Popular Tasting Notes
A few months back I started a thread about what unique blends people would like to see, inspired by a sudden craving for tamarind tea—which mysteriously does not seem to exist! The awesome Stacy at Butiki contacted me about a custom blend and I jumped on the chance—I mean, it’s every tea-lover’s dream to have their own custom tea just for them! I was amazed that she liked the finished creation enough to add it to their regular lineup since it means that everyone can try what started as an idle idea and ended up being one of the best teas I’ve ever tasted.
Of course my review is a bit biased since the flavors are pretty much tailored to my palate—the original idea was to replicate the taste of those tamarind-flavored Mexican sodas, and boy does this deliver! The Guranse base adds a nice woodsy/earthy smoothness and there’s that bright pop of malty/sour flavor from the tamarind, followed by delicious brown sugar. But they combine to form something better than the sum of their parts: there are notes of caramel, vanilla, and yes, an almost soda-like fizziness! With just a pinch of rock sugar it’s somehow even better, and it really brings all the flavors together. I’ve had this hot, iced, lukewarm from sitting in the AC too long, and it’s perfect every way. This is definitely my ideal tea, and it’s amazing to actually have it in front of me!
Preparation
One of the main reasons I LUV Stacy at Butiki is she ISN’T afraid to try stuff! And you know what…I’ve enjoy everything she’s tried!!!
This was a MAJOR Creative Marvel, folks! It was suggested in the forums and I was so very grabbed by it I begged Stacy to be one of the Guinea Pigs/Taste Testers!
This really DOES smell like Potato Pancakes and Applesauce! It’s awesome!
But then again…you really have to SEE to believe what she put in this flavored tea! She actually put POTATO in it! Freeze Dried, I believe! Woot! And Apple! Ahhhh!
It really doesn’t have much of a color to it after infusing but the aroma still barrels thru nicely!
It’s a meal in a cup! And this is even before my first sip!
As I took my first sip…I can taste the juicy sweet tea base first with a lovely semi-punch applesauce flavor paired in! Following sips – it’s sweet but creamy in places…I really like it! I chalk the creaminess up to the potato. Then in other sips I can actually taste potato in the middle of the sip separate from the rest of the flavors!
WOW!
It’s brothy and buttery and comforting like mashed potatoes but that applesauce is very nice. It’s not over the top by any means.
Everything about this tea makes me smile!
It’s just so out there but it makes SO MUCH SENSE at the same time! I’m so happy Stacy took on this challenge! Gosh! Wow! I can’t compare this to anything else. Ever. If I can’t compare this to anything else…I better give it a 100, right?
I mean…no one…has ever done anything like this that I know of.
I seriously can’t stop drinking this.
Yup! I have to do it…100!
This sounds bizarre!
But it’s awesome!
damn that sounds tasty :D
It IS!!!!!!
WANT
So glad you are enjoying this one! I just never know how a tea will be received or if I went completely crazy with a flavor. So I’m very glad at least one other person is enjoying it.
LORDY!
one bizar looking tea :)
How bad is it to have caffeinated tea when you can’t sleep? Well that’s exactly what I’m doing, since I know i can’t sleep anyways, why settle for a boring tisane I ask you?
Plus this tea is so malty chocolaty tonight, despite its caffeine content, it might give me enough comfort to put me to sleep. I mean, not forever, just for the night!
I brought a thermos and a mini gaiwan to the bedroom. Dog is snoring. If you don’t know, Dexter snores, yep, he does. I kicked (gently) my significant other for that reason for many years…yet I can’t get myself to kick the dog, go figure…
Anyways, this tea is delicious. I don’t have too much inspiration cause it is 4am after all, but steep after steep, it’s delicious. (I said delicious already, didn’t I?) ok time to stop writing and drinking. Maybe it’s working! Good night…
Oh, you too had a long night. I feel like I did two days worth of errands last night because I didn’t want to sleep for some reason… I don’t want to blame tea… but it may be related lol
I didn’t sleep again either :(
There seem to be quite a few insomniacs on Steepster…Tigress, JC, I sympathize! Being used to it, I can function well with 3 or 4 hours a night. But completely sleepless is a problem. (Of course it is!!!)
I hope we all fall into Morphée’s arms tonight as I like to say :-)
I never went to sleep. I’ve been known to do this once every few months. For some reason one night I feel restless and well, skip on sleeping, but at least I try to be productive about it (I don’t have a perfect record though).
Oh my, that’s terrible, but at least you get something out of it, good on ya!
Not to make my situation sound worst, but at the moment I get one to two completely sleepless nights a week where just like you, I don’t even bother going to bed. That restless feeling. Sometimes I go on the treadmill, lol!
And caffeine has nothing to do with it, I have done the zero caffeine thing and it changes nothing for me…
My sympathies, I had a job that totally messed up my internal clock, let’s just say it was extreme shift work with no consistent hours. Although I now tend to sleep at least 6 hrs it is often difficult to arrive at it. I no longer go through that period where you’re so overtired you’re freezing. I don’t find that caffeine interferes with my ability to sleep.
Ugh, sorry to hear that. I hope you get some good rest tonight. I have some sleeping issues too. Every month or two I have trouble sleeping for about a week then I get all tired and cranky and eventually I get so exhausted that I just pass out. Sorry to hear about the dog snoring. My hubby sometimes goes through terrible snoring fits. I basically have to shake him until he stops but I only get about 10-15 minutes of silence so I have to try fall a sleep between the snoring. I usually end up shaking him 3 or 4 times before passing out.
yyz, yes I can understand how working shifts can mess you up! Sleep depravation is unfortunately a common thing now a days…
Stacy, I’m so sorry to read you are also experiencing this problem…it can be such a discomfort.
On the other hand, I have to laugh at the snoring situation! Now I have a picture of you in my head, savagely and frantically shaking poor defenceless hubby in the middle of the night, lol!
Poor? Defenseless? Imagine a train going through a lumber mill. That is what my hubby sounds like. Its almost like he’s intentionally going for a record of loudest snorer ever. I start out gently shaking him but if he doesn’t stop let’s just say he gets a good shaking.
Aye, sorry to everyone here for experiencing sleeping issues. I’ll join the club. Too bad there isn’t some magical spell that can conk us out, let us get adequate sleep, and not feel groggy/weird all day (as I hear that is what sleeping pills do to a person).
Awwww! Stacy, I tell you, this place is good for the moral! Thanks for making me laugh so hard it hurts..and sorry I was being so inconsiderate towards your own suffering :-(
Fjellrev: sorry to hear about that, welcome to our select club «Sleepless in Steepster» then (lol, any one from Seattle?)
Yes the magic pill…I wont go into details but let’s just say that you can’t go on indefinitely the way I have been…eventually, sleep depravation will play big tricks on you and the doctor will give you sh…t for keep on refusing to take it. Then the dilema. That’s where I’m at…
It definitely is! Hahaha. :D
I try to be positive about my lost nights, it doesn’t always work, the worst thing is trying not to succumb to the temptation of going to sleep during the day the next day. And most of you need to get yourself some noise reduction headsets LOL!
@TheTeaFairy, sometimes if you have a routine that would usually make you tired and get you able to rest helps a long way. I go to the gym after work just to make sure I don’t have that extra physical energy that you don’t burn in an office environment. Also, try ASMR if you like soothing sounds.
Enjoying some “Ol’ Reliable” after the worst day at work.
I made a booboo. A big one. Not a money related one (I don’t care about those when I work for a big business – well I care but not in a way that haunts my every waking moment haha) – but one that affected a customer in a bad way :(
I feel so bad, I apologized profusely.. but it didn’t change the fact. I’m also not looking forward to the consequences when I get back to work after labour day.
Ah well, we’re only human right?
Minty black chocolately goodness will get me back on track. This tea, plus I just discovered this hilarious online game called Drawception – it’s a mix between telephone and pictionary. Here’s an example of one I participated in:
http://drawception.com/viewgame/cqtzSMNRkz/kyle-katarn/
It’s really fun, you should comment below if you gave it a try :D
So! As they say – tomorrow is a latter day. :) Things will look up!
Oh no :( I hope it doesn’t turn out as bad as you’re afraid it will~
:) I hope so too! Thanks Michelle <3
=( Hugs.
P.S. Drawception is hilarious.
:) Thanks Nik! I agree 100% :D
I’m so sorry. I self destruct when I screw up. Like being eaten alive. Horrible. Most of the rest of the world doesn’t give those kinds of errors a second thought. Shows that you are a person with integrity! Hold your head up high, I’m proud of you for caring!
I hope it turns out okay! If it makes you feel any better, I made an $8.4M dollar mistake a little while back ;)
Bonnie – Thank you. That means so much to me, it’s comforting to know we have that in common :) It’s true, there are so many that can just shrug things off – I can’t even fathom! Thank you – your message has truly lifted a weight off my shoulders :) < my grin is much bigger in real life!!
Oh my gosh, thank you Dylan!
Oh my! That is quite a number! It reminds us that we’re only human right? I hope everything turned out alright for you too!
Oh yeah, it was fine. We do a lot of back and forth financial transactions, so it was really just a matter of explaining the back-and-forth.
fingers crossed for you Daisy… don’t forget that employers still hire humans for a reason and that comes with the possibility of screw ups once in a while…As an employer, the fact that you are so concerned about it would teach me a lot about you and would make me want to keep you around :-)
Everyone makes mistakes, hopefully they are aware of that! Good luck!
I am having an increadibly tough month. I am one of the co-organizers of Ruta de las Iglesias. It is a 10km race that goes through the colonial down town of Quito. While I love doing it, it is a real challenge. It is our 8th edition and we have 8000 people already signed up for it. The hardest part of all of the organizing and work involved is working along with someone who is also in charge and many times has clashing ideas. I am exhausted… Emotionally, physically, and all other was possible. I can’t wait to the race day to arrive (for it to be a success again, I hope!) and get on with my relatively more normal life!
So, on to the tea… I haven’t had this one in a while. I had it tonight slightly sweetened with rock sugar and a snicker-doodle just for good measure (I have lost too much weight from all the stress…).
Delicious! I really tasted the sugary goodness of cotton candy. I sipped it while watching Sherlock and cuddling with my little Sencha (for those who don’t know her, she is my French Bulldog!). What a great night! While it is late, and I only have a few more minutes before I have to retreat to bed, this tea hit the spot. I think the key to making a good vs a spectacular cup of this tea is getting the sweetener to tea ratio correct. Tonight, I got it just right! Liquid Cotton Candy!
Please forgive my rambling which will probably continue until the 18th of August, the race date. I know that I can count on all of you fellow tea lovers for support during this crazy time and hopefully not go completely crazy! :)
The tea will help you muddle through it all :D A 10k race does sound like a lot of fun :)
Wow—what a project! I have a little poster (with a teacup on it, of course) near my desk at work that has no caption, just initials: KPO. Keep Plodding On. A Winston Churchill slogan, so I hear. Keep plodding, but do take care of yourself with quiet moments and cups of good tea.
