16936 Tasting Notes
Asiufdvbpiubggg!
My teeth are being stupidly sensitive to heat right now (first major discomfort in several days, though!) which is really frustrating since I want to drink this now while it’s hot so it doesn’t get astringent on me. Had I known my teeth were going to be total butts I would have made something I could enjoy cold…
Parameters: 1 1/2 tsp. of leaf, 8 oz. just under boiling water steeped for a precise three minutes.
Today’s cup is really good actually, despite the difficulty actually drinking it. I actually get a bit of cheesecake-y “tang” and some very mild chocolate notes. Not too shabby – maybe best cup yet? However, the aftertaste is a little weird. Not sure if I can describe it, though.
Still not a favourite, and not disappointed that this is going to be going through some revisions. I wouldn’t buy this blend, as is, again.
Sipdown (206)!
Tre’s being such a sweetheart since I’ve had such a poor week (well, let’s be honest – month). He’s been cooking for me on a regular basis, and not being an ass about all the tea I have, washing the dishes when it’s not his turn, and today he even brought me a bag of my favourite baked Ketchup chips.
Honestly, it’s starting to get a little suspicious! Might have to milk it a little more to see what the limits here are, heh…
Anyway, I received a nice one cup sample size of this from Kittenna that I had totally forgotten about prior to updating my spreadsheet. Of course, I couldn’t resist getting in the sipdown and trying another Harney tea.
Parameters: 1 1/2 tsp. of leaf in 8 oz. boiling water steeped for five minutes.
The smell is a light (and creamy?) black tea, with sweet and distinct cranberry notes. That’s much more than I got from the dry leaf – to me that smelled like just a plain black.
Taste wise, I was instantly in love from the first sip. It has a very smooth, silky mouthfeel and taste that fits the black base which is present but not too commanding. The cranberry taste is very fresh and present, and mostly sweet with just a tiny touch of tartness. That’s all it really needs though – too much tartness would throw off the balance here. There’s also a very rich and creamy vanilla flavour which I wasn’t anticipating but just adore and I think that it’s part of what is keeping the cranberry from becoming too tart. This is just topped off with some subtle background almond notes. As it cooled off, it acquired just the slightest bit of astringency, but in a way which worked.
I’m just so, SO in love with this! Thank God that I have some more on the way from Keychange! This is the first Harney tea I’ve found where I would gladly and confidently buy the 4 oz. tin of it.
Shopping list!
This is one of my favs.
Agreed this is a good one. :))
I almost sent you a bunch and then I saw you had it in your cupboard so I didn’t. Had I known it was a cup size I would have sent more :P. Well, I have 4 oz of this so if you ever want more it shouldn’t be too hard to toss some into one of our many swaps.
I’ll keep that in mind for when I eventually use up what I get from Keychange. So far this is the only Harney tea I’ve found which I like, but I have a few more in my possession to try and some Fruits d’Alsace (sp?) on the way so I’m hoping there are a few more. I don’t want to pay the shipping price for just one tea…
Florence, soho blend, boston, all Harney keepers. I have a feeling caribe also, it’s on its away to me.
Nxtdoor, I 100% agree on SoHo and Boston blend! We found more teas we can share :P. However, you lost me with Florence.
Oh, rs, I’m glad you love this. I’m going to send you lots now! and then it’ll be out of my cupboard and into yours, and this means i’ll be able to buy more tea, and everyone wins!
“For those times when you want a caffeinated Rooibos blend”
I’ve been craving this for a while, though I’ve put off making it because usually I want rooibos at night time – and this one actually has caffeine in it from the coffee beans (mind you, not a ton).
Today has been a sleepy day though which made me think of rooibos, though since it’s not late in the day I thought caffeinated rooibos would be excellent! Mmmm, I was right!
Very rich, and full taste with only a hint of woody rooibos. Mostly, this was thick, creamy dark chocolate with espresso/mocha goodness! I’m not really a coffee drinker at all and never have been – but occasionally I do crave the chocolate/coffee combo flavour, so this is the perfect thing to satisfy that. I let it get cold, but it was even better that way!
I really wanted to join in on the Nina’s Japon excitement (I, too, recieved a sample from the lovely VariaTEA) but since I’ve felt a little uneasy today I thought I’d wait until my stomach was more settled so as to have a better experience.
