Featured & New Tasting Notes

Two years ago derk drank this and saved a tea bag for me. Sadly, it just tastes flat, bitter and tasteless. Flat tasteless hot water after recommended 5 minutes steeping. Nothing of grapefruit or honeybush.

I have been warned, but no tea should be neglected just because one of us doesn’t like it. Sadly, I don’t like it either. Gross.

Update as it’s lukewarm: poured out. Undrinkable.

#mugtober

Yesterday’s theme was florals and though I know I have so many other teas I could have chosen I really was just excited for the excuse to make this tea again. It’s been a strong favourite these last couple months. Juicy, lush strawberries and aromatic sakura. Sweet, floral, and juuuussstt a little bit salty.

Side note – I’m trying to plan my advent selections this year and one of the advents I’ve always wanted to do is Lupicia’s. Wondering if any of my tea friends here on Steepster know a site (that ships to Canada) that might be selling it?

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9zhziBJEmg

The name here is quite accurate! The main flavor is pineapple. It’s fresh without being too sour. I finished my two oz quickly. It makes a nice cold tea, and the resteep is good too!

Another very enjoyable recent sipdown. I like the banana flavor in this blend – something between the fruit and the candy flavor. Now I kind of want banana everything from 52teas!

Brewing the finely crushed leaf from the bottom of the bag. Stronger than I like with a thick gyokuro-like umami and some bitterness. Showing some age (1.5 years old) but still fully expresses its unique character. Scrumptious aromas — almond croissant, herbal basil, mixed berry cereal, kudzu. Smooth and thick spinach-seaweed base taste, fruity peach aftertaste.

This afternoon, I received my order of Volition’s “Trapped In Amber” series and I just couldn’t wait to give each of the teas a try, so I steeped them up in cupping sets for a bit of a vertical tasting. All three of these teas start with the same Zhenghe Red Chinese black tea but have been altered in different ways as part of the processing. Though I’m excited to get to know them all a little more intimately through some gongfu sessions in the next little while, here are my snap thoughts based on this tasting!!

I thought that this might be my favourite of the three teas as I’m quite a big fan of gardenia scented teas. It’s definitely very good, with the brightest and more lively red fruit top notes of the set. Very red currant-like. The gardenia was very aromatic and fresh, but I felt maybe just a little too subtle for my own tastes. However, I definitely think that a different brewing method (like gongfu) is going to dramatically change the balance of flavours, so I’m excited to see if making that change pulls forward more of that delicate and delicious floral note.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DA_x5LvSLvR/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvRHzDDMlvk

I taste a lot of coconut here combined with the green tea. It’s not my favorite sort of flavor profile, but it’s decently well done. I would have preferred it with black tea or with something fruitier. As it is, it’s a little plain for my preferences.

I felt like a vanilla tea today, and this was the one I had yet to try, thanks to Cameron B passing it along. Very thrilled to try this! It’s quite a unique blend, with black tea and puerh, black currants and vanilla. I do notice many black currants in the blend, but I don’t really taste those or the pom flavoring. The dry leaf DID look super shiny from whatever flavoring was added. I do taste a lot of vanilla flavor. It’s a very smooth base tea. It’s always vanilla teas that seem a little TOO smooth. But I enjoy the vanilla flavor here enough for what it is, that I will accept the black tea base. I don’t notice puerh at all. Both steeps fit my craving for vanilla! But I will bet this blend is pricey enough that they could have included REAL vanilla pieces in the blend…
Steep #1 // 21 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

I don’t normally care for raw oranges, but if I do eat one, I prefer the mild little clementines, which is the key citrus element in this blend. With a little cinnamon and clove, this would resemble my old favorite Constant Comment. WIthout the spice, it’s a doppelganger for Harney and Sons African Autumn. Tasty, but nothing that sets it uniquely apart.

Thanks to Kaylee for sharing some of this!! I mixed it with cold milk, and it was definitely interesting! Sometimes it tastes like celery, which isn’t my favorite. Other times, I could really taste a tart flavor that’s reminiscent of sour candy. I had passionfruit a few days ago, so it’s pretty fresh in my mind, and it’s not exactly the same, but I can definitely feel the direction it’s going!

I received this as a gift from Todd back in 2020, and I’m working on sipping it down by enjoying it in the mornings. The hojicha is lightly woody/nutty, and I like how it compliments the spices — in particular, the citrusy notes of the cardamom really pops. In some sips the woodiness of the hojicha mixed with the cardamom create an almost piney sort of flavor. It is the strongest spice I’m getting, though I do taste a bit of the ginger and the cloves and the cloves in particular leave a strong aftertaste. Apparently this tea is supposed to have chocolate flavoring and cocoa nibs according to the ingredients? I don’t taste even a hint of chocolate. (I know it’s old, but it has been kept factory-sealed in the tin since I received it, so I thought at least some of the flavoring notes would survive…)

This is very enjoyable… definitely a cozy-feeling tea.

