Popular Tasting Notes
stupid computer crashing, losing my post! let’s talk about this tea and how it smells AMAZING and how the chocolate and the strawberry and the espresso like flavours just work. I’m not sure if this will be one of my long term favorites from stacy but if you like dessert teas, this one should be on your list to try. Unless you hate chocolate and strawberries lol
I was in DAVIDsTEA today and bought myself the little gong fu teapot and some clear double walled tea cups for my birthday tomorrow. And the new mate teas.
I told the girl working that it was a birthday present for myself. I am not sure if she was just in a good mood or it was because I had spent so much already, but she gave me a free tea for my birthday tomorrow! What a great day! And the parking meter still had an hour on it so I didn’t have to pay for parking either.
So I decided to go with this as my free tea. I probably steeped it about 10 or 15 minutes, I wasn’t really watching. Sweet, coconutty, and caramel. Too bad this tea is so expensive. I have to increase the rating because it is sooo good!
EDIT: I also cold brewed some for today. It is awesome! Just as good cold as hot!
Yay happy birthday and congrats on the purchases!
Happy birthday! And excellent choice. I looooove this one.
Happy birthday! ^^
Wow, sounds like your birthday started today! Happy birthday! :)
Happy Birthday Early!!!
Free tea…there’s a celebration waiting to happen! Happy birthday.
Thanks everyone, my day in lieu of my birthday was spectacular!
Happy birthday
Happy birthday! I got a free TOTM for my birthday last year too. Either it’s a policy, or we just found some nice people!
Happy birthday late! Also love this one iced!
Ya, I was suprised when she said I could have a free tea!
Thanks everyone!
I followed Bonnie’s suggestion and tried this as a latte. It is a beautiful rainy day today. I love rain and most of the time it makes me smile more than sunshine! It is so relaxing to watch it rain, also the cold makes it a great idea to curl up and have a nice hot cup of tea! Somehow I stumbled upon this sample (Thanks again Indigobloom!) and decided it was time to finish it off.
I brewed it strong (almost 3 teaspoons that I had left of it for 10oz of water) and added my homemade latte mix. Most importantly, this tea is strong enough to peak through the milk and sweetener. I tasted the white tea and smiled, it held up to the black tea! I realized that I had never had a white tea latte before. I can’t see myself doing it too often, but it was an interesting experience. I tasted a bit of chamomile, the black tea and the creamy coconut flavor. Sadly, no chocolate.
All in all, it is much better as a latte, but still not a tea that I would buy! Tasty experience nonetheless… : )
Another Sipdown!
I tried this twice, and just never cared for it. The lime smelled great but didn’t carry into the flavour enough. And the base was odd – Kept getting that weird salty flavor I’ve found in a few teas now…
Ugh, too bad about the base. Hope I won’t get the same flavour from it.
Probably not? I think I’m the only one who gets it – caused partly by my combo of my water and steeper maybe too?
I was going to say, speaking of the earlier comment about water and location, I wonder if that may be part of the problem. I’ll watch for a salty flavour when I get mine in.
This one sounds really interesting!
This never worked for me either, Cavo. I tried the whole sample and was disappointed each time :(
Hmmm. I’m happy it’s not just me because I ordered some other teas from Herbal Infusions and I don’t want them all to be the same. I wonder if they use the same base for all their black teas? It’d make it easier for me to figure out what it is about certain teas that makes it “salty” and others not. I’ll have to add notes to my tea spreadsheet and track this: FOR SCIENCE.
haha FOR SCIENCE! Also, I think their base is the same for most of the ones I tried. I know I picked up on the same base flavor in Moose Tracks, Key Lime Coconut, and Santa’s Milk & Cookies. I haven’t tried many of their teas though so I might not be the expert on that topic.
(am I the only one that doesn’t have a tea spread sheet… ? )
dexter….possibly haha
dexter, no tea spread sheet here either!
I think they use the same base for pretty much all their black teas, and sadly I don’t like the base at all.
OMGsrsly – I was afraid of that, but I did like Moose Tracks, so I grabbed 50g of that and the Snowflake EG. There’s a few samplers so I’ll see how those go.
(Haha, Dexter, I don’t have one but sounds like a great idea!)
I haven’t even tried all my samples yet. I have this one, but I’m a little scared.
Yes! Spreadsheets are an excellent way to summarize all your tea thoughts, as well as notes on if you should repurchase it, how you prefer to drink it etc. I love excel bc it’s so easy to search for one specific tea out of hundreds.
Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge January 2022: A Tea with Bean Notes
Another tea bag unearthed during the Great Congestion. I consider this quite the find and don’t know where it could’ve possibly come from. Back when I first started venturing more into tea I really wanted to try this tea company, and this tea in particular. Don’t ask me why. I don’t believe they ship to Canada, however.
Before steeping, it was not promising – a generously filled satchet with some brown looking, sour smelling, long-leafed tea. How old is this thing? Add water and the leaf remembers it’s green and gives off a wonderful lemon-hued butter veggie aroma. To taste, it has notes found in other Chinese green and white teas (ie – Silver Needle, Dragon Well): lemon, sesame, green beans, spinach (you know how spinach has that milky calcium quality?), melon. It’s smooth, nearing cream and butter.
Yeah, this is a treasure in a tea bag.
Flavors: Bamboo, Butter, Cream, Floral, Grass, Green Beans, Lemon, Melon, Nutty, Peas, Sesame, Smooth, Spinach, Sweet, Vegetal
Preparation
This tea company has also been on my wanted list. Maybe one day.
I made a mock order and they do ship to Canada – for $20.
I think I may wait to visit Portland directly (or for a particularly weak-willed evening).
I went to Portland in 2019 for the PDX Tea Fest and visited one of their local stores while there. I was a bit sad that even visiting them directly, other than ordering just a cup of tea, I still couldn’t get a bag of loose leaf smaller than 4 oz (which is just too big for me).
They have some unique blends like Rose City Genmaicha and a good Jasmine, but I think they are a bit overpriced. The company has become especially steep with their limited edition blends, and there are some quality loose leaf that you can get elsewhere for cheaper.
The lack of size selection and generally high prices is further exacerbated on my end by the exchange rate and shipping costs.
The Rose City Genmaicha and Ice Cream Oolong are big temptations for me but, even with a 10% coupon and this delicious mystery sample, I think I’ll pass for the time being (to be revisited at a time when the tea cupboard is smaller and bank account is fuller).
All of those factors come out to a firm no. At least for now.
Ice cream oolong?!
They call it Ice Cream Royale. The original blend had jasmine with Jin Xuan, salt, a lot of vanilla, sugar, and some amaretto. The modern one uses chamomile. It’s a brilliant blend, but they charge close to $2 or more a sachet, which is insane.
That one sounds tantalizing, but with all the prohibitive factors, especially for us in Canada, still a firm no.
If I ever cave and order online or pick some up while visiting Portland I’ll buy 4oz and share it. XD
I adore you for even the thought of it. It doesn’t actually have to happen. :)
Ugh, so tempting! One day. If I could get one sachet, I’d be cool with paying $2 or so for it. I mean, I’ve paid nearly $7 for drinks from Starbucks before!
Thank you, Kittena, for bringing logic to the tea math.
Yeah, it’s just within the realm of what I’m willing to pay for tea. A coupon would sweeten the deal, but I don’t want to pay shipping on top of it if possible (US free shipping threshold is a low $39 so if I can arrange a border PO in WA that would be fine).
I don’t mind buying 3.5oz – 4oz as either as long as my cupboard is emptier and I have possible people to share it with (stale tea is sad tea). Right now my cupboard is full from DF’s 4oz Christmas splurge, and some reaaally old teas so I’m looking at spring lol.
Wowwwww, this is delicious! Definitely glad I ordered some (shoulda got my free ounce of this instead of Strawberry Oolong!) It reminds me quite a bit of Laoshan Black, in that it’s very malty and chocolatey, but there’s quite a fruitiness to it as well. I had this in the Timolino, so I need to write a more detailed tasting note later, but this is definitely a winner for me. And the leaves are crazy huge, thin, wiry, unbroken. Fabulous!