Good luck! Do you run, or just organize? :) I hope everything goes smoothly!
Thanks everyone! :)
@Skulleigh- This one I organize, it is imposible to run it when I have to be aware of everything that is happening! But other races I run. :)
Wow! That is incredible! When you get stressed out, just take a few deep breaths (or scream… you know, whatever works)!
Hang in there! It will be over before you know it!
Chin up my friend. I’m sure your race will be spectacular. :D
Aww keep it up! It’s so admirable that you are helping organizing such a huge event.
Thanks everyone!!!! You are all amazing help in keeping my chin up through all of this hard work!
I seem to be struggling figuring out a way to get my cupboard under control. (I know I know stop buying tea – but that’s not really what I mean). Do you drink old tea first, do you sample new teas first, do you drink sipdowns first, how do you fit FAVORITES into the mix? I have a ton of favorite teas, I have a ton I’ve never tried, I have quite a few nearing sipdown and suddenly I’m just overwhelmed with choices and possibilities. How do you choose what to drink?
Anyway – that’s how I was feeling, so I just took the easy way out and let my dashboard inspire me. Seems like this was the “tea of the day” – at least earlier today – so that’s what I’m drinking. (It also helps to have quite a bit on the way).
I don’t have much more to say about this one – it’s fantastic!!!! Tonight it seems more bitter dark chocolate – sometimes it’s sweeter than this, but it’s all good. Toasty, roasty, puffed wheat esque amazing. This is a definite keeper and I’m so happy it came back in stock.
I can totally relate to this post, & I made my decision today pretty much the same way :)
I’ve given up trying to approach my cupboard with anything like a plan. I vaguely try to get sipdowns in over the weekend. Beyond that it’s just “what flavors/level of caffeine am I in the mood for?”.
….and that is how I ended up with 189 teas.
Well you already know my approach, drink some favourites EVERY DAY!!! :-)
(And “quite a bit” is a semi-shitload, congrats!)
If I got swap or new sample I try it first. It’s like I got your tea and I enjoy it. I need to let ppl know that I care what they send me. Not everything at once of course. I hardly have any sip downs. In the morning and by night I drink only some thing I really want, not because I have to. I want to start and finish the day on a good note.
As much as I LOVE swapping, and totally appreciate the generosity of this amazing community – swapping is a big part of what got me in trouble boychik. I spent a lot of time drinking samples people had sent me – and yes, fun, awesome – but I wasn’t drinking any of MY tea (or at least not much) – suddenly I haven’t even tried half my stash, because of course I didn’t stop buying. I’ve slowed the swapping and really don’t have that many samples here that people have sent me, but suddenly I’m faced with MY out of control stash and don’t know where to start…
LOL Kaylee – I would LOVE to be able to get back to 189…. I keep saying NO NEW TEA until I get under 200 – that never seems to happen.
Oh well I really should just be happy with all the amazing tea that I’m surrounded with – but some days it just seems overwhelming.
I sip through swaps slowly, to savor them and also to gives time to drink whatever I am craving :)
I tend to go through swaps a little faster than my own purchases, only because swaps are more likely to have scent contamination issues.
I agree Stephanie. If not swaps I wouldn’t even know about many wonderful teas I owe. They also prevent me from unnecessary purchases. I don’t swap a lot. Do you put samples in cupboard too? I used to, then stopped. Only if it’s huge sample.
I totally agree, swapping is the best way to get to try new teas, find some gems you would have otherwise missed, avoid buying some misses that you probably would have. Swapping is awesome, but I’ve been through phases where I’ve had 100 samples that people sent me all at once… Moderation is all I’m saying – all good things in moderation. :))
I have not got into swapping, and I’m not sure that I ever will. I think that I would rather continue acquiring small envelopes or samples directly with orders. I might become completely overwhelmed if I got into the swapping thing as well. My Blazing New Rating suite a while back was helpful because it narrowed down my choices (I had vowed only to drink teas about which I had not written any tasting notes), but you are right: I want to drink my favorite teas as well! Maybe I need to have a combination approach, sort of like boychik’s. Ending the day on a chamomile soliflore note, as I did tonight, is always a good idea!
My approach changes from day to day, based on my mood, the amount of time I have, etc. Right now I’m sitting on samples sent by friends, plus samples I ordered, so many samples I haven’t tried yet! I usually start with a black tea I already love, then sample some things for the rest of the day, maybe having something flavored in the afternoon, but for awhile I was trying to drink one tea from each genre each day: black, green, oolong, puerh…etc
Really, my main goal is just to enjoy drinking tea & not put pressure on myself. I’m so excited to try every tea in my cupboard, & I will…eventually :)
I’m in the same boat! I like going through samples because a) I have a lot of old ones from before I got pregnant and couldn’t stand the thought of drinking tea for awhile and then b) a bunch of sweet souls sent me a ton more once I got back into tea….leaving me with a LOT of samples to go through.
So helpful to have those to narrow down what I actually love vs what I thought I’d love but didn’t, so no money wasted!
And sample sipdowns are so satisfying and easy. Makes my number go down and makes me feel better.
I got 99 problems….
Dexter – I’m in the same boat as well! I’m trying not to get crazy with swaps because I don’t want to open tea I buy until I’ve had sip-downed the tiny little samples bags that are taking up so much room and inflating my numbers! :P So I try to rotate between sipping down those samples, (highest priority), drinking opened teas that I enjoy, and drinking brand new teas. (lowest priority)
I always fill my two timolinos with what I’m craving out of my own stash in the morning. I then pick the swap teas and samples I want to go through throughout the day and bring a few with me to work, choosing a variety according to what I think I may feel like having. When I come home, I drink whatever I want. That way I am going through my own stash, and trying new things throughout the day as well. That’s the only way I’ve been able to keep everything under control so far.
Okay! I’m starting with my Fong Mong samples today! I picked this one out as a variety I haven’t tried before. The little leaf nuggets are smaller than the green oolongs I’ve had before. And they smell so floral and good! Like sun dried grass and lilacs. Mostly lilacs. I think.
I see that the instructions say to steep for 6 minutes. Eep. That’s a long time isn’t it? Maybe it’s for western steeping. I’m doing my usual gong fu style so I think I’ll do it my own way for now.
First steep: mmm… lightly floral. There’s a bit of something like cooked summer squash. There’s a light fresh sweetness with a clean finish. This might be a winner as a cold brewed tea. This tea definitely tastes like summer harvest vegetables to me.
Second Steep: More floral and lightly vegetal. It’s delicate and sweet. Vaguely fruity. I can’t place that fruitiness. Maybe a subtropical fruit of some sort. This tea is really impressive so far. The smell and flavor makes me think of a garden of fragrant blooms and fresh summer squash.
Third & fourth Steep: I combined these two. It’s getting a bit more vegetal now, but the floral character is still very strong! This tea is well named! It’s still very light and refreshing. Hmm..I think I’m detecting something like apple skin. It doesn’t leave any lingering dryness or creaminess or thickness on the tongue like other teas do. It is, however, smooth and comforting going down. Very very good.
Steep five: I spilled some tea on my pants. Now I smell awesome. :) The veggie and floral flavors seem to reach an equilibrium in this infusion. Still tastes light, fresh and lovely. I’m beginning to tire of this tea though. Ah, my fickle tastebuds.
The leaves have also opened up quite a bit now. They smell fantastic! Like the best smelling blossoms ever grown. And this is why I will always love green oolongs.
I’m going to save these leaves for later. Judging from their appearance, I can probably get one more steep from them, at least.
where do you get the samples from? I looked in their ebay store and I don’t see any small sizes. thanks!
Hey Amy! I think today is the last day to request free samples from them. See this link:
http://steepster.com/discuss/2818-when-will-free-sample-request-last-until
Good luck!
Gah… I am not on Facebook anymore!
Technically, I’m not either Amy. I just logged on to like the page and was on about 10 min. Not really a fb fan. First time I logged on in…….I can’t remember the last time. I asked Fong Mong Tea to PM me here.
Its also handy for things like getting samples. :)
You could try a PM to Fong Mong Tea her And request the free tea with your info Amy. :))
I think that works! I had a Ruby 18 that called for a six minute first steep once, and it was delicious. You couldn’t make it bitter if you tried. It was a Taiwan black tea but looked so pale in the cup I thought I had done it all wrong!
thanks for letting me know! I’ll try it the recommended way next time!
Does this tea have ginseng coating it?
Nope! it seemed to be completely coatless. And it didn’t taste like ginseng either.
There is one called Blue Spring at A Southern Season that has it, didn’t know what the blue referred to!
@Scott – yes I did try that. But if I have to be on Facedouc*e, then no thank you. I have plenty of tea anyway…
@Mercuryhime – so did you spill tea on your pants on purpose? ;) I can’t wait to try these samples… hope they live up to the expectations.
Maybe we can dab a little behind our ears!
I wonder of tea makes a good hair rinse… Seems like a waste though!
Hahaha…….I agree, I don’t like facedouc*e either. :))
Mchime: I’ve heard tea does wonders for eye wrinkles, but judging from your pic-you don’t need tea for that purpose. :))
Thanks Scott! I don’t know how you can tell the state of my eyes from a pic of my two doggies. Unless you think the doggies are me. Haha. Admittedly, they are lacking in the eye wrinkle department!
Oh, no I wasn’t suggesting that. Truthfully I was looking at Ashmanra’s pic when I was responding to you about the eye wrinkles! hahaaha…….
Drinking a small pot of this today. Smooth, mellow with earthy sweet potatoes and a bit of caramel.
The last time I drank this I got some citrus notes which I don’t get now; this is more lightly earthy… still really good and easy to drink, and I like it.
Steeped at 190F for 2 1/2 minutes.
Preparation
So maybe it is me and my lack of patience right now but it is next to impossible to post tasting notes since the update, when using my tablet. Posting this one was really!hard to do!!
I used to do quick updates from my phone, but it’s become pretty much impossible after the update, so I totally get this.
Thanks. I don’t think I’ll try again on the tablet – it was a test of patience that’s for sure, and even then, couldn’t add in the steep times etc.
I do a lot of zooming, and making notes in the tasting note itself. I did that before the update as well, but I’m finding it harder to do. :/
I did that before as well, but for some reason am unable to scroll to the bottom of the note or do any kind of controlled zooming now. It must be my tablet not cooperating with the new format. Also, when I posted the note it went to the black ‘put the kettle on’ page, but fortunately the note had posted when I went back to my dashboard. Hopefully the kinks will get worked out eventually though!
Just went to my laptop to see if I could add in the steeping parameters, and yes, much easier!
