Popular Tasting Notes
Oh my! This aroma – DRY – is AMAZING! You have your wonderfully fresh and crisp and clean Mellow Monk Green Tea with Sweet-Juicy-Citrus-Yuzu! WowZA! The dry aroma – alone – is enough to put me in a trance!
BUT…then…
I added the water!
The infused aroma is unbelievable, too! It’s somewhat the same but with a few minor additions! I can now pick up on a Creamy-Vanilla-HONEY type aroma…somewhat like a Creamsicle! Then there are hints of blossoms/floral notes! What surprise! What WONDER!
The infused liquor is a yellow-green with a slight grey-ness trying to hide throughout! I can now smell a bit of lima bean and/or spinach as well!
I’m totally LOVING the aroma both dry and wet!
YUM! The flavor…is…totally dreamy! Completely creamy! Slightly Green-buttered-veggies! Citrusy and honey-esque! OMG! This is better and better the more I drink it!
Unbelievable! I can’t compare it to others! The green tea base is perfect! The Yuzu is perfect! The texture, aroma, everything…honestly, I can’t imagine this ratio and recipe being changed or tweaked!
My goodness! I’m glad I have a lot of this! I will be sharing with LiberTeas and Azzrian – my awesome Sororitea Sisters…FOR SURE!
WOW!
100.
had this in the morning. I have a bunch of tea to try and drink tomorrow morning/afternoon before i have to head out to the middle of nowhere to hang out from 6pm-6am. ugh. This is one of those teas that only had a couple cups left so i opted for one this morning and likely tomorrow. I can feel the call of tea ordering…taunting me. Really need to hold off for a bit longer but there’s a part of me that just wants to order naaaaoo!
i still really enjoy this tea. it’s got a nice richness to it, though it’s not quite as strong and bold as i want it to be. still, i’d never turn down a cup!
You can do it! Willpower! :)
I almost drank this one this morning, & again just now. I opted for the Premium taiwanese assam upgrade instead.
I’ve been battling with myself about my desire to order more teas all week (face it, everyday all year is more like it…for years). I just paid bills & gotta come up with another $650 before I’m done paying bills, so no tea buying until then for me. “All of my needs & desires are abundantly fullfilled.”
Hi, my name is Sil and I’m an addict
Sil….will you be my sponsor? ;)
Terri….ok but if i am…we need to pass on the tazo order and keep on sipping down!
no comment
hahahahaha….
:P Well I’m ok passing on the order. I’m pretty much both ways about it right now.
…and decision made! hiatus continues!
Woo! That was close! (I’d rather break my hiatus for something I’m sure to like)
I keep forgetting about this one and I still have about 3 oz of it left! That’s at least half of it gone at least!
This has a dash of milk and a decent amount of maple agave in it. YUM.
I really need to drink a lot of this done before spring because it’s best in the winter cold, and I don’t think it’d still be good for next winter. It won’t be hard – I just need to remember how good it is!
Who doesn’t like smoke and sugar and maple?
That does sound like a nice combination! I’ll admit that I don’t care for smoky teas, though.
It’s not terribly smoky – not quite as much as a lapsang souchong! And of course the milk mutes most of it. I don’t really have the energy to do a proper swap, but if you’re curious about it, I can stick a little into a baggie and send it your way!
I’m not going to lie. I’m never curious about smoky tea hahaha. But thanks for the offer! I actually still have that Della Terra smoky Professor Grey sitting in my box which was supposed to go out to Kittenna when it was originally discontinued, and it never happened. Have you tried that?
Haha. Fair enough – just thought I’d offer since we’ve done swaps before. :D
And, I can’t say I have had it before?
Sounds good! Of course, I like Lapsang Souchong… ;-)
Smoke is always good!
Not always….sometimes it’s too much and only good for cooking with ha!
Cavo, I can send some your way if you’re game. But I warn you, it’s semi-smothered in sprinkles. If you or Sil don’t want to try it, then I know I can just ship it all off to Kittenna, that is if she still likes it.
Thanks for the offer, but I’m doing ok in the sprinkled tea category. Also, I’m always happy when Kittenna gets more tea!
Ok well either way, I ought to send stuff out to the eastern Canadian front sometime. If you see anything in my cupboard that catches your fancy, let me know. :)
Will do – same if you see anything in mine. :D
oh..i responded to the other comment SC (swedish chef) – send it to kittenna, i can always pick up a cup from her someday haha
Otay, will do!
another tea from this afternoon…i wanted some form of “juicier” tea that i could drink while i waited on my other half to bring me gingerale heh. Also…on a random side note..what’s up with there being no cranberry gingerale at the stores this holiday? I haven’t seen it anywhere except as the PC generic brand…i want my canada dry cranberry gingerale!
uh…so anyway…this tea? delicious and exactly what i needed! :)
Haha. I always get my cranberry gingerale as early as possible. I have my whole family on the look out. I am not stocked up for a year or longer. I got mine in October.
i seriously haven’t seen any yet this year…
Not that it matters much to you two, not being in the same country as I, but I have been looking for it also. I saw it for a couple of days about a month ago and since then nothing. :(
Yeah….so annoyed. I love it.
I’ve never had it, not much for soda, but I used to really love Ginger Ale, AND I love Cranberry, so I may have to look for a bottle, just so I can try it out!
Can you make your own with some cranberry juice?
Yeah…..just not quite the same. But I do that sometimes heh
Have to take your word for it. Cranberry juice is nice mixed with lots of things but my hatred of all things ginger would prevent me from even looking for this.
awe….
Well, I have not had a tea quite like this before, and it is a whole new wonderful experience.
Rinse, then brewed 10 seconds for a couple steeps so far, and saving the leaves for another time.
Tastes of dried fruits with the freshness of pine and wee hint of smoke; a bit of pleasant bitterness sort of like a green pepper. Smells incredibly like apricots – so lovely. The whole sensation of drinking it is different though, from my usual teas, and I almost feel like I am drinking a magical potion. :)
Preparation
i haven’t tried the 2014 yet but the 2012 is probably my favourite puerh to date.
Nice. I liked this one a lot – they are probably similar a bit I would imagine.
They are not similar (to me at least). and yay another puerh lover emerging
Haha, ok. :-)
i’m not sure if that makes me happy or sad boychik. haha i love 2012 so much.
I dont think I’ve tried the 2014 either, but do enjoy the 2012 :)
i bought a 2014 cake with my second 2012 so i’ll try to remember to send you some terri
I’ll be curious to see how you like the 2014 in comparison. :)
maybe i’ll get a chance this weekend, though no promises as we’re trying to clean our house from top to bottom this weekend!
Hehe, that’s ok. But hope the cleaning job isn’t too hard and you’ll have time to relax as well! :)
I think you all have the bad batch lot of this. You all should send them to me for proper disposal.
lol
hahaha! :-)
Oh, holy horror.
So my friend K is a sweetheart in every possible way. We were talking about tea at some point in December and she said she had this amazing tea I had to try, which, in fact, was Italian. And I was delighted, because hey – some Italian looseleaf company I had yet to hear of, awesome.