I’m drinking the second infusion right now. It’s heading towards astringent in spite of only a 3-minutes infusion, but it’s still good. I’m sure it would be better re-steeped immediately instead of sitting all day.
Rating tentatively placed, but may increase upon proper evaluation.
Preparation
Mmmmmmmm I love this one
I love this one. I read your post and went to make some only to discover they I only had one teaspoon left, and I just put in an order to Butiki earlier this week without realizing I was almost out. Oh well. Next time! This may be my favorite Assam. I re-steeped immediately and it was very nice.
Donna A – Oh no! I can see this being a staple for me!!
Initially I was kind of expecting this to be quite similar to Laoshan Black, but although they so share the chocolatey, malty flavours, this one is definitely more nuanced and fruity. Different enough to want to keep both on hand and alternate!
Oh man this sounds SO good
Indigo….you haven’t tried it yet? For shame! If I have any left when we meet up ill kick a sample your way.
Nope, I need to reduce my cupboard before making a large order and didn’t see any sample sizes on the website so no Butiki for me :(
but if you’re willing to share, I’d be uber grateful!!
I am always more than happy to share butiki teas with the world! Lol
YAY!! I hope the Kally order arrives sooooon
Not yet…..hoping mid this week. Then we can meet up and I can give you a bunch of stuff lol. Della terra, butiki, Kally tea etc….
HAPPY DANCE
Geez, I am so impatient today. this whole waiting business is driving me nuts
Indigobloom, the owner of Butiki, Stacy, is really nice and helpful on the phone. For people on Steepster, for any order, she’ll be generous with free samples, and will ask which one’s you’d like to try. I have several favorites from Butiki, including this one.
Paul- the two are similar and yet different. Both well with having in your cupboard at the same time.
Gosh, I love this tea! Yums! Perfectly cocoa and caramel notes for my mood! Merry KwanzaaChristmasDiwaliHanukkahSolsticeFestivusNewYearsAndAnyOtherHolidayIMayHaveForgotten Everyone! Yay! :)
Merry Variousholidays to you too! :)
Thanks Stephanie! :)
w00t merry everything!
I’ll have to try this tea. I love Assam, but your’s sounds like a particularly good one! :)
Mike-I’m so sorry but we are no longer selling this.
Oh, no problem! I’ll check out the teas you do have available! :) Thanks for letting me know!
Mike-We are closing up shop this week but will have a big sale soon. If you end up buying something, let me know and I will give a sample of the Premium Taiwanese Assam that I set aside for myself.
^I meant a sample from the PTA that I set aside for myself. I did set aside quite a bit.
Wow, that’s so nice of you! I’ll definitely take a look now! I’m sorry that you’re closing shop, it sounds like you make some great teas! Thanks so much!
Mike-No problem. We will be doing a sale in a few days, roughly 35%-40% off. If you do buy, just send me an email to add some PTA for you or mention it in the “instructions to seller section” and I’ll be sure to add that for you. I’m happy to be closing even though I’m a little sad. :)
Awesome, thanks again! I don’t want to cut too much into your stash though! :P The Caramel Vanilla Assam and the Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black both look amazing, I’ll most likely order them if they’re available!
Mike-No problem, don’t worry I saved quite a bit for myself. Unfortunately, those teas were some of the first to go. We have already lost over 2/3 of our teas.
That Glenburn Estate Green looks great…looks like you still have some of that, right? :)
I’m surprised that this is the first tasting note on this Butiki
Organic Ceylon Green Tea
I was rustling through the latest order from Stacy for my morning tea and wanted a good cup before packing for an overnight with my daughter up in Estes Park.
A green tea for breakfast? I don’t drink green tea for breakfast, unless…it’s a Ceylon Green Tea. There’s something about the Ceylon Green’s that are almost like a darjeeling. It’s as if the tea bushes have intertwined the flavor of green and black tea’s.
I prepared a small 8oz pot for tea and steeped the leaves 2 minutes.
The leaves and liquor have none of the vegital aroma that I associate with most green tea’s. In fact, the aroma was very, faint. I almost thought I hadn’t steeped the tea properly, but when I reenacted the steeping, the outcome was the same.
The liquor was clear, very golden and beautiful.
When I took a sip of tea, I was surprised at the light flavor.
There was a smoothness to the tea but hardly a whisper of flavor.
I had to concentrate, finding the faint salad green, celery taste which were sweet and fresh.
As the tea cooled, there was an increase in the thickness of the mouthfeel. I added some raw sugar which was a very nice addition.
This morning tea was one that I would recommend especially for those who don’t care much for grassy green vegital tea’s. This was subtle and smooth. Very gentle.
I won’t be writing on Steepster until Saturday.
Today, my daughter Annalisa and I are off to the Highland Games and a Tattoo (all the Piper’s marching together) tonight at 7200 ft. surrounded by towering 14,000 ft mountain peaks. We’ll both cry. The bagpipes are wild and special to us, a reminder of persecution and survival. The fiddle and pipes are played at family events (mostly funerals now). Old Scot’s songs are passed from generation to generation and we Bless the Tartan’s on St. Andrews Day.
I’m bringing along tea of course. There’s a mountain river next to our condo and I’m going to sit there with my tea and soak in the beauty of the Colorado Highlands. (I’ll take pictures)
Have a bonny day!
http://youtu.be/P5P1M5qwBwo Not the best youtube but you get the idea of the pipers playing Amazing Grace
I’ve probably posted this before…Estes Park http://youtu.be/xWlwZA2PnxA (an hour away from my home it’s a great vacation destination for hikers and wildlife lovers).
That sounds like a fun event! Have a great time!
This tea comes from the same estate as the Organic Blue Nettle did. I find this tea to be a good relaxing tea. Its not the most amazing tea I’ve ever had but its a good early afternoon tea.
Yes I think for those who don’t like greens or strong tea this is really a fine choice. Sometimes the whack when you don’t feel just right isn’t what you want and this would be perfect!
I agree. :) Btw, Estes Park looks amazing!
What’s so cool is how easy it is to get there. If you fly into Denver you’re already at higher altitude so you just go to the outskirts (Boulder) and then the rise to Estes Park is only another 2200 feet and takes 45 minutes. There you are at Rocky Mt. National Park without driving for 5 or 6 hours.
Have a great time with your daughter in Estes!
I’ve only been to Colorado once and that was on a snowboarding trick to Keystone and Breckenridge. I would certainly love to explore the parks more.
Have a grand time Bonnie! I know my neighbour who is also a Scot would do just about anything to be there to :)
Mmmmmm. This tea is my favorite. I know I’m not supposed to have favorites but this one is it. It is my go to tea. Whenever things are all wrong, this tea just makes me feel good. So chocolatey and caramely and smooth.
Today is a short day for me. At 4pm, I leave for Philadelphia. The hubby and I will be catching a Flyers (hockey) game and getting some good grub. But first I’m going to test out how the Irish Cream Cheesecake came out on both our Premium Taiwanese Assam and our Sourenee tea. This week is a packed week. I’m hoping to get up our custom blend kits, Vanilla Frosted Carrot Cake tea, Doke Silver Needle, Sourenee, and Doke Rolling Thunder Oolong on our website. The Rhubarb Vanilla Beer Tea will be up shortly but probably next week. I was hoping our Chocolate Hazelnut Honeybush would be up soon, but I’ve seem to run into some issues with that blend. So, I have to say that I am excited about our upcoming “I love Leafhoppers” sampler. I had an idea for a graphic and worked with my friend to come up with a really cute cartoon-ish pic and we had some magnets made for the sampler set and also to be sold individually. I really like the idea of doing some more graphic fun tea stuff.
