Emily M Send Message

Drinking some of this again (finally) while working on the boat loads of work I have to get done for the end of the semester. As much as I’d really like to go into great detail with this amazing oolong, I can’t at the moment (again). So I’m going to keep this brief.

Smell: Honey notes, with some nice vegetal notes, and slight nutty aspect. I can’t exactly pinpoint the veggie in question, but it’s slightly sweet. Maybe spinach? Anyway, this smells heavenly. There are also some creamy notes in the cup.

Taste: Stronger vegetal notes (spinach?) than honey notes, but there is still a sweetness present. Nice and smooth cup, with some floral notes floating around. There is also a milky aspect in the taste, which is reminiscent of my favorite milk oolongs. Light, vegetal, and smooth – that’s what this one is.

Next time around I’m going to try this one in the gaiwan – I think that’ll be really good. I like this one a lot. It’s light and smooth, and perfect for this nice Spring nights. Enjoying this one a lot right now. More on it later.

EDIT – As I continue to sip on this one, another taste popped into my head. Stone or rock. I’m getting a mineral aspect here, which is refreshing and really nice, in my opinion. I’m glad it finally came to me, because I was sitting here trying to pinpoint exactly what it was I was tasting. Now I might be able to concentrate on my work (yeah, right…).

Alright. Got a late start this morning, but here goes!

When people say these two teas (Premium Taiwanese Assam & Premium Taiwanese Assam Upgrade) are two separate and unique teas they are right! Even just from the smell I can tell they’re different. While they share some similar malty aspects, they have some differing profiles.

This tea smells very interesting. Malty, sweet, and slightly spicy – that’s my overall impression. Probably most noticeable are the chocolate notes: rich and milky. Following that are the spicy notes: cinnamon for sure, but also clove-like. I’m also getting some leafy/hay-ish notes in the scent.
YUM. I don’t even really like chocolate, but this tea smells amazing.

WOW. This is so different from black teas I’ve had before. I don’t know if I oversteeped it or not (I admittedly got distracted), so I may have to brew up another pot to double check, but I do like this regardless. This is what I’d call a breakfast tea, although it isn’t overly bitter/astringent like breakfast teas I’ve had and disliked. The spice notes are clear throughout, with the clove being a bit more pronounced than the cinnamon – it kinda sits on your tongue after the sip. Also in the aftertaste is a smooth, creamy chocolate. Interesting. The malty aspect is also prominent throughout the sip, giving this a bit of a heavy mouthfeel. I’m liking the sweetness in the cup – it isn’t overt, but it leaves an overall impression. It mixes very nicely with a very slight astringent bite and the spices. The leaf/hay notes I picked up in the smell do come across in the taste, mostly at the back of the sip. They provide a nice earthy aspect that really ties in nicely with all the other flavors going on in this tea.
What I’m finding most interesting right now is that the upgraded version of this tea was what I’d consider savory, while this one is…not. I don’t know that I’d exactly call it sweet, even though there is a definite sweetness in the sip. But it isn’t exactly savory either. I suppose it lies in the middle somewhere. If this doesn’t speak for these two teas being separate beings, I don’t know what does.

I’ve really enjoyed this tea. It’s bolder than I usually dare to go with blacks (I’m learning to be less hesitant), but it is so nicely balanced and flavorful and surprisingly UN-BITTER and smooth. I may just have to make this on my go to breakfast tea. So yummy and so unique!

Finally getting around to tasting this one. My exploration of black tea has so far been pretty positive. I didn’t know I could like it, but I’m so glad I’ve been trying them out. I’ve learned a lot about my likes, and I’ve grown to appreciate black tea – not all black tea is bitter tea, and not all astringency is bitterness! This one is another win in the black tea category.

The smell of this one reminds me of sweet potato or yam, with some honey notes, and a slight hint of cacao. This is definitely a savory smelling tea. Bake-y, earthy, and slightly sweet.

I’m definitely getting the bready/baked notes in the taste, as well as some of that sweet potato-y aspect. I’m picking up slight sweet fruit notes throughout- citrus fruits, like lemon. There is also a cacao taste, most present at the back of the sip. A malty taste runs throughout. In the middle somewhere is where the tobacco taste comes through. It’s fresh, earthy, and subtly sweet. Pretty smooth mouthfeel in this cuppa, too!

Other flavors I’m picking up in subtle amounts:
Honey
Brown sugar
Yeast
Astringency (only very slight amounts – adds more of a spice than any bitterness)

I’m really enjoying this one. It’s different from any black tea I’ve had so far. I mean, tobacco notes? That’s pretty unique! I like the savory profile here. Can’t wait to try the regular Premium Taiwanese Assam and see how it compares/differs.

Sipdown! I’ve been waiting until my tastebuds are back to normal to try this one. Sure glad I did!

The leaves of this one are huge, and remind me of a Shou Mei I had once. Awesome.

This one tastes really nice. It is a delicate, smooth tea for sure. Slightly malty in taste, with a nice sweetness – almost fruit like in nature. Maybe lemon? It’s not sour, but the sweetness seems familiar. A slight buttery feel and flavor are present…yum. There are also some vegetal notes, with a hay-like taste that makes this cup super calming for me. Brings me back to a time where I used to muck horse stalls and take the horses out in the field and watch them play. I’m picking up very subtle floral notes – nothing screams I AM A FLOWER to me, which is nice. =)

Overall, I may have to add this to my list of future purchases. I enjoy nice cups of white tea, and this one is towards the top in my book. Very pleasing. Thanks for the sample, Stacy!

