Type: Blend (Black and Herbal)
Producer: Bigelow
Origin: USA
Brewing Parameters: 2 minutes, 1 1.9g teabag (recommended)
Appearance: Trapezoidal paper tea bag with black tea fannings and spearmint dust
Rating: B | 87/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Bigelow is the standard in office and hotel teas. Along with Tazo, you can find these in big display stands with a large variety of flavors. Today's tea is from my Cal friend, who picked this particular blend up at her work (tutoring) with a number of other flavors. Surprisingly, I'm almost near 200 reviews now– this should be number 195, and I have a lot more tea bags to go through. I feel like it's kind of a cop out to end on these teas, but tea is expensive and I want to save some money.
Anyway, after brewing this tea, the liquid came out a dark brown. It's interesting; I feel like you usually find mint on its own as a tisane or brewed with a weaker tea, like a green. However, this came out pretty good. The liquid obviously smelled like spearmint or spearmint gum. The taste was a lot more minty than I expected, considering the base. If you didn't tell me, I'd say this was just a spearmint tisane with no tea at all. It definitely has the slightly sour flavor and cooling sensation of the mint that is characteristic of spearmint, but it also has a nuanced sweetness and a little bitter, earthy flavor from the base. Overall, I thought this tea was very enjoyable. It's not too different from just a regular spearmint tea, but I think the black tea base makes it a bit more subdued.
Other Notes
Today's album is Bang Bang by Dispatch. My Cal friend gave me a mix CD a while ago with The General as the first track. I don't think I usually listen to rock, but this is surprisingly catchy. I don't have much more to say since I'm still listening to it as I write this.
I'm finishing one busy week and it looks like I'll be going into another one. Since the last review, I've been doing the same old things– practicing handwriting, studying math, doing that online class, working out, etc. I did go last night with my Cal friend to the Japanese supermarket in San Jose where we got food and some snacks, and she gave me some art she made. The day before that, I helped my childhood friend pack up for moving– I came over at 6 pm and we were lifting stuff in and out of a truck until 2 am (and they weren't finished yet when I went home). I'm sure he's moved to Stockton already, but I told him he's always welcome to hang out with me at Berkeley. My friends and I are trying to plan a road trip to Los Angeles since I have my driving test next week, but it's hard when everyone is busy and with college stuff coming around the corner. Oh, and my ex and I started chatting a little bit again and it isn't too bad.
This weekend will be exciting. Today, I'm going to go watch Dunkirk with the family. My grandma was having some health problems last night and this morning, so hopefully she gets better soon. I was going to go to Freq.Fest.SF today, too, but the person I was going with had family things come up, so that's fine. Tomorrow, I'm going to a concert my friend is putting on, and the day after that, I'm hiking the Fire Trails at Berkeley with my dad. I feel like I need to do a lot more (instead of staying inside all the damn time) to not waste this summer, but it's hard when 1. you can't drive, 2. you're trying to save money because you're not getting work shifts, and 3. your friends are busy with their own plans or are out of town. I'm both excited for college, mainly because of meeting people and having new experiences, but at the same time, it's a bit scary (and sad) having to leave home and seeing everyone else move on.
Showing posts with label Blend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blend. Show all posts
Friday, July 21, 2017
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Review: Zen - Tazo
Type: Blend (Green and Herbal)
Producer: Tazo
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 236 ml hot water, 80°C, 3 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Trapezoidal paper tea bag with green tea dust, lemongrass, and spearmint
Rating: 88 | B+/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
As I mentioned in a previous review, I got this tea at the California mock trial state finals when I raided the hotel's tea display. When I brewed this tea, it came out a very dark orange/amber color– the same color that mint tea usually comes out as (the spearmint here I think is the culprit). Same with the smell, it's more minty than grassy or citrusy. It actually has a very pleasant taste, too. I'd say it's a predominantly a mint tea; the first and foremost taste is spearmint. After that, it goes into a mellow, grassy flavor with a vague sweetness, and finally, it becomes sour and stays in the mouth for a few seconds. It feels like an interesting in-between for green tea and a tisane, and it's not bad at all. Overall, I like it; my only problem I have with it, but that's with all Tazo tea in general, is that the teabags are never really have any good quality leaf in them (I wonder if they sell loose leaf?).
