1719 Tasting Notes
A favorite from last year – though I still have no idea why it is called Christmas Morning. After all the amazing loose leaf teas I have had since late summer, this one doesn’t impress like it did last year, but if I was served this in a restaurant I would be very pleased. A good basic Assam with enough bite to make you notice, while the Ceylon keeps it under control. The Keemun is in the aroma and in the aftertaste. I don’t know what a Sumatra tastes like on its own and I don’t catch a glimpse of anything I don’t recognize in this. The Jasmine is so subtle I probably wouldn’t pick up on it had I not read the label. I do catch floral hints in the aroma but not in the cup. Went great with a baked chocolate wafer snack.
Preparation
Pure tea buds and new leaves. The inside of the sample bag is covered in a fine powdery dust. The dry leaf is shiny, grayish looking (very dark green and white mix). Smells of hay and fresh tobacco. Used one spoonful at approx 194 F for 30 seconds per instructions.
The wet leaf smells a bit like toast with a non-threatening hint of smoke. The leaf expands into a big loose clump in the bottom of the press reminiscent of a Twinings loose tea. The liquor in the press appears light yellow/green in the low light level of my office. Appears much darker in my cup.
The sip is a balance of light grassiness and smoke. There is also a creaminess to the cup. Sometimes smoke frightens me. Here it really does compliment the green’s flavor. Once again I find I am really liking this offering by Teavivre. As the cup reaches room temperature, I am reminded of the base that Ahmad uses in their Earl Green. I use to love that tea, so it is no wonder this one immediately appeals to me.
Apparently I like this a lot more than the others who rated it.
Sadly, this is my last new sample by Teavivre. Thank you Angel for allowing me to review your company’s products. I am impressed. The good news is I still have partially filled sample bags so I get to enjoy each one of these at least one more time, while I try to whittle down the must have list to a manageable level. Since I rated most of these teas at 90+ that will be difficult.
Preparation
Backlogging. This was yesterday’s cup. The dry leaf is very different on this one. It is kind of black (dark grayish green) and white. A bit fuzzy. For some odd reason it reminded me of old time upholstery stuffing. The dry leaf smells of hay and grain. Brewed a healthy spoonful of leaf at a cool 176 F for 1 short minute. I would definitely have over steeped if Teavivre hadn’t provided clear instructions on the package.
The wet leaf on the first steep is dark green with a bit of tan. It hasn’t completely unfurled but appears to be small leaves and pieces. The smell reminds me of Cheerios. Maybe I should have had breakfast. The liquor is pale greenish and actually darker than I expected with such a short steep.
First sip, ooh I like this. It has enough bite to be interesting without being bitter. Tastes of grain at the front of the sip and spice at the back. There are some floral notes that remind me of a Ti Kuan Yin. The main thing I like about this is the green is not too green. I know a lot of people want their green to be really bright and grassy. I can appreciate a tea like that but I prefer a subtler cup like this one. It has a touch of grassiness without being overwhelmingly so. This is how I want a green to taste. I had three steeps out of it before stopping. I believe it would have gone more.
Preparation
Angels unaware! Went to pay for breakfast at Steak N Shake this morning. Was told our bill had already been paid. Never saw a soul in there I recognized. Sweet way to start the day! The tea was once again very pleasant. Feel like breaking into a rousing chorus of O Happy Day! O wait, I am doing that one tomorrow at church on guitar.
How cool is that! I have been Doxology-ing quite a bit lately.
That’s kinda awesome! I’d be dying of curiosity if I were you though. :)
Curiousity only lasted a moment. It was quickly replaced by joy knowing there are still people who do kind things and aren’t looking to be noticed for it.
: ) This put a smile on my face. Random acts of anonymous kindness are amazing and scarce.
The tea I dreaded when I first tried it is one of the three I grabbed to take home for the weekend. I was so looking forward to sharing this one. Stupid microwave, I didn’t get the water the right temp so was not full flavored, but good even weak. With the flavor down a little I noticed a real creaminess to it. Still loving this one.
Steeped 1 minute with boiling water. Toucha remains mostly intact. The brew is dark with a light musty aroma. The wet leaf reminds me of wet musty hay. The first sip is much sweeter than expected. I happily notice the leather notes I got from the rose toucha only much lighter. May be imagination but I pick up just the tiniest hint of smoke. I am also getting that slick slightly tacky lip feel that appealed to me in the China Cha Dao puerhs. No astringency, or fishiness and I don’t find it heavily earthy.
Second cup, toucha completely crumbled. Has a bit more leather and as it cools a bit of bitterness moves in with a heavy dose of hay. Third cup I added a couple small leaves of chocolate mint. Not enough to really flavor it but added a cool mouth feel and evened out the bitterness. Next time I brew this I am going to really short steeps.
The other reviews raved on this tea. I may adjust my rating up or down a bit after I try modifying my steep parameters. I loved the rose toucha. This one I like. Definitely better than meh, but not a wow. IMHO – YMMV (in my humble opinion – your mileage may vary)
Preparation
This is the one sample I have feared the most. I even turned down one jasmine sample because of my fear of it. Thus far, in my tea journey, I have only tolerated straight jasmines. Teavivre really has their work cut out for them if I am to like this one. Putting on my brave face…
I open the bag and breath in. Hey, this is different. The jasmine doesn’t make me flinch. It is a pleasant fresh floral and not overwhelming. In addition there is a fruitiness like Concord grape or maybe grape soda that is very appealing. Maybe this won’t be too bad…
Steeped 2 minutes at 80 C. Note to self, remember to only go 1 minute next time. Very light amber liquor. The fruitiness is still in the brew and the wet leaf. Even better, it is in the sip. The best part of this cup is breathing in before you sip. It fills your senses with flowers and grapes until your brain stops processing anything else but the aroma. There is even a hint of rose in here. You catch the green tea at the back of the tongue after the fragrance subsides.
Wow. This is really good. Is this what jasmine is supposed to taste like? If it is, then I have never really had jasmine before. Seriously, I could drink this everyday. Bring on cup two.
Preparation
The dry pure buds and leaves look so dark and delicate. The aroma is grassy and slightly sour. Steeped per instructions at 2m. Excellent clarity in the liquor. It has the palest of green tints. The wet leaf appears to me to be mostly large pieces of small leaves, stems, and some buds. It looks soft and fresh and oddly very green considering the darkness of the dry leaf. The leaf aroma is heavily vegetable – like broccoli or spinach.
In the sip I notice a bit of bitterness (not a bad thing), vegetable, then a green bite in the aftertaste. Complex. Fresh. Interesting. It reminds me of one of the previous Teavivre greens I’ve tasted. I don’t have my notes in front of me so I am not sure which one. The biggest difference from memory is the slight bitterness in this one, which I liked. It adds character.
To the green tea purist stop reading now…
At this point I added sweetener. This evened out the flavors making this maybe less complex and interesting but more to my tastes. I would not call this tea naturally sweet on its own and I have a Sucralose monkey on my back. I know, I know, I am drinking quality tea. I don’t need this stuff, but I NEED this stuff. This green takes sweetener well. I justify my actions by saying, after I establish the flavor profile, I want to just relax as I sip the rest of the cup without looking for all the nuances. In reality, I know that is just the monkey talking. Me and the monkey like this tea.
The first cup was a 90 with the most intense flavor. Steep 2 and 3 are roughly 80 as they lost the heavy vegetable and bitter edge. If I get the slider thingy right this is about an 85.
