Popular Tasting Notes
Not Unlike Ricky (in his review of this tea) I was feeling a little experimental today. First I must say I was born and raised here in Texas. Home of the best BBQ in the whole WORLD (okay I know that’s debatable) but this is my review so WE DO HAVE THE BEST BBQ IN THE WHOLE WORLD!
Anyway more important than BBQ on to the tea, I opened the package and was hit in the nose by smoke STRONG smoke (again I know smoke) and I thought Wow Angie, this is either going to go really good or really bad and I hoping for really good.
I finally take a sip and before My mouth hits the cup I smell strong smoke again. I was surprised the taste isn’t bad. I would compare it to liquid smoke but not in a bad way because if someone told me this tea is good it tastes like liquid smoke I’d go okay I’ll think I’ll have some oolong instead please. :) It is more liquid smokeseque not true hard core, intense liquid smoke but just a hint.
It’s a nice tea I wish I would have tried this in the winter when I probably would have enjoyed it more but hey I can always place an order in winter. It’s not a bad tea not an everyday thing but it’s actually kinda good.
Preparation
A friend of mine just came back from Peru and visited me this afternoon. He’s not really a tea drinker, but he loves when I prepare it for him. He likes the set ups, the teaware, and thinks I’m some king of tea prodigy, haha!
He doesn’t always like the tea though…especially when I try so desperately to make him like pu’erh, telling him it tastes like forest and chocolate. It always ends up tasting like “pu poo” to him. Oops. Sorry friend. I get over enthusiastic sometimes.
Today, I took it easy on him and prepared my favourite high mountain green oolong. To me, this tea is better than any Ali Shan or Tie Guan Yin I’ve had.
It’s beautifully crafted, and the leaves unfurl to perfection, looking like seaweeds.
The taste is ethereal. Floral, but not in a flower bomb mouth kind of way. It has a buttery creaminess to it that creates a sweet and silky mouthfeel. Perfectly balanced.
The minerals are intensified by the clay pot. It’s just such a lovely tea.
It’s spicy and minty at the same time. Nutmeg and spearmint.
He loved it, yay, victory!
Before leaving, he presented a gift to me. Said he was sorry not to have searched for tea to bring back for me. Instead, he brought a very special present that symbolizes friendship. A Peruvian sterling silver ring. It took my breath away. I will wear that ring with so much pride. Friendship is so precious…
Pics of the tea session…(and the ring)
Oooh, that ring is gorgeous! :D
I love it!
Awwww!
Oh that was so sweet of him!
Thank you…I really like it :-)
super ring!
Cool. Love pics as usual;)
That’s awesome. Happy that you had a nice afternoon with your friend.
Thanks guys…I feel very lucky.
You are a tea king prodigy, rather accurate!
Haha! Cwyn, I just noticed my typo! Lol, I make quite a girly king :-)
Well I interpreted it as a double pun on Tea King puerh cakes! :) rather clever!
Haha! Totally unintentional so I won’t take any credit for it :-)
Gosh, I think I botched this pot. Bit strong…
Anyway, I think I just had an epiphany of sorts. Does ‘Hong Cha’ mean ‘black tea’? Or rather, ‘red tea’ given the Chinese denominations?
If yes, can I always count on the word ‘Hong’ referring to the type, or is it only if it’s combined with ‘Cha’?
Where’s Momo and her google-fu? She was totally on top of it when I wanted to know whether “Mi” (as in, Mi Xian Black and… Mi Lan Dancong Black?) meant honey or somesuch.
Someone should compile a Chinese glossary of some sort! That would be cool.
I really have no idea how Chinese works but hong does mean red, but I have no idea about how to use it. It looks like just talking about red by itself is “hong se” but at least with cha, it’s just “hong.”
I really wanted to know about mi …because I was confused and forgot the first panda cub born here was Mei and not Mi. Still was useful!
Hei cha means black tea is my understanding from my video tea group.
My Mandarin is really, really rusty, but I think I still remember enough of it and some very basic tea culture to add here. If not, I could always just call up my parents (they emigrated from China to the US).
(Totally random, mildly irrelevant blurb below)
Chinese has a lot of dialects, the most commonly spoken and shared one being Mandarin (the other one is Cantonese). Mandarin has four tones, so one syllable spoken in one tone can have a completely different meaning when it’s spoken with another tone.
