Popular Tasting Notes
This is the first year I have been so geeky about tea that I wanted to try a few first flush darjeelings as soon as they came out. OK, last year I’m not even sure I could tell you what a first flush was but I’m learning quickly. ;-)
This is a sample but it the most expensive one I got. I read there’s been a drought in the darjeeling region so this may affect the prices and availability of some teas.
The leaves of this tea are indeed still very green and look like the picture here. I noticed right away a fruity-flowery aroma. My impression of the nose of this tea are: vanilla, tropical fruit and a touch of anise. This is a great tea to savor because the nose is so very pleasant.
The color of this cup is medium yellow and very clear. I do agree with the pineapple description, it’s a bit sweet juicy fruit, but also a bit tart. As my cup cools, I am picking up on some more nuanced flowery notes as well as a slight butteriness, even.
I am not finding this to be very astringent like some other first flush darjeelings I’ve tried. I do believe this is an excellent selection from Upton and would be very tempted to buy more, although it is fairly pricy at $33/100g. I will certainly relish and savor what I have here. I’m thinking to myself, “OMG, this stuff is awesome!”
Preparation
Good Lord! I am kicking myself for not trying this before now! SERIOUSLY!
This oolong is out of this world!
I am on steep three and I am sure I could get at least two more if not more than that.
The leaves still have dryness and tons of aroma!
The cup is still colorful and flavorful!
When I smelled this steeped tea – before even taking the fist sip I knew I was going to be angry for not trying it sooner and I was right!
Peachy yes, woodsy yes, Juicy, apple flavors, almonds, yes its all in there but there is this wonderful mouthfeel that is outstanding – sort of syrupy in a way.
My full review will be on http://sororiteasisters.com/ later this month.
Yes, syrupy! Isn’t this amazing??
YES! Did you get that too?
I got ice wine, and syrupy fits right in there. Loved it.
Now I’m excited. I just put in my first Butiki order a few days ago, and this one happens to be on it! (Stacy suggested it to me)
Seriously, Butiki has some of the most amazing teas, many of which are blends, but this and the Mi Xian Black are IMO top notch straight teas.
Kittenna, besides the Gui Fei Oolong last week, I ordered the Mi Xian Black too, so sounds like I’ve hit the jackpot. Other items on the order are 2003 Reserve Four Season Oolong 1oz, Grapefruit Dragon 1oz, and Pistachio Ice Cream.
I LOVE the Four Seasons Oolong!!
donna a – Great choices! I also like the other oolong you ordered. I have yet to try Grapefruit Dragon, and am not a fan of Pistachio Ice Cream, but they are very popular on here!
Kittena, Grapefruit Dragon was on sale and had good reviews. Pistachio Ice Cream is a free promotional item they did if you ordered a certain amount,and sounds interesting to me. I’m usually willing to try something new.
I can’t really sleep tonight so might as well drink good tea, right?
I had this tea twice today. Such a lovely shou.
I like how sweet and smooth it is. I find myself craving it.
It’s not overly complicated and complex, but sometimes, that’s just what I’m seeking.
I have mentioned that this tea was like a hug on my last review and I stand by it. Definitely a hugger!
At this rate, the little cake won’t last very long.
Sorry Mandala for not being more eloquent tonight…
Pic from earlier:
Yummmy! Maybe I will use this for the Goldie test later!!!!
Oh! Great idea!!
Goldie test?
I think I will break in my new teapot with this next week when it comes. Bought an incredible pot from purepuer.com.
looseTman – We are experimenting with my gold-lined cup to see if tea tastes different than with a regular teacup. So far, it does
A gold-lined cup, wow! Pic?
Different in a good way?
PUDDING!! this tea… it’s heaven. Heaven in a cup. I feel as if I just enhaled a bucket full of mouth watering vanilla pudding! and a fraction of the calories. yeah baby!
Now, I’m not normally a fan of vanilla. In most cases, it’s enough to turn me off a tea! but for whatever reason… in this case, it is amazing. ahhhhhmazing!! The nougat must be laced with a slice of heaven. I tell ya…
Oh and it tastes creamy, oh so very creamy and sweet! without adding anything at all! Nope, I took this one straight up, and it’s still getting this rating from me. My first 100 folks! in 500+ reviews, this is my first perfect score. THAT is how much I love this blend.
This was my to go cup after my meet n swap, but the next time I swing by this shop, I am SO getting a tin. Oh yes, I need five tins! twenty!!!
The other thing that impresses me here is that I was able to leave my bag in and it never got sour or bitter. The guy at the shop mentioned that to me, and at first I was skeptical, but now… well I am a believer!!
Tsaa, how were you around for almost 2 years and I’m just finding you now!?
Clicking on their shipping page does nothing :(
I really must get some of this tea. I’m going to start a tea mafia. I’ll launder enough tea to get this one. You in with me?
Dylan: I know, I saw!! :(
but you email them maybe they can help?
Missy: LOL yes, I am IN!! we should get a code word :P
It’s funny how reviews like this will send us all on a google search (me included). EnablersRUs. Lucky for my budget, rooibos and are aren’t besties. Will await everyone else’s reviews : )
and * I *
Count me in! I’m Bonnie who’s Clyde? (Tea Mafia)
I’m down! Sounds AMAZING!
Cheryl: I hear ya. Rooibos, she’s a tricky one! yes, I am genderizing tea :P
Bonnie: LOL I’ll be Clyde!!!
This here’s Miss Bonnie Parker. I’m Clyde Barrow. We tea shops.
Azzrian: omg, amazing is not a big enough word!!!
Wow, now a huge fan of vanilla teas, but you have me DROOLING over this one!!
Just spoke to them, and they didn;t know the shipping link wasn`t working, so they`re going to update it. When I spoke to the guy on the phone, he said he thought there was a promo for Canadian customers to have free shipping over $50. I asked him what about US customers but he thought they would have to pay regular shipping fees. He really wasn`t too sure what was going on. He suggested checking out their twitter but I told him it hasn`t been updated since December 26 2011 ;) I didn`t see anything on FB either. I told him to check out Steepster and he said he knew about it ;)
So are you saying this is going to be hard to get? Maybe we need to do a bulk buy and then divi it up amongst ourselves?
I think I need this too. Anyone wants to do a bulk buy, drop me a line — I’ll contribute!
oh wow, this is awesome to come home to!!
So I think we are doing a bulk order? I’m fine with organizing it, though I won’t have much time till after my exam on May 5th.
maybe we should start a discussion in the forum before this gets too complicated lol
That is a good idea!
I must admit, I tried a bit of this tea from Indigobloom ‘s cup and although it was good, I didn’t think it was amazing. BUT it did smell delicious, and I was a) overheating and stressed, b) not in a rooibos mood, and c) I tried it before it had probably even steeped for three minutes. Which admittedly is rather short for a rooibos in the first place!
(Sooooooo that being said, if you pick some up Indigobloom , I’ve love if you hung onto a sample size for me to try out myself :D)
Wow, okay, I tried getting the Shipping Information page to come up by typing “shipping_information” at the end of the URL, since all of their pages seem to be easily named like that. It sent me back to the home page! I tried a few other variations too, like just “shipping,” and “shipping_info” and got the same thing. Is that ever buggered!
Kristaleyn: but of course!! you’ll be getting a sample to be sure :P
Daniel: They are a startup… I’m willing to forgive them for now! but if they don’t shape up… I will be sad!
Azzrian: :)
Their search function doesn’t work at all either…
Breaking this out to compare to the ‘Classic Tuo’.
Got about 11 grams of this out as well. I gave a rinse and let it sit a while before brewing to absorb some of the water.
I did short steeps and compared the color of mine from the website. The one I have brews a bit darker that the picture. This one is softer and a bit silky in the mouth. There is a touch of minty cooling with this one and the sweet that lingers is more pronounced. It gives some hints of a touch of a bitter bite only briefly. The damp aroma led me to believe there was some smoke in it but it doesn’t come across the palate. There is another note I am trying to figure out. Maybe just a hint of wood in there. Solid to have and drink and I am going to be sure and save the wrapper and red ribbon inside.
Flavors: Bitter, Mint, Smoke, Sweet, Wood
Preparation
Sounds like a tea which, given the chance, will really shine in another couple of years.
This is one of my two “learning how to brew raw pu-erh” teas. The other being Midwest Nice. I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of brew times, temps, leaf amounts, etc…
I have the Bamboo and a Midwest sample as well. I hope to get to them sometime…… Got a bunch ahead of them it seems.
Not a terrible problem to have!!!
Well sometimes I get in trouble if I get caught with the inbound.
you need to start a underground operation. I’ll help for a share :P
Does that mean that the guy living in the bachelor pad is the sensible drop spot?!
That would be a good option. I think the grand-son idea is about to go bottoms up.
This is actually the third time I’ve had this. It was one of the teas I got in Doulton’s gift, and it was one of the two that I picked myself. I like genmaichas and I’m not sure what the ’malted’ness was supposed to be like. Also I couldn’t figure out what the glass of milk had to do with anything. Lexitus tried to offer an explanation using wikipedia and small words, but I’m still pretty much blank as to the glass of milk.
I gather it’s a special kind of milk that tastes malt-y. This is the sort of thing that can’t really wrap my head around. Why would you do that to milk? What’s wrong with milk-flavoured milk? Milk tastes lovely the way it is! You foreigners do some odd things to perfectly fine milk, I have to say. See in Denmark we have chocolate milk and a variety milk milks with different fat percentages. The end. (And of course a range of various yoghurt products) We get by fine on that. I’m sure you lot are all OMG O.O at this, like the time I revealed to the a bunch of americans over on LJ that in Denmark we don’t have condensed milk either except for possibly industrial kitchens and such. It’s just not something we use.
Anyway, so yeah. The point of this is that malt-y milk is a really weird concept for me. One thing is unnecessary flavour in milk, but malt and milk? I’m sorry, it just strikes me as a somewhat bizarre combination. I can’t imagine that at all.
