New Tasting Notes

1st steep: seems like a pretty basic darjeeling

I’ve just been drinking this the past couple of days. I’m really loving this tea. The second and third steepings are always the best. Sometimes the first steeping has a slight edge of bitterness and sometimes not. I’m still trying to work out what’s causing that. I might keep a really close eye on the temperature next time.

I’ve had this before but…This morning, just moments ago, as I was sipping this tea…I woke up. Woke up to it’s subtle flavor. This is a flavor that I discounted as being too much under my sense radar for an early morning brew. And yet today…WOW…that flavor, that sophisticated flavor wasn’t under MY radar. Rather, I was not aware enough to allow that flavor and bouquet to satisfy. Today…this is very, very good!

This tea has a very distinct smell and color. It’s a great pick-me-up for the morning but the smell isn’t the greatest. But the overall taste of it is good, it may take me a few more cups to get used to it because it’s semi-grassy with a “different” after-taste, but a good tea.

Decent cup today, brewed 4 minutes and added honey in for good measure. Oddly enough, didn’t get much of a sweet taste from the honey.

This tea is beautiful. It’s so soft, seriously. These little hand rolled balls of tea feel like clouds. I rinsed the balls before steeping, letting the Jasmine fragrance fill my nose. I steep this for about a minute. The smell is very very strong. But suprisingly the taste isn’t as strong as the smell. It’s still Jasmine-y but the mild taste of green tea seeps through. I wouldn’t buy this tea to drink on a regular basis. It’s alright. I am curious to try more varieties of this tea tho. Just the pure artistry has my interest.

So I bought Kevin rose’s ‘tea starter kit’ from samovar lfe teas in San Francisco. It includes a green, a black and a pu’er. The green is an interesting Japanese selection that has puffed brown rice in it. Endlessly complex, I’ve never had anthing like it.

Gift from SIL. Tart, sweet, nice.

First tea purchased from Xiu Xian Tea in Bellevue, WA. I’ve resteeped it several times now, still tastes fantastic, though the vanilla notes become a bit more faint with resteeping. Very smooth.

Late to work, breakfast on the go, no time for a real brew — so the ol’ standby: the Tazo boxes. Good even brew, dark enough for the morning, solid black tea taste. Whew, just made it.

I drink this with agave nectar and cream. A lovely before bedtime treat.