The Chinese refer to what we call black tea as “hong cha”, because the liquid looks kind of dark reddish when steeped. Black tea, or “hei cha” (my pinyin is also horribly rusty, so I might be spelling it wrong there) can be used to refer to the category of fermented teas (pu-erh falls under this).
Honey is “feng mi”, if I recall. I have no idea what “Mi Xian” is in the context of tea. I know of it as a type of noodle dish from some province (Yunnan, I think?).
I knew cha. So when I see ‘hong cha’ as part of the name I can be relatively certain of the type then, but with some room for exceptions? That’s worth remembering.
As I understand it, Mandarin and Cantonese sound like almost two completely different languages and a person speaking one may not necessarily be able to understand the other. Is the writing the same though? Or do we have to pay attention with the pinyin that it might be one or the other? I’m trying not to jump to conclusions here.
As for mi, perhaps on its own it has something to do with sweetness in general, and then whatever it’s combined with tells you what sort of sweetness?
(Sometimes I start to wonder if the easiest thing isn’t just to take an evening class in Chinese For Beginners or something…)
Chinese tea dictionary, type in your chinese phrase (pinyin included) and it will give you a translation! I used it a lot when I was in China.
http://babelcarp.org/babelcarp/
Though sometimes it does come up short, for instance when it can’t find “Mi”! But you can see that “Mi Xiang” means literally honey fragrant.
And I am pretty certain if it a tea is labeled Hong Cha that it is always “red tea”, or as westerners would say, black tea. In China if you order “black tea” (in english translation), you get a cup of puerh (I know because it happened to me)!
Yeah, you can be pretty certain that tea labelled as ‘hong cha’ in China would be a type of black tea.
Pinyin is used for Mandarin Chinese romanization only. Cantonese romanization uses something else.
And yes, Mandarin and Cantonese are very different from each other. Cantonese has more tones than Mandarin. I’ve always been under the impression that they’re mutually unintelligible, but one of my friends who speaks Cantonese at home but knows little Mandarin says she can sometimes figure out a conversation in Mandarin by using Cantonese to help. My dad once mentioned that he had difficulties trying to assist an elderly Cantonese lady many years ago, since neither of them could understand each other. I guess it depends on how familiar a Cantonese speaker is with Mandarin. From my experience and questions to/observations of friends and family members, it definitely doesn’t work the other way around (Mandarin speaker trying to understand Cantonese without any formal training).
Mandarin Chinese is the lingua franca for both verbal and written communication in China (there are a ridiculous number of Chinese dialects, and many of them are mutually unintelligible or only moderately intelligible with one another. It’s pretty fascinating.). There’s a form of written Cantonese, with a different grammar structure than Mandarin. Other than that, I don’t know much about it. I’m sure the characters are a little different as well.
Frank had me at cute kitten! :D Just look at that adorable little kitten with his paw in the air, awwwwww!!! I simply love this image. The sun is a lemon and the clouds are marshmallows and then there’s the cutest kitten I’ve ever seen reaching out towards me saying (now you have to imitate a little kitten voice to get the full effect), “Please! Buy this tea!” Awww, I won’t let you down cute kitten! You’re coming home with me!
I promptly opened the package as soon as it arrived and turned on the kettle. Hey, I gotta’ make the little bugger feel welcome! The dry leaf aroma is potently lemon, quickly followed by marshmallow. It smells like those lemon bars with powdered sugar on top. No, it smells like that iced lemon pound cake from Starbucks! Whoa, I’m getting a slight headache from these insanely fragrant leaves. Warning: I think you can get high off sniffing this stuff.
Time to brew it up! The dominant aroma in the brewed tea is lemon followed by green tea and finally, there’s the marshmallow root. It shows up last and still closely resembles icing. I’ve never had a Yun Wu tea before, but I’m excited to try it now!
First taste…lemon and then a lovely green tea like I’ve never tasted before! Wow, it’s heavenly! The aftertaste is slightly vegetal and grassy, but not too grassy. It just screams, “I am a high quality tea!” Man, this tea sure is talkative. And the kitten seems to be getting along nicely with Mr. Frodo. (No, I’m kidding. The tea didn’t actually come with a live kitten).
Back to the tea: this lemon, icing, green tea confection is blowing my mind! I’m getting creamy, I’m getting buttery, I’m getting cakey! Then up comes that grassy aftertaste, and I’m getting green tea! Oh man. I didn’t think I was going to fall in love with this given the fairly simple ingredients. Then again, I think it was love at first sight with that kitten, so I really shouldn’t have doubted. This stuff is almost as magical as the Butterbeer tea! GASP! Yep, I said it! This tea is amazing!