Interesting. I have an ipad/iphone, and can still zoom and scroll.
Mine is android so maybe that’s different? Or maybe my fingers just didn’t have the right touch today. ;-)
Probably the difference between android and ithing :)
haha – I think so! : )
Full Review forthcoming on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 25th – here are the snippits:
I have searched high and low for a tea like Lemon Souffle from White Lion. This tea is exceptional. I knew I wanted something creamy, because I am a big fan of lemon desserts, and I knew I wanted something some what sweet for that reason.
The vanilla and caramel essence do not take over the cup, but rather play supporting roles, helping the tea taste like a lemon creme brulee or lemon cream tart.
I had ordered only two sampler sized teas from White Lion and the box I received was simply awe inspiring!
Customer Service from White Lion has been excellent thus far.
If you want a tea, in a tasty white base, that reminds you of a gourmet lemon cream dessert, then don’t hesitate to try Lemon Souffle from White Lion. You will feel like royalty when you open your box, and be quite pleased with yourself for placing an order when you sip their teas!
This sounds SO GOOD!
Adding this one to my list, your review just made me hungry for something sweet!
Ellyn it really is excellent – I can’t wait to get my larger order! Josie Jade – lol sorry to cause a sweet tooth :)
I just put in an order because of this review!!! I had been thinking about a lemon tea after having loved the lime chiffon so much. But my husband would have a fit if another box came from Della Terra so soon. When I read this review I decided to try White Lion! So excited, can’t wait!!!
Ohhh please PM me and let me know what you think of the package when it comes. I was pretty impressed by the packaging alone lol – but I would love to know what you think of this tea too! :)
I just ordered the sample sizes of the lemon souffle, the fireside, the ginger peach, the pomegranete oolong, and vanilla dolce, but I can’t wait to get them! I’ll let you know what I think.
Oh I have the Vanilla Dolce on the way as well. I can’t wait to try that! I think I got a sample of the ginger peach as well.
I can’t wait to get those cute glass containers too :)
Does the samples come in a container or just a foil bag? I thought the containers was 4oz or more.
My samples came in the tins pictured above and with the tea listing. I took that pic.
I had thought the samples came in the glass jars as well – little ones – and they may because I know they were out of the larger glass jars. I have been waiting for them to get restocked for my order as I did not want the plastic containers they offered in replacement.
Now I really can’t wait! Sometimes I’m like a kid at Christmas. I know the postman thinks I’m nuts, when I’m waiting on something I run out to meet him. My husbands always getting things in the mail for the corvette, so I’ll yell is it light or heavy when he reaches for a package. If he says light – I raise my hands and yells " YES "! He just laughs, shakes he’s head as he pulls out the drive.
I LITERALLY LOL’d! :) That is awesome! I am sure my mailman, UPS guy, and FED ex guy all think I am involved in something really huge haha. Getting packages from all over the world more or less. He probably thinks I’m really wealthy haha then again he knows I don’t live in a wealthy neighborhood! :)
Lol!! I know my family teases me when I get out the scale. Their like “Are you sure that’s tea!?!”
haha exactly! And if you ask me Dong Ding does not really smell or taste like tea! :)
Roflmbo!!!
Sorry for the rant, but I’m 99% sure my prof wants me to have a stroke. Every paragraph of this final paper, it’s why this and how so that, expecting me to elaborate on stuff that not a single source even does. Like uh ok, if already a bunch of articles published in scientific journals don’t say why or how, then how am I expected to.
So I need a ray of sunshine in my life, and Pink Passionfruit is just it. Cold-brewed as usual. So bright and fruity, a little tart, and there’s a yummy sparkly note in there too. This kind of flavour profile would make an excellent wine cooler.
this was me yesterday. i’m so sorry. can i send you something to sip the frustration away?
if i don’t get a certain mark then i’m fighting. that;s it. politely, but i’ll challenge it.
That is so frustrating! I’m heading home to pack up the Victoria teas, so I’ll be sure to add some stuff in for you. :)
Aww James, thanks for the concern. How is everything going for you with final papers this term?
So you’ve actually then appealed a grade? If so, did it ever work in your favour? That sounds too scary!
At least I know I’m not crazy or delusional since my brother has a degree in this field and is ridiculously well-read on this stuff, and he thinks she’s being unreasonable and just flat out unrealistic.
OMGsrsly, you’re too kind. :) Remember if there is anything in my cupboard that catches your fancy, give me a shout and I’ll make sure to leave some aside for you. I need to just say SCREW YOU to academia one of these days and finally get together with the West Coast group for some tea. :)
Incendiare it was a GONG show. 2 months of my life. sincerely committed to this project….. circumstances/timing cut me off 1/4 of the way through my presentation. done. gone. no other chance. it was the last class.
i am the only person that provided data. i debunked HUGE corporation with measurable EMPIRICAL evidence because they refsed to return my phone calls….. so i took them apart from the perspective of my other major: psychology.
i haven’t challenged yet. when i got cut off i followed my poor prof back to his office and did the whole presentation for him. um, i didn’t really ask….. lol.
his feedback? to be more focussed. ???? i was focused. sigh.
if i get a mark that lowers my average in that class (which is 89%) i will challenge.
BAH!
you know you want to send me your address…. cough
That’s horrible, James. That’s what I hate about time limits on presentations, especially when the project you’re presenting on has 4938203 things to discuss. It’s a paradox because you’re clearly going to have to cut SOME stuff out, and no matter what you choose to cut out you get criticized for it. I’m crossing my fingers for you that you will get the grade you deserve since it sounds like you put a monstrously huge amount of time and effort into this.
I’m crossing my fingers for an A in this course, especially since it’s my last one and I’ve gotten all A’s and A+’s, so I’m hoping to achieve that 4.0 (although grades don’t really matter). Just that this prof admitted to being one of the toughest markers in the department (and takes pride in it), plus told me straight up that she marks me even harder because she’s my thesis supervisor. Lucky me. I have a low A+ going into the final paper but it’s worth 45%, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I get slaughtered and end up with an A-.
And Sil, damnit, YOU WIN. :p
you know, sometimes sil just has to win. did she tell you i grabbed a quote from her to finish up my stupid project? when sil wins nice smelling stuff surprises you in the mail… and if she’s nagging it means she’s probably been planning.
i have faith in you incendiare. i’ve been reading your reviews, comments, stories for months. you don’t give up easily. and it’s a compliment if she grades you harder, albeit pesky, lol. oof. let sil spoil you with her magic sil-ometric directional device…. something magical and A producing will arrive. i refuse to drink mine, lol. not until that stupid project mark is confirmed!!!
i think it’s time for christmas break. i feel like i’m about to crack, and tonight i’m feeling tremendously sad which is very unlike me. stress, exams, the passing of an icon (nelson mandela)…. heavy night.
cross your fingers incendiare, BUT…. recognize that it’s only superstition… that the magic comes from you and aaaaaaaaaaaaaall of YOUR hard work. but if crossing your fingers is the fast way to remind yourself of that, cross away….
James..im glad you’re saving it to spoil yourself just don’t save it too long haha.
(I also sent Incendiare tasty and magical A producing treats in the mail, C/O ShayneBear. :) )
Can I join the obnoxious paper-comments and end-of-semester stress club too?
@Shelley_Lorraine… the more the merrier! lol. what tea are you drinking to recover?
okay…. a thought….. i think a new discussion thread needs to start….. one sec.
Sil is indeed mightily good at spoiling people. That Sil!
Haha James, I don’t actually believe in crossing fingers anyway. I hope you’ll be able to hang in there by the time the holiday break commences. We all need a virtual party once we’re all done with exams and papers.
And please do join in, Shelley! Sorry you’re also a victim to the obnoxiousness. I hope you’ll be done soon! Virtual party is muchly needed, and James’ new thread I think will be a great place for that. :D
David’s has pink passion fruit on web specials right now, in case you wanted 250 grams of it. I am tempted. Summer will be here before you know it! Goji pop is king for me but when there’s no goji pop, this is a pretty close second.
Thanks for the heads up, Nxtdoor! I almost never check the web specials. That is indeed tempting, and Goji Pop is my other favourite David’s tea for cold brewing.
First Verdant order. Awwwww.
My first experience with this was a little bumpy. The first steep was awesome. I really got the dark chocolate many are talking about. The aftertaste really tricks you and makes you think you just had a couple squares of dark chocolate. Sneaky! It is a little on the mineral side too, like hot rocks.
The second steep was super weird. I put the leaves in the fridge overnight, excited to take the second round to my three-hour morning class in my Timolino, hoping it would keep things interesting. I woke up with a so-called stomach flu, so not sure if it was the nausea and what not that turned me off, or the Timolino made this taste weird, but that mineral note was amped up to the roof. I only tasted a twangy, almost metallic note that made me hate life there for a second.
Now that I’m basically over the illness, I’m giving this a second chance. Again, the first steep was the same, super dark chocolate and malty.
The second steep now is much better. Yes, the mineral undertone is there but it is very subdued, but wheeee, the chocolate is still there, and the maltiness, and something else? Coffee! It’s coffee and cake in a cup.
I like. Would I repurchase? No, but while it hasn’t swept me off my feet, I will gladly finish off the rest.I was taken immediately either, but the more I drinkit, the more I love it. . . I did re-order it. I tend to prefer mine western, but this one is really good gongfu as well!
I actually don’t have a gongfu setup! And probably won’t get one, at least for a little while, since I’ve been moving around a lot. But you’re right, it just may grow on me too.
You don’t really need a set up. Two mugs and a saucer works well for gongfu. Verdant has a video showing how to do it.
I use a little bowl and a strainer with my mug. I don’t have a gong fu set up either!
Alright, great. I was actually going to something like the above suggestions but was worried it would be too ghetto and a complete shame. Sometimes you gotta work with what you have!
I just want more Laoshan Black!… This one tides me over while I wait patiently.
So happy you are now getting into Verdant tea :)
Oh, it’s SUPER ghetto, lol.
I haven’t bought a gaiwan yet, because no one here sells them! I’m afraid to ship glass/porcelain/ceramic/clay or whatever.
I’ve had a few shipped to me from Butiki. They were very well packaged!
Hope the Laoshan Black will be back in stock soon for everyone else’s sake. I luckily snapped up 2 oz. of it with this order and have yet to try it.
The shipping of such fragile items makes me nervous too, just like with moving.
I bought a gaiwan from Stacy and it arrived safe and sound :)
I’ve been looking at hers for a long time. . . I should just do it.
I really like Stacy’s Earthen Gaiwans, they are adorable, & I’m less likely to slop hot water or burn myself when I use them, & that’s a real perk!
Je t’aime Cocoa Amore! (I know I know I’m mixing my French and Italian)
The smell of juicy sweet plump cherries wafts up from this tea upon opening the bag followed by rich sweet chocolate.
