Popular Tasting Notes
Butterscotch Matcha
Buy it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/butterscotch-matcha.html
If you love butterscotch hard candies then this is the matcha for you! Its my new secret sinful delight! This is EXACTLY like those butterscotch hard candies from childhood!
I think if I had to pick one matcha that I would never share with others this would have to be the one. Although there are so many I have yet to try I think so far this is my favorite. I just made myself laugh though because I have said that with almost every new matcha from Red Leaf Tea I have tried. Seriously though, this is so very yummy, and sweet, and just really the one that I feel will always hit the spot for me! What is even more cool is that when I mix it in my latte concoction – which is how I usually have my matcha, the butterscotch flavor comes out even more and is not by any means hidden underneath the milk or vanilla creamer!
I always do try matcha straight before mixing it in my latte and I will say that the butterscotch flavor is stronger in the latte mixture than straight which I found interesting and odd at the same time.
My matcha was composed of the following:
Options:
Size : Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Robust
Storage : Add Small Metal Tin Container (Holds up to 45g)
You will pay an extra 4.00 for the tin which I recommend unless you have tins of your own at home. Far easier to scoop the powder from a tin than the bag and the bag is not resealable.
I almost always go with a robust flavor, not always but most all of the time especially with dessert flavors! Sometimes with berry or citrus flavors I go with distinctive. I have yet to find a distinctive flavor however that is not excellent! I think it is because I when I want a dessert flavor I want it all out dessert like and with the lighter fruity like matcha I don’t mind a little more of the base matcha to come through. Still, even with the robust flavoring I am absolutely getting the flavor of the base matcha here! Red Leaf Teas matcha powder base is excellent!
I don’t know how Red Leaf does it but their flavors are all natural and while I certainly appreciate the health benefits to matcha I am finding I reach for it more and more simply for the flavor but I can’t deny the excellent energy boost! Its like an energy drink without all the sugar which means you don’t come down and fall on your face later in the day! This is a different kind of energy boost, one that makes you more alert and on the ball and it does not end abruptly finding yourself feeling lower than before you had the drink as energy drinks do. This trails off nicely and in a mellow fashion allowing you to ease into the afternoon or evening!
I am now drinking at least one matcha per day, after my morning black tea!
Again here is where to find the Butterscotch Matcha:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/butterscotch-matcha.html
oh noes. i have 8 teas that i logged and have to write reviews for. from this weekend.
got a bit behind.
i saw Iron Man 3 on sunday and as soon as it ended i felt like i could watch it again.
so i went home and watched the first hour of The Avengers. then tried to watch the first 2 Iron Mans.
went dancing saturday night. and drank a lot. and grabbed toooo many butts. i’m sure of it.
Oh my, I haven’t grabbed a butt in sooo long. Marriage means I get stuck with one butt forever! :D
hahah just when i think the list is long enough for me … reason #156 to not get married.
hilarious.
I don’t know, if you find the right butt… the perfect combination of muscle and bubble, you might want to grab it for years!
This comment thread is so absurd and hilarious, I must jump in! TastyBrew is right, I found the perfect butt and I’ve been grabbing it for years, so being stuck with one butt(Nxtdoor, you should get paid for these words!) is proven to be fun!!
to each his own butt!!!
or in your case «buttS» Shmiracles, haha!
nothing wrong with grabbing random butts after your married as long as that’s all you do! grin
ok everyone, way TMI! keep your weirdness to yourselves. LOL.
This is the perfect tea for this thread!
Haha, great thread! Hope your run went well, Shmiracles, if the weather cleared up. Well, and in between all of the butt grabbing! :)
hey Josie! thanks for asking!! but i mega stubbed my toe friday night, so between that and the rain i just didn’t do the race at all. (which was good cuz it poured rain during the race time too)
(here’s a pic of my toe: warning for blood content – http://instagram.com/p/aSHXq1oc0b/ )
but i have a marathon next weekend, so i still have plenty of running to look forward to :)
5 years from now someone (new people) will read this and they’ll be like.. “What freaks!” Loosen up, yo. It’s just tea.
haha. I’m already thinking as much about you guys. It’s all Shmiracles, she’s the source! It gets pretty boring around here when she isn’t logging teas (btw Shmiracles, I missed the part where you actually said something about the tea here. :p )
I did not like the last bits of IM3.
Hahah Shelley! i don’t need to actually “review” a tea called TEAse now do i?
i mean, it’s created off of a show about teenage werewolves and lizard mutators and grossly-romanic romeo & juliet type scenarios. not to mention basically any reason to get the alpha werewolf to take his shirt off.
this tea wasn’t really created for is nuanced personality i don’t think.
so, ya, this tea is basically a shirtless hunk. and it’s getting it’s butt grabbed on my dance floor.
Well gee, shouldn’t the tea at least get a cameo in its own note? :p
Lolol this review / all the comments made me giggle haha. Thanks for making my day :)
OMG it’s a TEEN WOLF tea?! Why does shipping to Canada cost so much! I can think of so many people who I need to get this for…
OMGsrsly – if you want to do an Adagio order some time, I AM ALL FOR IT. Even if you have to ship it to me in Toronto, I’ll take the $10 shipping over $35. (Cuz I want me some Tardis)
omg! My 600th note! And it did not come easy. I’ve just been so tired but it doesn’t help being up all night Saturday night because I couldn’t stop thinking about making my little lip balm project something. Then I fell asleep early last night, before I had a chance to have a cup of tea, and then my boyfriend woke me up for a goodnight phone call…and I couldn’t fall back asleep.
So when I needed to get myself off to class, I put this in a bottle for my steep n go, and…put the regular lid on. I was so thankful when I got to class that the vending machines in the buildings take cards, I was so thirsty!
When I got home, I threw the bottle in the fridge so it’d be cold again, and now finally I’ve been drinking it for the past hour or so. Yeah, 600 wasn’t gonna come easy!
I’m actually quite surprised by how good this tastes. I should probably stop assuming every cheap tea I get is going to be worthless because cold steeping can make anything good it feels.
The tea is pretty sweet on its own, although I imagine if you could handle it sweeter it would bring out the strawberry even more. The strawberry is towards the end of the sip, and it reminds me of strawberry syrup…like the kind you use to make strawberry milk. I tastes like strawberry but it could be more like a real berry, if you know what I mean.
LOL I got so focused on this homework assignment due tomorrow I didn’t even finish my thought.
I’ll have to try this hot soon enough, but it makes a very good iced tea, which is probably my favorite part about flavored teas with a ceylon base!
Congrats on 600! :)
Congrats on 600!
And a good note it is! Sounds worth a try for sure.
Happy 600 Amanda! Congrats!
HAPPY 600TH REVIEW AMANDA!
Wow!!!! Congrats on 600!! That is quite an anchievement!! :)
Congrats on 600! I’ve got soooo long to go to get there! The strawberry sounds nice too!
Congrats! :D
Goodness, congratulations! I am one note away from having written one tenth the number of notes you’ve written. =)
Wow! 600! Congrats:)
Congrats on 600!
wow 600!! That’s awesome! :)
Woot! Congratulations on reaching 600!!! Amazing!!
Thank you all so much! <3 Especially Bonnie for the added color, since it showed up on my phone and actually made me feel like waking up this morning haha.
whoop happy belated 600 ;D
I have been sipping this all day since it arrived in the mail. Its glorious. Butterscotch all the way – with a malty base tea. Excellent cooled, handles additives well.
Preparation
Oh, yummmm!
Yeah for sure! This is one I passed up when it came out for some reason. I am glad I read the reviews again and decided to get it! I tire of any one tea quickly – I need diversity but I have sipped on this one all day and enjoyed it! The same with the cotton candy blend! :)
I mean sure later here I will want something different but so far all day it has been this! :)
This review makes me do a “DOH!”. I knew I should’ve bought this last week when I ordered from Frank…
I will say if it makes a difference that it does not re-steep very well – I love Frank’s teas but most of them are on the weak side when re-steeped in my opinion HOWEVER the flavoring of this is perfect.
Tastes just like those golden disc butterscotch candies without all the sappy sugar. It is a little sweet but not like sucking on a candy sweet.
AND I am not feeling the best so if the flavor is THIS good while ill I am sure even better if I felt great.
NO astringency or bitterness either.
Oh and think of it this way – at least his shipping is free if you are in the US!
I liked this too, cotton candy makes me nervous though. :)
As I tell everyone – if you get the cotton candy and don’t like it I will buy it from you :)
I was never a fan of cotton candy so I’m still not convinced. ;-)
Ahhh well if you don’t care for actual cotton candy you probably would not like this then.
I should be placing my first order with 52teas soon hopefully, this is definitely going on the list! I wish I could’ve had the opportunity to try their teas before, I’ve seen so many blends of theirs come and go that sounded amazing…
Oh you will have fun making your order :) What else is on your list?
Strawberry Zabaglione (the only tea I’ve tried from them, and I loved it), Malted Choco Mate and possibly Pancake breakfast and Coconut Cream Pie.
I could not live without the Strawberry Zabaglione!!! OMG my fav!!!! :) Never had the others though.
Hmm, now that I look at the site again I may have to get the caramel vanilla chai and ginger ale bai mu dan as well…
LOL two more I have not tried although it seems i have tried many of Frank’s teas you keep hitting on the ones I have not! I would also love to try the ginger ale though.
I think the ginger ale is yummmmy!
feel better soon xxo
I want to try the ginger ale Amy
Thank you Indigobloom better today :)
@Kwinter, Pancake Breakfast is a must!!! The Ginger Ale Bai Mu Dan is also spectacular. Get that one while you still can because it’s a limited edition.
@Azzrian, I didn’t end up getting this one because I’m confused about what it is. It’s butterscotch like the candy, right? Not scotch like the alcoholic beverage?
Jumping in to pimp Coconut Cream Pie and Malted Choco Mate! For me, those are musts. I love CCP iced. It’s the most coconutty iced tea. And the Malted, to me, tastes like a Caramilk bar.
I’ve been on the fence when it comes to trying Strawberry Zabaglione. And Pot O’ Gold too.
Hope you’re feeling much better, Azzrian!
THanks Incendiare! Get off the fence with Strawberry Zabaglione its SO good! To me it is better than Pot o Gold OR my beloved Cotton Candy – if I could have only one 52 teas for the rest of my life it would be Straw Zab!
As for Pot of Gold to answer CHAroma – its both but in my opinion more of the butterscotch for sure. Its like the SCOTCH flavor peeps out now and then but it is more subtle than the butterscotch candy flavor. It is interesting how he got both flavors in there though!