And then she brought me a bag of this.
I obviously felt like the biggest tea snob, but it was like someone telling you you had to taste the most delicious meat dish on earth, and then they drop an unskinned, smelly polecat in your lap.
So.
Hibiscus tea.
Bagged hibiscus tea.
All accompanied by this ‘Oh, this is the best thing ever!’ bounciness. It was hilarious.
But of course I decided to try it! K is awesome, if she loved it, it couldn’t be all that bad, I figured.
First of all, this is the most potent tea dye I have ever seen. I don’t know if I’ll dare look in the mirror after my first sip, for I fear my teeth will turn a deep crimson. This tea bag bleeds in the most unsavoury way possible. I swear I could paint a wall with it.
Steeped, it smells of… absolutely nothing. But it’s very, very red.
Oh man.
This is the worst tea I have had in my life. It tastes like sour blood. There’s this vile, metallic tone to it, which is disturbingly meaty, and the sourness is completely out of hand.
I am laughing so hard right now, but I have to take one more sip for science.
Okay.
Yes, still equally bad, if not worse – it tastes like sour, juiceleaky meat wrapped in paper.
What have I learned from this?
a) Tea snobbery can save lives.
b) I love my friends, maybe especially when they’re trying to kill me.
[Assassination attempt by K, Rome 2013.]
Preparation
lmao awesome
FOR SCIENCE.
this is called taking one for the team. tea team. =0)
lol!!!
The very first legitimate argument I have ever read in defense of tea snobbery and so very funny.
Thank you for the laugh. I needed that this evening!
LMAO!!
LOL
Poor you. Oh Poor you. The bad taste in tea good people can have is truly astounding.
There is some italian tea (italian blend, not italian grown, though should let you know there is for example portuguese grown tea which is quite good). I never bought it, but some metal, grey containers, cylindrical? There was a chai mix with star anise I wondered about. I have seen those for sale around, always wondered if they were any good.
nevermind, google is our friend, found the tea brand name – Blend teas
http://www.blendweb.it/IT/default.aspx
are they any good?
Oh, cteresa, I missed your comment completely last time around, but we already exchanged messages about Blend – they’re not responding to e-mails about retail locations, but I’ll keep my eyes open.
LOL, funny that I can find it more easily in Lisbon than you in Rome!
It’s SO Italian.
This tea is straightforward but delicious. The fruity mangosteen and bright malty base end on a perfumed cream-like note that makes my tongue melt (I also have “Mango Lassi” and it has the same cream-like quality. It’s so good). I initially felt bad that I forwent the Passion Fruit with the Black Tea base for this, but when I see a rarity like mangosteen I don’t walk, I run!
There’s no mangosteen on Steepster’s flavour list, but Dammann Frères’ descriptor of “peach-pear-passion fruit” more than suffices. That’s essentially what this round, dark purple-ish red fruit with white flesh tastes like if you’re lucky enough to find a bruised and battered one in a specialty market around here (they sadly don’t travel well). The tea nailed it and my fruit-loving heart is happy! Now, if only this company did a “tamarind pop” tea.
Steep Count: 2
Flavors: Cream, Floral, Fruity, Malt, Passion Fruit, Peach, Smooth, Tangy, Tropical Fruit
Preparation
Oooo—mangosteen! Wow. Well done, you!
I find mangosteen and passionfruit overlap in flavour.
Yep! That’s why I felt it would be a safe choice, given how much I adore this company’s passion fruit flavour. I only picked up tropical fruit teas, and there are so many I eventually want to try..
Also, bonus – when I finally get down to the post office, all these 100gs of tea “share” well. Just a warning..
Did you ever get a chance to try a “fresher” mangosteen when you worked in China? I sadly forgot to prioritize that when I did some travelling around Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Vietnam, Singapore). One of my deepest regrets, that :P
Hahaha, with the post office. :)
I had a fresh fruit hut/shop close to my apartment and I was there every couple of days. Mangosteen was either in season or always available because I was buying it all the time.
I don’t recall much, if any, exposure to it in Thailand or Vietnam. (But i don’t recall fruit shops there either.). Most of my fruit-gobbling was done at the fruit carving carts—pineapple and mango mostly. I do remember jackfruit and durian there, but I can’t recall when I got it.
Haven’t been to Singapore yet.
My big regret is not having been into or knowledgeable about tea when I was in Yunnan. Of course, all over China too, but especially when I was in Yunnan.
Ooh, I’ve never had mangosteen, but now I’m intrigued to add this to my cart!
Sweet – you will be in a good position to assess this “mangosteen” tea then! The only fresh fruit that I can recall trying was durian (I’d love to see that as a flavoured tea hehe). I didn’t spend very long in Singapore, Vietnam, etc and would love to go back. So much food and tea. :)
That’s such a cool experience! I’d love to explore Yunnan one day(and everywhere).. and I’ve similar feelings re- spending nearly a month in Japan with an unlimited train pass, and not checking out various green tea spots… Because I’d yet to realize how much I love their green teas. Regrets, always.
@Courtney – if you like passion fruit (especially DF’s treatment of it) or fruit in general you may enjoy this one.
I adore passionfruit, so I have already gone and added this one haha!
I remember one company which do only tea bags having mangosteen tea. I think it was combined with black currant.
I never had it on my own and oh, this tea sounds delicious.
Ooooh, black currant and mangosteen sounds like a winning combo if it’s done properly. Thank you for mentioning that, Martin. It’s made my morning just that much better.
CrowKettle, I was only in Yunnan province for about two weeks. Not nearly enough time to see the things and places I wanted to see. I loved it though.
And yes, I’d love to explore everywhere too. To see and eat all the things.
@Martin Bednář, mangosteen + black currant sounds like it could be so good! Even if only the black currant came through I’d be happy haha.
I had a Mangosteen Matcha a million years ago. It was pleasant but wasn’t accurate.
Has anyone made a truly great black currant black tea?
Erm, There was a local company in Vancouver (Steam Tea House?) that had a basic one. I don’t see it or their maple on the site anymore though.. Bulk Barn’s wasn’t terrible either? (lolol)I think EG-esque “Thé de Lune” has notes of black currant (which is why I like it) – but it’s MF so it tastes like various different things to different people, with no consensus.
Long story short: no, I can’t think of any definite showstoppers.
Thank you for mulling this over aloud. Too bad. One of my favourite flavours.
—goes to check what the deal is with black currant and DF.
This is a delightful tea best served dumped in the Atlantic and forgotten about.
lol
Hahaha.
Perfect description. Is this what they used during the Boston Tea Party?
haha!! I don’t understand why everyone in America seems to love this tea, it’s vile :( even their newer cold blends you find at the grocer are disgusting, awful aftertaste
Spot. On.
Thank you Will Work For Tea for this Sample!
I’ve been wanting to try this Sticky Rice Pu-erh for a long time!
I can’t wait…I just can’t wait to blurt out…I love this stuff!
It tastes soooo good!
Now I’ve spoiled everything didn’t I. No need to read further.
Don’t you want to know why I blurted it out? (A few of you just said “No, not really.”)