So I was curious. Against my better judgement yes, but still curious.
I can certainly smell the malt when I open the pouch. It’s overwhelming! And frankly, it smells like molasses. Which is something I associate with horse food. Looking at the leaves themselves, it looks like what we’ve got is one part green tea and two parts puffed rice. Erm… shouldn’t it have been the other way around, balance wise? I mean I want tea with puffed rice. I don’t want puffed rice extract garnished with tea. (And smelling of horse food) So not a lot of points on aroma and look of leaves here.
This being my third cup out of three different sessions so I’m pretty sure I’ve got a consistent flavour out of it, and as one would have guessed from leaf appearance, I’ve got rice flavour like whoa.
And that’s pretty much it, really. Rice, rice, rice, rice, rice, rice. And then on the swallow a hint of sencha and a little maltyness which thankfully isn’t reminding me of horse food. That much.
I like genmaichas. But this is way too rice-y and I’m still not getting what the glass of milk has to do with anything. Is there supposed to be milk flavour in here too somewhere? If so, I’m not finding it.
I can’t really decide if I kind of like this, if I like it enough for it to be drinkable, or if I don’t like it at all. It’s definitely not something I would invest in or something I would ask for another time. I think I’ll go with drinkable on this one and that’s it.
On the upside I’ve used almost all of what Doulton sent me just to get this far, so I won’t have to struggle through a lot of it or find someone else to pass it on to. But I’ll probably add some more sencha to what I do have left, so it isn’t so rice-rice-rice-rice-rice-y.
I’m quite disappointed that I didn’t like it more than this. The majority of others who have posted about it thought it was all kinds of awesome, and I’m feeling a little left out that I can’t find the awesomeness. Maybe it’s a cultural thing, me not being used to this whacky milk flavour? I’m sure we have super-common food products in Denmark that you lot would find bizarre too.
The glass of milk might be a reference to malted milkshakes, which were really popular in the 50s and I suppose still today, although I’ve never tried one. :)
I don’t think it’s just you. I tried it twice to give it a fair shake, and my bag of it, almost full, is currently sitting on my counter alongside a few others that I just don’t like. I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve liked several of the offerings from 52teas (since flavored tea isn’t really my thing) — some of them are fantastic — but I find this one pretty unpleasant. To each their own!
Oh, and Horlicks! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malted_milk
I am amused/intrigued/fascinated by the cultural taste difference issues you describe from time to time. Do they market Whoppers chocolate covered malt balls over there? That’s the closest taste similarity I can come up with for this tea.
Gmathis, never heard of those. If they do, it’s under a different name.
yummmmmm whoppers!
I don’t know how much more help I can be to this, but, I love malted milkshakes. Basically, I think that the milk reference comes from “malted milk” which is a product that is available here in the US, and people can add a scoop of it to their milkshakes to make it thicker and give it a unique texture – sort of like adding a little bit of grain to a milkshake. Malted milk is called malted milk because it is made of a mixture that includes grains and milk which is evaporated into a powder form – which is how we can purchase it here in the states.
As I said, I love malted milkshakes, and when I do happen to indulge in a milkshake when I’m out to eat, I usually order a malted milkshake. It just gives it a more interesting consistency, and it’s more filling and satisfying. YUMMMM!
Haha, this made me giggle. I’m a big regular milk fan too (though I’ve had orange milk that is tasty and my grandma used to sweeten her coffee with condensed milk with was sorta weird but tasty).
LiberTEAS, thank you for that explanation! I’ve only recently started to understand what malt even tastes like and was totally at see with malted milkshakes and the like. So thanks!
At least now I know that the honey note in Assams is supposed to be the malt-y note. But I still think it’s more like honey, so I’ll stick to (Hee! Sticky honey!) calling it a honey note.
You might look at our original post for this tea (http://www.52teas.com/2009/11/23/11-23-09-malted-genmaicha/), we posted some good information about malted milk there. Sorry you didn’t like this one, but like you said, “to each their own”. I’ve come to the conclusion that seeking universal love by creating amazing tea blends is a wild goose chase. There is definitely a reason behind the saying “not my cup of tea”. Everyone has different tastes.
I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s a cultural thing, so I’ll be staying away from anything ‘malted’ in the future. Just like I know to steer clear of anything with peanut butter. (I don’t ‘get’ peanut butter either. It’s available easily enough over here, I just don’t understand why people would eat it. An ex-boyfriend of mine (sorta) once brought me these peanutbutter filled chocolate-y (HAH! I’m not sure that even had enough cocoa contents in it to qualify as chocolate according to danish rules) things and started feeding them to me before I knew what was going on. Urgh!!!)
The tropical white, though! That’s one with a big NOM factor for me! And tropical fruit doesn’t normally get that sort of response from me. I think I’m just more of a fruit-person.
Also, that link redirects to http://www.52teas.com/2009/03/29/032909-sundae1888s-mayan-chocolate-chai/ for some reason! O.o
(if you’re trying to influence me, then sorry it won’t work. I don’t care much for chai or things with chili in it)
Also, EPIPHANY!!!!
OMG now I get that line from that Grease song! gotta be going to that malt shop in the sky
The comments on this post make me smile :)
Also, my mind has just been blown. HOW CAN YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE GLORY OF PEANUT BUTTER?!!1 ;) It’s soooo good. You have to have try a peanut butter and nutella sandwich at some point. Or a peanut butter and honey sandwich. Or a peanut butter cup. Or Reeses Pieces. Or peanut butter pie. Mmmmm. The trick is to heat up the peanut butter a little before or after spreading it on your bread :)
Uhm… because it’s all dry and not nice? It’s like a mouthful of cement. Blergh, you may keep it. I don’t want my nutella or my honey contaminated.
No, marmite. Marmite, that’s the good stuff! (unfortunately we can’t get that in danish shops)
Oh, for a slab of peanut butter pie! (My favorite is a clone of traditional American pecan pie, rather than the frozen/creamy PB pie variety.)
Oooh, you’ve been eating the wrong peanut butter then :) it should be somewhat thick and maybe a little sticky, but not dry! It’s creamy and sweet and salty and crunchy and mmmmmmm.
I mean dry the way nuts, peanuts included, are dry, not dry-dry. I don’t really care much for nuts on their own either. It’s like I never quite finish chewing even when they’re reduced to dust. In cooking or with (proper!) chocolate around them, nuts are fine. But not alone.
I am COMPLETELY baffled by the redirection of that link. It makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. I’m pretty sure the Internet gremlins are to blame. Anyway, if you want to read the information we provided on malt, I guess you will have to search our site for malt and click on the Malted Genmaicha post. It actually does have an interesting history: Malted milk was orginally developed by a pharmacist as a nutritionally fortified milk to be used as baby formula, but then it became famous as a confectionary ingredient.
Likewise, peanut butter, was originally (in the form we currently think of as peanut butter) created in the 1890s as a means to provide toothless patients with protein.
My all time favorite sandwich, by the way, is peanut butter on toast with sizzling hot bacon. Mmmmm.
Hmmm…. peanut butter and bacon tea?
OMG, do iiiiiiit!
Okay after reading all this I am hungry! Malted Milkshakes totally rock BTW. :)
If you remove the end ) on the link it works properly.
So if you stick ) to the end of a link it’ll randomly choose a different page for you. Interesting… O.o
Yeah, not really sure why that works, but it does! Yay for the interwebs!
It’s a bit like the “I’m feeling lucky” button on Google. :p
(go to Google, search “Find Chuck Norris” and use the lucky button)
Ha! That’s awesome!
I like peanut butter, but, I don’t like it enough to try a peanut butter tea. Something about peanut butter and tea together just makes my tummy get all squeamish and just… eww. I have been quite liberal, I think, in weird tea blends – I tried the bacon tea (very good, especially with a pinch of salt), I tried some rather weird concoctions (most of them have been Frank’s), but, I just… cannot try peanut butter tea. That’s where I draw the line.
Same…the idea of peanut butter chai made me feel squeamish. I actually am not a huge fan of peanut butter itself, but it manages to redeem itself every once in a while :)
For different reasons, I waited a long time to get this blend home. I already knew I was going to at least like it, cause it’s made of three ingredients I love: TGY, cedar leaves and some mighty vanilla bean.
In my mind, if you’re going to name a tea Rivendell, you better deliver…cause you know, we’re talking about the epic world here, full of magic, mystery and unusualness.
I’m using a small gaiwan.
As soon as the water hits the leaves, I feel transported. Sweet Jesus. I can’t really come up with words to describe the scent, hard to do it justice. I’d say it smells like a delicate vanilla flower that has grown in a luxuriant forest. The best I can come up with.
The first sip and I’m thinking nooooo!!!! Tea Whiz of the Woods, what have you done? Giving me another addiction, really? I can’t take this anymore. My monthly order keeps growing and growing!
I completely got lost in the session and forgot to take notes. Suspended in time, I just enjoyed the moment. But it’s easy to remember what it tastes like. Not so easy to attempt a description. It confuses me. TGY, check, I like it on its own. But how could the addition of only two other ingredients morphs it into something so different?
First thing that hit me was how creamy it was. I mean there’s creamy and creamy. This is intense creamy. Vanilla pudding mouth.
Then, nice subtle florals are flirting with that fresh menthol mouthfeel that I get from good TGY, amplified by the cedar leaves.
Some fruit notes also join the party. To me, they taste like pineapple and dehydrated apples. I picked that up cause I eat lots of dried apples, I love them. That gongfu session produced many steeps, all better than one another
This tea delivers. It breathes magic, it’s mysterious and unusual. So yeah, it totally deserves to be called Rivendell.
(I can even picture Hobbits, serving this tea to their guests in their Hobbit houses!)
I have no choice but to give the highest rate.
Tea Hobbit, giving it 100 is like giving you a “Tolkien” of my appreciation, hehe. Love it!
Pic:
RIVENDELL! RIVENDELL! RIVENDELL!!
That is all
Lol, mj, we see eye to eye on this one. YOU WERE TOTALLY RIGHT: IT’S PERFECT!!