And let me just say, I’m soooo happy that Frank used a high quality Chinese green tea base here and not sencha. Sencha is all fine and good, but this is glorious! Plus, it’s fun to try something new and different and this does not disappoint. To any of you doubters out there, just do it! Buy it! Try it! It’s incredible! You will love it!
Preparation
Yum!
The package scares me a little, but I am sure I will love this…
How is it scary??! It’s adorable!!!! It’s not like he put kitty in the blend, hahaha! :P
It’s almost TOO cute…
Lemon pound cake?! I totally ordered this for the kitten, now I’m ridiculously excited.
wow, this sounds so tasty! And adorable! If my cupboard wasn’t already bursting at the seams… There are so many blends from 52 Teas that I want right now. :(
Well DANG just DANG now I have to get this WHY didn’t I get this when I placed that order today? WHY? And how did you get this SO FAST its like he JUST released this one LOL omg I have to get this NAOW! MEOW!
Thanks for the thorough review. I’m so glad you like it. I should say, I was looking for images of marshmallows when I stumbled across the kitten and thought it was too adorable to not try to use it. I put the label together and laughed out loud at how ludicrous it was. I was not actually planning to use it. I thought it was just too silly. But I showed it to my wife anyway, and she said, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.” Of course, being a man, that decided it. I had to use it for the label.
The Yun Wu is a PREMIUM tea. In retrospect, I probably SHOULD have released this as one of our VIT blends and tacked a few extra dollars on the price, but I enjoy providing value to our customers and giving them something really unique now and then. Just know, this tea is not only delicious and adorable, it’s a good bargain. =)
argh, I might have to buy this too…
Hahaha, Nice story Frank :)
Now I wish I bought this one after all, damn you actual moment of self-control!
Enticing review, and kudos to you Frank for going with a ludicrous, ludicrously CUTE that is, label.
Resteeped the leaves this morning and it’s still ultra delicious!! I’m definitely getting a VIT feel from this, but thanks for making it a bargain, and a cute bargain at that! ;)
I am officially, certifiably crazy. I tried this about a year ago, and it’s been one of the VERY few (only?) teas I couldn’t even get past the 1st sip. But I’ve decided to get back into pu erhs again, and I’ve already had major success w/ Numi’s bagged version of their chocolate pu erh. I decided to use some of the frequent cup points I’ve banked to buy this and their pu erh poe so if I don’t like it, I only paid $0.75 to top off shipping. Now since I bought both and already hated this one once, you’d think I’d try the other one 1st. But nope. I want to conquer my fears.
It’s the middle of winter, so the tins were VERY cold. I smelled it right away and was shocked. Last time, the aroma of the raw leaves were that of a septic tank leak and almost made me vomit. But this time, they are much more faint. While there is the deep, complex aroma typical of black teas w/ a hint of earthiness and maybe even a touch of fecality, it’s nothing like I remember.
The preparation is also vastly different this time. Last time I steeped 1tsp (1.88g) in 6oz boiling water for 5 min. This time I went to Carolyn for advice. She suggested using 1g per 1oz water (I made a 4oz cuppa), rinsing the leaves in boiling water for 15sec, then doing a 20sec 1st steep. The only deviation I made from this was that I just just below boiling water for both the rising and the steeping because I wanted to preserve the health benefits.
I’m shocked at how dark the rinsing liquid gets… I almost cry as I dump it. But if adding this step is necessary for authentic preparation and a better cuppa, then that’s what I’ll do.
The 1st infusion is also very dark. Coffeeish. The aroma is like a lot of black teas: deep, complex, and earthy. I take a sip praying my gag reflex won’t kick in. And I’m pleasantly surprised. While it is deep, complex, and earthy just like the aroma… it does not taste like my worst enemy shoved me face 1st into a cow pie!
I am not a black tea person per se, but I am fairly certain that a person who is and prepares this tea using Carolyn’s recommendations will be quite satisfied.
Preparation
just a comment that pu-erh is not black tea, its as black as it is oolong. its a fermented tea and a category of its own
Yep, I actually just learned that. Sorry if my post made it seem like I thought it was- I was just comparing it to a black tea.
2nd infusion, 20 sec like last time @ the suggestion of Carolyn. Sometimes it’s hard to compare liquors from one infusion to the next, and this is one of those times. I do know it’s still very dark. The nose has a slightly more fecal point to it, but luckily the taste does not. Maybe even less than the 1st.