It’s ok, my feelings won’t be hurt. I’m just an old disabled woman approaching my last breath on this earth! Sniff. (guilt)
Well, now that I’ve stooped so low…let’s get on with it!
The little cute Pu-erh Tuocha seems so harmless…so…‘little bitty cutesy’…until you put some boiling water on the little sucker and it explodes into a MONSTER GREEN floating island!
(Do not use a tea ball for this tuocha). I used a glass PIAO and half expected little fish to come out of the green algae clumpy SEA WORLD at the bottom of the container.
I steeped my pu-erh too long. The color was brassy gold. The flavor…um that was good…a bit bitter with some tannin. I could really taste the sticky rice which was the bomb! I knew that the right steep time would be fantastic tasting. (I finished that first cup of tea…yum!)
I cut the steep time in half but the color of the liquor remained the same. These were some robust leaves…Herculeaves with muscles!
Sipping the sticky rice tea was unbelievably roasty and sweet, like you could chew on your tea and find little pieces of nutmeats or candied things from heaven in a bowl with a spoon. Dessert, coated rice, almost creamy but not quite.
There were many golden cups to come…the liquor was so rich and heavy with flavor that I took my glass mug and put it in the frig for later, just to see how the tea would taste cold.
An old question came to mind…
I’ve asked myself on occasion, would I ever drink a pu-erh with a meal?
Usually, the answer is NO! I like to savor the pu-erh all by itself.
This pu-erh, I would drink to wake up my taste buds before a meal with an appetizer. I might have it with dessert or with a light meal. It expands the way I think about pu-erh’s. My cupboard should have this.
Cold Yes, the cup in the frig was absolutly stunning! Really refreshing!I did sweeten mine a little and loved it that way.
Really glad you liked this one! I’m still playing around with this tea – I find the first steep to be delicious, but the resteeps are horrible! I really badly want to like this as much as the first steep, but haven’t found the right approach yet. Steeps that are hotter and longer aren’t working for me…
I love the ones I have too….
mmm is it like a rice pudding with a little sugar? I’ll have to add some cream too and experiment ;)
Hum, I rinsed it first. Did 2 minutes in an open container (sort of the PIAO thingy) with about 6oz boiling water and then about 1 minute each steep after that with 4-6 oz water. Maybe your water to toucha ratio is off. The liquor on mine was very rich.
I didn’t like mine with cream but I thought about some richer milk product like sweetened condensed milk like in Asian hot milk tea’s and coffee’s.
mmm that would do the trick! Creaminess and sweetness all in one
Now I want something to EAT! (Why are they doing lawn maintanence on Saturday!!! I don’t want to hear the mowers all day!!!)
Herculeaves! That cracks me up. I love this Chinese restaurant nearby because they give you puerh when you eat there so I drink it the entire time to the point my boyfriend thinks I’m gonna just drink the whole pot instead of eat.
I’m with Amanda – Herculeaves!!! :D Made me laugh! Lynne-tea’s sending me a tuocha of this, because I want to try it after all the hype too! Of course I won’t be able to get more….
Golden Moon and some other makes one but don’t know how they are.
Oh Yunnan colorful sells some sticky rice under glutenous rice.
OH WOW! chocolate lovers of the world unite: try this as a base for your cocoa. Omigod. truly unreal.
Yum!
and this with a second steeping! 1 tsp xylitol, 1 tsp cocoa, bunch of water, some half and half…… life is good!
Whoa…does she have it for sale?
Sounds delicious!
i think so? she was debating last i heard. ask her, if she says no i’ll send you some stephanie.
Aww, that is super sweet JustJames! I’d be happy to send you something in return from my cupboard :)
lol, PM me send me your addy. i have 3? 4? i’m sending out this week. i’ll try for today, but i’ve been feeling crummy =0(
i haven’t had a cold IN YEARS!!!! yay school? or that’s my guess. let’s see if i can send it out today….
You are super nice! I hope you feel better :)
Why have I never heard of this one?! I’m super jealous!!
it’s a custom build and just new. i’m open to sharing though! i also know one miss lim has been considering carrying it, so the more people that nag the more likely it is to happen! lol.
Where do you find this custom tea?
Sounds intriguing…
celebritea – stacy does custom blending. If you reach out to her she can work with you to make a custom tea for you
May I ask who Stacy is?
stacy lim is the owner and master tea designer of butiki teas =0) i can probably muster some to send you. it was a custom tea for me. i have to say, the process was a lot of fun. and stacy is great.
I haven’t reviewed Laoshan Black in some time. I love this tea!
I’ve always been a bit of an experimenter, (or eccentric some would say). If I have an idea, instead of chuckling to myself and dismissing it, I sometimes carry it out.
Usually what I dream up is harmless.
For instance: One time I drove down Skyway (Paradise,CA) blowing bubbles from the Moon Roof of my Volkswagen Super Beetle. (It looked cool!)
But there have been more dangerous occasions.
Another example:
One time I thought I’d be slick and get a cheap haircut by going to a barbershop. The shop smelled of Ultra Sheen and Vitalis (This was when I was a Vista Volunteer in Philadelphia in the 60’s)
The barbershop had two swivel chairs placed on a platform towards the back of the room. I was seated in one chair facing the front door. There were old men sitting in their regular chairs and young men coming in to look at the dumb California girl in her mini-skirt getting a haircut. Clip, clip, clip.
When all of a sudden an angry man busted in the door with a gun!
I froze in my chair but didn’t change my expression one bit (you can’t look scared). I was a neon sign blinking ‘shoot me’ sitting in that chair! However, the gunman was looking for someone who wasn’t in the shop…(but I think I surprised him too and he shot me a shocked glance and left)! That shook me up for a day!
Why am I telling you these stories? (I wanted to tell a story as I always do for one thing…ha) I also wanted to say something about taking chances, doing something on a whim. (When I was young I didn’t think about the chances I was taking like I do now.)
Today while I was getting ready for Church I thought, “Hey, why don’t I bring my tea things with me and make some tea during brunch after the service?!” (That sounded brilliant!)
I gathered some Laoshan Black, a teapot and everything needed for brewing ‘proper tea’.
After Liturgy, I hurried to the Community Hall and heated water, and set up my serving spot. Everything was ready.
I poured water on the tea leaves, sat at the end of a long table and invited several friends to come have some tea with a stupid smile on my face I’m sure!
No response! The best laid plans of mice and men as they say…
I got a couple of comments from my two old Brooklyn friends…
“Wha? We got coffee hea.” Later Peter did come over and had some tea with me…(God Bless Peter!)
I offered tea to the young lady next to me. She commented that the tea didn’t need sugar or anything (points for her) and that it was obviously a good tea (more points).
A man looked at me like I was crazy when I offered him tea. (The devils work! (He was from Greece and unless this was Chamomile and he was sick…no chance he was drinking tea!).
Finally a younger man in his 20’s came by with a light in his eyes.
“TEA?”, he asked.
“Yes!”, I said with a smile.
I let him smell the leaves.
“Um, rich!”, he said. He liked my tea!