I know you gave it 100 too, right?
That was a freaking brilliant pun ;-)
Thanks! No false modesty, I’m pretty proud of myself for this one, haha!
I did give it a 100, but only because I couldn’t give it a 110 :). And yes, that pun totally made me chuckle too!
I’m so happy you like it so much too!!
That’s because we are oolong sisters, remember?
We totally are :)
I didn’t get any of this in my order. I’ve got a sample coming soon. I kind of wish I had now.
Cheri, your order is ready to go out, but hasn’t been sealed yet…so you still have the chance! :-)
Brenden, you are a tea pusher.
No, I’m going to hold off this time. I’ve got a sample coming in the mail.
Yes, yes I am ;-) hehehe
(He is such a tea pusher cheri)
Oh, he absolutely is, but he’s also good at what he does, and getting me to the right teas.
Oh yes…I’ve never had such a good pusher in my life lol.
Imladris tea.
He’s a benevolent pusher for sure :)
Thank you so much Jason for sending me a sample of this special tea!
Finally, my spirit was calm enough to drink this tea and appreciate it fully. The time had to be right. So much chaos lately, with little rest.
I didn’t want to rush a rare tea that I couldn’t gather up for myself again. This Yabao is gone. No longer available. ( Psych Joke is on me! I thought this tea was gone,but it’s NOT! So I’m dancing in place (tap, tap, tap! Love happy endings!)
The dry leaves looked like large daggers of wheat and when wet turned bright green, cream and toast.
Smelling like newly sheared grass on a warm Spring evening. Sweet floating scent carried easily on the wind.
The liquor through these 15 second steepings in my Gaiwan, were very clear. Pristine.
1. My first taste was a gentle mist of honeydew melon, light and airy. The juice sparkled then thickened at the very back of the throat. This startled me. How could this be a Pu’er? My mind was stunned not knowing how to process what I was tasting.
2. This cup became a vision of pine trees around a pool of water with light reflecting off the surface. Glistening, sugary bursts heady and intoxicating. Looking down from a point above the pines, gliding on silk…the taste so smooth, fluid and lasting.
3. I didn’t want to admit to it. No! But, I did smell snickerdoodle in the leaves. Ah, yes. Spice and rock sugar, sweet and juicy with some of the pine trees hiding in the background like a trip to a fabled Fairytale House filled with much craved treats.
The best was indeed yet to come.
4. There was an odd smell in the leaves that made me crazy! I wanted to know what it was?! I loved the smell!
This steeping took me on a journey back to the Sierra foothill town of Paradise. One way I heated my home was by woodstove. Being a woman alone with 5 teenaged girls (only 1 was mine…the rest were “throw away kids” that nobody wanted) we had to cut wood and stoke the stove to keep warm in Winter. I remembered the smell of cutting down trees…the smell of the center of the wood and fresh sap. Even though we used cedar and oak, Christmas meant Pine tree cutting.
This Silver Bud Yabao on infusion #4 was smelling like fresh cut pine wood, and sweet like rock sugar, juicy and silky at the finish.
Magnificient! Stunning!
Thank you Jason!
Sounds pretty awesome.
Awesome, unexpected, different!
Correction – YOU wanted them and they are blessed to have had you! <3
Thanks! Explains why my daughter has adopted 3 and Fostered 27 (the 2 she has now are maybe adopt additions!) . My parents raised my orphaned cousins. You keep the love going!
You would do the same. You don’t leave kids out in the forest!
Ah, I just got the 2008 yabao that’s on Verdant’s website
It’s in the pu-erh section, but I don’t think it’s the same tea as this one that says it’s from 2010 in the description?
Got it! Happy!
A big thank you to you and your daughter for your devotion.
We adopted my little sister when she was 4 and she had been in the system for 2 years, she had some wonderful foster parents, and we are forever thankful that they cared for her till God blessed us with her:)
The tea sounds so yummy!
We heat with a wood stove, so I know the smell you are speaking of, I love that smell:)
Hesper June, Hug!
Hugs right back ya’ :)
There was a “Spring plucked” silver buds yabao which sold out about half a year ago, that probably accounts for the confusion.
I’ve been boring for what feels like months now, where I just want to dwell a bit on old favorites every day and rediscover why I fell in love with them in the first place. Means a dearth of logging but wonderful tea time as some I feel I almost appreciate more upon revisit. This is a good example. What an excellent tea. This morning was slow going for no good reason at all, and one of those where you wake up having to do approximately a billion little tasks before you can even make your first cuppa. When I finally had a second to do so I wanted it to be failproof satisfying and this fit the bill and how. I’ve had something like 6 cups—I figured I’d waited so long I deserved to do this in the gaiwan and set myself free for 15 minutes, whee—and it’s still going strong, smooth and sweet and clean but rich bordering on hearty. Present but refined. Delicious. Teas that offer so much flavor and depth in a matter of seconds when it comes to steep time still amaze me.
You could never be boring. Also, you’re totally fancy.
oh you! i love the idea of “fancy” becoming an injoke. :D
i am amazed someone who sees me prattle on on FB about hair buns and cat puke can say such a thing. but grateful too. <3 goodness knows it’s quite a shock coming from a lady who jetsets and gets her hair did splendidly and can talk theory and feminism with the best of ‘em. it’s been a pleasure running into you on the internets. (:
Aww. Aww. AWW!
oh, my heart ate my comment. this is what text cache is for!
oh you! i love the idea of “fancy” becoming an injoke. :D
i am amazed someone who sees me prattle on on FB about hair buns and cat puke can say such a thing. but grateful too. (heart) goodness knows it’s quite a shock coming from a lady who jetsets and gets her hair did splendidly and can talk theory and feminism with the best of ‘em. it’s been a pleasure running into you on the internets. (:
…ok. internet group hug with bouncy curls. ha!
OMG I DIDN’T THINK IT COULD GET MORE BEAUTIFUL BUT IT JUST DID
teaspoons all round!
You want to be the big teaspoon, the small teaspoon, or the middle teaspoon, keychange?
… is wondering whether the hair buns and cat puke were somehow related? Heh.
Best pet related hair styling product EVER.
I cannot stop laughing. Thanks, Anna.
Yes, this is how I like to introduce myself to new people on Steepster, Cheri – cat puke jokes!
In case you can’t see my profile picture, it’s one of my furry kids. In fact, he’s the pukey one. I know all about cat puke and cat puke jokes.
just last night i found out something i kind of wish i could unknow, that all those bouffanty ‘40s hairstyles were accomplished with the use of something known as a “hair rat”—women collected their shed hairs and made them into a little sponge like filler for their up ’dos! i mention this weirdness because now i’m imagining cat puke as a result of one finding one’s hair rat and taking it as a snack. eugh.
cat puke. it’s what brings people together. that or an immature/gross sense of humor.
haahaha, “the pukey one”…oh feline terms of endearment.
Does every home with more than one cat have “pukey one”? And here I thought we were the only ones.
I think so, yes.
I think every home with no cat also has a “pukey one”, to be honest.
Our two share the pukey duty equally it seems. Luckily they don’t do it very often. Mostly during shedding season.
ours share it too. unluckily all the time during shedding season. and worst of all, their favorite time of day to do it is while we’re asleep at night at like 3am, either right on the bed or right where i put my feet when i get out of bed. :b the first time that happened, husband was in the shower and heard a loud curse word from the bedroom when half awake i stepped in it. now i know to check before getting out of bed. oh cats. “you’re lucky you’re cute!” i only-half-jokingly tease at them.
Our pukey one is majorly pukey. The others do it much more rarely. We took him to the vet and the vet said there’s really no medical explanation. I suspect bulemia.
A friend was just telling me that she read somewhere that if you raise up their food bowl up about 6" or so, so that they don’t have to bend over all the way to eat, and it helps with the puking. She said it worked for her. I’m thinking about trying it. Pukey Penny was puking only occasionally for a while, but he’s back to puking a lot again.
Interesting. We’ll have to try that.
yeah, thanks for the tip! i will try that…
It could be over-eating, maybe. Luna has done that when she was younger, eating far far too quickly and then the whole thing came up again and you could easily see how some of the pellets had just been swallowed whole. They have a ‘food maze’ now, where I pour both their portions in at the top and then they have to use their paws to get the food out. Slows down the eating pace a lot and entertains the cats. It’s a bit noisy while they eat, but it’s cute to watch.
“Good for you you’re so cute!” Oh I know that statement well. It was directed at Luna when she attempted DIY surgery by removing all her stitches two days after having been spayed so that we had to go and have her re-stitched. By the emergency vet. On a Saturday evening. In the next town over. By taxi. And pick her up again the next morning. By taxi. (We didn’t have a car then and public transport would have taken three times as long) That little adventure cost almost as much as the intial spaying and ear tatooing of two cats!
Sing it with me now, Steepsterites!
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I’m gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Cupboard status down to 27! Boyfriend beginning to fear there won’t be any tea left. :D
That does sound kind of tea-famine-y.
Haha Dylan. It’s true.. that does sound a bit like a tea-famine. Though I am very happy you are achieving your goal of reducing your cupboard Angrboda =)
Actually, I finished off another one since. (There is now NO vanilla black in the house! GAH!)
oh noes! I feel like I should rush out and send you a care package containing just a vanilla black tea. ;)
It’s a tea-mergency! I could come up with puns all day…
Oh no worries. As soon as all this wedding business, and particularly the honeymoon business, is over with, I shall stock up to a ridiculous degree. The further down I can get the current supply first, the more I’m allowed to get in later. :D
I wish there was a hope for me diminishing my stash that much in a reasonable amount of time! But I have wayyyyy too much for that to happen…
I found that there were more than I thought where there was only enough for one or two pots. I must admit though, I also weeded out those that I knew I would never drink or like. Either tossed them because of age or put them aside to give away with swaps. I had great success in getting rid of some Darjeeling that way. :)
lol; so cruel we are. Play nice. still lol ;-) ;-)
I’m following in your footsteps, Angrboda!
