Brand: Lupicia
Type: Green
Brew Time & Temperature: 1 minute 30 seconds, 75-100 degrees C
Leaf Appearance: Green and yellow fannings and dust; the large pieces look like blades of grass
Color: Light yellow-green
Smell: Roasted and nutty; similar to a houjicha, but not as strong. Earthy too, with a little bit of fishiness.
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
For some reason, the tea leaves smelled roasted, somewhat like houjicha (but not as strong), rather than the usual strong fishy or grassy smell green teas usually have. Since I used more than the recommended amount of water, I had to brew the tea for 30 more seconds than recommended- as stated before, since I am using tea bags, my green tea reviews (and possibly my oolong reviews) may not be as accurate as they should be.
As for the taste, it has a somewhat salty taste (a bit like the ocean), with grassy undertones and a nutty aftertaste. There is little astringency, but it does leave the mouth a bit dry after drinking. A more of a savory green tea- I recommend it. If I can get my hands on the loose leaf (it looks like its only sold in Japan), I'll do a proper review in the future.
Other notes:
Valentine's day is coming up and man,I have no idea what to do. My friend recommended that I ask her out before then so I can do something with her (and it won't be too cliched) but I don't know. I know she likes me back (I can't say why because of reasons), so I have that sort of going for me. I'm thinking of maybe doing stuff with her that weekend and seeing where that goes, but setting that up is gonna be hard.
Anyway, I'm thinking of adding a new section to the top description- (Fancy) Words to Describe This Tea. I might, but I'll need to increase my tasting vocabulary first. If you can't tell, I usually spend a time before each review looking up words to describe teas or wines (heh).
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Sencha "Nara"
Showing posts with label Week 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Week 2. Show all posts
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Friday, February 6, 2015
Day 13: Houjicha "Oni no Baisen"
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Green (Houjicha)
Brew Time & Temperature: 1 minute, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Light and dark brown leaves; they're small and broken up
Color: A nice golden orange
Smell: A roasted, burnt aroma. A little bit nutty, too.
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
This tea tasted more like a hybrid between houjicha and a sencha. It had the roasted taste and smell of houjicha with the grassy notes of a sencha. It had a bit of astringency (could probably be fixed with an even shorter brew time), but overall was very mellow. Compared to the previous houjichas I've had, this one isn't as strong or harsh- it certainly tasted toasty, but not too overwhelming. Overall, it's one of my favorite houjichas so far.
Other notes:
Ugh, I've been trying to get close to a girl and man it's hard. It's working when I act like myself in person, but man, I feel like anything I say could screw it up. I'll give updates if anything happens.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Sencha "Ukiyo Ippun Gorin"
Type: Green (Houjicha)
Brew Time & Temperature: 1 minute, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Light and dark brown leaves; they're small and broken up
Color: A nice golden orange
Smell: A roasted, burnt aroma. A little bit nutty, too.
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
This tea tasted more like a hybrid between houjicha and a sencha. It had the roasted taste and smell of houjicha with the grassy notes of a sencha. It had a bit of astringency (could probably be fixed with an even shorter brew time), but overall was very mellow. Compared to the previous houjichas I've had, this one isn't as strong or harsh- it certainly tasted toasty, but not too overwhelming. Overall, it's one of my favorite houjichas so far.
Other notes:
Ugh, I've been trying to get close to a girl and man it's hard. It's working when I act like myself in person, but man, I feel like anything I say could screw it up. I'll give updates if anything happens.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Sencha "Ukiyo Ippun Gorin"
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Day 12: Strawberry and Vanilla
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Flavored Green
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Green tea leaves (broken up? They're not really rolled), rose petals, and some other fibrous bits of a flower or fruit
Color: Light yellow-green
Smell: Floral, with a strong artificial (candy?) strawberry smell. The vanilla is also slightly noticeable.
Recommended with/as: As is, iced, milk (?)