Then I opened a bag of Oolong that I had with me and he swooned.
“Look for me next week if you’d like to try some of this”, I said.
So week one of my whim…my experiment didn’t go over very well. But, all I need is to ‘convert’ one person, then another and soon…I’ll have a little group of tea drinkers on Sunday mornings!
One thing for sure, everyone looked surprised at the scent of the leaves, the smell of the wet leaves and the smooth cocoa flavor of the tea. It was as though a new door opened and they didn’t know how to process the experience. I remember when that happened to me the first time.
This was a whim and things don’t always turn out the way you think they will. At first I was a little disappointed, but I’m not giving up. I’ve decided to keep bringing my tea things and see how it goes.
This is one of the best stories yet. I’m so glad you decided to tell it. =)
Thank’s Nik!
Yay! I hope they convert :)
Oh neat! I hope you get a whole bunch more next Sunday! :)
So brave of you! I like how you love tea so much that you want to share that tea drinking experience with others!
Hehe love that you are converting people to tea at church!
I began with Fr. Evan, got the whole set-up for his office and now and then give him some tea. On our last visit he tasted 3 new tea’s and his first Puerh which was his favorite. I feel like the tea fairy…dropping tea wherever I go…I’m sure everyone else on Steepster does the same thing!
Love it, Bonnie!!
I know it’s been a few since I’ve checked in, but I’ll give her my best shot now with this tastey little tea I recieved from Autumn Hearth. Thank you so much.
After consulting the Verdent website I followed the western style instructions. Though it was a generous sample that AH sent I didn’t want to attempt my first gongfu out of fear that there wouldn’t be enough it I would ruin this tea.
I would love to tell you just how complex and vibrant the first cup was, yet I only got a mere sip before my wife confiscated the mug…she seemed quite pleased with it. The second steeping still proved to be delightful, though I can only assume a certain portion of the complexity had been deminished.
What was left was a roasty cup with almost floral notes. Not sure about the elderberry or apricot from the description, but there was a bitter sweet thing that maybe I can associate with citrus.
Though I did enjoy this tea it reminded me of a sample of Tie Kaun Yin I tried, but slightly more astringent. I personally was turned off by the dry feeling in my mouth, especially when the sip I got out of the first infusion was very buttery and smooth.
I hate to leave such a short and less than informative note on this one. Maybe if I woulda had the first infuse it may have been different, but I don’t want to sound like I’m belly-aching over it. It’s a good tea for sure.
tunes-everything from Gotye,The Heavy,Awolnation,Jonah Smith,Tom Waits,Panic!At The Disco,& Jack Whites new one.
Preparation
So the price of this stuff dropped by a third! Now I feel less of a need to hoard it.
I’m drinking this instead of eating lunch. My stomach feels meh today and I don’t know what to eat because my brain says tacos. So milk oolong it is.
I had milk oolong in mind when I got my yixing so now he’s really getting some use.
First I did a rinse because these leaves are so hard to get to open up with quick steeps.
First steep: Around 15 seconds. Yay I missed this tea! Orchids! Cream! Butter! I love the pinch when it hits my tongue, I can’t decide if it feels like pepper or like bubbles.
I wonder if Paula Deen could be convinced to drink this tea. BUTTER.
Second steep: 30 seconds. More color to this one, obviously. I love the smell. It makes me want to infuse butter with orchid petals. That might be the only way I could ever get a good use out of an orchid since they hate me.
Third steep: 45 seconds. I’m pretty sure this is wrong, that a yixing can’t possibly have an effect on its fourth use, but this tastes SO much more floral than usual and I am loving it. I am also amazed that the creaminess is still there and quite strong. This is probably the best cup so far.
Fourth steep: 1 minute. A bit lighter on flavor now, but still very floral. There is still a definite butter flavor, although it’s less creamy now.
Fifth steep: 1 min, 15 seconds. Not much different from the fourth. Starting to lose flavor a lot more. Notes are definitely still very much on the orchid side of things. With five steeps and a whole lot of other tea sitting around, I do believe it’s time to move on to something else.
What?? Price drop?
Yeah, it’s $6 for 25g now.
Bugger, lol :P At least my free 50g was worth $18 when I got it!! Btw did you get your teas yet? I don’t remember…
No, I have a feeling they’ll come today though. I should probably go check haha.
UGH!! Thanks Amanda! I’m shopping there now…ANOTHER tea to add to my cart! LOL
Haha with their new red velvet cake one, I’m at $33 before their cocktail collection one comes out in a couple weeks. It is the only order I am allowing myself to make for at least two months until Black Friday comes around. I was so going for rest of the year but it’s not happening.
is black friday a good day for buying tea? i didn’t know this, getting excited now!
I am so bad at remembering but I know there were some sales, 52teas had a discount on orders over $50, but for me mostly it’s my birthday is right around there.
Does it taste the same as it did at 9 dollars an ounce? I get suspicious when prices drop.
When I order again, I’m gonna get another 25g and find out.
Cocktail collection? Really? Why must everyone have such yummy teas during broke season :(
It’s actually nothing new tea-wise, but I love how it looks: http://ht.ly/drQVo
That’s how they always get me, the darn packaging.
Aw man, I was at DT today, but I didn’t know about the price drop. I probably would have gotten this if I woulda known!
And those cocktails look deliciously refreshing!
Heaven. Heaven in a cup, seriously. I need to get more of this, if there is any left.
It’s different today, fresher tasting, but then I think the shorter steep time made a difference. (two min)
This is one of those teas, like that thread mentioned, that is going to haunt me til I get more. I could mainline this stuff.
Edit: forgot about the second steep! first one is A+, and the second one… D+!
It’s… milky and has a soft mushroom taste. I once loved mushrooms but seem to have lost my taste for them. So… I am lowering the rating. Will see what a third steep brings :)
Edit again: third steep is a bit better. I added 1/4tsp sugar and it’s now a sweet cloudy tasting (clear liquid!) tea. The essence of mushrooms is hanging in the background though it is overshadowed by the sweet breadiness I’ve come to love in pu-erhs. Also, I am loving this much more when cooled. Bumping rating back up, slightly.
Fourth Steep: Sweet and clay like. Some bread notes, but mostly clay. Or was this the fifth steep? I lost track!
OK, WHY?! What does it tast like…not just feel…you have me wondering while you’re wandering!
We’ll just package some up and send it to you Bonnie, so you can experience it yourself lol. I’m pretty sure this is one of the local tea shops Inidigo frequents :)
I wonder if this is that really interesting tea called, Yue Guan Bai(Moon Light White). It mainly comes from the region it mentions and looks just like that one from another site. What they are not telling you is that supposedly when this tea is dried, instead of drying in the sun it drys when the moon is out; though it is mostly just done in complete darkness or at night time. So it sorta oxidizes it from the inside-out then vice versa.
Here is the link:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2012-Spring-Imperial-Pure-Old-Tree-Yue-Guan-Bai-Moon-Light-White-Tea-100g-EU-standard/802721_620710664.html
Bonnie, see my first note :)
Sil, yep I picked it up on our tea date!
