Type: Green
Producer: Bigelow
Origin: USA
Brewing Parameters: 3 minutes, 1 2.5g teabag (recommended)
Appearance: Bleached trapezoidal paper tea bag with green tea fannings and chunks of dried fruit and flower petals
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
This tea has a pretty good blend of ingredients: green tea, apple, hibiscus, pomegranate, rose, and a few other things. It's essentially just Bigelow's green tea (which I also have a teabag for) with extra ingredients, which I think it's pretty smart on the business end of things. As with most fruity teas, when brewed, the liquid tends to separate– the purple liquid/color of the pomegranate or apple settled at the bottom, as the rest of the tea turned a light grayish color. After brewing (and mixing it together by steeping the teabag), it became an opaque, orange-red color. The smell was sweet and fruity, with a slight hint of sticky rice in the background. As for the taste– it's less fruity than I'd expected, but still, it had a bit of sourness from the pomegranate. It's mostly mellow; I'd say that the slight grassy taste of the green comes out more than the pomegranate (unexpectedly). After the first sip, the pomegranate lingers on the tongue with the tart taste of the rosehip; it's smooth. Overall, not a bad tea at all. I'd like to try it iced.
Other Notes
Today's album is Oh Wonder's namesake debut album (Oh Wonder). If you've looked at the previous posts on this blog, I'm sure you can guess I'm into indie electronic pop. I found them through Youtube Music and I really like this album. It's a bit quiet and slow at times, but the songs are catchy and have great vocals.
As of today's review, I have tasted 199 teas and written about them on this blog. I guess in two days I'll have reached my goal, but I don't think I have any special teas to commemorate it. But, now, I either end the blog at 200 or keep going until my last day of summer on August 12. No matter how it ends, I do have a long post planned before I stop writing on this blog.
Anyway, yesterday, I mostly just went out shopping to buy college clothes and dorm stuff. I usually hate shopping– especially at the outlet mall near us, because there are so many people there and they can be dicks a lot of the time– but I'm pretty happy with what I got there.
Today, I went on a short hike with my Cal friend and my dog. Afterwards, we came back to my place and finished Over the Garden Wall (one of my favorite animated series; we watch it every Thanksgiving). I then gave the dog a bath and filled gas for the first time, which was interesting.
I also met up with one of my close friends– we took Japanese together– for the first time since school ended. We ate Korean fried chicken and picked up some art supplies for my grandma, and played video games at my place. Everytime I hang out with him, I'm more surprised at how similar we are. We've had a lot of the same experiences with girls, drugs, etc. and came to the same conclusions about them. He's attending community college but doesn't know what he wants to do in the future; once he chooses a major, I'm going to help him transfer to a university after two years. He's also dating a girl from Nevada and wants to move out and get his own place. I told him that if he ever needs a roommate for an apartment or something, I'm willing to help out if he decides to live in the North Bay. We planned to hang out a bit more before I move out, and I want to take him to football games at Cal, but I'm glad we connected again.
Showing posts with label Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green. Show all posts
Monday, July 31, 2017
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Review: Organic Green Tea - Ito En
Type: Green (sencha leaves with matcha)
Producer: Ito En/Kirkland Signature
Origin: Japan
Brewing Parameters: 80°C, 30s, 1.5g tea bag (recommended)
Appearance: Square nylon bag with green tea fannings and matcha powder
Rating: C- | 72/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
The funny thing about this tea is that this is actually Costco branded, but produced by Ito En (so the quality isn't that bad). It's different in the fact that it has both sencha and matcha; if I had to guess, the matcha is added in order to get a deep green color. It works, too. After a short, thirty second brew, the liquid was a cloudy, dark yellowish green with some matcha visible at the bottom of the cup.
Despite the color, the smell wasn't too strong; I could get some light, grassy notes with a lemony citrus. In the taste, the sencha was the dominant flavor. It's soupy– somewhat vegetal– with a grassy sweetness that is overtaken by a long, sour note in the aftertaste. In the background, there is the signature taste of low or cooking-quality matcha, that somewhat fishy flavor. One problem I could find with this tea is that it needs to be consumed fast. The matcha in the water continues the brewing long after you take the tea bag out, so I can see it getting bitter after a while. Overall, for the price point, you're definitely getting your money's worth– especially since there are a hundred tea bags in the box. It's average, but I can see this as a good way to integrate green tea into your cooking or for making iced tea.
Other Notes
Today's album is another eternity by Purity Ring. I'm still listening to the album as I write this, so I don't have much to say, but it's good electronic music with great vocals. I think they came up as a recommended band after I started listening to Grimes, and I'm glad I found them. My favorite song so far is bodyache.
I just returned from my AP biology teacher's funeral. It was nice to see everyone there; the church was filled, I saw many of my friends and teachers, there was a lot of crying, and I finally feel some closure from it. That's all I really have to say about that. Later today, I'm going to go to the county fair with one of my unitmates, the girl from the other team, and some of her friends. It's supposed to be a date between my unitmate and this guy she likes from the other team, so that'll be exciting.
As for stuff I have planned, I still have three days at work– watched a trial about recklessly setting a fire yesterday– a speech to present, a trip to San Francisco with one of my UCLA friends, possibly a Minnesota trip, UC Berkeley homework, We the People meetings, and a few more things. I'm busier than I thought I'd be, but at least I'll be ready for college!
Producer: Ito En/Kirkland Signature
Origin: Japan
Brewing Parameters: 80°C, 30s, 1.5g tea bag (recommended)
Appearance: Square nylon bag with green tea fannings and matcha powder
Rating: C- | 72/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
The funny thing about this tea is that this is actually Costco branded, but produced by Ito En (so the quality isn't that bad). It's different in the fact that it has both sencha and matcha; if I had to guess, the matcha is added in order to get a deep green color. It works, too. After a short, thirty second brew, the liquid was a cloudy, dark yellowish green with some matcha visible at the bottom of the cup.
Despite the color, the smell wasn't too strong; I could get some light, grassy notes with a lemony citrus. In the taste, the sencha was the dominant flavor. It's soupy– somewhat vegetal– with a grassy sweetness that is overtaken by a long, sour note in the aftertaste. In the background, there is the signature taste of low or cooking-quality matcha, that somewhat fishy flavor. One problem I could find with this tea is that it needs to be consumed fast. The matcha in the water continues the brewing long after you take the tea bag out, so I can see it getting bitter after a while. Overall, for the price point, you're definitely getting your money's worth– especially since there are a hundred tea bags in the box. It's average, but I can see this as a good way to integrate green tea into your cooking or for making iced tea.
Other Notes
Today's album is another eternity by Purity Ring. I'm still listening to the album as I write this, so I don't have much to say, but it's good electronic music with great vocals. I think they came up as a recommended band after I started listening to Grimes, and I'm glad I found them. My favorite song so far is bodyache.
I just returned from my AP biology teacher's funeral. It was nice to see everyone there; the church was filled, I saw many of my friends and teachers, there was a lot of crying, and I finally feel some closure from it. That's all I really have to say about that. Later today, I'm going to go to the county fair with one of my unitmates, the girl from the other team, and some of her friends. It's supposed to be a date between my unitmate and this guy she likes from the other team, so that'll be exciting.
As for stuff I have planned, I still have three days at work– watched a trial about recklessly setting a fire yesterday– a speech to present, a trip to San Francisco with one of my UCLA friends, possibly a Minnesota trip, UC Berkeley homework, We the People meetings, and a few more things. I'm busier than I thought I'd be, but at least I'll be ready for college!
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Review: High Mountain - Loyal Tea
Type: Green
Producer: Loyal Tea
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 80-85°C (recommended); brewing with 5 g and gongfu style
Appearance: Small, slightly pale, dark green, pan-fried, curled leaves
Rating: A | 94/100
# of Brews: 3
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Recently, my parents went to Taiwan as a leg of their trip to Philippines, and I asked them to buy me as much tea as possible. They came back with six different teas and a number of assorted tea bags, so it looks like I'll be starting a new set of reviews! Note that I can't read Chinese, and these teas only really have English for the instructions, so the producers are unknown (and I'll be guessing the type of tea– most are oolongs, either some sort of green/unroasted or Oriental Beauty, with one black tea).
It's been a while since I've had a nice green tea– I've been drinking a lot of oolongs recently– and this was a nice change. This tea is extremely pungent; with the tea wash, a smell of seaweed, grass, and smoke lifted off of the pot and liquid. With short, <5 second brews (pouring the water in and pouring the tea off immediately), the tea came out a bright, yellowish-green color. Interestingly, the flavor is vaguely sweet, with a light bubble gum taste. It's followed by the sour, grassy taste characteristic of most greens– the main flavor– which is also a bit savory. I think the smoke smell comes out in the aftertaste, and the texture overall is very smooth. It doesn't dry out the throat or leave any noticeable texture in the mouth, either.
I stopped after around 3 brews, but only because I ran out of water and need to eat breakfast. It's surprisingly good, and I either expect to continue brewing this throughout the day and using the leaves to cook with (they're very high quality and don't taste half bad). Since it's a green, I'm unsure if it'll last maybe more than 5 brews total, but it was still going strong when I stopped. Overall, this tea is a pretty strong pan-fried green, judging from the curl of the leaves, and I'd recommend it– it reminds me strongly of the Kamairicha Gokase from Lupicia, which was another great green tea.
Other Notes
Producer: Loyal Tea
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 80-85°C (recommended); brewing with 5 g and gongfu style
Appearance: Small, slightly pale, dark green, pan-fried, curled leaves
Rating: A | 94/100
# of Brews: 3
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Recently, my parents went to Taiwan as a leg of their trip to Philippines, and I asked them to buy me as much tea as possible. They came back with six different teas and a number of assorted tea bags, so it looks like I'll be starting a new set of reviews! Note that I can't read Chinese, and these teas only really have English for the instructions, so the producers are unknown (and I'll be guessing the type of tea– most are oolongs, either some sort of green/unroasted or Oriental Beauty, with one black tea).
It's been a while since I've had a nice green tea– I've been drinking a lot of oolongs recently– and this was a nice change. This tea is extremely pungent; with the tea wash, a smell of seaweed, grass, and smoke lifted off of the pot and liquid. With short, <5 second brews (pouring the water in and pouring the tea off immediately), the tea came out a bright, yellowish-green color. Interestingly, the flavor is vaguely sweet, with a light bubble gum taste. It's followed by the sour, grassy taste characteristic of most greens– the main flavor– which is also a bit savory. I think the smoke smell comes out in the aftertaste, and the texture overall is very smooth. It doesn't dry out the throat or leave any noticeable texture in the mouth, either.
I stopped after around 3 brews, but only because I ran out of water and need to eat breakfast. It's surprisingly good, and I either expect to continue brewing this throughout the day and using the leaves to cook with (they're very high quality and don't taste half bad). Since it's a green, I'm unsure if it'll last maybe more than 5 brews total, but it was still going strong when I stopped. Overall, this tea is a pretty strong pan-fried green, judging from the curl of the leaves, and I'd recommend it– it reminds me strongly of the Kamairicha Gokase from Lupicia, which was another great green tea.
Other Notes
Today's album is DESIRE - R E M I X E S by Mark Redito. I'm sure I've made my interest in Mark Redito's music pretty clear by now, and all of these remixes are good takes on his stuff. Listen to it!
So, it's the final month of school– I graduate on June 2nd. I originally planned to end this blog when I graduated, but with the erratic uploading schedule and the backlog of teas I have to get through, I have decided that I'll now end this blog once summer vacation ends. Although I keep saying otherwise, don't expect regular posts. I do plan to clear the backlog, though.
As a quick update of what's happened since Bruin Life Weekend at UCLA, I've finally committed to a college! I'm going to UC Berkeley's College of Letters and Sciences as a Regent's Scholar. In the end, I chose Cal over UCLA because 1. it's close, and a lot more convenient than moving across state; 2. Regent's covers all financial need if I ever need it, and gives a ton of other benefits like priority registration (it doesn't really matter anymore that I didn't take that many AP exams); and 3. I prefer the grittier, urban environment of Berkeley over the upper-class, suburban feel of Westwood (I've been living in a suburb my entire life, and a city is a nice change). Although it doesn't seem like it'll be as fun or relaxing as UCLA, I think I'm ready for the challenge. I also plan to transfer into Cal's College of Natural Resources, and head down to LA to meet my BLW friends and watch the Cal-UCLA football game.
Competition Civics warrants its own full post, but here's a quick rundown of some notable things. I asked one of our teammates to ball (which happens next week!); we bused with the team from Maine and were pretty surprised at the amount of white people in the entire competition and how diverse our team technically was in relation; met a bunch of awesome people from Pennsylvania; ate a ton of soul food; and did decently first round (4th Amendment), pretty good the second (Earl Warren), and kicked ass in the Top 10 Round (1st Amendment). My unit fulfilled our goal of being in the Top 10– our team finished in 5th place, which is one spot better than the only other team our coach has brought to nationals– and we actually were the highest scoring Unit 5 in the final round. Because one of our judges was in a wheel chair, we actually got to testify in the seat where the Representatives sit in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In the end, a great competition and I hope we continue working with the program in the future.