Rating: 7/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
The artificial smell is strong with this tea. The taste, too. Even though it smells like candy strawberries, the taste is closer to vanilla with an essence of strawberry (which is light, but I would prefer a bolder strawberry flavor rather than just vanilla). I would say it tastes like a candy or drink I've had before, but the taste is just so odd that I can't seem to figure it out. I thought the the tea base was nice with the added matcha- its very light with little astringency. The rose petals were a nice touch too (for the tea's taste and color).
The tea is recommended with milk in the Book of Tea pamphlet, but I don't really know how that would go nor would I recommend it, since it's a green tea. If I could try it, I would, but I've been out of milk for the past week. It's fine on its own without any sweetener since it's already sweet. Anyway, I ended up feeling a bit sick after drinking my 3 cups for this tea, since the tea just tastes too vanilla-y and artificial. It also gives off a (in my opinion) bad aftertaste. It would make a good latte, though!
Other notes:
I should really stop eating crap so often. My diet lately has been consisting of white bread and random snacks since I'm sort of broke and don't have enough time to cook a decent meal. Seriously, everything has taken up so much of my time that I've been eating dinner and doing this past 10 PM. I really want to change, but I don't have the space in my budget to get decent food. We'll see.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Houjicha "Oni no Baisen"
Type: Flavored Green
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Green tea leaves (broken up? They're not really rolled), rose petals, and some other fibrous bits of a flower or fruit
Color: Light yellow-green
Smell: Floral, with a strong artificial (candy?) strawberry smell. The vanilla is also slightly noticeable.
Recommended with/as: As is, iced, milk (?)
Rating: 7/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
The artificial smell is strong with this tea. The taste, too. Even though it smells like candy strawberries, the taste is closer to vanilla with an essence of strawberry (which is light, but I would prefer a bolder strawberry flavor rather than just vanilla). I would say it tastes like a candy or drink I've had before, but the taste is just so odd that I can't seem to figure it out. I thought the the tea base was nice with the added matcha- its very light with little astringency. The rose petals were a nice touch too (for the tea's taste and color).
The tea is recommended with milk in the Book of Tea pamphlet, but I don't really know how that would go nor would I recommend it, since it's a green tea. If I could try it, I would, but I've been out of milk for the past week. It's fine on its own without any sweetener since it's already sweet. Anyway, I ended up feeling a bit sick after drinking my 3 cups for this tea, since the tea just tastes too vanilla-y and artificial. It also gives off a (in my opinion) bad aftertaste. It would make a good latte, though!
Other notes:
I should really stop eating crap so often. My diet lately has been consisting of white bread and random snacks since I'm sort of broke and don't have enough time to cook a decent meal. Seriously, everything has taken up so much of my time that I've been eating dinner and doing this past 10 PM. I really want to change, but I don't have the space in my budget to get decent food. We'll see.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Houjicha "Oni no Baisen"
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Day 11: Muscat
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Flavored Black
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Small, curled black and brown leaves with twigs
Color: Golden-orange
Smell: Mainly grapes; it's very floral and fruity. The grape doesn't smell artificial at all (like many fruit candies), but is surprisingly close to the actual fruit.
Recommended with/as: As is, iced, honey
Rating: 8.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Lupicia is great at doing a realistic grape flavor (if you'd like to know what would be artificial grape flavor, see grape Pez or most other American fruit flavored candies). The tea tastes exactly how it smells- it has a strong, muscat/grape flavor. It's sour with a little bit of sweetness and earthiness. The black tea base is nice and smooth, with a bit of astringency. It might be the way I brewed it, but it made my throat a bit dry after drinking. Surprisingly, I like it with sweetener as much as the tea on its own (usually, I only like one or the other).
To be honest, though, not many of the flavored teas so far have really surprised me (this one is no exception) because a lot of Lupicia's teas taste somewhat similar, especially in the fruit department. If you really had to get a muscat flavored tea, I'd suggest Lupicia's Muscat Oolong over this.
Other notes:
Since I haven't mentioned it yet, here is how I do my taste tests:
1. Clean all equipment (kettle, pot, cups, etc.) and drink a glass or 2 of water.
2. Boil the water and warm up the tea pot (I use a steel coffee pot, since I'm making tea for multiple people and I don't have an actual teapot).