3rd infusion, 20 sec again. The only difference is the slight fecal point to the nose is all but gone.
I have a Pu Erh cake I got from Ocean of Tea that’s equally as “complex” on every brew.
4th infusion, still 20 sec. More reddish liquor this time and sweeter taste. My favorite infusion so far.
5th infusion, 20 sec. Nearly identical liquor and flavor as infusion number 4.
That pu-erh lasts for soooo many infusions doesn’t it? I am really loving pu-erhs and that rich color. I am always surprised when I infuse again and that color is instantly dark like that. (On a side note, my hair stylist always knows me because I told her I wanted to go dark and she colored my hair a deep brown with red tones in it, I swear it looks like my cup of pu-erh! And she doesn’t even know about the tea!)
6th infusion, 20 sec. Ditto on earlier infusions.
7th infusion, 20 sec. The fecal nose is back, but very light. It isn’t evident in the taste though- it’s still very sweet.
8th infusion, wait for it… 20 sec. No change.
So glad that you were able to try it again! 8 infusions is a lot!
Not compared to a lot of teas I drink, but w/ others I always increase the steeping time. This one, while having a short steeping time, also uses a lot of leaf.
Glad you liked it! I don’t know that I would have been brave enough to try it again, so good for you!
It is fascinating how different each puerh steeping is. It is a very complex tea.
@Carolyn, actually I’m finding them very a like. What surpises me is that even though I haven’t increased the steeping time, it hasn’t gotten weaker.
9th infusion, 20 sec. As much as I love it’s durability, I’m getting really sick of this- dumping the leaves and calling it a nite.
You mustn’t give up!
I’m sick of it so I don’t want to waste tea or my time drinking tea I don’t enjoy anymore. And there’s so much leaf (4g) that I’m afraid it’d rot being wet in my ingenuiTEA all nite.
Nice post and way to go enjoying the puerh.
Thank you for the detailed steeping notes! I didn’t want to follow the “212 degrees, 5min” posted on the tin, so I came to Steepster hoping for a more thoughtful approach – yours (via Carolyn, I suppose) is perfect!
NOOO… that steeping suggestion is a bad one! What’s wrong w/ Adagio?
Adagio has a generic “Black Tea” label with those instructions :( Apparently they consider Pu-erh black.
Unfortunately a lot of companies do. Their steeping time on their whites and Japanese greens are way off too. I even like most of their oolongs at 3 min over their suggested 5.
~~TMI Alert *~~*~
The past week or so, I’ve been having digestive issues. Nothing too awful, but I’ve been constipated and my stomach hasn’t been in tip top shape. I’m worried I might have IBS, although I don’t know for sure, so I’m following the symptoms of an IBS diet. I really don’t have much of an appetite either, which I guess is a good thing, in some ways.
I normally eat fairly well, but I’m trying to even further refine my eating habits to see if that helps matters. So for the past couple days, I’ve been eating a vegan, high-fiber, high-probiotic diet. I’ve read a lot of conflicting info about what you’re supposed to eat/drink with IBS, but several things have suggested laying off caffeine, so I’m going to give that a try even though it means giving up my green tea and matcha for a little bit. Thankfully I don’t have to give up ALL tea, though. In its place, I’ve been drinking herbal blends of mint, ginger, and/or both. I’m also trying to drink at least one bottle of Kombucha a day. I used to not be able to stand the stuff, but now I can at least tolerate it. It’s not that bad.
I had this tea last night when I went out to a vegan restaurant. I had some pecan-crusted eggplant, which is read is very good since it’s high in fiber. We were only there for an hour, but I drank a LOT of tea. So much so, that I had to go to the bathroom 3 times, LOL. The tea was nice. I mean, it’s peppermint. Nothing too offending.
Anyway, I don’t know what’s going on with my body. Like I said, it’s not major issues, but it is uncomfortable, and the constant feeling of being “bloated” is really messing with my appetite. But on the plus side, I always wanted to try out a vegan diet, so this is my chance I suppose ;) .. Of course, with thanksgiving right around the corner I’m not sure if I’ll be able to maintain, but I will do my best. If my lack of appetite persists, I probably won’t be tempted to eat too much meat.