Since then, I've had AP exams and met with friends (watched a pretty intense hockey game, cooked dinner for my unit, the girl from the other team and her unit). To be completely honest, I'm kind of terrified, but still excited for college, but that's for another time and post. Thanks for reading!
So, it's the final month of school– I graduate on June 2nd. I originally planned to end this blog when I graduated, but with the erratic uploading schedule and the backlog of teas I have to get through, I have decided that I'll now end this blog once summer vacation ends. Although I keep saying otherwise, don't expect regular posts. I do plan to clear the backlog, though.
As a quick update of what's happened since Bruin Life Weekend at UCLA, I've finally committed to a college! I'm going to UC Berkeley's College of Letters and Sciences as a Regent's Scholar. In the end, I chose Cal over UCLA because 1. it's close, and a lot more convenient than moving across state; 2. Regent's covers all financial need if I ever need it, and gives a ton of other benefits like priority registration (it doesn't really matter anymore that I didn't take that many AP exams); and 3. I prefer the grittier, urban environment of Berkeley over the upper-class, suburban feel of Westwood (I've been living in a suburb my entire life, and a city is a nice change). Although it doesn't seem like it'll be as fun or relaxing as UCLA, I think I'm ready for the challenge. I also plan to transfer into Cal's College of Natural Resources, and head down to LA to meet my BLW friends and watch the Cal-UCLA football game.
Competition Civics warrants its own full post, but here's a quick rundown of some notable things. I asked one of our teammates to ball (which happens next week!); we bused with the team from Maine and were pretty surprised at the amount of white people in the entire competition and how diverse our team technically was in relation; met a bunch of awesome people from Pennsylvania; ate a ton of soul food; and did decently first round (4th Amendment), pretty good the second (Earl Warren), and kicked ass in the Top 10 Round (1st Amendment). My unit fulfilled our goal of being in the Top 10– our team finished in 5th place, which is one spot better than the only other team our coach has brought to nationals– and we actually were the highest scoring Unit 5 in the final round. Because one of our judges was in a wheel chair, we actually got to testify in the seat where the Representatives sit in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In the end, a great competition and I hope we continue working with the program in the future.
Since then, I've had AP exams and met with friends (watched a pretty intense hockey game, cooked dinner for my unit, the girl from the other team and her unit). To be completely honest, I'm kind of terrified, but still excited for college, but that's for another time and post. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Review: Jasmine Mandarin Special Grade - Lupicia
Type: Flavored/Scented Green
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: China
Brewing Parameters: 2.6 g bag, 100°C, 1.5-2 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Small, rolled green and yellow-green leaves (pan-fried) in a nylon pyramid bag
Rating: B+ | 88/100
# of Brews: 4
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Another sample bag I received in the mail from Lupicia. A long time ago, I tried Lupicia's standard Jasmine Mandarin during the 100 Days of Tea, but at this point, I've forgotten what it tasted like. Although this is a teabag, I'm cupping it today; I ripped open the teabag and poured the loose leaf into the tasting set. I'll still be brewing it at boiling temperature for 1-2 minutes, as recommended. Today's review will be quick, since I have a lot of work to do.
For the first brew, I only brewed for about a minute. The liquid came out a yellow amber color, with a very strong jasmine scent (obviously). Interestingly, the leaves had a different aroma; they were a bit more smoky and coffee-like, with a lighter floral scent. Since it's a small amount of water at a high temperature, the tea itself was slightly bitter. There's some sour kick to it with some fruitiness, which transitions to the floral jasmine flavor with bitter undertones. It lingers for a while in the mouth with a sweet taste and a smooth texture– somewhat soupy and thick.
The second brew was only 30 seconds to a minute. At this point, I've decided that I'm just brewing it more gongfu-style with a tea cupping set instead of the actual cupping style (where everything stays constant). The liquid was a much darker yellow color– hate to describe it this way, but it's like a dehydrated person's urine (now that's a descriptor!)– with relatively the same aroma. With that color, I would've guessed it would be more bitter, but surprisingly, it's not. It lost the sour taste and gained more of a sweet and vegetal flavor.
I ended up going to four brews, when the tea was starting to lose its flavor; it could still go for a few more. From the other jasmine green teas I've tasted, I think this one is pretty good. The leaves are high quality, and not broken up. It's forgiving in brewing; it doesn't turn extremely bitter if you brew it a second too long. It's not necessarily as floral scented/tasting as other jasmine greens, but it's good.
Other Notes
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: China
Brewing Parameters: 2.6 g bag, 100°C, 1.5-2 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Small, rolled green and yellow-green leaves (pan-fried) in a nylon pyramid bag
Rating: B+ | 88/100
# of Brews: 4
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Another sample bag I received in the mail from Lupicia. A long time ago, I tried Lupicia's standard Jasmine Mandarin during the 100 Days of Tea, but at this point, I've forgotten what it tasted like. Although this is a teabag, I'm cupping it today; I ripped open the teabag and poured the loose leaf into the tasting set. I'll still be brewing it at boiling temperature for 1-2 minutes, as recommended. Today's review will be quick, since I have a lot of work to do.
For the first brew, I only brewed for about a minute. The liquid came out a yellow amber color, with a very strong jasmine scent (obviously). Interestingly, the leaves had a different aroma; they were a bit more smoky and coffee-like, with a lighter floral scent. Since it's a small amount of water at a high temperature, the tea itself was slightly bitter. There's some sour kick to it with some fruitiness, which transitions to the floral jasmine flavor with bitter undertones. It lingers for a while in the mouth with a sweet taste and a smooth texture– somewhat soupy and thick.
The second brew was only 30 seconds to a minute. At this point, I've decided that I'm just brewing it more gongfu-style with a tea cupping set instead of the actual cupping style (where everything stays constant). The liquid was a much darker yellow color– hate to describe it this way, but it's like a dehydrated person's urine (now that's a descriptor!)– with relatively the same aroma. With that color, I would've guessed it would be more bitter, but surprisingly, it's not. It lost the sour taste and gained more of a sweet and vegetal flavor.
I ended up going to four brews, when the tea was starting to lose its flavor; it could still go for a few more. From the other jasmine green teas I've tasted, I think this one is pretty good. The leaves are high quality, and not broken up. It's forgiving in brewing; it doesn't turn extremely bitter if you brew it a second too long. It's not necessarily as floral scented/tasting as other jasmine greens, but it's good.
Other Notes
Today's album is Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2015. I randomly came across the Triple J Hottest 100 for 2016, while it was airing live on Australia Day, and I actually really enjoyed it. Sadly, I stayed up past 1 AM listening to the entire playlist after joining when it was around number 47. Great selections for both years, though.
Welp, let's talk about two things today: the Legion Oratorical contest and State for Competition Civics. First, round 2 of the Legion Oratorical happened yesterday, and I'm actually pretty happy about it. I had to come 2-3 hours early because I had to catch a ride with one of the organizers of the event, and I spent most of that time reading Civil Disobedience by Thoreau and studying for comp civics. When the other contestants came an hour before we started, we all actually hit it off with each other. It was me, a girl from Hayward High, and two guys from Oakland Military Institute. Compared to round 1, the guys from OMI were super cool and we all hit it off together. We spent a lot of time talking about school, things we're interested in, and politics. It was a pretty diverse group, racially, but we all shared the same interests– one of the OMI guys and I bonded over Aldnoah.Zero. Every time someone had to leave to go present, there were brohugs all around. I ended up taking second place with a score of 437– 2 points behind first place with 439 points. I'm not even mad about it; the guy who won is super nice– he even almost started crying because this was the first time OMI advanced past round 2– and I don't have to worry about practicing anymore now. As second, I took home $100 for a grand total of $300 for (admittedly) not that much preparation. My only regret? Not participating in this contest before senior year.
Oh, and also, many of the judges said that I have the speaking skills (just need to slow down) and knowledge/understanding to enter law or politics. I'm still unsure about what career I want to enter, but hey– at least I know my majors now. After talking with the organizer (the one who drove me there), I think I want to do a double major in environmental sciences and American studies. He told me about his daughter who went to Cal, what she did in high school (comp civics, too!) and college, and what she does for work now. I'm excited.
Second is state for Competition Civics. There are four days left, including today. For the most part, I think we're ready; the issue is that we're restructuring one of our testimonies now, but better late than never, right? To be honest, I don't know how it's going to go, though. Our rival school from Northern California, I'd say, is on par with us; our rival from Southern California, I'm guessing, is probably much better. I trust my unit to do their best, but I'm not sure about the rest of the team. It looks like their getting everything together, but I'm hoping we don't have to carry them in terms of points (which is what happened last round). I'll probably write a full post regarding my feelings about state the day or night we go; here's what I think, though– it's going to be a tossup.
Welp, let's talk about two things today: the Legion Oratorical contest and State for Competition Civics. First, round 2 of the Legion Oratorical happened yesterday, and I'm actually pretty happy about it. I had to come 2-3 hours early because I had to catch a ride with one of the organizers of the event, and I spent most of that time reading Civil Disobedience by Thoreau and studying for comp civics. When the other contestants came an hour before we started, we all actually hit it off with each other. It was me, a girl from Hayward High, and two guys from Oakland Military Institute. Compared to round 1, the guys from OMI were super cool and we all hit it off together. We spent a lot of time talking about school, things we're interested in, and politics. It was a pretty diverse group, racially, but we all shared the same interests– one of the OMI guys and I bonded over Aldnoah.Zero. Every time someone had to leave to go present, there were brohugs all around. I ended up taking second place with a score of 437– 2 points behind first place with 439 points. I'm not even mad about it; the guy who won is super nice– he even almost started crying because this was the first time OMI advanced past round 2– and I don't have to worry about practicing anymore now. As second, I took home $100 for a grand total of $300 for (admittedly) not that much preparation. My only regret? Not participating in this contest before senior year.
Oh, and also, many of the judges said that I have the speaking skills (just need to slow down) and knowledge/understanding to enter law or politics. I'm still unsure about what career I want to enter, but hey– at least I know my majors now. After talking with the organizer (the one who drove me there), I think I want to do a double major in environmental sciences and American studies. He told me about his daughter who went to Cal, what she did in high school (comp civics, too!) and college, and what she does for work now. I'm excited.
Second is state for Competition Civics. There are four days left, including today. For the most part, I think we're ready; the issue is that we're restructuring one of our testimonies now, but better late than never, right? To be honest, I don't know how it's going to go, though. Our rival school from Northern California, I'd say, is on par with us; our rival from Southern California, I'm guessing, is probably much better. I trust my unit to do their best, but I'm not sure about the rest of the team. It looks like their getting everything together, but I'm hoping we don't have to carry them in terms of points (which is what happened last round). I'll probably write a full post regarding my feelings about state the day or night we go; here's what I think, though– it's going to be a tossup.
Monday, January 9, 2017
Review: Soleil Levant - Lupicia
Type: Flavored Green
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: Japan
Brewing Parameters: 3g tea bag, 90-100°C, 1-1.5 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Rolled, dark green leaves (sencha) with yellow and purple flower petals and red spheres (no idea what they are– dried berries?)
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 2
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, I got a sample tea bag of this tea in the mail since I'm subsribed to Lupicia's monthly newsletter. I'm reviewing this the way I used to during the 100 Days of Tea– just an easy Western style brew im a large mug. Now, onto the review.
Holy crap, this tea has a ridiculously strong smell. The moment I opened the sample wrapper, the aroma of grape sucker punched my nose; if you know what grape Hi-Chew smells like, it's definitely that. This tea is very similar to Lupicia's other grape teas (Budou Green is the one that comes to mind) in terms of the concept and smell– it's a sencha with grape flavoring and apparently some matcha.
Surprisingly, it brewed up as a nice, dark yellowish-green considering that it's a sencha and I used boiling water. The aroma was relatively the same as the dry leaf, and the liquid itself was cloudy, probably due to the matcha. As for the flavor, I'm actually really surprised at how sour it was; I'm not sure if it was the grape flavoring or the sencha itself, but the closest thing I can relate it to is a very diluted lemon juice. When drinking, the first thing you taste is the sour kick, which transitions into the somewhat sweeter grape flavor (which isn't artificial at all– the Japanese are pretty good at recreating fruit flavors) with some grassy notes. It leaves a slightly dry feeling in the mouth, but not the throat, with a floral and grapefruit aftertaste.
