Featured & New Tasting Notes
A thick and smooth mouthfeel, as well as strong minerality give a great backbone to this tea. It has an aroma of cookies and forest, and flavours of wood, shellfish, chicory, almonds and tree sap.
Flavors: Almond, Autumn Leaf Pile, Chicory, Cocoa, Cookie, Forest Floor, Mineral, Sap, Shellfish, Smooth, Thick, Wood
Preparation
Another one from the Tea Thoughts fall countdown.
I don’t generally like dancongs, so I wasn’t very excited to see this, but I can see why they named it “breakfast”. It actually reminds me of a fusion of a Fujian black tea with a dancong. It has those savory, chewy notes that I always enjoy in a darker Jin Jun Mei or even an unsmoked lapsang. But it also has some of the floral and fruity character of an oolong.
A nice tea, and one that I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy.
Flavors: Bread, Caraway, Clean, Clear, Floral, Fruity, Nectar, Savory, Smooth, Spring Water, Sweet, Thick, Wheat
Preparation
Just brewed another 2 grams today afternoon after work. Those days after vacation are just terrible.
And when your co-worker is yelling on you, it’s no fun. I am all alone doing so many things, none were my business before and I am still learning; the priorities aren’t well set, it’s just tiring and very exhausing.
As of this week, I already have 4.5 hours overtime, that’s half of the workday! And no, tomorrow it won’t be better. Actually I plan to go earlier to the office to get work done before others wake up and start to distrub me.
Taste wise it was same as last time and I was drowsy again, but this time maybe because I haven’t slept well (woke up at 3am) and worked overtime again today.
Preparation
Martin, sometimes we do have to put in some OT, and that’s why it’s defined. Hopefully this tea helped you settle down so that you CAN sleep, despite being stressed and tired. Just ensure you comply with the maxim “Work to live, don’t live to work.” Meanwhile, I wonder if you have experience with the so-called GABA teas, and if so, were they helpful? The one I’ve tried was an oolong, unlike your tisane today, and I’m perplexed by the notion of a caffeinated tea with GABA, as it seems to me that the two would have a fistfight in my body!
Jim, I am aware of GABA teas; but I haven’t found them so good as herbals for relaxing purposes. Maybe because I want to unwind, I don’t want caffeine boost either.
As of work, yes, this and a few following weeks will be hard, but I am sure it will go better soon-ish.
Martin, yes! My GABA tea also has a huge complement of osmanthus flowers in it, which is the main thing attracting me, I think. I note that the “Betty” tisane you reviewed has chamomile. I adore chamomile, And have been drinking it since childhood in California, where it also grew wild as a weed. (Although I’m learning that the weedy stuff may have been a different species with not-so-great metabolites in it.) I have a bag of Egyptian Chamomile from Tealyra that is my preferred relaxation brew these days. Good luck at work, and cheers!
No plain chamomile for me, thanks!
And also no St. John’s wort.
It’s a tricky to find relaxing teas without the second and the ones with first only.
September Sipdown Prompt – a tea Miss Piggy would drink
It had to be French. I wasn’t sure if she would drink this or Jardin Bleu because I can really hear her voice saying Jardin so so high pitched and sweetly and following it up with her classic guttural tone for BLEU. Bit this was foofy and floral and Miss Piggy would love that.
“Oh, Kermie, could you pass me another macaron?”, she would simper. Then “It’s soooo GOOD!” A full octave lower.
I had the jelly first, and knew I wanted to try the tea. So many flowers on a light green oolong? Yes, please. Full and rich floral flavor, this is not for the faint of heart when it comes to floral tea. Lighter than Evening In Missoula but I still don’t know that Ashman would enjoy it. He likes jasmine, so maybe he would like it.
Cutest little baby brick from the Tea Thoughts fall countdown.
Perfectly lovely tippy Yunnan tea – smooth and satisfying with those trademark bready, malty notes on an earthy base. Apricot and honey are here too, and a smidge of dryness at the tail end that makes me think of the fuzzy skin of an apricot.
Nothing amazing, but a nice Yunnan that made for a pleasant first cup of the day. And such an adorable format!
Flavors: Apricot, Bread, Drying, Earthy, Honey, Malty, Mineral, Savory, Smooth, Stonefruit, Sweet, Woody
Preparation
September Sipdown Prompt – a tea Animal would drink
I am so glad this is available at Tin Roof Teas, semi-locally. My first batch of it came from White Antlers and was from TeaGeschwendner but Tin Roof carries lots of their teas and I am thrilled I was able to replace my gift bag of it when it is was empty. It is so rich and chocolate-y. I drink it plain but I bet as a latte it would knock it right out of the park as the sugar and milk magnify the chocolate and boozy notes. It is delicious. You could add a little sploosh of whisky, and Animal would, I am sure of it. But that isn’t really a good idea at 6:45 a.m.