Ze_Teamaker, could be! but the guy I bought it from, he sources it himself from the farmer so it might just be a similar tea if not the same. Also, it steeps up a mild hay colour and isn’t dark or red.
That’s true, I didn’t think about that….
If I remember next time I see him, I’ll ask! :)
That would be Grrrreat! (channeling Tony the Tiger!)!
sounds great!
I’ve not had much luck with Pu’erh tea, but this one looks fascinating.
LOL Bonnie, I love Tony! :P
Amy: It IS! Hopefully I can get my hands on more next season.
Mark B, what do you dislike about them?
I just find them kinda earthy and flat, but then again I don’t have much experience with them. I’ve been trying to open my eyes up a bit by ordering a few samples. From the description I thought I’d enjoy Verdant’s Xingyang Golden Leaf 98 Shu Pu’er, but didn’t find it very satisfying. I have another from Teavivre called Fengqing Raw Pu’er from 2006, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
hmmm I think you might like some of the menthol-ish pu-erhs then. I haven’t got any of those on hand but I’ll keep my eye out for you! :)
Today, my newest grandson Hayden is being adopted into the family! He’s almost 3 and when I come over to the house he announces “Grandma’s home!”
Indeed! Welcome Home Hayden!
I wrote a story about grandparents and how the legacy of elders is passed on to the younger generation. I hope some will read it. I also posted a picture of Hayden which is allowable today for the first time. www.teaandincense.com
Laoshan Genmaicha
Verdant Tea
One reason I chose to review this blend is because like my new grandson Hayden, this is a playful tea.
I can’t say that I am ever in a serious mood when I drink Laoshan Genmaicha. Maybe you are, but not me!
I’m in the mood for sweet and salty, chocolate and caramel…cocoa puffs or cocoa rice popped something.
The idea of dropping a little maple nugget into my tea sounds good, hum.
This is why I think of playfulness and my newly adopted Hayden on this adoption day.
Hayden is playful to the max! If you know who the character ‘Medea’ is in the movies, well…shrink that personality down to a 3 year old and you have Hayden.
He is a precocious charmer for sure! I get to finally post pictures of him (which I could not do legally before).
Back to tea!
My feeling about this hasn’t changed from the first time I drank the silky brew. There’s a double hit of flavor…rice then chocolate cocoa finish.
My memory kicks in with Laoshan Black…oh yes! (But not)
The best way to prepare this tea is in a tumbler or gaiwan not a teapot. The tea ends up somehow weak any other way, in my opinion, when you add too much water.
Innovative local sourcing of Minnesota rice makes me love this tea even more.
He looks adorable! Congratulations to you and your family.
Congratulations, Bonnie!!
he’s beautiful… especially with the ‘grrr’ face.
What a cutie! And you can tell he’s got some spunk!
Just got back from court. Wow! The Judge let Hayden sit in his chair and pound away with his gravel…bang,bang bang! Then he gave everyone balloons! (This was the last case of the day!)
What a great post! Congratulations to you and your ever growing family! Super cool.
Huge congratulations! He is beautiful. I wish all family court cases had such happy endings!
He’s so cute Bonnie! Congrats
Congratulations! He looks like he’s going to be an adorable handful :)
congrats Bonnie, enjoy these moments with Hayden (it sounds like a Prince name to me and he looks like a Prince !)
Congratulations!! I’m so happy for you!
I know I’m late on the news, but wow! What a precious little one, this post just warms my heart…I’ve read your comment, what an awesome judge!
Oh my. Oh yum num num num num! So good!
The green tea and flavors of pistachio and cream meld seamlessly together … so sweet and creamy and nutty and GOOD. The green tea is sweet and barely vegetal. I taste hints of vegetation, but, they are very faint. The pistachio tastes sweet and nutty, and adds a delectable toasty note to the cup. The cream tastes … well, creamy. Smooth and rich and offers a sweet vanilla tone.
This one is awesome served hot, and just as delicious served iced. Love this one … absolutely LOVE it.
I know it sounds like a fru fru tea you won’t like but golly gee you do!
sounds good
Tell me your brewing secret! I didn’t get much out of this the first time I made it, and I have a bit of a sample from Azzrian left as well as some more en route from my recent Butiki order, so I would like to figure out how best to prepare it :)
Well, I steeped it in my breville. Water was set to 170°F, and I steeped it for 2 minutes.
Does the Breville hold the water temp at 170F?
From what I have heard / read / etc I think it does for 30 minutes
Yes, that’s what makes it significantly different from brewing in a teapot or other methods – the temperature does not drop while the tea is brewing. So, one thing I learned over the course of the year that I’ve had my miraculous machine is that I need to lower the steep times slightly from what I would have when I would steep in a teapot, because the brewing temperature remains intact during the brewing process.
I didn’t think this was a fussy tea to brew and I’ve had it several times. I use a old fashioned tea cozy from April Cornell to keep my pots hot! $14 online and big!
Hmm, interesting. I always brew just in-cup, and I know a fair bit of heat is lost during the infusion. I could use my Timolino to hold a water temperature, or my new double-walled glass… thanks for giving me some ideas to play around with!
Krystaleyn-you probably know that if you use a single cup, pre warming it with hot water helps a good deal in keeping the tea warm, or you can get an electric mug warmer pretty cheap. In the case of teapots-pre warm the teapot, or there are teapot warmers that you place candles in (I wouldn’t recommend scented candles for this), and place the teapot over the warmer. :))
Krystaleyn-I haven’t found this tea to be particularly picky about temperature. I’ve had a chance to test this tea with a large amount of people at events. Of all the flavored teas that I do this one is the one that gets such a mixed reaction. I’ve heard a fair amount of either its not my thing or its ok but it also gets crazy fanatics that want to buy the rest of what’s in stock. It’s a very unusual reaction compared to my other teas. I’ve almost discontinued the tea a number of times but the tea does have some fans that purchase regularly. The only thing I would recommend is trying it with some crystal sugar. That really makes the flavors pop. If that doesn’t work, then you probably just don’t like the tea.
@ScottTeaMan – I am guilty of the sin of microwaving my water (so I don’t have to worry about preheating my cup). My options are really limited. I have an electric kettle at work but it’s a pain to ferry it back and forth… I am contemplating getting another though.
@Butiki – I was having trouble getting much flavour at all – what I did taste was nice, but it was WAY too weak. Perhaps I’ll try again now and use up what I currently have. Sugar is another option too – my preference is not to use it, but maybe it’s worth a shot!
I’d already committed to this one before realizing it was one of those nightmare samples.
1. It’s not in the database.
2. It’s barely googlable and not available to purchase online.
3. It turns out it’s an in-house (but possibly sourced) blend at this three-locations-in-the-entire-US coffee chain.
4. If I love it, there’s no way in hell I’m ever going to be able to score any more.
So let’s steep this sucker and hope for the worst!
In the bag, it smells really, really delicious. It’s strongly coconutty, but also a full-on, really gorgeous pistachio. I know it’s supposed to be almond, but this smells exactly like Sicilian pastry filled with pistachio cream. Sorry, almond flavouring – you and pistachio were switched at birth. In addition, this is a really, really beautiful tea – long strips of coconut, lovely shades of green. I’m sold.