I drank this after several steeps of GO and was nervous about expanding into the full world of Vanilla Dreams? What if I’d built it up in my mind? What if GO was a one off fluke and I just bought all this tea that wouldn’t live up to the promise Golden Orchid made me?
But my Amore, she did not disappoint. In fact… * gasp * I may indeed like her even better than GO. She is even more intense and passionate. Like a sexy flamenco dancer dressed in vibrant red.
I drank 4 infusions of CA and though it morphed and evolved it never got weak. Those luscious chocolate cherries. I had my last cup over 4 hours ago and it’s flavor is fresh in my mind. In all her desserty glory it never forgets that she is first and for most a tea. The chocolate and cherry rises organically from the tea, enhancing it not masking it.
I’m already in bed, ready to go to sleep but I want to go make another cup of this so badly. It’s going to take a lot of self restraint to stay in bed and not wander into the kitchen in the middle of the night.
Wow. Just wow.
Thank you steepster for introducing me to so many amazing teas.
Flavors: Cherry, Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Vanilla
Preparation
Yay!!! Now you understand :-) and great review!!
Awesome review :-) It makes me want to try this even more!
Sounds dreamy
Yes Tea Fairy you have made me a true convert just through your reviews!
It truly is dreamy. I’m drinking another cup right now and it’s even better than I remembered it.
:D hehehe
Haha! Frolic, I love converting people to WP, it’s an easy thing to do :-) so happing you like it as much as I do…I even bought a poster of it, that how much I love it! Now you must try port, it’s back in stock in case you haven’t notice ;-)
I saw that but sadly I’m banned from buying any more tea for quite some time so no Port for me :(
I will enjoy the many nommy teas I already own though and there will be a time for Port.
Yes, very wise, keep it for a special time frolic, it is worth all your attention :-)
That’s what I’m learning with WP teas. They are to be sipped and savored.
When I read that it was best to let GO age a bit and notice how it’s flavor profile evolves the first thought in my head was “how will I ever be able to make this oz last more than a week!”
Now I know that these are amazingly satisfying teas. It may take some will power to not just gulp down the nommy richness, but it will be it’s own reward.
Can we get this tea in Canada?
Hi Helene! WP Teas are available exclusively through www.whisperingpinestea.com. Shipping to Canada is $10 up to $75 and then free :-)
Thank you, I have never heard of your company before. I will look at your website. I can live with $10 shipping tea if the tea is worth buying :)
Oh, Helene…it IS worth it, beleive me!!!
Helene, here’s a 15% off coupon for first-time customers :-) “sip-inspiration”
Hubby worked in LA for 5 yrs and now is in Asia. It’s too back I did not know about Whispering Pines Tea Co before, I would have shipped him so tea. I will take the 15% off coupon, that will help. Thanks so much!
Would you tell me how many cups of tea will I get from this Cocoa Amore please?
I meant if I order 1 ounce of this tea.
If you do the recommended 3 infusions, Cocoa Amore will give you at approximately 36 cups worth per ounce.
Thanks for the answer. Can we order this tea in smaller bags?
Unfortunately I can’t offer samples of Cocoa Amore, but I can give you a money-back guarantee that it’s delicious! :)
That’s great, I’m sure I would love it anyway :)
So…Steepster people. MzPriss and I have been chosen to preview this new creation before its official debut. Yesterday, I received the precious sample and drank it right away.
Beware, I have a lot to say, sorry for the long review, just couldn’t make it a short one!
I will not pretend I have the English skills to describe this tea the way Brenden did so masterfully in his own beautiful “Tolkien-esque” way…
But after reading it, I can tell you that I get what this brand new concoction is all about.
See, I live in a mountainous forestial environment.
Some days, I feel like Alice in Wonderland.
I get inspired by my forest every day….walking by a tall and majestic oak tree, bouncing on spongy velvety mossy grounds, getting intoxicated by the pungent and resinous scent of evergreens, listening to the chant of dazzling birds, secretly meeting with wonderful critters, having mystic encounters with strange and never seen before mushrooms, floating my way through ponds and wetlands, following the curves of sinuous rivers…
Beautiful nature canvases, begging for respect and attention. To experience it all, it is only required to look, smell and listen.
That will be my approach with this tea…
The look:
Stunning. Dark ebony curls and golden ribbons, they intertwine like enamoured lovers. Tea can be such a beautiful thing…Here’s a pic:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14514171475/lightbox/
The smell:
Enticing. But not as overly vanilla as I expected. It took me a while to figure out what the dry scent reminded me of…I finally did put my finger on it. I have a Vietnamese Lotus scented tea, and I compared it. Lotus blossoms! In tea, they have a natural floral vanilla scent to them. It’sa very distinctive fragrance, a little earthy and mossy.
Once brewed, the aroma took over the kitchen. Pics right here…but sorry, no 3D olfactory effects!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14534509223/lightbox/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14491254566/lightbox/
The listen:
That’s the tasting part. This tea embodies someone’s love and respect for his surroundings. That “speaks” to me so I tried to be attentive to fully grasp all its subtleties. To tell you the truth, all I felt like doing when I drank it was to close my eyes, relax and enjoy instead of taking notes…and that’s totally what I did, at least for the first steep. (Lazy reviewer!!)
I initially thought this was going to be Golden Orchid on steroids!!! But it’s quite the opposite. It’s more subdued. In fact, it doesn’t even seem like any vanilla was added to the blend. It feels as if the leaves came from a mysterious and unknown vanilla tea tree variety, an old tree that would have been watered with vanilla scented water for centuries. That’s how natural this is, Camellia Sinensis in all its glory!
I am biased and partial. I already love the two base teas creating this little marvel: Ailaoshan Black and Imperial Grade Dian Hong . How could I NOT like this?
The union of the two create some amazing notes. The first steep was like liquid silk in my mouth, all vanilla and smooth salted caramel. I also got that lotus note.
The other steeps brought more complexity. The mix of the two black teas produced some kind of chocolaty dried cherry notes, so yum. I didn’t get Morels per say as in the description (my favourite mushroom BTW) but a damp yeasty earthiness might be my own perception on the “mushroom” notes. I also got woody and piney notes in the later steeps.
This tea is very potent, I was skeptical that it could yield as many brews as Brenden suggested. But I respected the Master’s instructions and it worked. 5 good steeps and not one weak cup! Well actually, that’s not true. It did get a little weak the first time around. But the sample was big enough for me to have it twice. The second time around, I used less water and it worked better for me. So when I get this baby home, I’ll be using 1 tbsp per cup instead of the recommended 1/2 tbsp. having said that, do try it the way it is meant to be, I’m a heavy steeper :-)
In conclusion, believe the hype people, Brenden is the Tea Whiz of the Woods!
Thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity to try this new beloved blend of yours :-)
I have greatly enjoyed sharing this with you my friend – what fun!! And I agree with you, I will use more than the half tablespoon, but I’m a notorious “heaper” This would also make a great middle of the night tea :)
Me too! It was a lot of fun… And yes, don’t we know about our middle of the night tea ;-)
:) This is such a wonderful review :) Love the pictures!
This tea sounds so special. I have to get some.
The tea was inspiring Brenden!
Boychik, yes, it’s another special one worth trying :-)
This sounds lovely. There’s no way I can resist trying it when it’s available. :)
Jelly!
Yes, can’t wait!
Sounds amazing!
I don’t know why you apologize for your english. It’s excellent! This was a beautiful review :-)
Thanks mj…writing in English just doesn’t come as naturally to me, so I have to put much more effort into it, but I like it :-)
Wonderful tasting note. Much more eloquent than any of my ramblings.
Do believe the Hype!!! Brenden Makes Great Teas!
This was a great review!!
Oh my! OK, believe it or not, I think I’ve found a new favorite Matcha. This is SO GOOD. Definitely my favorite pear tea, if not my favorite flavored Matcha … and this one battles it out with the caramel, I think.
The pear flavor is so genuine. It tastes like PEAR. Sweet, juicy, succulent pear. I ordered the basic Matcha with the distinctive level of flavoring, and it came out stunningly good.
This is a must try, people. If you’re wondering which Matcha to try with to start out your free Matcha program from Red Leaf Tea, or if you’re just wondering which Matcha to order next from them – this should be it. Yum Yum Yum!
Ohh I was curious about this one! Thanks!
I’m waiting for my first order from Red Leaf to arrive, and you and Azzrian are already making it hard to decide what’s next!
Oh man I want this!
Hmm that does sound good, I am not crazy about eating pears, but have had juices and pop with pear juice or extract in it, and like it. I would love to try the apple, I love eating apples, but cannot drink cider or much apple juice. I really miss having hot apple cider in the winter, maybe this could be a substitute. lol ok sorry for chattering about a different product.
Now you must mix your favorites to create caramel pear matcha.
Yeah, I probably will try that. It should be pretty incredible.
Hrmm… I do like pear….
oh man…caramel pear. yum
sampler packs would be great.
Port in the afternoon? Hey, why not!
I’m an advocate of drinking my best teas at very ordinary times. Why wait for a special occasions? Just make the ordinary extraordinary!
This is fine tea, I mean REALLY fine.
Brenden suggested I use one of those little Chinese Gongfu stainless super fine stainers for his vanilla tea. I’m all out of Golden Orchid (new batch on its way, yay!!!), but I thought I’d give it a try with Port.
I already see a difference by looking at the tea through my doubled walled mug. Last time I had it, I used a regular strainer and the infusion was a little blurry. It’s crystal clear now. The difference is subtle, but I can see how the taste seems different, “cleaner”. Hard to explain and fully grasp cause I drank Port only once before.
There aren’t many of them, but I see little hairs of red saffron in the blend here and there, and they do render a Spanish savoury flair to the cup and a beautiful bright amber copper liquor.
First thing to notice is the delectable and creamy vanilla, its feels organic and a little earthy. Paired with the exquisite and sweet black base, and the “cederness” of the roasted cedar leaves, this tea turns into a sophisticated caramel infusion, with floral and fresh evergreens notes.
Yes, it’s very expensive, but it delivers and I think everyone should experience it at least once. (The problem is I am now hooked and I know I will reorder when I’m out!!)
Just a superb creation.
This tea just sounds soooooo amazing. I love saffron.
:)
I’d never heart of saffron tea before today, and now here it is again! :) www.laperse.co.uk has a line of saffron infused teas that I recently got a sample of….i was going to give it to a friend, but now I just may try one! Port sounds fabulous!
Saffron is so good, can’t be beaten simmered in white wine to create the best shrimp rice ever, mmm, ok now I’m hungry, lol.