Sweet! Have a great trip :) I can’t wait to see the leafhoppers graphic. I’ll be sending you my tea mandala as my art contest entry very soon :D
Stephanie-Thanks! I know we will have some fun!
Thank you! I think the magnets are super cute but it may be too tea dorky. We will see. I might post a preview soon. I can’t wait to see how the magnets came out. We did nice 20mil magnets with rounded corners and gloss coating.
I can’t wait to see how your mandala turned out! I’m sure it will be fantastic! :)
^I meant that the design is super cute (we haven’t received the magnets yet).
Those teas all sound so exciting, including that leafhoppers sampler! I’m jealous you’re headed to Philly—the food and drinks there are amazing.
ifjuly-Thanks! Very excited about Philly. The hubby and I only live 45 min from center Philly and it is very vegan friendly which is a huge plus for us. We will either be headed to the Memphis Taproom which has vegan and omni options and was featured on Diners, drive-ins, and dives show. They do an amazing smoked coconut club sandwhich or to Blackbird Pizza which is a vegan pizza place. They have an amazing mushrooms with truffle oil pizza. Yums, I can’t decide which place to go.
Oh, have fun! I’m intrigued by the Irish cream cheesecake, although have to admit I’m not exactly sure what Irish cream even tastes like. And I would love graphic tea things to show off my tea affair :).
Thanks keychange! Ever have Baileys or any other whiskey/cream liquor? It is a pretty obscure graphic. My friend did a leafhopper drawing for me. He is super cute. He has a cute cartoonish look but also a slightly punky attitude.
Haha, I read that as your friend is super cute, with a cute cartoonish look and a slightly punky attitude. Crying.
Anna-Hahahaha. :D …but actually that could describe her a bit.
hahaha I read it that way as well! and oh yes Stacy, Baileys and I go way back. Can’t wait to try the tea!
Ooooh that all sounds so good, especially that smoked coconut club! And “a cute cartoonish look but also a slightly punky attitude” sounds awesome and made me laugh out loud.
Your Leafhopper sampler sounds like its right up my alley!
Love it! Have fun!
ifjuly-I ended up having the smoked coconut club! It was sooooo good.
Donna-Good to hear that!
Heather-Thanks, we had a great time.
FYI, I tasted the Irish Cream Cheesecake with our Premium Taiwanese Assam base and also with our new Sourenee and oh man was it good. The Sourenee was the clear winner. Without sugar, the flavor was perfect and dead on but I’m not loving how it tasted with sugar so I think I may need to tinker with the flavoring combinations a little more.
Had a group interview for LUSH today – I have been looking forward to it all week. Frick. This job I have now.. well.. it is NOT what I thought it would be. It’s just that I thought it would be different. Also, I was training to use the computer. And I found out on Friday that I won’t be given computer access. Um, what? So that’s interesting! So I went to this LUSH interview and unfortunately got lost in the crowd. Ah group interviews. But man I want to get out of this job!
SO – I speedwalked to DT to get some crack. Happy crack tea! HAD to try this one after smelling it – a nice frothy hot latte. Thank you DT for some happiness haha.
It tastes a lot like toasted walnut/secret weapon. Reminds me a lot of those anyways! But the ingredients in this one are unique – there is a sweetness from the raisins that is so pleasant, but doesn’t necessarily give it a “raisin” taste.
Anyways! Sorry to make Steepster my blog again… don’t I have a blog for that kind of thing? ;)
J’adore my Steepster friends!
A group interview? I’ve never heard of that, but I’m a techie, so I don’t think IT does that. It sounds horrible – how the heck can you tell someone’s skills and personality without a 1 on 1 interview?
We did group interviews for positions as RAs and Orientation Mentors at my school. I suppose the thinking is that it’s faster (lots of applicants, one time slot) and you see how people work with others / in groups. Which can be helpful if you’re interviewing for, well, any job. But they’re harder because you have to fight for attention without making it appear that way.
How many people at once do they have in a group?
This group was about 15-20 – I was expecting maybe 5-10. I think a smaller group would have been a bit more manageable, because you’re so right Michelle – it was just a fight for attention or a fight to stand out. I’m pretty assertive and I’m certainly not shy, but the amount of people in a small room was a bit much. I didn’t want to come across as needy and loud, so I erred on the side of.. well – being myself! So we’ll see what happens of course – it was definitely a new experience for me!
Wow… It sounds overwhelming! Good luck getting the job!
Group interviews aren’t really fair in my opinion. I hope you were able to stand out in a positive light and are called for more of a one-on-one interview! Keep us posted! :)
Thank you! I will – they’ll contact me within the week so that’s good at least! Nothing like being left in the dark, you know? Until then, I’ll just buck up and take the craziness that will be this week of work!
Blog me all you want! I love you guys! We spill our tea guts here! Gets intense sometimes too! It’s a safe place!
Good luck! Sounds like a hard day. Hugs for you. :)
Good luck, Daisy!
A group interview sounds like a really overwhelming idea.
I like your comment “happy crack tea”, I laughed out loud!
haha thank you everyone! I’ll keep you posted.
Yeah I probably scared the awesome DT girl, I ran in and said “I need my crack!” but she understood. She hooked me up. ;)
hugs Honestly we all love hearing about each other’s lives a bit too. Well, at least I do!
I’ve heard LUSH interviews are super scary! I’ve always wanted to work there but it seems pretty intimidating. Glad you got through it..fingers crossed!
“We spill our tea guts here!” We sure do, hahaha! Awesome. :)
It’s so funny how the weather affects people’s lives. No matter where you live around the globe, the one thing we all have in common is weather talk. And it seems we are never happy about it…
It rained everyday here last week. I love, love the rain, but a full week was getting depressing and I complained a little about it. This week, we got 4 days of hot sun in a row, and I couldn’t handle it anymore, I am beyond happy to find miss Rain this morning. Rainy days make my trees lush and pollen free, to quote a friend :-)
So it’s tea day today, cause I want to make up for yesterday.
I wanted to get outside old habits and start my day with something unusual instead of my typical strong black of the morning. I chose one I’ve never drank before, a Japanese Oolong.
This looks like Pouchong Baozhong, the greenest type of oolong. The colour of the dry leaf is beautiful, a nice silver teal.
First steep (using gaiwan) is very interesting. It’s almost a traditional Japanese green tea, vegetal and grassy.
The distinction comes from its floral body, it’s not orchid or lilac like most Chinese or Taiwanese oolong, but a different variety that I can’t really name. The end of the sip is nutmeg, a note I often find in greener oolong.
The second and third steeps are evolving into a sweet and soft mineral taste, it has an almost syrupy texture. Strong florals lingers for a long time after I swallow.
Later steeps bring some sweet cherry notes, I know it sounds silly, and it’s probably the fruit of my imagination (no pun intended) but it reminds me of Bath & Body Works hand cream Japanese Cherry Blossom fragrance. You’re probably going yikes, hand cream, right? What can I say, tea has a strange way of bringing olfactory hallucinations to life :-)
Bottom line, if you like a good Wenshan Baozhong, you will adore this tea.
It was only a sample I purchased from Tealux, but it will be on my shopping list, that’s for sure.
That sounds really good. I’m going to add it to my wish list.
Also, weather talk. It cloudy and dreary looking but quite humid when I went into the grocery store to pick up lunch today. (I love their salad bar. Really reasonably priced at $4.99/lb and full of things that I don’t want to have to buy a whole one of that I like on a salad occasionally, like cauliflower.) When I came back out, it had rained hard and was still sprinkling, but the sun was shining brightly.
Mmmm, cauliflower, I made a cauliflower almond curry last night, so good! Enjoy your salad :-)
I hate cauliflower cooked, but I love it raw. Go figure. But the salad was awesome.
Ooh, this sounds lovely. And MAN, it’s annoyingly hot here. And humid. I’ve got bean salad marinating in the fridge.
Sami, I know it’s easy to say once summer has arrived, but I’ll take minus 20 celsius of cold over any overly hot and humid temperature!