3. Open the tea bag packet and smell and examine the leaves.
4. Once the water is done boiling, let it cool (if applicable) and brew the tea for the desired time (usually the upper end of the recommended time).
5. Once brewed, pour the tea into a teacup (I use a Sango Versailles cup) and smell the tea.
6. Let it cool until it's at a drinkable temperature, and then begin tasting.
7. Drink a minimum of 3 cups before final scoring and review.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Strawberry and Vanilla
Type: Flavored Black
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Small, curled black and brown leaves with twigs
Color: Golden-orange
Smell: Mainly grapes; it's very floral and fruity. The grape doesn't smell artificial at all (like many fruit candies), but is surprisingly close to the actual fruit.
Recommended with/as: As is, iced, honey
Rating: 8.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Lupicia is great at doing a realistic grape flavor (if you'd like to know what would be artificial grape flavor, see grape Pez or most other American fruit flavored candies). The tea tastes exactly how it smells- it has a strong, muscat/grape flavor. It's sour with a little bit of sweetness and earthiness. The black tea base is nice and smooth, with a bit of astringency. It might be the way I brewed it, but it made my throat a bit dry after drinking. Surprisingly, I like it with sweetener as much as the tea on its own (usually, I only like one or the other).
To be honest, though, not many of the flavored teas so far have really surprised me (this one is no exception) because a lot of Lupicia's teas taste somewhat similar, especially in the fruit department. If you really had to get a muscat flavored tea, I'd suggest Lupicia's Muscat Oolong over this.
Other notes:
Since I haven't mentioned it yet, here is how I do my taste tests:
1. Clean all equipment (kettle, pot, cups, etc.) and drink a glass or 2 of water.
2. Boil the water and warm up the tea pot (I use a steel coffee pot, since I'm making tea for multiple people and I don't have an actual teapot).
3. Open the tea bag packet and smell and examine the leaves.
4. Once the water is done boiling, let it cool (if applicable) and brew the tea for the desired time (usually the upper end of the recommended time).
5. Once brewed, pour the tea into a teacup (I use a Sango Versailles cup) and smell the tea.
6. Let it cool until it's at a drinkable temperature, and then begin tasting.
7. Drink a minimum of 3 cups before final scoring and review.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Strawberry and Vanilla
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Day 10: Grapefruit
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Flavored Black
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Small, curled black leaves with bits of dried grapefruit
Color: Amber/dark orange-brown
Smell: Sweet; the grapefruit smell is there, but not that noticeable.
Recommended with/as: Honey, milk, as is
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Personally, I don't really like grapefruit (the actual fruit). But this tea wasn't that bad. It certainly smells very fruity; the aroma is sweet and not too overwhelming, and I wouldn't be able to match it to the fruit if I tried. The grapefruit taste is there, but it's sweet with a slight bitterness- rather than being super sour. The citrus taste is also very light, which rounds out this tea nicely. I prefer it with honey rather than as is, but it certainly is good on its own.
Other notes:
Nothing really. The reviews lately have been a bit short, since schoolwork has picked up and I end up doing this at 10:00 PM- a time that's not really ideal for tea tasting, but I guess it works. I am set in doing this for 100 days non-stop, so even if I have to wait until 1 AM to do this, I will get a review done.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Muscat
Type: Flavored Black
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Small, curled black leaves with bits of dried grapefruit
Color: Amber/dark orange-brown
Smell: Sweet; the grapefruit smell is there, but not that noticeable.
Recommended with/as: Honey, milk, as is
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Personally, I don't really like grapefruit (the actual fruit). But this tea wasn't that bad. It certainly smells very fruity; the aroma is sweet and not too overwhelming, and I wouldn't be able to match it to the fruit if I tried. The grapefruit taste is there, but it's sweet with a slight bitterness- rather than being super sour. The citrus taste is also very light, which rounds out this tea nicely. I prefer it with honey rather than as is, but it certainly is good on its own.