Overall, it's alright. It's definitely been a while since I've had a flavored tea (except for Earl Grey), so I'm iffy on this. One issue I've noticed with these types of teas–the ones with matcha mixed in– is that they become bitter if left alone too long. You can take the leaves out, but the matcha powder stays in and continues to brew. I wouldn't drink this as a daily thing, but if friends were over, I'd take it out.
As a side note, I decided to brew this tea a second time, and it was a lot better– sweeter and smoother (probably because most of the flavoring washed off). If you ever buy this, I suggest trying to brew it at least a few times to see how the flavor tastes.
Other Notes
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: Japan
Brewing Parameters: 3g tea bag, 90-100°C, 1-1.5 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Rolled, dark green leaves (sencha) with yellow and purple flower petals and red spheres (no idea what they are– dried berries?)
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 2
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, I got a sample tea bag of this tea in the mail since I'm subsribed to Lupicia's monthly newsletter. I'm reviewing this the way I used to during the 100 Days of Tea– just an easy Western style brew im a large mug. Now, onto the review.
Holy crap, this tea has a ridiculously strong smell. The moment I opened the sample wrapper, the aroma of grape sucker punched my nose; if you know what grape Hi-Chew smells like, it's definitely that. This tea is very similar to Lupicia's other grape teas (Budou Green is the one that comes to mind) in terms of the concept and smell– it's a sencha with grape flavoring and apparently some matcha.
Surprisingly, it brewed up as a nice, dark yellowish-green considering that it's a sencha and I used boiling water. The aroma was relatively the same as the dry leaf, and the liquid itself was cloudy, probably due to the matcha. As for the flavor, I'm actually really surprised at how sour it was; I'm not sure if it was the grape flavoring or the sencha itself, but the closest thing I can relate it to is a very diluted lemon juice. When drinking, the first thing you taste is the sour kick, which transitions into the somewhat sweeter grape flavor (which isn't artificial at all– the Japanese are pretty good at recreating fruit flavors) with some grassy notes. It leaves a slightly dry feeling in the mouth, but not the throat, with a floral and grapefruit aftertaste.
Overall, it's alright. It's definitely been a while since I've had a flavored tea (except for Earl Grey), so I'm iffy on this. One issue I've noticed with these types of teas–the ones with matcha mixed in– is that they become bitter if left alone too long. You can take the leaves out, but the matcha powder stays in and continues to brew. I wouldn't drink this as a daily thing, but if friends were over, I'd take it out.
As a side note, I decided to brew this tea a second time, and it was a lot better– sweeter and smoother (probably because most of the flavoring washed off). If you ever buy this, I suggest trying to brew it at least a few times to see how the flavor tastes.
Other Notes
Today's album is Scenery 1976 by Ryo Fukui. This randomly showed up on my Recommended feed on Youtube a couple of weeks back, and it's a pretty good jazz album (very piano oriented).
Talking about jazz, that leads me into my next point! I watched La La Land with my family and a friend last night and it was really good. Romantic movies aren't usually my thing, but, damn, the ending hit way too close to home for both me and my friend. We both went home feeling pretty down; I still love the movie though. The next movie I plan to see is Moonlight; I'm waiting for it to start playing at the local theatres, but I've heard good things about it. I'm excited.
Anyway, today is the last day of Winter break. I don't really have that many plans; I have comp civics practice again, this review, maybe a lunch with some friends, and studying for a chem quiz tomorrow. It's weird, thinking about how this is the last winter break I'll ever have (in high school, at least). I'm kind of worried because it'll be my last semester– I want to finish with a 4.0 unweighted GPA, win state for comp civics, and do so much more– but at the same time, it's nice to finally get back to seeing people and having stuff to do. Oh well. Five months to go.
Talking about jazz, that leads me into my next point! I watched La La Land with my family and a friend last night and it was really good. Romantic movies aren't usually my thing, but, damn, the ending hit way too close to home for both me and my friend. We both went home feeling pretty down; I still love the movie though. The next movie I plan to see is Moonlight; I'm waiting for it to start playing at the local theatres, but I've heard good things about it. I'm excited.
Anyway, today is the last day of Winter break. I don't really have that many plans; I have comp civics practice again, this review, maybe a lunch with some friends, and studying for a chem quiz tomorrow. It's weird, thinking about how this is the last winter break I'll ever have (in high school, at least). I'm kind of worried because it'll be my last semester– I want to finish with a 4.0 unweighted GPA, win state for comp civics, and do so much more– but at the same time, it's nice to finally get back to seeing people and having stuff to do. Oh well. Five months to go.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Review: 2016 Kamairicha "Gokase" by Tea Master Yoichi Korogi - Lupicia
Type: Green (Kamairicha/pan-fried)
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: Gokase, Japan
Brewing Parameters: 3-4 g; 85-90°C; 1-1.5 min.
Appearance: Dark green, medium-small curled leaves
Rating: A | 94/100
# of Brews: 4
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Well, here's the last tea that I bought in Hawaii. Apparently, this is a special tea– made by a tea master whose specialty is pan-fried tea (which I'm assuming is somewhat of a rarity within Japan). From just looking at and smelling the dried leaves, you could tell they're quality; the smell was surprisingly strong, like basil and mint, and the leaves were a dark, deep green.
As this tea is pan-fried, it is a bit more forgiving during brewing than other standard Japanese teas (i.e. sencha, gyokuro). My first brew used relatively hot water and only brewed for a short amount of time– thirty seconds. Despite this, it came out surprisingly well. The color was a very bright highlighter yellow-green, with an aroma very similar to most senchas: grassy, a bit like the sea, and very slightly fruity. Similarly, the flavor was tangy, starting off with grassy, slightly bitter notes, which slowly gave way to a light, fishy taste. It's very smooth, with little aftertaste
I decided to make the next brew a bit shorter, considering that the leaves had opened up, and the tea came out an even brighter green color. It tasted a bit sweeter than before and had lost the fishy aftertaste, leaving the grassy notes as the dominant taste. I ended up stopping at four brews since I ran out of water, but surprisingly the tea was still relatively bright and moderately flavorful.
Overall, this has been one of the better teas I've had lately. Sadly, since this is a green tea, it's not really amenable to storage for long periods of time (which sucks, since I'd want to make this last as long as possible).
Other Notes
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: Gokase, Japan
Brewing Parameters: 3-4 g; 85-90°C; 1-1.5 min.
Appearance: Dark green, medium-small curled leaves
Rating: A | 94/100
# of Brews: 4
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Well, here's the last tea that I bought in Hawaii. Apparently, this is a special tea– made by a tea master whose specialty is pan-fried tea (which I'm assuming is somewhat of a rarity within Japan). From just looking at and smelling the dried leaves, you could tell they're quality; the smell was surprisingly strong, like basil and mint, and the leaves were a dark, deep green.
As this tea is pan-fried, it is a bit more forgiving during brewing than other standard Japanese teas (i.e. sencha, gyokuro). My first brew used relatively hot water and only brewed for a short amount of time– thirty seconds. Despite this, it came out surprisingly well. The color was a very bright highlighter yellow-green, with an aroma very similar to most senchas: grassy, a bit like the sea, and very slightly fruity. Similarly, the flavor was tangy, starting off with grassy, slightly bitter notes, which slowly gave way to a light, fishy taste. It's very smooth, with little aftertaste
I decided to make the next brew a bit shorter, considering that the leaves had opened up, and the tea came out an even brighter green color. It tasted a bit sweeter than before and had lost the fishy aftertaste, leaving the grassy notes as the dominant taste. I ended up stopping at four brews since I ran out of water, but surprisingly the tea was still relatively bright and moderately flavorful.
Overall, this has been one of the better teas I've had lately. Sadly, since this is a green tea, it's not really amenable to storage for long periods of time (which sucks, since I'd want to make this last as long as possible).
Other Notes
I hope everyone's having a great labor day weekend! All I've done was binge watch The Get Down (which was amazing, by the way).
This week, Fencing Club is going to be selling stuff at Pigskin, which is the school's big club event. Like previously, I'll be cooking yakisoba, and we'll also be selling Arizona. To be honest, we're probably going to lose money on this event (we as in me), which sucks but at least I am/will be pulling in $54/week rather than my usual $20 (TA for a teacher + tutor for the school district). Apparently most clubs make little money, and the thing with our booth is that there's (somewhat) high overhead costs.
Also, for the college search, my Comp Civics teacher recommended to me a few liberal arts schools. A few I'm interested in (like Amherst) since they're small, so it'll feel more personal in each class. However, the thing is cost, moving to the East Coast, and a few other issues. I'll figure it out, and talk about it in the next update.
This week, Fencing Club is going to be selling stuff at Pigskin, which is the school's big club event. Like previously, I'll be cooking yakisoba, and we'll also be selling Arizona. To be honest, we're probably going to lose money on this event (we as in me), which sucks but at least I am/will be pulling in $54/week rather than my usual $20 (TA for a teacher + tutor for the school district). Apparently most clubs make little money, and the thing with our booth is that there's (somewhat) high overhead costs.
Also, for the college search, my Comp Civics teacher recommended to me a few liberal arts schools. A few I'm interested in (like Amherst) since they're small, so it'll feel more personal in each class. However, the thing is cost, moving to the East Coast, and a few other issues. I'll figure it out, and talk about it in the next update.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Review: 2016 Sencha "Yakushima" - Lupicia
Type: Green (Sencha)
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: Yakushima, Japan
Brewing Parameters: 3-4 g; 75-80°C; 45s - 1 min.
Appearance: Medium to large emerald green leaves, the shape of blades of grass
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 3
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
As I was preparing to drink this tea, I came to think about a few things. First off, I don't actually know that much about the differences between regions for Japanese tea; I know I've tried a bit from a variety of areas, but I haven't paid that much attention to how it affects the tea. Second, I don't think I know that much about Japanese teas in general– it just feels like I've drank a lot more oolongs or Chinese teas than Japanese greens. Why this is, I don't know for sure. It might be because I feel that Japanese greens (especially senchas) all taste the same, which gets a bit boring, but then again that might fall back to my inexperience with them.
Anyway, onto the actual review. This is an interesting shincha (I'm guessing Spring 2016), grown in Yakushima, a World Heritage site. I think it's more of a fun fact than something that has an effect on the flavor of the tea, but who knows. The leaves are a decent size– somewhat broken up, but there are leaves about an inch in length– and a dark, emerald green color. I'll be brewing with four grams, but like most other reviews, an unknown temperature (just under 90°C for sure).
The first brew was one minute long, and seemed to brew a bit weak. The color was a weak highlighter yellow, with a smell of grass, broth, and vegetables (maybe basil?). As for the taste, I thought it was pretty good– not as sweet as, say, the Tanegashima sencha, but it still had a bit of natural sweetness. The main flavor was grassy, minty, slightly sour, and just a tiny bit fishy. It's surprisingly smooth, leaving somewhat of a thick, fruity flavor in my mouth (with no dryness).
As for the later brews, the color got darker and green, with the flavor becoming stronger. However, it was also became a bit bitter (but not as bitter as some other teas; it's not bad at all). All in all, I think this was one of the more enjoyable senchas I've had recently.
Other Notes
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: Yakushima, Japan
Brewing Parameters: 3-4 g; 75-80°C; 45s - 1 min.
Appearance: Medium to large emerald green leaves, the shape of blades of grass
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 3
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
As I was preparing to drink this tea, I came to think about a few things. First off, I don't actually know that much about the differences between regions for Japanese tea; I know I've tried a bit from a variety of areas, but I haven't paid that much attention to how it affects the tea. Second, I don't think I know that much about Japanese teas in general– it just feels like I've drank a lot more oolongs or Chinese teas than Japanese greens. Why this is, I don't know for sure. It might be because I feel that Japanese greens (especially senchas) all taste the same, which gets a bit boring, but then again that might fall back to my inexperience with them.
Anyway, onto the actual review. This is an interesting shincha (I'm guessing Spring 2016), grown in Yakushima, a World Heritage site. I think it's more of a fun fact than something that has an effect on the flavor of the tea, but who knows. The leaves are a decent size– somewhat broken up, but there are leaves about an inch in length– and a dark, emerald green color. I'll be brewing with four grams, but like most other reviews, an unknown temperature (just under 90°C for sure).
The first brew was one minute long, and seemed to brew a bit weak. The color was a weak highlighter yellow, with a smell of grass, broth, and vegetables (maybe basil?). As for the taste, I thought it was pretty good– not as sweet as, say, the Tanegashima sencha, but it still had a bit of natural sweetness. The main flavor was grassy, minty, slightly sour, and just a tiny bit fishy. It's surprisingly smooth, leaving somewhat of a thick, fruity flavor in my mouth (with no dryness).
As for the later brews, the color got darker and green, with the flavor becoming stronger. However, it was also became a bit bitter (but not as bitter as some other teas; it's not bad at all). All in all, I think this was one of the more enjoyable senchas I've had recently.