I do want to try the Ginger Ale soon and that Chocolate Malt sounds delicious!
Yesterday and today I’ve had a weird annoyance in the back of my throat…triggering a gag reflex. VERY strange. I can’t properly explain it actually. It’s scary because DH has been dealing with a sinus issue since April and it’s sort of what he has described…HOPE that isn’t it.
This tea has always helped my throat for soothing or for clearing – I hope this helps this unexplained issue as well.
The reason I have always rated this one so high is because of that reason and I like the minty taste but also because it’s a bagged tea I go back to time and time again for various reasons. This is the highest rated bagged tea I have ever rated.
This is my highest rated tea ever!
In the past I have had this sensation in the back of my throat-it felt like there was some food there that I couldn’t swallow. Turns out it was an acid reflux irritation in the esophagus. The way the nerve carried the sensation just made it feel like it was in the back of my throat. Don’t know if that’s anything similar to what you are feeling? It didn’t make me gag, though.
Yes! That is very similar. I’ve never had Acid Reflux problems…don’t even know what it would feel like or how to handle, actually. How long did it last?
Also…knowing you are vegan…I’m vegetarian…what did you do for it?
That’s the tricky thing about reflux-it can manifest itself in many ways that are not recognizable as reflux.
Well, I went to a gastroenterologist, because I’ve had reflux off and on for awhile. She gave me a liquid medicine called Carafate which is kind of a pain-you can’t really eat or drink for an hour or two before and one hour after taking it.
However, if you’ve not had reflux before, maybe just some over-the-counter ranitidine (Zantac) might help. There’s a couple generics that don’t have the gelatin coating. Another thing you could try is some Fruit and Sour Jolly Ranchers-or anything with malic acid in it (such as sucking on a slice of lemon).
Another thing that may or may not help is an over the counter probiotic. I use Nature’s Bounty probiotic with acidophllus. It’s good to take a probiotic, anyway. Simethicone (Gax-x) may also provide some relief. I take a probiotic and simethicone every day and now I never need carafate and almost never use ranitidine.
If nothing helps-or if you just feel nervous about your symptoms and can’t wait, you should obviously consult your doctor.
My Dad has been taking Prilosec for a couple of years for his acid reflux, so you could try that. At the moment I just take heartburn over the counter stuff because it’s cheaper and I don’t have it often. My doctor Ok’ayed that. I think I’ll also try the Sour Jolly Ranchers….been years since I’ve had those.
Thank you both :)
You’re welcome :) I forgot to address how long it lasts. It’s variable. If it’s not too bad, it may resolve on its own in a day or two. The other options-Ranitidine, simethicone, malic acid may start to provide relief the same day. Malic acid would probably work the fastest, but not necessarily provide relief for all that long. It works by forcing your body to produce extra saliva, which helps neutralize acid. The probiotic would take longer to have an effect-and I don’t know how effective it would be if used alone.
Good luck
This is one of the best bagged teas out there. It can stand up to a really long steep, and caffeine free, so you can drink it anytime.
As for what seems like acid reflux, try a bit of Zantac and see if it works or not, but definitely talk to your doctor if you are concerned or it doesn’t go away.
I’ve heard so many good things about this tea on another forum. Hope it’ll come back for the holidays again.
Eating lots of okra can help. It’s loaded with mucilage. It helps my cousins with acid reflux a lot when they want to eat iffy foods).
Mmmm. I think that TeaEqualsBliss said that this was bold yet comforting, and she’s exactly right.
This is my first Yunnan tea. The dry leaves themselves smell a bit peppery, and they’re a really pretty gold/black color. Steeping these was really fun, because the leaves proceeded to twist and jiggle their way around until they unfurled and grew to enormous lengths. When poured, the cup is a very pretty amber color.
The best way I can describe this tea is robust. It tastes a bit earthy, but a pure earth flavor, not like dirt. More like if dirt were refined and recycled into an absolutely delicious substance. I don’t know. There is a slight edge of bitterness, but it was more on the side of malty. And there wasn’t any astringency to speak of.
I kept trying to taste that unique Yunnan peppery flavor, but I really couldn’t detect it. Maybe my tastebuds and tea knowledge aren’t up to snuff yet, or perhaps this tea isn’t the highest quality Yunnan out there. I sat in my chair with my hands cupped around the mug, sipping this quietly and reveling in the flavor. I really enjoyed this cup!
Preparation
I feel like I’m rediscovering teas when I read your reviews. Made of pure awesomeness.
@Auggy, I agree!
:D I’m glad that everyone is getting a lot of enjoyment out of my tealog! It’s been so much fun logging all of this and watching my tastes evolve. You just wait! There’re still oolongs and greens and whites and pu-erh to get to (none of which I’ve ever tasted in loose leaf form… and I’ve never tasted white or pu-erh, period).
I started with black because it’s the most familiar. But all of you have been a tremendous help! The Golden Moon sampler is on its way!
www.denstea.com has a free green sampler that comes w/ info. You pay $3 upfront, but you get $3 off your next order of $15 or more. Check it out:)
MY GOSH! I just saw all the GM teas you have in your coupboard now… I don’t want to think of the damage your check book must have suffered lol.
No! Hahaha, they’re all samples that my boyfriend got me as a present!
http://www.goldenmoontea.com/Tea_Taster_s_Sampler_P56C28.cfm <— Each brew 1-2 cups and it was $20! I was so excited that I just added all of them to my cupboard like a fiend!
HAHA! Sweet! As soon as I have room I’m so buying that.
They each come in foil-wrapped bags, so it’s very, very easy to store! Plus I had a $5 off coupon by using the code “teareviewblog” which was pretty awesome.
It’s actually 31 teas! The only tea out of all the Golden Moon teas I didn’t receive is Vanilla Jasmine. Literally their entire catalog in a box! It’s pretty exciting. :)
No Vanilla Jasmine! shoot, I’d LOVE THAT. How long is that coupon code active?
I have absolutely no idea if it’s even active anymore. My boyfriend used it early last week. I’ve heard that other people got Vanilla Jasmine and not Rose. But really, it’s quite the steal, and a super-excellent way to try all of Golden Moon’s offerings. They’re all loose leaf as well. It’s going to be a great tea education for me. I can’t wait to dive in!
Whoops! Looks like I do have Vanilla Jasmine! :D It’s every single one of Golden Moon’s teas!
Look what you did, now I’m tempted to order that. I’m trying to do one tea company at a time. Almost done with all my Adagio purchases. Then I’m going to move on to Rishi. $20 for 31 samples. I’m tempted…
Jump ahead and do Golden Moon 1st, it’s the cheapest:)
Haha, steepster is a bad influence. Must resist spending!
It’s their entire catalog, Ricky. :) That’s pretty hard to beat… They’re supposed to be an excellent company!
Peer pressure. Not good. Don’t start listing places to purchase tea around NYC.
LOL you know no idea how long I spent trying to find the supposed ‘peppery’ flavour of this tea. I tried different steeping times, water temperature, etc.
Eventually I steeped it once for 6 minutes and when I resteeped the same leaves (7 minutes) the resteep had something that might possibly be pepper. Or not.
XD
I am convinced that this peppery flavor doesn’t exist. Bah! LIES! I think it has somewhat of a peppery SMELL when dry, but I probably wouldn’t have smelled that unless someone had told me about it.
Maybe higher quality Yunnan teas have a “peppery” taste? And Jillian, you resteeped this? I haven’t been resteeping my blacks just because they’re… blacks. Yeah.
Ricky! BUY SOME TEA. And I’d love to know places around NYC to purchase tea. Dean & Leluca apparently has Harney & Sons and the famous French blender Mariage Freres. There’s a place near me that sells Numi Tea, and Whole Foods has Rishi, Mighty Leaf, and The Republic of Tea. There’s also Radience Tea House and Subtle Tea here in NYC. Tavalon used to have a tea bar in Union Square but it closed and I’m not sure they’re opening it up again.
Umm, I’ll have to stop by Whole Foods sometime this week, actually no. Stop tempting me! Is it loose tea or teabags at Whole Foods?
Ricky, I think it depends actually on the Whole Foods. I’m pretty sure that the Columbus Circle location has some loose leaf. Not really sure about any of the other locations in the city, though. :P
1. I have to echo Auggy’s thoughts on the awesomeness of your tea blog. Bursting at the seams with the awesome.
2. Tavalon relocated to Jersey. Not sure if they’re redoing the tea bar or if they warehousing it up, but that’s where they be.
3. Now you have ME looking at the Golden Moon sampler. Does anyone have any extra will power lying around? Maybe packed in a box somewhere…?
I’ll check the one on Union Square and get back to you =D
Don’t do it takgoti! If you do it, I might feel even more pressure to purchase it.
Thanks Auggy and takgoti for the kind words about my bloggin’ skillz. Gunpowder is tomorrow, so you’ll probably be reading about my first loose leaf green, as well as my first multiple steeping experience. This should be interesting. :)
Buy the sampler! :D The boyfriend used “teareviewblog” as a code and got FREE SHIPPING. I don’t know if it’s still in effect, but considering that it’s the entire Golden Moon catalog, it’s pretty worth it. :) And then everyone can be logging about the teas as one big steepin’ family!
ARGH. I just bought the sampler. It IS a good deal (and the code still works for free shipping).
@denisend NICE. I haven’t done it yet, but I don’t think it will be long before I cave.
YES! :D It’s only 1-2 cups for each tea (although some people have gotten 3-4 cups out of it), and a lot of the teas have potential for multiple steepings. It’s exceedingly rare that you’d ever be able to taste a company’s entire catalog in one go, so it’s pretty exciting! :)
I plan on caving tomorrow when my new budget month starts. :D Though I might have to wait until we get back from St. Louis so it doesn’t end up sitting on my porch. :(
Yay! I love coercing people to join in the fun! All of the samples come in these heavy duty foil bags. Which is adorable, but a bit annoying at the same time, since you can’t sniff any of the teas without ripping the bags completely open. :( But there’s a full spread of every type of tea here, so I’m pretty excited. Man I love my boyfriend!
@ teaplz: I only re-steep certain whole-leaf black teas. The chinese blacks seem to hold up pretty well for a couple steeps (although not as long as other types of tea).
@Takgoti: Resist, damn you! If you cave then I won’t have any excuse not to buy the GM sampler myself. ;p
It’s a beautiful morning! I just looked outside and it’s really bright! When you live at a higher altitude, the Winter sunshine warms everything up even though the temperature might read 55 degrees. People wear shorts and a light sweater. The heater stays off in the house during the day because the house is heated by the sun.