As a side note, if anyone has any advice on what’s worked for them, feel free to comment below or PM me. I’m definitely open at this point to anything that could help with relief :)
I’m dealing with this, too! PM me! We can chat – or if you have gmail/gchat let me know (I’m near vegan now because of it! Aren’t you vegan…can’t remember…I’ll click on your profile!) Hope things improve for you soon! I feel for ya!
Yup! I re-read that and you are :) Thought so!
Hey, sent you a PM. I’m actually NOT vegan. Unless you count the past couple of days – LOL. But I do eat a LOT of vegetables and don’t make meat the focus of my meals.
Ah! Ok! Gotchya! I’m check out your PM and drop you a note!
I hope you are able to find out the cause, get better, and get back to drinking tea!
I thought I had IBS for years and what I really had was the beginning of some food allergies. I had NO idea! My intestines(and bowel)were always in a knot! It took a long time to figure out and get to the point where I could grasp what was causing the problem. When I noticed that every time I ate BEAN products I got worse, I looked that up online and found out it was the Nightshade family of foods. Next was POTATO. If I don’t eat these foods, I’m fine. Keeping a calendar of when you feel bad and what you ate is key in being a detective. If I eat one of these foods, I get very, very sick now…!
I think Bonnie is on the right track. I had a lot of tummy issues for a long time until I cut out gluten. Trying an elimination diet might be a good idea, along with getting some basic food allergy tests done by the doc.
Two of my family members are gluten intolerant so I started trying the diet for a few months after the onset of IBS symptoms. No change, but then I realized really rich, fibrous foods were the culprit, which was weird because they were healthy and natural! I went off things like really leafy greens for a few months and started easing back into them. Salads were the biggest issue and I read that other people have similar problems with fibrous foods. After that, I still had minor problems and realized that fried foods and overeating
Oops, double post sorry. I stink at typing on my phone. Continued…..
Overeating was also an issue. And I mean ‘slight’ overeating, not much at all. So now I just eat a cup of food or so at a time and each a bunch of small meals a day, I feel so much better! I don’t ever get to the point of feeling full, just content, and my stomach is much better! I lost 30 lbs in 1.5 months from all the stuff…so I really hope you get things figured out soon!
Mine is all dairy related :(
I deleted dairy from my diet and have lost 20 pounds in 3 months :) AND more importantly feel great and can digest the food I do eat awesomely for the first time in my life :)
That’s awesome TeaEqualsBliss! I can handle fermented dairy or hard cheese but not milk and soft cheeses. It’s amazing the effect food has on our bodies, and we are all so different!
So TRUE, Claire!!!
Digestive enzymes or probiotics might help.
airport tea! thank you teafairy for making this delicious blend! have to go! be back soon lol
Holy crap. So I brewed this one up tonight, and was instantly in love. Chocolate, intensifying the natural notes of the Laoshan Black, plus toasty rice flavour. Seriously guys, I’m sure the second cup won’t be quite as amazing, but I was completely floored when I tried this (and I wasn’t expecting to be). I had a second infusion as well, and the flavour definitely changed… almost a caramelly/toffee flavour was what I was picking up. Divine. And the leaves still smell quite chocolatey, so round 3 will be tomorrow. I may re-stock this tea instead of the straight Laoshan Black, yes, that’s how delicious it was.
ETA: Round three was steeped for quite a while (probably more than 5 minutes) and is mostly kind of burny-toasty. Hint of caramel flavour, which grows in the aftertaste. Leaves didn’t have much aroma after this infusion, so I stopped. I’m pretty sure I’ll have some more of this tonight… just to see if I can repeat the deliciousness :)
Preparation
Hmm. I’ll have to try the blend. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! ;)
Yeaaaah, it was crazy delicious. It was nice to drink a tea that didn’t taste flavoured :D
Guess I’ll be digging this one out tomorrow!
ooooh, I will have to get some!
This is one of my new favorites for sure. Next verdant order I’ll be stocking up. Never want to run out!
This one does sound amazing :-)
I hope this is still available.
This is pretty darn tasty for a herbal. How do I know? My 6-year-old asked if he could have a sip, and then another, and then, “How many more sips can I have?” I told him to have as many as he wanted. He asked if it was special juice, and I said no. He replied, “Well then Mommy, it’s a special golden tea, and if you drink it as much as I do, your eyes will see better!”
Yep, that’s some pretty special tea alright.
Preparation
Too cute:)
Awww, that’s so cute.
aww…does he like other stuff like oolong or puer?
