas/

Sipped Western style on Monday morning and I really should have taken better notes but I did enjoy the mug quite a lot. The leaf quality has deteriorated with age but only slightly, as this still brews up a very smooth and enjoyable cuppa with earthy sweet notes of dark cocoa. The main thing is that it’s lost some nuance and some definition of flavour.

Gong Fu session from last week.

This is a tea that I really, really deeply enjoy but up until this point had only steeped up Western before. I knew it was going to be beautiful Gong Fu though, so I really wanted to try it that way and experience it in all its glory. Lately I feel like I’ve taken a much more casual approach to Gong Fu, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all – in fact it’s made my sessions a lot more therapeutic in not having a pen and paper near me to take notes. However, it’s also meant less structured tasting notes and a harder time conveying what I’m experiencing to others…

So, you know, pros and cons either way.

I think I steeped around ten infusions total – I could have likely done more but I was itching to move on to the next tea as it was something I was also really excited about doing Gong Fu that day. Water temp was about 90C throughout the session; I find this one produces some really lovely flavour with water so close to boiling.

This was delicious right from the very first infusion all the way up until the last. There are a lot of flavours packed into this tea but overall ones relatively consistent throughout the session were cinnamon raisin bread, malt, honey, and leather. Depending on which end of the session we’re talking about there were also notes of dark cherries, autumn leaves, toasted nuts, and cocoa powder. Really beautiful profile and tea overall; rich and sweet with some very lovely tasting notes! As always, I highly recommend giving it a go.

Last tea of the day today, and man have I had a day…

So, last night I left my phone at work. Not the end of the world; I knew it was on the counter and the store was locked up – it was safe and secure, and I worked the next day so I knew I could totally grab it when I got in to work. So, I got in this afternoon and immediately started rummaging through the counter drawers. I could NOT find the phone. So, concerned I turned to the ASM Paige and was all “Uh, hey – did you see my phone here this morning?” Paige got so pale, so fast – and that’s when I knew something was wrong. I guess this morning, right after the store opened, one of our tea guides/associates had seen it on the counter and very loudly said something to the effect of “Hey Paige, who’s phone is this?” – nearby customer then turned to her and claimed it was her phone/thanked Rachel (the tea guide) for pointing it out so she didn’t forget it. Then promptly left…

By the time I’d started work for the day Rachel was gone, so I gave her a call and very hesitantly asked her to describe the phone she found. Yup; matched mine PERFECTLY. That fucking bitch of a customer stole my fucking phone! I mean, it’s password protected and actually quite old (almost six years old!) so I figured maybe just maybe they would have taken a closer look at it after leaving the store and realized it’s worth like nothing/they couldn’t get into it and abandoned it as customer service/mall security but nope. I called it several times today, but whatever bitch stole it has it turned off. I also checked FB Market/Kijiji/Varage Sale and all the like to see if someone had listed it on any of them in an attempt to sell it, but no such luck. I’ll keep checking…

So, I guess tomorrow before I start work I have to go figure out this damn phone situation. I’ve never lost a phone before, or broken one for that matter. What’s the fucking process here? Clearly I’m gonna need a new phone because I’m sure this one is completely lost now but can I transfer my plan over or anything? I literally have NO CLUE how this works; it’s been SO LONG since I last got a phone. I mean, it’s literally six years old so the last time I got a phone/set up a plan or contract I was sixteen years old. And I definitely had parental help doing it…

HOW DO I ADULT?!?!

Also, obviously I’m not mad at Rachel – I think in the same situation I probably would have done the exact same thing. Like, that fucker played Rachel so badly/took advantage of her kindness but also had some BLOODY QUICK reaction time too. Ugh! It’s just such a fucking headache…

But at least the tea has been good today. Had it not, I don’t know that I could have made it through an hour long shift without snapping at someone – I’m pretty proud of myself for keeping my cool today even with good tea. There were photos on my phone I hadn’t backed up yet that meant a lot to me, and a few phone numbers/contacts that I don’t think were backed up either that I’ll never get back. As well as tons of text history, including some from friends and family who have since passed away…

Anyway; the tea! I’ll keep it pretty brief since I’ve ranted/rambled enough but it was very, very smooth and sweet with good, velvety mouthfeel and medium bodied notes. The body was a mix of sweet red fruit notes, honey, hazelnut, mineral, wood, caramel, some sort of sugar glaze, malt, and baker’s chocolate with a strong bread like note that I’d describe as some sort of mix of sweet bread and Easter Buns/Hot Cross buns. You know, the ones with the sweet sugar “cross” along the top and bits of candied fruit. The finish is the same lovely mix, but a little weaker/watery.

Overall, there’s A LOT going on but it’s really delightful and it’s as nice of a note to close out the day on as I think I’ll be able to manage tonight. I just have to set the frustration of it all aside right now, and deal with it tomorrow. However that works out…

Just, fuck.

From my mom’s vacation haul/BC trip.

I was really impressed with the first tea I tried from this company, so I was feeling pretty optimistic about this one too. It’s one I specifically requested because I’m always stoked to try something else from Nepal, and the description on the website certainly sounded appealing. While I do want to Gong Fu this I started with a Western brew because that’s actually what the recommended way to brew this one was on the package.

- This was fucking DELICIOUS; insanely so!
- Dry leaf smells like straight up chocolate and dark rye; yummy!
- You know it’s good when you set your mug down to get something from the other room
- …and come back only to find your mother stealing sips from the mug
- Really nuanced, but overall thick mouthfeel and full bodied flavour
- Super smooth/silky with a light roast
- Top notes of: honey, caramel, malt, rye bread, baker’s chocolate
- Body notes of: cinnamon, French bread, malt, honey, light cocoa
- Finish: sweeter with fruity undertones such as dark cherries or even plums
- This finishing note is likely the “wine” described by the vendor
- Honestly the best Nepalese tea I’ve had to date

I’ve really liked a lot of the teas that my mom brought back for me, but thus far this one might just be my favourite. It’s seriously really fucking good.

It’s been a moment since I dipped into my tin of this tulsi, but it was a good reminder of how lovely Krishna Tulsi can be and a really soothing way to finish off last night…

Obviously strong basil notes, but also spicy clove and a peppery finish mixed with a more cooling and menthol undertone. It was soothing, and nice on the throat. Really one of the best tulsi teas I’ve ever had and given that Terroir Tea isn’t open any more I’m very thankful to my past self for having the foresight to stock up!

Since this is the other tulsi tea I own, I also brought this to work with me yesterday when we were all sharing the various tulsi blends we owned. Even with the several different teas teas that I tried, this was still my favourite by quite a lot. I don’t know if it’s because this was the only straight tulsi shared or if it was more because it was the only purple tulsi that was shared – but it was SO GOOD. I love that sort of spicy, crisp basil/clove profile. There’s something deeply comforting to me about it.

Sadly, the rest of our informal study group was less a fan of this one. It’s ok; more for me.

Very late night cup of this from yesterday;

I’ve actually been craving this one for like days now. It was a really satisfying late night tea as well; obviously it’s not a straight/traditional tea but sometimes it kind of gives the feeling of being one when I’m drinking it late at night – it’s a good alternative to all the other fruity/dessert like herbal blends I often find myself drinking at night.

Thick mouthfeel; robust notes of basil and clove. Crisp finish.