Lol, it’s salad day among Steepterites, enjoy yours! I’m having tomato, basil, pine nuts and fresh mozzarella salad.
I can always put more layers on. There comes a point when I can’t take off any more layers.
Cheri, exactly!!!
Ooooh japanese oolong? How neat!
Completely, completely. There’s only so much you can take off, and if you’re still hot, you’re still hot. Boo. I wilt like an arctic lily.
This sounds really good.
I’m FINALLY trying this one…special thanks to Liberteas for some of her stash! Woot!
My Grandfather’s FAVE two ice cream flavors were Almond Pistachio as well as Maple Walnut! This one reminds me of him. It is VERY much like Pistachio Ice Cream. It’s creamy and nutty and really quite FAB!
Darn Brilliant Flavoring here! Thanks for this blast from the past!
I neeeeeeed to try this.
yes, yes you do. Don’t forget to add Good Morning Sunshine to your cart as well if you haven’t tried it or ask Butiki (Stacy) for a sample :D
I wanted to try this but when I placed my order it was sold out. I also LOVE Pistachio ice cream.
omg pistachio ice cream is my favorite.
Well AmazonV sent me this here tea to “rail against” (hey AmazonV,wink wink) and that’s what I’m gonna do. I just rolled my sleeves up so I can do some good ole’fashioned railing.
…OK she didn’t ACTUALLY direct me to rail against this tea, but rather, after reading my bio saw that I wasn’t prone to drinking flavored teas/blends and so offered me several of them for the opportunity to rail against IF I did in fact dislike one of the selections sent. I should add that I’m probably subconsciously working myself up to saying something less than positive about a tea, not to mention one gifted to me. That aside, on to railing…
Turns out I’m still not there. Though my expectations were not met, there’s still no harsh words to be exhibited for this tea. Lemme start by saying that upon opening the package I was met by a delightful smell…Cracker Jacksish; a mix of caramel,toffee, and molasses. there’s a whiff of something toasty, yet not peanuts or popcorn (I don’t believe anyway).
My mouth was watering during infusion and I was awaiting a strong malty black tea with a rich syrupy sweetness to offset it. I was dissappointed.
Instead, what I found was a faint malt flavor with just enough of the caramel sweetness to keep me from calling it weak. Concerned that I’ve done something wrong I resteeped it cutting the water in half, dropping the temp to just below boiling, and extending the time of infusion. This experiment left me with a gulpable tea that was sweet and had character, thou still didn’t blow me over. I must say,however, that it seems to take the changes well and gained no astringency whatsoever.
tunes-John Lee Hooker=Dark Room/Dimples/Think Twice Before You Go/House Rent Blues/Backstabbers/I’m Bad Like Jesse James.
Sidenote; I love the scene in The Blues Brothers where JLH performs Boom Boom Boom on the street and as it ends JLH mentions that he “wrote this song in the ’fifties”, to which a crowd member argues that he in fact wrote the song and the argument ensues. Good times.
Preparation
I’m always disappointed when we go to a local Memphis-style barbecue place and I don’t hear Boom Boom Boom on their playlist before we go. :)
That’s funny, Boom Boom Boom is the road trip song to the BBQ joint.
My youngest played Shake Your Tail Feather incessantly when she was about two. She likes that soundtrack!
Another nice song list,
Ray is (was) the man, even a two year old can identify that!
Sipdown! 841. Hot/cold-brewed the last of this, and it’s much better this way, IMO. This tea is clearly meant to be cold; it tastes like bubble-gum/fruit punch.
So, guys… I think I may have “slipped a disc” in my back tonight flipping over a table (I wasn’t mad, I just screwed on the legs and was putting it upright!) Any suggestions on what to do? There’s intense pain in my lower back when I try to move, particularly bend down (and the longer I stand, the more my tailbone area starts to hurt too). I managed to take a couple ibuprofen and migrate bedding and my computer down to the couch (my bed’s on the floor, so I’m worried if I lie down I won’t be able to get back up). Currently lying on the couch… :/ This sucks.
Preparation
I really hope it’s not as bad as it sounds! That would be terrible :(
Yeah I was really hoping it wasn’t what it seems to be…. I think it may be a minor case in the spectrum of such things, but there’s still a fair bit of pain :/ And it’s not going away. Sigh.
ibuprofen will take the swelling down. ice as well. try and sleep flat, and if possible don’t try to favour the muscles too much or you’ll make it worse. if you go numb in ‘the saddle area’ (as i was once told, check with a doctor. that said, while i’ve done it, i am not a medical professional. laughing usually helps me?
Use ice on your back, lay either on your stomach with a pillow under your hips, your back with you knees bent up, or on your side with a pillow between your legs. Avoid staying in a bent position because it will make it worse. It should gradually get better over 3 days. If not, seek medical attention. If you do numb in the “saddle area” which is the groin, or lose control of your bowel or bladder you need emergency surgery.
oh dear Lala, you know this drill even better than i do by the sounds of it.
I work in health care. Ha ha. I frequently give this speech.
Thanks guys. Just grabbed an ice pack; no numbness or anything at this point which is good, but I’ll watch for it. I’m upright to eat (really hungry!) but will try the above lying-down methods once I’m finished. Blehhhhh, I didn’t think moving a table was heavy lifting :(
Kittenna it should go without saying that if Lala works in healthcare, listen to her not me!!! LOL. i’ve only ever been the patient, not the consultant.
It not the heavy lifting, its the position that your back was in. You could do this just reaching for a piece of paper. Lift with your knees, not your back :)
Yeah – my roommate text-message-yelled at me for not waiting until she was home to deal with the table :( And she feels bad because she had been nagging me to deal with it (not that I blame her at all.)
JustJames – Don’t worry, I wouldn’t do just anything that was suggested :P I did Google as well, but it’s good to hear from people as well what has personally helped them (or, from someone who deals with these things personally).
Yep, what Lala said! I have a protruding disc and associated muscle issues in my neck that is healing slowly, and OMG the pain can be bad. Definitely take it easy for a good long while, and consider physio if you can find one that does active rehabilitation, to slowly stretch and strengthen.
haha there is a hockey player who has the nickname “Pancakes”…he got it because he once injured his back while eating them.
I occasionally still get back pain especially in my car over speed bumps from a couple years ago, lying down and ibuprofen are best bets then.
on the plus side: look at how many people care about you!
:)
I did this back in November (just moved wrong – no lifting) and was out of commission for over a month! Took two weeks before I could even get off the couch to get to a Dr. Try alternating heat and cold and go to a chiropractor if you don’t feel better in a week.
My sympathy! Hope the pain is manageable and that you recover quickly but having dealt with back injuries twice I know that it may take a while. The first time I hurt myself by falling down the stairs the pain didn’t last very long but I had reduced motion in my back for around a month and a half. The second time was during a training exercise at work It took me about a week to be able to bend again. I had prescription for the pain from my doctor, and I did do acupuncture and chiropractic treatments for the acute injury but what really saved me in the end was deep tissue and hot stone massage. Wishing you the best.
Ring your doctor and ask him if it’s something he wants to see. If you have slipped a disc, you absolutely want it looked at because you can get some pretty serious complications from that sort of stuff.
Yeah, I think I’ll make a doctor’s appt on Monday… ahhh, this is such bad timing for an injury like this!
Feel better :(
Maybe I’m the only person who has had a negative experience with a tea and then avoided all the tea’s like it from that point on. But, I don’t think that’s the case.
I’ll bet you that most of us have a tea or two that we go blech…and that’s it for us. It could have been a Pu-erh, or a Lapsang Souchong, or a Black Tea or Rooibos. Whatever it was we didn’t like that one tea and mercy be, just like a child with cough medicine, I AIN’T GONNA DRINK ANY MORE!
My ’ain’t gonna drink any more’ was Keemun. I had one from a great tea company that curled my hair and my toes and made me shiver in a bad way. BLECH! No thank you please!