That sounds yummy, too! :)
I love saffron. This tea sounds interesting too! :)
Terri, when you told me you didn’t do “flavoured” teas very well because of different intolerances and allergies, I thought it included blends as well, that’s why I sent you only the straight WP, not wanting to take any chances. Otherwise I would have included this one and many more in our swap. MAYBE NEXT TIME :-)
NExt time!!
I do drink blends, I just don’t want anything with artificial flavors especially, but also sometimes have problems with ‘natural’ flavors. Blends that are actually made from real things are usually ok. :)
But that’s ok, I have a ton of tea to sample for now! :D
Oh, had to read the tea description to get the tea – thought it was Port-Port wine tea. had one once which was nice if a bit artificial.
Lucky for you, Terri (and everyone!) I don’t use any natural or artificial flavors. All of my teas are 100% real stuff :)
Cteresa, I love Port wine, I have a Portuguese friend who brings back bottles for me that are out of this world!!
WP: and it shows :-)
Here’s another sample from Bonnie and a Thank You for another good Lapsang. I think I like this Lapsang using these times and temps, and doubt if I will ever use boiling water. I also used 1+ tsp leaf per 10 oz mug.
The dry leaf smelled instantly of a campfire, with a certain sweetness that was inviting. This seemed less intense than my previous experience with Lapsang Souchong many years ago. As the tea began steeping, I couldn’t help but think, “Holy shishkabobs Batman!!”. The campfire smoke aroma intensified & jumped out at me. Tobacco aromas lingered in the air as well. My cup liquor was a rather translucent brownish-red color, with pleasantly sweet aromas reminding me of those summer campfires, and tobacco smoke.
The wet leaves smelled like tobacco smoke, with a definite ashy quality that cooled revealing new leather aromas and a natural sweetness. The flavors were surprisingly smooth and sweet, with tobacco and mild campfire smoke on my palate and the back of my tongue. Such a full flavor without being heavy.
I steeped a second cup somewhere between 5 to 5.5 minutes. Campfires were still ablaze, but this time with more smoked tobacco aromas. Sniff….sniff…yes, I was actually getting whiffs of smokey bacon! My cup was slightly darker. Wet leaves smelled of deeper tobacco smoke, with a more pronounced ashy quality. Once cooled, there was a deeper leather aroma that was sweeter, reminding me of pipe tobacco. The flavors on my palate were heavier-smoked tobacco/ashy quality, with less campfire notes.
Today I had two more cups yielding similar results. I decided to have a third cup resteeping the leaves, and was surprised by the continuing strength of the aromas and flavors. Through the second & third cups, the aromas and flavors were full bodied and satisfying-yet mild, and not bitter and offensive.
The demons of my previous experience with Lapsang Souchong are now conquered. I would imagine it’s much like the battles the Caped Crusaders would face every day, as Batman would exclaim, “To the Batcave, Robin!”. Sometimes, I wish I had a hermetically sealed cave, if only to store my tea there. :))
Cupped: Monday & Tuesday, June 4-5, 2012.
Reviewed: Tuesday, June 5, 2012.
Preparation
I can see you are not a total fan nor totally freaked out by LS but brave! Glad you tried my local brand! I’m eating some pasta cooked in LS laced water (used a tea sack) .
It’s not a tea I would drink regularly, but I did like this very much! I have a new appreciation for LS. :))
Yum! I love LS and am glad your appreciation for it grew =)
I can echo the sentiment from your review, and this is by far my favorite so far if I’m going to drink one. Well put sir!
Lynne-While I probably could drink most LS now, I really liked this one. :))
Jason-My LS experiences are limited, but I can’t imagine one being much better. I found this LS to be well balaced, and I would reach for this one too. As my experience with Lapsangs grows, maybe I’ll realize how truly special this one is. Maybe I will not wait that long to up my rating. :))
I’ve never tried LS, I’ve heard good and bad things about it so I was unsure whether or not I should. But after reading this review I think I will have to try it! Your review painted a picture in my mind (and on my tastebuds!) that I have to experience in real life!
Tawny-Thank You! II used water well below boiling and only a 3 min steep. It is still really flavorful this way. Keep in mind, not all LS are created equal. This one is not too smokey, IMO. :))
I’ll be out for awhile today, however…If Tawny wants to follow me back (I just followed her) I can PM her and send her a sample of this Lapsang Souchong if she wants some like I did for you!
Scott- Awesome thank you! I will definitely keep that in mind! :)
Bonnie- I haven’t been on since this morning as I’ve had my hands full with my little ones but I just followed back :) Sending you a message!
Bonnie I finished this sample Fri morning. My filter basket smelled liked shoe leather! :)) :))
My cleaner of choice is good ol baking soda! Gets the LS smells out!
I did wash it really good, and it still smells. :)) I’ll just finish Lion and the Lamp before I soak it in BS.
No rub it like a paste and then rinse off!
Finally get to pull this one out of storage.
This cake is double wrapped and compressed like crazy. I had to break out the big pick on this one.
I pulled 10 grams out and gave it a rinse to open up a bit. The first 3 steeps were about 5 seconds each and combined into my big mug. The tea has decent body to it. The tongue is alive a bit as well. There is a touch of humid and it goes very sweet at the finish.
Next 3 were about 5 seconds as well and combined. I had let the leaf sit about an hour by this time. There is a little of the smoke and some of the nice bitterness is coming out as the humid part fades away. It is an almost sharp metallic hit in there somewhere. It is still alive and keeping the tongue alive and almost numb. This is till young at 4 years and is reminiscent of the other small sourced Bulangs I have drank. I think this has a bit more hit to it and I think this will be a wow tea in 5 more years, it is quite good now.
I haven’t had the Qui effect but it is still early . It does warm you as you drink it.
Steeped in the gaiwan.
Flavors: Bitter, Metallic, Smoke, Sweet
Preparation
I’ve heard this has been people’s least favorite out of the yqh bunch.
Probably so as I have only tried one other so far but I am a sucker for Bulang ,Mang Fei and Lao Man’E teas.
The bitters ;) I’ve heard some controversy over this Bulang; although, I could be mistaken. I just remember hearing one of the young YQH was a little “off”. Personally, I have not tried the Bulang.
The 2004-2006 YQH teas I’ve purchased to drink now. I’m looking forward to opening this one in 5 to 6 years – too young for me now.
It may be young but I liked it. I actually chose it from being the first one in the stack of YQH teas I have.
Not surprised you like it now – you go for the heavy hitters. ;-)
I think Mr.Yang has both great knowledge and good taste so we really can’t go wrong with any of his selections.
Considering the $/g is so low (it’d be something stupidly inexpensive like a $56/200g cake) it’s hard to go too wrong with this.
That being said, I think this is towards the bottom of Yang’s catalog. More of a sweet, not brutal Bulang. I also do agree with Dignitea a bit on this one. I had a couple sessions with it and I think it’s a couple years away from when I’d want to drink it..
So have you been storing it a few years? Is the humid flavor coming from your storage? O.o If that is the case, I’m shipping you my fridge and stash. :P
jschergen, I liked EOT’s Bulang a lot. It had a bunch more kick to it. I still think it needs 5 or so to be really ready. I think the 2007’s are starting to get there for the ones I have stored.
Cwyn, I just recently got this one and actually have it in a bag with the other 2 I got.
Which EOT bulang? The 2008 is excellent.
tea123 it was the 2008.
If the YQH teas are that sort of quality then they must be good.
This tea is very different from any of the EoT Bulangs. I enjoy those teas a good deal, but there’s a lot more pow with those teas.
In my anecdotal experience, qi really only becomes relevant from tea (1) when I don’t blend the steeps (2) when I’m very deliberately being calm and present with the ta and (3) usually cheating a bit and doing some basic qigong or taijiquan breathing and spinal alignment gestures.
Although, you get a raw tea old enough and it’ll pretty much qi you no matter what.
Yeah, I kind of favor that big cup too much sometimes. I do like the heavy hitters as many know. I like the brash kick in the teeth sometimes.
Other occasions I just like to sit and relax with a tea. This is really kind of rare but you have reminded me I need to do it more often.
I do a lot of blending with daily drinkers and teas I know well, but try not to with teas that are new to me.
I’m having a lot of trouble describing this tea. It is so unlike any other black tea I’ve ever had. It’s sweet, but a dark sweet, like grilled and sugared fruits. It’s got a bit of raw sugar or almost caramel flavor to it too that makes it cuddly. There’s something that’s maybe like a sweet rye bread. Or not. It’s just so hard to peg the flavors! It brings to mind Samovar’s Royal Garland a bit as far as overall taste profile – darkly sweet but clean but also a bit cuddly and comfort-food-like. There’s no bite or astringency in the flavor – it’s very smooth if a bit light bodied. I really can’t be more specific about the flavors other to say that it is surprising and different but good. INSANELY good. Like I kind of want to buy twenty pounds of this tea RIGHT NOW just to roll around in and go “OMG, GOOD TEA.” And that’s perfectly normal, right?
I know the rating I want to give this tea but I’m going to hold of for just a bit – I want to try a second steep first to make sure the insane goodness wasn’t a fluke. And why is Samovar out of this one now? Boo! How will I be able to buy my twenty pounds to roll around in?
ETA: Second steep @ 5 minutes. Nope, not a fluke. I just seriously think this is fantastic. It tastes like raw sugar and faint florals with an aftertaste of grilled fruit. I just love this. Though I will say, I made the husband try some and he said, “It is very good, but I just don’t see the fantastic.” That just means more for me!
And again ETA: Third steep at 8 minutes. Very bready and sweet though getting a tad light now. I tried to do a fourth steep at 20 minutes and while it was actually okay tasting, compared to the first three it was very much less than. But three steeps? I can deal with that!
Preparation
I don’t see it anywhere on their site! And looking up the tea via google doesn’t divulge any alternate means of buying direct. I am so sadface.
Wow, this tea sounds like heaven!
I think some of these names are hysterical. Hawaiian-grown black, Yunnan Gold, etc. They make me think of… ahem… other plants. ;-)
Ooh, this tea sounds so yummy!
@Morgana, LOL!
I’m guessing Samovar is out. I hate how they hide the teas they are out of stock on. Boo! But I did read somewhere that they only had 15 pounds of it (thought that might have been for last year?) Based on Dax Pamela Dean’s notes and the fact that the tea grower’s name is the same (Eva Lee), this tea http://steepster.com/teas/tea-hawaii/10398-makai-black is the same one.
LOL! @ Morgana
Is it possible to buy directly from teahawaii.com ?
I checked out the website, and I don’t think you can. But the person who reviewed the Makai Black said her sister emailed the company, and sent a check, and they sent her tea. So perhaps that would work?
What a bummer that this is so awesome and yet there’s apparently nowhere to get it right now. If anyone does try emailing the company maybe we could see if Jason can get some special steepster select arrangement so that anyone who wants to order can?
