Ruby Black, Competition Grade

I was trying to decide which of my Mantra Tea samples to brew first, and this is the one I picked. I’m taking the Iron Goddess to share with my family later this evening.

Onto the tea:
This is an exceptional black tea. I’ve had a ruby black before, but it was not like this one. I don’t at all have the tea vocabulary and trained palate to describe it properly, but I can say for sure that you all have to try this! It’s not bitter and astringent, but I certainly wouldn’t call it a delicate black either. It’s so smooth! I can definitely detect the woody flavor noted in the description as well as a a sweetness that I don’t recognize as orchid, but it could be. I’m also not picking up specifically on notes of peppermint and cinnamon, but I can definitely see how this tea would be a good match for an afternoon tea cake that includes these flavors. This tea is definitely going on my re-order list :)

This was another from my swap with Stephanie. :)

This is just the type of black tea I love. It’s deep, rich, bright, and delicious. I’m realizing that some of my favourite teas are from Taiwan.

I decided to sample this tea on my lunch break at home so I could brew it up at proper temperature for a tasting note. I brewed 1 tablespoon of tea at 195 degrees F for a couple of minutes. This is an extremely smooth, honey-sweet black tea. Bright and bold and clean, the only thing I can think to compare it to in my tea palette is a crisp Ceylon. There is a very faint floral note resembling a green oolong. There are no dark nutty or malty notes present. Very interesting and tasty tea! I’m glad I have a large sample so I can try it a few more times :)

Thanks Mantra Tea!

It’s time to start drinking some of the teas I received in trades last month, right?
This one came from Stephanie.
I haven’t been a huge fan or Ruby Blacks, & realized recently that although I enjoy Taiwanese blacks in general, & definitely like them better than ceylon & darjeeling teas, I don’t really love them, at least not as much as I love a good Assam or pretty tea from Yunnan or Fujian.
My first cup of this was tart & tangy plums, kind of sour & fruity. If I were to pick a musical instrument, it would be a bright silver flute, & a brass section. There’s also some wood in there somewhere, but not a mellow woodwind section, more like an edgy upright bass player.
And toothpaste…yes…an underlying taste of toothpaste.
I made a 2nd cup, using a lower temp, & for me, it was pretty much the same.
I don’t hate it, and as the cup cools the tartness mellows a bit & I like it better,
except for the toothpaste.
Time to whip up a quick breakfast, I have a rehearsal in half an hour!
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