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teataku drank Dark Iris by August Uncommon Tea

226 tasting notes

I was so excited to get this sample (along with a couple of others) in the mail! I tried this one first, and I didn’t steep it for the full five minutes that it said on the package, because I don’t feel like any oolong really needs that long… but maybe I should have, because I feel like I didn’t get all the flavor that was promised to me by the AMAZING smell coming off the dry leaf. I think this is the first time that I have been able to detect all of the scents that the package said were there, instead of just some of them. The most prominent scent was the peach, followed by the pistachio and the crème fraiche, and then after a few whiffs I could smell a hint of lime. But the brew just didn’t deliver. I could taste the peach, and a little bit of the crème fraiche creaminess, but even after sweetening, I couldn’t coax any pistachio or lime flavor out of it. The oolong was nice and bready, and slightly naturally sweet, but weak, like someone swapped half of it out for mineral water (or didn’t steep it long enough… maybe I will try it again steeped for five minutes…?). I liked this tea, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Preparation

195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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I very clearly remember my first experience with tea. It was in a Target near my house, and my best friend handed me a cup of chai from the Starbucks inside the store and said, “Try this.” I believe I was about 12 at the time, and from then on, I was completely hooked.

Anyway, as my increasingly weirded out family will tell you, my obsession with tea has (almost) steadily escalated since then. I discovered the world of tea slowly, first with just chai, and then with bagged teas I could get from supermarkets and specialty stores, and then with loose leaf teas. I mostly shop for tea at Teavana, but I also patronize other local shops that I’ve discovered within the last couple of years. I’ve ordered a smattering of teas from a few online places, but I’m always leery of buying tea online, since most of how I select teas in person is by smell… unless I’m at The English Tea Room.

My favorite types of tea are blacks and flavored blacks. And oolongs. Right underneath that are rooiboses and whites, and then greens and herbals, and then mates. I’m always looking for a new favorite, but I appreciate rediscovering old favorites. I like to blend teas, but I never store them that way, mostly because I like to leave myself options.

I prefer nutty/sweet/rich teas to fruity/light-flavored teas or bold/full-bodied teas, but I do try to drink some of everything to widen my palate. I’m always willing to try any tea at least once (except this one tea that Teavana mercifully discontinued… the loose leaf smelled like cheese, I swear). I do perhaps rate teas a little leniently… because I’m not very picky. I will try a tea at least three times before I pronounce that I hate it, and I will always focus on the good aspects of a tea rather than the bad. That’s just how I roll. :3

Location

Colorado, USA

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