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experiments in tea #29: the dragon slayer (tea and the gang)

2023-01-02T22:42:27Z

I'm skipping way ahead with this one because I'm drinking it right now, at the right temperature because I have a temperature controlled kettle, and it's gooooood.

Tea and the Gang have their blends as characters for the most part (the new ones aren't yet branded, including the Strawberry Daiquiri I had a while back.) This one's descriptions is Jasmine Dragon Pearls, which are basically instead of tea as loose leaves, the green tea is curled up into little balls and infused in jasmine. Jasmine tea is a love, so I had high hopes for this one.

Also, I just showed it to my mother and that was a nice bonding moment because she just went back to her home country for a holiday, and she bought some jasmine dragon pearls before she left to give to a Buddhist teacher she knew.

Ingredients: Green tea infused in jasmine flowers

Brewing notes: 80°C for 3 mins on the first cup.

Tasting notes:
Verdict: I said last time that jasmine tea was the only green tea I'd found that was more than the sum of its parts. That's still true, and I still adore it - it's so soothing.
Lessons Learned: Jasmine tea still very good.

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experiments in tea #26: lemon sherbet (bird & blend)

2022-12-04T21:41:53Z

You know what, I'll do as many as I can to catch up whilst I remember. I will spare people the long reading post spam after this one, but check out the experiments in tea tag for all the postings.

This one looks very similar to one I haven't tried yet, called Strawberry Lemonade, so much so that I finished this one and then went back to my stash and went 'wait, didn't I have this one already? Wasn't the Ginger Beer the only one I got a double of?' It was, my brain messed with me.

Ingredients: Apple Pieces, Rosehip, Lemongrass, Orange Peel, Calendula Petals, Natural Flavouring
Do not remember how I brewed this. It was a while ago. I feel like I did it hot several times.

Tasting notes:
Verdict: It sure tastes like lemon sherbet. The lemongrass really came through, and is the defining flavour. I'm not sure I liked it that much, but that's probably a palate difference.
Lessons Learned: Also more general, but... do these posts way earlier because memory is sometimes not great and now I'm sitting here shrugging when asked to remember details.

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experiments in tea #25: cococabana coola (bird & blend)

2022-12-04T21:36:13Z

It has been... a while since I actually drank this tea, so we get things through the haze of memory (I really should start doing them when I drink them, lol. I was good about it until I wasn't! But I want to keep a record, at least.)

Ingredients: Apple Pieces, Hibiscus, Rosehip, Air-Dried Pineapple (Pineapple, Sugar), Orange Peel, Natural Flavouring

Tasting notes: I think I drank this one hot once and then cold brewed the rest of it. Added a bit of sugar both times.
Verdict: T'was perfectly fine. Didn't hate it, didn't love it, but mostly fine.
Lessons Learned: Most fruit teas are good enough, and some of them are stronger than others, but most of them are basically just fine. Also, I'm getting used to the tart taste of hibiscus.

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experiments in tea #24: japanese cherry garden (yumchaa)

2022-10-24T17:55:06Z

Ingredients: Sencha green tea, natural cherry oil, flavouring.

Brewing notes
80 degrees, only brewed this once before leaving it at my parents' house because I forgot to put it into my moving boxes when I packed up for school again. Will probably finish the packet when I go back home in a few weeks because Reasons.

(edit, 21/11/2022 - finished the packet. once brewed it at 90 degrees by accident. was not good.)

Tasting notes:
Verdict: Mostly green tea, with that subtle hit of cherry flavour. I like cherry, so I was morre interested in that than the green, but made for pleasant drinking.
Lessons Learned: I like cherry things. Also, check temperature for greens, because burned greens are not yummy.

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experiments in tea #23: regent's park (yumchaa)

2022-09-28T20:57:59Z

Nothing wrong with this one, just nothing that made it especially noteworthy.

Ingredients:Green tea, white tea, papaya pieces, pineapple pieces, strawberries, raspberries, rose petals, mallow blossoms, flavouring.

It is notable, however, that this is the first tea that includes a white tea, though definitely more green. Which is making me think I made a mistake and might have overdone it for the white during brewing, but it didn't actually taste too bad.

