Georgian Tea 1847

Yesterday I put some dispenser hot water into my glass thermos and let it cool. Put the steeping basket in full of leaves for several minutes and drank 3/4 of the way down. What a light tea! Barely any taste, sweet water but pleasant. Went back to dispenser to refill. Realized I never put the leaf in the steeper basket to begin with.

uh-guh-guh-guh-guh

So a redo today! And I don’t think I let the water cool at all, so it was pretty hot maybe 195F? Not much attention paid but holy moly is there a difference! It’s perfectly silky and oily-spring water?, with a gentle taste that ashmanra described as sun-warmed hay in her later steeping. I’d also say flax seed, which is a note I picked up on in another Georgian white tea Martin gifted me. Honeyed undertone. This is really good and I will come back with a more detailed note before this leaf is gone.

That was herbal? It fooled me! (Doesn’t take much.)

I enjoyed a couple of cups this weekend, courtesy of derk, thinking it was a mild black tea. It could pass for one. But my favorite element was the gentle whiff of blueberry—not artificially sweet, not so tart it makes your eyebrows sweat. About the same strength as the non-berry part of your blueberry muffin.

Ashman really loves white tea, so I especially wanted to have this one when he is home. Today was the day! Thank you, derk, for sending this my way!

We are so sad at the loss of one of our elderly dogwood trees, and Ashman is cutting it down today. It is quite old, and was half dead last year but we left it up. This year there is absolutely no growth or bud of any kind, and it is bare while the others are starting to bloom. It has provided beauty year round, and shade in our hot, humid summers. It bore a disc swing for the children many years ago, and gave us beautiful blooms each spring. The berries attracted flocks of robins in late fall and winter and we enjoyed watching them and hearing them chatter. During storms and high winds, its branches would sway and cast shadows on our bedroom window at night, and by day I would sit on the bed and watch the leaves tossed by the wind.

We have three dogwoods left, all about the same age. We have a new one ready to plant near where the dead one had grown, and it is time to start thinking about how we can get some planted so that they can start growing to replace these that will also see the end of their time. It is so sad when a tree dies. I have always said that the trees were the best part of our home. I will not live long enough to see the new ones attain the size of the one we are cutting today. But someone, someday will enjoy them.

Sad tale over

NOW THE TEA!

These are such new, tender leaves. The wet leaves in the steeping basket have an almost luminous bright green color with some tippy looking leaves that are soft and pale. A few slightly larger leaves have a bit of faun color on them and pretty little serrations on the soft leaves. I pull a few from the basket and smooth them out. Yes, two leaves and a bud, with a tiny bit of soft stem on some. Then another pair, one unfurled, one folded in half still.

When I filled our cups, I was really surprised by the color. Well, by the lack of color. My white peony and shou mei teas steep up to golden and even light brown, but this is so clear. First steep is mild and has light flavor of steamed snow peas, no butter. I think…minerals, too? Reminds me a little of a silver needle white.

Third steep is now approaching a golden color but still pretty light. Now I detect notes of sun warmed hay. I shouldn’t be drinking this much caffeine this late in the day but I don’t want to waste these leaves. I can nap tomorrow.

Ashman liked it a lot. He prefers mild teas and has always loved white tea, so this was a good one for today.

So I’ve been drinking this with saffron. But plain, it is brisk with a full body. Malty and woody; earthy but nothing like soil, more like tamarind! Hidden sweetness behind robust and rich tangy taste. Classic orange pekoe kind of flavor. I’ve enjoyed it. Second steep worthy for sure.

A few crushed threads of saffron complement this black tea beautifully! The combination gets my engine revving <3 Great following a spicy lunch.

This tea was surprise happy mail from dear derk! Thank you!

I steeped this up for breakfast this morning, not really knowing what sort of profile I would find. The leaves were long, black, and twisted, lovely to look at. Would it be smoky, or chocolate-y like a Keemun? Or bready? Mineral?

First sniff had me hit with a wave of nostalgia. Sweet potato! A Southern Season! Golden Mudan? Ah, Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip! I have been out for so long!

The tea gives me impression of being light but then fills the mouth with what Graham Kerr called mouth-roundness. The clean, clear light amber/orange tea swirls thick flavors and you can’t help but swirl this one. No straight sipping here, this demands a swish and you deserve it, so go ahead.

With my food, no astringency was noted, though I see it in other notes. I made a second steep when food was gone.