Other Notes
Today's album is EP by little xs for eyes. Found this band through the remix album by Sounds of System Breakdown, and this has always been one of my go-tos for relaxation music. It's mainly acoustic, slow, and very chill, but from what I've heard, their new stuff has gone to a more upbeat, pop/indie/folk sound. I like it; check them out sometime.
So, yesterday was my last day of work. It went the same as usual; only notable thing was that I helped an old Mexican man pick up his keys, and after we went through security, he almost accidentally grabbed my wallet instead of his. I stopped him and gave him his, but he began to talk to me in Spanish and I didn't really know how to respond (I don't speak Spanish). So, I mostly just nodded and said yeah, and wished him a good day as I walked away.
The day before that, it was my friend's grad party. Quick backstory: she's from my main friend group from freshman and sophomore year, and we took African American Literature together this year. The group broke apart around junior year; people had left in small groups before because they made new friends or started dating people, but there was a big fight and a lot of drama between my ex and this friend. The group broke after that. At the party, though, some of the group got back together and it was fun– we got in a limo and went to an Indian/Pakistani restaurant to eat. Food (samosas, curry, chicken, fish, naan, and interestingly a chocolate fountain) was amazing, and we watched a Muslim prayer. The drive home was the best part. We got glow sticks and blasted music like Bohemian Rhapsody, All Star, Panic! at the Disco, and a few others, and just had fun screwing around. Someone mentioned this at one point, and I think she was absolutely right: we're all great people, but when we were together in that group, it was just very toxic.
One thing that came up often was my ex. Apparently, she used to talk badly of almost everyone behind their backs, and there was a lot of drama over relationships (not with me, but from crushes carrying over from middle school). We don't talk anymore. We used to chat on messenger and snapchat pretty often, but she suddenly stopped one day. I was told at the grad party, though, that she had posted on her tumblr that she had said she wanted to distance herself from her ex (i.e. me) and mentioned stuff like never snapchatting your ex when you're having emotional struggles. Oh well. It's been a while since we last talked– we had a quick conversation about AP scores last week, and it felt very strained– and I guess I've moved on. It hasn't bothered me too much, but she does cross my mind sometimes.
Today, I have to enroll for my classes for Berkeley. I'm planning on taking general chemistry, intro to sociology, foundations of data science, and single variable calculus; hopefully I can get an Asian American studies class on musicals, too. I feel like it might be a lot and that I should take only three classes my first semester, but since I'm interested in double majoring in biological/environmental sciences and a social science, I have to take a lot of the boring, general classes to be able to declare before I get into the fun stuff in upper divisions. Also, I need to take breadths which forces me to take interesting classes (data science is one of those). The great thing is that, if it's too much for me, I have time to drop a class before I'm stuck. I want to get good grades in college, but I'll have to put a lot more work if I want to keep the straight As I earned in high school. My realistic goal is a 3.0, to keep my scholarship, but the dream is over a 3.5 GPA.
Tomorrow, I graduate from the justice academy and have to present a speech that we haven't necessarily practiced that much, but I feel like it'll go fine. My parents won't be able to attend since they'll be on a flight to Minnesota; I think that's good since my group isn't so polished. I'm going to spend the rest of the week relaxing and hanging out with friends, since I have the house until Sunday or Monday. On Saturday, I'll be going to San Francisco to watch the first summer session for next year's We the People teams, so that'll be fun– I'm excited since I'm going with a few friends.
Producer: Tazo
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 236 ml hot water, 80°C, 3 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Trapezoidal paper tea bag with green tea dust, lemongrass, and spearmint
Rating: 88 | B+/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
As I mentioned in a previous review, I got this tea at the California mock trial state finals when I raided the hotel's tea display. When I brewed this tea, it came out a very dark orange/amber color– the same color that mint tea usually comes out as (the spearmint here I think is the culprit). Same with the smell, it's more minty than grassy or citrusy. It actually has a very pleasant taste, too. I'd say it's a predominantly a mint tea; the first and foremost taste is spearmint. After that, it goes into a mellow, grassy flavor with a vague sweetness, and finally, it becomes sour and stays in the mouth for a few seconds. It feels like an interesting in-between for green tea and a tisane, and it's not bad at all. Overall, I like it; my only problem I have with it, but that's with all Tazo tea in general, is that the teabags are never really have any good quality leaf in them (I wonder if they sell loose leaf?).