Whites are the most unprocessed of the teas, being just plucked from the tea plant and dried. As such, they have a much more delicate flavour, and should be brewed at about 70 degrees.

Brewing notes
I brewed this five times at 80 degrees each time, because I know that I don't like cold greens.

Tasting notes:
Verdict:
The papaya in this was the strongest flavour. It was green tea, and then papaya combined with the pineapple. It was sweet, I'll give it that, but it's another case of it almost being two waves of flavour, which was fine, I just wouldn't go for it again.

Lessons Learned:
Read the ingredients and see if brewing should be changed based on what you find there instead of ignoring it?

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experiments in tea #22: strawberry and kiwi sorbet (yumchaa)

2022-09-25T11:43:02Z

This one was a case of fruit tisanes actually having some flavour!

Ingredients: Strawberry pieces, kiwi pieces, apple pieces, hibiscus, rose hip, orange, lemon, flavouring.

Brewing notes
I cold brewed this first, actually, using up most of the pack to get a good flavour. Because of the large pieces, I could just put it in a covered jug with water and then strain out the fruit pieces when it came to drink.

I also hot brewed it at 100 degrees to see if that would be nice as well.

Tasting notes:
Verdict: Either way, it was quite nice - still smelled sweeter than it tasted, so I ended up putting sugar in both tests, which didn't really work with the cold brew since it didn't dissolve and just sat at the bottom of the cup. A subdued but still present fruit flavour, with both the strawberry and kiwi being tastable.

Lessons Learned: Give fruit tisanes a shot both ways?

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experiments in tea #21: mango sunrise (yumchaa)

2022-08-25T15:47:37Z

This one took me four attempts to get right, and I didn't really like it by the end, either.

This was one I actually tried a couple of years ago - and didn't like because I was wanting something more like a mango smoothie and you're never gonna get that from a tea, aha. So, now that I'm more accustomed and accept the fact that it's a green, I decided to give it another go.

Ingredients: Sencha green tea, dried mango, sunflowers, flavouring.

I brewed this at 80 degrees three times, and didn't really like it that much - mostly because I had to wait until it cooled down enough, then waited too long, and then once it was cool it didn't taste nice.. The first one was quite nice, actually, because I think I got more of the mango in there, and it just wasn't as strong enough on the second and third cups. On the fourth cup, it still wasn't, but getting it at a sort of nice sipping temperature made me like it more.

Tasting notes:
Verdict: Eh. It's more than a usual green, and the mango is there, but it wasn't strong enough for my taste,
Lessons Learned: Play with temperatures if it doesn't work, even outside of the recommended standard temperatures for a type of tea. Also, greens are more sipping drinks rather than drink the whole thing in gulps drinks. Stop trying to do that. Stick to an everyday blend with lots of milk if you want something smooth to chug.

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experiments in tea #20: red velvet (yumchaa)

2022-08-08T16:58:48Z

This one took me three attempts to get right.
Ingredients: Sri Lankan black tea, white chocolate, cacao peel, vanilla pieces, dried beetroot, pomegranate flowers, sunflowers, marigold flowers, flavouring (contains dairy).

The first time I brewed it straight and then fell asleep. It doesn't taste very nice when cold.
Despite this, the next time I brewed it at 80 degrees and then added half a cup of milk, which tasted alright, but from the colour I could tell it wasn't strong enough.
The third time, brewed it straight at 100 degrees, added a little bit of milk and sugar, and that was very nice. Kinda like a three bears situation.

Tasting notes:
Verdict: Once I did get it right, it was very nice. Could taste the richness of the black, with the sweetness and taste of the cocoa underneath.

Lessons Learned: Don't substitute the temperature for blacks, 100 degrees and milk is the way to go because if you do 80, it won't infuse strong enough.

You know what, I'm nixing the 'Would I drink it again?' category, because let's be real, I have so much tea that most things are not getting repeat bought unless they're literal nectar. If I call it nice, assume I've probably finished the packet.

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experiments in tea interlude: pg tips, raspberry infusion & peppermint infusion

2022-08-06T21:49:09Z

It's been a while! This is because I have been slacking off on trying tea because I was sick, then went on a cruise where I didn't have my teas. On that cruise, I drank a) a lot of PG Tips everday blend in single serve, which I know I like with lots of milk and a little sugar for sweetness, but b) also tried two other single serves that they had on the ship: the raspberry and peppermint infusions.

