260 Tasting Notes
I decided to try something else from Tea Forte tonight and was pleasantly surprised. Flora is very tart right off the bat but sweetens quickly [sans additives]. It vaguely reminds me of that Passion Tea Lemonade stuff I was obsessed with at Starbucks one summer. I steeped it for the recommended five minutes and found that to be enough. Drinking a small amount that had cooled in my mug makes me think that this would be VERY good chilled.
Phew. Okay. Better. I’ve never had that strong of a negative reaction to tea before. I cooled the water down a bit more and steeped it for a shorter time. The taste became a lot more subtle and it’s not nearly as bitter. In fact, I’m even getting the slightest hint of sweetness in the aftertaste that I like in jasmine tea.
However, I’m still getting a little bit of that spinach in the taste and the smell. Not that there’s anything wrong with spinach, I just don’t like it with my tea. And sometimes I get this strange, almost metallic taste sitting at the tip of my tongue. Bizarre.
Anyhow, can’t say I hate it, but definitely can’t say I love it. Pales in comparison to the Jasmine Pearl I had yesterday.
Pwwweh, bleeh bleh eeech.
I could smell the jasmine, but then the smell of spinach hit me right away. I tentatively took a sip, and almost spit it out. I don’t know if it’s because I just don’t drink oolongs enough or maybe I oversteeped it. Really bitter. Taste is extremely strong. If that doesn’t wake you up I don’t know what else will. BLECH.
I just took another sip. Why do I keep sipping this?! I guess I keep hoping that it’s going to get better. It’s like seeing the train wreck coming, not being able to look away, and THEN trying to run in front of said train before it collides. IS THIS THE TEA THEY SERVE IN HELL? Okay, okay, enough. I’m making a new cup.
I usually drink loose tea, but I received a sampler pack from Tea Forte a while back and I like to try things from it every once in a while. I was looking for something non-caffeinated because caffeine tends to stay in my system for hours, and I do enjoy my sleep.
I also enjoy a good chamomile. There was nothing mind blowing about this one, but it was definitely good. Tasted like…chamomile. And a hint of citrus [I’m guessing from the orange peel they listed on their web site]. The scent is very warm and homey, and drinking it was calming and comforting, like chamomile should be.
Plus Tea Forte’s infusing bags are super cute. [Christ, how much of a girl am I?]
Damn it, Samovar. You’re becoming an expensive habit. We’re not even going to talk about how much I just spent to continue feeding my addiction to your lovely, soothing, aromatic, exquisitely selected teas.
Their Jasmine Pearl was not an exception. I’ve tried other jasmine [pearl, even] teas, and while they certainly weren’t bad, they didn’t come close to touching this one. It has this lingering sweetness to it that the others didn’t, and the smell! My god people, the smell! I could smell this all day. I would just walk around with my nose stuffed in a cup of it if it wasn’t creepy and potentially unsafe. And not to sound like a zen-follower-wannabe, but I find it really relaxing to watch the pearls unfold in my glass pitcher.
Sorry, that might be the caffeine kicking in. In the meantime, I’m going in for another cup.
I’ll admit that when I got this tea I was a little apprehensive at the prospect of it being one of those your-palate-needs-to-be-more-refined-before-you-can-taste-what-we-tell-you-this-tastes-like deals.
That was silly, because the lychee scent hits you from the can before you even brew it, and it continues to give off the aroma as you drink it. As I love lychee, I also love this tea. You can taste it, but subtly. It hits you right at the back of the tongue. I have yet to try it chilled, but seeing as how the hot, humid summer is about to smack us on the east coast, I don’t think it will take long. It also gives me a nice little caffeine buzz.
This was one of the first exploratory [in that it went outside of what I’d been drinking thus far] teas that I tried. I started drinking it in the morning to get me moving because the matcha really does add a nice kick [without the heavy-handedness of coffee]. Definitely a different tea experience. Matches up exactly with the flavor profile description. I fear I might be addicted. I blame Kevin Rose.