Other Notes
Today's album is EP by little xs for eyes. Found this band through the remix album by Sounds of System Breakdown, and this has always been one of my go-tos for relaxation music. It's mainly acoustic, slow, and very chill, but from what I've heard, their new stuff has gone to a more upbeat, pop/indie/folk sound. I like it; check them out sometime.
So, yesterday was my last day of work. It went the same as usual; only notable thing was that I helped an old Mexican man pick up his keys, and after we went through security, he almost accidentally grabbed my wallet instead of his. I stopped him and gave him his, but he began to talk to me in Spanish and I didn't really know how to respond (I don't speak Spanish). So, I mostly just nodded and said yeah, and wished him a good day as I walked away.
The day before that, it was my friend's grad party. Quick backstory: she's from my main friend group from freshman and sophomore year, and we took African American Literature together this year. The group broke apart around junior year; people had left in small groups before because they made new friends or started dating people, but there was a big fight and a lot of drama between my ex and this friend. The group broke after that. At the party, though, some of the group got back together and it was fun– we got in a limo and went to an Indian/Pakistani restaurant to eat. Food (samosas, curry, chicken, fish, naan, and interestingly a chocolate fountain) was amazing, and we watched a Muslim prayer. The drive home was the best part. We got glow sticks and blasted music like Bohemian Rhapsody, All Star, Panic! at the Disco, and a few others, and just had fun screwing around. Someone mentioned this at one point, and I think she was absolutely right: we're all great people, but when we were together in that group, it was just very toxic.
One thing that came up often was my ex. Apparently, she used to talk badly of almost everyone behind their backs, and there was a lot of drama over relationships (not with me, but from crushes carrying over from middle school). We don't talk anymore. We used to chat on messenger and snapchat pretty often, but she suddenly stopped one day. I was told at the grad party, though, that she had posted on her tumblr that she had said she wanted to distance herself from her ex (i.e. me) and mentioned stuff like never snapchatting your ex when you're having emotional struggles. Oh well. It's been a while since we last talked– we had a quick conversation about AP scores last week, and it felt very strained– and I guess I've moved on. It hasn't bothered me too much, but she does cross my mind sometimes.
Today, I have to enroll for my classes for Berkeley. I'm planning on taking general chemistry, intro to sociology, foundations of data science, and single variable calculus; hopefully I can get an Asian American studies class on musicals, too. I feel like it might be a lot and that I should take only three classes my first semester, but since I'm interested in double majoring in biological/environmental sciences and a social science, I have to take a lot of the boring, general classes to be able to declare before I get into the fun stuff in upper divisions. Also, I need to take breadths which forces me to take interesting classes (data science is one of those). The great thing is that, if it's too much for me, I have time to drop a class before I'm stuck. I want to get good grades in college, but I'll have to put a lot more work if I want to keep the straight As I earned in high school. My realistic goal is a 3.0, to keep my scholarship, but the dream is over a 3.5 GPA.
Tomorrow, I graduate from the justice academy and have to present a speech that we haven't necessarily practiced that much, but I feel like it'll go fine. My parents won't be able to attend since they'll be on a flight to Minnesota; I think that's good since my group isn't so polished. I'm going to spend the rest of the week relaxing and hanging out with friends, since I have the house until Sunday or Monday. On Saturday, I'll be going to San Francisco to watch the first summer session for next year's We the People teams, so that'll be fun– I'm excited since I'm going with a few friends.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Day 90: C'est a Toi
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Blend (Black, Puerh, Oolong)
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Mix of dull black/brown roasted teas, small/broken up; they all look relatively the same/I wouldn't be able to tell apart the oolong, black, and puerh tea by looking at it (there are some curled teas, twigs, minor differences though)
Color: Deep orange-brown (mainly orange); clear, but a little hard to see since it's darkEart
Smell: Earthy/smoky notes, followed by a fishy smell and floral notes
Recommended with/as: As is, maybe sweetener
Rating: 7.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
This is a very interesting blend of tea- the only thing it's really missing now is green tea. Anyway, although it is a blend of three different teas, I think the most dominant taste (and smell) is the black tea. The taste begins with the earthy, somewhat bitter taste, which is followed by a light sweetness. It's a bit creamy/malty, with very light mint too.Throughout the whole tea is a smoky taste (probably from the lapsang souchong, but I have never actually had that so I'm not sure), which gives the tea a bit of a body and strength/savory taste. It's somewhat smooth, but it leaves the throat a tiny bit dry and a somewhat different, oily (?) texture in the mouth afterwards.
