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I think our 13 year old is a “super taster.” She doesn’t eat much in the way of variety because the flavors all seem so strong to her. And her sense of smell is crazy. One day I got a big box of tea in the mail and she sat with me as I opened the pouches and smelled them. She (at 13) was saying thing like, “It kind of smells like a mix of hay and raisins,” or “Its got a bit of caramel flavor, but I also smell something really earthy,” while at the same I’m thinking “I smell tea.” But she hasn’t had much interest in actually trying anything that wasn’t a fruity hibiscus tea (yuck). Anyway, she returned home from a trip to Nepal with her mom (I’m her step mom) and told me she really likes Jasmine tea. She knows I drink a ridiculous amount and always laughs when the mailman brings me “another” box of tea in the mail so she asked if I would get her some jasmine tea. I don’t normally drink much jasmine, but I am happy to have someone in the house to drink tea with and something to continue my connection with her as she heads into increasingly tough ages (I hated 13-15).

So today, she and I brewed up small batches of a variety of tea. I bought a few more glass test tube steepers (i just love them) and we made the yunnan full leaf, this, and the laoshan black rose bergamot thing, I’ll look that up later. Regardless, this was the clear winner for her. And surprisingly, it was for me too. The glass test tube steeper let us watch the little pearls unfurl and turn into bright leaves and we had a great time just talking about a variety of topics.

Tea. Magical.

I’ve read TerriHarpLady write about this many times so when she and I made our big black tea swap I asked for this one specifically. Assams have always been my first love when I discovered loose leaf. Mostly because they are so darn strong, malty, and flavorful, which for me, meant I could add all the honey and cream I want and the flavor would not diminish as it does with most black teas. Over the past few months I have definitely cut back on my additions to tea, rarely adding honey and even more rarely adding cream (not milk mind you, half/half — something i learned in Australia when I was in school there).

Lately I’ve been having a pull back to my roots and have been enjoying honey and cream in my teas, but most of my new tea finds are straight black teas that i wouldn’t even want to add anything to. I’m sure for a lot of people, this Assam is fantastic on its own. And I tasted it plain, and it is, but the second I taste Assam, I just know how much more I’ll enjoy it with honey and cream.

And (in honor of the tea maker), I damn well did. Thanks Terri!

Backlog from yesterday.

Lately I’ve noticed that if a tea is described as having sweet potato notes, it is likely that I’m not going to love it. This tea is so highly reviewed I was hoping it would be the exception to the rule. Unfortunately, it’s not. I wouldn’t turn down a cup of this, but I also won’t be placing an order for it.

So far from my huge bag of samples from Teavivre, the Golden Monkey is the clear favorite.

Okay, this one blows the Bailin away. I thought that was tasty, but this one is by far my favorite. The color of the brew surprised me with how dark it was and I couldn’t really figure out what it smelled like. The flavor totally shocked me. So dark and rich. Like baker’s chocolate complete with that bitter flavor bakers chocolate has, but in a really good way. And each subsequent steep got darker and richer. This will most definitely take up permanent residence in my already overflowing cupboard. I still have like 6 more black teas samples from Teavivre to try but it’s tough to imagine any of them being this good. But if they are, I’m in for a huge treat!

I got my big box of samples from Teavivre yesterday. I love that they give two sample packs per sample. That way you can try both brewing methods and there’s no figuring out how much leaf to put in.

I tried this first as it sounded good and I got a bonus sample of it in my order so I have a little extra of this. I really love fujian black teas. This one is no exception. There is just a deep rich flavor to them. I like fruity brisk black teas from time to time in the afternoon, but generally I prefer the Fujian black teas. I can’t wait to try the tan yang and the dragon pearls. It’s going to be a very caffeinated day!

This is the first I tried from my swap with TerriHarpLady. And there was a lot to choose from! Black tea wonderland! I chose this as I definitely needed a caffeine boost. The cup brewed up super dark and I could smell the chocolate and it definitely tasted a lot more more chocolaty than I expected. The puerh mellows out the chocolate a bit without overwhelming it. Overall I liked it. I liked the second steep better as the chocolate was a little milder. I think I’ll make a latte the next time I make this. I think steamed milk would make this a great breakfast treat.

Backlog from last night.

I really enjoy this tea. If you like buttery, nutty, rice-y green teas or oolongs you need to try this. I love to watch the tiny little nuggets unfurl into huge leaves. It takes several steeps to get there, but the flavor stays strong.

I ordered that goofy davids tea shirt and while I was at it, I added this to my order. I’d been curious about it for awhile. I accidentally over steeped it but it didn’t get too bitter. This is a really sweet cup of tea. With a nice roasty flavor. I’m finding I really enjoy most fujian teas. This one is no exception.