Color is the same, aroma is the same. Now the sweet potato and roundness fill the mouth and after the swallow, there it is. A palate cleansing briskness. This is what keeps you reaching for more – a dryness that craves the full body of a new sip.

Many thanks, derk, and also many thanks to Martin who orchestrated the group buy! What a delightful treat this was today!

edit to add: Did a third steep. Still some sweet potato but now also earth and mineral notes come forward. It almost tastes like one of the last steeps of a fine shu puerh. So earthy.

Weird looking, but lovely in flavour; that’s this tea in short.

I have brewed 5 grams in family pot today, steeped for rather long; I guess it was around 10 minutes (well, big volume of the pot).

Result was welcomed by everyone. It has got quite distinctive flavour, some say herbaceous, some say camomile to be more precise, and I have to agree — it is earthy camomile with vegetal notes and I will add one descriptor by me and that’s walnuts. Yes, a little weird and uncommon, yet it’s there.

I look forward to try it more (maybe with black tea, as they suggest). Also, I have some extra… so, if anyone wants to give it a try, I can send a bit your way.

2022 harvest, a big pinch in a glass, grandpa.

Sparkling, clean taste full of sweet potato, light malt-carrot savory sweetness, lemon tang and caramelized sugar. Mineral. Thick, juicy swallow gives way to finishing astringency which leaves the mouth tingling as a buttery baked peach note spreads in the aftertaste. Delicious!

Feeling: continental Europe, sunny early autumn, late afternoon, orange hues

Looks like a black tea, almost tastes like a black tea.

Dry leaf is earthy and tangy with berry, maybe a hint of dill. I used a big pinch in a metal steeper that I use for herbals. Guessing 4 grams in a brand new mug who’s capacity I do not know. Brewed for howeverlong.

I can see where Courtney was coming from saying the tea smells like wet dog. And it’s not in a bad way! Clean, wet fur. Or human hair washed with a lemon shampoo. Potato peels definitely.

Taste is tart, lemon-citrusy and bright with earthy-vegetal mid/base. And here again I can see LuckyMe’s description of potato peels. Undertones of blueberry – like Trader Joe’s frozen boreal blueberries – and something redder which the vendor describes as hibiscus. I’ll roll with that. The mouthfeel is a treat – somewhat pectic like a runny unset jelly, not at all what I expected from an herbal tea! It does thin out as the tea cools.

I feel warm and relaxed. Interesting. I ate way too much cheese and bread today. This feels like it might help with digestion.

Feeling: acidic, good for many systems

This was a pretty good black tea that resembles some Chinese blacks I’ve had. Sweet malt and caramel aroma that carries over to the flavor of the tea. Full bodied, pleasantly malty with a hint of yam and a little cocoa as it cools. When cold brewed it’s more subdued and tastes of dried prunes.

Happy belated New Year, Steepsterites!

This one smells like it should have notes of cocoa but I mostly get sweet, dark malt, sweet potatoes, powdered sugar, and stone fruits – so sweet and deep but not chocolate-y like some of the yunnan teas per se. Still, it’s delicious and I’m glad Martin facilitated bringing these Georgian teas to my (and everyone else’s) attention. Thank you! :)

Steep Count: 3 – Western Style. The third steep is where I start to pick up the powdered sugar; there’s even a hint of pepper and spice. It’s a thinner cup but packs a lot of flavour into it.

So the smell of this one reminds me of a wet dog? It’s not turn-the-stomach repulsive or anything, just wet dog. The tea medium-bodied with hints of lemon in the taste.

Courtney nailed it with her description of this tea – it’s a chocolate-smelling hojicha. It smells like a chocolatey black but when brewed, it’s warm and toasty. Standard hojicha flavor and a good quality hojicha at that. It has a smooth, gentle roast that’s very comforting. Tastes wonderful on a cold morning.

This tea is really smooth, with hints of creaminess and sweetness. Almost like it’s been prepared with light amounts of milk and sugar, but it hasn’t been. I’ve been really impressed with these Georgian teas and would order more for sure!

There is a nuttiness about this tea that does remind me of walnut. There’s also a unique sweetness at the end of the sip that’s a bit difficult to describe. This is calming like chamomile, but a much nicer flavour. I noticed the website says to mix this with black tea, so I’ll have to give that a try. Though it’s quite tasty on its own!

This smells so roasty it’s almost chocolate-y. The taste is very hojicha-like. There is the same roasty flavour in the taste, with a lightness that makes it easy to drink.

I overstepped my most recent cup by 2.5 minutes and the taste hasn’t been impacted at all.