I did try it with honey just because I have a sore throat from laughing too much (see below), and it was pretty much the same; it didn't make the tea better, nor did it make it any worse. It did get rid of some of the smokiness and brought out a very light taste (I can't really describe it, but it has a very, very subtle sourness to it) from either the puerh or oolong. Overall, it was an interesting blend, but I feel like I need to try more of the teas in it, namely the puerh and lapsang, to have a better idea. It is good though!
Other notes:
Well guys, it looks like I'm in the final stretch! Hopefully they go well, and I'll try not to rush these reviews (but no promises, since finals are coming up and I need to start studying). Maybe I'll try making stats or something if I have the time, and I can finally start reviewing the teas from Vital Tea and Red Blossom. I'm hyped!
In other news, school went decently. There wasn't really anything interesting other than 60's day for Juniors and my friends played music for that. After school was the fun part though. I hung out with that girl I like and some other friends, and we ate some food and chilled at the park for a bit. Later, I biked to In N Out with another friend and we got hamburgers and all that, and then made up random stories while heading home in the dark. When I got home, I won an auction for a few Modest Mouse CDs on ebay for only $10 with shipping (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, Good News for People Who Love Bad News), and now I'm making this review. My family left for Disneyland/southern California earlier, so I'm alone at the house with my dog. You know, I think things are looking up for me now and I can't wait until summer rolls around.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Grape Green Tea
Type: Blend (Black, Puerh, Oolong)
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Mix of dull black/brown roasted teas, small/broken up; they all look relatively the same/I wouldn't be able to tell apart the oolong, black, and puerh tea by looking at it (there are some curled teas, twigs, minor differences though)
Color: Deep orange-brown (mainly orange); clear, but a little hard to see since it's darkEart
Smell: Earthy/smoky notes, followed by a fishy smell and floral notes
Recommended with/as: As is, maybe sweetener
Rating: 7.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
This is a very interesting blend of tea- the only thing it's really missing now is green tea. Anyway, although it is a blend of three different teas, I think the most dominant taste (and smell) is the black tea. The taste begins with the earthy, somewhat bitter taste, which is followed by a light sweetness. It's a bit creamy/malty, with very light mint too.Throughout the whole tea is a smoky taste (probably from the lapsang souchong, but I have never actually had that so I'm not sure), which gives the tea a bit of a body and strength/savory taste. It's somewhat smooth, but it leaves the throat a tiny bit dry and a somewhat different, oily (?) texture in the mouth afterwards.
I did try it with honey just because I have a sore throat from laughing too much (see below), and it was pretty much the same; it didn't make the tea better, nor did it make it any worse. It did get rid of some of the smokiness and brought out a very light taste (I can't really describe it, but it has a very, very subtle sourness to it) from either the puerh or oolong. Overall, it was an interesting blend, but I feel like I need to try more of the teas in it, namely the puerh and lapsang, to have a better idea. It is good though!
Other notes:
Well guys, it looks like I'm in the final stretch! Hopefully they go well, and I'll try not to rush these reviews (but no promises, since finals are coming up and I need to start studying). Maybe I'll try making stats or something if I have the time, and I can finally start reviewing the teas from Vital Tea and Red Blossom. I'm hyped!
In other news, school went decently. There wasn't really anything interesting other than 60's day for Juniors and my friends played music for that. After school was the fun part though. I hung out with that girl I like and some other friends, and we ate some food and chilled at the park for a bit. Later, I biked to In N Out with another friend and we got hamburgers and all that, and then made up random stories while heading home in the dark. When I got home, I won an auction for a few Modest Mouse CDs on ebay for only $10 with shipping (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, Good News for People Who Love Bad News), and now I'm making this review. My family left for Disneyland/southern California earlier, so I'm alone at the house with my dog. You know, I think things are looking up for me now and I can't wait until summer rolls around.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Grape Green Tea
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Day 78: Rose Hip Tea
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Herbal & Black Blend
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Very small black, curled leaves with orange-red, opaque chunks of rosehip
Color: Light ruby (mostly pink, with a tiny bit of orange); clear
Smell: Floral (roses), citrus, a bit like tomato
Recommended with/as: As is, iced
Rating: 7/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
God, I hated the smell of the dry loose leaf. It's hard to describe, but all I can think is that it was too perfume-y. The brewed version was a bit more tolerable though (it did smell a lot like tomatoes, like other reviewers have said). As for taste, I did notice the tomato that was in the smell; it added a bit of tanginess to the tea, along with a little bit of sweetness. However, that was really it- I couldn't notice any other taste other than the tang (the tea base had a little bit of a roasted/earthy taste but it's very hard to notice). It also had a tiny bit of astringency that made my mouth and throat a little bit dry.Overall, it makes for a pretty colored tea, but not a good tasting one; I'd prefer it if there was actually a rose taste. It is better than tomato soup, however.