And this was as low as we got. Am home now and have started repairs. First wave is from TeaSpring and from Sing Tehus in Copenhagen for testing purpose of their (considerably cheaper and easier to get Panyong. If it’s up to scratch the Tan Yang Te Ji will be a more special occasions and weekends tea)
I feel that part of maturing your “tea pallate” is trying a whole lot of different teas. Trying to do this has lead me to a bunch of new teas and tea sellers. But, regardless of how many teas I try, there will always be a softspot and a nice little warm and welcoming place in my heart (and tongue…) for favorites that no matter how many times I drink them, will be favorites!
As I said yesterday, I have been through a rough time. So old favorites it is. This black tea with creamy blueberry goodness is the epitome of delicious relaxation in a cup. The leaves scent has actually grown stronger and more blueberryish during this period of sitting my cabinet. I have gone through my pound rather quickly… I fear that I might have to order another pound in the near future!
This particular cup had a rather large blueberry in with the tea leaves. So large, in fact, that my tea basket is stained purple! This is a happy thing for me! Large blueberries that bleed the right color and taste delicious can stain as many pieces of tea ware as they want! They make my tastebuds dance and party! I added a tiny bit of sweetener today just for it to taste even more like dessert and sweet guilty pleasures.
This is my favorite tea ever. I finished my cup of blueberry creamy goodness way too quickly… The creamy sensation and blueberry aftertaste is all that I have to remind me I did in fact enjoy my entire cup of tea and it didn’t just disappear.
Hmmm… Maybe this tingly feeling is actually relaxation? Could it be!? … I am not going to let myself give in to feeling calm until the weekend comes and all the craziness of organizing the race has finally passed… Can’t wait for the weekend!
Sorry you’re having a bad go of it. The season’s will soon change and I hope things will smooth out for you. Nothing stays the same in life. Real joy is in God, family and friends. You have friends here too that care about you!
Thanks Bonnie! I love being able to lean on all of you Steepterites!
It’s not a lean, it’s a mutual hug!
:)
Hope things will start looking up for you soon! This is one of my favourites. So darn yummy, and I completely forgot that Frank can whip up a pound of tea. I just may need to follow suit someday. :)
Mouth Watering….
Weird, I’ve had 4 tea’s from 52 tea’s and that’s all. All were
ick so I never bought any more. I’m glad this is a good one.
@*Bonnie* Which ones have you had? I would be glad to send you some samples of my favorites for you to try! :)
Tonight my daughter and two of my grandaughters (Megan and Kiah) came over and brought me presents! (not an occasion, just being nice!)
A new electric tea pot (stainless this time) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel DVD! Yes!
I’ve already seen the movie and it’s really fun to see especially with Chai.
Because I knew the ladies were coming over I warmed this Chocolate Phoenix Chai in 56 oz. of milk slowly on the stove, adding honey just before straining and serving.
The tea was frothy and creamy smooth, full of caramel and cocoa.
The taste of natural, subtle vanilla had bloomed in the warm milk.
I had placed a bowl of ginger cookies on the coffee table to eat with the Chai. Dunk and eat or sip and take a bite, whatever the style, the pair went really well together. The Chai wasn’t too spicy so the cookie spiciness was perfect.
I had to make this second tasting note since we had such a great time sipping this Chai tonight, watching a good movie together.
What a great family!
I’d love to have a Chai holiday party. Everyone brings a hot Chai in a thermos so it doesn’t have to be heated. Has to be labeled and let the tasting begin.
Great Chai! Cheers!
On my shopping list this goes!
Ditto – this sounds so delicious, and perfect for the holidays! :) (OK what tea isn’t?)
I’m going to have to try that! Might need to order more Phoenix as I’m sure it’ll be TASTY!
I love this one.
Wonderful, Bonnie! I was just sitting here, sipping a Butiki Org. Assam, & thinking that with this fall-like weather, I’m in the mood for a latte type beverage. I’m going to follow your lead! So I’m heating up almond milk, with the Laoshan Village Chai in it, & we’re going to the bubble bath together: me & myself, & chai
Might be gone now. BUT, all the Chai’s are wonderful. I’ve tried them all and can’t wait to taste the new blends. (Terri, you’re heading to my kind of old ladyishness. That’s the kind of bath thing I would do! I have Root Beer Philosophy Bubble Bath for when grandkids sleep over and they get rootbeer floats to drink while in the tub!)
Nice, Bonnie!! I like that root beer float idea! My bubble baths always include tea, a book, music, sometimes a snack, & bubbles, of course!
This week is really chaotic. I’m taking a nice break now to enjoy this phenomenal tea. I love it so much! I’m not sure how well it will be received, maybe it’s just me that loves it but I really feel like both Kenya and India have just been producing some amazing white teas lately. I’m not really a white tea drinker. I usually only have white tea when friends are over and I can brew it in a nice glass vessel of some kind, often when we are playing poker. Our poker friends really love our White Whisper and it gives a nice little buzz when we are up all night playing cards. This tea is just different. While it’s still on the lighter side, it has really rich and sweet caramel notes. It also has some malt, sweet potato and the standard white hay notes. I prefer to brew this one with boiling water since it adds to the malt flavor. Overleafing can cover some of the rich caramel so I tend to measure this one out. This has now become my go to tea. I’m starting to reach for it a little more than the Premium Taiwanese Assam though I think they are fairly equally yummy but in different ways. This tea is a substitute for our Royal Golden Safari, even though that is a black tea. Unfortunately, our photo for this tea is too dark, it really is more golden in color but unfortunately our camera broke and we are waiting on some parts. So in order to get this up in time for the sale I had to use my cell phone. Terrible, I know.
Blarg, I’m noticing my writing skills have gone way down since I’ve only had 4 hours of sleep. Tonight will be nice since its date night. The hubby and I will be enjoying Thanksgiving leftovers and binge watching all the shows we put off since we have both been so busy with work. I think we have multiple Ultimate Fighters, Walking Dead, Marvel, and maybe 1 American Horror Story. Lately, I feel like watching Walking Dead is more of a chore. I think after season 1, I just never enjoy watching it but I keep watching it to see if it gets better. The hubby still loves it though. The whole farm season was pretty awful in my opinion.
Sounds like a lovely tea! My husband and I feel pretty much the same way about Walking Dead. Loving American Horror Story though.. even if I do get totally freaked out by it. :)
It is definitely a lovely tea! American Horror Story is great! Probably one of the best series on tv at the moment. I’m a little fearful that its going to go horribly wrong and completely out there but so far so good.
I think Walking Dead is getting better this season…Last night’s in particular was action packed! I am a fan of the comic so I keep watching to see how things will turn out different. American Horror is a good show too. I dig all the twists and turns even it is cheesey at times :)
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Stephanie-Interesting. Well, I will find out tonight! I have a lot of friends who love the comic. They are pretty irritated by the show. One of these days I will have to get started on the comic. American Horror is a little cheesy at times but still completely worth it (for now). I don’t know why but I just get this feeling that they are really going to mess this season up.
Irritated with the TV show? I can definitely relate! The Andrea character is one of my faves in the comic but she was totally annoying on the show, for example. Heh. There are 117 issues out so it would be a lot of reading to catch up! Comics go pretty quick though :)
My tea buddy Kate totally agrees with you about TWD. I haven’t kept up with it but she has and when we chat about our week she’s often like “We watched it last night. It’s becoming a ritual where right afterward all my husband and I talk about is everything frustrating or bad about what we just saw.” You are not alone apparently!
+1 for Walking Dead!
Stephanie-Yep, they are irritated with the show, love the comic though. Whoa, I didn’t realize they were up to that many issues.
ifjuly-Good to know I’m not alone.
I hope you try the comic sometime! I’ve got all of them, but have lost interest in the show. I might pick it up again to see how the prison stuff goes though.
I just found I felt closer to the comic characters – there are multiple times where I’ve thrown my book onto the ground out of shock or sadness or whatever, but I get annoyed by the same characters on the show.
i’m back. I was really excited to be able to come home after work and sit, drink tea, organise my cupboard and catch up… however after 3 hours of sleep, followed by an 11 hour work day to come home and fine no food in the house, laundry all over the house to be put away and my other half having apparently done nothing today except washing the laundry…let’s just say i get no time to myself tonight…and i’m a grumpy bear. Oh and my other half? gone for the evening to dodgeball…won’t be back for another hour.
this was my morning tea…and apart from this and my other tea, i haven’t had a chance to eat all day. On the upside, at least i had this tea and my other morning tea…which was a welcome cup of warmth and comfort now that we’re back in the cold.
Get some sleep. :-)
have to put away all the laundry before i can….it’s all over the bed sigh
Poor grump. Hope the trip was excellent, even if you are now back in the polar vortex of doominess. Sigh. I’m not even in the worst of it and I’m ready for no more cold!
Welcome back!!
Welcome back!!
Welcome back!!
Welcome back!!
Welcome back!!
Welcome back!!
Welcome back!!
Welcome back!!
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Welcome back!!
Welcome back!!
I’m excited you’re back, Sil… but not quite as excited as Terri.
I don’t think anyone could be Anna lol
TERRI ARE YOU OKAY
ROFL! Terri is blowing up all our notices
oops!!!
HAHAHAHA, I AM glad to have Sil back, but that happened last night, on my ipad. I swear to you all, the button wasn’t responding. There will probably be a couple more snaffoos before it’s over with. I think there were a couple other comments that I tried to send that my screen didn’t appear to be responding to either.
it’s ok terri…we know you really just missed me lots.
that’s because you’re my awesome tea sister (((hug)))
This tea is perfect. I am hoping so, so hard that I never get sick of it the way I can with many a tea, because it really is as perfect as its “back story” makes it out to be. I read the back story last night (about how it was part of a project to improve Portugal’s image and is the only Western tea to be featured in the Chinese tea museum) and dreamed really, really big.