He’s a huge fan of Tea Desire’s Caramel Pu-erh, of course. :) We have zero oolong in the house though, just because I seem to get really nauseous almost instantly from it.
kids can be so cute!
(SHERLOCK SPOILERS OMG YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)
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Did you? DID YOU MISS ME? DID YOU?!?!?!
So I sorta found this tea right after I watched the Sherlock 3 finale. As in, I was browsing the Adagio site like 2 days after. I didn’t stand a chance. I wanted it.
This blend is much better than I expected. It says GINGERx3. I usually only want GINGERx1. And there’s all these sour parts but it works. It’s not obnoxiously strong. Strangely enough, it’s almost endearing. The cinnamon adds a bit of charm to the mix, while the chai complicates everything. Smoldering, dark, brilliant…
And, with all that ginger in it, this tea lingers long after the last sip.
DID YOU MISS ME?
(this tea doesn’t give you a chance to)
Preparation
I just had a cup of the Moriarty blend, and holy ginger! I can’t even imagine what GINGERx3 would be like! O.o I do love the idea of the fandom blends though :)
That was quite a final episode wasn’t it? :)
I think the ginger in this was toned down because of the recommended low temperature/short steep time. I could enjoy it! (And that was unexpected).
And that last episode was so good! I was on live-tweeting it to… well myself mostly, and I just couldn’t help but exclaim at EVERYTHING. Like Mary? WTF? And the whole mind palace scene; there’s Molly being awesome and trying to smarten Sherlock up and he has his dog and… Moriarty is chained up? And he can’t bear to think about John because it was MARY that shot him and everything is twisted around… It was such a great scene. And Magnusson was such a terrible person that you instantly hated. Well done.
I just really want to know what’s going on with Mary. I’m very protective of John (and Sherlock). :| Especially because it doesn’t really make sense that she was not trying to kill Sherlock when she shot him because he really nearly died!
I AM looking forward to a year (hopefully not too much more) of fic fleshing everything out and exploring all the angles.
And yes. What’s going on with Moriarty? I just assumed it was a set up that Sherlock’s new buddy (forgot his name, the drug addict guy?) set up as a way to get Sherlock off the hook, but that seems too easy…
Eee!!! Ginger! Also, live-tweeting to me. LOL. I still haven’t watched it. I feel like a terrible fan.
Hahah. I tried not to be spoil anything with my tweets – there was just a lot of emotin and surprise!
And nope. Not a terrible fan. There’s all sorts of reasons to hesistate before finishing the last available episode of any series. I stalled for 6 months on Doctor Who…
I just stalled out part way into the second episode because Sherlock was being SUCH a jerk! I’ve heard the last episode is better, but do you think I could skip the second?
i keep reading and re-reading what OMGsrsly just wrote, but, i just can’t seem to understand the sentence…
Shmiracles, Jeremy Brett is the Sherlock Holmes of my heart. New Sherlock is verging on abusive.
oh snap i totally get it i luv Granada too! (and remember when jude law showed up in that one ep? i made everyone in my house witness it haha) but sherlock is always kinda, well, verging on arrogant at times isn’t he? and John is so stubborn and admittedly has weird boundaries when it comes to sherlock and at the same time he’s a total BAMF and can totes take care of himself. so ya know, big boys playing rough. but i also have SO MUCH faith in the writers so i always assume that if i’m uncomfortable there’s a good reason.
i also realized i’m assuming you mean ep 3.2? but maybe you mean 1.2?
but if you do mean 3.2 then keep watching! cuz there are some amazingly moving scenes in that one between Sherl & John. definitely.
but none of this matters!
because there is a Sherlock for everyone. and you’ve found yours! and Jeremy Brett is so SO beautiful. (when i was watching the series i would literally pause netflix just so i could open it on my phone and take screenshots shhhh.) (did you happen to read any of the books about him? i’ve always been curious…)
I mean 3.2! I want to watch it. Want want want. But yeah… swoon Jeremy Brett. I haven’t read any books about him, but I did some cursory internet research at one point. I need to start reading more than just fanfic again. Maybe. :)
Damn, I need to get a bigger HD for my computer so I can more easily watch my old shows. Right now I have to transfer them one by one from my ooooold external HD.
Cavocorax, I totally agree with the confusion over Mary shooting Sherlock. He actually did die. The doctors were cleaning up shop cause they gave up on him and then his eyes opened again cause John. OMG. I think my heart stopped for that whole part from shot to eyes opening.