So, that’s where this comes in. It’s still a green which I was semi-oddly craving (very out of character, I know), with ginger to maybe calm my stomach? I’m sad to say I’ve kind of forgotten I even had this, and so haven’t been drinking it often which I really should because I do enjoy it a lot. I think part of why I neglect it is because it’s A) Green and B) Has ginger, which are two of my least favourite tea things right up there with raisins.
Anyway, I drank it hot today when I normally drink it cold instead. It was pretty good – lots of ginger/spearmint/vegetal green taste and not a ton of strawberry, but then again I forgot to shake up the tin and don’t recall seeing many (if any) strawberry pieces in the leaf I used, so they’ve probably just all sunk to the bottom of the tin.
I should drink this more often.
Preparation
Japon is amazing! I hope you feel better soon so you can also enjoy it. :)
I saw “Strawberry Zest” and my name and was like “I didn’t send this” but then I read and realized it was about Nina’s Japon. I hope you feel better soon and think it was a good idea to wait. It is a tasty tea so you will probably want to taste it properly.
Finished off the last of my cold brew of this with breakfast, and forgot to log it. It was nice enough, and refreshing though I think I may need to crank down the settings in my Fridge because it was more like having a Bergamot Slushie – my fridge is apparently that cold…
Now I’ve got some White Angel cold brewing for tomorrow!
Is this best cold or hot brewed? I have no clue how to make this because it has so many different types of tea with varying instructions :P
I like it both ways… But I think I left hot brewing instructions on the tea’s actual page? Like – use white tea temp. water but a longer steep time like one would do with a fruit blend?
I will check that out. Thank you.
Sipdown (207)!
One of the side effects from the pain meds. I’m on for my mouth is sleepiness/drowsiness – and I think I’m probably experiencing that right now because I slept a sound, uninterrupted 12 hours last night and now keep drifting in and out of sleep for weird 10 minute periods of time.
I think this is one time I can say “Thank God I don’t have a job” because can you imagine that at work? Probably not the best thing ever…
Anyway, I had a hell of a hard time getting this to come up in the search bar today…
Stubborn tea is stubborn, I guess.
Taste wise, this was a pleasant taste surprise with an unpleasant textual experience. Despite there being only one white chocolate drop in the leaf I used (as opposed to the three in the last cup I made), I actually got a very rich 50/50 rooibos and white chocolate taste! It was great! The downside was that the mouthfeel of this was incredibly waxy and gross…
Anyway, thanks for the same VariaTEA – it was an experience, that’s for sure.
EDIT: Just noticing now that this is supposed to have mint in it? That’s the last thing I would have guessed as an ingredient…
Preparation
So, I actually have a tin of this from when I first got really into tea – but what I’m drinking now came from CelebriTEA as an extra in the 12 Days of Christmas exchange.
Since mixing this with butterscotch pudding a couple months ago, I haven’t really had a cup that could compare to how tasty that was – except for now! I actually had to go and double check that I’d grabbed the right tea blend, because this was so delicious I thought I must have made something else. I swear, I even got butterscotch notes from this mug, despite the fact there were no add ins.
But nope, this is the right one!
Maybe the secret to enjoying this again is a shorter steep time? Because I definitely didn’t change my normal amount of leaf or water temp…
Preparation
Backlog from last night.
I’ve been waiting to dig into my sample of this since getting it, but I didn’t want to have all my matchas samples open because I thought that would probably A) be bad for the matcha and B) be a little overwhelming. However, I’m done to about 2 cups worth of Pineapple Matcha and maybe 3 worth of Eggnog Matcha now, plus I was having an awful day yesterday so I decided it was finally time to try this one out. I love caramel and that is definitely what I was in the mood for – plus, Tre had made brownies to make me feel better and I thought cold, caramel milk would be something that would go fantastically with that.
I guess that you’re supposed to use 1 tbsp. of MATCHAccino for a cup as opposed to the about 1/2 tsp. one would normally use with regular matcha. To me, that seemed like a lot so I just went with 2 tsp. to kind of compromise.
