Featured & New Tasting Notes

I’ve made an impact on the tea stash this week and working on the last bag from the tea swap months ago. I’ve been trying to avoid cleaning these out too quickly, but it’s time to accept that they are a part of the tea sipdown pile and they must be sipped! It’s cold(er) and rainy today in NE Ohio. I’ve been spoiled with daily walks across the street at the park until today. However, I shall get my fix by heading to the grocery stores before work. I want to take advantage of the weekend, whenever it arrives, and enjoy my time working on yardwork and binge watching the remainder of the Fallout tv series.

So this is one of several green-black blends that I ordered from Murchie’s – they seem to specialize in them so I figured I would try a few. This seems the most straightforward, just a blend of Ceylon and Keemun black teas with gunpowder and jasmine greens.

Steeped up, it looks like a black tea but tastes more like a green one. The jasmine is surprisingly subtle, just a whisper in the background. I actually taste the gunpowder the most – it has a strong earthy, mineral flavor that winds up in the forefront, potentially bolstered by the Keemun. Ceylon show itself in the finish, with its metallic, acidic character.

Overall, not sure about this one. I feel like the balance is a bit off for my tastes, I would prefer more jasmine and less gunpowder. There is also a noticeable astringency even though I only steeped it for 2 minutes, but perhaps that’s just a result of it being a teabag with very broken leaf. I’m hoping to be more enthused by some of the other green-black blends that have bergamot and lapsang and other fun things.

Welp, my cupboard has exploded with no fewer than 17 Murchie’s teas, so I’d better get cracking on tasting some of them… ^^’ This is one of many that I got in teabag format, mainly because I didn’t really want 850 grams (total) of loose leaf tea to get through, but I wanted to try so many of their teas.

This is a black tea with currant, cream, and bergamot, and it’s quite tasty. It reminds me a bit of Kusmi’s St. Petersburg, which isn’t specifically blackcurrant but has that dark, syrupy berry vibe. I actually like this one better though, it tastes less syrupy and cloying to me, maybe because of the cream lightening it up? The blackcurrant tastes deep and jammy, and the bergamot helps brighten it up a bit. The cream isn’t super strong, but I can definitely taste it and it lightens and smooths things out.

I will say it’s a bit tannic, probably the Ceylon, so maybe next time I’ll steep a bit shorter. I’m not used to having such broken leaves as I don’t often buy teabags, and very rarely are they the traditional paper kind like these.

I enjoy a fruity EG, and this one is pretty good! Hot, the flavor is milder than I had hoped, but the hit of tart cranberry is fun. As it cools, it gets creamier, which I always enjoy. The bergamot, cranberry, and black tea all mix quite pleasantly together. It’s slightly tart in just the right way. Yeah, definitely drink this one at room temperature with sugar and milk to get the most out of it.

Backlog

This was another tea acquired at the tea exchange. I dumped a lot of loose leaf for some of the tea bags/brands I’ve never had the opportunity to try. While I find a love of loose leaf, there’s an odd appreciation for bags. Proceeds to take backlash from tea heads haha

The tea bag smelled bland. Not really a smell. It brewed a deep red and had an artificial cranberry aroma. I noted that it was similar to canned cranberries and mildly tart.

Sipdown! (1 | 14)

Hi friends, it’s been a while! I guess I’m back from my annual unplanned tea hiatus ha ha. And still getting over mono, which has been extremely unpleasant for the past month… But mostly better now!

I received a tin of this tea in the winter (I think) subscription box, so I figured I would take the opportunity to sip down my older tin, from my very first OBTC order. I would probably count this among my favorites from them? But there are so many I like that it’s difficult to say ha ha. It’s such an unusual tea, but somehow the sweet cinnamon and anise and the earthy, savory green chile just blend together into something so lovely. Sweet, but not too sweet, and not at all spicy either, yet I can still taste the flavor of the chile. The green base is also the perfect choice I think, the mild earthy and hay notes go so well with the other ingredients.