Time passed. Tic Toc, Tic Toc, Sun Up and Sun Down.
A little over a week ago, I was looking at Butiki Tea’s and saw the Keemun’s (shiver). I trusted Stacy’s taste in tea. Hum. “I’m no whimp, afraid of a tea. I should give Keemun Tea one more try,” I said to myself. So I ordered this Congou Keemun.
Whatever possessed me? But OK, I could do this.
I made a whole POT of tea, careful NOT to over-steep (3 minutes).
The liquor was dark and savory but sweet smelling without a heavy maltiness.
I opened the lid on the teapot and really smelled the tea full force. Wow! Gravy! Steak and mushrooms! I couldn’t wait to taste the tea!
My first gulp was sweet! That was unexpected! Then tingling, slightly malty, floral flavors rose from the savory base playfully weaving around melding and separating at the finish.
There was smoothness and no astringency in every phase of tasting, and the body of this tea was higher than medium weight(which was best for additions).
I added a bit of sweetening and cream which was not only delightful but the additions didn’t HIDE the flavors in the tea.
As the tea cooled, the floral taste became an almost bergamot flavor.
This experience was nothing like my first Blech Keemun many months ago. This Keemun tasted great!
Stacy and Butiki changed my mind!
The point, try another brand or another type of tea to see if you like it a different way. All Lapsang Souchongs and Pu-erh’s and Keemun’s are not equal. Find someone who you trust or who knows about that type of tea and ask for advice. Try again and see what you think.
I liked this Keemun! It’s complex and has some of the characteristics that I remember loving in wine (yes WINE) when I worked for Fortino’s Winery back in 2003. Savory mushroom and floral notes with levels of flavor that are earthy and bright at the same time. Really nice!
This is a fabulous post, bonnie! I love your descriptions – I feel like I embarked on this journey again!
I will have to try this keemun – mushroom and floral? Sounds absolutely fabulous.
I meant to say with you instead of again. :)
It’s ok Leslie, I do that kind of thing all the time with you and again.
I’m glad you found a Keemun that you like! Keemuns were one of the first teas that I became obsessed with.
I’m not generally a fan of keemuns either. Oh Stacy, you could add this to my order I just placed. ;-)
I had a Keemun or two that really turned me off, then I found some that I LURVED! So I understand what you mean completely.
that was me and the Pu! silly creme de menthe…
I went to the Dammann Frères shop today. I am very disappointed but it’s nothing to do with the tea itself so I won’t say anything here but I will in a note for Dammann Frères place.
This is a very pleasant tea, opening the bag the smell is very very strong, maybe too much ! it’s candy candy candy, over-flavored.
I followed the steep instruction written by the saleswoman on my bag : 80°c and 4,5 min – not sure there are the correct ones- so I’ll give another try with a 90°c as it seems to be more classic for a black blend.
The flavors are really mixed and to me the taste is really like poppy candies. I can pick out marzipan in addition.
I love it but I have a reproach to do with the tea base which is too weak, light bodied.
Now it may be because I didn’t brew the blend at 90°c so I will give another try and amend my note soon.
This is really a pleasant dessert tea anyway, very smooth and mellow.
For my experience with Dammann Frères shop please have a look here : http://steepster.com/places/2733-dammann-freres-paris-ile-de-france
Preparation
I hope it works out for you! if not I guess you could put a little more black tea with it.
yes you’re right Bonnie, I will if the additional steep time is not enough.
80 degrees doesn’t sound right for a black tea… I didn’t realise the strong flower flavour was poppies after all – this is good to know! Lovely review! ♥
I have only a few Dammann Freres teas. I have this one, Osmanthé d’Or, and Charlotte Audi Chocolat. (I hope I spelled all of those right!) I also have a few sales of their teas. They are wonderful, and this one was one of my favorites. I hope you find just the right way to make it so it is most pleasing for you!
Autocorrect changed au to Audi!
Also, on reading your review of the shop – I bought my Dammann Freres tea not from a Dammann shop but a wholesaler of their tea, and I received very similar service! The same thing happened to me, I wanted about 6 different teas and two different assistants worked on it, one of them put away a tea they hadn’t packed yet so I nearly left with 5 instead of the 6 I wanted ): bizarre!
I realize the saleswoman wrote 80° on each of the 3 bags of teas…I will make a 90°c as I normally do for any black tea base and ignore her “advices”.
Ashmanra I bought as well Charlotte au Chocolat and will review it today. Osmanthé d’or seems really nice I think it is a oolong if i remember well.
I found a French website where the Dammann products are distributed and it is possible to buy 50 gr. I sent an email to the owner to know if she can ship to Europe and north America too.
I’ll let you know because if she does for a correct price it can be a good way to taste more teas for the Steepster community as I know the brand is not very present in North America.
Melanchocolate, I think next time I’ll come back on a Sunday at their shop because I really had a warm welcome by the assistant.
However they now have a second shop in Paris I may have a visit as well.
The base for Charlotte au Chocolate was too astringent for me made with 100C. It was not smooth like Coquelicot Gourmand, but when I used cooler water and a shorter steep it was so good and chocolate-y! I am a wimp when it comes to astringency so other people may like it just fine prepared the way they told you. I am surprised it is so hard to get in America. The company was bought by Illy Coffee and they have offices in Texas. They sell a few samplers and such of Dammann teas and they are BEAUTIFUL!
oh my god ! it is sooooo expensive …they sale the loose leaf with the boxes only. In France you can get 100gr of Douchka or jardin bleu for 6 or 7 €. The teas proposed are really few as well.
I know! There is only a small selection, and very expensive. They used to have a beautiful sampler gift set but it was well over $100. The containers and leather cases are just gorgeous, though! My daughter ordered my tea as a gift for me and she had it shipped from Paris to Northern Ireland, and then she picked it up when she was there.
I had efficient but rather dismissive service from Mariage Freres too. I’ve never been to Dammann. Frankly, as much as I’d love to smell my teas first, shopping in person is too much of a gamble and I usually order off the Internet.
What a shame you had such a bad experience – you should drop them an email, I did that once with a perfume brand and somehow got a 50% discount off my next purchase. You never know!
This tea sounds amazing, by the way. The marzipan looks very interesting.
you’re right Ruby Woo Scarlett, I’ll drop them an email at least to mention they can offer a better service and gain more customers if they are more friendly
VariaTEA sent such a generous amount of this! The orange seems to work well with the rooibos base – simultaneously balancing each other so neither is overwhelming, but so they’re both still present. The chocolate flavour is lovely in the background.
Does anyone know the best way to order Fauchon to Canada?
i haven’t figured it out yet courtney…let me know if you figure it out. i ADORE this tea… drinking it atm..
I’m on their website, but to contact them you need to fill in all your details! I suppose I could. I do adore this tea.
I am so glad you are enjoying this. It was good but I am not a chocolate orange lover so this would not have been appreciated if it stayed with me. I am grateful I got to try it though.
gasp
Even their shipping prices within Europe seem outrageous. Sigh. I’m finding so many things I need in Europe now, just weeks after my Swedish friend left for Australia.
This one is in my lineup!
BTW, my son’s best friend Matt married a girl from France that he met online. I still haven’t met her, but I’d love to ask her to pick up some teas when she goes home to visit :)
hahaha dooo eeeet
how about…you guys pay ME to go and i’ll bring it all back…deliver it to your doors ;)
You might want to contact the people at Fouvrac to see if they are carrying any at the moment. There is some Fauchon in their Facebook pictures put not in their menu of teas though they say it is incomplete. The main French lines they have seem to be Betjeman and Barton and kusmi but they do phone orders if they carry it.
https://m.facebook.com/lefouvrac?id=220918191303544&_rdr
yyz, everytime you mention Fouvrac I am so tempted to venture over to the store to check it out.
I WANNA GO TOOOOOOO
I think it might be a bit easier for me to get there. You are welcome to come visit and we can go together :P
Me too, me too!