Other Notes
Now that the second week of school is winding to an end, let's talk about how its been. Overall, I think it has been alright; I started TAing for my Stats teacher, and for some reason I don't have that much homework (which is a blessing and a curse at the same time).
African American Lit is interesting, but it's the class that a bunch of slackers are taking (probably because they didn't want to take the default English class/knew that they would all be together, since there's 1 period) which makes discussion a pain. World Lit is super fun; we're watching Rashomon, and the teacher is a great guy. A lot of the writing is more personal/non-academic stuff, like narratives and reflective essays, which is a nice change of pace from the writing of AP classes. Ceramics, I look forward to since the teacher is always interesting and throwing on the wheel is fun to experiment with. AP Chem is still a bit of a challenge since I'm a bit behind on conceptual stuff, but then again, a bunch of the sophomores/juniors that are in the class don't study nearly as much, so I'm sort of near the same level. AP Gov is great; I'm doing pretty well in it, and the teacher is really good at lecturing. Comp Civics has just been listening to speeches, which is a bit boring, and a lot of it is self-study, but the class is small enough that it's a chill atmosphere. I think next week it'll start picking up and I'll have something to do.
I think I have my final list of colleges I'm applying to, too:
I'll be applying to the UCs– namely Berkeley, LA, Davis Santa Barbara, and San Diego– and a few private schools, like UPenn, Columbia, and Cornell. Unless I get significant financial aid (which is pretty unlikely, because the household income is actually a bit high; it's just that, being Filipino, the money doesn't stay in the family– it's usually spent on family out of country), it looks like I'll be going to a UC. To be honest, I've been having like brief periods of anxiety whenever admissions comes up because the thing is this year, my courseload feels nowhere near as heavy as last year. I just want to take classes I'm personally interested in, but these classes don't look good on a college app (according to people at my school); for example, to be similarly competitive, I'd need to drop African American Lit for AP Calc, and World Lit for AP English Lit.
However, the thing is, I don't want to take calc because I feel like it'd be too much work for me to handle (especially with competition civics), and there are so many people in AP Lit that people don't have desks. It's even worse since I'm planning to take a science/math major in college. I don't know, maybe I can push the fact that I'm taking 2 English classes as 1. that I'm interested in history/language arts (one of my potential majors), 2. me acknowledging the fact that while math skills are great, being able to communicate is better, and 3. me doing something that anyone could do, but no one does.
African American Lit is interesting, but it's the class that a bunch of slackers are taking (probably because they didn't want to take the default English class/knew that they would all be together, since there's 1 period) which makes discussion a pain. World Lit is super fun; we're watching Rashomon, and the teacher is a great guy. A lot of the writing is more personal/non-academic stuff, like narratives and reflective essays, which is a nice change of pace from the writing of AP classes. Ceramics, I look forward to since the teacher is always interesting and throwing on the wheel is fun to experiment with. AP Chem is still a bit of a challenge since I'm a bit behind on conceptual stuff, but then again, a bunch of the sophomores/juniors that are in the class don't study nearly as much, so I'm sort of near the same level. AP Gov is great; I'm doing pretty well in it, and the teacher is really good at lecturing. Comp Civics has just been listening to speeches, which is a bit boring, and a lot of it is self-study, but the class is small enough that it's a chill atmosphere. I think next week it'll start picking up and I'll have something to do.
I think I have my final list of colleges I'm applying to, too:
I'll be applying to the UCs– namely Berkeley, LA, Davis Santa Barbara, and San Diego– and a few private schools, like UPenn, Columbia, and Cornell. Unless I get significant financial aid (which is pretty unlikely, because the household income is actually a bit high; it's just that, being Filipino, the money doesn't stay in the family– it's usually spent on family out of country), it looks like I'll be going to a UC. To be honest, I've been having like brief periods of anxiety whenever admissions comes up because the thing is this year, my courseload feels nowhere near as heavy as last year. I just want to take classes I'm personally interested in, but these classes don't look good on a college app (according to people at my school); for example, to be similarly competitive, I'd need to drop African American Lit for AP Calc, and World Lit for AP English Lit.
However, the thing is, I don't want to take calc because I feel like it'd be too much work for me to handle (especially with competition civics), and there are so many people in AP Lit that people don't have desks. It's even worse since I'm planning to take a science/math major in college. I don't know, maybe I can push the fact that I'm taking 2 English classes as 1. that I'm interested in history/language arts (one of my potential majors), 2. me acknowledging the fact that while math skills are great, being able to communicate is better, and 3. me doing something that anyone could do, but no one does.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Review: Organic Green Dragon - Mighty Leaf
Type: Green
Producer: Mighty Leaf
Origin: Longjing
Brewing Parameters: 1 tea bag, boiling water, 3 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Square, nylon tea bag with a mix of light and dark green broken leaves and a few stems
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 2
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Yet another tea bag review today– in all honesty, I think I only have tea bags left to review since I've done almost all of my loose leaf and most of my money is going to public transit and all. Unlike most of these other tea bag reviews lately, however, I haven't tried this specific tea (or any Longjing) before now. Also, I know that since this is a green tea, it should not be brewed with boiling water, but the pack doesn't really specify temperature and I can't really control specifics anyway. Just as a necessity, though, I let the water sit at room temperature to cool a bit.
Anyway, onto the review. One nice thing I've noticed about Mighty Leaf teas is that they use much higher quality leaves than most other tea bag producers– for them, the leaves are either whole or broken into large chunks, rather than fannings or dust. I ended up brewing for only 1 minute instead of the recommended 3 because of the higher temperatures, and I think it turned out pretty well.
The color was a dark yellowish green (not as dark as some sencha when brewed nicely can get), with a smell of freshly cut grass and the sea (I'm guessing seaweed or just salt water). Even with the heat, it was only a slight bit bitter, which is on par with other greens. As for the taste, it was surprisingly good– I haven't had a decent green tea in a while. Surprisingly, I thought it tasted more like a Japanese green rather than Chinese, even though it was produced (pan fired) like a standard Chinese tea. A vegetal taste, similar to green beans, gave way to a sweet herbal and nutty flavor. Along with a very light tart flavor which lasted long after drinking, I think the main sensation was a short and sweet taste. The texture was unusually smooth for a Chinese green, and the only dryness I felt was deep in the back of my throat for a short amount of time. I did notice that if you let it sit, it gradually becomes more bitter over time.
For a tea bag, this was actually really good; I enjoyed it quite a bit. Now, I think I'll need to try a loose leaf Long jing before I give my final decision, but all in all, Mighty Leaf did a pretty stellar job with this. I might actually try brewing the bag one or two more times just to see if I can get more to drink.
Other Notes
Producer: Mighty Leaf
Origin: Longjing
Brewing Parameters: 1 tea bag, boiling water, 3 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Square, nylon tea bag with a mix of light and dark green broken leaves and a few stems
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 2
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Yet another tea bag review today– in all honesty, I think I only have tea bags left to review since I've done almost all of my loose leaf and most of my money is going to public transit and all. Unlike most of these other tea bag reviews lately, however, I haven't tried this specific tea (or any Longjing) before now. Also, I know that since this is a green tea, it should not be brewed with boiling water, but the pack doesn't really specify temperature and I can't really control specifics anyway. Just as a necessity, though, I let the water sit at room temperature to cool a bit.
Anyway, onto the review. One nice thing I've noticed about Mighty Leaf teas is that they use much higher quality leaves than most other tea bag producers– for them, the leaves are either whole or broken into large chunks, rather than fannings or dust. I ended up brewing for only 1 minute instead of the recommended 3 because of the higher temperatures, and I think it turned out pretty well.
The color was a dark yellowish green (not as dark as some sencha when brewed nicely can get), with a smell of freshly cut grass and the sea (I'm guessing seaweed or just salt water). Even with the heat, it was only a slight bit bitter, which is on par with other greens. As for the taste, it was surprisingly good– I haven't had a decent green tea in a while. Surprisingly, I thought it tasted more like a Japanese green rather than Chinese, even though it was produced (pan fired) like a standard Chinese tea. A vegetal taste, similar to green beans, gave way to a sweet herbal and nutty flavor. Along with a very light tart flavor which lasted long after drinking, I think the main sensation was a short and sweet taste. The texture was unusually smooth for a Chinese green, and the only dryness I felt was deep in the back of my throat for a short amount of time. I did notice that if you let it sit, it gradually becomes more bitter over time.
For a tea bag, this was actually really good; I enjoyed it quite a bit. Now, I think I'll need to try a loose leaf Long jing before I give my final decision, but all in all, Mighty Leaf did a pretty stellar job with this. I might actually try brewing the bag one or two more times just to see if I can get more to drink.
Other Notes
Today's album is Left to Our Own Devices by Le Cassette, a surprisingly very good synthwave album, probably because of the vocals (it's very similar to Phil Collins and David Bowie) and pop beats.
Here's an update on my work for this week. I'm done with maybe 3/5 of the Comp Civics journal, 3 essays for college applications, watched most of the DNC and parts of the RNC, and have memorized quite a bit of stuff for AP Chem with flashcards. Today, I plan to finish the Comp Civics journals and maybe write current events or the writeups for the DNC and RNC. I was planning on having more time, but it turns out I'm heading to SFMOMA and maybe De Young with my friends tomorrow, and Saturday I'm going to a Comp Civics workshop and visiting the Museum of the African Diaspora (to be honest, in these past few weeks, I've been to more museums than in the past few years).
I think that if I work my ass off today and next week, I should be good for the last few weeks. If I haven't mentioned it, here is the itinerary for the last 2-3 weeks of summer:
SFMOMA & De Young with friends; Comp Civics Workshop & MOAD; Visit Santa Barbara for college visits and to pick up my brother; see Mark Redito/Spazzkid play at the DNA Lounge; go to Hawaii with the family; and watch Freq.Fest.SF.
Looking at it, it probably doesn't seem like much, but hey it's a lot for me. See you tomorrow!
Here's an update on my work for this week. I'm done with maybe 3/5 of the Comp Civics journal, 3 essays for college applications, watched most of the DNC and parts of the RNC, and have memorized quite a bit of stuff for AP Chem with flashcards. Today, I plan to finish the Comp Civics journals and maybe write current events or the writeups for the DNC and RNC. I was planning on having more time, but it turns out I'm heading to SFMOMA and maybe De Young with my friends tomorrow, and Saturday I'm going to a Comp Civics workshop and visiting the Museum of the African Diaspora (to be honest, in these past few weeks, I've been to more museums than in the past few years).
I think that if I work my ass off today and next week, I should be good for the last few weeks. If I haven't mentioned it, here is the itinerary for the last 2-3 weeks of summer:
SFMOMA & De Young with friends; Comp Civics Workshop & MOAD; Visit Santa Barbara for college visits and to pick up my brother; see Mark Redito/Spazzkid play at the DNA Lounge; go to Hawaii with the family; and watch Freq.Fest.SF.
Looking at it, it probably doesn't seem like much, but hey it's a lot for me. See you tomorrow!
Monday, July 18, 2016
Review: Fushigi Sanpin Cha - Higa Tea
Type: Flavored Green
Producer: Higa Tea
Origin: Okinawa
Brewing Parameters: 1 2g tea bag; brewed 1 min. with boiling water (recommended time and temp. not specified)
Appearance: Rectangular nylon tea bag with dark green tea fannings; there may be some Jasmine flower petals
Rating: B | 87/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Wow, it's been a while since I've done a teabag review. If you don't remember, the way I do these is just brewing the tea, and sipping on the cup until I get a decent flavor profile. In most cases, it's one cup, with no additives, like milk or sugar (even with teas like Earl Grey or English Breakfast, where I'd normally add something).
Anyway, here's the review. Now, I admit that brewing a green tea in boiling water isn't necessarily the best practice, but I'm surprised at how well it turned out. There was a very slight bitterness, which I believe isn't the result of mis-brewing, but rather the type of tea. From reading about it, Sanpin cha is a specialty of Okinawa; instead of being prepared like a traditional Japanese green (such as a sencha), it's prepared more like a Chinese green. I'm not necessarily sure on the processing techniques, but I'm going to guess that it's pan-heated rather than steamed. The taste is surprisingly similar to other Chinese green teas I've had– I can't put a name on it, but it's more easily brewed, tastier version of a Jasmine green from MK Teas (which I received from a tea exchange).
The profile goes like this: it starts out with the mellow, floral Jasmine notes, which quickly dissipate into a sharp tangy note with a hint of bitterness. As for the texture, it's smooth (bar that slight bitter taste) that leaves sort of a waxy taste in the mouth. The throat can get a bit dry if you drink this tea a bit fast, though. Overall, this is one of the better Jasmine teas I've had; I'd like to get my hands on some loose leaf of this tea, but for the convenience, the tea bags will have to do.