When I first moved to Fort Collins, I was so surprised at how warm it was in this dry climate in the Fall and Winter. The jackets come out at night, and the boots when it snows (which isn’t often and melts quickly).
From the beginning of Fall through Winter, Old Town is transformed into a Fairyland of glittering lights, street performers (I love the tuba bands), and free carriage rides. There’s a small ice rink for the wee skaters. http://flic.kr/p/dtcfsy http://flic.kr/p/dtcfQA
‘Tis the Season’ for Thanksgiving in the U.S. next week and the day after is ‘Black Friday’ (a mega huge, shopping frenzy day). I don’t know about the rest of the World, but this is fun in many communities. Some cities, if you wear black you get discounts or goodies from merchants.
In Fort Collins we don’t have "Black Friday’, we have ‘PLAID’ Friday. If you wear plaid you get free tea, cookies, prizes and discounts all around Old Town.
With the glittering lights, street performers, free tea at my Pub and Waffle Hut sandwiches, it sounds like I’ll have fun and I’m going to be there! Wish you could all join me!
Tea:
I brewed a small pot of Chocolate Chai Pu-Erh this morning hoping that this tea sample would be a redemption after the sour chocolate sample I reviewed last evening.
I do love chocolate but I don’t like too much artificial flavoring.
Thankfully This tea has no artificial flavoring listed on the package! Phew!
My steep time was 4 minutes and the scent of the wet leaves with cinnamon and mini chocolate pieces was amazing. The wafting aroma was like warm chocolate, cinnamon streusel straight from the oven.
I poured a cup of tea and was relieved that the flavor was yummy cocoa with a good amount of cinnamon pop and a bite that must have come from the clove (which you can’t taste, just feel).
The list of ingredients mentioned cardamom but I didn’t taste that spice, and the orange was very light but delicious. I don’t prefer overly orange flavored tea.
If you want Pu-erh flavor, you won’t find it in this tea. The only thing it contributes is a richness. The health benefit is important though. Too many people have a horrible fear of Pu-erh and could easily drink this and never know the Pu-erh is there at all.
My first Pu-erh tea was Davids Tea Chocolate Orange which now tastes a bit off to me because of the artificial flavoring. This Della Terra Chocolate Chai Pu-erh is a step up and away from that sour artificial taste.
This is one of the best flavored Pu-erh’s blends for people who don’t want to taste the actual Pu-erh tea.
BTW Is Black Friday just something here in the U.S. or are there versions of the same thing in Canada and Paris and the UK and Denmark and Ecuador and so on?
great ! this means I can try this one for a beginning :)
Sounds deeeeeelish!
an indulging tea to be sure :P
Hey, that sounds like the old I-bloom!
I liked it too!
I read that you wanted some ginger, which I thing would make it more Chai-like.
Black friday is really a US thing, at least in comparision with canada. We have our thanksgiving in October, but sales aren’t really a “thing.” I think we tend to just piggy back on the US’s black friday sales :)
Agreed with Sil – Boxing day is more our sales day, but I never feel like I’m going to get trampled on Boxing day haha.
Big cities trample I think, small towns support small merchants. Here the feeling is festive. If you look at the pictures you get the idea, and there’s a whole downtown of antique looking buildings and no fast food restaurants or big box stores!!! We have a Mall elsewhere but I’ve never seen it crowded. There are 3 huge Walmarts for a population of 150,000 so that’s no issue. I wouldn’t go there on black friday! People like the old town.
Bonnie, you are truly lucky to live in such a place! I try to make my pilgrimage out there every late July to catch the Green Drake hatch on the Poudre. A great river with great bugs and eager trout.
I love hearing your stories, please continue!
You know the Poudre River?! Pronounced Poo der…like Pu-er with a d in it. Strange but true. The bugs aren’t such a good thing. Hopefully the fish will be waiting for you again, and some good bear in our famous breweries. If you get a chance, stop by Happy Lucky’s Tea House in Fort Collins and tell them I sent you from Steepster!
It’s just you. Remember, we don’t have anything such as Thanksgiving here, so Thursday and Friday = completely ordinary work days.
The closest we get here is the sales that start after Christmas which can be pretty packed, mostly because a lot of people will be swapping Christmas presents. And still, that’s not that different from any other sale apart from the fact that everywhere is always busy around Christmas.
I know you have other Holidays though Angrboda and traditions that are celebrated in your Country and throughout Europe. Next week is St. Andrews day with the Blessing of the Tartans. Then Dec.6th is St. Nicholas Day…and there’s lots more..Hanukkah begins Dec. 8th. and so on. I love this time of year!
.
Completely off topic, but I have a friend of mine in Fort Collins. We went to the New Belgium Brewery, and what I think was probably what you refer to as Old Town (was the inspiration for Main Street USA at Disney, or something like it), and the Swettsville Zoo (fascinating but creepy place at the same time).
These little nuggets are so creamy and sweet.
I so wish I had hoarded them. But they are sold out now sadly :-(
Simple tea, but so comforting and soothing.
The taste is rich and deep, vanilla and raisins mostly.Sweet caramel undertones, but I also get a nice fresh mouthfeel at the end of the sip.
For those who like me are very sad to see it gone, here’s what I think could replace it, though I haven’t tried it yet, but it seems to be the 2013 version.
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/ripepu-erh/2680-yong-de-lao-cha-tou-ripe-pu-erh-tea-nuggets.html
Also, pics of tonight’s session :-)
Maybe if we buy the 2013 and hang on to them for 7 years? Heh
mine disappearing quickly cause i always get 10g at least for 100cc. they are opening slowly and i cant wait. and i like it thick and rich. maybe another session left. i just tried 2014 year Supreme MengHai LangHe 7599 and i MADLY in love. my next order ;)
Boychik, i like it strong too!! Is tgat 2014 you are refering to from YS also?
Yeah, write a tasting note on it for us, boychik! :D
Beautiful teapot. Beautiful setup and pictures.
@TheTeaFairy. it is from ebay or Ali. i will send you a link
Thank you so much Ubacat :-)
Thanks Boychik,, sounds amazing, just send me the ebay link please, I’m not a fan of Ali
check your PM ;)
@ Stephanie. i had it few days ago. i remember it very clean and chocolatey, not bittersweet, more like between milk chocolate and 50% lol if it makes sense. but very clean, clear, no funk even though its 2014. it was discussed recently in this thread sheng or shou of the day. and i have a pic on IG
@ theteafairy sorry for hijacking. @ stephanie and others ;)
http://steepster.com/discuss/5496-pu-erh-of-the-day-sheng-or-shou?post_id=157069#forum_post_157069
Thank you sweet boychik, much appreciated. And no hijacking, just sweet information :-)
YS’s “Cha Tou Sheng Yun” Bricks are the same stuff as this, material from the same exact factory from different years (the 2009 brick is actually made from these exact 2007 nuggets), I have the 2012 brick ( http://yunnansourcing.com/en/2012-yunnan-sourcing-teas/2081-2012-yunnan-sourcing-cha-tou-sheng-yun-ripe-pu-erh-tea-brick.html ) and it’s pretty much exactly the same just a little less aged though good to drink now, same sleep-inducing narcotic qi as these too. The 2013 yongde brick is from a different factory and is blended with loose shu too, I haven’t had it myself yet but supposedly it tastes pretty different.
@ sansnipple, thanks for letting us know. i bought 2007 White Dragon last spring based no your recommendation ;)
oh goodie! Thanks sansnipple!!!
Thanks a lot @sansnipple , will sure add a brick on my next YS order :-)
the 2009 brick with these exact nuggets is still available on the US site too, but sadly it’s price is twice as much as the younger ones.
Aha! This one came from Wombatgirl (who hasn’t been around here lately, what’s up with that?) and I know this because I have posted about it before.
I went and asked He Who Was Foolish Enough To Propose how traditional he was feeling this morning, tea-wise. He looked at me funny and asked me if I was planning something crazy, to which I could only reply yes. I would have preferred to take him by surprise, but he made me tell him what the crazy was before he would give me an answer. Where’s his sense of adventure?
Anyway, the crazy was brought on by a flash of inspiration caused by the first post I saw this morning being from Dylan Oxford who was enjoying his favourite genmaicha. This was shortly after I had breakfast and aforementioned male occupant of the household hadn’t got up yet.
It gave me that cereal association that I sometimes used to get with genmaicha. I used to rather like that stuff. I used to think of it as breakfast-y because of that cereal association. I knew I had some lying around, ancient stuff and not stored very well for its age.
Why not?
The first time I had this I said that it was all rice and not so much leaf. Actually I don’t know if it’s the ever on-going practise that has changed my mind or if it has just deteriorated a bit due to age and haphazard storage.
The flavour is very rice-y and starchy with a touch of salt, but underneath that I can definitely pick out some green tea. There’s a strong note of something vegetal and relatively darkish. It doesn’t quite have that vibrant dark green hue that I get from Sencha but it’s leaning towards that side of the spectrum. It’s like, I know there is that colour in my head, but somebody dimmed the lights so I can’t quite see it.
This makes me want to get back into green teas that aren’t flavoured with something else. That, Steepsterites, is HUGE! I’m a black tea drinker all the way, but right now? This stuff is inspiring.
Inspiring indeed. The recent ratings from you, Dylan, and Azzrian have inspired me to order some for myself.
Congratulations on his foolishness. Condolences on his lack of craziness.
But rice?! IN TEA?!!!
I’ve been looking up genmaichas on line. I suppose I must be a bit lacking in craziness, too – because I ain’t trying it. If we put up with things like this, next thing you know, some daft person will be trying to add bergamot to their tea.
Reminds me of the time I tried muesli – took me till lunchtime to chew my way through it, made my jaw-muscles ache – and then I dawned on me that the breakfast-cereal makers had conned me into eating the same stuff as I was feeding my parrot.
You have made references to tea genders in previous post, genmaicha feels like a man tea to me! love how it picks me up in the morning (ok, too much information!). The male of our house also likes it a lot, so I hope your soon to be hubby enjoyed your «crazy choice»
Have a great green tea phase!
Blake, I hope you enjoy it.
Alaudacorax, oh genmaicha is quite common actually. :) My boyfriend didn’t care for the toasted rice either. I think I’ve also got a toucha of sticky rice pu-erh lying around. I suspect he wouldn’t care for that one either. As for the muesli, you DID put milk on it, right? Anyway, I feel the same way about raw carrot and most nuts. It’s like eating a stick.