Last night was perhaps the first night in a long while that i’ve had decent sleep, and although I’m still feeling a bit tired this morning, I actually slept through the night and woke to the sound of my alarm, and excitedly got out of bed because I’d planned for this tea this morning.
The dry smell of the leaf was actually a bit misleading. It sort of has an earthy, barn-yard-esque quality to it that was reminiscently evocative of the keemun I sampled from art of Tea and didn’t quite like, although the barnyard factor was significantly less pronounced in these leaves. I brewed it up as per keychange, so about five minutes and my usual cream and sugar, and was blown away.
This is perhaps the first tea I’ve ever tried that tastes sort of like a campfire, with sweet hints of maple and a fresh, rain-soaked wind that has whipped through a dense forest. It is not astringent in the slightest, and I can absolutely see what all the fuss is about (which is a relief, let me tell you. I always feel like a bit of a failure when I don’t get what the fuss is about over a beloved tea on steepster).
Seriously, if any of you guys want to try some of this, let me know. It’s amazing. I want it in my collection forever!
I like this one a lot, too. :)
Isn’t it so wonderful? I knew upon drinking it that I wouldn’t be able to do it justice in a tasting note, but my god it’s perfect.
Yay! I recently fell in love with the Queen too, and now we hang out regularly. (:
So do we! She is so graceful and inviting and perfect!
Hooray for the Queen! (beautiful with a teaspoon of the Harney Rose Scented mixed in as well.
oh man i’m gonna have to try this one soon! your delight is contagious.
Try it try it try it! Want me to send you some?
and shmiracles, so does that equal two tsp of tea? one of each? it isn’t too strong?
sorry, that question was to rosehips!
Hehe I love this one. Glad there are some fellow Queen admirers around now… there was awhile there when nobody was posting about her!
We should always post about her! she deserves it!
Right?! Dang I’m craving a cup now lol
Me too!!
I use one tsp of the queen with one of rose scented for a small pot of tea, and it turns out beautifully.
That’s good to know! I usually brew a mug at a time, so maybe i’ll do half a tsp of each an see how that goes. I have yet to try rose-scented, but I have it in my cupboard, so it won’t be long!
That sounds like a good ratio. I cant wait to hear what you think of this combo.
You’ve sold me on trying this – love your description and tasting note.
I would love love love to try this one if you are up to send!
This is a dearly beloved of mine. I always have some Catherine on the shelf. When I was having radiation for breast cancer, my daughter had a pot of Catherine ready for me when I came in the door, and it really picked me up. Just reading the story of the real Catherine, her courage, and her very different kind of honor and love than we are used to hearing in today’s love stories, really are inspiring and worthy of thought.
I’d love to send you some, Haley D. Send me a pm if that’s even still a feature here (haven’t been on in ages!). I should have the Queen with breakfast tomorrow!
OK, here’s my – man Dex are you ever strange – thought for the day.
I don’t understand most peoples thoughts on French Toast. I don’t get the powered sugar, syrup, heaven forbid whipped cream toppings on French toast. French toast – in my world is eggs and bread (yeah I know beat in a little milk it makes it “fluffier”). If you were eating scrambled eggs and toast (bread and eggs) would you cover it in sugar and syrup? If you were eating poached eggs on toast….? So why when you dip bread in eggs and fry does it suddenly become a dessert? I will never understand this. In my world French Toast is savory to be eaten with bacon and ketchup – thank you very much.
Having said all that, this is not French Toast tea (at least not in my world) this is pancake tea. It’s really subtle on the maple, really heavy on the sweet, and just a hint of cakey. I don’t really like it, those aren’t my favorite flavors, but is ok. Will play with the rest of the sample – am thinking of adding hazelnut. Thanks ifjuly for the sample.
ETA: 1 1/2tsp French Toast, 1/2 tsp Adagio Hazelnut, 16 oz water, wait 3 minutes, pour into travel mug, add 1/2 tsp splenda and a splash of milk. All is right in my world….
=0) i’d do bacon and thyme…. no ketchup for me. i save that for grilled cheese, but that’s just me.
LOL bacon and thyme make sense to me…. you add thyme to omelets so why not french toast… will try that some day. :))
It really depends on how you want your eggs that day ;). We’ll often do a slighty sweetened cream cheese and fruit filling in an omlette as a weekend breakfast treat.
Maybe I was a little harsh – of course to each their own, and I understand that I am really in the minority, it’s just one of those things that everyone does that I don’t understand. If you like sweet and fruity with your eggs – that’s awesome ;))
Yes… yes, I would put maple syrup on poached eggs on toast, especially if there was sausage in there somewhere too. Salty-sweet. :)
you know… bread, squishiness, fried…. it’s all a win really……
Cora’s does a cinnamon brioche French toast that I used to be addicted to, but outside of that I usually go the savoury route for French toast also. Though I suppose it is like tarts and crêpes. It can go both ways.
Dexter, felt good to get it off your chest, didn’t it?
James, ketchup with grilled cheese??? Uh, no thank you. But that’s just me :-)
I’m working on expressing my uniqueness….
Grilled cheese with ketchup? Oh yes! Dessert French toast? Nah… although I’d be willing to try… Pancake tea? Maybe! I love pancakes but never had them in a form of a tea… :P
But Dexter, people put jam on toast and that is adding sweetness to breakfast. Although I do see where you are coming from. I personally love syrup or cinnamon sugar on french toast but then again, I have put syrup on eggs, bacon and hash browns before :P However savory french toast also sounds tasty.
ViriaTEA – ok I get the jam on toast part – but I don’t want it with eggs. I think it’s the eggs and sweet that messes with my head. Or maybe I’m just not that big of syrup fan. Dunno…
Kamyria – 52 teas also does a Pancake Breakfast tea. I think this is really similar to that. http://steepster.com/teas/52teas/19081-pancake-breakfast-black-tea
Butiki also does a Potato Pancake and applesauce tea. http://steepster.com/teas/butiki-teas/33339-potato-pancakes-and-applesauce-holiday-series-hanukkah
there is nothing better than grilled cheese and ketchup unless is grilled cheeseS made with havarti…. oh, and you’re dipping in ketchup btw.
@Kamyria pancake tea rocks!
Dex, I’m totally with you. My mom’s french toast was always very savory, bright yolky yellow with toasty brown marks, super eggy, not sweet until/unless you put maple syrup over it. The pillowy-fat-fluffy sugarbombed type you usually get in restaurants is alien to me (not a judgment, my husband loves that kind and so do most of my friends who brunch out with us, just noting you’re not alone!).
JustJames, you have made me hungry. boo! (:
I want to try this tea so badly it hurts.
When I feel like having something new, I just fetch a pouch from my Terri Box.
She generously sent me what she had left of this precious tea. Delicious little tiny golden snails, so pretty to look at.
Of course, I was curious to compare them to Whispering Pines’s “wee snaily yums” Golden Snail Yunnan Black, already a favourite.
They do look identical, but are completely different in taste. Though I much prefer WP version, this is still yummy, no doubt.
What surprised me the most was to find some smoke in there. Don’t know if my taste buds are playing tricks on me but it’s very noticeable. In a Keemun kind of way.
It’s sweet, but it’s missing that silky barley sugar feel I get from WP.
It’s fuller bodied and maltier, not as delicate and complex. I’m missing the floral and spicy notes I find in WP.
To me, it feels like a good robust black tea, which is something I would seek early in the morning. Just not what I was expecting from what is supposed to be a more mellow and smooth kind of tea.
Maybe I over leafed? Luckily, I still have plenty to try it again.
So yes, compared to WP’s Bi Luo Chun, it looses the battle.
But as a nice breakfast tea, it’s a winner, loved it!
Thank you so much Terri Harlady for giving the chance to try so many teas from Yunnan Sourcing :-)
Weeeee snaily yummmmzzzzzz
This is Autumn tea so it has a little diff profile. Also it aged, so probably new flavors developed as it aged. I want to age some of my YS teas to see the difference.
It’s Wee Snaily Yums’s cousin – Teensy Snaily Yums!
I really want to try this one! Will definitely order it when I get around to YS…
Sars, can’t help yourself right? I do the same every time :-)
Boychik, It could be the reason, the difference is HUGE!
Haha! Yes Cameron, totally Teensy :-)
No, I’m sorry.
I just adore snail teas. :)
Hey, a girl is allowed to let loose at the end of the her day….
What’s on your sipping menu tonight?
I am currently drinking the GTT Honey Black! Round 2! Writing it up now.
I am leaving soon to go babysit my (alomost) 3 year old nephew, so I figured I could use a little black tea energy!
Check this guy out. LOL. He cracks me up!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14697428776/
Oh! Yes little boys need to play!!! I know what it’s like, my godson just turned 4, precious boy :-)
OMG he’s adorable, awwww!!!!!
Ok, here’s my little guy, he’s also my nephew:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14206250704/lightbox/
He’s so sweet!!!! Too cute!!!
Cuties!
I don’t have autumn 13 but I have spring 14. Should send you a sample to compare ;)
Just going to jump on this “showing off the nephew” train. Here’s mine, he’s almost 1 :)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByLDTxpzm4N2Y3NQTzNfSHIyc1k/edit?usp=sharing
OMG mj!!!! He’s precious!
Thanks Sarsonator :) I love your nephews chubby little cheeks! So adorable! TeaFairy, your nephew looks so cute in that little hat :)
Mj, your nephew is so darn cute, thanks for sharing :-) showing off nephews is fun!!!
last night session
last time i had this tea i probably didnt use enough. it was ok but nothing special.
this time i decided to increase the amount to 8g. it made a huge difference. this tea is rich smooth and creamy. i’m happy to have it in my cupboard.
http://instagram.com/p/v0xkcChwm9/
http://instagram.com/p/v014KRhwg-/
Preparation
That’s a favorite of mine. I think its a clear cut above most of the rest of Menghai’s ripes.
I have maybe one more session with my mini-cake. Wishing I stocked up more!