In the cup, incomprehensibly, this just gets better. Coconut wise, this is as fresh as it comes. David’s Tea’s coconut always has a slight oiliness to it – I’m not saying it’s stale, but it’s mature coconut. Lupicia’s coconut is all coconut cream, a complete piña colada experience. But this? This is all fresh, crisp, pale, natural coconut.
Flavour wise, it’s not over the top, but definitely present. It’s a complete mouthfeel experience – I love how some teas are there, unapologetic, throughout the entire sip. This is definitely one of those – tongue tip-to-aftertaste delicious. It might just be the natural sweetness of the coconut, but I also get a vanilla-esque smoothness right at the end of the sip.
Well, this was completely awful. Who has an uncle in Blowing Rock, NC?
I would have loved to hold on to the remains of this, but since it seems so rare, I’ll drop it back into the box – I’d say the sample is good for about three more cups. Thanks a lot for sharing this one, KittyLovesTea!
[Sample from the second round of the EU Travelling Box, spring 2014.]
Preparation
I think I have a decent amount of this tea left. I swore this already had a review page :/ I got it from Chuckieroy last year and I hadn’t realised how un-sourceable this tea was.
Oh no, maybe I missed it was already in the DB! The search is so weird lately (also I have the attention span of a strung-out guppy, but really, let’s blame the search).
Also the review was really in good jest, loved the tea, and I’m sure I can find a way to get my greedy little hands on some more. You put so much good stuff in the box!
Oooh, I hope I get to try this one! Sounds delicious
Yeah, I’ll drop in samples of the other two coconuts I’m referencing, if anyone else wants to make a comparison. =)
Sounds great, thanks! I love coconut (:
“nightmare samples” lol—or packets! Yes, I find that sometimes my tea choices for the day are altered by whether or not it will require a fact-finding mission in order to post a tasting note! It does not take that much time, but it does take some…
I went to Blowing Rock a few times. Lovely place! If I am ever there again I will look for the tea shop.
Haha, yeah – for me it was more the issue of possibly drinking an awesome tea and not having any clue where it came from or how to get more.
A-hah! ashmanra, I hereby name you our uncle in Blowing Rock!
Family 20 miles away from there. I will have to look closer the next time I visit.
This all sounds very promising, keep me updated. =)
I am mostly ordering and trying matcha for my daughter, who works at night and is trying to drink a lot of green tea plus she needs energy and to be alert but not jittery, and for my husband, who is terrible about not eating a good breakfast and needs energy for a long day. For this reason, the flavors I am choosing first are really flavors I think they will like rather than what I would choose for myself, although believe me, my turn is coming!
My daughter loves fall because she loves EVERYTHING pumpkin! She makes pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin fudge. She buys pumpkin doughnuts and pumpkin spice coffees. She even toasts pumpkin seeds. So a natural choice of matcha for her is the Pumpkin Pie Matcha! I don’t think I even noticed on the website until I saw Alphakitty’s review, and as soon as I saw that I knew my daughter had to have it!
You can find it here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/pumpkin-pie-matcha.html
I ordered the small size and got the basic grade of matcha because I also got the robust level of flavor, so I thought that grade of matcha would be fine.
This time I got the tin. Matcha is a very fine powder, and they recommend keeping it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Naturally, I have to try it first! Again, I want the flavored matcha for lattes or smoothies so the big decision was how to make a pumpkin pie drink without adding coffee, because that is the only kind I really know.
I decided to make the matcha and add it to heated milk for my first attempt. I figured if i didn’t like it as a hot drink, i could always pour it over ice.
The dry matcha did not have as much aroma as I had anticipated thought had a pleasant smell. I had expected to open the pouch and be greeted by CINNAMON whopping me upside the head, but there was just a pleasant smell of light spices and pumpkin.
This time I didn’t use the Bamix immersion blender, but just whisked the matcha in a small cereal bowl with a kitchen whisk. I had tried making it that way with the first matcha I ordered, which was the mocha one, and it worked great! I don’t have a sifter – I just looked at the powder and since I didn’t see any lumps I figured it was okay. I poured on the hot water, probably only one ounce, and whisked with my plain metal kitchen whisk and used the “M” shaped motion they describe. As soon as, and i mean AS SOON AS, the hot water hit the matcha, the robust flavor showed itself in a rich aroma swelling into the air. Yes sir! This is a nice mix of pumpkin pie spices, but the pumpkin is there, too! I got a lovely froth completely covering the surface of the liquid. Even though my plain kitchen whisk works, I eventually want to get a bamboo whisk and a whisk stand, just because I enjoy the doodads and paraphernalia!
I added the ounce of matcha liquid to a ten ounce cup of hot milk and stirred in one teaspoon of raw cane sugar because I want a pie experience! It is hard to believe that this tiny amount of matcha is going to flavor that whole cup of milk.
And oh my goodness, my daughter is going to be very happy! This tastes like liquid pumpkin pie. It is so rich, yet this is skim milk. I feel like I am drinking a whole milk, calorie dense beverage.
As a hot milk drink, it was also very satisfying and I am hoping it is going to keep me going as we do a big clean up today. I wondered if I would need to add some real canned pumpkin to it to give it enough flavor, but it isn’t necessary! I can’t wait for my daughter to try this! I already told her about it and she is pretty excited! She had never heard of matcha before now, and is diligently googling all the health benefits.
Isn’t it SO SO yummy! I love this one (I love them all though) … Red Leaf’s powder is very fine – if you had to get away without sifting RL is the match to do it with!
Yum I want this one too! Gosh my list is getting bigger and bigger. Love the review :)
The hardest thing about Red Leaf is that I can’t pick what to get next! I can’t wait for my daughter to try this.
LOL that is true! But now they have sales which sometimes makes the choice easier :)
This one is so delicious! I was really surprised by how spot-on the pumpkin taste is.
I’ve been waiting for a sale matcha that I couldn’t resist in order to try out Red Leaf, especially since I’ve never done matcha before. But this is one that I would be tempted to just up and order anyway, especially since it’s fall and pumpkin time! Well I’ll get around to the matcha someday. :)
Do you think more than “Robust” flavour would be too much of the “spice” and overtake the pumpkin flavour? I really want this one for fall, but I want to make sure the pumpkin is there, not just the spice. What do you gals think? :)
(Although ashmanra, I would totally add canned pumpkin for an extra special latte anyways ;) )
mmmm…pumpkin :D
I want this too!
Daisychubb: I love the level of spice I got, and I think increasing the level would be great, too. This doesn’t have the hot burn of too much cinnamon you can get when a company overdoes it, this is nicely balanced and I think if you increase the flavor level it would still be great. I did buy a can of pumpkin to add as part of my experimenting. I am completely new to tea lattes and smoothies so I wanted to try it lots of ways, but I love warm pumpkin pie so I especially wanted this as a hot drink, while the mocha I wanted as a cold drink. This is fun, but choosing my next flavor is almost hopeless. There are so many I want to try!