Other Notes
Producer: Higa Tea
Origin: Okinawa
Brewing Parameters: 1 2g tea bag; brewed 1 min. with boiling water (recommended time and temp. not specified)
Appearance: Rectangular nylon tea bag with dark green tea fannings; there may be some Jasmine flower petals
Rating: B | 87/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Wow, it's been a while since I've done a teabag review. If you don't remember, the way I do these is just brewing the tea, and sipping on the cup until I get a decent flavor profile. In most cases, it's one cup, with no additives, like milk or sugar (even with teas like Earl Grey or English Breakfast, where I'd normally add something).
Anyway, here's the review. Now, I admit that brewing a green tea in boiling water isn't necessarily the best practice, but I'm surprised at how well it turned out. There was a very slight bitterness, which I believe isn't the result of mis-brewing, but rather the type of tea. From reading about it, Sanpin cha is a specialty of Okinawa; instead of being prepared like a traditional Japanese green (such as a sencha), it's prepared more like a Chinese green. I'm not necessarily sure on the processing techniques, but I'm going to guess that it's pan-heated rather than steamed. The taste is surprisingly similar to other Chinese green teas I've had– I can't put a name on it, but it's more easily brewed, tastier version of a Jasmine green from MK Teas (which I received from a tea exchange).
The profile goes like this: it starts out with the mellow, floral Jasmine notes, which quickly dissipate into a sharp tangy note with a hint of bitterness. As for the texture, it's smooth (bar that slight bitter taste) that leaves sort of a waxy taste in the mouth. The throat can get a bit dry if you drink this tea a bit fast, though. Overall, this is one of the better Jasmine teas I've had; I'd like to get my hands on some loose leaf of this tea, but for the convenience, the tea bags will have to do.
Other Notes
To be honest, the only reason I wrote today's review is so I could talk about this year's California Extreme, which was one of the best. Originally, I was going to go with two other friends, but one dropped out last minute (despite us planning this for a couple of months). We ended up replacing him, with it all working out since the friend that dropped out still had his info in the system (so the new guy got his name tag and everything). When we got there and had the whole missing friend-volunteer situation sorted out, we had a two hour shift of essentially just putting wristbands on people. During the shift, we made friends with one of our coworkers, who turned out to be a pretty stand up guy– friendly and entertaining (not in a bad way).
Afterwards, we picked up some free shirts, played a few games on the show floor, and walked to In N Out (which was a decent distance away) for lunch. Once we got back, we hung around a bit more on the floor playing more games; however, we felt like the games on the floor weren't all that great– mainly because they've been the same for the past few years and some of our favorite games were either gone or busy. We did play quite a bit of Ferrari simulator (time trial competition between the group), pinball, rhythm games, and Lupin the 3rd Typing (at least I did).
The highlight of the day comes from outside of the main floor, when we had an adventure around the hotel. Bored, we decided to take the elevator up to the 14th floor and then explored the stairwell. We eventually found our way to the Rockage SJ showcase, where we played a ton of Nidhogg and some sumo wrestler game on the arcade machine built by the Game Dev club at SJSU. The most memorable part of the night came when Super Soul Bros (the band playing at the time) told us to go onto Rainbow Road on Mario Kart 64. When we did, they began to play the theme of the course as a live soundtrack, even speeding up when we reached the final lap. After our race, they played one last song to close the concert, and we left.
Before going home, the three of us got onto our favorite game– The Grid. We played the last 20-30 minutes we had at CAX on those machines, went to have dinner, then went home. All in all, a pretty memorable night.
Afterwards, we picked up some free shirts, played a few games on the show floor, and walked to In N Out (which was a decent distance away) for lunch. Once we got back, we hung around a bit more on the floor playing more games; however, we felt like the games on the floor weren't all that great– mainly because they've been the same for the past few years and some of our favorite games were either gone or busy. We did play quite a bit of Ferrari simulator (time trial competition between the group), pinball, rhythm games, and Lupin the 3rd Typing (at least I did).
The highlight of the day comes from outside of the main floor, when we had an adventure around the hotel. Bored, we decided to take the elevator up to the 14th floor and then explored the stairwell. We eventually found our way to the Rockage SJ showcase, where we played a ton of Nidhogg and some sumo wrestler game on the arcade machine built by the Game Dev club at SJSU. The most memorable part of the night came when Super Soul Bros (the band playing at the time) told us to go onto Rainbow Road on Mario Kart 64. When we did, they began to play the theme of the course as a live soundtrack, even speeding up when we reached the final lap. After our race, they played one last song to close the concert, and we left.
Before going home, the three of us got onto our favorite game– The Grid. We played the last 20-30 minutes we had at CAX on those machines, went to have dinner, then went home. All in all, a pretty memorable night.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Review: Pi Lo Chun - Red Blossom Tea Co.
Type: Green
Producer: Red Blossom Tea Co.
Origin: Jiangsu, China*
Brewing Parameters: 2 g, brewing to taste
Appearance: Small, white to light-green curled leaves
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 5
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
What is this? It looks like I've finally gotten around to reviewing this tea, after talking about it for one or two years now! At this point, though, I think the flavor of the tea might be significantly different because of improper storage and also because of a very small amount of leaf. Regardless, let's see how this goes.
Because I only stored about 2 grams of this tea, I'm brewing in a tasting set/cup to balance the water to leaf ratio. My first brew was only thirty seconds; the liquid was very light colored, with a tint of pastel green. I'm not entirely sure on the aroma, but I can best describe it as sweet, somewhat like soy sauce, with meat and vegetables. For some reason, it smelled a bit like a puerh– metallic.
The flavor stayed relatively the same through the drinking session. It was very fruity, with a hint of sweetness that gave way to some bitterness by the end. Like many others have said, apricot is its dominant taste, followed by grassy notes. There's a smooth texture– it just felt like drinking water, unlike some other teas– that left little to no aftertaste in my mouth and on my breath. While the flavor didn't change much, there is one issue: it didn't last that many brews. After the first or second brews, it was very weak and got even weaker with each subsequent brew. I'm not sure if it's just because of the tea itself, or because I've had it for a very long time, but I'm willing to wager that it's the latter.
Overall, I'd forgotten how much I like this tea. It's not necessarily a complex tea, but it's very enjoyable and I can see it as a daily drink. Oh, and it works very well in cooking, too. It's a shame that it looks like Red Blossom Tea Co. isn't selling this tea anymore.
Other Notes
I hope you all have had a great 4th of July! I spent mine in Santa Barbara with the family, since we had to drop off my sister for summer classes at UCSB. Interestingly, on our drive back, we got to watch fireworks explode at eye-level as we went past the beach.
As for today, it's been a lazy day. I think the only things I've done were play video games with friends, cook some twice baked potatoes and baked avocados, and go to the library. I made my final summer reading list too: Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut; The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton; Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote; Complete Stories, by Zora Neale Hurston; The Confessions of Nat Turner, by William Styron; and Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw. I've already read Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut and Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, so I'm already two down.
Regarding my summer work, I've actually got a decent amount done. For AP Gov/Macro, all I need to do is watch and report on the Republican and Democratic Conventions, for AP Chem, read 3 more chapters and do their related problems, and for Competition Civics, write journals on all of the readings, read Ratification by Pauline Maier, and read and make a lesson on Spirit of Laws by Montesquieu. My plan is to finish it all before my environmental sciences summer camp at CSU EB in two weeks, so I've been working my ass off. In fact, since July 1st, I've been doing reading for Comp Civics each day, practicing my handwriting, and doing AP Chem chapters, and have gotten the majority of the work– the easy stuff, that is– out of the way.
Finally, here's some good news! Ended up with 5s on my AP Stats, English Lang, and US History exams, so there's that.
Producer: Red Blossom Tea Co.
Origin: Jiangsu, China*
Brewing Parameters: 2 g, brewing to taste
Appearance: Small, white to light-green curled leaves
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 5
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
What is this? It looks like I've finally gotten around to reviewing this tea, after talking about it for one or two years now! At this point, though, I think the flavor of the tea might be significantly different because of improper storage and also because of a very small amount of leaf. Regardless, let's see how this goes.
Because I only stored about 2 grams of this tea, I'm brewing in a tasting set/cup to balance the water to leaf ratio. My first brew was only thirty seconds; the liquid was very light colored, with a tint of pastel green. I'm not entirely sure on the aroma, but I can best describe it as sweet, somewhat like soy sauce, with meat and vegetables. For some reason, it smelled a bit like a puerh– metallic.
The flavor stayed relatively the same through the drinking session. It was very fruity, with a hint of sweetness that gave way to some bitterness by the end. Like many others have said, apricot is its dominant taste, followed by grassy notes. There's a smooth texture– it just felt like drinking water, unlike some other teas– that left little to no aftertaste in my mouth and on my breath. While the flavor didn't change much, there is one issue: it didn't last that many brews. After the first or second brews, it was very weak and got even weaker with each subsequent brew. I'm not sure if it's just because of the tea itself, or because I've had it for a very long time, but I'm willing to wager that it's the latter.
Overall, I'd forgotten how much I like this tea. It's not necessarily a complex tea, but it's very enjoyable and I can see it as a daily drink. Oh, and it works very well in cooking, too. It's a shame that it looks like Red Blossom Tea Co. isn't selling this tea anymore.
Other Notes
I hope you all have had a great 4th of July! I spent mine in Santa Barbara with the family, since we had to drop off my sister for summer classes at UCSB. Interestingly, on our drive back, we got to watch fireworks explode at eye-level as we went past the beach.
As for today, it's been a lazy day. I think the only things I've done were play video games with friends, cook some twice baked potatoes and baked avocados, and go to the library. I made my final summer reading list too: Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut; The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton; Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote; Complete Stories, by Zora Neale Hurston; The Confessions of Nat Turner, by William Styron; and Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw. I've already read Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut and Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, so I'm already two down.
Regarding my summer work, I've actually got a decent amount done. For AP Gov/Macro, all I need to do is watch and report on the Republican and Democratic Conventions, for AP Chem, read 3 more chapters and do their related problems, and for Competition Civics, write journals on all of the readings, read Ratification by Pauline Maier, and read and make a lesson on Spirit of Laws by Montesquieu. My plan is to finish it all before my environmental sciences summer camp at CSU EB in two weeks, so I've been working my ass off. In fact, since July 1st, I've been doing reading for Comp Civics each day, practicing my handwriting, and doing AP Chem chapters, and have gotten the majority of the work– the easy stuff, that is– out of the way.
Finally, here's some good news! Ended up with 5s on my AP Stats, English Lang, and US History exams, so there's that.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Review: Kawane-cha - Yamashiro
Type: Sencha
Producer: Yamashiro
Origin: Kawane, Shizuoka
Brewing Parameters: 5g; adjusting brewing params. to taste
Appearance: Thin, dark green rolled leaves of medium size (0.5 to 1 inch long)
Rating: B+ | 88/100
# of Brews: 3
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, I picked up this tea during a class trip in Japantown earlier this year. It was relatively cheap– about $10, if I remember correctly– for 70 g. Just as a note, I haven't been drinking tea that often lately; I have had Irish breakfast often, but nothing like sencha or oolong. It's probably a combination of the summer weather, lack of money, and no motivation, so please excuse me if this review is subpar.
Now that that's out of the way, the first few cups of this tea were a light green, which gradually got brighter over multiple brews. Interestingly, the most prominent smell I noticed was tuna; I couldn't really smell anything else, since most of it was overpowered by that fishy aroma. As for the taste, like most senchas, this one is a bit sour, with a grassy aftertaste. I can also a slight bitter, fruity taste, which I think is mostly similar to grapes– but not sweet, table grapes. It also left my throat feeling slightly dry, but not to the extent of other, harsher teas.
As the drinking session continued, the tea became even more bright, and started to lose its bitter taste. It mellowed out, with savory, seaweed notes becoming the main flavor. The fruity notes followed, lingering in the mouth with a sort of waxy texture on the cheeks and tongue. After that taste had gone, there was a vague sweet taste that came off of my breath and gradually became more intense.
Overall, I thought this was a decent sencha. While it is better in terms of brewing ability– it seemed hard to mess it up and make it very bitter, which is not the case with many other green teas– it lacked any characteristics that would set it apart. I ended up only having three brews since I ran out of water, but if I was drinking with others, I'd have more, and I'm sure that this tea could last for a while.
Other Notes
Now that my summer forensics program is finished, I can finally start that plan I mentioned in my previous post. So, for most of July, here's my plan with a few updates:
1. Read 50 pages of a required book OR 1 chapter/section from a textbook
2. Read at least 8 books of my choice before school starts
3. Write 1 personal thing, like this review or an application essay
4. Write 1 thing for homework, like a journal passage
5. Do some other school-related thing like editing the APUSH study guide I wrote, or making flashcards
Other than that, I'll just be going to another science summer camp for a week and hanging out with friends.