The photos are amazing! The liquor in the final shot looks divine… :D
@ jschergen http://www.angelinasteas.com/shoppe/teas/pu-erh/SKU000864-4fd8fa76b17f5-detail.html
still has it. cheap too.
thank you Red Fennekin. the brew is thick strong and creamy. i dont think its very caffeinated. i had 4 steeps around midnight and fell asleep immediately ;)
this is a winner….
Thanks! Is that where you bought it from?
It may just be the cynic in me, but their price is beneath the Chinese market which has left me concerned about it being a potential fake. I’d feel a lot more confident knowing someone has gotten the tea and it was pretty alright.
Cheers!
i bought it at Mandala. but i placed couple orders with them. its not fake what i received. You can ask mrmopar and Dignitea. they ordered fr them as well. Look at Tuocha Tea, their prices are low too
i got fr Angelina’s 2006 Haiwan * Peacock Quest * Ripe
2008 Menghai “Hong Yun” Ripe Pu-erh Mini and something else i dont remember. All authentic
Mandala doesn’t carry these anymore but I definitely trust them, don’t know much about Angelina’s tea however. I got my 2009 from Jas-e tea but they’re also out.
James – I have purchased several things from Angelinas and I have been happy with each one. I picked up one of these Zi Yuns but it is my second so I’ve not yet tried it. Today I am enjoying a 2005 6FTM MengSong purchased at Angelinas last year. It’s a good one.
@DigniTea – great, now I want one :P
I almost drank this one today :)
Terri, the day is not over yet. You can still make it cause its awesome! Unless you have other plans ;)
The “Dayi Hong” is good and similar to this.
@DigniTea @boychick Thanks for the notes on Angelinas! At less than $10, the risk is certainly not enormous.
Indeed, I have been looking for this for a while. If it is the real deal I will definitely stock up! If anyone can verify that Angelina’s is carrying this same cake, it would be very much appreciated!
Oh, I see, Angelina’s has the 2008 version, not 2009. I am wondering how they compare.
Rich, I got one 2008 Dayi Hong fr Mandala and one fr Angelina. They are absolutely the same.
Oh, thanks for checking! So the wrapper from the Angelina’s cake says 2009?
I misunderstood you Rich. I bought this tea fr Mandala. I also bought 2008 Red Rhyme fr Mandala and 2008 Red Rhyme fr Angelina. Those cakes are the same. But last night I ordered Zi Yun fr Angelinas. Hopefully next week I will tell you if they are the same. They ship pretty fast.
I think the one from Angelina’s is actually from 2009. It looks legit though.
Ok. Got it. Very impressed. Placed an order on Wed , got it Sat . Don’t forget that it was Thanksgiving week. It is 2008. Looks exactly like 2009. Box, menghai sticker. Looks good to me.
that is so funny, I ended up ordering one too. Just have to go to the post office to pick it up next week. :))
Sorry for being enabler, TeaBrat ;)
Based on this thread I placed an order with Angelina’s to get that Zi Yun. It is legit, and tastes just like the one I got from Mandala. However… I bought an Adorned in Red cake and a couple loose leaf teas that were HORRIBLE! Tastes like they were stored in a fragrant environment and the odors soaked into the tea making it pretty much undrinkable. I might be able to air it out over a couple months and save it, but I was not pleased. The Zi Yun comes in a box in addition to the wrapper which may have saved it from succumbing to the same fate as the open cake and loose leaf tea. Buyer beware.
2022 sipdown no. 23
I really love green oolongs. This one will most certainly be reordered!
I have planned out a CS green oolong cart, but does anyone have any other spots they would recommend? I thought about Mountain Stream, but with the exchange rate, it’s a bit much for me right now, so I’ll have to go back to that one later.
Preparation
Cha Yi has some nice green oolongs if you want to stick with Canadian companies. I really liked their Alishan, and their Cuifeng and Shan Lin Xi were also good. Sebz Tea had a floral Li Shan several years ago that I enjoyed.
Thanks! I had the Shan Lin Xi in my CS cart as a new one to try, so that’s exciting that Cha Yi also has it. I was also considering the Li Shan (though a bit prohibitive with the price).
I like the Shan Lin Xi from Camellia Sinensis, as do a lot of other people. :) I’d say it provides more value than their Li Shan, though that’s also a nice tea.
Camellia Sinensis’s Shan Lin Xi, the one I’ve had, was very good.
I enjoyed the Shan Li Xi (winter harvest) I tried from CS too! I tend to like it (and Ali Shan) a bit more than Li Shan, but all are good green oolong!
What-Cha has some great ones, and an especially affordable Li Shan. If you want quality ones, Wang Tea and Tillerman are good.
Thanks everyone! :)
I second What-Cha’s affordable Li Shan, and their Jade Oolong is great for the price. I haven’t had any other green oolongs from What-Cha. Tillerman has free shipping to Canada, though I got dinged by customs and had to send in some paperwork to get my money back. Wang’s teas are fantastic, but their free shipping threshold is $150.
This is all so helpful! I’ve made a note of the tea companies I hadn’t heard of yet, and the teas you’ve all mentioned! It does seem like these green oolongs from CS would still be a good call too. I have some decisions ahead!
What-Cha’s Long Feng is superb too as well as their Wenshan Baozhong. I haven’t had their Shanlinxi in a while, but it’s good too. It was a little bit more texture than flavor forward the last time I had it, but the newer reviews seemed promising.
You also can’t go wrong with the Jin Xuans, though the Jade Oolong is spades higher, but again, I still think the Li Shan is the best for price and quality.
Yes, you can’t go wrong with What-Cha and all the ones Daylon & Leafhopper named (haven’t tried the Wenshan Baozhong though; need to remediate this asap)! Just polished off Long Feng and I’m still sad about it; it’s usually top tier for me. What-Cha’s usually such safe, consistent bet that I’ve been hesitant to explore other vendors lately.
The Shibi oolong I picked up from Taiwan Tea Crafts left a good impression too, but I’ve no clue what “lot” I purchased anymore; it was like a tropical dream.
CrowKettle, I’m glad there seems to be a consensus about What-Cha’s oolongs. I recently had two nice Baozhongs from other vendors, so it’s great to hear that theirs is also good.
The Shibi oolong from Taiwan Tea Crafts is another favourite. They have a lot of green oolongs, some of which I’ve liked better than others. “Tropical dream” is a good description. :)
I’ve always wanted to try the Shibi. I never have because I get confused about which lot and have seen a lot of variability.
Ooh! I have a package of Shibi from winter 2020 (or is it spring 2019?). I’ll open it up and give you a sample, Daylon!
THANK YOU!
Camellia Sinensis is having a 15% off sale this Thursday. I will not buy more oolong… I will not buy more oolong… I will not buy more oolong! (But their Shan Lin Xi is really good!)
I got the email as well! I may place my oolong order haha. I’m trying to convince myself against it.
LOL, that makes two of us! I know that next month all the spring 2022 teas will start coming out and I’ll want them, too.
Guess what I found in my tea museum: around 300 g of tea from Camellia Sinensis from about four years ago! I was thinking of getting at least two of these things in today’s sale, but maybe that’s not such a good idea. Still, that Shan Lin Xi is calling… I never have any of that left!
Tea museum and 300g had me laughing!
I just placed an order this morning XD (50g Si Ji Chun, 50g Jin Shuan, 50g Shan Lin Xi, and of course 250g Earl Grey Cream, plus my first gaiwan)!
Oh, their Earl Grey Cream is one of my favourites that I completely forgot about. Ahhhh
It is my favourite as well! I just order the 250g quite regularly haha. I drink at least one cup per day, but often more!
Glad you were able to place an order for all those green oolongs! Maybe you were the one who snagged the last of the Shan Lin Xi. :P I hope you enjoy your gaiwan!
I had a session with my four-year-old Feng Huang Hong Cha and it’s still surprisingly good, but the new black tea harvest will be ongoing for the next couple months and I! Don’t! Need! More! As my spending on oolongs goes up, however, I do want an everyday black tea that I like, but I don’t think this will be the one. It would also help with my nonexistent “supply issues” if Canada Post would actually let me have the packages from TheTea and Martin.
Oh no! I placed the order at 6:30 MT, so it’s possible haha! I noticed that the Ali Shan was gone by the time I was placing my order, so I wasn’t the only one looking to stock up. :)
I understand the daily black! Aside from the Earl Grey Cream, I love Yuchi Wild Mountain Black from TTC (but with the shipping costs now, I am savouring what remains in my stash).
Uggghhh, Canada Post. I do hope your parcels clear and are delivered soon!
Thank you for that BIG reminder I need to try that Earl Grey Cream!
I know I can’t expect blissful happiness everyday, but I can expect blissful tea every time I drink Wild Monk 2012.
I recently bought a beautiful yixing clay pot from Mandela and of course, I had to season it with Wild Monk today.
It’s late in the night, and I decided to drink just that. Cause why shouldn’t I?
This tea puts me in a meditation state every time. It invades all my senses, and gives me the inner peace I seek so desperately. The fragrance is made of dreams and wishes…
Smokey campfire scent that mixes with fresh morning dew, humid grass and moss.
Sugarcane sweet, earthy and musky notes, fresh menthol with just enough smoke to remind me how wood could taste like…nature’s “ingredients”.
This tea makes me see bright colours. Tonight, it’s a warm yellow.
Thank you Mandala, I cherish this tea.
Pics:
I like your note.
I like your rock.
I like you.
You are way too kind, dear sarsy <3
<3
Beautiful
Concisely described with poetic clarity! With exceptional tea inspiration “is included at no extra charge.”
Thanks stephanie!
LooseTman, Free inspiration is a blessing :-)
And so are you!
sheng is ripe i think.
or was it raw?
oh! its raw. i have a bunch of raw and ripe Pu-ehr coming in the mail
Kirkoneill1988 you should check out our puerh thread on the discussions page. Lots of good stuff about puerh.
can you send me a steepster message with the link?
Here ya go, kirk
http://steepster.com/discuss/5496-pu-erh-of-the-day-sheng-or-shou
Kirkoneill1988 just followed you. We can message and get each others updates if you do the same.