So why do I think Animal might drink this? Well, we know he drinks alcohol because he and other Muppets have been shown with beer. In fact, there is a great deal of alcohol consumption amongst the Muppets. Check out their Wiki!
In one show (one of the movies or specials, I think) he is chanting “NOG!” as he downs his beverage. So he likes rich, alcoholic beverages. And this is the closest thing I have.
In a Lipton ad, Animal gets in trouble with Miss Piggy because she has served water at her outdoor dinner party, and he yells, “NO TASTE. BORING!” or some such and spits out his water, hitting the pasta entree she is bringing out. Kermit saves the day by producing a big pitcher of iced tea, which Animal enjoys. Of course, that was for the paycheck.
I think Animal would also dig raw puerh. He would get into the bitter ones and totally trip out on the chi.
A sipdown! (M: 1 Y: 73) Prompt: A teabag tea (August)
Not a trouble for me to check off this prompt as I have many teas in tea bags; and this is no exception.
However, all I remember from this tea that it is a dismal for it’s very weak in lavender and bergamot being very faint and generic. Definitely, sadly, not worth the money.
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – September 2024 Tea #6 – A tea Animal would drink
NOT sure what actually makes the tea “wild”… and I read through the description TWICE to make sure I wasn’t missing anything… no hints there. Anyway, I think Animal could appreciate the name anyway, so I thought it a good time to finish this one. The flavor is a little faded now. Fading away is not a problem Animal has had or will ever have.
2024 sipdowns: 68
edited to add: Actually, with the last two steeps, there was actually a ton of grapefruit flavor, so it ended on a good note. This was not a bad Earl green. Unfortunately, I don’t think they sell it anymore.
First one up from the fall subscription box!
Not a lavender lover, but their Banana Bread Coffee Pu Erh is one of my favorites, so that’s encouraging. Luckily, the lavender isn’t super strong here. Seems to be about an equal split between the two teas. I’m not sure how I feel about lavender and coffee together, it’s a bit of an odd combination to me. Maybe if there was more creaminess it would tie them together better. Honestly I’m surprised there’s not more cream flavor given the name.
Not bad, I’ll have to try this one a few more times to decide how I feel about it…
Flavors: Cocoa, Coffee, Earthy, Floral, Herbaceous, Lavender, Medicinal, Roasted, Rooibos, Sweet, Woody
Preparation
That’s got a lot of flavors going on in it! I presume the puer is a ripe product. Could you detect any vanilla-caramel out of it, representing the creme brulee? Is there actually a rooibos ingredient? Or just a flavor note? Maybe your next steeping will reveal furher character!
Aha! I now see that OBTC does list rooibos (twice) as an ingredient in their description.
As bougie as this is (insert hands over face emoji here), I had a lavender latte (with lavender tea) and an espresso shot (plus non dairy milk) recently and it was divine. Granted it was from a fancy coffee shop – all that to say, this sounds like it has potential and the few OB teas I’ve had from your tea sharing have intrigued me with the company in general as well. :)
I assume there is cream or vanilla flavor in the rooibos blend, but I’ve never had it so I couldn’t say.
With milk and sugar, this is pretty tasty! The mint isn’t as crisp as sometimes, but I can definitely tell that it’s a candy cane type of mint specifically. It’s really fun, though 52teas has better mint teas. And the chocolate is mild, but nice. The resteep was really pleasant. I really came to enjoy this one, especially the rich quality of the black tea.
I made a jug of this iced yesterday and started to drink it today. It is very nice with a dash of Yuzu citrus sugar from The Spice House. Being diabetic I don’t use a lot of sweetener in my tea, but a half teaspoon in a 12 ounce glass is just right. It’s very mild tasting and I don’t know if it is just the sugar, but it has a sweet flavor that is not overpowering. I remember having this hot a few days ago and not being too impressed. But as an iced tea this is great!
Preparation
It’s still iced tea weather down here, too! How are you feeling?
@gmathis I’m trying not to complain. I’ve been more tired than usual, but I keep trying to do all the things I normally do. Which is stupid, because chemo. But on a happier note, I am not having continued nausea. So if I can just learn to cut myself some slack I’ll be doing great.
I understand! Slack cutting is not easy.
Rest! Give yourself permission to rest and then enjoy every minute of it!
Had hopes — not high hopes — for this based on the ingredients list but like most Yogi teas that have licorice root, that’s pretty much all I taste. That and lemongrass/lemon balm. And lemon oil when I burp. Some cinnamon as it cools. Meh. Also, it is very drying. Tart aftertaste.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Drying, Lemon, Lemongrass, Licorice Root, Tart
Preparation
The whole reason I made my order with this company was to try this tea, and it’s just okay unfortunately. It tastes a little toasty, but also a little…not quite stale, just meh. Nothing about it reminds me of carrot cake. It’s just sort of brown and average.