Producer: Yamashiro
Origin: Kawane, Shizuoka
Brewing Parameters: 5g; adjusting brewing params. to taste
Appearance: Thin, dark green rolled leaves of medium size (0.5 to 1 inch long)
Rating: B+ | 88/100
# of Brews: 3
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, I picked up this tea during a class trip in Japantown earlier this year. It was relatively cheap– about $10, if I remember correctly– for 70 g. Just as a note, I haven't been drinking tea that often lately; I have had Irish breakfast often, but nothing like sencha or oolong. It's probably a combination of the summer weather, lack of money, and no motivation, so please excuse me if this review is subpar.
Now that that's out of the way, the first few cups of this tea were a light green, which gradually got brighter over multiple brews. Interestingly, the most prominent smell I noticed was tuna; I couldn't really smell anything else, since most of it was overpowered by that fishy aroma. As for the taste, like most senchas, this one is a bit sour, with a grassy aftertaste. I can also a slight bitter, fruity taste, which I think is mostly similar to grapes– but not sweet, table grapes. It also left my throat feeling slightly dry, but not to the extent of other, harsher teas.
As the drinking session continued, the tea became even more bright, and started to lose its bitter taste. It mellowed out, with savory, seaweed notes becoming the main flavor. The fruity notes followed, lingering in the mouth with a sort of waxy texture on the cheeks and tongue. After that taste had gone, there was a vague sweet taste that came off of my breath and gradually became more intense.
Overall, I thought this was a decent sencha. While it is better in terms of brewing ability– it seemed hard to mess it up and make it very bitter, which is not the case with many other green teas– it lacked any characteristics that would set it apart. I ended up only having three brews since I ran out of water, but if I was drinking with others, I'd have more, and I'm sure that this tea could last for a while.
Other Notes
Now that my summer forensics program is finished, I can finally start that plan I mentioned in my previous post. So, for most of July, here's my plan with a few updates:
1. Read 50 pages of a required book OR 1 chapter/section from a textbook
2. Read at least 8 books of my choice before school starts
3. Write 1 personal thing, like this review or an application essay
4. Write 1 thing for homework, like a journal passage
5. Do some other school-related thing like editing the APUSH study guide I wrote, or making flashcards
Other than that, I'll just be going to another science summer camp for a week and hanging out with friends.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Tea Review: Mystery Tea (Genmaicha?) - Unknown
Tea Info
Type: Green
Producer: Unknown
Origin: Japan
Brewing Parameters: 5 g, ~80°C, 30s – Cupping
Appearance: Large, flat brown leaves with popped rice, stems, and I think roasted soybean shells
Rating: C- | 72/100
# of Brews: 3
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
I'm a bit sick today, so this is going to be a quick and probably not that in depth review. To be completely honest, though, I have no idea what this tea is. Because it has popped rice, I'm assuming it's genmaicha, but the leaves and presence of stems makes me question that. There were no labels on the container it came in, too; the only sticker on the container just stated in Japanese that it's a tea caddy made of ABS plastic.
The smell is interesting, to say the least. When the leaves are dry, it smells of soy sauce, but when they're wet, it smells like marijuana smoke. The liquid, on the other hand, was still smokey, but more indistinct and less like marijuana. The color of the tea was a dark amber color, and there was very little sediment even without using a strainer. It tasted how it smelled, with roasty and savory notes of smoke, nuts (cashews?), and wood. It was a bit sour, too, with complimented the smoke taste, which lingered in the mouth long after drinking. The texture was generally smooth, but dried the throat very slightly for a few seconds. Overall, I don't know how I feel about it; the taste is alright (it's unique, in a word), but I can't stand the smoky smell and strength.
Other Notes
No school today! Since I'm sick (sore throat, nasal drip, runny nose, the works), all I'll be doing is homework and catching up on stuff– mainly just homework, studying, applications, and the science fair. I kind of spent the whole weekend playing Total War Shogun 2, which I'm a bit obsessed with now.
Type: Green
Producer: Unknown
Origin: Japan
Brewing Parameters: 5 g, ~80°C, 30s – Cupping
Appearance: Large, flat brown leaves with popped rice, stems, and I think roasted soybean shells
Rating: C- | 72/100
# of Brews: 3
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
I'm a bit sick today, so this is going to be a quick and probably not that in depth review. To be completely honest, though, I have no idea what this tea is. Because it has popped rice, I'm assuming it's genmaicha, but the leaves and presence of stems makes me question that. There were no labels on the container it came in, too; the only sticker on the container just stated in Japanese that it's a tea caddy made of ABS plastic.
The smell is interesting, to say the least. When the leaves are dry, it smells of soy sauce, but when they're wet, it smells like marijuana smoke. The liquid, on the other hand, was still smokey, but more indistinct and less like marijuana. The color of the tea was a dark amber color, and there was very little sediment even without using a strainer. It tasted how it smelled, with roasty and savory notes of smoke, nuts (cashews?), and wood. It was a bit sour, too, with complimented the smoke taste, which lingered in the mouth long after drinking. The texture was generally smooth, but dried the throat very slightly for a few seconds. Overall, I don't know how I feel about it; the taste is alright (it's unique, in a word), but I can't stand the smoky smell and strength.
Other Notes
No school today! Since I'm sick (sore throat, nasal drip, runny nose, the works), all I'll be doing is homework and catching up on stuff– mainly just homework, studying, applications, and the science fair. I kind of spent the whole weekend playing Total War Shogun 2, which I'm a bit obsessed with now.
As for last week, it was pretty eventful. On Monday, I watched our competition civics team practice in a dress rehearsal (since I'm trying out for the team next year); Tuesday, I did work and a bunch of homework; Wednesday, I had my mock trial competition, and Thursday I submitted my work and studied. Friday I just chilled and I ended up getting sick on Saturday. I'll need to start getting my shit together since the internship applications are due in less than two weeks (I'm applying to three), and the science fair is a month. Wish me luck.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Tea Review: Bali - Dammann Freres
Tea Info
Type: Flavored green
Producer: Dammann Freres
Origin: Paris, France
Brewing Parameters: 2.5 g, 90°C, 3-4 minutes – Western style
Appearance: Small, broken up flat green leaves with rose petals and white flower buds
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
This is a tea that my mom got from one of her coworkers, which she gave to me. I have to admit, this is the first time I ever heard of this company, but I am really impressed by the packaging. It came in this red and black matte box called a "getaway package" (in French), that closed with a magnetic clasp. Inside, there was foam that held a tea ball strainer (a very nice one to add; much better than the one I currently have) with a large gold and white teapot charm that has the company logo on it. The tea was in the nicest tin I've seen though; a small, red and black rectangular container with the company logo and history in English and French on the sides and tea info on the back. The lid was very tight, and I needed to use a key to actually pop it off like a paint can.
I loved the smell of this tea; even before the tin was open, the box smelled of honey and flowers. The actual tea base, though, could be a bit more high quality. Lower quality leaves are to be expected, though, of flavored tea like this (especially considered how flavored it is– it actually smells like fruity perfume more than tea). When it brewed, the tea was a greenish yellow, with a few leaves at the bottom. It smelled like the dry leaf, but with more honey and tropical fruits (lychee was said to be one of the main flavors, and I can definitely smell it).
Tasting the tea, I'd say it's pretty average. I can't tell if it's because I've moved on from the majority of flavored teas (mainly fruity ones) or if tea is just mediocre. The flavor starts off vaguely sweet– with a tiny bit of unidentifiable fruit– with a slight hint of bitterness, and then finishes with even more fruit. The aftertaste is sour and leaves a dry feeling in the mouth and throat. It's not bad; I'd drink it with friends who'd prefer this stuff, but the brewing parameters might need a bit of tweaking so it isn't so astringent. It's certainly better than a few of the Lupicia teas I had during the 100 Days of Tea, but it's not my cup of tea.
Other Notes
Now that first semester is done, I have quite a bit to talk about. I'll put it on a different post, so look out for that!
Type: Flavored green
Producer: Dammann Freres
Origin: Paris, France
Brewing Parameters: 2.5 g, 90°C, 3-4 minutes – Western style
Appearance: Small, broken up flat green leaves with rose petals and white flower buds
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
This is a tea that my mom got from one of her coworkers, which she gave to me. I have to admit, this is the first time I ever heard of this company, but I am really impressed by the packaging. It came in this red and black matte box called a "getaway package" (in French), that closed with a magnetic clasp. Inside, there was foam that held a tea ball strainer (a very nice one to add; much better than the one I currently have) with a large gold and white teapot charm that has the company logo on it. The tea was in the nicest tin I've seen though; a small, red and black rectangular container with the company logo and history in English and French on the sides and tea info on the back. The lid was very tight, and I needed to use a key to actually pop it off like a paint can.
I loved the smell of this tea; even before the tin was open, the box smelled of honey and flowers. The actual tea base, though, could be a bit more high quality. Lower quality leaves are to be expected, though, of flavored tea like this (especially considered how flavored it is– it actually smells like fruity perfume more than tea). When it brewed, the tea was a greenish yellow, with a few leaves at the bottom. It smelled like the dry leaf, but with more honey and tropical fruits (lychee was said to be one of the main flavors, and I can definitely smell it).
Tasting the tea, I'd say it's pretty average. I can't tell if it's because I've moved on from the majority of flavored teas (mainly fruity ones) or if tea is just mediocre. The flavor starts off vaguely sweet– with a tiny bit of unidentifiable fruit– with a slight hint of bitterness, and then finishes with even more fruit. The aftertaste is sour and leaves a dry feeling in the mouth and throat. It's not bad; I'd drink it with friends who'd prefer this stuff, but the brewing parameters might need a bit of tweaking so it isn't so astringent. It's certainly better than a few of the Lupicia teas I had during the 100 Days of Tea, but it's not my cup of tea.
Other Notes
Now that first semester is done, I have quite a bit to talk about. I'll put it on a different post, so look out for that!
Monday, January 4, 2016
Tea Review: Fukamushi Sencha - Yuicha
Tea Info
Fukamushi Sencha (from Fukuoka?) by Yuicha/Tagashira Chaho - 150g bag
Recommended Brewing Parameters
(estimated) 80°C, 30 seconds, 5 grams
Leaf Appearance
(Dry) Small to medium sized dark green leaves, similar to blades of grass
Rating
C | 76/100
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, it turns out I can't really read most kanji (big surprise), which means I don't know the brewing information on the back. However, I ended up just brewing using my water heater's gyokuro temperature and guesstimating the brew time; it turned out pretty well for the majority, which was surprising (this tea gets points for ease of brewing). Keep in mind that I am eating dinner– marinated bangus– at the same time as this review, and I ate some Sakuma's Drops earlier (the roof of my mouth may be bleeding, heh), which means that my sense of taste may be affected. I also brewed in my new kyusu.
Regardless, this was a pretty different sencha than what I'm used to. Unlike most, this tea tasted a bit more roasty and umami rather than grassy. The flavor was a bit malty, with some fruits and vegetables, and it ended on a light grassy note. The liquid wasn't as bright green as a few other teas (it was more a really light green or yellow-green), and the aroma was a bit weak, but grassy and a little brothy. There was a bit of astringency, which left a slight burning sensation in my throat; over brews, it got worse, but that may have been due to the longer brew times. I noticed that I felt a lot more relaxed while drinking this, as I had a bit of pain in my shoulders when I started, but the pain had melted away by the time I finished. It did last for quite a bit of brews, but overall it wasn't that flavorful (maybe this was because of the water temperature?). I've had much better sencha, and this one was more run of the mill; it lacked any qualities that would have surprised me.
Other Notes
Woo, first review of the year! My plan is to start with the Japanese teas, writing maybe one every week until I run out. Then, I'll be moving on to the other teas I've been waiting on, like that Bi Lo Chun by Red Blossom Tea Co., Bali by Dammann Freres, some instant teas, and a few others. Hopefully I can stick to this plan.
As for other stuff, like school, the year has started off pretty damn well in my opinion. I think I got an A on my history essay since my grade is back up to an A, and my extracurriculars are going well. The majority of my essays are done for the internships (just need 1 more essay for Stanford), and I have almost all of the letters of recommendation I need, barring 1. I just need to edit them, turn them in, and I'll be done. Mock Trial competition starts next week, and finals are in 2-3 weeks, so I'll be studying a different class each day, working on extracurriculars Mondays, studying the SAT Wednesdays, self-teaching chem and physics probably Tuesdays, and studying for finals the rest of the days. Wish me luck!
Sunday, December 20, 2015
12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 8: China Fujian Jasmine 'Phoenix Eye' - What-Cha
China Fujian Jasmine 'Phoenix Eye' - What-Cha
Type: Green (flavored)
Appearance (dry): Large pearls (.2 g each), dark green with white streaks
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2-3 min
Rating: A- | 92/100
# of Brews: 11
Tasting Notes:
I'm actually surprised myself on how much green tea I've been drinking; for some reason, I've always felt that I drink way more oolong or black tea, despite the fact that I enjoy a good sencha quite a lot. Regardless, it's always good to try a variety of different types of tea to expand the flavors you've tried. Like yesterday, I'm going to be writing this review after I'm done drinking (I think I prefer doing it that way, since tea with food is pretty damn good). Today's album is XX by the XX.