Thank you! That’s very helpful :D On the nest order it goes ^^
Looks like it’s next up for the sale after the results of the poll this week…
I received this sample from TeaEqualsBliss (thanks!!!) but I am having some trouble finding the tea company… I just sent off an email and hopefully they’ll get back to me soon.
I have to admit, I was a little scared of this tea … I tend to shy away from decaffeinated teas as it is, and when I opened the package, there was no bergamot aroma. None! I worried that my olfactory nerves might be off or something, but, I tested them on another tea and I could smell it just fine. But, this… there’s no bergamot. :( I can smell the tea. Just not any bergamot. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY? I mean, what is an Earl Grey without that bergamot? It’s enough to make a person depressed… an Earl Grey without that bergamot aroma… It’s like a summer without the sun. Or Christmas without presents. It’s just wrong. Bad. Sad. Depressing.
So, already, I’m sad about this tea. The brewed tea has a little more bergamot smell than the dry leaf (which wouldn’t be hard since there was NO bergamot fragrance in the dry leaf), but it does NOT smell like any Earl Grey I’ve ever encountered. Even the bad Earl Grey teas that I’ve had (and I’ve had some) smelled more bergamot-y than this.
Taste: this tastes like black tea. It does not taste like Earl Grey. On the plus side, it does not taste like its decaffeinated either. It has a pleasant black tea taste… but it does not taste like Earl Grey. No bergamot = one very sad LiberTEAS. I think I shall go crawl in a hole now and cry. Sadly, I must rate this low, I don’t like to do this to little tea companies like this because I like to support tea whenever I can, but, I can’t get behind an Earl Grey with no bergamot. It’d be like Guns N’ Roses with no Axl. I mean, it’s bad enough that there’s no caffeine in this (aka no Slash) but, there’s no bergamot. THERE’S NO BERGAMOT!!!
I think that this company is no more because my email was returned as undeliverable. Which is a good thing, because their Earl Grey has no bergamot.
gasp No Axl?!!!
Yikes!
There is a GnR with no Axl… it’s called Velvet Revolver ;)
Maybe it got mislabled!
actually, THAT GnR is gone… only lasted one (maybe 2?) albums… it seems that the past GnR members also had difficulties working with Scott.
And THAT GnR (Velvet Revolver) was about as depressing as this Earl Grey was.
I loled!
That’s my experience with Tazo EG. I’ve tried 3 times, no more. Longest funniest score of 1 review I have read.
Haha, that was awesome :)
Hhahahahaha!
So let me make sure I understand — There.is.no.BERGAMOT?
Get a rope.
I believe this company is no longer…
Thank you, darby, for saving me the time on this one, hahaha.
So admittedly I am all about the red velvet craze. I wanted to buy this just because of the name, not knowing what it actually tasted like. And thankfully darby sent me some to try and now I will not have to regret buying any amount of it, because it is a real bummer.
When I first tasted it, all I could taste was 52Teas’ Pancake Breakfast, but not as good. Not much chocolate, but at least it had that cakey taste to it, although then there was also a maple taste. I know you guys have tons of maple syrup up there in Quebec, DavidsTea, but it doesn’t go in Red Velvet.
Now, the only reason I can get down with immediate Christmas is this magnificent creation from Target. http://instagr.am/p/Rg5XZ8Ja4a/ Needless to say, I figured it’d be perfect to perk this tea up. There’s still a lot of maple notes, but at least now I’ve got chocolate.
Not impressed with this one, it is definitely not a substitute for a delicious slice of southern red velvet cake. And now I want to go to the place with the best kind…
WHAT IS THAT HOLIDAY MILK OH MY GOD WHY ARE THERE NO TARGETS HERE AHHH flail
Aren’t they supposed to start infiltrating Canada? They better bring you this stuff. There’s chocolate mint too but I can’t ever get it instead of this one. No way.
I couldn’t live in a place with no Tar-zhay. =P
Someone told me once (not that I bothered to look it up myself or anything) that red velvet is just chocolate. So now the flavour really confuses me, because to be honest when I eat red velvet cake, I don’t really taste chocolate, and now I’m wondering if that’s a psychological thing: that because I’m not seeing chocolate, I’m not tasting it either. And then, if it is chocolate, then how is red velvet chocolate holiday milk any different from year-round regular chocolate milk? Now I want to go to Target and get some to try it.
It really isn’t that chocolatey but I still find it so good. I haven’t had any in awhile so I desperately want it. And the milk is different! It’s a bit thicker, and it doesn’t taste just like chocolate milk. I don’t know how to describe it because I try to limit myself to 6 oz a day max.
Thanks for trying, anyway. :D I will need to get some and try it (and make tea-ful concoctions with it).
I want Holiday Milk now too lol
I know Target is buying up some Zellers, but it’s a slow process sadly. When I was in the states a few years ago I almost bought up the whole place – at least that’s what it felt like. Couldn’t buy any food of course, arguably the best part ;)
Time for another visit? :D
I have a passport! Oh man I would love to! visit every Steepster’s state haha
@Nik – Haha, I love when people call it “Tar-Zhay”. I wonder where that originated from..
Rachel, I really didn’t think I’d find anything, but check it out, an explanation from their marketing officer himself! http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=1719878893
That’s awesome! I have to share that. Thank you so much!!
This is gone and sorely missed!
Back to my shopping list for you!
I forgot to add that once it cooled, it really tasted like cinnamon bun.
Yum!
we’ll need to keep an eye out for a sale and just pick up 4-6oz of the stuff lol
How bad is the shipping?
it’ll go through sharon so not terrible but 50$ = free shipping to her
That’s not bad. If we do it directly, it’s $15. And that sucks, but I’ve done that for H&S.
Yeah, I feel like you have to order a lot in order to justify the shipping.
directly. no silly. tea mule.
I ordered 2 oz of this blindly on BF because everyone seems to really enjoy it. I am so excited to try it!!
Haha Sil, I know, I know.
I thought you were losing your mule?
That package re-direct place in the US might be worth looking into though!
VariaTEA – I hope you enjoy it!
cavo – oh did i not update. things did not go according to plan..it is the suck for her, but on the upside, i have a tea mule still! woohoo!
This is such a good tea. We might have to do an order over here for some.
A group order would be awesome! We could split the shipping and just order whatever we want.
Sil – you didn’t! That really sucks for her, but… well we’re set up so that’s a partial win!
We now offer 5.95 flat rate shipping to CANADA!!!!!
I just saw that yesterday and almost died!
OMG. That is dangerous to know.
YAY!
Well, hello there! You’re the deliciousness that obliterated all other smells coming from all the various tea swaps, packages and gifts I’ve had on my desk the past few days. Creamy, perfect coconut. Even before steeping, I knew I’d LOVE this tea.
And truly, it is perfect. JustJames, I adore you, and now even more so for working with Stacy to create this amazingness. Thank you so much for the generous sample.
To me, this tastes like buttery coconut in a cup. It’s so buttery, I’m actually massaging it into my lips as a moisturizer right now. I feel decadent, it is lovely and sweet and slightly vegetal, and there’s zero sugar needed. As it cools, I get more of a real coconut flavor as well as the tea itself, however it’s still lovely and evolving by the minute.