TheTeaFairy, this one doesn’t have a gender to me, but it did have a colour. Of sorts. I find that most of the time if a flavour has a gender or a colour, it’s usually one or the other. I won’t say it’s never both, but it’s more rare that it’s both. My boyfriend didn’t much care for the rice.
I’m glad I could be inspiring! I think I owe you an apology, it wasn’t until this morning that I realized I wasn’t following you! Not sure what happened there, but I’ve definitely been missing out.
@Blake – if you haven’t actually committed to that order yet, I’d be happy to send you a sample.
Dylan, that’s fine with me. I’ve stopped paying attention to who’s following or not following me, and I’m paying even less attention to who I’m following these days, until such time as I need to send them a PM. :)
I never really read from the dashboard page at all, apart from the notifications. I prefer to use the all recent page. That way I can stick my nose into keep up with everything :)
@Dylan – That would be wonderful man. I was planning to order some today, but I had to cancel the debit card I would have used (fraud is fun), so it’ll likely be a week or so before I’m ordering anything. Check out my cupboard and see if there’s anything you and Missy would like to try.
Genmaicha is the bomb. Glad you’re looking into trying out them green teas again.
Incendiare, I’m currently talking my way out of running out and buying a load of greens. Partly, as mentioned before, I’m sure, I’m not allowed until the other side of the wedding, and also partly because I’ll just wind up with a lot of stuff left over when the interest wears off. I’ll definitely have to dive deep in the sample box though. I know there’s a ton of stuff gathering dust down there.
Ah, well that’s smart. I’m sure you have some good samples that can tide you over until later on.
That was supposed to be talking myself out of etc. and so on, actually…
Thank you Stacy for this sample
It has been several months since I taste tested this tea. I think it’s important to revisit and try tea’s more than once.
Previously, I commented on the preference I have for making mint tea with fresh mint from one growing on my patio with lots of sugar the way it’s done in Lebanon and much of the Middle East. (My friend introduced me to cafe’s in San Francisco that serve tea this way). You are supposed to sit and sip slowly and talk for hours on a hot day.
Putting my prejudices aside, I have learned to appreciate the effort of Stacy to sell only the best organic tea’s with quality flavor that I appreciate. I wanted to give this mint a second taste review.
This morning, I was preparing myself with some Lebanese music and wondering what to wear later to a Hookah Bar? Jeans? Uh, this is close to the University and I’m going with Schey (she’s 18) who’s soooo excited! Every day Schey has been calling “When are we going to the Hookah Bar Grandma?”….gar.! Mint tea was on the list of things to do before going to a Hookah Bar. (I think)
(I’m skipping right to the taste)
The flavor of this tea was surprising. Delicate, smooth, fresh.
The gunpowder tea was so mellow and soft adding a taste almost pastry-like.(I don’t remember any gunpowder tea tasting that way.) There wasn’t any smokiness.
The peppermint was not like a breath mint…nooooo. The peppermint was soft…very, very soft without a bite. I noticed a curious floral fragrance hidden in the mint.
The mouthfeel became creamy. That was unexpected. Creamy peppermint and gunpowder would be insane unless you know how Stacy blends tea. She is a master of creating creamy tea’s.
The ending had a tiny little tannin right at the finish.
This was a delightful tea. I am again Hook-uh-ed (haha dumb pun!)!
Time to put on some more music. Next order Stacy! Moroccan Mint for Me!
http://youtu.be/LUr5uVs73JQ Lebanese Bellydance Music
http://youtu.be/2ScDdxavE4g Moroccan Beautiful Guitar…very nice
Hookah Bar Photo…http://flic.kr/p/ceW845 NOT GOOD!
The husband and I love going out to a hookah bar on special occasions. Great food and a great time to relax and enjoy good conversation. Fresh mint tea is amazing! You’ve got me in the mood for some Middle Eastern food. Maybe I will make some Ful Medames for lunch.
I’ll have some labne and zaatar with flat bread and an orange. There are 2 Middle Eastern eateries down the street (I live 2miles from the University always have food close by) .
I knew you were a hookah girl! I’ve seen them at celebrations at Church outside especially at the Antiochian Orthodox parishes having more Lebanese, and Palestinian members (or in my friends Church in Santa Cruz, CA. Beach people)
I had to look those food items up. That combination of herbs sounds delicious. Yes, definitely a hookah girl. Our Israeli friend got me and a lot of our friends into it and its really nice occasionally. He does a lot of special blends that are amazing. He made us a mint, vanilla, lavender that was fantastic and a mix he calls gummy bear which is pretty much every sweet fruit combined.
I’m allergic to beans, potato and nightshade plants (tomato, eggplant, peppers etc.) so I do eat dairy during Orthodox Fasts (vegan) (adds up to about 6 months of the year) since it would be very hard to be vegan like you.
Mid east food, hookah, sweet mint tea, Lebanese music, = BLISS!
Still want to know why you have 10 hookahs?! You probably belly dance too!
Bonnie, I could see how it would be very very difficult to eat vegan when you can’t have beans, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and pepper. Geez.
But I can drink TEA!
What would we do without tea?
I’m sitting in the hooka bar with Schey drinking mint tea with a mint vanilla mix in the hooka pipe! Took pictures! Does your grandma do this with you? Ha heee!
Can you adopt me as your granddaughter Bonnie?
You’re an awesome grandma! You should link us to some pics.
Sure!
Put a icky pic up there…
Oh Im sorry I am terrible about recalling posts to go back and look for responses on.
Well … hubby and I smoked almost 2 packs a day EACH for years.
We wanted to quit smoking.
So we got into hookah.
Cigs are for nervous people and we would chain smoke ESPECIALLY when working not even realizing how much we smoked.
So when we switched we did so for a few reasons.
Hookah tobacco being FAR less nicotine FAR Less.
And NO TAR.
Anyway – we totally got into it.
Found a lovely BEAUTIFUL hookah that we adored and bought it.
Then we saw this other one that was from a different country and looked AMAZING and got it.
Then well there was this other one that was modern looking.
THEN we found an Al Nawras from Syria and since things were looking scary there we knew we better get one before no one could anymore!
THEN ….
you get the picture I bet!
Hookahs are like tea. … you can love more than one and besides they are quite stunning works of art!
Don’t EVEN get me started on Bohemian glass vases to sit the stems on!
OMG!
ANYWAY lol
we actually at one time had over 20 but re-sold many of them to friends and people on the hookah forum.
There is still one I want though .. have always lusted for it.
A turkish one that is made by a family for generations, hand casted all brass, with two turtle doves on the stem.
I could have got it but guess what….I got a Breville one touch tea maker instead.
Yup thats my story lol
And that was the short version.
:)
Cool! Love peoples stories! No two alike! Thanks for telling yours! :)
I just recently heard of a Hookah. I loved reading that, Azzarian. The short version?! Wow!
LOL yeah it was and thanks :)
Azzrian-Sounds like you have some awesome hookahs! Bonnie-Great pic with your granddaughter.
Thanks Stacy :)
Darjeelings are not always my favorite. I’m extraordinarily picky about them. For the last two years, my absolute favorite has been from Giddapahar. While, this estate seems to be a tad greener with their processing, the flavor is just outstanding. The tea is very complex and has wonderful sweet almond notes with peach and blackberry notes. There is just so much going on and quite a variety of flavors, including wood, lemon, hay, earth, and jasmine notes. When I heard that Giddapahar was making a special limited handrolled 2nd flush, I knew I had to jump at the opportunity, especially because they only made 11 kilos worth of this tea. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I was so excited when it arrived, I tore open the package. Wow, the scent was so amazing! The taste profile is very similar to the first flush, except that there is a muscatel flavor and the green-ness is much more toned down. It’s also a much fuller body and the astringency is gone. I’m really enjoying this tea quite a bit. It has a wonderful juicy flavor. Almond, peach, jasmine, and hay notes are the most prominent. There is something else present but I can’t put my finger on it right now. Will definitely have to experiment more on this one. Since this is so limited, when it’s gone it’s gone.
In other news, I’m working on 2 new teas today, a caramel apple Gui Fei and a mimosa puerh (this may or may not be a chai). Normally, I come up with flavors then find a tea for them and modify them from there but these guys I’m working with teas that I really want to flavor and trying to develop flavors for them specifically. I have done this with our Champagne & Rose Cream but it’s not typically how I work.
Oh yum. You sure make this one sound tempting! I am super intrigued by your caramel apple and mimosa ideas, too :)
Caramel apple anything would be fantastic. ;)
You make this second flush sound good. A little greener is more to my liking.
And since Champagne & Rose is one of my favorites that you do, I’d really like to see what you come up with on these other two. :)
Stephanie-This new Giddapahar is soooo delicious! I’m trying to figure out how much to save for myself.
I hope they come out good. I love working with the flavors in the tea and trying to bring them out a little more. crosses fingers
Cameron B-Indeed!
Cheri-It’s so yummy! I just flew through my first cup.
I’m excited to be working with these two teas. The Gui Fei is so unique and it was just calling to be paired with apple. The loose puerh was really begging for some citrus. So glad you like the Champagne & Rose Cream! That is probably the flavored tea I drink the most right now.
It seems as though Specialty Darjeelings are on the rise. Ambootia and Moondakotee are making fairly expensive Haute Couture Darjeelings for Mariage Freres. I’ve been meaning to try your teas and maybe I’ll get around to it in the near future.
Excelsior-they really are, especially in the last two years. It seems they are feeling the pressure to make teas that can compete with other countries luxury teas.
Caramel apple and mimosa chai both sound awesome. I’m going to have to revisit the gui fei oolong now so I can decide whether to get the caramel apple…
The caramel apple Gui Fei came out amazing! Needs some tweaking but I love it!
How much of this tea did you decide to sell? Do I need to place an order immediately, or can I wait until next week, do you think?
Cheri-You should have no problem waiting. Since it is a more expensive tea and a Darjeeling (Darjeelings don’t sell fast for us), it should be available for a few months.
Thanks! I’m trying to force myself to reorganize my tea pantry before I order more teas. It’s a mess and I don’t even know what all is in there anymore.
Instead of sleeping tonight I’m having my favorite sheng.
Trippy qi, this gives me the happy warming feeling I seek when drinking sheng pu’erh.
Exquisite and remarkable. It’s such a wow tea.
Beautiful golden elixir, it heals all wounds.
