377 Tasting Notes
My afternoon pick me up. Back in my cupboard thanks to Brandy3392. Ah yes! I remember why I like this one so much. Malty. Bright. I would also say hoppy/floral. Hoppy because the wet leaf smells like wort. If you don’t know what wort is then let us consult Wikipedia “Wort is the liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer or whisky. Wort contains the sugars that will be fermented by the brewing yeast to produce alcohol.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wort So you see this is a beautiful thing when your day is dragging at work. Some might say that wart smells like wet dog or a pet store, but I tend to air on the side that it is a beautiful thing. Cheers!
Another one that I purchased in my latest order from Christmas. Tiramisu happens to be one of my favorite deserts. One of those that I just can’t seem to resist if offered to me. So I was hoping this would remind me of one of my favorite deserts. The dry leaf smell is a little overwhelming kinda in that fake Amaretto type of almond/cherry like sweetness. Not to mention the orange…since when does Tiramisu have orange in it??? Ok here goes nothing. I would agree with previous posts that it’s coffee like in the aroma. I think I used a little bit too much leaf because the flavor is a little too sweet…or orange zesty. As it is cooling down I’m starting to enjoy it a lot more. Some of the chocolate is starting to come out it’s tasting more like one of those chocolate oranges, and a little bit more coffee like. Tiramisu though? Not so much. The flavor profile also becomes familiar to me. Where have I tasted this before. Sip. Wait for it. Sip. Wait for it….Holy crap it’s My Morning Mate. Minus the mate and black tea. No wonder I’m starting to like it. On the other hand though I’m starting to wonder how many teas does Teavana do this with. I like it and I’m glad that when I run out this discontinued number not to worry. I’ll just pick up the full caf version. It is something to put in the pipe to smoke and ponder a bit. How many of their teas have the same flavor profile…just sayin’
Thanks to Dinosara for sending me this one. So I’m torn on whether I like this one or not. I can taste a little bit of maple and a little bit of pumpkin, but it’s more of those spices that go with the pumpkin. So it’s more like a Christmas/pumpkin spice tea. The black tea base is still a little bit weak for me. It’s decent but I don’t know if would jump at the bit to buy a re-blend of this one. I’m glad to try it though.
Thanks to Tommy for sending this one. Today I’m working on trying to load some new books onto the kiddo’s tag reader. If you are familiar with these…then yes it not going quick. Had my first two cups before we went sled riding yesterday. Thirty second rinse and followed by one minute steeps. I have to admit I’m liking the flatter Tuocha. It’s pretty coo. First steep I was a little bit concerned there was an overwhelmingly fishy aroma emanating from the cup. Not to worry though. After it settled for a bit there’s the deep dark earth like smoothness that I love from the Pu-Erh. This one is quite a treasure. They only cost .35 per tuocha and I’ve gotten 10 good steeps out of one tuocha. I’m on number eleven and it still hasn’t gone full mushroom water. An excellent brew.
This was my to go tea this morning. A great price so I pulled the trigger. I love the artisan factor being that it is a rosette. With my previous brewing I was in awe watching it fall to the bottom of the cup. Like a blooming green. I think this is a good tea. It reminds me of nice Chinese black. Malty. I don’t know if I get chocolate out of it, but it’s definitely grainy and has that nice baked flavor. Either like bread or potatoes. See Bai Lin Gongfu tasting. I let it sit in my travel mug for the drive to work and did not get bitter. I have to agree though that 40 for the tin is a tad steep…no pun intended. However the post steep rosette does have some cocoa notes wafting up. It’s also fun to freak out my co-workers with the urchin like appeal. Some of you may remember a song from R.E.M that came out ohhhh circa 98 by the name of Lotus. I was a freshman in college and had just started getting involved with the campus radio station. WBWC still has a soft spot in heart. http://youtu.be/vu2jN3d2zzU Haven’t you noticed…I ain’t the lotus. Make it rain :)
I needed a kick in the rear this morning. Ha ha yeah this delivered quite well. For the first time brewing this is could smell the earthiness of the Pu-Erh….excitement! Then that combo of cinnamon, ginger, peppermint, pepper and clove hits like a freight train. The ginger and the peppermint took care of a little stomach funkiness, as I was getting swaps ready to go. I’m not sure why but this tea makes me think of Mardi Gras. I do have a Mardi Gras story…but that is for another tasting. That reminds me of an amazingly beautiful song by Dr. John-Litanie des saints http://youtu.be/E4W7a0zWfqA I added a little turbinado sugar to it. Normally I do not add any sugar to my tea, but not bad. It reminds me a little of pfeffernusse cookies. Hasenfeffer incorporated :)
I actually have Caravan pulled up on rhapsody right now. Songs that are as long if not longer than Iron Butterfly’s In A Gadda Da Vida, and in the similar progressive rock style. I could listen to this all day long but there is news to report. Right now I’m rocking out to L’Auberge Du Sanglier / A Hunting We Shall Go / Pengola / Backwards / A Hunting We Shall Go – Reprise (Medley) from The World Is Yours – The Anthology 1968-1976. They also sound a little like Rush and Yes. This is good music….and good tea. I’ve had this one a while from a swap with Brandy. It is no secret that I love lapsang. The only other Russian Caravan that I have to compare to is Peet’s. This is quite an excellent mix there is the nice smokey undertones of lapsang and what maybe a black Gongfu. Along with the smokey there is that bakey flavor like potatoes, and grain that I have tasted in the Gongfu or maybe Yunnan Golden tips. I can see why A&D teas are rated so highly.