Sipdown! (9 | 128)
Finished off a package of this, as it was in my “5 oldest teas” tea counter bin. Oops? It hadn’t been opened, so it was still completely scrumptious. Definitely my favorite sakura sencha at this point, as the sencha base is so sweet yet fresh and grassy, and there is no sugar or salt involved, just dried sakura blossoms and leaves.
Happily, they tend to send a package every year with the March subscription, so I have two more unopened ones! :3
Flavors: Floral, Fresh, Fruity, Grassy, Sakura, Savory, Silky, Smooth, Spinach, Sweet, Umami, Vegetal, Viscous
Preparation
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – September 2024 Tea #5 -A tea from Taiwan
This GABA was the reason I bought the Teavivre GABA, and sadly it just isn’t as good (a rarity for Teavivre!). This one here is much older than the Teavivre, but it has more flavor to it. Not really why I’m drinking this particular tea anyway, but the flavor is definitely noticeably better despite the age. If I had started with the Teavivre GABA, I would have said it is not the tea for me, but I will miss What-cha’s GABA! Last tasting note said it tasted like pear and white grape. I don’t taste those anymore. Now it’s squash!
2024 sipdowns: 66
Flavors: Squash
Applied to the PhD!
To celebrate both yesterday’s and today’s good things, I made the very wise decision of having double dessert — a fancy twix tasting yogurt thing, and an oreo petit gateau; both were really good!
now I’m going to drink a mug of this while enjoying a childhood favourite show, with my kitty on my lap and trying to focus on the good things
I’m already pretty tired (excitement does that to me), so this will also probably knock me out, meaning I won’t be stress-checking fogos.pt at crazy hours of the night
here’s to the good things!
What is your favorite childhood show?
I have a bunch, but the one I’m currently re-watching Cold Case; there’s something cozy about a show where, in every episode, the “bad guy” gets caught, and the plot is not too hard to follow either! perfect to shut off my brain :)
also, considering how I watched everything out of order as a kid, I can kind of pinpoint some character arcs, but now I get to have all the details IN THE CORRECT ORDER!! and whenever an episode I already know shows up, I can see it in a more “grown up” light
i.e., in the episode about the abortion group, I can now see how they took inspiration from the Jane Collective, and it was, in fact, a real organization, not just something the writers came up with
do not get me wrong, there is a lot Cold Case does wrong; but for a show based on a weekly murder, it taught my child self a lot about the past (or, at least, the American past, which is very different from the Portuguese — thanks, Salazar! burn in hell!!)
Bad guy gets caught, plot not hard to follow … my preferences as well!
This tea is certainly developing a medium aged character now, especially in the early steeps. It has an aroma that reminds me of cider and a strong taste. The tea is juicy, bitter and nutty, with a particularly hebaceous aftertaste.
Flavors: Apple, Bitter, Cider, Herbaceous, Juicy, Nutty, Oily, Pungent
Preparation
Another sipdown! I grabbed this from the Strange VariaTea TTB, so big thanks to whoever put it in there. I’m trying not to let teas with coconut in them sit around for too long so the coconut doesn’t have time to turn. Definitely hard to say goodbye to this one. It’s creamy, just the right level of sweet, and the coconut flavor is spot on. A possible restock for sure once I get my stash better under control.
went for this tonight, as I have a “big deal” meeting tomorrow and need to sleep well
I say it’s a “big deal” because, in fact, it’s supposed to be a casual 5-10 min chat, however, my PhD application is semi resting on it; moreover, I have to ask someone for something?? and a superior, no less??? my (new!!) advisor and all colleagues have calmed me, saying that this kind of request is very normal and not a big deal at all, but I just can’t seem to be, well, normal about any of this
As a side note, there is only one bag left on the box, meaning we’ve made our way through at least three boxes of Calm Head (or, as they say on the Portuguese box, SOS Head, which is infinitely funnier)
Lipton, if you ever start selling tins of this, or bigger boxes, know that my family will be a major client!!
Sipdown! (7 | 126)
For some reason I didn’t get to this one when I sipped down all my other Winterwoods sample jars, so finishing it off today.
I find it odd that it’s named Wildwood Cedar when I barely taste the cedar at all. I guess it makes it sound more woodsy and exotic, but really it mostly tastes like mint and cinnamon with a bit of fennel and licorice root on the backend. It’s not bad, I just feel like the name is somewhat misleading. Plus I am not a fan of licorice root, so the cloying sweet taste of it here isn’t helping. The peppermint is very herbaceous as well, and it tastes quite muddled mixed with the other ingredients.
Flavors: Anise, Cinnamon, Fennel, Herbaceous, Licorice Root, Mint, Peppermint, Sweet
Preparation
Garage sale tea! This isn’t my favorite. I taste some tartness and below that, mostly emptiness. There’s a hint of a nice flavor, but it lacks anything beneath, so it ends up thin and disappointing. Not bad cold, but it required a lot of sugar.