Well, I emailed the company earlier today so we shall see what they have to say! (Yes, the tea is that good – I’m trying to get more. NOW!)
Cool, eager to hear the response.
Well, apparently they are pretty low tech but they do sell direct! Eva’s email response said that this tea (I didn’t ask about their white or oolong) is $10 per 12g bag with $5 shipping (I’m checking to see if that is a flat shipping rate or a per bag rate) and to send her a check and she’ll send me tea. So pretty expensive for a black tea but yeah, I’m gonna get some. Their email address is [email protected]
But it’s still cheaper than Samovar, right? Thanks for this info—I want to buy this too!
Got more information from Eva – all of their teas are the same price ($10/12g) and the $5 shipping is a flat rate for up to 6 bags of tea.
Stephanie, I’m not sure the Samovar price since this was from a swap and Samovar doesn’t have it listed on their website right now. But they had the oolong from the same grower as $25 for 1oz (so 23g) and direct would be $20 for 24g (plus shipping for both). So yep, a tiny bit cheaper. But more importantly – IN STOCK! YAY! :)
Thanks Auggy :)
No problem! Especially since I already sent her my check so I feel confident that any potential Steepster rush on this tea won’t make it sell out before I get my share. ;)
Hehe re the rush. Are you going to try her other teas as well?
I’m going just for the black this time. I’ve had a sample of last season’s oolong (and have another sample of this season’s that I’ve yet to try) and it was tasty but nothing like this black tea. She’s got a white tea, too but I’ve never been a huge white fan. But I have heard good things about the oolong so I might end up regretting that decision – but it just means I’ll have to order from her again, darn it! :)
Auggy, you are heroic. Thanks for the information!
Yay! And no problem – Dax Pamela Dean did most of the work! :)
Yay! I’m home, and drinking tea, and watching Supernatural! I’m halfway through season 5. OMG. It’s so intense. And I have so many episodes ahead of me. I love those Winchester boys, but I gotta say I feel pretty bad for Cas. (No spoilers there.)
My friend found this on tumblr and was awesome enough to pass it on: http://yelloweyedcrowley.tumblr.com/post/75890779259 (YES. Destial support. :P)
This is a pretty decent cuppa. It makes me want to try Mint to Be as the non-green scum caffeinated version of this!
Also it’s going to be 3:00AM by the time I’m done this episode of SPN, but I still feel it’s worth it. I went out to a party and we brought the toddler, which meant I was on high alert all night from making sure she didn’t get into something she shouldn’t, and then I had to talk to strangers and be nice…. Eeek. So, I feel this is a just reward. She just went to sleep at 2, so she’ll probably let me sleep until noon. #fingerscrossed
Oh and I’m at 126 teas after doing a bunch of sipdowns and packaging swaps and just being awesome! :D I… I do have 48 teas coming in though so I still need 24ish more sipdowns for the month. Could happen! A lot of the incoming ones are small! :D
Preparation
Look at you with your small (relatively) cupboard. My goal is to be under 150 by the time I go to Florida. I don’t think that is unreasonable as I am at 157 now and I leave the end of the month.
Aww, I can’t imagine what it would be like to watch after a little one, especially at a party.
Mint to Be is definitely worth checking out if you like this one. :)
Dude! 126 is amazing. :D
Also, at the bottom of that post… “I just watched this, and Castiel literally continues to shuffle closer to Dean as they talk.” Probably Misha trying something, and they kept it. :D
Man, I thought I had a lot of tea until I joined this website.
And I don’t watch Supernatural, but even I can see that Dean and Cas are totally in love with each other.
Hehe, am I allowed to be proud of myself for having done 3 sipdowns yesterday and be down at 305???
TheTeaFairy… You need a new hobby :)
This just made my day, I LOVE Supernatural and I’m around the same point in Season 5! tea and good TV=awesome day.
Lol, Nextdoor, I have a zillion other interests, I just don’t clutter them! (Well except for teaware. Oh, and shoes, that’s an out of control situation!!)
OMG, 25 one shot??? Ok, you are my hero VariaTEA, someone to look up to, I am now your humble follower, lol! Boy do I need more closet room, I have shelves racks in the basement all devoted to shoes, it’s like tea, I will never get enough it seems…
Unfortunately a few of those shoes actually got thrown in the garbage by my roommate. Never, EVER, toss your shoes into a garbage bag when travelling between home and school. No matter how much space it might save in the car.
@VariaTEA that one thing we don’t have in common. I’ve never owned more than three pairs of shoes at once. For the time being, that’s a pair of dress/work shoes, and two pairs of runners. One of those pairs I’ve had since 10th grade.
Haha. Well if we had everything in common, that would be no fun. We need to have some variation between us.
Also, at any given time I have at least 5-10 pairs of converse alone
Yowsers. I nearly forgot to reply here!
I did grab Mint to Be! I can’t wait to try it.
And 126 is great, but I have a lot incoming. It’ll be tough to hit 150 for March 1st! But… that’s not a bad thing. :D
Thank you Sami! :P #highfives I love that post. And I love the cast for being so ridiculous about things in real life.
Oh, and I’m wish Roswell Strange. I’ve probably only got 3 pairs of shoes too.
14/05/2013
it’s like when you love a song so much that you wanna play it for the world to hear!
i wanna play this tea for the world to hear.
today i’m buying more.
09/01/2013
seriously!
this tea is ONE of a KIND!
Lapsang, Candy Cane Tea, and Ginger Tea?!?! all in one cup.
i still laugh when i read the ingredients, but it is really an amazing cup. not upsetting in the least. but it is quite feisty. and precarious. the lapsang is big on the nose, but really it’s the ginger that carries the whole cup. a little cinnamon pinch on the cheek & marigold flowers to pat you on the head.
smaug is a complex and quite lovable dragon.
19/01/2013
smaug you are one crazy tea dragon and we will be friends forevah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
25/01/2013
obviously i am the only one drinking this tea.
i never give teas actual ratings because it’s seems arbitrary to me. i mean it uses so many people and so many diverse opinions and tastes and they all end up in the same 15 point range that i don’t see how it’s very helpful. but whatevs. i’m not complaining, just explaining why i don’t really rate stuff.
BUT I’M GONNA GIVE THIS ONE 100 BOOM cuz everyone needs to try it at least once.
from the website:
1. lapsang souchong – famously smoky aroma and flavor. clean and slightly cool smokiness in the aroma, like menthol. Sweet, refreshing smoky flavor, crisp and edgy.
2. candy cane – Premium black tea from Sri Lanka flavored with minty candy canes.
3. ginger – Fresh, warming heat of ginger with the rich tang of Ceylon black tea.
GROWL!
I should try the package of this that I have. I’m a bit concerned because there’s a lot of individual ingredients that I don’t like in it. :(
well, that would make me apprehensive too. i personally do like lapsang, especially when it is mixed with something. i basically do like all the ingredients in this, i just would NEVER consider putting them together. i am amazed that it works on every sip. so glad i bought this tea on a 50% fandom influence.
It sounds intriguing. Also, I like the smaug fan art.
not exactly related,…ok not related at all
do NOT go to etsy and look up tea cups. you’ll end up poor. and with lots of tea cups.
Of course, I am on my way to etsy right now….
I love the smaug art too, and etsy is something I never should have stumbled upon.
if you buy anything tea related from etsy can i see?!?!?
damnit. i only have one cup of this tea left!!
will i dare try to place an order for just ONE bag of tea? is that even humanly possible?
Teacup bracelets anyone??
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51930496/the-original-maker-of-teacup-bracelets?ref=usr_faveitems
IKR those are so cute! (but too expensive really.) (but totally cute i love them lots)
If I wore jewelry other than extremely delicate tiny stuff, those would totally be on my list.
The other day my father asked me “so when is my smaug coming in?” And I told him, “what do you mean ‘when is it coming in?’ did you order any??” My parents are getting to accustomed to freebies. haha. Lucky for him moraiwe offered to send her left over bag of plain Lapsang Souchong.
So…I wasn’t really that interested in trying this one, until I read your review(s) of it! AND there just happens to be a sample of it in the TTB-A. So it’s on…probably tomorrow though.
I still can’t get over the smell of this, lol. I will try it dammit, I will! Just sounds so bizarre!!
it was. . .an experience. . .at least. I felt like surviving this tea was to undergo some kind of tea initiation ritual. (^^)
Oh man. I feel like Smaug after I drink plain Lapsang Souchong. Like I could burp a campfire or something. This blend is hardcore intimidating. :O
Happy Mother’s day to all of you Steepster moms :-)
This morning, I’m thinking of my mother who is such a big influence in my life. This past year, she carried me through difficult times, don’t know where I’d be without her love and support.
So I chose a tea that reminds me of her beauty and loving kindness.
Jasmine is delicate, a beautiful flower that seems so fragile, and yet it will embrace you and comfort you every time you brew a cup.
My mom is not a tea drinker, but when she comes over, she always asks that I prepare a pot of “my special Chinese Jasmine tea” as she calls it.
My grandmother used to prepare Jasmine tea for us all the time, that’s how I started drinking tea at the age of seven! God bless her, my grandma is 88 and still very healthy and alert. That’s why Jasmine has such a special place in my heart to this day. She was using that loose leaf Jasmine black tea in the squared yellow tin with oriental designs on it. As a child, it looked like a magic box to me, it made me think of Aladdin!
I won’t be able to be with my mom and my grandma physically today, but drinking this beautiful tea this morning is like having both of them here with me.
See how tea brings people together?
This is my favourite Jasmine tea, it has everything I can wish for, and that’s why it’s the perfect tea to drink to honor the most important women in my life!
(See previous notes)
An excellent Steepster tribute to your mom and grandma! Well done!
:-)
Such a sweet way to honor your mom and grandma. If have to drink pots of coffee to do the same for mine. ;)
Haha! Veronica, you can find another way to honor them I’m hoping :-)
Nice!
I’ll have to wait until the 25 for mother day here but this is a very lovely tribute to your mom and grandma.
Thanks Ysaurella! It never occurred to me that mother’s day wasn’t the same everywhere, nice to know :-)
always the last Sunday of May here and Father day is always the third Sunday of June.
And they already had Mother’s Day in Ireland! I think it was a few weeks ago!
What a great way to celebrate your mom and grandma!
Beautiful story!
I posted a comment to this from my phone – does it not work from your phone??? Anyway, what I said was something like: This is beautifully expressed and I bet sending a copy of it or a link to it would be an awesome Mom’s Day present.
Sometimes comments don’t post from my phone either… :(
Thank you guys :-)
MzPriss, that’s an awesome idea, though my grandma speaks only French. But when I tell her what it’s about, she’ll be so excited that I wrote something about her, she’ll probably post it on Facebook (yes, at 88, she can teach ME about facebook, lol!)
I don’t do FB – but I bet they would LOVE to see this. It’s very sweet!