Slightly smokey, super sweet with notes of apricots, mossy and earthy with a fresh minty finish. Capture of nature in the form of tea.
I think that’s why I love it so much…it reminds me of the pure moments of joy I feel when exploring and hiking in my forest.
I feel safe right now, cause I still have two unwrapped cakes besides this one. Yay me!
Pics of the session:
Hello sweet Fairy !
mmmm i have 2 cakes of this one left as well..and one from 2014 heh
That sounds wonderful – I cannot wait to try the bit of this I have in my cupboard.
Beautiful photos!!
@ysaurella: Hello sweet French cousin ;-)
@sil: good on you my dear!
@spencer: it is so special, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do…
Thank you Tealizzy, beautiful tea as well :-)
It sounds amazing – I can’t wait until I’ve saved enough for a Mandala order :D Out of interest, where did you get your little Yixing pot from?
@red fennekin: You can’t go wrong with a Mandala order dear…and the pot is from there as well ;-) one of my favorite pot out of my entire collection! Perfect for sheng, beautiful color, and very good quality clay for the price.
Ah, thanks :D Yeah – everyone says such wonderful things about their teas! I’ll probably put a huge order in after Christmas :-)
@la fée du thé…j’essaie avec difficulté de rejoindre Instagram mais ils ne m’envoient pas le mot de passe pour valider l’inscription…
@ysaurella: Oh non!! Jai tellement hâte de t’y voir, c’est si amusant!
As always, your photos are gorgeous. Hope the tea helped you sleep. :)
C’est le meme toujour et demaim! c’est tres bien. If my Francais is remembered from many years ago. I am glad you have rejoined instagram an I see a subscription ahead. Sorry many years since I have had to translate. Pardon any errors..
Mrmo thank you :-) You are full of surprises, aren’t you? Your Français is Fantastique!!!
And yo! We desperatly need you on Instagram, come on over ;-)
Thank you so much lovely Sweedish Chef ;-)
Quick recount of the last two weeks…
1) New puppy
2) Toddler gets sick
3) Preschooler gets sick
4) I get walking pneumonia over spring break (luckily at home, but no school for kids and a mom with pneumonia is a bad combo for all participants…)
Things are finally calming down a bit. I’m over the bulk of the crud, but the cough is driving me nuts. Throughout the the last two weeks I’ve lived off mostly Laoshan Black, Wild Mountain Black, and Tawainese assams.
It was time to change it up a bit today, but not by much. This is still my favorite English Breakfast tea, and Verdants Imperial Breakfast Blend is my other favorite breakfast blend. Probably because they each have a base of my two favorite teas. Laoshan Black and the Taiwanese Assam.
I have a million teas, I’m too afraid to count the actual number, but over the past few months since life has gotten so busy, I really only drink about 10 of them. Not sure what to do about that, but it is what it is. I don’t want to get rid of any that I like, but I don’t drink them very often. What to do?
I believe this is what they call a first world problem…. :-)
Glad that you are doing better. That sounds like a crazy couple of weeks.
send them all to terri and meeeee hahahaha
Sorry to hear you’ve been sick! Luckily, at least you had excellent teas to drink, right?
Regarding the ‘problem’, I totally understand! :D
That’s why I print out a list every month, & check the teas off as I drink them (with cute little symbols, this week it’s a little flower). Theoretically, I only drink each tea once a month, but I’m allowed to cheat occasionally (whenever I want), & there are many teas that I never get around to drinking. I’m trying to remedy that, but I have way too many teas to drink in a month, & many of them require gongfu sessions to really be appreciated…sigh…the problems of being a tea lover…
Yikes, that’s awful!
And Terri – I love that you print off your list and add stickers. :D Sounds like fun!
I have the same first world problem! Never thought to make a chart though. Something to consider!!
Hope you are feeling better!
Not really stickers, cavo, just me drawing little tiny symbols with a colored pen :)
I hope your household is feeling much better!
I think most of us on this board have the same “first world prob” lol
Everything always seems to happen at once. Glad to hear that things are getting better.
Life is too short to drink tea that is meh. At home I end up making tea I don’t want for my husband since he is pretty much a tea garbage disposal that will drink anything or I end up tossing it. At work, there is a much bigger problem. We have boxes and boxes full of samples. Every now and then I try to make it through the samples but usually they end up in the garbage. I’m hoping to find a place I can donate samples to but since they are already open, probably not.
stacy… cough i like opened samples LOL
Hahaha. Maybe I should do an educational traveling box or something. Like putting a bunch of Darjeelings together or Assams together or something.
OH.MY.GOD.YES! Seriously… that would be awesome
Only issue is, we wouldn’t have them labeled. So, it would be like Assam 1 through 15 or something but it would give a good idea of what makes an Assam an Assam.
Stacy, I do that to Husband too! Or rather, I used to do it. He’s beginning to learn to tell me if I’ve given him one he doesn’t like and he’s lost interest in most flavoured things. Otherwise though he’s after effect rather than taste when drinking tea. If you give him a cup he’s never had before and ask him what he thought immediately after he finished it, more often than not he doesn’t know. He’s learning to pay attention without being told though. I think he’s realised that it’s in his own interest to do so.
Angrboda-I get the I don’t know from my husband too. Hahaha. Or I get ‘tastes like every other green tea I’ve ever had’. Um, ok hun but that’s a white tea. Flavored teas are ones he enjoys more. I bring all of the samples of teas I’m working on for him. I worked on an espresso cupcake with strawberry cream flavor for my friend and brought the 8 different attempts home for him. He liked them all, even the gross ones.
Thanks everyone for the well wishes! Seems like we’re all on the mend and the puppy has kept us quite entertained and busy :-)
Stacy & Angriboda -Ha ha! I do the same thing my husband too, and my mom! They enjoy tea and my worst tea is better than anything they’ve ever had so everyone wins!
Terri- I like your system but I don’t think I’m disciplined enough to only let myself drink my favorites only a few times a month. I should create a favorites list that I can pick from every day and then make a list of the others and start working through them. If I find a meh one, then I’ll throw it my donate box.
Sil — I’d send you all my spares, but i’m pretty sure you’ve had ALL OF THEM! I don’t think I have many teas that you haven’t tried at this point.
And Stacy — I’d be sooooooooo into a traveling open samples box! Not that I need any more tea in my life right now. I was actually happy that hello sweetie was sold out so it would keep me from ordering. It just sounds so good (minus the banana, but I think I can get over that)
stacy – that would still be awesome.
TastyBrew-Glad your mom & hubby can help with that. On the plus side with an educational box, you could sit and taste the teas you want in a sitting and send the rest on without adding any to your collection. Sorry for hijacking your note.
Sil-I think I will do it. I’ll put something together and see if I can solicit a curator who can take care of all the logistics.
Stacy, I’m totally open for the samples as well. Why don’t you divide them up, & sell a Spring Sampler Box. When those are all gone, or when you have enough for another round, do a Summer Sampler Box, etc. Supplies will be limited, so they will sellout fast, you could price them to include the postage plus a few bucks for your efforts, & it would be lots of fun! Put me down for one, please. I don’t want to miss out. :)
Terri-I initially thought about doing something like that but then thought the amount of work involved wouldn’t be worth it plus I don’t know how old all of these teas are so I would feel bad if someone got a lot that isn’t great. I did start the box though (sort of): http://steepster.com/discuss/7310-traveling-butiki-educational-box
Put me on the list, please!!
Oh my god, bringing this to work with me in my carry mug today was probably the best decision I’ve made in like a week. I had my doubts as to whether it would be “viable” in a travel mug, because travel mugs can really stifle many a good tea, but that simply wasn’t the case. I used slightly more than two tsp of leaf for 16 oz of water, added a touch of cream and sugar, and drank what I swear was hot melon juice/milk all morning. I used up the last of what was sent to me by the lovely ifjuly, and am very lucky to still have some left from Nay Lynn!
Anna, you started this addiction of mine! Ifjuly and Nay Lynn, thank you so much for being my suppliers!
You are braver than I trying a precious tea in a travel mug.. So glad it worked well for you :)
It’s just confirmation that my travel mug is extremely awesome!! go carry mug!!
This review made me smile. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Another endorsement for the carry mug! Go keychange!
i sometimes wonder what other ppl are going with their travel mugs that they have funny tasting teas in them…
I don’t know-I’ve definitely found that often tea tastes different depending on what you drink it out of. I like the carry mug (and the timolino) because you can smell as you drink.
fair enough…the smell factor i can get behind :)
I agree that what you drink tea out of can make a difference in how it tastes. Some teas just taste better if you can smell them too… it’s a whole experience thing.
I just gotta break down and spend the money to get the carry mug….. It’s funny. Some things I’m willing to just drop money on, but for whatever reason I’m hesitant on this one and I really want it.
My carry mug is by far my favourite piece of teawear. May I ask what’s making you hesitate?
I don’t know. I think it’s that I don’t want to just buy the carry mug, but I haven’t found any of the teas that are calling to me. (I should go look again and see what I find.)
Okay, I did it. I found a couple of teas that I thought sounded good to try and placed the order. Whew.
Wow!! what colour did you choose? (I really want more colours). And I hope you like it as much as I do!!
Ice Blue. I love the color blue. Almost everything I own is blue. Now I’m excited!
I have it in ice blue also! woohoo!!
I have to drink tea out of glass/ceramic or it tastes funny to me.
Only fitting that my 1000th tasting note is such a delicious tea! (and yes, I did make a point of putting a tea that I love here).
Stuck it in my Timolino prior to going on a first date, walking around rainy Central Park. I brought him tea! Heh. Anyway, I had my first sip as I walked up on the date, and I actually stopped in my tracks. So good! Creamy, light, lemony, fluffy, very much like a sweet macaron. Have to admit, now that it’s cooled, I like the tea less. It was by far the best hot, and it’s been six hours since I made it with the lid off, so…
Definitely yummy though, just wish that these last few sips tasted as mind-blowingly great as the first few.
Preparation
Wow! congrats on the huge milestone!
Ps did your date enjoy the tea? :)
Woot 1000!
He said prior to meeting he’s a fan of EGs and English Breakfast teas, so I pretended it was a one-way swap and brought him samples to try on his own. He was surprised. ;) Sadly, I think we’re a better match for others, however it was still an enjoyable time. He shared the best Johnny Depp story ever!
Yeah 1000!! Hope your date went well!
Aw cute :)
Johnny Depp story! Cool!
1000!!!
congrats on 1000!
Soooooo???? What was the JD story?
Congrats on 1000!!!