Sweet baby Jesus, it was yummy! It was very, very smooth and like drinking liquid gold! I never want to be without this ever again! For a caramel lover, I was just in absolute heaven. That said – despite being super delicious it was a little weak, but that’s probably completely from my being stubborn and under leafing – so next time I’ll go with the proper instructions and measurements.
Just… Mmm!
I have always wondered how the MATCHAccino differs from just plain matcha. I thought about picking some up to try but then saw it was like 50something calories and decided not to.
Yeah, it has some sugar in it. Not a lot (especially compared to a Starbucks unsweetened green tea latte), but some.
When I have an income and finally break hiatus (maybe sooner than later – my birthday is March so hopefully there’ll be birthday money), my first order is likely gonna be Red Leaf for some flavoured matcha. I think I’d likely get Caramel Matcha over MATCHAccino because that’s quite tasty too – I just know I need at least one of them in my life at all times, hah…
OMG ROSWELL STRANGE MY BIRTHDAY IS MARCH TOO!!! WE TRULY ARE KINDRED SPIRITS!! Okay I will stop with the super-over-excited-caps. But I saw “my birthday is March” and sort of stopped reading to come write my excitement.
Now I have finished reading and I definitely understand needing matcha in your life. Honestly though, I think I could forgo the caramel matcha in favor of the caramel popcorn because it is amazing!
Also, I only ended up placing an order with Red Leaf Tea because a friend of mine was going to order on her own regardless so I suggested if we ordered together we could get more flavors and split them so we went in on an order together. It is nice because now we are getting about 9 different matchas between the two of us that I can review and get discounts for. Then we can place more orders in the future. Without her I probably would have struggled with placing an order for such a long time given their prices.
I wonder what the odds are that your Birthday is the same day as mine? I guess 1/31…
My first matcha experiences were SO bad (sorry Lala), that had I not received some samples from Red Leaf free, and then the samples from you I probably would have written matcha off all together. Now I think I have eight different kinds on my “HAVE TO TRY THIS” list (though, I’ve had three of those eight already).
I have been lucky to have only good experiences with matcha and thanks to numerous people on steepster I have been able to try a bunch of different flavors and figure out what I like best. I think that is why I was not too anxious when I finally committed to placing an order.
Also I am born March 15. The ides of March and also fertility day in Japan (on which they carry around GIANT wooden penises).
Ah, so close! March 13th for me… And that is certainly some very fun trivia about your birthday! I don’t know if there’s anything significant surrounding the 13th.
So close indeed! My mom is the one who told me about fertility day. I would feel special that there is significance to the day if it not for the fact that my mom is born New Year’s Day and my brother is born Christmas day. Ides of March/Fertility day just can’t compete. On the plus side, I can go out on my birthday because stores/restuarants/etc. are actually open :P
My mom and Aunt (not twins, 11 year age difference) are both born Christmas Eve :P
Every day is a holiday, even if some are obscure ans weird. As a Pastafarian, I am pleased to be born on International Talk Like A Pirate Day.
All praise be to the FSM, for his noodly appendages have touched us all! R’Amen.
R’Amen.
Sipdown (208)!
I needed an easy to make tea and a little energy after a super stressful and exhausting day.
I just got home from filling out my two pain med. prescriptions for my teeth and in the process had about an hour long conversation (long distance, I might add) with my Dad about all the things that the dentist thinks needs to be done, how expensive it’s going to be, how it’s all my fault for not taking care of my teeth (I’m still holding out that while my eating habits have not been the best, most of this is his fault by not fulfilling parental responsibilities and booking me in for regular check ups over the last three years), how I should have stood up to my dentist today and just told him to pull the tooth on the spot…
Basically, for a good solid hour I was emotionally berated and interrogated over the phone.
Not ten minutes later after hanging up, I got a call from a very pissed off dentist who apparently had the same experience with my father. I guess my Dad questioned his competence as a health professional and just in general was a total ass to him. Basically, my dentist wanted to call and say he was very close to dropping me as a client but would continue to work with me if I was the one and only person he was interacting with.
And I guess my Dad withdrew all of his credit and health insurance information – so now I’m not even sure how to go about paying for things since I’m unemployed and, when I am employed, likely will not be making a lot of money in the first place.