2023 sipdown no. 22

This one smells very breakfast-y, leaning more Irish than English with some sharper notes. There’s also subtle hints of honey. I steeped the low end recommendation of 3 minutes.

The taste is incredibly smooth without astringency. There is a creamy aspect to the cup that is different from maltiness and better. There are also subtle hints of sweetness that I would categorise as brown sugar-like. Thus far, these Georgian teas are knocking it out of the park!

A huge thank you to Martin for organising this order!

Also my apologies for the long-winded note. The second paragraph is a story and the first paragraph is about the tea for anyone who may want to skip over anything!

The dry leaf immediately made me think of Teavivre’s Bailin. The steeped scent also has vibes of that mixed with hints of honey sweetness akin to a Taiwanese WMB. The first few sips are really lovely. A medium-bodied tea with a light sweetness at the end of the sip. As the tea cools, there are hints of cinnamon and the most subtle floral hints.

We have a visiting scholar from Taiwan in our lab area and I had a brief chance ahead of the holidays to chat with him. We had a lovely chat about tea and he was so, so happy to hear that not only did I know the difference between Taiwan and China, but had knowledge of Taiwanese teas. I wanted to share since I’m sure many of you will also understand the difference between Taiwan and China and I can’t describe how happy it made him for someone to not assume he was Chinese. I naturally passed on a few companies to him from the area and he said he’ll be checking them out when he’s back home.

This was an interesting and unusual tea. The fluffy, pale gold and white leaves feel weightless and look different from any tisane I’ve ever had. They feel like packaging peanuts or styrofoam and smell not like quince or any kind of fruit, but rather milk chocolate. Hershey Kisses to be precise.

Anyway, I went ahead and steeped it pretty close to the instructions on the website. The tea brews up medium amber and the wet leaves smell like chamomile. I was expecting some of the chocolately aroma to make it into the brewed tea but there wasn’t even a hint of it. Instead, it has a mild, slightly earthy chamomile-like flavor with a vegetal backdrop. Notes of okra and raw yellow squash. In a blind taste test, I might mistake this for a green or oolong tea.

Not the biggest fan of this kind of tea but it might appeal to someone looking for a caffeine free alternative that resembles camellia sinensis. For me though, I will try blending it with another tisane as the flavor of the straight tea isn’t for me.

Coming back to this tea to express my appreciation! It does very well grandpa style in a short glass. Viscous and sweet like raw zucchini with an aroma like golden raspberries – a little honey, a little apricot. Dry but sweet, pure apricot aftertaste, though a little too drying for my likes. Bitterness is fresh and on point. Of all the green teas I’ve had from different countries, this reminds me the most of Chinese, though I can’t say which region or style.

Dang, Georgia is doing great things with tea.

2022 harvest

I let dispenser hot water cool for a few minutes before steeping. It’s pretty light tasting. Grassy, beany and roasted nutty but not, so more clean tonal in nature than with distinct tasting notes. Floral in a ‘meadow’ way. Surprisingly not temperamental with water temp and steep time. Second steep brings out a short-lasting punch of apricot in the aftertaste, and when cool, that becomes butter and lavender with a touch of its bitterness. The mouthfeel is brisk enough to make this a great daily pick-me-up right after lunch.

2022 harvest

I find the description of this tea to be spot on: “Silky, delicate aroma with notes of honey, waxed wood and spices.” And some of that hay Michelle mentioned. It’s clean, sweet and mellow, not at all intense. Steep the first cup for 4 minutes – longer than my usual 3 for black teas – and the second for howeverlong. The second cup can sometimes have a little bit of green bean taste but it’s not out of place for me. Very easy to drink! And a good work tea but I don’t feel much caffeine…

Lipton-drinking coworker said this was really good without his usual creamer and sugar additons :)

When I hosted my friend, her parents, and her SO over for Canadian Thanksgiving (my own family had ditched me for a trip abroad), they picked this tea to pair with our roast duck dinner (I love trying out other people’s holiday traditions). The roasted sweet barley notes paired exceptionally well with the meal, but the company had a hard time wrapping their mind around this being a green tea.

The only baseline I have to compare it to is hojicha or actual barley tea. Neither is my favourite go-to beverage, but I always enjoy drinking them when they’re available (usually at restaurants). I loved how forgiving and mild this tea is and enjoyed it as an evening cuppa. It will be missed.

Now I need to try the other Georgian Teas; thank you so much for putting this together, Martin!