All are welcome :)
This is WONDERFUL stuff. I grabbed all of mine at Winners, and have yet to find it on their website, or anywhere else that will ship to Canada.
I have a list I want there cherry tea, les classiques, one of their straight black blends two of their greens ( one is meant to taste of lemon macaroons, one with a Yunnan base their smokey jasmine and according to one chat group I read their oolong Paris s’éveille is better than MF wedding imperial.
I also have an ongoing list. I may check the Winner’s handy me tomorrow. There’s also a Holt here.
It’s possible they may appear again at winners last time it seemed it was within a few weeks after the vente privée sale.
I haven’t heard of this sale? I do hope they reappear.
It was the us only online sale listed in miscellaneous sales thread. They seem to be doing it seasonally.
Vents privee didn’t have this…you didn’t miss it lol it was the firsts thing I looked for haha
This is so good…why do I keep falling in love with samples of $100+ cakes I can’t afford :(
That is our way :)
+1 for expensive tastes :P
One day you will afford it, though, right?? :D
If it happens like last time KiwiDelight, they will sell out before I save up. The Guafengzai I was in love with is out of stock weeps for GFZ
it is just learning experience. i cannot drink only pu i can afford.
Hmmm, Christmas bonus?
Maybe I shouldn’t try to rationalize.
This is a very fine tea!
Enabling?
Agreed, love the $$$ stuff as well!
I can find cheap shou that is delicious, but I oh do I love expensive young sheng!
Let’s buy this cake! =D
I DO think I want to put together a group order!
I’ve not yet had the pleasure of tasting Tea Urchin pu’erh. What about this sheng made you fall in love with it?
LooseTman they will make you a set of samples for $30 if you shoot them an email! That’s how I got addicted :) This particular one I really like for its complexity and pleasant bitterness. It also has a wonderful energy. I just feel good when I drink it! My favorite cake from them that is not sold out is the Miles Birthday blend, I’d really really like to get a couple of people to go in on a cake of THAT one with me! :D
$169/357g cake and only 8 left! http://teaurchin.com/miles-2012-spring.html
Yeah, I HAVE to get more of that Miles cake before it sells out…I need at least one other person to go in on it with me though :(
If you really liked their 2012 Guafengzhai, they’re supposedly pressing a Guafengzhai cake this year again.. Should be 200g. Maybe more affordable?
This was one of my favorites too, along with the Lao Man E
Thanks for the tip jschergen!
Doug F I have a sample of that, too, I should revisit it soon :)
It’s been so long since I’ve had any tea!!!!!! After holiday travels to distant lands, battles with various viruses/viri, and a good heaping of “damn those people on Steepster really love their tea and while their love of tea makes Steepster possible it also makes me quite busy,” I just haven’t found myself with a nice warm cuppa in hand in quite some time.
Luckily, my gf saw our feature of 52Teas’ Coconut Cream Pie and knowing how much I love that sh** (even though we just had Strawberry Rhubarb pie) she sneakily got a pouch for us to enjoy. Now on to the tea!
I opened the pouch and was pleased to see plenty of large coconut shavings mixed throughout. The black tea seemed like a pretty good quality, albeit a little on the smaller side (I’m assuming because of the plastic pouch it travels in). What surprised me the most is the very noticeable mint smell coming out of the bag. I read the other reviews of this and nowhere do I see mention of mint, but I get a ton of that…I think it’s a natural part of the coconut (or maybe I’m just coco-nuts) – sorry.
The brew has a nice darkish browny amber-likey color a you definitely get that punch of coconut and that mint thing I mentioned. Sip time :)
Ok, I feel this is more of a coconut tea than a coconut cream pie tea. There are some more subtle cream/dairy undertones that compliment the natural flavor of the black tea, but I’m still feeling like it’s not quite a slice of coconut cream pie. Great coconut flavor though (if you’re into that, def give this a try)! I’m still getting that after-dinner mint-iness a little, which surprises me but isn’t unpleasant.
Overall, a great experience, good flavor, nice to sip. Not quite a coconut cream pie flavor explosion in your mouth, but I see the potential. I’ll definitely be trying this again soon and I will most certainly be attempting their tea latte recipe with this -it’s supposed to deliver the greatest pie flavor you can get. (speaking of that…if a certain someone happens to be reading this and they are planning to stop at the store on the way home, it would be pretty cool of them to pick up 3 (14oz) cans of fat free sweetened condensed milk :)
Preparation
Too funny! When I read the last paragraph I actually said “Ha ha! I love it!” out loud- and the only other “person” home is my dog. Sounds like you need something w/ no or a very quick steeping time. Matcha or Mecha (from Den’s Tea) comes to mind;)
FYI, you only need one can of sweetened condensed milk. Empty it and add three cans full of milk. Otherwise, you are going to be making an awful lot of latte mix.
@Cofftea: I’ve yet to try matcha! I really should jump on it (…kemosabe)
@52Teas: Thanks for the rec. But do you really want to discourage people from drinking vast quantities of your tea? ;)
@Jason: nice attention to detail.
@52Teas: thanks for catching that. :)
haha! i like the shout out to the gf. nice!
@Jason, please do drink vast quantities of our tea, but the recipe we use for the latte mix makes about a half gallon of latte mix. If you made a gallon and a half, it might go bad before you could drink it all. I would hate for you to not enjoy our teas because of spoiled latte mix. :)
Where do I find the recipe for the latte mix???? Someone, please share!
@Laura: does that mean you’re gonna pick some up?
@52Teas: A gallon and a half might be pushing it, so maybe you have a point.
@fcmonroe: Here’s the recipe from their site:
“How to make a fat-free tea latte: Combine 1 can of fat free sweetened condensed milk with 3 cans of skim milk in a saucepan, heat and stir until uniform. Combine resulting mixture with hot tea in equal parts tea and latte. Thank me out loud for sharing our latte recipe.
Leftover latte will keep in the fridge for a few days, allowing you to either reheat, or use to make iced tea lattes, of which, the coconut cream pie flavored black tea iced tea latte is the KING." – note: apparently the recipe makes 1/2 gallon of latte mix FYI
Thank you so much!!! That would give me a good way to use up partial cans of condensed milk.
Firstly, your girlfriend totally gets a +15 for ninja-ing y’all some tea. Secondly, I was totally going to -10 you for the coco-nuts [COME ON] but then I saw the Apache reference and you got a +10 for that…
So I guess you win today, Shredder. [By the way, did you know that Shredder was voiced by Uncle Phil from Fresh Prince? I learned this a couple of days ago and was very much “WHAT?!”]
@Takgoti: several things…
- My gf gets way more than +15 points because not only did she order the tea ninja style (or the korean version of that) and then stop to get the condensed milk, she also waited around while I worked on the new Steepster updates (which i hope you enjoy) and we didn’t even get a chance to make tea lattes!
- I apologized for “coco-nuts” in advance
- However, I still defend my tame pun with the fact that I also included a “sh**”. I have a diverse fan base – gotta get a little something for everyone in there.
- Yes, I did win today. Like all other days. You may call me, The Shredder.
- I actually did know that Uncle Phil voiced the Shredder and it’s sometimes hard to watch the cartoons again with that in mind. But I remain a true fan until the end.
Out
⚀ As a Korean, I think that officially the Korean version of ninja is AWESOME. It’s either that, or Korean popstar Rain, so I’m gonna go with AWESOME. I will have to revisit my little book of points and adjust accordingly.
⚁ I would make another comment about your pun foul, but I’ve made enough bad ones that I can’t really ethically continue at this point.
⚂ Touché, salesman.
⚃ I’m gonna find people to replace their avatars with appropriate TMNT characters, and then we will take you down.
⚄ I still can’t wrap my head completely around it. This has been doing a pretty good job of weirding me out, though. http://uncleshredder.ytmnd.com/
In.
@Takgoti:
1) Yes, we korean-ninjas rock. :p
2) Uncle Phil/Shredder weirded me out too. I can’t take Fresh Prince seriously anymore. …Not that I ever did…?
