New Tasting Notes
February Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a spiced tea
My daughter gave me this and I chose it to be the tea for Ashman to have for breakfast and take to work this week, but I hadn’t tried it myself until today.
When I was measuring the leaves into the pot I saw a large whole clove and thought, “OH NO.” I am not a fan of clove except in teeny amounts. Same goes for ginger.
Surprise, surprise! This was delightful! The cinnamon is smooth and easy and the clove and ginger are at a perfect level for me, not too hot. This really tastes like the kind of gingerbread that I like. I drank it plain with lunch and wondered if I would feel differently about it once the sandwich was down the hatch and it was all tea and no food. But no! Even by itself the spices are just right.
If there is any change at all that I would want in this tea, it would be a wish for a slightly stronger base. But I am happy with it as it is, and it certainly isn’t anemic like the base of Harney’s Salted Caramel which was just a cruel blow for me, smelling so good and then tasting so weak.
This is one that would be nice to have around again next winter. I bet if I leaf it on the heavy side it would make a great latte, too.
I received this 2005 shou as a part of a storage comparison tea set from YS. It is a potent tea, both in aroma and flavor. I steeped 5g leaf in 8oz boiling alpine spring water for 10s (after a 10s rinse), repeating for 9 infusions, the final going 30s. Each infusion was dark brown in color, sweet, creamy, smooth and pleasant in taste, with an aroma of sawdust, leather, and leaf litter, with a hint of tea leaf. No fishiness or objectionable flavors, no bitterness or astringency. But certainly no notes of cherry in flavor or aroma, as reported by the vendor and by several other tasters, either. It was a good, basic ripe puer but without anything particularly notable, either good or bad. So I rate it at a solid 70. As of Jan 2025 it is still in stock and for sale as full cakes or smaller samples.
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Creamy, Leather, Sweet, Woodsy
Preparation
Incredible. Got this at last year’s Toronto Tea Festival and after tasting it at the booth, I just had to purchase it. Can’t believe it’s been a whole year and am bummed that I’m not able to go this year. As for the tea, it’s smooth, sumptuously creamy, and definitely one of the best milky oolongs I’ve ever had. This is going on my regular rotation!
Flavors: Creamy, Floral, Milk, Sweet
Preparation
Went to an Indonesian restaurant last weekend and enjoyed one of the best milk teas I’ve ever had, so I’ve been craving them. Soon after I saw a post about this particular Taylors variety that I hadn’t had before, and couldn’t resist buying some to try. Made a delicious sweetened oatmilk tea this morning- it’s lovely. Really nice, subtle biscuity flavor that works nicely with the bold black tea. So good with the oat milk.
This is a second tea that I have received from my Swiss friend last time; and I really appreciate the thought behind; this tea isn’t much for me.
I like Darjeelings and I like Earl Greys; but sadly this one is maybe too floral to me? Floral base tea, and strong bergamot; makes it a bit soapy in the mouth and powdery. Maybe I need to release a bit of the aroma to make it less strong.
But on the other hand it is one of the flavoured teas that I don’t have a lots of, so slowly going through will be a key. But I just had better Earl Greys, but definitely less reachable too.
Preparation
A list of January sipdowns that didn’t make it to write a full note:
A sipdown! (M: 8 Y: 8): Mango & Banana by Hyson; prompt: A sunny tea to chase the Janu-weary blues away
A sipdown! (M: 9 Y: 9): Midnight Blossom Oolong Tea by Tielka; prompt: A tea you plan to buy again
Not a sipdown yet!: Ranní zahřátí by Leros; prompt: January 3 prompt – J.R.R. Tolkien Day
A sipdown! (M: 10 Y: 10): Zhejiang High Mountain Mao Feng by Siam Tee Shop; prompt: A leftover advent tea
A sipdown! (M: 11 Y: 11): Fresh Lady Green by Sonnentor
A sipdown! (M: 12 Y: 12): Lishan Hongcha by Bok
A sipdown! (M: 13 Y: 13): 2008 LBZ Premium Ripe by Puerhshop.com
A sipdown! (M: 14 Y: 14): Joy of Tea Green Jasmin by Pickwick
A sipdown! (M: 15 Y: 15): Pipachá Bio by Chá Camélia
Not a sipdown yet!: Douglas Fir Spring Tips by Juniper Ridge; prompt: A tea that makes you feel better when you are sick
A sipdown! (M: 16 Y: 16): Ji Long by Xian Cha Tea
I’m drinking this in 2025! I’m drinking it in my new David’s tea mug that I got from Hilo taco. I don’t need any more mugs OR any more nail polish. But I’m weak! And overly impulsive and enthusiastic!