So, I ended up picking up a sampler of this tea last minute for free shipping, and I don't think I regret it. The leaves/pearls are huge, the smell is amazing (I think jasmine is growing on me), and the flavoring lasts for an absurdly long time. The liquid was mainly a golden orange color with a strong jasmine aroma, only getting darker as time went on. The flavor didn't really change much throughout the entire drinking session; at the forefront were the sweet and floral jasmine notes, and at the end were some short, sour, vegetal (grassy?) notes. As brews went on, the tea became less and less bitter (I will note that this tea is very forgiving in terms of brewing; I used near-boiling water and it still tasting pretty good), and more and more sweet and sour. The texture was smooth for the most part, but by the time I finished, the tea felt like it coated my mouth (which stayed long after drinking). I ended up stopping at a surprising 11 brews today, and it looked like the tea (including the jasmine flavor) could go for a lot more brews. Overall, I liked this tea very much; in my opinion, it's on par with the jasmine oolong from Tea Ave (although I think I like the oolong more because of its creaminess, this one is very enjoyable also).
Misc. Notes:
Type: Green (flavored)
Appearance (dry): Large pearls (.2 g each), dark green with white streaks
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2-3 min
Rating: A- | 92/100
# of Brews: 11
Tasting Notes:
I'm actually surprised myself on how much green tea I've been drinking; for some reason, I've always felt that I drink way more oolong or black tea, despite the fact that I enjoy a good sencha quite a lot. Regardless, it's always good to try a variety of different types of tea to expand the flavors you've tried. Like yesterday, I'm going to be writing this review after I'm done drinking (I think I prefer doing it that way, since tea with food is pretty damn good). Today's album is XX by the XX.
So, I ended up picking up a sampler of this tea last minute for free shipping, and I don't think I regret it. The leaves/pearls are huge, the smell is amazing (I think jasmine is growing on me), and the flavoring lasts for an absurdly long time. The liquid was mainly a golden orange color with a strong jasmine aroma, only getting darker as time went on. The flavor didn't really change much throughout the entire drinking session; at the forefront were the sweet and floral jasmine notes, and at the end were some short, sour, vegetal (grassy?) notes. As brews went on, the tea became less and less bitter (I will note that this tea is very forgiving in terms of brewing; I used near-boiling water and it still tasting pretty good), and more and more sweet and sour. The texture was smooth for the most part, but by the time I finished, the tea felt like it coated my mouth (which stayed long after drinking). I ended up stopping at a surprising 11 brews today, and it looked like the tea (including the jasmine flavor) could go for a lot more brews. Overall, I liked this tea very much; in my opinion, it's on par with the jasmine oolong from Tea Ave (although I think I like the oolong more because of its creaminess, this one is very enjoyable also).
Misc. Notes:
Update on yesterday! I finished up my science fair application, got a haircut (it's eh), bought groceries, and watched a few movies- Oldboy (surprised at how good this was) and Little Witch Academia: Enchanted Parade (oh no I'm getting back into anime). Not really any plans today other than more grocery shopping since my asthma has been acting up and it's been getting cold and rainy outside (for California standards). I'll probably figure something out, though (if I remember, I'll try to make a plan or something for break and put it in the next review).
Saturday, December 19, 2015
12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 7: Vietnam 'Dragon Cloud' - What-Cha
Vietnam 'Dragon Cloud' - What-Cha
Type: Green (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Small to medium length rolled (pan fried?), basil green leaves
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 75°C, 1-2 tsp, 10-20 sec
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 6
Tasting Notes:
Again, like Four Seasons, I've already tried this tea before, and so I'll be doing this review after my drinking session (unlike the other teas, so expect this one to be not as detailed). Today's album is Lumine [GST-04] by bansheebeat.
Anyway, this was a pretty decent tea. I ended up having to do flash brews to keep it from getting bitter (essentially, fill the gaiwan with water and immediately pour it off). The liquid was a nice yellow-green (more on the green side), but not as bright as other green teas. There was a strong umami flavor with grass and seaweed notes, and the aftertaste was a slightly sour taste, similar to the Australian Sencha (but not as strong or lasting as long). Over some brews it became a bit sweet, but I didn't really notice the mint flavor other people have noticed. I ended up stopping at 6 brews because I ran out of water and it was beginning to lose its flavor. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable green tea– it went great with my breakfast of milkfish, cereal, and yogurt– but I will admit it is a bit standard for a green tea (I think I preferred the Australian Sencha over this).
Misc. Notes:
Type: Green (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Small to medium length rolled (pan fried?), basil green leaves
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 75°C, 1-2 tsp, 10-20 sec
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 6
Tasting Notes:
Again, like Four Seasons, I've already tried this tea before, and so I'll be doing this review after my drinking session (unlike the other teas, so expect this one to be not as detailed). Today's album is Lumine [GST-04] by bansheebeat.
Anyway, this was a pretty decent tea. I ended up having to do flash brews to keep it from getting bitter (essentially, fill the gaiwan with water and immediately pour it off). The liquid was a nice yellow-green (more on the green side), but not as bright as other green teas. There was a strong umami flavor with grass and seaweed notes, and the aftertaste was a slightly sour taste, similar to the Australian Sencha (but not as strong or lasting as long). Over some brews it became a bit sweet, but I didn't really notice the mint flavor other people have noticed. I ended up stopping at 6 brews because I ran out of water and it was beginning to lose its flavor. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable green tea– it went great with my breakfast of milkfish, cereal, and yogurt– but I will admit it is a bit standard for a green tea (I think I preferred the Australian Sencha over this).
Misc. Notes:
Slow day today. My plans for today are mostly just to watch movies (Star Wars maybe?), play some video games, do this review, get a haircut, read/do homework (if I have any), and finish my science fair application (just a risk assessment form that's due tomorrow). I might also start those internship applications, but hey, it's the first day of break and I should try to relax. Have a nice day!
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 3: Australia Sencha - What-Cha
Australia Sencha - What-Cha
Type: Green (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Large/long, rolled green tea leaves with some light green and brown stems (?)
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 75°C, 1-2 tsps, 30-45 secs
Rating: B+ | 89/100
# of Brews: 5
Tasting Notes:
Woo, an unusual sencha! For this tea, I'll be back to the originally planned brewing parameters: 5 grams of tea, estimated water temperature, in a gaiwan. Today's album is After the Lights Failed by Curious Quail; I've seen these guys a few times live and each time has been pretty great, since a lot of the gigs they have are more personal due to less people showing up and smaller venues.
Anyway, since this is a sencha, I'll be using short brews, starting at 10 seconds and adding 5 seconds each brew. The first few brews were a very bright green, with an aroma similar to stewed or corned beef, dried seaweed, and string beans. Drinking it, I noticed that it was a bit tart (it was actually one of the most sour green teas I've had, and I felt it all on the back of my tongue which was interesting), with flavors similar to grass and citrus. In fact, the sour taste lingered in my mouth long after drinking, with some fruity (maybe blueberry?) notes appearing. Over brews, the color became much brighter and yellow, and the corn flavor that was described on the packaging began to come out. The tart, citrus flavor gave way to the corn and something I can only describe as rice, but I could still notice it in the back of my throat. It also became much sweeter and grassier, but retained a smooth texture throughout (it did make my mouth feel dry by the time I did finish brewing, however). I eventually stopped at 5 brews, since I ran out of water and have work to do, but the tea was still going strong. Overall, a very interesting sencha that I'll be sure to drink of more.
Misc. Notes:
Type: Green (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Large/long, rolled green tea leaves with some light green and brown stems (?)
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 75°C, 1-2 tsps, 30-45 secs
Rating: B+ | 89/100
# of Brews: 5
Tasting Notes:
Woo, an unusual sencha! For this tea, I'll be back to the originally planned brewing parameters: 5 grams of tea, estimated water temperature, in a gaiwan. Today's album is After the Lights Failed by Curious Quail; I've seen these guys a few times live and each time has been pretty great, since a lot of the gigs they have are more personal due to less people showing up and smaller venues.
Anyway, since this is a sencha, I'll be using short brews, starting at 10 seconds and adding 5 seconds each brew. The first few brews were a very bright green, with an aroma similar to stewed or corned beef, dried seaweed, and string beans. Drinking it, I noticed that it was a bit tart (it was actually one of the most sour green teas I've had, and I felt it all on the back of my tongue which was interesting), with flavors similar to grass and citrus. In fact, the sour taste lingered in my mouth long after drinking, with some fruity (maybe blueberry?) notes appearing. Over brews, the color became much brighter and yellow, and the corn flavor that was described on the packaging began to come out. The tart, citrus flavor gave way to the corn and something I can only describe as rice, but I could still notice it in the back of my throat. It also became much sweeter and grassier, but retained a smooth texture throughout (it did make my mouth feel dry by the time I did finish brewing, however). I eventually stopped at 5 brews, since I ran out of water and have work to do, but the tea was still going strong. Overall, a very interesting sencha that I'll be sure to drink of more.
Misc. Notes:
So, apologies for the bad formatting. Like I've said before, this was a very last minute thing and I haven't had the time to fix everything to a more reader-friendly look (I will eventually go back and fix the formatting, but for now, I'm going to leave it until I'm done with tests). Anyway, today I'm just going to be finishing up homework so I can spend most of the day tomorrow studying for tests, doing mock trial stuff, and hanging out with the girlfriend.
But, also, I've been trying to figure out my schedule for next year; I'm planning on taking Science Research, AP Chem, AP Calc, AP Lit, Competition Civics, AP Gov/Macro, and Video Production. The issue is that I only have 6 periods and I have to take an art (Video Production- except apparently the teacher that will be taking over sucks), English (AP Lit), and a social studies class (AP Gov/Macro). I have to choose to drop Science Research, AP Chem, AP Calc, or Comp Civics, but I want to take all of those classes- Science research because I plan to have a career in that and I am especially interested in the subject, AP Chem because of, again, science and I haven't taken chemistry yet, AP Calc because a lot of sciences use calculus, and Comp Civics because I enjoy the subject. And I can't just take A period because I'm going to go crazy with stress and lack of sleep if I do take that. I just don't know.
But, also, I've been trying to figure out my schedule for next year; I'm planning on taking Science Research, AP Chem, AP Calc, AP Lit, Competition Civics, AP Gov/Macro, and Video Production. The issue is that I only have 6 periods and I have to take an art (Video Production- except apparently the teacher that will be taking over sucks), English (AP Lit), and a social studies class (AP Gov/Macro). I have to choose to drop Science Research, AP Chem, AP Calc, or Comp Civics, but I want to take all of those classes- Science research because I plan to have a career in that and I am especially interested in the subject, AP Chem because of, again, science and I haven't taken chemistry yet, AP Calc because a lot of sciences use calculus, and Comp Civics because I enjoy the subject. And I can't just take A period because I'm going to go crazy with stress and lack of sleep if I do take that. I just don't know.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Week of Jin Xuan - Day 2: Vietnam Ta Jin Xuan Green & Milk Oolong
So, today's review is between a green tea and an oolong, but that's fine! Vital Tea Leaf's Milk Oolong is unroasted/a green oolong, and anyway it'll be fun to compare. There isn't much stuff happening today other than registration for school, so this review is happening in the morning after breakfast. Today's album is THE BEST 'Blue' by Kalafina.
Vietnam Ta Jin Xuan Green - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Green Tea - small, dark green curls; I'm guessing it's pan fried
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 75°C, 1-2 tsp, 15-30 sec.
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 5
Notes:
So, this tea actually really surprised me before the first brew. Once I rinsed it, there was very, very strong seaweed smell mixed with a bit of a cooked meat (pork or beef) notes. It's similar to Japanese sencha, but it has a bit more punch; it's not as grassy. As for the first few brews, it had a very bright yellow-green color and moved towards a neon green. The taste was amazing; it had the umami, yet slightly grassy taste of Japanese sencha and finished on the creamy notes of a Jin Xuan. It was very, very smooth with little to no tannins or astringency. By brew 4, the tea had begun to lose its flavor and color. It began to move from the savory flavor of sencha to the milky, lightly tart flavor of Jin Xuan with a bit of cotton candy. The aroma had somehow become what I can only describe as a fresh watermelon, with a tiny bit of seaweed. I ended at 5 brews since it was becoming flavorless and I cold brew the leaves are I finish, but it could go for maybe 1 more. Although it doesn't last as long as other teas, this tea is an amazing experience for what it is.
Milk Oolong - Vital Tea Leaf
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - small, dark green balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 180-190°F, 1-2 tbsp, 30 sec.