Other notes:
Today, I mostly just worked on the writing portion of the history project that's due Friday (10/12 paragraphs written!). So that means I just need to make the wooden frame for the map, edit the paragraphs, add in citations, and make the works cited, and I'll be all done. Also, a girl I like (a different one that I haven't really talked about) and I kinda confirmed today that we like each other, so there's that. I won't go more in depth since she reads this occasionally, but if she is reading today's post, hi.
My birthday is also tomorrow, so I got that going for me too.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Fantasy
Type: Herbal & Black Blend
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Very small black, curled leaves with orange-red, opaque chunks of rosehip
Color: Light ruby (mostly pink, with a tiny bit of orange); clear
Smell: Floral (roses), citrus, a bit like tomato
Recommended with/as: As is, iced
Rating: 7/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
God, I hated the smell of the dry loose leaf. It's hard to describe, but all I can think is that it was too perfume-y. The brewed version was a bit more tolerable though (it did smell a lot like tomatoes, like other reviewers have said). As for taste, I did notice the tomato that was in the smell; it added a bit of tanginess to the tea, along with a little bit of sweetness. However, that was really it- I couldn't notice any other taste other than the tang (the tea base had a little bit of a roasted/earthy taste but it's very hard to notice). It also had a tiny bit of astringency that made my mouth and throat a little bit dry.Overall, it makes for a pretty colored tea, but not a good tasting one; I'd prefer it if there was actually a rose taste. It is better than tomato soup, however.
Other notes:
Today, I mostly just worked on the writing portion of the history project that's due Friday (10/12 paragraphs written!). So that means I just need to make the wooden frame for the map, edit the paragraphs, add in citations, and make the works cited, and I'll be all done. Also, a girl I like (a different one that I haven't really talked about) and I kinda confirmed today that we like each other, so there's that. I won't go more in depth since she reads this occasionally, but if she is reading today's post, hi.
My birthday is also tomorrow, so I got that going for me too.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Fantasy
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Day 60: Ginger Tea
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Blend (Black and Herbal)
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Small CTC black tea with relatively large chunks of dried ginger
Color: Dark copper/very dark red; clear (but so dark that it's hard to see through)
Smell: Mainly ginger and its spice, with the earthy and caramel notes of the black tea (assam)
Recommended with/as: As is, milk (?), sweetener
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Well, this tea isn't what I expected. Even though the smell of the ginger overpowers the tea base, you can barely taste it in the tea. Mainly however, it tastes like an assam- earthy, malty, and a little bit creamy. I can sort of notice the ginger (mainly its spice/kick), but it's overwhelmed by the taste of the tea base. Overall, its smooth, very strong, and would make for a nice breakfast tea. However, it's a bit basic (it's literally just black tea with chunks of ginger added, nothing else); personally, I would just go with a plain assam instead. It did make for a good studying tea though!
Lupicia suggested the tea with milk, but since I used all of my milk yesterday for the latte, I couldn't try it. However, I imagine it would be better with milk because of the strong black tea taste, and it might actually bring out the taste of the ginger a little bit more.
Other notes:
Oh hey, 60 days in and I officially finished one of the 9 boxes! (If you didn't know, the book of tea is split up into 9 boxes, each with 11/12 tea bags each. The reason why this happened so late into the project is that I've been using a randomizer and picking a tea from a random box each day).
Other than that, nothing much today other than my grade for math might actually be salvaged! We got our grades from the last tests (not the one from yesterday), and I got a 92.5 and 95, so now my quarter grade is 92%. As long as I don't screw up the test tomorrow, I should be golden. I'll just leave it at that, since I have to go study for that test (I think this is actually the first time I've had a pretty good study schedule going for math for the past few days- about an hour or 2 each day, with problems from 2 different textbooks, timed).