Today has been a weird day. Last night I got home really late. I decided I wanted to unwind and watch a little tv before I went to bed but instead I ended up falling asleep very quickly on the couch. I was so exhausted that I woke up around 8am still on the couch with the tv on. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve done that. I felt very disoriented when I woke up and I’m still not feeling quite so normal. This week has been a trip. At least once a year I go raw for a few weeks. I started eating raw food on Monday. Unfortunately, the first day of being raw is horrible. I was so unproductive because I had a bad headache, was very mentally fuzzy, felt pretty weak, and was hungry all the time. By Tuesday I was feeling a little better but still about half productive. Wednesday, I finally felt better and was able to catch up with work. Now I’m feeling pretty good. In a couple of days I will have that raw food energy. Each time I go raw, it gets easier and I have fewer bad days before the good days start. The first time I went raw, I was miserable and extremely hungry for the first week and it wasn’t until the end of the second week that the energy kicked in. Every day I allow one cheat by having one cup of tea. This tea was my cheat today.
I’m sure this tea is even more amazing since it’s the only warm thing I consume. I love this! Honey and caramel are the main notes. It is very sweet and a little malty. I can also taste vanilla, floral, bread, peppercorn, and plum notes. There is also just a touch of chocolate. It is so very delicious! This tea, our Red Queen Cupcake (strawberry, chocolate, espresso, vanilla) tea, and Taste of India (strong breakfast blend that incorporates Assam, Darjaeeling, and Nilgiri teas) will be up on our website by tomorrow.
This is an interesting tea. While it does have some similarities in flavor to the Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black it also has some of its own uniqueness. It comes from Sansia, Taiwan. That region produces predominantly green tea, so this is a bit unique. Also, a local varietal is used Ching-xin Ganzai. The leaves of this tea are also insect bitten, so it does have that honey sweetness. Such a delicious tea!
I couldn’t do any diet that kept me from tea. twitch
You can’t have tea if you’re eating raw?!?! Oh, the humanity!
Also, I want to try this tea :-)
Marzipan-I could use it though. I was drinking way too much tea. This is a nice break.
mj-Well, I could have a white tea that was sundried and steeped cold. I could drink that all day without cheating. This tea is really delicious!
Is this the “new Taiwanese” tea sample I got but haven’t tried yet? Woo! Hope the rest of your Raw Time goes well :)
Stephanie-Indeed it is! Thanks, I’m adjusting quite nicely now and I just got some raw nut cheeze in the mail (that must sound gross but it is amazing) and some raw chocolate torte (pretty awesome since it uses the only kind of sugar that I can have without getting sick.
That sounds pretty tasty to me! Can you make smoothies? I’ve put raw rolled oats in mine for texture/whole grains before and it was pretty good!
Hmmm, I will have to see if raw rolled oats are truly raw because that sounds awesome. I do make almond mylk by letting raw almonds soak in water for 8 hours. If I’m feeling frisky, I add some vanilla bean and blend the almonds in after they have soaked. I could do some ice, almond mylk, and fruit. That would be good. One thing I’ve done is cardamom, papaya, and almond mylk. That is awesome.
If anyone wonders what I eat, here is a link to my instagram: http://instagram.com/butikiteas. There are only 4 raw foods on there but I will be adding more throughout the raw adventure.
Hope that raw energy kicks in really soon ;-)
Last month, I did 30 days of “semi raw” if you will, mostly in the form of green smoothies, vegetal proteins, seeds and nuts…after a few days, I was so energized. I also do that every year!
But I do have my tea, can’t give that up even for just a month! You’ve got a lot of will power my dear!
And the tea just sounds great!
TheTeaFairy-I can tell, it will kick in soon. That’s pretty awesome that you do mostly raw for a month every year! Well, I feel like I can live with just one tea a day. It’s my special reward. No way would I be able to completely give up tea for a month. Not a chance. The tea is wonderful!
Those food pics are gorgeous and all look so tasty! I see shredded green papaya? One of my faves!
Hey BTW canvas get there ok?
No green papaya. There was mango though. Mmmm! Thanks!
The canvas has not arrived. I was starting to think about checking the tracking number.
I have to admit I’m somewhat new to the world of Pu-erhs. My first taste of Pu-ehr was the Kim Fung Brand. I knew when I bought it that it was going to be very different. I am now trying to expand my tea horizons by delving into the 2 samplers that Verdant offers. It will be trial and error I’m sure. How much tea and how long to brew it?? I have been watching numerous videos on YouTube to learn. For this tea I washed it once in the Yixing. The first steeping was a lite orange liquor with a lite aroma. I broke the leaf up which I did not do with my tasting of the Artisan Revival. Verdant states that the samples are good for 2 or 3 tastings. Maybe I should increase the leaf in my brewings. The second steeping was a darker liquor and the aroma was more intense. When I was pouring the water on the leaves for the 3rd I could tell I was in for a treat. I was getting the Redwood and the numbing which Geoffrey spoke of. When I brew again I will definitely not be as stingy with the tea. Each sampler will yield 2 brewing sessions for me to better evaluate these precious teas. Until then, I can only say I am still too Green to render a rating. One thing I can say is when I do brew again I know I will be in for a treat….
The Farmer’s Cooperative tea is very interesting! For my part, I found that less is more with this one. If you can break off a piece that is about the size of a teaspoon, it will quickly come apart by itself with a couple rinses. I always rinse this one twice before drinking it. I think at larger leaf quantities this one can get unruly for some people. In that sense it is a “loaded” tea. Once you hit your own sweet spot with brewing it though, prepare yourself for a fascinating 15+ steeping journey! Many repeated steepings have a synergistic effect with this one; it grows on you the more you drink it, with the previous infusion priming your senses to experience the next one. I have to return to this one myself now! You note is making me remember how good it is…
Thank you Geoffrey your advice is appreciated….
love Banzhang pu erhs….lovely and complex
Ok. I had to mention this. I brewed 4 maybe 5 pots and then decided to go out. I left the wet leaves in the Yixing. I came home and decided to boil some water and make iced tea out of the rest. I used boiling water and I let it steep for maybe 15 to 20 minutes. The result was a fruity, peachlike nectar. I am steeping another so I can fill the Mason Jar. I think I have a winner….
Fruity, peachlike nectar… Amazing. I’ve not encountered that face of it yet. Further testimony to this tea’s complexity.
I gotta say, Charles, some of your intrepid adventures in tea brewing just captivate me. I recall the old tagline from Star Trek, “To boldly go where no man has gone before!”
In my opinion, and please know that I am a minority of one on this point as far as I am aware, this business of “washing” pu-erh accomplishes nothing but ruining the first steep. As far as I can tell, it is a tradition borne out of priorities related to hospitality, not good cups of tea. You’re ensuring your guest doesn’t get dust or fannings in their cup (and probably in an era before quality control systems and procedures also making sure they didn’t get a twig, bat droppings, or whatever else accidentally ended up in or on the brick while it aged in the cave).
But with a tea where your first steeping is usually less than 2 minutes, sometimes as little as 1 minute, the 10-15 seconds you spend rinsing — that can be upwards of 20% of your total first steep time and you’re letting all that liqueur go down the drain.
Try a short first steep without rinsing sometime and see if you don’t prefer the results. Purists yell at me every time I bring this up, but what harm can it do to “just try it”?
I used to steep pu-erhs for 20-30 minutes even on the first steep, and then just treat the result like a concentrate, adding hot water to it in measures out into a cup to make many cups of tea. So it doesn’t surprise me that your long steep produced a great cup, especially late in the number of steepings.
Jim I like your way of thinking. @ Geoffrey, I was going to use that Star Trek line….
Jim,
I’m not certain but I believe that the first ‘wash’ is also to make sure that ‘storage impurities’ are washed away, packaging dust, fannings, concrete dust/uncured ceramic powder, ect…things that are not actually tea that might have accumulated on the tea during storage, transport, handling, and sale. It also illiminates lingering pollen, so depending on the type/style this can also blanch or wash away floral elements and ‘pollen’ texture/throat coat (but then using water that is over 200 can do that a bit as well). While I don’t generally wash teas in that way, I do believe it has a purpose that helped to inform cultural considerations towards ‘guest respect and service’, but I would tend to think that such considerations originated with the individual perception that the tea might be ‘unclean’ with transport dust and storage and it was a ‘safety-cleanliness’ issue 1st and a guest consideration second.
Yes, this is what everyone always says. And, as I said, I think that was probably a much more real concern decades or centuries ago than it is today. This is why I have a point of view, and near as I can tell, hardly anyone agrees. There’s basically one line of support for the rinsing process, and I’m highly skeptical about that line. Most people aren’t, for whatever reason. It isn’t a big deal, one way or another.
What I don’t understand, though, is that any tea is just as likely to have some form of “non-tea” presence and yet rinsing is only done with pu-erhs. In fact, one could argue that other teas are more likely to have such concerns because pu-erh spends much of its life wrapped up, whereas other teas do not.
Additionally, there’s very little reason to believe that simply rinsing and dumping off the water will actually clear those impurities from the leaves. Particulate matter is even more “sticky” when wet than it is when dry. If you have concrete or ceramic dust in your tuocha when it is dry, running water over it isn’t going to wash that away from the leaves, it is going to hydrate it into concrete or clay, which is going to cling to the leaves.
I think what’s really being rinsed away are fannings and tea dust which are unsightly in the cup — something you wouldn’t want a guest to have to see.
It’s just an opinion, though. :-)
@ Jim – I usually do many very short steepings when drinking Chinese teas in particular. My first infusion is 3 to 5 seconds, and I increase the time by that measure with each additional infusion. It takes a while for me to get up to 1-minute+ infusions. I prefer this method for gaining a comprehensive sense of a tea’s flavor profile. In the context of the way I drink, the 3-second rinse I do doesn’t have as much impact as the scenario you mention. I’ve tasted the rinse from a lot of my teas, and in many cases it’s not all that interesting to me.
But why rinse, when I could do a 6-9 second initial infusion instead? I suppose I enjoy the ritual of it. They way I drink, I don’t really think it’s wasting anything. I’ve been told that aside from the hospitality considerations you mention, pouring off the rinse was traditionally a sacrificial offering to ancestors, which I guess is hospitality of another kind. I like being somewhat of a traditionalist in most things, to the degree that I can be, but I understand where you’re coming from and don’t think your approach is any less valid. To each his own enjoyment. It’s too bad that people yell at you over this stuff. I think those kind of folks need to just stop and smell the tea. Happy drinking!
I don’t begrudge anyone who is being traditional for the sake of being traditional. I’m just skeptical of people who are participating in a tradition who insist it has practical purpose when physics and chemistry would suggest that to be extremely unlikely.
