Sinharaja

My first tasting from my GM sampler pack!
So the “mushroomy” taste I got from the Keemun, I got it here too. So maybe this is what they call a “caramel” finish? It has the same aroma and smooth round mouth feel to it. So I’m concluding that it is a caramel, not a mushroom. I know, vastly different in the mind, but to my nose and tongue (and the memories that they have) it is the same. The tea also has a sweetness to it, a richness and depth to the flavor, not much of the berry note that was in the description. It’s yummy for sure, again not what I might go with every day. But it’s definitely getting better and better every time I taste this mushroomy caramel thing!

This tea will take the Ceylon niche in my cupboard, when I’m ready to order. Delicious 1st cup, sweet 2nd cup, and caramelly 3rd cup. I didn’t believe it until I tried it—I believe, I believe, I believe!

I must say, this could be the best black tea I’ve tried so far, definitely better than the Ceylon from the Single Origin Teas that I had just a couple of days ago. Very rich, malty, chocolatey – tastes great with a bit of sugar or without it. It smells absolutely gorgeous too! I might be tempted to get some more of it because I only had a sample.

2/31 sampler. I really liked this tea. I don’t really like black teas, but this one as a hint of citrus with honey undertones. Not very bitter like other black teas i’ve had.

Picked a random black tea from my sampler this morning and got this: Sinharaja! I was even curious enough to look up what it meant. Its a Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka!

First sniff, I knew this was a black tea. It smells like a Ceylon, but not very strong. Yum! It brewed a nice golden yellow brown color. It smells delicate and sweet. I do get a very slight malty taste but mostly a woody molasses. Great tea! I’d say this would be a a great addition for a daily black tea. Tastes great with milk and sugar too!

Brews up bright copper colored. Smells like a salted caramel. Taste is creamy and smooth. A little roasty with some strawberry in the finish. Caramel returns for the aftertaste. Very little astringency. Overall, a very pleasant and smooth tea.

Smells like a Ceylon (i.e. archetypal black tea), but a little fruitier, especially when hot. No additives this time – it’s tasty enough without, and I think milk might overwhelm the subtle bits (yes, there’s a little molasses) that make it more interesting than a typical Ceylon. A little sugar would probably be fine, but I wouldn’t do honey (again, subtle flavors). Some spice and berry make this quite satisfying, but I probably wouldn’t buy a stock; I like my black teas more in-your-face (a.k.a not ceylon) than this.

(Also I like parentheses :)
ETA: Actually, a tiny bit of cream was very good for this – brought out the rich caramel flavors. And a second steep at 5 minutes was slightly weaker but still very good.

I decided to go for another Golden Moon sample this morning, and the description of this one sounded good to me.

The leaves smell earthy, maaaaybe with a floral hint in there. But pretty much just your basic earthy smell.

Brewed, I smell maybe a nutty hint.

The taste is really nice! It’s smooth, which I always like. It’s definitely got some depth. Unfortunately, my tastes aren’t educated to the point where I could tell you what I’m tasting. All I can tell you is that I like it!

I am getting a tiny hint of bakeyness to it, to the point of it reminding me of Thomas Sampson, even though that’s an Assam, and this is a Ceylon. Hmm. Maybe I just don’t know what I’m talking about. :P

Now that it’s cooled a bit, though, I am getting that tiny hint of ripe berries that the description speaks of.

All in all, this really is a very tasty tea! :)

A nice black tea with a mild taste. I’m enjoying it, but not as much as the Irish Breakfast yesterday. Could be I didn’t steep it correctly, but to me this was good, but not great.

This reminds me more of an Assam, with its chocolate notes and deep brown color. I was surprised to find that it is a Ceylon origin tea. It doesn’t taste or look as bright as Adagio’s Ceylon Sonata, for example. It is rather bland to my taste – not quite as rich as an Assam, nor as bright and thirst quenching as a Ceylon. Nonetheless, a pretty decent cuppa, but I have other teas in my cupboard I like better.