Other notes:
Nothing really. The reviews lately have been a bit short, since schoolwork has picked up and I end up doing this at 10:00 PM- a time that's not really ideal for tea tasting, but I guess it works. I am set in doing this for 100 days non-stop, so even if I have to wait until 1 AM to do this, I will get a review done.
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Muscat
Monday, February 2, 2015
Day 9: Houjicha "Shigaraki"
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Green (Houjicha)
Brew Time & Temperature: 1 minute, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Dark brown leaves of various sizes with a few twigs
Color: Medium golden brown
Smell: Strong roasted smell (for some reason, the smell of houjicha always reminds me of rice)
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
This is a very strong tea (stronger than most houjicha I've had, really). If I could compare it to anything, I'd compare it to coffee. The roasted taste is nice and rich, without being too bitter. There's a slight sour/tangy aftertaste, which I enjoyed. The smell is great too! There isn't really much I can think of to describe or say about this tea, other than I recommend it if you like stronger, unflavored teas.
Other notes: Man, first kitty0706 and now Monty Oum. Something tells me this is going to be a crappy month (rest in peace, you guys).
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Grapefruit
Type: Green (Houjicha)
Brew Time & Temperature: 1 minute, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Dark brown leaves of various sizes with a few twigs
Color: Medium golden brown
Smell: Strong roasted smell (for some reason, the smell of houjicha always reminds me of rice)
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
This is a very strong tea (stronger than most houjicha I've had, really). If I could compare it to anything, I'd compare it to coffee. The roasted taste is nice and rich, without being too bitter. There's a slight sour/tangy aftertaste, which I enjoyed. The smell is great too! There isn't really much I can think of to describe or say about this tea, other than I recommend it if you like stronger, unflavored teas.
Other notes: Man, first kitty0706 and now Monty Oum. Something tells me this is going to be a crappy month (rest in peace, you guys).
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Grapefruit
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Day 8: Jasmin Mandarin
Brand: Lupicia
Type: Flavored Green
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Rolled, mostly brownish leaves
Color: Golden yellow
Smell: Floral (mainly jasmine)
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 7.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Despite its name, this tea does not actually taste like mandarins. In fact, it only tastes like jasmine. However, do not despair! I thought that this tea was actually pretty good, for what it is (a standard jasmine tea). It's mellow, the taste isn't too overbearing, and it has a nice floral flavor. The green tea flavor is light, and the jasmine complements it nicely. Despite this, I thought that the tea doesn't really have much going for it, other than what I've said above. You could probably get a comparable tea for much less than what it's sold for at Lupicia ($5.50 for 50g of loose leaf), so I'd recommend against buying it. It's good, though!
Other notes:
Nothing really. I made some cans of Dulce de Leche (note to self: boil on high, rather than medium for 4 hours), and had some really good Sencha (Tanegashima asamushi from O-cha) too. After I'm done with this project, I'll probably get to reviewing that. Also, NEW EPISODE OF ALDNOAH ZERO WOO
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Houjicha "Shigaraki"
Type: Flavored Green
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling water
Leaf Appearance: Rolled, mostly brownish leaves
Color: Golden yellow
Smell: Floral (mainly jasmine)
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 7.5/10
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Despite its name, this tea does not actually taste like mandarins. In fact, it only tastes like jasmine. However, do not despair! I thought that this tea was actually pretty good, for what it is (a standard jasmine tea). It's mellow, the taste isn't too overbearing, and it has a nice floral flavor. The green tea flavor is light, and the jasmine complements it nicely. Despite this, I thought that the tea doesn't really have much going for it, other than what I've said above. You could probably get a comparable tea for much less than what it's sold for at Lupicia ($5.50 for 50g of loose leaf), so I'd recommend against buying it. It's good, though!
Other notes:
Nothing really. I made some cans of Dulce de Leche (note to self: boil on high, rather than medium for 4 hours), and had some really good Sencha (Tanegashima asamushi from O-cha) too. After I'm done with this project, I'll probably get to reviewing that. Also, NEW EPISODE OF ALDNOAH ZERO WOO
Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Houjicha "Shigaraki"
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