Back after a long, and quite frankly awful, absence. I’ve been sick for a week after having an allergic reaction to some antibiotics. Wasn’t able to have any of my tea! =(
The worst seems to have past. Now I’m just resting up so I can be back to my normal self.

This one came from TastyBrew!

The dry leaf smelled amazing. Very sweet and caramelly, with just a hint of the black tea base. Once brewed, this tea it picks up an even stronger, almost melted white chocolate/caramel aspect.

Unfortunately, I don’t seem to be a huge fan of caramel teas when it comes to taste. This one, like many of the others I’ve had, ends up tasting too artificial for me to really enjoy. The caramel flavor is there, but it’s got an odd taste and aftertaste. The black base is present, but slightly astringent.

I’m happy to have gotten the chance to taste this tea, but I wouldn’t buy it for myself. Oh well. If every tea were a favorite, I’d be in debt and seriously out of space. =)

Backlog and sipdown! This one came from yssah!

This tea was very sweet smelling upon opening the package and smelled faintly of the Rootbeer tea it was packed with (oops). Luckily, though, this didn’t seem to translate in the brewed smell/taste. Once brewed, this one smelled slightly like Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum – there are some berry/raspberry notes, as well as a carbonated smell (don’t know how it’s possible, but that’s what I’m getting). I’m also getting some subtle floral notes here. Interesting.

Taste: I am still getting that Hubba Bubba/pink chewing gum note I found in the smell. It’s strange, but not awful – it isn’t chemically or anything. I’m also getting the raspberry notes with some clear floral notes throughout the sip. There is also a champagne-like aspect here, though it obviously isn’t carbonated. I can almost taste the bubbles. Lastly, I’m getting grape-ish notes here, too. Hmm. This has an unexpected mouthfeel – its silky smooth. Kinda strange for this tea, as I was expecting a fresh, crisp mouthfeel. I guess I would say it’s almost buttery/milky.

It tastes nice, but it isn’t a favorite. The mouthfeel is strange and I’m not really digging it in this tea. I also don’t really care for the artificial chewing gum taste – like I said, it isn’t awful, but it isn’t exactly what you want in a tea, either. Unless of course it’s a bubble gum tea…then I guess that’s what you’d want, huh?

Overall, happy I got to try this. Is it awesome? No. Was it terrible? No. I think this one is a bit higher than middle of the road. I’d drink it if it was offered, but I don’t think I’d purchase it.

Glad I got to try this. Thanks again, yssah!

SIPDOWN! Finished up the last of what TastyBrew sent my way.

This time I did add a bit of sugar, just to see how it compared. It made it a bit sweeter, while also enhancing the cookie aspect I picked up before. YUM! Still buttery, almondy, cinnamon-y goodness! The smell was also to die for. It reminds me of a sugar cookie my mom makes during the Christmas season – she adds almond extract to the frosting, and they are my absolute favorite. The black tea is nicely balanced, and adds a nice earthy note. Still loving this. In fact, I ordered more late last night!

Sugar or no sugar, this one is a keeper. Increasing the rating slightly.

Thanks again, TastyBrew!

Backlog from the beginning of last week! Whew am I behind. Luckily I found these notes! This was my first aged oolong – and it was a WIN!

I put this one in my gaiwan and shared with my Dad, my twin sister (who was home last week) and my little sister. We had a nice, relaxing ceremony. It was a lot of fun.

Wash – I did about a 10sec wash on this one, and of course I tasted it. It was buttery and slightly roasty. I poured the rest of the wash into the cups to warm them, then onto my tea pet.

Now for the real deal!

15 sec 1st Steep – The smell of this cup kind of reminds me of hazelnut coffee…interesting. It’s roasty and sweet. Taste wise, the cup is nice and creamy/smooth, roasty, with a slight green bean flavor. Interesting.

25 sec 2nd Steep – This brew smelled like straight up roasted coffee beans to me and my twin. My little sister thought it still smelled like hazelnut, and my dad thought it smelled “nutty” in general. Taste wise we all picked up the green bean taste again, though it was a bit morphed this time around in that it also resembled snap peas. The roasty flavor was still present, and there was a nutty flavor this time around, too. The creaminess I got in the first steep was very subtle in this one, but the brew itself was still very smooth.

35 sec 3rd Steep – This one tasted more like straight up snap pea. The roasty/nutty flavor is still present, but not as strong. This one also sees a reemergence of the thick cream taste/mouthfeel, and has some nice buttery notes at the end of the sip. Yum! This one is my favorite steep so far.

50 sec 4th Steep – This one has a nice, strong cream/butter scent mixed in with the vegetal and roasted aspects. Cool. This translates in the taste as well – very creamy/buttery taste with roasted green bean notes. Very smooth and velvety. There is also a nutty and slightly coffee-like taste at the end of the sip. Yummy.

1 min 5th Steep – Butter and green beans in both taste and smell. What all four of us got was the taste of buttered roasted green beans… seriously. I didn’t even know a tea could naturally taste so much like food. Everyone enjoyed this smooth, creamy steep, but I still think the 3rd steep was my favorite.

We stopped there, but I suspect I could’ve gotten a few more steeps from this one. It was sure an interesting tea. I’m glad I have more to mess around with and enjoy. I can’t wait to compare this one to the 1991 Aged Oolong from Butiki.