Rating: A- | 90/100
# of Brews: up to 8 (recommended); stopped at 6
Notes:
I may have screwed this one up. I stored this tea (and actually all of the other teas from Tea Ave) next to some chai, so there is a very light cinnamon taste. I'm still getting the milk oolong flavor, but the light chai flavor is distracting. Anyway, for the first few brews, the tea, like the green tea, had a bright yellow-green color; however, I'd say this tea was more yellow than the Ta Jin Xuan. As it brewed more, it moved towards a highlighter yellow color. The aroma wasn't tainted with the chai, and smelled milky and grassy- just how I remember it. The flavor is very milky with grassy notes, like the aroma, but had a bit of tartness to it. I daresay the cinnamon actually helped the flavor a bit since it was so light, but it's good either way. By the time the Ta Jin Xuan was losing its flavor, this tea was still going strong. This began to lose flavor by brew 6, but still had a bright color. Overall, the flavor moved to a more grassy flavor with light milk notes and tart flavor. The aroma stayed a strong evaporated milk smell, and I'm more than sure you can reach the 8 brews on the box. Still one of my favorite milk oolongs.
Final Notes
Well, I think I just found one of my favorite green teas now. It might just be my craving for sencha talking, but I was just blown away by the Ta Jin Xuan's flavor. It's like two of my favorite teas combined and made an amazing flavor, with both complimenting each other very, very nicely. Kalafina helped a lot in setting the mood, heh. As for the Milk Oolong, it's still actually one of my favorite ones just because of its milkiness and green tea-like flavor, but today, the bar was just set too high by the Ta Jin Xuan. And also, a lesson learned: store smelly teas away from other teas, and pack teas in airtight bags. Today was a good day.
Vietnam Ta Jin Xuan Green - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Green Tea - small, dark green curls; I'm guessing it's pan fried
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 75°C, 1-2 tsp, 15-30 sec.
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 5
Notes:
So, this tea actually really surprised me before the first brew. Once I rinsed it, there was very, very strong seaweed smell mixed with a bit of a cooked meat (pork or beef) notes. It's similar to Japanese sencha, but it has a bit more punch; it's not as grassy. As for the first few brews, it had a very bright yellow-green color and moved towards a neon green. The taste was amazing; it had the umami, yet slightly grassy taste of Japanese sencha and finished on the creamy notes of a Jin Xuan. It was very, very smooth with little to no tannins or astringency. By brew 4, the tea had begun to lose its flavor and color. It began to move from the savory flavor of sencha to the milky, lightly tart flavor of Jin Xuan with a bit of cotton candy. The aroma had somehow become what I can only describe as a fresh watermelon, with a tiny bit of seaweed. I ended at 5 brews since it was becoming flavorless and I cold brew the leaves are I finish, but it could go for maybe 1 more. Although it doesn't last as long as other teas, this tea is an amazing experience for what it is.
Milk Oolong - Vital Tea Leaf
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - small, dark green balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 180-190°F, 1-2 tbsp, 30 sec.
Rating: A- | 90/100
# of Brews: up to 8 (recommended); stopped at 6
Notes:
I may have screwed this one up. I stored this tea (and actually all of the other teas from Tea Ave) next to some chai, so there is a very light cinnamon taste. I'm still getting the milk oolong flavor, but the light chai flavor is distracting. Anyway, for the first few brews, the tea, like the green tea, had a bright yellow-green color; however, I'd say this tea was more yellow than the Ta Jin Xuan. As it brewed more, it moved towards a highlighter yellow color. The aroma wasn't tainted with the chai, and smelled milky and grassy- just how I remember it. The flavor is very milky with grassy notes, like the aroma, but had a bit of tartness to it. I daresay the cinnamon actually helped the flavor a bit since it was so light, but it's good either way. By the time the Ta Jin Xuan was losing its flavor, this tea was still going strong. This began to lose flavor by brew 6, but still had a bright color. Overall, the flavor moved to a more grassy flavor with light milk notes and tart flavor. The aroma stayed a strong evaporated milk smell, and I'm more than sure you can reach the 8 brews on the box. Still one of my favorite milk oolongs.
Final Notes
Well, I think I just found one of my favorite green teas now. It might just be my craving for sencha talking, but I was just blown away by the Ta Jin Xuan's flavor. It's like two of my favorite teas combined and made an amazing flavor, with both complimenting each other very, very nicely. Kalafina helped a lot in setting the mood, heh. As for the Milk Oolong, it's still actually one of my favorite ones just because of its milkiness and green tea-like flavor, but today, the bar was just set too high by the Ta Jin Xuan. And also, a lesson learned: store smelly teas away from other teas, and pack teas in airtight bags. Today was a good day.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Day 98: Sencha "Omaesama"
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Green
Brew Time & Temperature: Gaiwan method today
Leaf Appearance: Small, broken up dark green leaves; sizes range from broad to thin & grasslike
Color: Dark (but bright), emerald green; a bit cloudy from particles, but overall clear
Smell: Brothy, vegetal, somewhat salty with very light sweet, vanilla notes
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Looking back, this isn't really a good tea to use in a gaiwan (especially the leaves in the tea bag). They're much too small, particles get past even my best strainer, and the leaves just get everywhere. However, despite the oversteeping and light bitterness, this is a green tea with a strong umami taste. It starts off with the brothy taste, which soon turns into umami (and also some bitter) notes. It finishes off with grassy, somewhat tangy (and minty?) notes, with the umami lingering in the mouth long afterwards. It's somewhat astringent, leaving the throat a bit dry, but not the mouth. I got about 8 brews out of it, with the taste becoming less bitter and more sweet each time and the color becoming more bright green. Overall, it's a good green tea, but I've had better in this project (also having larger leaves wouldn't hurt too).
Other notes:
-72 HOURS REMAIN-
Oh shiiiiiiiiii- I can't believe I've done this for almost 100 days straight (bar 1 or 2 days). I'd talk more about how I feel about it, but there's work to do (screw this AP bio lab y'know). I'll do it later. Anyway, in short, pretty much all I did today was buy groceries, get the rest of the job application (and talk to the boss there), and work on homework. I'll start studying my ass off tomorrow for that AP Bio final + AP test, and I have a piano recital tomorrow. My first piece is super easy and not really my choice (I was going to play Howl's Moving Castle, but screw the 2nd half of that piece), but I really like my second piece (Schroeder's Failure from Darwinia). Here's to me doing well and actually doing what I set out to do.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Kilimanjaro
Type: Green
Brew Time & Temperature: Gaiwan method today
Leaf Appearance: Small, broken up dark green leaves; sizes range from broad to thin & grasslike
Color: Dark (but bright), emerald green; a bit cloudy from particles, but overall clear
Smell: Brothy, vegetal, somewhat salty with very light sweet, vanilla notes
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Looking back, this isn't really a good tea to use in a gaiwan (especially the leaves in the tea bag). They're much too small, particles get past even my best strainer, and the leaves just get everywhere. However, despite the oversteeping and light bitterness, this is a green tea with a strong umami taste. It starts off with the brothy taste, which soon turns into umami (and also some bitter) notes. It finishes off with grassy, somewhat tangy (and minty?) notes, with the umami lingering in the mouth long afterwards. It's somewhat astringent, leaving the throat a bit dry, but not the mouth. I got about 8 brews out of it, with the taste becoming less bitter and more sweet each time and the color becoming more bright green. Overall, it's a good green tea, but I've had better in this project (also having larger leaves wouldn't hurt too).
Other notes:
-72 HOURS REMAIN-
Oh shiiiiiiiiii- I can't believe I've done this for almost 100 days straight (bar 1 or 2 days). I'd talk more about how I feel about it, but there's work to do (screw this AP bio lab y'know). I'll do it later. Anyway, in short, pretty much all I did today was buy groceries, get the rest of the job application (and talk to the boss there), and work on homework. I'll start studying my ass off tomorrow for that AP Bio final + AP test, and I have a piano recital tomorrow. My first piece is super easy and not really my choice (I was going to play Howl's Moving Castle, but screw the 2nd half of that piece), but I really like my second piece (Schroeder's Failure from Darwinia). Here's to me doing well and actually doing what I set out to do.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Kilimanjaro
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Day 91: Grape Green Tea
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Flavored Green
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Large, rolled green tea leaves with some dried yellow flower petals (?)
Color: Light yellow-green, clear
Smell: Grape candy is the most dominant smell, floral, sweet
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 7/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Well this tastes a lot like it smells- like grape candy. However, while it does have the grape taste (I'd say it's a mix between artificial candy grape and purple grapes), it isn't terribly sweet. It's mixed with the grassy flavor of the tea, which balances it out and makes it actually taste like tea rather than warm, watered down grapes. It ends on a slightly bitter note with the taste of the grape lingering in the mouth afterwards. There's little astringency (which is unlike the average Lupicia flavored green, which leaves the throat at least a little dry) and was pretty light tasting all around. However, there isn't really much to this tea other than the grape since the green tea is sort of overpowered by the flavoring. Overall, it's okay, but I wouldn't recommend it for the one-sided taste. I think I actually bought 50g of this a long time ago since it was pretty cheap, but at that time I haven't really had much of any tea. Maybe try it iced?
Other notes:
Man, I hate to admit it, but it seems like I barely talk or chat to anyone anymore (especially people I know in real life). There's that girl that I like and we chat a ton about random stuff almost daily, but she's out this weekend, so I haven't talked to anyone except my dog today. I did say a few words to a guy selling honey though, but I doubt that even counts. Anyway, even before I really started chatting to that girl, I used to chat with some of my internet friends on Steam pretty often, but even now I don't talk to them much; we do have some conversations once in a while, but they don't last very long. It doesn't help that almost all of my communication outside of school is online, either. I would try to meet with my friends in person and hang out with them, but pretty much all of them are busy on weekends or are with other people (some of them I doubt are busy, but I haven't really hung out or talked with them in a super long time so I feel that might be awkward). Oh well.
In other news, I found a bird's egg while walking my dog! I'm pretty sure it fell out of a nest during the storm last night, and isn't viable anymore since it dropped a bit of a height, and there's a not too bad crack on the bottom (it might be hollow since it's really light, and when I tried candling it I could only see the yolk inside and nothing else). I couldn't find the nest either since the only tree nearby was super high up. Just in case, though, I have it in a makeshift nest, but I don't own a lamp or anything for heat (so I don't think it'll survive) On Monday, I'll bring it to school to my bio teacher and see what he thinks or if he wants it. It's small and bluish-white, with brown speckles all over.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Neptune
Type: Flavored Green
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Large, rolled green tea leaves with some dried yellow flower petals (?)
Color: Light yellow-green, clear
Smell: Grape candy is the most dominant smell, floral, sweet
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 7/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Well this tastes a lot like it smells- like grape candy. However, while it does have the grape taste (I'd say it's a mix between artificial candy grape and purple grapes), it isn't terribly sweet. It's mixed with the grassy flavor of the tea, which balances it out and makes it actually taste like tea rather than warm, watered down grapes. It ends on a slightly bitter note with the taste of the grape lingering in the mouth afterwards. There's little astringency (which is unlike the average Lupicia flavored green, which leaves the throat at least a little dry) and was pretty light tasting all around. However, there isn't really much to this tea other than the grape since the green tea is sort of overpowered by the flavoring. Overall, it's okay, but I wouldn't recommend it for the one-sided taste. I think I actually bought 50g of this a long time ago since it was pretty cheap, but at that time I haven't really had much of any tea. Maybe try it iced?
Other notes:
Man, I hate to admit it, but it seems like I barely talk or chat to anyone anymore (especially people I know in real life). There's that girl that I like and we chat a ton about random stuff almost daily, but she's out this weekend, so I haven't talked to anyone except my dog today. I did say a few words to a guy selling honey though, but I doubt that even counts. Anyway, even before I really started chatting to that girl, I used to chat with some of my internet friends on Steam pretty often, but even now I don't talk to them much; we do have some conversations once in a while, but they don't last very long. It doesn't help that almost all of my communication outside of school is online, either. I would try to meet with my friends in person and hang out with them, but pretty much all of them are busy on weekends or are with other people (some of them I doubt are busy, but I haven't really hung out or talked with them in a super long time so I feel that might be awkward). Oh well.
In other news, I found a bird's egg while walking my dog! I'm pretty sure it fell out of a nest during the storm last night, and isn't viable anymore since it dropped a bit of a height, and there's a not too bad crack on the bottom (it might be hollow since it's really light, and when I tried candling it I could only see the yolk inside and nothing else). I couldn't find the nest either since the only tree nearby was super high up. Just in case, though, I have it in a makeshift nest, but I don't own a lamp or anything for heat (so I don't think it'll survive) On Monday, I'll bring it to school to my bio teacher and see what he thinks or if he wants it. It's small and bluish-white, with brown speckles all over.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Neptune
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