397 Tasting Notes
Sipdown!
A very pleasant spring tea. I think this is one of my favorite genmaichas from 52Teas—something about the interplay between the toasty rice and the sharp berries is very pleasing to my palate. I also get a smidge of pillowy creaminess, even though this isn’t one of the marshmallow treat genmaichas.
2023 sipdown count: 36
Flavors: Berries, Creamy, Marshmallow, Raspberry, Toasted Rice, Vanilla
I’m sipping this tea while catching up on tasting notes and saw that Courtney also just reviewed the 2022 harvest… and after reading her comment, all I can taste is rose! XD The power of persuasion.
I drank it yesterday as well and found it very mild and soft, but not particularly sweet. I’m really struggling to pick up on any honey notes. Today I’m also getting something slightly acrid? Strange. Maybe I overleafed it today.
Flavors: Floral, Rose, Soft, Sweet Potatoes
Grabbed a little sample of this from the TTB and made it into an iced latte this afternoon! It’s very refreshing, although the grapefruit flavor is a little less pronounced than I would’ve expected — I’d love it to be a little brighter and crisper. The pink is gorgeous, though!
Flavors: Grapefruit, Thin
A perfectly nice and straightforward peach tea — quite fruity, but not in a “gummy candy” way. The base is a smidge soapy, but not enough to bother me.
A fine accompaniment to some morning schoolwork: I don’t need to pay too much attention to it, yet it’s tasty enough to keep my interest. I bet it would be nice cold-brewed.
Flavors: Apricot, Peach, Soap
My own tastebuds confuse me. Why do I enjoy lavender but dislike bergamot? Who knows. There’s just a slightly metallic edge to bergamot that never sits well with me.
Still, I always trust 52Teas’ Earl Grey blends, because there’s always something there to play off the bergamot and add a little somethin’ extra! This one is no exception. It’s nicely balanced between the lavender and the bergamot; I do wish there were a bit more of the creamy vanilla coming through, though, because I’m barely noticing it.
This is making me want to bake something with lavender… :D
Flavors: Bergamot, Bitter, Lavender, Metallic
Ashmanra’s Sipdown Challenge | May 2023 | A tea with a three-word name
Just ignore the “Genmaicha” part of this tea’s name and focus on the first three words!
Logging this mostly for the sipdown, but also to note that it grew on me by the time I finished it, so I’m raising my rating. I think I wanted a juicier, riper mango flavor, but it’s still such a fresh, clean, tasty flavor profile!
2023 sipdown count: 35
Flavors: Mango, Rice, Toasted Rice
Ashmanra’s Sipdown Challenge | May 2023 | National Eat What You Want Day: Drink what you really want!
I’m a day late with this prompt, but oh well!
This is barely a sipdown because the sample I grabbed from the TTB last year had just two small servings in it. But I’ve been saving that final tiny serving!
As I was rooting around in my box of caffeinated teas this morning, I couldn’t decide what I wanted. Nothing appealed. And then, suddenly, I knew exactly what I wanted! It took me a moment to find where I’d stashed this packet, but now I am drinking this tea at my desk with the window open, listening to the birds chirping and singing loudly right outside. The tea is just as good as I remember it.
I just saw a goldfinch, the first of the season! It’s sunny and warm and it feels like spring. I’m happy right now.
2023 sipdown count: 34
Flavors: Mineral, Smooth, Sweet Potatoes, Wet Earth
I followed AU’s instructions for making this into an iced tea but added some sparkling water instead of still. The first sip was INTENSE. It took a second for me to register what I was tasting: aromatic bitters, like gentian. I was playing around with cocktail-making toward the beginning of the pandemic and ordered a few craft bitters, and this tea reminds me of an orange variety I particularly liked. I’m getting bitter, pithy orange peel flavors along with a smidge of anise and other herbs I can’t quite identify.
I don’t drink too much alcohol anymore, but I love adding a few drops of bitters to sparkling water — you can really taste the bitters’ flavor when you let them become the star of a drink. This iced tea is reminding me of that concoction! It’s giving mocktail vibes and I’m OK with that.
Flavors: Bitter, Bright, Orange, Orange Zest
Great tip! I very rarely drink alcohol, if ever, and I found these fancy bitters at our local spice shop I couldn’t pass up XD. I got the cacao & macadamia, but often consider going back for some of the other flavours — as if I need any!
Ooh, that one sounds good!
Ashmanra’s Sipdown Challenge | May 2023 | A flavored black tea
I reorganized my tea stash yesterday and realized that things are… getting out of hand, especially after the TTB came through. It doesn’t help that my sipdown pace has really slowed over the past few months. I did set aside a bunch of packets that are sipdown-ready, so hopefully that will help!
Anyway, it’s a cool, grey, rainy day and chocolate-hazelnut sounded like a winning combination. This blend smells so amazing, but the mouthfeel is disappointingly thin. I am enjoying it more than when I first rated/reviewed it, so I’ll bump my rating up a smidge, but in general I’m fine saying a permanent goodbye to Passage.
2023 sipdown count: 33
Flavors: Artificial, Milk Chocolate, Mineral, Nutty, Thin
Pillowy lemon is my absolute favorite flavored tea profile.
It’s SUCH a good one!