For the record: add me to the list of folks who would also buy this in larger quantities, should it be made available to the public for sale.
Preparation
i am distinctly certain that stacy has her custom blends set up to an alarm and possibly key words as well…. either way, the more people say the magic words ‘i would buy’ the closer the bell is to ringing and this blend is to getting its wings =0)
you know i have maybe 2 servings left? whew! easy come…..
All these “Hello Sweetie” tea notes are so intriguing!
This tea sounds amazing!
Ahhh…I so would love to try this :-)
I keep reading notes about this tea, and it just keeps sounding more and more amazing haha!
I think this one may get a spot on our shelf. :)
Woot! Woot!
and the blend get wings ;0)
Yay!!
Woooooooo!
I am not really the biggest fan if banana in tea but this sounds amazing!
you know, i have a serious banana bias as well…. i was the one that suggested the banana? i think stacy almost fell over. the tea wants what the tea wants i guess, lol. needless to say it really does work perfectly.
Hahaha. Yep. I was thinking, “banana, that’s not going to work at all. Ok never mind, it’s awesome!”
i remember you saying that and wondering who i was insisting that it really was going to be great, lol. geez. life’s a funny old thing…. me, the banana hater.
So, nothing against it, but I’m not much of a Valentine’s day type of gal. I much prefer unexpected love days throughout the year :-)
But since today is supposed to be about love (and not about picking up some cheap flowers last minute at a grocery store cause you feel you have too), I chose to do things I really love.
Drinking this tea was one of them. Top 3 favourite tea of all time for me. Discovered Da Yu Ling last year, I keep two from different companies, equally good. Learned that it is grown at the highest plantation in the world, 8500 feet altitude!
This green oolong is similar to some of my favourites Tie Guan Yin, but brings it to the next level.
I’m using the yixing pot I dedicate to fragrant green oolongs. The brew is a beautiful bright yellow colour.
The aroma is breathtaking. I picture a vast garden with luxuriant vegetation all around as I sip on it. Think orchids and lilac scent, mixed up in a twirl of honey and fruity notes. Not sure what’s the specific fruit I get, but it feels like apricot to me.
It’s very sweet, and yet, the finish is minty fresh. Not in your face mint, more of a sweet faint spearmint. The most fabulous phenomena about this tea is how long the taste lingers in the mouth. Long after I’m done drinking it, I can still feel its imprint.
This type of thick buttery mouthfeel always reminds me a silk ribbon dancing in my mouth!
It’s pure liquid gold, but I rarely see people reviewing any Da yu ling at all.
Is there other Steepsterites out there that are as taken by it as I am??
I’ll end this note with a little love story…
It might have been the side effects of the snowstorm, but my cat Happy today was such a little bugger. Dexter (my dog) and I were trying to chill, me having tea and reading a book, him all curled up next to me. Happy likes Dexter’s ears. He’s obsessed with them . He keeps toying with them while Dexter tries to nap. Eventually, Dexter wakes up and gives me the helpless puppy look while Happy takes over his whole head. So what does a 100 pound dog do to an anoying kitty you ask? Well, have a look here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/12529529795/lightbox/
No worries, although it looks like it, Dexter is not having a “Happy meal”, lol!
Here’s how it usually ends:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/12530016644/
As the song goes «…so “happy” to-ge-therrr…»
aww…cute critters…
Yours is pretty cute too, Cryptickoi :-)
thanks..that’s Sprout,he’s a quite the character…
Your animal buddies are adorable!
Haha! Love Sprout as a name!
Thanks Gmathis, I think so too :-)
AAAAWWWWwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeee – how cute is that….
So cute!
OMG!!! cryptickoi, what’s up with that??? Awwww, don’t I love poeple and their fury friends:-) A French Bulldog? They look so in love!!
Gus is a Boston Terrier…
here’s Sprout and Mr.Krinkle(named after the Primus song)…http://www.flickr.com/photos/117587293@N05/12531782284/
they’re comedy…
Your family bunch is so awesome cryptickoi! (Lol, Mr.Krinkle )
yours are very cute…how many do you have?
Four cats, one dog…all rescues, except for the doberman. They all seem to knock at my door winter time, how can I say no??
very nice…food gets scarce in winter I guess..saying no is difficult for me as well…
Oh tea with the ridiculously giggle-causing name, you are SO good.
Tonight, with a bit of Jamieson’s (because it’s in the cupboard), some maple syrup and a touch of coconut milk.
I know, I know. All those additives might hide the flavour. BUT THEY DON’T! It just amps up the delicious sweet honey chocolate booze notes in the tea. YUM.
Definitely on my shopping list.
Thanks, MissB!
Preparation
i forgot to buy more of this when i was there haha but that’s ok.
GASP! But it’s SO GOOD! (I’m gonna order this and Kapha at least, closer to my birthday.)
Honey chocolate…I think I might drool. :P
Omg… I was distracted…they had A caramel cream decaf…but not a regular version, so I got both caramel and cream to make my own….
Oooo, nice one Sil!
Yvonne, to me it’s definitely an Irish Cream type tea. Not really, but that sort of theme. It’s why it goes so well with whisk(e)y!
I think it’s meant to be an Irish Whiskey kinda tea… and thus the silly name (which, BTW, no one at tgteas had any idea it was that silly when I mentioned it). I still have quite a bit of this left, I keep on forgetting to drink it. Will do some tonight! Kapha too.. 100g is a LOT for that tea! I also grabbed some of the caramel creme decaf, I’m curious to see how it fares.
I look forward to your tasting notes, MissB. :) TG is DEFINITELY a birthday order.
can you get 50g online? or just in store?
I think you can only get 100g online.
BOOOOOOOO heh store let me pick up 50g :)
Nice! But I won’t mind 100g of this one. Only… I might not be able to get any due to exchange rates. BOO exchange!
Exchange rates? Boo. I get paid in US $… if you want I’ll order some for you. Also, I think you should bring more of this with you this weekend. Then when people ask what you’re drinking, you can just say, “O’Connor’s Cream”, and people will ask you, with nary a blink of the eye, if you can point out Monsieur O’Connor. ;)
bwahhahahahhaaa
I tried that tonight! Nothing. ;) I don’t want to deprive you of extra tea cash, MissB! It’s lovely of you to offer though.
And now I’m having another steep of this tea with MOAR whisk(e)y and honey and coconut cream. Ohhhhh. Whisk(e)y and tea is one of my new favourite things.
Oh thank you SO much! I have yet to try anything from Mellow Monk!! This sounds dreamy!! :) Yay!
I’m so sad that I have run out of at least 2 of the other Mellow Monks before ‘meeting’ you! If I come across the other…I will send you some of that too! :) I LOVE THIS COMPANY!
hmmm….I’ll have to go check out Mellow Monks, haven’t visited their website yet…
I want to try mellow monk too. Have heard good things but wish you could buy sample sizes. Tried contacting the company but they have been unresponsive (although world tea east is also this week)