Anyway, if she didn’t mean to kill him, she could have done something different. I mean…she just basically wanted to buy time to convince him not to tell John her secret…without killing him? She must realize it’s inevitable considering how close they are so…was shooting him really necessary?
I do believe she would never hurt John physically, but will she continue to lie to him to protect him from the worst of her past? Sherlock was worth killing once, will she think so again? I want to like Mary, but I’m not sure I trust her.
I also think Moriarty is a trick. He can’t be alive. No waaaay. So Sherlock comes back now and solves this and then they just forget he murdered a guy (apparently) in cold blood? I guess no one really wants to punish him though…
Anyway!
Also, can we talk about the symbolism in Sherlock’s Mind Palace? OMGGGGG.
As for Sherlock being a jerk…well, that’s part of his charm, weird as it sounds.
Yeah I never understood why she did it. Was it because she didn’t want to shoot Magnussen with John in the building because he’d get caught, but then she needed to deflect everything away? I…. I really don’t understand. Lots of people have good theories on tumblr though.
And Sherlock being a jerk is who he is and I get that but for me I was NOT impressed with the gag at the beginning of 3.2 where Sherlock blew Lestrade’s big case for NO real reason. Yes I get it was supposed to be funny but I LIKE Lestrade and that was just awful. So awful. It took the fun out of things for a little bit.
But everything got better after that part!
I also wasn’t impressed that he faked john out with the bomb. :( :( :( But if it gets better, I’ll see about slogging through. I think I need some tea, though. ;)
Yeah that part was a little rough too, but I can attribute that to him getting used to being around people after being on the run, and tortured and not knowing how to act, especially around John…? Idk…
Once you get past most of the Best Man’s Speech it gets pretty good, and the third is just Amazing. SO AMAZING. I don’t think I was cringy about anything…
He didn’t mean that bit with Lestrade. He doesn’t understand how much people actually care about him. The bomb part made me really mad at him though! But I watched it again and I realized that the only way his huge ego would let him beg for forgiveness like that would be to treat it like a joke. But he truly meant everything he said. Still mean but I think John understands why.
Anyway, it’s all amazing. I want to watch them all again.
I know he didn’t mean that bit with Lestrade but I still cringe when I re-watch that scene. He’s just SO OBLIVIOUS to what anyone else might be doing that could be important.
And Lestrade deserves better. :| Maybe I should just go read that Mystrade fic that Starfevre rec’d.
Also semi-related: I read the Road Trip series on my way to work this morning: http://archiveofourown.org/series/10114
The first 3 parts are HILARIOUS. The fourth, emotional… Still very good!
I’m watching the Sign of Three again, and Mrs. Hudson is really sorta annoying eh? Or is that just me?
But I just love Molly. She gets better every season.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hvr13wiklc1hjru/-x9p6OfjIW
And here is the already compiled Road Trip series epub/mobi for those who want one file… :P
Lestrade really does deserve better. He’s such a lovely person. I’m rooting for a Molly/Lestrade pairing myself. But he’s not enough of a genius sociopath for her maybe. ;)
I do love the way Molly’s character has developed.
Also, stag night FTW!!
Hahahha. Yes – that stag night was AWESOME.
Thank you for canon sleeping beside each other…
You rock! :D Compiled fics FTW!
Right? Did you figure out how to do it? I found that automatically grabbing the page/link didn’t work so well or A03 – I had to manually select all and paste to make sure I didn’t miss any chapters. :)
No, I didn’t figure out how to do it. Haha. Soooo lazy. :) I mostly use it for Tumblr Fics, but the AO3 stuff that is in parts needs to be combined at some point. I DL’d all the fic off my phone, and am sorting it into Calibre today! Whee. :)
This was on my shopping list for the better part of a year and finally today I managed to get my hands on some, I feel like Gollum when he had the ring my precioussss! I’m even crouched over the matcha hiding it from the world and examining it’s beauty. Cookies & Cream… there cannot be a better tea flavour out there for me. Well watermelon is a close second.
It’s scent is strong and sweet, it reminds me of some caramel biscuits I had in America last year but cannot recall the name. Oreo is pictured with them which is my favourite cookie/biscuit but the scent is not quite the same, lacks the chocolate to be Oreo. It does smell cookie like though and sweet.
First brewing method will be something deserved…a Cookies & Cream latte me thinks. I don’t have matcha that often but have been craving it lately, had some that tasted like fish and put me off for a while.