Thanks everyone! :)
JD story: there were a lot of personal details in it that kind of make the story, but in a nutshell… said date worked with JD many years ago in one of his first projects, and they stayed in touch. JD was visiting another actor they both knew prior to Hallowe’en, and my date suggested he crash a party as Captain Jack Sparrow, because the person throwing the party was dressing up as such. I guess Monsieur Depp loved this idea, did it, used the accent and everything, and blew the guests away. Supposedly there are pictures, of which I am eager to see. :)
That is awesome! I love hearing about famous people not taking themselves too seriously and having fun. It makes them more rounded and real instead of just the glamour hollywood facade. Like when Bill Murray crashes parties and bar tends!
Woohooo, Grats on 1000 notes! Sounds like the date was a little fun at the least :)
Congrats on the 1000 tasting note! Loved the Johnny Depp story
Awesome story!!
yeah, you gotta out at least a couple more times, so you can view the pics! LOL
Congrats on 1000! The tasting note & comments were fun to read :)
this is actually this tea + divine temptation and my whole house smells like a delicious wonderful thing. I am in my happy place now. Glad to have this back in my house! Thank you for sending more my way omgsrsly! so that i could try blending the two teas together. sooooo good!
huh…3100 tasting notes, now isn’t that a little scary! 1333 teas rated heh
WOW.
holy crap! 1333 is so exciting! when did you join steepster? just curious :)
uh..July 2012 so about a year and a half
When you say ‘TRY ALL THE TEAS!’ you really mean it. O.o
I always say what I mean lol why do you think I also keep drinking earl greys lol
Whoa, I thought my 600 was lots! You go!!
don’t know your 600! that’s awesome! i drink a LOT of tea..and this is my version of a mini blog without having to actually blog lol
Are you going to try that one I sent you? :D
It’s on deck for this weekend during operation “figure out how my cupboard exploded when it’s not half the size it was” I have 23 teas to sipdown minimum before the end of the month
July 2012, huh. i joined in April 2012 and i’m not even half way to your numbers. i’m such a SLACKER! i better start the swaps back up! :)
1333 teas tasted? That’s amazing! :D
And I’ll try and come over in the next week and clean up your cupboard. Y’know. Just helping out. :P
I have an entire box and a half of “swap teas” as well for you to root through…they’re not in my cupboard….if I haven’t swapped them. Away by July, to the garbage they go!
Sil, you’re a tea-drinking machine.
This is good stuff. I have a little Divine Temptation left, but I definitely could use more of both.
Wasn’t able to write anything down at work, but ended up with over 20 steepings. Though this tea didn’t start out too complex with western style, nor did it gain complexity, it maintained all that it started with through the 20plus steepings which was very impressive. I will take Autumn’s advice with the remainder of the sample and try my first gongfu brew.
Autumn Hearth sent this to me amongst several wonderful selection that I am most greatful for.
The drink is so smooth and crisp. It actually has a lighter body than I expected, but that could be explained in that the leaves of dense cakes are harder to judge amounts with. That said, I may have added too much water. Whether improper brewing or mistaken expectation this is still a good tea.
Mostly what I get from this is a sweetness. Now I’m not just gonna leave it at that…it’s a…well…kind of a…
OK it has that camphor sort of tingley sweet, as well as an ever so slight honey addition. So a honey flavored lip balm I guess is what I’m saying. Somehow that didn’t come out as eloquently as I had imagined.
I’m really bogged down at this point. There’s an earthiness, though not as apparent as other pu’s I’ve had. On the flip side of that coin though, it lacks much of the bitterness that may help to make up any smokey, malty, or thick wood notes. There is a cedar note, don’t get me wrong, it’s just not overpowering nor is it very bitter.
I read another note or two that said that they had luck steeping it again the next morning so I will try this as well.
To me this is a good tea, though not great. Maybe I need to try brewing again, I was surprised to see three minutes for the brewing time rather than the thirty to forty five seconds I have steeped all other pu’s for.
Maybe my expectations were thrust up after reading David Ducklers beautiful telling of the story behind this tea. That, actually is probably part of it, though I fault Mr Duckler none for this. I surely invite the telling of the tale behind the tea, I should just avoid being caught away by it.
I thank David for making this tea available, and I thank Autumn Hearth even more for putting it into my hands.
tunes-I picked up some CDs from the library and the Orthodox Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu’s Live @ Stubbs was one of them. I’m enjoying it, especially seeing video footage of a man in complete Hasidic attire beatboxing! Wild to say the least.
Preparation
very cool
if you’re refering to Matisyahu I agree. I thought it was a publicity thing at first, and it may be, but I wanted to see for myself. Americanized reggae similar to Sublime. It’s just neat to see something less than mainstream.
I love Matisyahu’s first two albums, Youth and Light. Didn’t care for his newest, a bit too hip hop for me. Definitely give Youth a listen if you haven’t before!
I saw Matisyahu with 311 several years back – AMAZING!
Ohh i should have included my own personal instructions. I think Verdant has two sets of instructions gongfu and western and i almost always go with the gongfu. I start between 3-5 sec steeps with small amounts of water and can get a dozen infusions out of this one working up to 30sec steeps. If you can please do try again, the strong elderberry notes didn’t come out for me till around like the 6th infusion :)
Matis is amazing, and I think Live at Stubbs was his best work so far. Thank you for reminding me I’m home relaxing, so there should be music playing!
First, yay, for this new official Whispering Pines Great Lakes Label Shu Pu-erh, what a creative idea!!! It fits so well with WP brand name, great job Brenden :-)
I received this generous sample in my last order, thank you Brenden.
Does pu’erh still scare some of you? Like, it’s been on your mind, but you are still hesitant about it?
The descriptors “fishy, barn, leather, pond water, seaweed” revolt you?
Then give this a try. This is as smooth as can be.
The pu’erh for the non believers.
Cause it is silky and creamy beyond belief.
The dry leaf is quite unusual, all golden, just stunning .
It produces a dark warm copper brew.
First sip and I think, wow…this is so what I need right now.
Silky and velvety, coats my entire mouth with mellow and sweet.
Everything is subtle but far from being boring. I get notes of cereals, like toasted bran.
It’s also a bit fruity, dried fruits, like raisins with a soft cocoa feel.
Yum, chocolate covered raisins. It’s a little earthy and woodsy, but nothing like most shou pu’erh.
The later steeps bring a nice minty finish, that fresh mouthfeel I like so much.
This tea brings me to a tranquil and beautiful place. It warms my heart and fills my head with happy.
And yes…I will need more of this.
Thanks again Brenden for this wonderful offering…And congratulations for the launch of the Great Lakes collection!
Pics of the session:
Sounds yummy. But I am suspicious. LOL Maybe I will start busting out my shous and give them another try!
I should say that I need to get over my general fear of shous.
Well this one is taylor made for you then!
I just saw the announcement on FB. Such a great idea! Now if only September would get here so I can place my order…. :)
Hmmm… maybe. I’m certainly willing to try!
You can do it Sars. A couple of months ago you were hesitant about sheng and now you play with the shengaling on an almost daily basis. ;p
Okay, you talked me into it, I want some now.
Well when you put it THAT way, mrmopar. I did try a wet stored sheng tonight. Not a fan. I am also drinking a White2 shou right now. I don’t HATE it, but…
Sarsonator, is it the earth that gets you?
Lariel, how do you feel about shou pu’erh in general?
I like shou… it is the puer I’ve had most.
How is it possible that I haven’t logged this?
I drank the last of it last night and just went to remove it from my cupboard and noticed that I’ve never logged it. How rude!!
This is one of my favorite from Cornelia Bean. It’s almond, it’s caramel, it’s something like burnt toffee, it’s oooey goooey sweet. Even better steeped with the MissB lower temp shorter steep trick.
If I’m ever allowed into Cornelia Bean again, I will pick up more of this – awesome desserty type tea.
Do you keep a spreadsheet for all the teas. I was removing but then realized what if I forget if I had that tea before. My memory is not that great anymore;)
LOL I am NOT organized enough to to keep a spread sheet. I try really hard to make sure I’ve logged all the teas that I’ve tried. This is my “memory”, if it says “drank one time” then I’ve tried it – if it doesn’t, it’s either in my cupboard, or I haven’t tried it. So far that’s working for me.
What I need a spread sheet for is to keep track of which teas I’ve sent to which swap buddies, I’m always afraid of sending them something I’ve sent them before. I really need to get organized. :))
Good idea. I try to stick to ppl wish list and many times I add whatever I liked a lot. So I need 2 spreadsheets. You know my hubby is a programmer so his rule is to back up every 5 min. What if god forbid smth will happen to Steepster?
What if god forbid smth will happen to Steepster? LOL Don’t even joke about it – if that happens I’m lost – what would I do without my Steepster buddies? No I don’t even want to think about it….
This link is very helpful, I think, since it’s all in one page, and searchable: http://steepster.com/clareborn/feed.rss
(And I keep lists of what I send to whom in my gmail drafts folder.)
dexter…that’s why you need to answer my FB message..
Thanks Anna – that’s an awesome link. I didn’t know it existed. Love learning new stuff.
<3
FB message – OMG I haven’t logged into FB in at least 6 months….LOL right – I’m on that.
LOL.
Anna….we has her naao!
We spun a webb of HAIRS.
I think we lost her…
I think she probably just doesn’t understand how FB works. Six months is like six years in FB time…
That’s true….
i don’t keep a spreadsheet, but whenever a new tea comes in i stick it in a gigunda google doc list (i started out sorting it by tea types, but i’ve gotten lazy about that), and if i ever wonder if i have something already i control-F for it. when i’ve tried it, i put a strikethrough over it, and when i really like it i put a star next to it (when i hate it, which is rare, i put a big X next to it). not as organized as a spreadsheet, but works for me and is faster.
and yeah, thanks so much for that Anna! super helpful. i hate trying to find a log of a tea i know i’ve logged before from the actual tea page, sifting through pages of reviews.
Haha, beware of the big X! And yeah, it’s really helpful – I wish I remembered who told me about it so I could give proper credit.
Oh I must try this one soon that you sent a while back!
BlueChai is a tasty, blue tea made from only the best butterfly pea flowers.
Since I don’t want to be the first to review our own tea on Steepster, I’d love to give away a couple of samples to the community!
If you would like to receive a free sample to review, please get in touch with us or visit http://bluechai.com/sample to place your order directly.
(Please leave a comment below once you’ve ordered, so we know who you are in the Steepster community)
Preparation
just ordered a sample. will post review once done.