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Apple and Berry
Type: Blend (Black and Herbal)
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Small CTC black tea with relatively large chunks of dried ginger
Color: Dark copper/very dark red; clear (but so dark that it's hard to see through)
Smell: Mainly ginger and its spice, with the earthy and caramel notes of the black tea (assam)
Recommended with/as: As is, milk (?), sweetener
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Well, this tea isn't what I expected. Even though the smell of the ginger overpowers the tea base, you can barely taste it in the tea. Mainly however, it tastes like an assam- earthy, malty, and a little bit creamy. I can sort of notice the ginger (mainly its spice/kick), but it's overwhelmed by the taste of the tea base. Overall, its smooth, very strong, and would make for a nice breakfast tea. However, it's a bit basic (it's literally just black tea with chunks of ginger added, nothing else); personally, I would just go with a plain assam instead. It did make for a good studying tea though!
Lupicia suggested the tea with milk, but since I used all of my milk yesterday for the latte, I couldn't try it. However, I imagine it would be better with milk because of the strong black tea taste, and it might actually bring out the taste of the ginger a little bit more.
Other notes:
Oh hey, 60 days in and I officially finished one of the 9 boxes! (If you didn't know, the book of tea is split up into 9 boxes, each with 11/12 tea bags each. The reason why this happened so late into the project is that I've been using a randomizer and picking a tea from a random box each day).
Other than that, nothing much today other than my grade for math might actually be salvaged! We got our grades from the last tests (not the one from yesterday), and I got a 92.5 and 95, so now my quarter grade is 92%. As long as I don't screw up the test tomorrow, I should be golden. I'll just leave it at that, since I have to go study for that test (I think this is actually the first time I've had a pretty good study schedule going for math for the past few days- about an hour or 2 each day, with problems from 2 different textbooks, timed).
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Apple and Berry
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Day 53: Matcha Black Soybean Rice Tea
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Blend (Green/herbal; I just realized this for all of the genmaichas I've had so far, so now I gotta go back and fix that)
Brew Time & Temperature: 1 minute 30 seconds, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Grass-like dark green leaves (both long and broken up) with popped rice and black beans; it is all covered in light green matcha
Color: Bright, light green; clear
Smell: From what I can smell, grassy and roasted notes
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
As expected of genmaicha, there's a bit of a roasted taste from the rice, which is mixed with the grassy taste of the green tea. The matcha adds a bit of a tang to the tea, and I can't tell if it's the soybeans or the rice, but there's a bit of nuttiness too. It has a smooth texture for the most part, but it leaves the throat dry after drinking. Somewhat of a brothy taste, it's a decent tea, but is too similar to the other genmaichas I've had so far (the added beans don't really add much).
Short review today, since my sister came home and I've been doing homework/projects.
Other notes:
Nothing much today, but tomorrow is going to be fun (it's not). I couldn't get any of my math or history homework done since I went out to eat with my sister/family and got home late, so all I did was the english project (which I'm actually pretty proud of). Tomorrow though, I gotta catch up with AP Bio stuff (missed it because of my exit exams), finish the project board (didn't even start it yet and we're gonna do it in school), study for an AP bio/English/Japanese test, and finish all of the homework I didn't finish today. So, hopefully that goes decently.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Hapjan Purbat BOP (CTC)
Type: Blend (Green/herbal; I just realized this for all of the genmaichas I've had so far, so now I gotta go back and fix that)
Brew Time & Temperature: 1 minute 30 seconds, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Grass-like dark green leaves (both long and broken up) with popped rice and black beans; it is all covered in light green matcha
Color: Bright, light green; clear
Smell: From what I can smell, grassy and roasted notes
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
As expected of genmaicha, there's a bit of a roasted taste from the rice, which is mixed with the grassy taste of the green tea. The matcha adds a bit of a tang to the tea, and I can't tell if it's the soybeans or the rice, but there's a bit of nuttiness too. It has a smooth texture for the most part, but it leaves the throat dry after drinking. Somewhat of a brothy taste, it's a decent tea, but is too similar to the other genmaichas I've had so far (the added beans don't really add much).
Short review today, since my sister came home and I've been doing homework/projects.