Thank you Fong Mong Tea for this Sample
The weather is windy this afternoon, cloudy with a sprinkle of rain now and then. I am always tempted to gather my tea tray and a black tea or pu-erh when the clouds gather. Storms excite me. I huddle on the couch and watch between the pulled patio window curtains…wondering if there will be lightening over the mountain behind my house.
There was a single Black Tea sample packed in the sample box from FONG MONG TEA this week. Lucky me!
The flavor of this tea was very chocolatey with light malt (a bit like the Laoshan Black Tea from Verdant, but milder). This was sweet and wet on the tongue without astringency. An icy coolness was tingling my whole mouth and was perhaps what was refered to as mint in the Steepster notes. However, I didn’t taste mint like mint leaves…but felt the coolness. The flavor is light but has depth. Real character.
So much of the world drinks Black Tea with additions. I try now and then to comment on tea for people who prefer drinking it that way.
With sweetening, this tea was enhanced a great deal (which is not always true). It became a very mellow chocolate dessert tea, with an aftertaste that was like taking a bite of pastry…and the flavor lingered!
With milk, (cream in my case)…Heaven! I could serve this to the Royals! Superb!
Here’s another bit of information I looked up. If you want to make your own “Bubble Tea” this is the tea to use. With sweetener, condensed milk, tapioca pearls, ice in a blender… this Taiwanese Tea is the type that is used. (Don’t put the pearls in until after blending of course and you can add fruit also).
Really tasty tea. The flavor does not end. I mean it! It’s been a while since I finished my cups of tea and I can still taste the flavor clearly! I want more!
This sounds so tasty! I got my samples from Fong Mong yesterday and this was one of them, now I’m extra excited to try it.
Same here!
I asked for this one! I have had Ruby #18 and Black Ruby which are the same varietal from the area and loved both, so I have high hopes for it!
Are they only on EBay?
I’ve only seen the ebay sadly. It appears that the cheapest way to purchase would be to go in with one or more others to cut costs which looks good actually. So far the tea gas been very high quality.
Gas? Really? Waz up? HAS OK!
Spell check?? :)
It’s ok Bonnie, we all know you really meant gas ;)
Ok ok…I know what. I give you guys GAS! So there! Keep it!
By the way, where are all the old people like me on Steepster? Don’t you guys have young hearted grandparents or moms and dads? Kick some sense into them! (You are keeping me young though!)
I’m over here laughing at the comments and my husband just looks at me and shakes his head!
He’s over 40 isn’t he?! That’s what they do. After 50 they can’t hear. After 60…have no idea. If I get one again…they’d better mind their own business until I need them. And have some money this time. I’ve been mama too much and I’m done with it!
You go girl! :)
However …. how did resteeping go for you on this one? Mine was unsuccessful.
I’ll try that now ….and I forgot amore! I think tea drinkers must be passionate folk!
Ok…resteeped for 5minutes and mmmmmmgood!
No not quite 30 yet!
So sad!
You know when you place an order, there’s a point when and you realize your cart is really getting full and you need to slow down…but there are so many good ones that you just can’t leave behind, right? Then you think sample size. Yes! Yes! That’s the answer, give yourself the illusion you’ve got your act together, you’re NOT out of control, not at all. You suddenly feel much better about adding 10 more teas, seems like the reasonable thing to do. (Not!!)
That’s how I came to order this tea. I should have been less reasonable and order a larger quantity…That’s the other thing about large orders. Somehow, the full size pouches are the ones I wish I had ordered in sample sizes, and the sample pouches end up being the ones I should have ordered in full sizes. Ugh???
Not a secret, I love pretty much all types of oolong, and the aged ones fascinate me.
Don’t let the Ginseng part keep you away from this if you’re not a fan, (coughDexter) this has nothing to do with regular ginseng oolong. If it wasn’t for its name, I wouldn’t even know it’s supposed to be there.
This is not smoky at all, but roasty and caramel like. If you’d smell the infusion without knowing it’s tea, you would think it’s a dessert, very creme brûlée, custard like. There’s that faint mineral taste in the background I have come to appreciate. The ending has a cooling effect in the mouth, fresh, but not in a minty kind of way, just like when you inhale and it’s cold outside. That might be the ginseng part. But it has non of the eucalyptus notes traditional Ginseng oolongs have.
I had to basket brew cause there wasn’t enough for me to use the gaiwan. It will be interresting to try short infusions when I get more of it.
And yes, I will definitely buy a larger quantity next time.
Dexter was drinking EG earlier and is trying to be open minded to all the teas that you sent me. :))
The answer to your “the full size pouches are the ones I wish I had ordered in sample sizes, and the sample pouches end up being the ones I should have ordered in full sizes” issue is to just order small sizes of everything and then place later orders of the ones you really liked. Just saying….
Lol, I so give you A++++++ for effort, I do put you to the test, don’t I!
As for your suggestion, if I was normal, that’s totally what I would do…but I’m “tea-challenged”, my neurones just don’t function adequately and rationally when it comes to ordering tea!
Me ordering tea: “but what if I only get a sample, & I love it so much, & then I found out it’s sold out?”
terri – incentive to drink up sample sizes faster when you buy them heh
:p
Haha! Terri: EXACTLY!!!!
Sil: I checked your cupboard, me think you do need every incentive you can get ;-)
hey! I’m doing well! only 6 more teas to finish to have a cupboard that’s only 6 months old! (and that’s within april)
Lol, well… maybe I was tea drunk and had a cupboard hallucination, but I could have sworn I ‘ve seen your stash at 140 not that loog ago…
(psst…there’s a rumour circulating that machiavellian but very nice and generous Steepsterites are trying to sabotage your cupboard…beware!)
haha it was UNDER 140 like a week ago lol I’ll get there though! I won’t make my March goal BUT, I did stick to NO orders during a month where i didn’t hit my goal. So that’s good :)
(pssst…I’ve already started another box for her…heh)
terri…i’ve got a box for you that is ALMOST full enough to send :P
Haha! Hilarious Terri…
Lol, Sil, make sure it barely closes!
(I feel like a referee)
teafairy…totally! :)
Teafairy, every box we send each other barely closes. Actually, the last box I sent to Sil was 2 boxes, hahahahahaha
You two are so amusing :-)
terri – i just considered that payback for me sending 2 boxes at christmas lol
Yeah, I’m still working my way through those offerings :)
Fair warning. This post is going to have a really long intro, so I’ll sum it up quickly for those who can’t be bothered to read all that and want to skip straight to the actual tea: I aten’t ded! Husband once again employed. Been stocking up on a favourite. Project Ceylon and the thought behind it. Was that short enough?
Steepsterites, I have neglected you. It’s been more than twenty days since last I posted anything, so here I am. I aten’t ded.
What I AM is extraordinarily pleased with Husband who has achieved gainful employment, starting in a couple of weeks, and has thereby put an end to the Age of Frugality. This, ladies and gentlemen, is now NOT the Age of Frivolity, but rather the Age of Controlled Frivolity because… Yeah, we’ve been trying to minimise all non-essential spending for nearly half a year now, and it would be far too easy to go overboard. (The Age of Frugality will probably resume in a year or so, though, although for rather different reasons. Next item on the agenda, saving up!)
Suddenly free to once again stock up on old and missed favourites, I have acquired a 250g bag of the orange flavoured pu erh from Nothing But Tea. We luuuuurve that one. That was the only item on the shopping list from that company so I allowed myself some samples, and these are what I’m going to tell you about. I got a sample of every one of their Ceylon blacks, except Uva Highlands because I’ve already got some of that.
Steepsterites, I present to you Project Ceylon!
My thought process went as follows.
1. I have never truly explored this region. I’ve had plenty of different Ceylon teas, but I’ve never really bothered to learn the region.
2. Ceylon tea in general is something that frequently seems to be Just Tea for me. Default tea flavour. I suspect I lot of sub-standard teabags and flavoured teas are to blame for this sort of thinking, and I refuse to believe that there isn’t more to it than meets the eye. Or tongue. I suppose.
3. Having two vastly different Ceylon teas in my possession at the moment, one which is GREAT and the other which is meh, confirms this.
4. Ceylon teas are often named only for the estate, making it a rather more difficult to know which end of the spectrum I’ve got without a bit of investigation. And even those that are named for the district aren’t much better due to my complete lack of a grasp on Sri Lankan geography.
5. Also, Sri Lanka produces tea in just about all varieties of altitude, which therefore means that when learning the region, one must pay close attention to whether something is high-grown, low-grown or mid-elevation.
6. Behold! The Map! https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=211803378882467968316.0004d6ff92c6d663176b9 All markers are placed at what I think is sort of the general area. I can’t sit here and chase down the precise addresses for every single estate. They are also not fully annotated yet, but it’s a work in progress, really.
My hypothesis is this. Angrboda enjoys low grown Ceylon teas more than high grown ditto.
Having made all the preparations that I can think of here, I think there’s only left for me to actually drink some tea. I have had most of these before a few years ago, so it will be interesting to see if my opinion (and rating) has changed in the meantime.
THIS IS WHERE I ACTUALLY MADE THE TEA!
I started with Kenilworth for no other reason than it had the lowest product number. I figure one place is as good a place to begin as another, yes? It’s one of the most famous Sri Lankan estates and located at mid-elevation, about 900-1200 m.
The dry leaf smells mostly of leather and wood. Very male. There is a bit of spice as well, but mostly the two others. It reminds me rather of some sort of old fashioned posh male study, with dark wood furniture and library shelves and what have you. A box of cigars in the desk drawer and a crystal decanter of whisky on a side table. Where rich businessmen go to talk shop and their wives occasionally join them for cocktails and a smidge of intrigue.
After steeping, the aroma is more or less unchanged, although it is now considerably richer and smells smoother. There is a dark sort of creamy and slightly caramel-y note to it.