Thank you Brian, your sample will ship out tomorrow morning.
I just ordered one!
I appreciate the opportunity to sample your tea! Is there a free shipping option with this sample?
Just a note, you may not want to rate your own teas. Companies are welcome to review their teas, but it’s typically frowned on when they are rated.
Thank you for sharing samples though :) Always love trying new teas and companies!
I just placed my order, always up for trying new teas. Will review when received. :)
I just ordered one too – thanks for letting us in on this offer!
Also, ditto what Sil said.
Thank you Sil for pointing that out, I’ve removed the previous rating (it should now be displayed as neutral) – sorry for that everybody.
Please do let me know if this tasting note of our own tea is still frowned on and I’ll remove it asap!
@Stoo, since we’re located in Thailand we need to airmail BlueChai to the US – there is a small (2-3$) shipping cost involved in this.
@Ambelleina, thank you for placing your order for a sample! We’ll ship out all sample requests received within the next 12 hours tomorrow morning.
Thank you for welcoming us to the Steepster community, we hope you all enjoy our BlueChai tea!
Thank you for the offer, I ordered a sample and can’t wait to try it.
I’ve also just placed an order. Thank you!
I ordered a sample as well! Very excited to try it. Thank you :)
Thank you everybody for placing your order!
Please note that we can only ship 1 free sample per household, so if you’d like to send our sample sachet to friends and family kindly place an additional order with a different shipping address ;)
no worries BlueChai! I just wanted to make sure you were aware before anyone got fussed. I don’t think anyone’s had issues with reviews in the past :)
Just ordered a sample. Looking forward to trying it!
Thanks, I ordered
How much is shipping to Canada??
Standard airmail shipping to Canada is $3.20, a little more with the optional tracking number
Just placed an order for a free sample. Looking forward to giving it a try. Thank you!
blue tea? i can see this becoming a health fad in the US & trend in mixology! ;) butterfly pea flowers sound adorable… also- is this tea ‘chai’ in the sense that it’s spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom or clove? or is this strictly herbal?
Good news, all BlueChai orders for a free sample pack have just been dispatched by airmail from Bangkok, Thailand!
Since BlueChai has never been sold outside of Thailand before we would love to hear about your tea experiences…
Happy brewing!
@pyarkaaloo: Tisane, BlueChai is pure butterfly pea flower tea without any added spices ^^
Just put in for it. Can’t wait to try it!!!
Is there an option for tea companies to get some samples?
Sure Robert, please get in touch with me via [email protected]
I would like to sample some just 4.60 is a bit pricey for me. Sorry:/
I understand Jacob… where are you located? I might be able to send you a sample via SAL which takes slightly longer but is also cheaper.
Order placed for a free sample. Thanks Brian.
My sample arrived! Now to decide what to do with it!
Great Anna, we hope you enjoy your first cup of blue tea!
Oh man, I wish I had seen this before it expired, it looks so interesting!
Oh dear. I don’t like ginger… It has even been decided long ago that I probably shouldn’t even bother trying ginger ale. There have been a few teas in the box that I didn’t much like, but this is the first one where I’ve thought from the start that I didn’t think I would like it. I’ve been sceptical of some others, yes, but haven’t expected something outright unpleasant. But here we go, then. In for a penny, in for a pound and all that.
It smells ginger-y, but also sweeter than I had expected. Not as stabby on the nose. I suspect that’s the white tea shining through.
Okay, not more procrastinating. Here we go.
Yes, it’s ginger-y and not really very pleasant for me, but it could have been a lot worse. Just like with the aroma, it feels a bit mellowed out by the white tea. Or the ale-y bit, I don’t know.
Still though. Ginger. I’ll just stop here, I think, because ginger. Sorry. It’s just… Ginger.
you would have hated what I did to cider last night….i jug cider, 5 freshly cut ginger ‘coins’, 1pint blueberries, and 2 stems rosemary….yummy on a cold day…but not your speed if you don’t like ginger… :)
Leave out the ginger, and it would have been a lot more interesting to me. :) Rosemary strikes me as the odd one out there, though.
rosemary in apple cider is awesome…and so is the addition of seasonal cranberries
Do you serve it warm or cold? I have heard that some people take it hot, but that idea is foreign to me. It’s largely a summer-y drink here.
I do not hate ginger (not fresh ginger at least) but this also did not quite work for me.
cider is usually a autumn beverage, mulled with spices…..I personally have never been a great fan…then a number of years ago I was reading a cook book from a Buddhist temple and they suggested :
take 1/2 gal of favorite cider, bring to a simmer, drop 1 6" peice of fresh rosemary, take off heat, cover, and steep for 4-6 minutes. I usually cover the top of the liquid with fresh in-season cranberries (which once covered will pop and rupture transforming it into a crimson brew). You then remove the rosemary and serve warm/hot.
How different! In Denmark it’s usually served chilled and straight. I’ll have to try your method one of these days. Only, you know, without the ginger. :)
I love cider…warm, I prefer it to be spiced (I sometimes pop some chai in mine) but cold I just like it as is. Apply juice-y. : )
an often overlooked fact: the difference between apple juice and cider is merely filtration….so cold cider would seem to me like basically unfiltered apple juice….of which, I’m not a fan….but thank you for sharing your insight…I would love to visit Denmark….nordic climates suit me :)
I have wondered what the difference would be…I was thinking perhaps additives/sweeteners, but it’s always hard to compare local fresh cider to canned apple juice. : )
I feel really bitchy (sorry) to point this out, but I think the difference between cider and apple juice is the same as the difference between wine and grape juice – fermentation transforming sugar molecules into alcohol molecules. Filtration does eventually come into it, but it needs to ferment first. Just like grape juice needs to ferment to became wine (though tea fermentation is, I believe a different chemical process and should be called oxidation instead). You can not filter apple juice into cider, though juice might naturally ferment, specially if fresh. I am just mentioning this in case it saves anybody some disappointment in case they were going to try it, nevermind me otherwise.
Yes, the definition in Denmark is definitely what Cteresa says. Cider has a (small) alcohol content. Juice does not.
Does that mean, though, that above recipe should be made with cider or juice? I’m thinking with cider the alcohol would all just bubble away anyway.
while this is true…it is important to note…traditional apple cider is a seasonally consumed beverage as it is non-filtered and this allows for a natural fermentation to take place as well as a natural development of carbination…however, modern pasturization often kills this process and renders it alchohol free and so technically it is considered cider if it is non-filtered (in the US) and unsweetened. Apple juice is sweetened and filtered and pasturized/homogenized. The recipe can use either tradional apple cider (fermented and unfiltered) or modern (unfiltered/pasturized/non-fermented). Its the active pulp and natural bacteria in unfiltered ‘cider’ that allows for the fermentation to take place. Modern food sanitation is really such a messed up thing.
Might be a regional thing – I do not think you can sell “cider” in the EU which has no alcohol contents, I had never heard of non alcoholic-cider before. Though there is actually something “champagne” for kids which is bubbly apple juice without alcohol, but I do not think they can call it cider.
For a Canadian perspective, there is hard cider (alcoholic) and also “regular” cider which is available at grocery stores and markets, alcohol free.
Same in America, at least where I live. hard cider has alcohol, cider does not. I love a good, fresh cider, cold or hot.
Yes ^ Hard cider is delish! And cider of the non alcoholic variety is more often that not enjoyed hot and mulled with spices (in my home anyways), and I go for the hard cider cold in the summer. yum.
Round these parts (mediterranean to baltic, atlantic to black sea, I guess) cider has got to be “hard” to be cider o, that is alcoholic (or somebody would feel cheated!). Chocolate has got to have a minimum ammount of cocoa solids. Water bottlers are not allowed to put on packaging that it is “diet water”. A bunch of stuff has to be from a certain location and follow some rules to be called something, It is a little bit contro-freak-ish, but I got to confess I like it. I am used to it.
What Cteresa said. It’s the same here. If you try to sell something as ‘cider’ and it doesn’t have a small alcohol content, it’s false advertising and illegal. In the same way it’s SO illegal to sell something as juice if it contains alcohol. It’s all in the name of quality control and consumer trust and whatnot.
It’s interesting to me that cider is solely a term for an alcoholic drinking EU. All alcohol has it’s percentage listed in Canada but there are a couple of products (cider, lemonade) that have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties.
I think if you ever mentioned the possibility of non alcoholic cider in some parts of Europe (Brittany, or any side of the Basque country) you might get murdered (or at least totally snubbed and ignore and maybe somebody would spit on your food behind your back). If the Eu allowed that, chances are the French and Spanish would rise in revolt.
(but seriously, proper labelling of foodstuffs and protected origins, like Champagne or Port or Parma Ham, are really important things in EU legislation)
and just to add, we do take alcohol very seriously on this continent :p
Not to mention feta cheese.
and just to add, we do take alcohol very seriously on this continent :p
Which is why it’s not cider if it’s not alcoholic. There must be no doubt as to whether something is alcoholic or not. You can’t sell Bacardi Breezers as ‘soda’ either no matter how fizzy, fruity and synthetic it is.
It’s totally just a difference of terms in Canada, not an improper labeling issue. haha just wanted to throw that in there :)
Same here. Cider is cider and hard cider is hard cider, not to be confused with moonshine, of course. ;)
This is the funniest thread ever! I concur that in America, cider is non-alcoholic. Alcoholic cider does exist as “hard cider.” But cider by itself, not so much. Also, I’ve found that cider is almost always served hot. I’m not sure of the fermentation process or whatnot, but I think of it as cider is hot, spiced, apple juice.
Last night session.
I am not a fan of young puerh. its always bitter, astringent, many times smoky. tastes like hay and tobacco. No matter how careful im about temps and steeping time. plus it gives me stomach aches.
This tea is magnificent. it totally changes my view on young sheng. its buttery smooth, clean and sweet. like faint fresh peas and so creamy. at the same time it does tastes like sheng. i had many steeps and saved leaves for tonight.
I do not recommend you to drink it on the go. It should be savored. Each sip.
And i was soo tea drunk. i could barely type on my iphone. Giggling all the time like child. i call this tea Happy Tea. it didnt make me stoned. its not like Naka when i couldnt move. it just made me very happy. All my troubles disappeared.
I need this tea.
Thank you so much Crimson Lotus tea for the sample. This tea goes on my shopping cart.
7g 100ml gaiwan 200F
rinse/ 3/5/5/5/7/7/10 sec etc
I dont rate teas but on a scale of enjoyment its solid 100
https://instagram.com/p/3P_3mRBwvF/
Preparation
:D :D :D That is quite a review!
