6444 Tasting Notes
D is for…Daily Assam Summer Black Tea
When I think about a daily tea, I think of black teas that are not overly flavourful. In my mind, the more flavour a tea has, the easier it is to grow tired of it if you drink it daily. That means that I don’t expect much flavour from this – just a smooth black tea that can give a kick of caffeine while not distracting you from your daily life. Honestly, I’m not far off. It’s smooth. Malty. The slightest metallic twang when it hits the back of the throat.
C is for…Cinnamon Pear
Sneaking this in right under the wire. I decided to go for one more “C” tea and this has also become a quick favorite. Oddly enough it seems to be a free sample that Three 6 Tea threw in with the many matchas Roswell Strange bought me for the holidays. So thank you Roswell Strange for sending this one my way – I sent you a sample in the box and am hoping you enjoy it like I have since you are definitely a pear tea lover!
Anyways, this cup is heavier on cinnamon than usual but still has the underlying note of sweet pear. It is almost candy-like in how sweet it is. Super soft as well which contrasts nicely with the more rigid cinnamon top note. Warm and comforting but sweet and tasty.
Also, I think these past two days of “B” and “C” teas has spoiled me because I had a lot of good options. I don’t have quite as many “D” teas – i.e. I did not have a good “D” tea to cold brew for the morning – so we shall see how tomorrow goes…
Cold Brew Sipdown (277)
C is for…Cherry Cola
I regret finishing this as a cold brew because I am pretty sure the hot cup had far more flavor. This is coming off a bit like cherry cough syrup, minus the super medicinal quality. It’s fine but I know there is more to this tea than what this cold brew has to offer.
Latte Sipdown (278)
C is for…Cereal Milk
This quickly became a favourite in last month’s sipdown tournament (another awesome idea by Mastress Alita! Thank you!) so I couldn’t let a day of “C” teas pass without sneaking this in.
I had the latte while video chatting with a friend and it was so good…as per usual. It just really captures the nostalgia of cereal milk while replicating the delicious soft serve from Momofuku Milk Bar. Is that the inspiration behind the blend? I don’t know but it is what I think of when I drink it. Also, I realize that may be a bit of an obscure reference but I am not sure how else to describe it. I guess it is a mix of when you were a kid and getting excited for the milk at the end of your sugary cereal bowl because you know its going to be creamy and delicious but also sweet and yummy and just the best way to have milk when you are a kid. But take that flavor and making it a soft serve cone so now its even better because its ice cream. All that childhood excitement for ice cream and sugar but made a little sophisticated for an adult palate by one of the world’s top chefs.
C is for…Ceylon Gold
This is one of my older teas and by that I mean it is from September 2019. It’s a good one though, being one of the more enjoyable plain white teas that I have tried. However, as a plain white tea, I tend to forget about it often.
Today this has a lot of hay notes to it. Hay and corn. Smooth and light.
Nice job having September 2019 be the oldest in your collection! Mine is probably 2015(?).. well maybe a few years older than that since I started buying in 2016 but got older teas in swaps/buys [not counting aged puerh/oolong/etc.]!
I am still new at white teas so would you recommend this one as someone who is trying to branch out into traditional/straight teas?
Technically I think August 2019 is the oldest in my collection but those are my A Quarter to Tea blends I got in large amounts before she went on hiatus and so I don’t want to run out. I also probably have older ones that I received in swaps as well but I date my teas from when they arrive in my cupboard…unless I know the specific date they were purchased.
I do not drink a lot of straight white teas since I think a lot of them taste like soap. For me, silver needle white teas tend to be the most approachable. This one is mild and quite nice. The only other white tea that stands out to me more is a White Rhino since it is a white tea that acts more like a black tea and as someone who prefers black teas, that had a lot of appeal.
B is for…Blueberries & Cream Rooibos
My last “B” tea. I had it hot(ish) while I did my at-home laser hair removal. The laser is not fun. This tea and the music I listen to while doing it is fun.
I was worried the rooibos would be heavy but this is a whole lot of blueberry and some cream. It’s quite lovely. Thank you Sil for sharing!
B is for…Berry Pink Rosé
Another cold brew. This time I overleafed since the leaf is so light but so big and if I am remembering correctly, my last cup was bland. Overleafing was my attempt at making sure this had some flavor. Unfortunately that flavor is light and a bit like potpourri. Perhaps I need to make this hot since cold brewing isn’t going great for this one.
Cold Brew Sipdown (280)
B is for…Blueberry Key Lime
At first this was more hibiscus than anything else. However, that sort of morphs into blueberry by the end of the sip. Lime is very gently lingering on half of the back of my tongue in the aftertaste. As I keep drinking, the lime comes out more.
I always have that issue with blooming teas…
None have blown me away. Some at least have some flavor though. This is not one of them. It was nice to look at at least
I have a strong association of astringency with blooming teas. I think that has been the end result every time I’ve tried one – likely to some degree user error, but also quality?