Steeps that short are definitely not on my radar. I haven’t met anyone else who engaged such practices. That being said, the length of the steep isn’t the issue, it is the physical act of the rinse that’s in question.
Anyway, I’ll stop rambling.
LOL. I enjoy your " Rambling "
@ Geoffrey, interesting notes as well on tradition….
@ Kashup, I am truly enjoying the various viewpoints
I know what you mean, Jim. I mentioned the “sacrifice” aspect of pouring off the rinse because I sometimes wonder if this was perhaps the original purpose of it, and if – by extension – all the practical explanations people now make for it are ways of rationalizing a purely symbolic act with a metaphysical significance that people no longer have any frame of reference to understand. Studying a lot of history, myth and comparative religion, this kind of stuff fascinates me. Other instances of the modern rationalizing of old, essentially non-rational, practices have occurred.
Regarding the short steeps, I learned it directly from David at Verdant Tea about a year ago, and he in turn learned it from his tea friends and mentors in China during the years he lived there. Apparently it’s pretty widespread practice there. Doing tea this way blew my mind. Completely changed the game for me.
Yes, that’s exactly what I’m referring to. “Reverse engineering”, in a sense, a modern(ist) rational justification for a pre-rational act. I’m all for participation in myth, tradition and religion — I can’t very well be a member of the Orthodox church and not be in favor of those things — but to do that you have to abandon the rational(ist) context to participate.
The super-short steeping, is that just with pu-erh teas or is that with all Chinese teas? I’ve interacted with some fairly hardcore tea wizards and never heard anyone talk about such things — but none of them were pu-erh people.
How does that idea jive with the use of the gaiwan?
On the mentioned steeping method, it’s the standard method I use for almost all Chinese teas, regardless of type. I always a gaiwan or yixing pot for this. For the more delicate whites and greens, I typically get about six really good infusions this way. For oolongs, depending on the kind and quality, the method is good for 10 to 20+ infusions. Blacks typically go through their profile in about 10 infusions. And with pu-erh I’ll normally do a 15-20+ infusion session, given their complex flavor profiles. The upper limits I’m mentioning are not when the tea completely loses flavor, but rather when the profile has gone through its full arc and the flavor is starting to wane. Although there are some pu-erhs that will stand up to being steeped almost indefinitely, such as the Ya Bao late-winter budset pu-erh.
Keep in mind though, this is certainly not the only way that people brew tea in China. It’s probably most common to the tea culture in southern China, and among tea market people especially – the folk who live and breathe tea all day, every day. Some tea brewing methods are different, like with David’s green tea from Jingshan the locals customarily brew it by trowing a small bunch of leaves in a glass tumbler filled with boiling water, and just wait for the floating leaves to fall to the bottom and sip directly from there with the leaves still in cup. Given the proliferation of language dialects in China, I imagine there may be a comparable proliferation of tea preparation methods. Gongfu Cha itself has different schools of thought about the detailed practices, but the general methodology has a many centuries old history of development and refinement. With regards to pu-erh in particular, this short steep Gongfu approach is in my opinion the most suitable way to fully appreciate it, but the proof is in the pudding, so I’d recommend trying it sometime and forming your own conclusions. Cheers!
P.S. Interesting perspective on participation in myth, etc. My thinking on it is pretty similar. Thanks for sharing, Jim.
I guess my question wasn’t well articulated. My understanding of the “typical” (although clearly we are to some extent in this conversation problematizing the very notion that any one practice is typical) use of a gaiwan is that leaves are placed into the gaiwan, and then water, and then after “some” amount of time, one begins to drink directly from the gaiwan without in any sense straining the liqueur away from the leaves. In other words, sip #10 from the gaiwan is going to be a tea that has steeped longer than sip #1 was.
So, what I’m wondering is if you’re using a gaiwan but “steeping for just a few seconds”, do you mean that after a few seconds you are straining off into some second vessel, or do you mean that after a few seconds you begin sipping the tea, but that of course the tea is in some sense continuing to steep as you finish the cup?
I will return soon….
Ah, I see. The method I use is to use the lid of the gaiwan to hold the leaves in and pour the liquor into another vessel. In my case, I pour the tea from my gaiwan into a small (8oz.) glass serving pitcher, and then serve my guests if I have any, or fill one of my small (3oz.) Gongfu cups 3-4 times when I’m drinking alone. For me, one cup of tea is really just a few sips. Some Gongfu tea cups only allow for one full sip! When drinking with five or six people, sometimes one or two sips is all you get of a given infusion. I think it works to make you appreciate what you have in front of you with full attention, and not take the tea for granted.
I’ve heard that some people drink directly out of the gaiwan, but I don’t do that. When using a yixing teapot, some people don’t use an extra pitcher, and will just fill all the cups directly by clumping them close together and pouring a little of the tea out to each cup in a circular motion so to avoid one cup being weaker and another being stronger, but I think the pitcher is still easier to use for managing consistency. Does that make sense?
Serving multiple people isn’t confusing at all, the technique is basically the same (in terms of raw mechanics) in both China and Japan (and I have a strong understanding of chado — both matchado and senchado) and “makes sense” in both the pre-rationalist hospitality sense and in the post-rationalist sense of chemistry and physics.
But I’ve only ever seen people drink directly from a gaiwan, so that’s where the disconnect was.
And yes, the longer I have drank tea, and the more tea I drink, the smaller both the pots and the cups get. ;-) Those uber-long pu-erh steeps were done in large pots as a way of making tea in the corporate office environment without having to go through the ritual every 15 minutes and ending up in front of a manager who was curious about my productivity, but now that I work from home I have a lot more flexibility to do things more correctly.
We need a chat room or a BBS forum…
AHA. Now I see an additional gap in our communication.
Rinsing in the gongfu style has a very specific meaning. Most Western folk I have talked to who insist on the practical value of “rinsing” are not doing it in the gongfu manner, but are pouring hot water into the pot with the leaves, and then pouring it out as one would pour out the actual liqueur, rather than via the over-flowing method. I am willing to concede that this overflow method might have practical value ;-)
Haha! That office anecdote is funny. I work from home too, and sometimes my productivity suffers a bit from preoccupation with the tea ritual. :P
It’s interesting that you’ve only seen people drink out of the gaiwan. I guess it’s pretty common, but I find the gaiwan always gets too hot for me to comfortably drink from directly. The depression in the handle of most gaiwan lids is well designed for holding in such a way as to keep the leaves in while you pour the liquor out. David did a couple youtube videos on gaiwan use that pretty much cover all the same stuff I learned from him directly. He actually addresses some of the questions that came up here as well. You can check them out here if you want:
(How to Use a Gaiwan, Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/user/VerdantTeaChannel#p/a/u/1/F58dWrhTkRo
(How to Use a Gaiwan, Part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/user/VerdantTeaChannel#p/a/u/0/qkhdJoZUUh0
I am enjoying this….
If you hold it via the saucer and the lid, you aren’t touching the part that’s in direct contact with the hot water, which helps.
Then again, I fairly calloused finger tips that seem to handle heat much better than most (white collar, Western) people.
Yeeaaaah, so even though I’m now a cup away from a sipdown on this one, it will be a fake sipdown, since I ended up caving and buying another 50g pouch from DT, since this one is so good and probably will never ever return. I still think it’s way overpriced for what it is, but… it’s so tasty!
Oh yes, so… speaking of, you know, too many teas and such. I fixed a couple tea things in my spreadsheet and have come up with an unofficial count of teas in my cupboard, so that I can keep track of my sipdowns (you know, since everyone else is doing it!)
drumroll
There are currently approximately 801 (ahahahahaha) teas in my cupboard, which includes both swaps and full-sized teas (and in some cases, multiple iterations of the same tea, but from different people, or bought at different times). I do say approximately because I don’t have the time to double check everything, and also, I never did count up all the teas in my box from LiberTEAS, so I just called that 50 samples. My numbers will be subject to change as I sip things down and discover they were not initially counted, but oh well! Maybe I can get to 500 sometime soon…?
Preparation
You gave me a headache…your situation is out of control girl. (LOL)
Haha, I know. The only good thing is that I’d say most of them are sample sizes. Not all though, sadly…
good gawd. i’m stressed just thinking about 801!!!! since i’m suck a hyper organizer and reducer that would totally stress me out.
oh but the tea adventure you will have :) !!
OMG Kittenna!
Oh wow… That number doesn’t register. I can’t imagine having that amount of tea O_O Good luck going through all of it.
LOL! You make us all feel better about our stashes, Kittenna. :D
Holy cow! That’s a lot of tea!!
I kinda want to attend a tea party at your place. How many teas could I try? :)
What is the capacity of your stomach? :P
I think I’d end up uncomfortably sloshy before I even made a dent. :D
Story of my life, haha.
i told you guys she was crazy!
I have a lot of one-cup sipdowns to do, but I’m hampered by thesis + sickness. It sucks. I don’t even want tea again today because my throat hurts :(
So what is your sipdown goal? I think you had said 500 earlier
It sounds like you resteep a lot too – that must make it hard to actually use up tea. Good luck!
Lol @ Dinosaura
Yeah, I feel guilty if I don’t re-steep. :(
sometimes….sometimes you just need to let it go….
I do sometimes! I don’t feel guilty if I re-steep and it’s gross and I have to dump it :D Just with oolongs and stuff that keep giving… oy.
oh. yay. oolongs. yea…gotta resteep those. :)
also… i’m totally keeping your rhubarb crumble tea until you learn to drink your 1 cup teas!
Hey, I’m trying. Not my fault I keep getting sick :(
WOW that is a lot of tea. Thank you for making me feel better about the amount I have. :D
I’m very eager to try this. It’s so unique. I’m gonna add it to my next/first order
It is definitely a unique blend, I’ve never had anything else that tasted remotely like it. If you like tamarind, you definitely can’t go wrong with this!
Wow, this is such a special tea! It has me thinking, what flavour would I want for a unique custom blend, that can’t be found anywhere else! I’ve never had a tamarind flavoured-anything before – I’m quite intrigued!
I really liked it! My idea was the pineapple oolong. Stacy likes our ideas!
@Daisy: It’s so much fun to come up with your own blend and Stacy is fantastic to work with, I definitely recommend it!
@Bonnie: I have a sample of the pineapple oolong to try, it smells so amazing.
I’m not really big into blogging, but I did a short little story of how the tamarind pop tea came about and mentioned my previous experience with the tamarind fruit. For anyone that’s interested, check it out. http://butikiteas.blogspot.com/
Alphakitty-Thanks :) You were great to work with!
I haven’t made this before, and it requires a little work, but you might find this intereting-Tamarind Ice Cream : http://veganicecream.blogspot.com/2006/07/tamarind-ice-cream-experiment.html
Oooh, interesting! I love experimenting with ice cream flavors, so this is right up my alley. Thanks ^^
You’re welcome :)