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derk drank Organic Royale Ruby Black Tea Microlot from Jun Chiyabari by The Steeping Room

1634 tasting notes

Hot water from the 5-gallon dispenser at work left to cool in a mason jar. A small cupped palm of leaves floated on top. Slurp and refill.

Better (not nearly as mouth-parchingly dry) as last time because of cooler temperature water? Filtered water? Or perhaps because I was pre-occupied?

Wrote some tasting notes in my work notebook and took a picture with my brain. Trying my best to recollect:

Spicy-dry, sweet-cool, gentle prickly tannins
Marigold, dry leaves, green chile, peanut, hot hay, leather, agarwood
Eucalyptus, lemon
Yellow plum, muscatel, nectar, brown sugar
Hot baguette, cocoa, violet, vanilla, thinned sweet cream, marzipan

Very good.

Feeling: hot and hilly pastures, sun-dried spicy earth, sun-ripened fruit, cool stream, sweet cocoa

Flavors: Bread, Brown Sugar, Chili, Cocoa, Cream, Dry Leaves, Drying, Eucalyptus, Flowers, Hot Hay, Incense, Leather, Lemon, Marzipan, Muscatel, Nectar, Peanut, Plum, Spicy, Spring Water, Sweet, Tannin, Vanilla, Violet, Wood

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2 comments

Leafhopper
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Those notes are a tea poem! :)

gmathis
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(Envisioning a much younger me jumping rope and chanting it like a rhyme)

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Leafhopper
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Those notes are a tea poem! :)

gmathis
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(Envisioning a much younger me jumping rope and chanting it like a rhyme)

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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