Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

my faith and my sword

Purchase link.   I'm keeping tea names as the blender intended; this is all lower case because that's how it is on the site.   Lovely, lovely blend.  I detail my tea experiences, partly because I love the teas, and partly because I'm new at this and trying to figure out what works for me.

Fragrance:

Gorgeous.   My initial reaction before tasting the tea was on of wonder.   Fragrant, yes, but not enough to be overwhelming.   It doesn't have a strong fruit scent, however; it's more the tea itself, and the accents: more floral than fruit to me, but I have a notoriously bad sense of smell. 

Still, this smells as mellow as the first cup has tasted.   

Initial cup: 

Too watery.   Too bland.  I didn't steep long enough, worried about burning the white tea. Given what I did taste, however, it was just what I'd hoped for: fruity, light, and calming.   I did put the tea basket back in, to see if it would take the flavor more.  I can't make a finally judgement until I actually have a good, hot cup.   

Even with more time in the tea basket, this is really mild.   Too mild.   I believe that I haven't used enough tea in the tea.  I believe this is my fault.   I've found it can take up to three cups to really nail a particular tea, so I'll review my first one to three cups.   This will definitely take at least two cups.   

Second cup:

Maybe I oversteeped, but I don't think so.   It's a little bitter, but that could also be the gunpowder in this.  It also has a very strong, mostly fruity/floral aftertaste.   All in all, I like it.  I usually don't like bitter things, but I really, really love this.  I'm going to call it a success.   I may steep less, but only slightly.   If this is oversteeping, it's far better than understeeping, which led to a watery, bland flavor.  Use a lot of tea, and don't let it sit to long - white tea isn't mean to sit for too long.   I did about two minutes.   It could be slightly less than that, but I'm drinking it straight: no honey, no milk.   And I'm absolutely loving this.   Full bodied, complex, and delicious.   Iced next - although I don't know if I can take more than two cups at a time, and I'm very, very happy.

Iced cup: Not a fan.   Makes it more bitter, and flattens the aftertaste.   I forgot that my ice maker was broken, so consider iced 'cold.'   I left it in the fridge while I got a Mag to Mag 2 converter from Apple - let's just say I contacted my dad, my power cord is at the summer house, but if you have an older Mac power cord you can get a ten dollar converter for the new computers.   Somewhat luckily for me, my sister's old Mac just died, and I have an old power cord from her.  

Anyway, back to the tea.   When I say 'flattens the aftertaste' I mean you're left with a more bitter taste, instead of it drifting into that delicious fruity/floral mixture which is what I liked most about this tea.   It's wonderful hot, or even room temperature, but I'm not a fan of this cold.

Final judgement: This tea may be one of the more finicky ones, but I have had enough loose leaf tea that I can quickly realize what's wrong and what needs fixing.   I consider the first or so cup to be trials: each tea needs to be treated differently.   

This one, while pickier than others, is worth the effort.   Subtle, delicious, the blend of bitter and lighter tastes - mostly fruit, although the more floral flavors are definitely there.   Overall, a rich experience and a tea worthy of Drift.  

I also find this tea quite calming, which is exactly what I had hoped for.   The Ultra Magnus blend I have, Duly Appointed, is like a gunshot: it hits me hard and fast and makes me super alert and hyper.   While this has enough caffeine to be a pick-me-up, it's not as strong - either in flavor or effect - as Duly Appointed.   Which is good, because I like having different types of teas for different situations. 

So, I'd suggest this for a day when you need calm.   I would suggest it hot - or even closer to room temperature.   I prefer my tea room temperature to iced, but when this gets really cold, it ruins the taste for me.   I know my sister, who got me into loose leaf and fandom teas, prefers bitter tastes.   She may prefer something like this more bitter.   If you know you prefer the fruitier teas, I'd suggest not cooling this down.   If you prefer your teas with a bitter edge to them, I'd suggest experimenting with different temperatures.  

However, this is definitely getting five stars from me.   Despite the obstacles in getting it right, and despite the need for more of the tea blend used, and despite me not liking it cold, when you nail it it's perfect, at least for me.   I really, really love this combination.