I didn’t write anyone’s name on the tea pouch BUT I suspect this was a mail swap sample from one of you lovely people.
Thank you!
Having a mini-virtual tea party with two friends as I type! <3
Cold Brew!
Like all of Deb’s lavender blends, this is a lot of lavender. Very floral first when it comes to flavour, although I do think pretty well balanced out by the thicker and more creamy/fatty notes and mouthfeel of the coconut rasps in the blend as well as a deeper, more jammy fruit note in the undertones and back end of the sip. It’s not quite blackberry to me, but definitely more in that blue-y purple colour family when it comes to berries. In the past I’ve said blueberry, but this time around I’m almost thinking more black currant?
It’s good, though! If you happen to like and/or be in the mood for lavender, anyway.
Started my morning today with a little yunomi cup of this super smooth Chinese matcha/mo cha. It’s got such an absolutely incredible buttery, soft mouhfeel to it and the strong notes of chestnut are to die for. Crazy how it can be so similar and familiar to a typical Japanese matcha and yet also so, so different.
Doubled up in a Nordic Mug (from DT) for an extra bold, tart, and tangy tasting iced tea to cool down with midweek. I don’t know why, but my tea drinking has been especially light this week with a bit more emphasis on herbal and fruitier blends and powders like this one. Just a weird sort of mood/craving/funk combo I’m going through?
I fly out to Toronto for the weekend SUPER FUCKING EARLY tomorrow morning for the Toronto Tea Festival tomorrow, though (working the DT booth this year). So, I’m already getting really hyped and pumped to do some serious tea exploration. It’s actually made me REALLY want to drink a shit ton of tea today, but I’ve had to moderate myself because I need to fall asleep extra early so I actually get some sleep before my flight and getting launched into an especially busy two days.
Gongfu!
Breaking in this beautiful baby blue shibo from Arbeeceramics this afternoon with a tea session of 2023 Black Rabbit paired with some fresh, local strawberries!! This Yiwu black tea is so bright and tangy with a nice full body and really syrupy, saturated red fruits that go hand in hand with the ripe berries I was nibbling on throughout the session. I mostly taste cherries, raspberry, and b9th red and black currants with undertones of honey, oak wood, and leather. On the nose I get vanilla, though I didn’t notice it so much in the taste. Definitely exactly the explosion of fresh fruit notes I was hoping for when I pulled out this sample today!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFbTxEjyWLt/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DswTFD9A3jY&ab_channel=AllyEvenson
Grandpa Style!
I was feeling a white tea today, so I spent most of the afternoon sipping on a 2024 Nightlife Mini steeped up grandpa style! Nightlife has always been one of my favourite white tea productions that W2T routinely brings back, and this brew was no exception. Crisp, vegetal and so fresh tasting at first in a way that makes me think of green melons, grapes and cucumber pulp. Sort of cooling with a pleasant bit of green snap and sweetness. As the dragonball opens up I feel like the flavours get more brown and dense. Hints of caramelized sugars blended with the crunch of autumnal leaves. Always smooth, and just really pleasant to sit and sip with over an afternoon.
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFd1ZzdyFS8/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68YcMOJ9dSQ&ab_channel=Hemlock-Topic
If there’s a tea I’ve been snoozing on, it’s almost certainly NOT Snoozefest. Today, I’m sipping on the most recent pressing, but there are eight years of W2T’s infamous sheng pu’erh cake spanning from 2017 up until last year’s 2024 pressing. The tea is very tasty and accessible given its aggressively affordable price point – if you’re fast enough to snipe one that is. Bright and snappy with fruitier top notes over a greener mid sip.
Taste aside, though, I find it ESPECIALLY interesting to look at the evolution of each year’s wrappers. If you know this cake, you probably associate it heavily with the colour pink, but it wasn’t until I was directly comparing today that I realized how soft and desaturated the shade on the 2024 wrapper is. And of course, the original feels almost naked compared to how busy others have been. My favourite is probably the 2021 wrapper, which is fifth up from the bottom in the second picture. The Peptobismal pink really speaks to me. 2019 was really great too, with the thick blue band around the center!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFgX6jFSdLt/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHX3G7BjHyI&ab_channel=KendrickLamar-Topic
As I sit here drinking this tea I am having an odd thought. Last year (2024) I had a tencha from 2023 and it was phenomenal. I couldn’t help thinking to myself, this tea is fantastic perhaps if I stored it properly would it age nicely like that? So we are going to try.