Anyway, doesn’t taste at all like a cookie to me, but I have other cookie teas anyway. This one is something unique. My eternal thanks to Stacey over at As the Tea Brews on YouTube for introducing me to OBTC! <3

(This tea break sponsored by our friend Martin.)There are so many different fruit flavors happening here—papaya, pineapple, strawberry, apricot—it’s a little hard to pick a single one out, but together, they make a cheerful little fruit punch blend. Fruity “mishmash” teas are generally very good iced down. I think I’ll try the rest of the sample that way.

I don’t think I’d enjoy this straight, but I drink it cold with almond/soy milk, and that makes it taste like a strawberry milkshake. It’s quite rich and desserty. Genuinely, it’s a great strawberry milkshake. The resteep tastes like beets.

made this beautiful brew to both celebrate the holiday (yay May 1st!) and to have something to drink while reading
I’m currently making my way through Convenience Store Woman, so a green-white-fruits blend makes waay more sense than Lady Grey :)

Hmm this one tastes a little bready, and on top of that I taste a light orange. It’s a nice combination, though perhaps a little subtle/simple. It’s high quality and does slightly remind me of panettone.

I taste a bit of vanilla, but this one was pretty mild. It was pleasant, but I prefer other more interesting flavor profiles.

The last of the Ethereal Flight from Breakaway Matcha.

It doesn’t make the biggest foam but dang does the rest of the cup make up for it. At first sip it’s floral and dark blue-green aquatic but then turns to bright and succulent young grass. As it passes over my palate, it becomes darker and tangy with salad greens, like a bit of sorrel has shown up. This is where I notice a soft siltiness to the texture mixed with a touch of creaminess, both of which provide some intrigue. And then the finish! All along the matcha tastes very clean but in the finish it’s even cleaner. That slight tang morphs between an indecipherable fruity sweetness and the lightest mushroom umami breaks through (I’m gonna have to agree with chanterelles).

This is probably my favorite of the sampler :) Blend Hikari is umami-rich, though while elegant in its expression, it has only called to me when I’ve had a craving for that hearty profile. Blend Daphne also is a really beautiful matcha but best kept for whimsical afternoons or meditation. Blend Jizo is more of a daily, anytime sipper. This one, Blend Satoshi, has a dynamic complexity that I really appreciate and its energy seems to suit both mornings and afternoons equally well.

Perhaps the best green tea I’ve ever had. So incredibly fresh. Picked at the end of March and I received my order last week (so about a month since it was picked!) The freshness is really obvious in the flavor. Slightly nutty, bright green and vibrant.

From a new Verdant order. Major props to Mrs. Li on this beautiful tea! An absolute treat. I’ve never had pre-Qing Ming Longjing before, so I have no similar comparators, but this certainly blows the other Longjing’s I’ve had out the water.

Medium-high sweetness that is beautiful. Mouthfeel is incredibly unique and chalky (in a good way). 1-2 mins of hui gan. Longevity is 4 golden infusions.

Apparently Mrs. Li has been at tea-making for 50 years. She has certainly perfected her craft. The #43 varietal was apparently bred specifically to bud earlier than classic Dragonwell varietals.

I’d say this was worth ~$1/g :).

Harvest: March, 2024
Cultivar: Longjing #43
Location: Longjing village, Zhejiang Province
Elevation: 300 m

Dry leaf: Artichoke.
Wet leaf: Artichoke, nutty.
Flavors: Artichoke, sweet, nutty, honey, chalk.

Spring 2023 harvest

Dry leaf: tangerine, passionfruit and cherry, indolic and fleshy white florals, vegetal undertone

Aroma: moderate with a sugarcane sweetness, rich florals, orchid, golden raspberry, milky

Taste: less impressive than the dry and warmed leaf. The base tea tastes stale with dried clumps of cut grass. It is slightly milky but more noticeable is the dry, mineral taste. More vegetal than fruity compared to the dry and warmed leaf scents. Certainly floral with a mix of fleshy white flowers, orchid and at times something aquatic like water lily. Short and mild milky sweetness. The energy is more caffeinating than relaxing, which is not what I desire in flower-scented teas.

I would like to try this fresh but the base tea quality doesn’t seem that great. The magnolia orchid, or white champaca, scenting is lovely, though.