Other notes:
Nothing much today, but tomorrow is going to be fun (it's not). I couldn't get any of my math or history homework done since I went out to eat with my sister/family and got home late, so all I did was the english project (which I'm actually pretty proud of). Tomorrow though, I gotta catch up with AP Bio stuff (missed it because of my exit exams), finish the project board (didn't even start it yet and we're gonna do it in school), study for an AP bio/English/Japanese test, and finish all of the homework I didn't finish today. So, hopefully that goes decently.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Hapjan Purbat BOP (CTC)
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Day 22: Matcha Kirara Rice Tea
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Green (Genmaicha blend)
Brew Time & Temperature: 1 minute 30 seconds, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Green tea leaves that look like blades of grass with somewhat large roasted pieces of rice, all covered in matcha
Color: Bright, light green
Smell: Strong smell of roasted rice with a bit of sweetness
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Despite my taste and smell not being what it used to, I still liked this tea relatively well. The roasted and nutty taste of the rice is very strong, and the green tea/matcha base is nice with little astringency. It's sweet with little bitterness, but I found that its a little hard to taste the green tea (genmaicha) in it, since the rice overpowers it. Overall, I really like it (especially since the loose leaf is super cheap- I might pick up a pack some time).
Other notes:
Nothing really happened again today other than 1. I interviewed my grandfather for a project, 2. got stuck waiting to film, which never happened because people, and 3. went biking. For some reason, I can breathe through my nose fine (for the most part), but I can't smell very well at all. Hopefully, this'll change soon since it's already been a week of me guessing or spending a super long time smelling a single cup of tea.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Apricot
Type: Green (Genmaicha blend)
Brew Time & Temperature: 1 minute 30 seconds, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Green tea leaves that look like blades of grass with somewhat large roasted pieces of rice, all covered in matcha
Color: Bright, light green
Smell: Strong smell of roasted rice with a bit of sweetness
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Despite my taste and smell not being what it used to, I still liked this tea relatively well. The roasted and nutty taste of the rice is very strong, and the green tea/matcha base is nice with little astringency. It's sweet with little bitterness, but I found that its a little hard to taste the green tea (genmaicha) in it, since the rice overpowers it. Overall, I really like it (especially since the loose leaf is super cheap- I might pick up a pack some time).
Other notes:
Nothing really happened again today other than 1. I interviewed my grandfather for a project, 2. got stuck waiting to film, which never happened because people, and 3. went biking. For some reason, I can breathe through my nose fine (for the most part), but I can't smell very well at all. Hopefully, this'll change soon since it's already been a week of me guessing or spending a super long time smelling a single cup of tea.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Apricot
Monday, February 9, 2015
Day 16: Happiness
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Flavored Blend (rooibos and green)
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Green tea and rooibos with a large amount of flower petals
Color: Light yellow
Smell: Sweet, floral, fruity
Recommended with/as: As is, iced, sugar, honey
Rating: 7*/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Overall, I thought this tea was average. Unsweetened, it's astringent and bland. There's little fruit taste- despite the smell, the tea is a bit flavorless. Sweetened, it's a bit better, but I still don't like it. Not at all. Apparently, it's supposed to taste like grapefruit and peach (and maybe even wine) but I don't taste any of those. Rather, it tastes more like licorice.
Other notes:
*Okay, so I am super sick today (the flu, I think), so this review will have to be short and probably not accurate since I can't really smell or taste. I'm coughing, all of my joints ache, I've been lightheaded all day, and I can't even write decently. The thing that sucks is that I HAVE to go to school tomorrow because I have a group test and I can't miss that. Anyway, I'll let you guys know what happens.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Sakurambo
Type: Flavored Blend (rooibos and green)
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Green tea and rooibos with a large amount of flower petals
Color: Light yellow
Smell: Sweet, floral, fruity
Recommended with/as: As is, iced, sugar, honey
Rating: 7*/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Overall, I thought this tea was average. Unsweetened, it's astringent and bland. There's little fruit taste- despite the smell, the tea is a bit flavorless. Sweetened, it's a bit better, but I still don't like it. Not at all. Apparently, it's supposed to taste like grapefruit and peach (and maybe even wine) but I don't taste any of those. Rather, it tastes more like licorice.
Other notes:
*Okay, so I am super sick today (the flu, I think), so this review will have to be short and probably not accurate since I can't really smell or taste. I'm coughing, all of my joints ache, I've been lightheaded all day, and I can't even write decently. The thing that sucks is that I HAVE to go to school tomorrow because I have a group test and I can't miss that. Anyway, I'll let you guys know what happens.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Sakurambo
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