1/31/2025 Tasting notes:
Dry Leaf aroma: Slight tropical fruit. Mango. Fresh pile of grass.
Dry Leaf Appearance: Shiny, tightly twisted. Dark and creamy light green.
Wet Leaf: Very vegetal. Freshly steamed asparagus and spinach. Makes my mouth water.
Flavor: High in umami. Heavy in spinach notes. Mainly wilted spinach.
Mouthfeel: Soft. Filling. A slight astringency.
Really enjoyed this one! The spices taste fresh and potent – mostly the cardamom is center stage, with ginger and a touch of cinnamon and clove supporting. And then the cocoa powder gives it a nice chocolaty flavor that isn’t artificial or over the top. It’s not a super dark chocolate note, I would put it somewhere in the middle. The CTC base is strong enough to stand up to the added ingredients, but not tannic, even though I’m currently sipping it cold.
I bet this would be wonderful prepared traditionally too! Might have to put a tin of this blend on my wishlist for later this year…
Flavors: Acidic, Cardamom, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Citrus, Clove, Cocoa, Creamy, Dark Chocolate, Earthy, Floral, Ginger, Malty, Smooth, Spices, Sweet, Toasty
Preparation
Another Nordqvist tea; another tea bag… and another flavored black tea. Again, steeping for short as recommended by vendor; and sadly the impressions about the flavours are pretty same. They are present and well done, but a bit too weak for me and disappearing quickly.
This one is supposed to be with wild strawberry flavour and the flavor is definitely well executed; but as I wrote above — it’s too thin. I am actually curious if loose leaf version is better in this matter, but on the other hand I don’t want to buy a bag of, quite lots of tea, that can be pretty much flavourless.
Preparation
Well, thought I would try this waiting to get my oil change this morning. Turns out that it wasn’t a good idea. Its not a pleasant sour like from hibiscus heavy blends, its… spoiled sour really. It’s a shame, I usually enjoy Bigelow’s teas.
Flavors: Acidic, Alcohol, Biting, Cinnamon, Soap, Sour
A great tea that, while not the best tea I’ve ever tasted, absolutely worth taking a chance on for its unique nature and how it makes your house smell. Warm, christmasy, and mildly bitter, it won’t be my go-to, but its great for a bit of a shake-up.
Edit: Tried with 3 minutes of steeping and 5, 3 minutes is plenty, 5 just added extra bitterness.
Flavors: Biscuit, Savory, Spices, Woodsy
Preparation
Day 9 of my DIY mostly-Adagio advent. I’ve been a bit slow finishing this calendar! I was optimistic about these, but I ended up not particularly enthused. I found the jasmine to be more “jasmine flavoring” than “jasmine scented.” Drinkable but not exactly wowing me. Just tastes very mid to me.
Usually with these blends I can’t really tell much about the individual teas that are in them. but for this one, I could.
First sip and my immediate response was, OMG that’s foul!
Second sip and I kept thinking about lawn mower clippings and over boiled greens of an unidentified type.
Isn’t this supposed to basically be an earl gray? Isn’t there supposed to be bergamot in it?
And then I looked at the ingredients. That’s right, this is a black/green blend which might explain some of the flavors I’m getting. But its completely overriding the bergamot almost completely and I didn’t realize that was possible.
Even as it cools. I sip and I think maybe there might be some bergamot there and then BOOM!!!! BOILED GRASS IN YOUR FACE!
And I thought bergamot could overpower just about anything. :)
Have tried this a couple of times now but first chance making notes.
First steep does have a lovely raisin flavor to it. A little sweeter than I would like, but its nice. Base seems to be nothing special. It doesn’t fight with the raisin flavor but doesn’t seem to have much of its own to add into the mix. It does seem smooth and isn’t competing however.
Second steep is much less raisin. Base still seems smooth and still not adding much to the experience.
Third steep I very badly over stepped because work.
There’s no raisin flavor now. Base is harsh and a bit bitter. Kind of expected that.
Overall, this is ok. Think of it as a flavored tea. The first steep is pleasant and then it drops from there. I recommend one steep and then move on to something else.