This tea reminds me a great deal of Keemun. It has notes of wood, grain (although not thick-feeling like Keemun) and malt. I’m reminded that we’re not actually having a Chinese black here by a slightly astringent, although with a surprising amount of something that I can only describe as pseudo-smoky. That takes my brain straight back to the Keemun comparison.
At first there is a big hole in the flavour though. I think it’s that grain that is merely hinted at, as well as the malt element which could have been stronger. While there is plenty of flavour in this, I still feel it could have been fuller. I’ve got the lower notes (wood and leather) and the higher notes (pseudo-smoke), but there isn’t really enough of the middle notes (grain and malt) to fill the gap between them. Oh it tries! It does. But it’s just not quite there.
As it cools a bit, the flavour develops further, and now we’re talking! The lower notes become far more subtle and the grainy, malty middle notes really unfold. As if they somehow exhaled and relaxed and freely flowed into all those thin-tasting gaps from before. This keeps the low and high notes from being quite so prominent and that really suits the cup.
Cooling a little further, it develops a grassy sort of note that reminds me of Darjeeling and the impression I have so far gained of the high-grown Ceylons. It is on the higher end of the mid-elevation, so that fits with my impression so far. Seems like a useful characteristic to have noticed.
Having written all this, I went and looked at what I wrote about it three years ago. I gave it 80 points then, and I have decided to let this rating stand. Analysis-wide, I don’t really agree with myself, but I don’t actually disagree with myself either. Mostly, I think I can just say that I’ve learned a lot in the last three years.
Welcome back! we’ve missed you and YAY foryour husband having found a job :)
Thank you, Sil. It was a GREAT relief!
Welcome back yes ! happy to see you here and congrats for the Hubby’s job :)
Congrats on the hubby’s job! Mistress Weatherwax would approve, I’m sure. :)
Thanks. :)
Congrats, and thank you for that map! :)
Yay! Project Ceylon will be interesting to follow, as my mom LOVES Ceylon teas.
Great news on the job! I have found that I don’t enjoy high grown Ceylons, and just so you know, Wanja tea has an Orange Pekoe from Kenya that is absolutely delicious! Very similar to the best Ceylons I have tasted.
hope you enjoy this exploration…I had my first real exploration of tea in just this way, cupping nearly 15 single estates from all over Ceylon, side by side and finding the nuances really helped me develop an appreciation for not only the region, but to the seasonal terrior as well. I look forward to following your exploration
Congrats! Your post is so inspiring and thorough.
Thanks everybody. :)
It has been a long, long, long time since I wrote a review.
I was very sick.
I had chills, pain from migraines and fibromyalgia off and on for 6 weeks ending in a 10 day long continuous spell that made my brain feel like I was having bad dreams on high speed. I probably should have gone to emergency but I sat on the couch for days and days.
During the time I was ill, there were two kinds of strong tea I drank to help with the chills and pain. Ajiri and Laoshan Black.
Bless them both! I drank the tea and held the cups (when hot) to my aching face.
When the attack was over, it took weeks for my speech to make sense, balance to return, to be fully myself again.
So, I’m here on Steepster.
Many of you sent notes of concern and support, wondering where I was. Thank you. Some I answered, and often I didn’t make sense.
I couldn’t write. My Apologies.
It may take me a little time to get in the swing of things again, and I won’t be writing here as much as before. I was spending about 30 hours or more a week just writing on Steepster, and I have to think about being strong.
Now I’m able to taste and appreciate tea once again.
I TURNED 65 LAST WEEK!
So, with some Birthday money, I bought some Yu Lu Yan Cha (I forgot that I had reviewed ths tea months ago from a previous picking).
Review:
I can’t tell you how glad I am to have my tea sense’s back!
For a number of weeks, flavors were bland. I’ve had to relax and let my mind heal itself, being patient and listening for the coolness to arrive, the stillness that is centered and would allow me to ‘sink’ into the tea. It’s no use drinking tea without appreciation unless you’re sick and drinking a healing tea. Then the appreciation comes later.
The Yu Lu Yan I tasted previously is not the same as this Yu Lu Yan. There’s a difference.
Many of us have discussed how from one seasonal harvest to another the flavor of one’s favorite tea can be different. Nature isn’t a factory that can be controlled. Part of the excitment of drinking tea is the anticipation of what the next harvest will bring!
Will the next Laoshan Black be more chocolate or yammy? And how about this Yu Lu Yan Cha?
I’ve been drinking pots and pots…bathing my soul to the core in the luxury of it! A fountain of healing from the inside out, bathing me with light and life.
You may think that I exaggerate. Ha!
If you’d been emptied out, you would understand.
The joy of drinking this elixer as I emerged from my cacoon made me giddy.
I shared a pot of Yu Lu Yan Cha with Joe at Happy Lucky’s a few days ago. He made me laugh!
“Tastes like dunking fries in my chocolate shake, one of my favorite things to do!”
Naturally, everyone else had to taste the tea and agreed (except Sam who is from Cambodia and had never dunked fries in a shake). (I had no idea so many people dunked fries like that!)
What I’m excited about is the potato flavor, which are the best french fries…and chocolate with barely any honey (not too much)! It’s rich, full in my mouth without a grainy texture.
Smooth!
I prefer brewing this tea Western Style with 1-1.5 TB leaf to 20oz. filtered water (always). Steep 3 min. I add half and half and sweeten for a super rich tea that is unbelievable! (This brings out the potato and chocolate flavors best in my opinion)
This is a fantastic tea! Like popping Whoppers, you can’t stop drinking this tea!
Love you guys!
Welcome back!
I am so glad that everything is ok Bonnie. I’ve been worried but figured RL had just gotten in the way. Happy Birthday! and lots of wishes for a speedy continued recovery.
Glad to see you’re back and doing better!
Had no time for Steepster this week, sad, sad. But something compelled me to browse through tonight, and even though the dashboard is out at the moment, here I find you…Such a relief to finally see you emerging from that fog Bonnie, nothing but love for you. Happy Birthday :-)
Thanks to you all! Weird,Steepster is sick now that I’m well tonight!
Glad to see you back, Bonnie! :)
Welcome back, Bonnie!! And best wishes for the upcoming year for you!
Glad you are back! I am sorry you had to go through such an uncomfortable time.
Happy you had your tea during that time.
Glad to hear you’re alright!
Happy birthday and welcome back! I didn’t know ANYONE but my youngest daughter dipped fries in ice cream or shakes! I can’t wait to tell her.
oh gosh… I was wondering where your tasting notes had been and kind of remembered that in another one you said you weren’t feeling well. I’m glad you’re feeling better & that tea was there for you!
Welcome back Bonnie!! Have missed your reviews, happy you are feeling better now! :)
so happy to see you back with notes here Bonnie ! Welcome back on board and JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE !
So glad you’re ok Bonnie. I’ve missed you! get better soon k? I don’t review much myself anymore but plan to start again in a few months
Belated welcome back, glad you’re feeling better, and happy birthday. I am, as always, forever behind in my dashboard reading. lol
Now you see why I love Darjeelings! Their 2012 Darj’s are pricey, and I just choose not to pay $33-$40 for 100g of tea. A couple samples for sure. :)) Did you get any other samples from them?
Darjeeling teas have increased significantly for the last 3 to 4 years due to weather, fuel costs, plus at the tea auctions bidding wars for premium lots drive up the price, and increased demand globally for premium lots make them harder to buy in larger quantities-SIGH!!
I still love a good Darjeeling! Honestly, Thunderbolt Tea has impressed me with their Darjeelings lately-Good quality cost benefit IMO. :))
Eeep. As if my Upton wishlist needs to get any bigger, ha.
Scott- I think I got three samples of FF darjeelings. Considering the amount of tea i have it’s probably better that I stick to small quantities. :)
@Cheryl – Right? I just want them to send me one of everything they have!
Me too. Me too. Don’t even want to think about what that would add up to.
Wow this sounds really really amazing!
I am placing an order with Upton’s very soon, and wanted a relatively small order. I think I should stick to teas from a couple regions and mostly samples, otherwise the order will get out of hand!!
Then there is Teavivre, Bana, Mandala, Rishi…….my head is starting to spin.
Upton and Teavivre for me too. And only reason Bana and Mandala are even on my radar is Amy’s fault. But I need to prove I’m not OCD (only OD) so those sit on my (proving my patience) wishlist. Bana has nice samplers. Could use 2nd opinions for later Scott, lol.
ok, hehhehe
My Upton order is on the way. I went ahead and ordered 100 grams of the Sungma first flush and samples of others. I know it’s pricey, but it’s a once a year indulgence, then I’m on to the more affordable but still wonderful second flushes.
@Triumph – yay! I will forward to hearing your thoughts on those.
I did place a small order last night and got a sample of the Glenburn FF, along with some pre ching ming teas, and a few greens.
Lupicia just got added to my regular stash!
There is a Lupicia store in San Francisco! It’s evil!
why is Lupicia evil? :-D
Heheheehe…….Amy, I just have to smile because I was thinking about your opinion of Darjeelings a few months ago compared to now. :)) I know astringency is a concern for you (me too sometimes), but FF Darjeelings being one of my favorite teas, I’m glad to see you enjoying them. :)) :)) :))
Scott- this is all your fault!!! :-P
Hehehehe…….as much as I like Darj’s, I also like a good Oolong, and the steeping factor for me is enjoyable. Darjeelings are not good for resteeping. I have tried resteeping them sometimes twice, but no more. I have had nice oolongs I resteeped 5-7 times-could’ve done more!
Pu-erhs are kinda like that too. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I remember Bana selling mainly Pu-erh teas, and I really want to buy their samplers. Based on your Mandala reviews they have some good Puerhs too, some sample sizes, and other teas as well. So I am kinda leaning toward Mandala right now. What do you think??
BTW, I whish I’d gotten a sample of this Risheehat. ://
@Scott – both companies are good for pu-erh, I don’t know if I could pick one over the other but Mandala has other things also.
Yunnan sourcing is good too and they have great black teas. The selection can be overwhelming so you need to spend some time reading and comparing.