3) I just read a previous line of postage about you never wanting to be April. I feel your pain (or rather, I did at that age, too). I wanted to be Raph or Leo. Plus, kudos to you for beating the arcade game. :)
@Jason: Nice SHG reference. I love how the songs you get stuck in your head always make them into your steepster posts.
EPIC.
@Laura HOLLA. Also, re: April – I would get so MAD. I so feel for little…us? And beating that game and the Simpsons one are like, major, major triumphs of my childhood. We had a sack of quarters we had found at the bottom of the pool during the summer and a crowd gathered and my friend jumped up onto a table after we bested the Simpsons. It was rather epic, though at the time it just resulted in us nearly getting kicked out of Fuddruckers. WHOO! That was like a nostalgia adrenaline rush.
AND just to bring it full circle, the Apache dance might be my favorite Fresh Prince moment.
A little insight into how truly strange I am – this morning on my way to work my inner Sheldon came out and I started wondering, if Spock drank tea what would he drink? Sad I know. Then I thought, wouldn’t that make a great bit on Big Bang Theory? I can hear them point/counterpointing until agreement was reached. I’ve only seen a few episodes, they may have already had the debate.
My thoughts are he would not drink Earl Grey, or any flavored tea, with the possible exception of Jasmine Dragon Pearls. I would rule out black tea all together. I think he would go green or white. His logical side would be fascinated by complexity. My two choices would be Silver Needle white, or Dragon Well green. He is vegetarian, and while the white tea is subtle and meditative, I lean towards Dragon Well for its heartier layers of vegetal goodness. So in honor of Spock I lift up multiple cups today.
I mentioned this to a co-worker who just turned and walked away. Halfway up the hall he stopped, turned, and said, “I think his mother’s human side would come out and he would just drink Lipton black tea.” Say it isn’t so! Oh, wait do I detect sarcasm? I suspect he wasn’t taking this seriously. I do give him credit for trying to assimilate all aspects of the equation into his reasoning but that is specifically why I made room for the possible inclusion of Jasmine Dragon Pearls. Wasn’t that obvious?
To my fellow geeks that are still with me – this is true for northern hemisphere dwellers, not sure it all applies below the equator. This is for April 2012. Go outside tonight just after the sun goes down. The bright ‘star’ high in the western sky is Venus. Below it near the horizon and much dimmer but still bright is Jupiter. Easily seen even in twilight. As it gets darker turn East and high in the sky, the moderately bright red ‘star’ is Mars. Now turn southwest. The three stars in a row are Orion’s belt. The bright red star above it is Betelgeuse (beetle juice) and below the belt is Rigel. It’s actually a double star. Close to the belt and on the Rigel side is a fuzzy patch that you might interpret as a star. This is the Great Orion Nebula. Later this summer you can see the Andromeda galaxy with your naked eyes. It is bigger than the moon and you have never noticed it because it is fairly dim and doesn’t look like the pictures.
See, I am not just another pretty face. I know stuff.
Wait I thought somewhere I read that Spock DID drink tea – or was that someone else?
Captain Picard drank tea. He liked Earl Grey. Hot.
I went to see the stars at Rocky Mt. National Park last Summer with a gazing group…unfortunately I was almost blind at the time…but my grandkids loved it. 9,000 ft. high and clear with some big telescopes! Now that I can see I want to do it again!!!
@Bonnie, I want to go with you! I have been to star parties where there were 18" diameter scopes. I can’t imagine being out under pristine skies with even our moderate 8" scope. Stupid light pollution.
Excellent and irrefutable logic. (I haven’t noticed yet … if Sheldon drinks tea, what kind does he drink?)
If you own an. iPad, one of my favorite apps is GoSkyWatch. Hold it up to the sky and it tells you what you are looking at, and there are other features as well. I LOVE it!
@gmathis, I have noticed them making tea often on BB. Sorry to say it appears to be bagged Lipton. Amatuer nerds.
I know this post is 2 years old, but I just read it for the first time, & I love it! I’m thinking Spock would be definitely a green tea & raw puerh (the older the better) kind of guy.
I like the way you think. Two years to think on this – he probably would really drink some Vulcan herbal concoction. I just want to believe otherwise.
This is exactly the sort of thing I do sometimes, though I try to think of book characters that certain teas remind me of, as opposed to TV/film. Leads to fun tea reviews that way.
Cool.
I tend to visualize musical ensembles, LOL.
Missing you, K S, as I drink this tea tonight and read your tasting note from so long ago. How is your view of the stars now? Amazing, I bet.
<3
This tea gives and gives! I had this tea cold brewing in the fridge. I’ve been drinking from the pot and just topping it off with more water. I must have had 4 or 5 glasses by now and the leaves are still giving flavor into the water. As a result, my pot of tea is still full! It’s like that magic pot with the unending pasta that floods the whole town with food.
Very nummy tea. I’ve been sort of saving it, but I’d hate for it to go stale and be ruined so I’m drinking some now.
Also, unrelated, but it’s fun so I thought I’d share. I went on a foraging tour this weekend with my family. Lots of fun! If you live in or near NYC or Westchester, I totally recommend going on one of these tours. You learn about the “wild” food growing all around you disguised as weeds! I got a bunch of oyster mushrooms and burdock root! Very tasty!
wildmanstevebrill.com
He even showed us a few plants that would be good as teas with some supposed medicinal value. My friends tell me that I can now be of use during the zombie apocalypse. :D
Wow, we all need that information for the zombie apocalypse! My older kids said they are going to hole up in a Walmart. It has food, water, bathrooms, and guns and knives. But not everyone can get to a Walmart. So we need to be able to identify those shrooms!
Good plan! My first instinct would definitely be a Walmart or Supermarket, but I’ve read too many Stephen King books so I would be afraid of the OTHER people that went there too! haha
Yeah, I was thinking Walmart or Costco, but there’ll be lots of other people there who you will probably have to compete with for food. I’m small and weak! Better to be able to fend for yourself out in there just in case. :D
Absolutely! :D
Wouldn’t the zombies go to Wally world too? I am staying in the country… Not telling you where in case you get turned.
Thanks for the vote of confidence! I’ll definitely look out for you when I get turned. :) Just gotta hunt down the scent of delicious tea brewing! Which I’ll likely be doing anyway…
:) Gentler, kinder, tea drinking zombies. Probably a TV series in there.
We will get gmathis to do the script. She has a zombie bunny for inspiration…
Yep! It’s now guarding our new shed. You know, I really need to name him…
Mercuryhime: I also love your friends’ implication….NOW you will be useful, as if you wouldn’t have been before! I wonder if we could bait the zombies with some Sleepytime or Kava tea? Then, K S, we would truly have gentler, kinder zombies!
Haha. Everyone who knows me knows that I’m pretty much useless. I have no hand eye coordination and can’t run fast or do a pull up. I cant even play zombie shooter games because i find them too scary. My only hope is that stronger people will protect me for my food finding skills. No guarantee they won’t use me as bait in a momens of panic though. Hmm. Gotta work on my aim…
Mercuryhime: gather poisonous mushrooms along with the edible ones. Tell you friends that you will not tell them which is which. They will have to keep you alive or risk death by poison mushrooms. BTW: did you know that many settlers of the American frontier died from eating turtles that had eaten poison mushrooms? Turtles are unaffected. Mention that little factoid with a gleam in your eye, the meet us at Walmart as quickly as you can!
Ashmanra, you are awesome! I didn’t even know turtles ate mushrooms! I did learn that settlers had died from “milk sickness” because their cows were eating a native plant that didn’t affect the cows but sent a poison to the milk which killed people. They couldn’t figure out why sometimes milk was poison and sometimes not. Witchcraft! Or white snake root. :)
Walmart fortress!