Another finished tea today, and because it was single session sample from Kaylee not counted as a sipdown, though reduced from my cupboards. Thank you!

Although I am not a coffee drinker, I was somehow craving this tea. When I have opened the pouch, I knew it was a proper choice today. And it was rather the hazelnut than the coffee. I steeped it shortly, 3 minutes sounded enough for me; and I got just a lovely hazelnut cup with no bitterness from coffee. Honestly haven’t noticed that at all.
Also not much of the cake notes, it was rather like some hazelnut mousse or something, creamy and mild.

Sadly, berry flavored rooibos rarely works for me. There’s something about that combo that’s just murky and strange for me. I’ve been giving it a shorter steep, which helps. Sweetened and cold, it’s not bad, but not something I would personally choose.

TTB tea! This does taste a little like lychee! It’s light and fruity. Not my favorite, but not bad! I wish the flavor were even stronger and juicier, but I do enjoy the authentic flavor. Sometimes it’s a little herbaceous or plain.

I don’t participate in Sips By but it seems that this is where the sample came from. After looking around it appears this company no longer exists. Might have been a covid knock out. Building and maintaining a business is hard work. So if you find someone you like support them.

Anyway. I’m not a fan of this tea. Theoretically it sounds pretty pleasant but the mixture of green tea and some of the ingredients was off in my opinion. Kinda tastes like some of those dryer sheets that have a lot of crap in them in the laundry aisle.

This tastes a bit like sugar cookie sleigh ride from Celestial Seasonings, which I was glad to find a box of this holiday season after a few years without. I’m kind of obsessed with how sparkly this tea is. It also tastes somewhat like the various forever nuts spinoffs. Not bad, just not special, and a little weak. Pleasant with milk and sugar overleafed.

Sipdown! I wish I’d purchased a larger pouch of this one when I ordered from S&V last year, because it’s excellent. Juicy and mildly tart, with lychee flavor just bursting in every sip. Yum.

2024 sipdown count: 18

I just finished another 50 g pouch of this ethereal Tie Guan Yin. It became a little softer with age, but the gardenia, orchid, and violet florals were still lovely, as were the hints of apricot, pineapple, peach, green apple, and cream corn. The longevity was still good, though the later steeps were grassy as expected.

Kudos to Sipscollection for finding a beautiful Taiwanese green Tie Guan Yin! This tea may be getting too old to buy another bag, but I’m thinking about it.

April Sipdown Challenge – raise your cup to the tea farmers for Earth Day – bonus points for an earthy tea! another sipdown prompt for same tea. It is allowed?

Anyway, I am raising my cup to tea Georgian tea farmers as they are definitely closest region where tea is grown for me; so minimal carbon footprint for this tea as well. And as I have mentioned many, many times, I just have a soft spot for them. But also, raising a cup for all other tea farmers including the small growers.

I am, however, very furious for reasons I don’t want to share in public (work-related), so a pleasant tea to the help.

Malty and sweet. Yum. Rye bread background.

April Sipdown Challenge – raise your cup to the tea farmers for Earth Day – bonus points for an earthy tea!

I didn’t add this to my cupboard because it is a sample that I received as a gift from Whiteantlers. Many thanks, and I miss you!

I decided to go with ripe puerh for this prompt because most of them have some earthy notes. Little did I know I was about to drink the earthiest puerh I have ever had.

Dry aroma was pure dirt, in the best way possible. I love the smell of freshly plowed fields and of petrichor. We live on the border between the Sandhills of NC and the Piedmont. Our soil is sandy and dry, and this puerh smells like when I crawl under a house into the dry, undisturbed crawlspace. (Yes, I have had to do this quite a few times as the elderly ladies on the street used to call on me to hit the reset button on their oil furnaces. Ha ha!)

There is no fishiness and no real aged manure/horse barn scent here, other than the dusty smell of a barn with an earthen floor. There is no mushroom scent. There is a strong minty or camphor tingle that builds as you drink but dissipates fairly quickly. Pleasant.

I have had four steeps thus far and will be having more throughout the day. I am glad I tried this one. It is a very enjoyable ripe pu.