This is from Cameron B!  Thanks again!  I always wanted to try these little guys.  I was intrigued to see if the flavor was anything like pancakes, or just that the shape it’s in is like a tiny pancake.  I will say, it’s one of the sweeter raw pu-erhs I have tried… very agreeable… at least on the first steep… though not unraveled quite yet.  The second steep is also very sweet!  The third gets a typical “you’re-rushing-it” raw pu-erh harshness, but that is always my fault, every single time.  I always go too hot on subsequent steeps.   The fourth steep just seemed muted, which I guess is better than harsh.  The first and second steeps were the best.  I think I’m still ruining raw puerh by steeping them badly after ALLL these years.  I just don’t think sheng is made for western steeping, making them never really something I want to drink.  These steeps weren’t even a minute long!  So possibly on the next little flapjack I will try even shorter steep times.
Steep #1 // 35 minutes after boiling // 55 second steep
Steep #2 // 32 minutes after boiling // 45 second steep
Steep #3 // 22 minutes after boiling // 40 second steep
Steep #4 // 22 minutes after boiling // 45 second steep

This one reminds me of the Hot Cinnamon Tea I take to work on a “I’m running late what’s easy to grab day”. I love a good chai but this one needs more spice. I do taste cinnamon but it’s missing the complexity of a good chai. I’m about to doctor it up with more cardamom and cloves and a splash of milk.

I popped over to Vancouver Island a week back to attend the Victoria Tea Festival, and while getting off the bus, I noticed a chocolate shop. I decided to pop in, because I still had about ten minutes before the doors opened, and… ended up pre-gaming the festival by buying this tea (plus some rosemary dark chocolate, which was really nice).

I brought the little travel-tin, and I find myself continuously reaching for it. This is a sweet, subtle earl grey cream, and it has a different kind of vanilla note that I don’t often encounter, but is very nostalgic of… Something. I don’t quite know what. The closest is that it’s orange creamsicle-like tea from DavidsTea?

The base is light, not too bitter, perhaps a little flavourless, but the vanilla/cream lingers pleasantly, and the “bergamot orange” listed on the ingredients is definitely “orange”, and not so much “bergamot”, weirdly.

I was at back-to-back festivals, and forgot to review some of the teas I sipped throughout them, so we’ll see if I ever catch up on that backlog. Enjoying this pre-festival tea.

I’m loving this blend, especially during the cold mornings with a splash of milk and sweetener. It’s rich, creamy, malty and sweet. Love it!

This sample came from my friend who buys their winter teas every year.

This is better than I anticipated! I typically don’t like peppermint teas with any actual tea in it (I like pure peppermint leaf) but I think the Ceylon adds to the flavour here. I added a splash of vanilla soy milk and it cut the tannin bitterness. The black base has a lot of malty flavour, which makes this a great breakfast tea. The peppermint is quite strong, despite having very little peppermint leaf in the looseleaf mix.

While it is not something I would keep in my cupboard, I enjoyed this cup and would drink it again.

I assumed this would be yet another forever nuts imitation, but it’s actually quite tart and fruity. It’s sort of dusty and meh tasting. The spices are decently strong too. I drink this with added soy milk, which curdles a little, but it really needs the help. My problems with it are the same as my problems with the pumpkin pie blend. Why is there hibiscus here? It doesn’t fit the flavor profile at all.

Tried this a couple more times and still not even a hint of cedar/hinoki/cypress. I’m not even getting it in the aroma any longer, which is a bummer.

This tea has grown on me as I steep it more and it cools a bit before sipping. Not much of an orange but more of a creamy oolong. For a flavored oolong I prefer Maya’s good morning oolong, but this one isn’t bad. Its a rolled tea, so a small teaspoon opens up and goes a long way. Second steep adequate. Don’t think I need any more of this tea in my cupboard.

Sipdown! (2 | 131)

Getting back to sipping down some of these Murchie’s teas, starting with the teabags.

Mostly sipped this one with oat milk, as the strong maple flavoring holds up well and it’s not the kind of black base I love plain. It’s a nice enough tea, with the same maple as the others I got. Definitely a fake maple, very sweet and buttery, but not over the top.

I think I would choose to order Canada 150 over this one, though I am very curious about their Maple Chai as well… I also want to try their Christmas tea, but am unsure if they will release more holiday teas…

I prefer the Space Trucker over this. I’m getting super dark chocolate and damp wood.

This tea one of those you can drink without really noticing it’s disappearing. I would say the scent and taste is mostly caramel/dark-burnt sugar. There are perhaps subtle hints of pumpkin, if I concentrate, but it could be my imagination. I wouldn’t say this one is special, but it’s a nice enough cup. Thanks for sharing Cameron!

#OctoberTeas2024 Day 4 – “Pick One Blindfolded”

Looks like I forgot to post Day 3, oops. Today I used my spreadsheet to pick a random tea, and this was the winner! An old favorite from B&B. I really like the mellow floral of the jasmine combined with the refreshing spearmint. Both are a bit sweet, which I think helps tie them together. The base is light but full in mouthfeel, and the whole combination is just so relaxing IMO. Perfect for a little break in the afternoon on a weekday! :)

This blend is pretty good, I didn’t get much of anything flavor wise until I sweetened it. I found it best sweetened with milk but I don’t think I’m going to repurchase it again. This is going in the sipdown bin.