Mercuryhime, in an attempt to redeem myself and more importantly to help you survive the apocalypse – http://www.ehow.com/how_2086530_destroy-zombie.html
Thanks KS! I dont think you need redemption but I appreciate the sentiment. :) fun link! I actually received a zombie survival handbook or something for Xmas last year. It was a best seller I think. It will undoubtedly become my bible.
Spring 2020 Harvest supposedly.
For breakfast I had a slice of toast, with butter and pineapple coconut jam. Now, I only bring this up because if I didn’t know better I would think that some of that butter and jam slipped into my cup while I wasn’t looking!
This oolong is relatively buttery, floral, extremely tropical (tangy pineapple, coconut), with a pleasant jam-like sweetness. Like my pineapple coconut jam, which contains a hint of rum, this also has a faint, subtle “bitter-sugar,” flowery undercurrent that adds depth to this first steep. It reminds me of sarsaparilla (vanilla, licorice, green note, etc.) or just straight up bitter vanilla. This vanilla quality softens to a silky fineness in my third steep; the tropical, butter, and floral notes are well balanced here. It’s my favourite cup so far.
This oolong is almost perfect for me, although I do prefer more butter, and less tangy flowers. Still, it tastes like Hawaii in a cup – or maybe it’s fairer to say it’s Taiwan in a cup (there’s a lot of subtropical and tropical goodness in Taiwan too)!
Steep Count: 5 @1 minute each, western style.
Next time I will try it gongfu or grandpa style. My gaiwan hasn’t seen use in years but this tea makes me think it’s time!
Flavors: Butter, Coconut, Floral, Jam, Melon, Pineapple, Sarsaparilla, Tropical, Vanilla
Preparation
Nice! When their Shibi oolong is good, it’s really good!
I think this is my first time trying a Shibi oolong in general; is it normally so tropical? Oolong harvests are fickle but this sample guarantees I’ll keep TTC and this tea in particular on my radar. :)
Some Shibi harvests are really tropical, while others are just nice and floral. There’s no rhyme or reason as to which is which. I’ve found TTC’s other Shan Lin Xi oolongs to be decent but not as good as the Shibi.
That flavor profile sounds absolutely delicious! I bet this one would be delicious as an iced tea too.
@CrowKettle Shibi is my favorite TTC high mountain tea. And yes it generally has a floral-tropical flavor. I would recommend gongfu brewing it as the western steeping might intensify certain flavors.
Thanks for the advice, LuckyMe! I can see why this is a favourite. Besides this, I didn’t order green oolong samples from TTC this time around. From what you and Leafhopper wrote, it looks like I went with the right one though! :)
@teaqueen, that’s an interesting idea too. If there isn’t enough left over for that I’ll just have to order more…
That Longfengxia High Mountain Winter Oolong Tea looks amazing too..I may need to order again. For the oolong.
Pineapple coconut jam what what what?
Yep, that Shibi oolong is really good. :) I’d definitely pick up some samples of TTC’s green oolongs, though I think the Shibi is the best one. I’ve also heard good things about their Yuchi black tea, though the Assam I had from them a while ago was just okay.
@tea-sipper, this is my painfully sweet spread, which I bought at a T&T Supermarket (a YVR/Canadian thing). I don’t see this particular brand from the Philippines available online anywhere, but there are probably others:
@Leafhopper the main bulk of my TTC was Assam and random High Mountain black teas. So far they are decent, but do not grab my attention as much as the Shibi!
That’s good to know. I was thinking about buying some more black teas from them when we Canadians can finally get things from Taiwan again (whenever that is). What’s a good vendor for Taiwanese black tea?
@leafhopper – you can order from TTC; a few of us made some orders and received them last week
Sil, is TTC letting you use the $60 free shipping, or is it still DHL only?
it was 60$ free shipping but they sent it via dhl, no additional fees for any of us when it came
Yep, I second Sil. No extra costs! Shipping experience with TTC was good.
Wow! I now regret not taking advantage of the sale. This is good information for the future. Were you charged customs fees?
Nope! No custom fees :)
That’s encouraging. :)
I woke up reluctantly at 6:30 am (which is early for me).
Little Terri was talking about the new tattoo she wants.
Theresa (the office lady, business manager, bitch…oops, did I say that?) was talking about bills, taxes, & getting organized. That’s all she ever talks about.
I turned on Pandora’s “calm meditation” channel & did yoga. That’s the only way to get them to be quiet.
Laoshan Black, you are wonderful.
“Have I told you lately that I love you?”
oooh, new tattoo!
We love our tattoos! :D
Of course, we don’t really have the funds to get one right now, since we keep spending our money on tea…
a net tat?! do tell!
I have a butterfly on my right hand, by the thumb & first finger, flying towards my wrist, kind of old style romantic, black with turquoise shading. You can see it on my FB pic a little, & I’d like another one on the left hand, but not the same as the one on the right. Maybe more of a Mendhi or tribal style…still not sure…still looking…sigh…I also want to do more on my right arm…and…
I meant *new tat. ha.
I have one on my left hip. A tree of life. Took me forever to figure out what I wanted, but then when I did, it just clicked and I KNEW that was it. So I really want another one but feel like I should wait until the inspiration strikes.
Your butterfly sounds beautiful!!
Thanks! I knew what you meant, :D
I have 2 others, both on my left arm. One is a symbol I drew while I was meditating once, then I have another butterfly (I love butterflies, LOL) on that shoulder.
I have some cats on my right back/shoulder, a shower of stars over the rest of my back (25 stars of various sizes and shadings) and 4 cats paws on my neck/shoulder on the right side, all in black and white. Mt next will be a coloured maple leaf but I don’t know where I want to put it yet.
The Tree of life sounds awesome, I love the shower of stars idea.
I love tattoos!! I want so many..sigh…all in good time…
thanks! :)
I know, me to. I want them ALL lol
This sounds like a lovely tea.
IndigoBloom…love your nick.
Aww thanks CelebriTea! Indigo is my favourite colour :P
The way you put Indigo and Bloom together is ingenious :-)
celebritea…you haven’t tried it yet? if you’re placing a verdant order this weekend, i recommend picking some up if you like black teas…or asking verdant pretty please to give you a sample. it’s delicious.
Or I can send you a sample :)
haha terri – i was going to go that route too but until the black friday spend craze is over i figure there’s a good chance ppl are buying a few things. :)
It will be Tuesday before I can order, but I will order
a small amount of this.
Sil
Uh…thanks to you, I just went nuts on the verdant website.
BUT I didn’t see Sichuan Caravan…
it’s not up yet silly…nor are the other blends… i’m just waiting… waiting…
Is it suppose to be up this weekend?
Taking a nice 10 minute break before I go back to the craziness! I picked up a really fantastic pumpkin scone this morning. This is delicious and has the perfect amount of pumpkin and spice and goes perfect with the Crimson Horizon. Crimson Horizon is my go to tea when I’m feeling exhausted and I don’t want guayusa. It gives me some extra zip.
Looks like we should have all of last Monday’s orders out by the end of tomorrow! Woot! That’s 2 days ahead of what I anticipated. I’m hoping this week and next will be moving much faster since we should have more help and I’m hoping that by the end of next Friday that we catch up to 1-2 day processing times. That would be great and would give me some time to work on the new blends.
Way to go!
Super important scone business question: Where did you get the pumpkin scone? XD
Thanks, Cheri! :)
TeaPet-Too far for you, but I picked it up at Grindcore Coffee House in Philly. It’s an all vegan punky coffee shop.
Aw rats… I was hoping it was from a small chain or something similar… Sankyu though!
mmmmmm….crimson horizon…. wonderful choice any day. :)
I am glad you liked this one. It will be added to my order.
Add just a touch of sugar. It will be even more amazing.
Yum!
Kaylee – next time! Hahaha
So good….so so good.
I’m gonna have to grab an oz of I think… I can’t wait to see what the sales are.
We should all talk before Friday.
Agreed :)
“unless you hate chocolate & strawberries…”
right…NOT!
:D