6 Tasting Notes
I just finished off the last bit of this tea – and based on everyone else having finished it a year ago, I would suspect that this tea is no more (anywhere).
It was so wonderfully rich and sweet, with nutty and caramel flavors and a really rich aroma. It was wonderful with milk and sugar, or just with milk, or with just some sugar, or just by itself – basically any possible combination you could do was perfect.
Alas, it’s gone now, but I’ll be keeping my eye on A&D from now on.
Preparation
Very nice aroma – it smells like freshly cut green apples. Not at all astringent, with a clean, simple flavor. Brewing suggestions on the bag note that steeping at lower temperatures brings out more of the sencha flavor, while higher temperatures bring out more of the cherry flavor. Time time try a lower temp.
The first few sips were really excellent, but as I drink more of it, I feel like I’m losing interest. Second cup is kinda meh. Definitely something you’ll want to share with friends, but don’t drink this alone.
Preparation
I got this as part of a Samovar sampler a friend gave to me. It smells extremely fragrant and wonderful out of the bag, and while it steeped that seemed to fade and turned in to the vegetable flavor that others had mentioned. It’s quite astringent from the first sip, and has a sweet but sharp bite at the end of the flavor.
I’m not incredibly impressed. Like everyone else is saying – it’s quite good, but not THAT good. I think I’ll go back to my Japanese teas as well.
—
Second Steeping update:
I tried steeping it for only a minute and used slightly cooler water this time, and it seems to be much better. The astringency is mostly gone save for a bit towards the bottom of the cup, and the vegetable smell is also greatly reduced. A friend suggested washing the leaves in room temperature water before steeping, but since it was a small sample I only had enough for one pot.