I haven’t been able to become tea drunk in weeks. I’ve been looking forward to trying this more than the shou and I’m a shou person.
Thank you Stephanie ;)
I’m a shou person. the more I drink quality sheng the more appreciative I get. There are days when I crave sheng, especially now with hot weather. This was good kind of drunk. Happy drunk ;)
What is Naka?
Naka is the region. Sheng fr Naka is very powerful. I get stoned. Not something I’m looking for often
Heck lol I just realized I received a different sample. Oh well, my mind does silly things. adds to wishlist
I’m very much on the same boat, except I have to be extra carefully not burning my fingers while handling the gaiwan during spring/summer. The high water temp scares me a little…
KiwiDelight, teapot to the rescue! While I have several Gaiwans, they are mostly for testing purposes. I do burn my fingers too. I have small sensitive hands.
Thanks for the reference – I’m keeping this in kind. How is it?
boychick I’m stubborn. I like playing around with pu erh leaf with the gaiwan lid.
The Ove Glove definitely prevents burnt fingers. Since the insulated fingers are thick, it may take a little time to get used to.
AH now I remember! the only one I know of is from Jalam teas
http://www.jalamteas.com/pages/naka-unfermented-puerh
Indigobloom, the one i tried is from Chawangshop. i was brutally drunk, stoned.
http://www.chawangshop.com/index.php/2007-naka-qiao-mu-bamboo-raw-pu-erh-100g.html
there is one from White2tea but its a lil expensive. i didnt have a chance to try. supposed to be amazing
https://www.white2tea.com/tea-shop/2005-naka/
wow that is pricey. I’ll buy it off you if you don’t want the rest of yours (unless it was a fun drunk, then you may wanna keep it haha)
I only have from Chawangshop. Im not brave to spend $32 on 25g. not yet. maybe if i win a lottery lol. for experience getting so drunk that you cant move and have a hangover the next day Chawang did this job well. its around $10 for 100g
Love it haha. Teas that tend to make others “drunk” just get me happy and zen/alert. But I’ve only ever had it from samples. Seriously something to consider! :P
Thank you DHart1214 for this Sample tea!
Um breakfast tea! I love my breakfast tea!
Not being a morning person ever in my life, I need help crawling out of my beloved bed. I begin by inching towards the light at the far end of a foreboading tunnel.
My dear father ‘Bill’ used to throw open my bedroom door and do his best WWII bugle call “Time to get up Bonnie”! This would elicit evil words from my innocent mouth that I could never remember when fully awake, but were surely worthy of going to confession. Mom (Pat) would ‘rush’ (poor darling had painful rheumatoid arthritis from age 35) down the hall, “Bill, you know how she is…you can’t wake her up like that!” But dad never learned. He didn’t know that it was painful to be startled awake. I TAKE TIME! (Sure do miss them now and they sure loved each other!)
My morning tea gives me time to pull off those remaining shadowy cobwebs.
The Tea Spot packaging was perfect for a non-morning person. It looked like a big green eye on a white package screaming “Pick Me!”…so I did…since I could see it above all others.
There was a word I could make out…Breakfast…ok. I’m obedient. And a phrase…“boost your mojo!”
Mojo? Where did I put my Mojo? (I think I left it somewhere next to “I’m sexy and I know it!”)
I used a clean Finum filter and steeped this tea 4 minutes.
The scent was light, sweet and fragrant along the line of an Orange Pekoe.
I took a sip and the blend was quite mild without much smoke but having a bit of fruit, a hint of tannin (hardly any really) and medium body. Later I could feel the mojo…as though the caffeine was revving an engine in the background ready to varoom…race ahead through my day.
What black tea was used for this blend? Assam, pekoe,ceylon for sure…what else? Still…I would have thought with so much black tea variety (4 black tea’s are in this blend) there would be more smoke or fruit. Peach, yam, orange pekoe…something deeper.
The caffeine part would be good for someone who likes a kick in the backside like me though. I keep a few high voltage tea’s around for migraine control.
This was a good mid-range morning tea.
My Dad did exactly the same thing to me when I was little.. to the same effect!
My dad went to a similar school of “how to wake your kids.” He pounded on my door and shouted TIME TO GET UP! In his deep voice. I mastered the art of chirping happily, “Okay! I’m awake!” as if I had been up for hours. I can still do it to this day. If the phone rings and wakes me, no one has any idea I was sleeping! LOL! I bet my heart is really strong, too….
I think my Dad loved doing it because a) he grew up on an army base and b) he loves being a jokester. Apparently nothing is more funny in the morning than rousing your kids with a jolly: “It’s time to get up.. it’s time to get up.. it’s time to get up in the moor-niiing..”
Mom, "Bill, Bill…stop it…she doesn’t know what she’s saying…! Bill, “Well that’s no excuse! She should know!” “But Bill, she’s still asleep!”….sputter, walks down the hall towards the kitchen but not defeated. Tomorrow the bugle call will be louder.
I wonder if your response actually made him chuckle a bit to himself, encouraging to go at it again the next day.
Probably! But he got mad! He used to cross his leg under the dinner table and kick me every night too! "Dad! " Reminded me of a bratty boy who was not giving up his childhood without a fight! (Afterall I was a feisty 5’9" 5th grader…hardly delicate!)
In every other way we were always fine.
I still have both my parents, they are in their 80s. I don’t have any great stories similar to yours except my day would throw the circuit breaker to my room when he had had enough Black Sabbath for one day. I am not sure how that is possible. He seemed to have a very low tolerance for metal at 110db.
KS Sooooo funny! I’m cracking up laughing! I needed that laugh too! This has been good to hear peoples memories.
Hi Bonnie, just wanted to clarify that this tea IS still available on our website! Glad you found it suitable for a morning cup—and I love the comment about the “green eye” logo on the bag. I’ll have to share that with the office!
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Yeah!
My Dad woke me up singing this song, well the first part anyhow. Starts around 30s. http://youtu.be/8w9xk4hUKoQ
Trouble is, he still did that well into my teens!!! ha!
Oh Indigo! I love that your dad channeled Mr. Rogers! I would have begged for a sleep over at your house!
LOL it was fun when I was a kid… but by the time I told anybody it was out of embarrassment not fun! haha
Still, it’s a fond memory, and you’d have been welcome anytime!! :)
Hahaha, usually it was my mom that woke me up (which took multiple tries), but on the days when my mom wasn’t around, I got a sharp rap on my door and an annoyed-sounding “It’s time to get up!”. It always started me awake so badly that it typically worked (or was it the fear??)
I got a Google+ message from Eric:
“What…look…the leaves are HUGE!” with a picture attached showing the Zheng Shan Ziao Zhong Smoked Wuyi Black tea by Verdant (say that 3 times fast!).
I answered back,
“OK Eric, I’ll pick some up as soon as David Duckler makes it available on the Verdant website…”, which I did immediately.
Then, I got sick right after the tea arrived. Bah!
As soon as I was well enough to drive, I picked myself up and off I went with my one ounce of precious tea booty. (I also have a small amount of puerh aged in a brandy barrel from Oregon, a gift from Eric to try that’s amazing…but that’s another story)
This tasting was met with great anticipation by Eric, Joe, Andy, Sam and owner George.
After much swooning over the aroma of the leaves…(a light smoky, sweetness)…Joe deftly worked gongfu magic, pouring amber liquor into many tiny tasting cups.
The wet leaves smelled like bbq that had been marinated in a rich jammy Paso Robles Zinfindel. The scent was floral…right in the middle of all that meaty, sour ripeness.
Eric tasted the tea first.
“Ah, this is what a lapsang should taste like when it’s done right. It’s what I’ve heard about but never tasted. I could drink this every day!”
I took my time…and a sip.
Light smoke, almost not there but salty next to sweet vanilla (Eric said that’s from the pine) and camphor. Floral aroma and very light smoke. Smooth. Layered and complex. Cocoa…
I don’t think one tasting can honor such a tea, time is needed.
Everyone raved…yes…raved about the tea.
The smoked tea’s most of us are used to drinking are far different from a superior craft tea such as this one.
My highest rating goes to this Lapsang Souchong.
In my opinion it is the example…the standard, of what a smoked tea should and can be.
A+++!
I had to buy this too :) its fantastic!
I knew you would appreciate this tea. You just don’t come across the real deal very often if ever. You, a smoky tea junkie, a..connoisseur is saying something huge when you proclaim “it’s fantastic”!
It’s such a huge difference between the usual lapsangs…it’s not smoke as much as the feel of the warm pinewood on the morning after a campfire…truly amazing :)
You are a poet at heart and friend of the pine. True…there isn’t a roaring campfire or brush with a pine tree (needles in the face).
Hmm, I never had truly smokey tea…like coffee? zheng shan xiong zhong..I was wondering what it is..then found it on wiki: 正山小种. LOl. I will one day visit Wuyi mountain in Fujian, since a friend of mine has a family tea farm there
Not like coffee, it can taste more cinder depending on the tea. I’ve had savory smoke that reminds me more of BBQ and some that are like walking through the forest in the morning when you smell woodsmoke. I’ve lived in the woods in California.
that’s a beautiful description…woodsmoke…noted for wuyi black…so i guess its stronger than tie guan ying
Yes, very much stronger and not floral or vegital.
Everytime I read your reviews I get more and more excited to try matcha. I bought some caramel matcha yesterday so excited.
Oh I am so happy you are getting into the matcha world! :)
You will love it!
random side note… don’t suppose you have a picture handy of the tins from red leaf handy?
no but I can take one I suppose lol Im so lazy not feeling the best today. let me get one.
I’m also curious as to what the tins look like!
Will have one posted soon :)
haha appreciate it Azz!
Here http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p135/Azzrian/file.jpg
The label is crooked – now I have to fix that lol – I cut the label out from the package it came in and taped it to the tin.
Wow thanks! You sure do deliver fast ;)
Aw I like the crooked label! It suits the quirky-ness of the flavour ^^
LOL thanks Daisy! Im a bit OCD about getting things done! I can be TOTALLY so so lazy but if I have said I will do something I tend to feel edgy until I do it! :)
the lids screw on by the way – very secure!
ohh I LOVE that! I can definitely imagine spraying green powder everywhere if it was just a pop top haha!
Yeah I am so clumsy with my tea! I love the screw top!
lol yeah…there would go half the matcha POP!
Thank you so much for the picture!
You are most welcome :)