I finished neither cup. The peppermint was underwhelming compared to the mint from the gunpowder mint I'd already had, and the raspberry was just a hint of flavour in hot water and I didn't like it enough to keep drinking. So... not ones I'd go for again, and I'll just stick with my everyday teabags.

(Though my father drunk several cups of their chamomile infusion and really liked it, so each to their own.)

In addition, experiments in tea posts will probably be less formal from now on; it's a lot less fun trying new teas when I know I effectively have to write a full report on them afterwards, but I still want to write something down so I know what to order again when I run out of tea because my memory is terrible and I have a lot of teas to try. Also, image hosting takes up too much storage space to do it for every single one. But... probably more like this in future.

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experiments in tea #19: raspberry vanilla (yumchaa)

2022-07-23T16:12:03Z

experiments in tea #19: raspberry vanilla

( Raspberry Vanilla )
( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #18: toast & jam (taylors of harrogate yorkshire tea)

2022-07-12T15:28:28Z

experiments in tea #18: toast and jam (taylors of harrogate yorkshire tea)
An unexpected interruption from the loose leaf, but these flavoured teas from Yorkshire tea, especially the biscuit brew, came recommended to me by friends so I thought I'd get them when they were on sale at the local supermarket and try them. I have a sweet tooth, so I went for the jam first (also apparently the other one is better, so I'd rather go up than down.

( Toast and Jam )
( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #17: gunpowder mint (yumchaa)

2022-07-10T20:11:17Z

Another green to soothe ourselves a bit after that smoky Russian Caravan. I like gunpowder teas, and I love mint, so this should be good.

( Gunpowder Mint )
( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #16: russian caravan (yumchaa)

2022-07-09T21:21:45Z

We're back to the blacks. It's been a while.

( Russian Caravan )
( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #15: gunpowder green (thes de la pagode)

2022-07-08T16:24:25Z

A break from the scheduled tea haul sipdowns; I drunk this yesterday evening because next on my Yumchaa list was the Russian Caravan and I was not about to put caffeine from two black teas and a thoroughly oxidised oolong in my body at 9:30pm. Green still has some, but I'll probably still be able to sleep afterwards.

This is a French brand, so I didn't actually buy this one and wouldn't have got my hands on it if I didn't want to pay international shipping (which I don't, but is a shame because some of their other teas do look really nice), but my dad got a this tin from a TK Maxx (TJ Maxx to those in the US and possibly elsewhere) and I wanted to try it so I did.

The tins are lovely - looking online it doesn't seem that Thes de la Pagode do them for all their blends, but they're shaped like lovely little pagodas. Some of them are square, but some of them are round and have little tassels and they're so cute.

( Gunpowder Green )
( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #14: courtesan (yumchaa)

2022-07-07T15:19:40Z

The first proper fruit tisane!

( Courtesan )
( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #13: ginseng guardian (yumchaa)

2022-06-30T14:47:51Z

So, I've had a sore throat that turned into a cough that hasn't gone away for a week (not COVID, just a cold), which means having this one in the list was actually quite timely. I put this one in the middle because I knew I didn't want to have it last, because I didn't think I was going to like the ginseng particualrly much. I was right.

( Ginseng Guardian )
( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #12: earl grey blue star (yumchaa)

2022-06-28T17:43:17Z

A take on the classic Earl Grey.

( Earl Grey Blue Star )

( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #11: jasmine (yumchaa)

2022-06-26T21:15:53Z

The first flavoured tea that's strictly a tea, and boy, do I love this one.

( Notes on Jasmine )

( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #10: strawberry daiquiri (tea and the gang)

2022-06-24T19:43:16Z

Our first herbal tea! Well - TatG call it herbal, because they don't have a fruit section, but it's sort of on the border between herbal and fruit. This is an unreleased and unfinalised tea, which doesn't yet have a name, but TatG very kindly said I was free to talk about it! Just be aware that things may change between now and public sale.

( Notes on Strawberry Daiquiri Herbal Infusion )

( Brewing notes )
( Tasting notes )

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experiments in tea #9: english breakfast (yumchaa)

2022-06-21T15:31:28Z

Back to the blacks! This time, a classic: the English Breakfast.