I just feel so overwhelmed and I don’t know where to start or how to deal with things. I agree with my Dad that everything the dentist wants done is an awful lot and I don’t think all of it is necessary, or at the very least not an immediate priority. However I also agree with my dentist that just pulling out every tooth that hurts a little isn’t a smart or necessarily viable option either…
I’m just in a lot of pain, and I feel really stressed out, overwhelmed, and emotionally abused right now. How do I find a compromise between what they want that fixes the pain, and isn’t going to bank rob me because I can’t afford all this on my own…
Right now I’m just going to cocoon myself in a whole bunch of blankets, have a small emotional breakdown, cry it out, and sip at some really great tea.
And, I’m so sorry I’m venting all this out on Steepster, but I don’t really have anyone else to vent to about it.
Sorry it went so poorly. :-( Maybe you could talk to the dentist about whether there is one thing among the various things that are recommended that you could do that would give you some relief now, and table the rest until the financial situation is better? Or maybe you could get a second opinion? I am not sure how things work where you are, but here pricing can vary widely from dentist to dentist, as can opinions about how to approach the same problem.
I’m so sorry . I have dental problems myself so I feel your pain. You have to do what you have to do. I’m sure your parents love you and don’t want to see you suffer
The dental office might have options for you on alternative funding for things that need to be done. Also when you get a job, you will most likely have some medical insurance so that might be an option as well. Keep positive, it will all work out :)
<3 Best of luck. Is there a dental school anywhere near you? Here there’s the UBC dental school and it is a much cheaper option if you’re OK with students working on you.
Sigh, Steepster. Is there a dental school nearby that might be an option for you? Also “hearts”.
I would say take care of your mental state tonight. What you have planned sounds like a good route to take. Try to stay calm and not think about it tonight because it doesn’t sound like you need to. Decisions don’t need to be made immediately. Relax and put it on the back burner. Things will look better tomorrow when everything has settled some. I’m sorry you had to go through that but everything will turn out ok. Promise. :)
Ros, as OMG suggested, there is a dental school at the univ. I am not sure if it is free or if there is a discounted cost but it might be something worth looking into at least.
I second the dental school suggestion! It’s much cheaper, and it’s supervised so you’re still on good hands.
I had dental fees. :( always so happy if I can get a job that offers coverage.
Hugs!
Deleted my country specific advice — the general version – check with your insurance directly and find out if your dad really has the power to interfere in your treatment after your an adult. Good luck, hugs, and good tea too you.
(((hugs)))
I’m sending e-hugs your way if you want them. Just take care of yourself; I’m sure something will work out for you.
Please feel free to vent here all you want—this is an exceptional community of people. Also, I third (fourth) the suggestion about medical students, and also asking your dentest to help you prioritize what needs to be done. Please know that you won’t feel this overwhelmed after you’ve cried, eaten, drank, and slept (and washing your hair always seems to lighten your mood some, too, I find). You don’t need to make any decisions right now—just be kind to yourself, and know you have a plan of action of sorts. huge huge hugs
Looks like I am not the only person who found the dental school route for you. It sucks that this has happened and I definitely can relate to the parental mood swings and pulling funds. It will work out soon enough. Just take it easy for now and hopefully things will improve soon.
I had a lot of dental work done at the dental school when I was around your age – it is an excellent option in this sort of situation, although there may be a wait to get in. Perhaps, as others have also mentioned, the dentist you have now could do the immediately needed work to relieve the pain, and you could get on the list to see a dental student.
Hugs!
I just downed a gigantic plate of tofu nuggets like nobodies business whilst drinking this and Prairie Berry. It seems like a totally strange combination of flavours, but somehow it really worked? I guess sweet and savoury pair more often than one would think.
Anyway, I picked this out because I thought the maple in it would fit will with the maple in Prairie Berry and, maybe, it’d give the impression of Saskatoon Berry syrup on pancakes when drunk simultaneously. Also, they steeped up at about the same temperature so that worked out pretty well.
1 1/2 tsp. of leaf, just under boiling water for about three minutes.
Taste wise, I’m especially getting the pancakes today with flickering notes of maple. Not a ton of butter in this cup, but that’s ok – I think that’s my least favourite part of this blend anyway. And guess what, it totally is like drinking the tea equivalent of Pancakes with Saskatoon Berry syrup.
Tasty!