( All About English Breakfast )

( Brewing Notes )

( Tasting Notes )

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experiments in tea #8: superior gunpowder temple of heaven (yumchaa)

2022-06-20T23:30:27Z

Another unflavoured green!

Superior Gunpowder Temple of Heaven is a very long name, but what it actually is the Superior "Temple of Heaven" variety of a Gunpowder tea, which is so named because the tea leaves are so tightly packed that they resemble gunpowder pellets which then unfurl as the tea steeps.

Yumchaa has provenance information for this one! It is from Zhejiang Province, China, which is on the eastern coast.

( Brewing Notes )

( Tasting Notes )

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experiments in tea #7: pure rooibos (yumchaa)

2022-06-19T23:25:24Z

The purest form of another new category! This time: rooibos.

( All About Rooibos )

( Brewing notes )

( Tasting notes )

(I'm actually not too far behind this time because I've just been drinking two teas for the past few days, one to get it right on the portioning and brewing and one because the hot brew came out so nice I don't want to do it the other way, and I only think to make loose leaf tea like once a day. So I have... 4 more posts after this until I'm up to date.)

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experiments in tea #6: pu-erh (yumchaa)

2022-06-16T21:16:06Z

(I promise we're nearly caught up with the backdated teaposting. Then it'll just be one every other day as I taste new teas. I just don't want to get too far behind that I never catch up. Also, I finally figured out how to section these posts so what seems to be ever lengthier posts about tea don't block up people's reading pages, aha.)

Almost at the end of the unflavoured, classic teas! This one is another new category and subcategory of that category, the fermented teas and the pu-erh/pu'er (named after the Pu'er region in China from which it originated.)

( Notes on Naming & About Pu'er )
( Brewing Notes )
( Tasting Notes )

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experiments in tea #5: oolong (yumchaa)

2022-06-16T00:31:57Z

Next up, a different type: Oolong. Oolong teas are neither strictly green nor black - they're partially oxidised compared to greens which aren't oxidised at all, and blacks which are fully oxidised. The percent oxidation varies by oolong, giving them different flavours in the end. I'm not sure about the oxidation of this one, because it just says oolong on the website. Which to be fair, is a good enough description for people who aren't connoisseurs - it'd be fun to know, because then you could do a comparison with different oxidation levels, but honestly I'm probably not going to be drinking that much straight oolong when I could be having flavoured blends, so...

I did attempt to hot brew this one using my shark infuser for the first time, which... I don't think I did it for long enough. I'm dicing with water temperatures of 'whatever temperature the water in the hot water thermos is right now,' and I wasn't timing it properly yet because first attempt, so... might have been weaker than it should be. One scoop of a perfect teaspoon to a standard mug of tea.

( Oolong )

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tea haul: tea and the gang

2022-06-15T18:19:14Z

(Don't ask me how much I've spent on tea this month. On the other hand, I'm set for like six months. Possibly more, given the amount of tea stores on my Etsy list and bookmark folders.)

(If you told me three months ago I'd have a tea habit I'd have laughed at you, and yet HERE WE ARE.)

Another tea haul, because I couldn't help myself. I would leave this post until the relevant spot in the tea experiments (which is like, 5 posts off right now,) but I'm doing it now because there's one in there that is an unreleased blend that I have the chance to come up with a name for and if I don't try it now, I won't get to it for months and months and then someone will have already named it.

So, this time I got some teas from Tea and the Gang, which are another British company influenced by Scandinavian design. The thing that stands out is that every tea, matcha or tisane has a character to go with it, a personification that fits what the tea is. Which is definitely a marketing tactic, but I really like it and bought into it, so... (they're really cute characters.)

So I bought, uh, all of their teas. Half of those were in 1-cup tasters, because my bank would not like me if I did 25g bags of all of them, and I didn't get the matchas because I don't have a matcha kit yet or the room in my budget for a matcha kit, and I also didn't get the latte powders (though I've seen reviews and am very tempted for next time, whenever that may be). Also got a subscription box, because one of the flavours sounded good and the chance to try unreleased teas and have things picked for me was just nice.

( List of Teas )

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