Once brewed this has a much more real cookie aroma, baked and warming like fresh cookies and so sweet and delicious.
sip …. HOLY MOLY! I must have died and gone to heaven checks pulse. The milk has brought out the real creaminess and left a sweet pure cookie essence. If I close my eyes and sip it’s like having a very thin Oreo milkshake that has been warmed slightly. Unbelievably good. So worth the wait.
I cannot taste any matcha/green tea at all, no bitterness or anything tea like can be detected. I’m going to trick my husband with it later…say it’s a new milkshake for him to try and see if he can tell there is tea in there. Muhahahahaha!
Overall – It’s mine and you can’t have any! :p
Ha! I enjoyed reading this. While I have yet to get into matcha, I have the utmost appreciation for that HOLY MOLY PERFECT 100 YOU CAN’T HAVE ANY OF IT moment! Its the best! I have experienced this myself with another tea (my precious) ended up buying half a pound of it and have forced everyone I know and love to share it with me.
Did you get the delicate, distinctive or robust? I am always curious as I have had a few now where the flavour wasn’t super noticeable and this one is on my radar :)
I think this one would be super good with a black base but haven’t tried anything but with the green base yet.
I had sent the rest of mine to you :( darn postal service
TOO THE SHOPPING LIST!!!
lol
mmmmmmmm. I have a giant list of flavored RLT matcha forming.
@whatshesaid This is the robust flavour.
I desperately want more matcha but just cannot afford it at present. :(
Maybe robust is the way to go. Thanks for the info!
Whatshesaid…..most of my initial matcha purchases were robust until I learned which ones I could back down to distinctive. I’ve found that the coffee/chocolate/creamy ones I tend to want robust while fruitier matchas I like distinctive better.
Kitty – I’m sure ill have more matcha to share at a later date
Remember too if you guys buy one matcha from red leaf, do the review, you get 30% off your next matchas with the 15$ GC you get.. That’s the only reason I can afford most of my matcha heh
Kitty I have 3 other flavours here I just can’t get into. I’d be willing to send them to you if you’re interested.
@tattooed_tea That sounds great. What flavours do you have? And what would you like from my cupboard for them?
i have my first matcha coming in the mail to me via a swap. now i am worried i will fall so in love that i will become poor. very quickly.
Kitty, consider it a gift, seeing as the last package didn’t make it’s way to you.
I have Pumpkin Pie, Eggnog & Cheesecake. All in robust flavouring. & each one has 1 serving from it.
tattooed_tea – I did receive it, came through yesterday…I sent a message to you either last night or this morning (I have a bad memory) to let you know it was received. :)
lol I got it after I posted that, I will let you know :)
I am really enjoying this one! Notes of coffee, chocolate, sweetness, some fruit maybe. I like this one because it has a thick dry edge to the taste reminiscent of coffee. Not bitter in any way, but it reminds me in a nice way of something I miss. This is a good potential coffee substitute.
Quite a nice dark thick liquor, and while it to me, seems quite similar to other shou Ive been recently trying, this one does things in a nice way, if im wanting a coffee-like drink.
I’d be interested to know others thoughts on this one, I think its quite good.
Flavors: Chocolate, Coffee, Sweet
I’m not a big fan of shou but this sounds pretty good.
Yeah, something about this one is just nice.
Its quite strong. I can feel the caffeine
I’m saving this one on my “to get next” list. I’m currently working on the Feng Quin Dian Hong from Yunnan Sourcing, and it’s brilliant.
yeah ive got some of that. its lovely, isnt it :)
Yes. I’m trying to break away from sweets, and that tea is pretty great to do that with!
Now I just need this tea to break away from coffee, too! Ha. Ha.
haha, I dont know if it will do that. I’m also a bit of a puerh noob, so my recommendations arent that of people with more experience. Its one of the nicest ripes ive had though for this kind of flavour.
I had to give up coffee over ten years ago now – thats what sparked off my drinking of different teas. I was happily surprised with the flavour of this one. That might mean there are some out there with much more of a coffee flavour! that would be amazing
This one is on my list.
I’d be interested to know what you think of it. Something about the balance of the flavours just seems really nice, like someone has done a good job on the processing & storage.
or it was a leaf I would like in the first place
I don’t like coffee flavored teas, but the teas that are bold like coffee, I suppose. I usually drink tea (98% of the time); however, I have “coffee-only” friends. Perhaps this would be a tea to introduce to them!
it definitely tastes like shu puerh, no question. But there is something about it, maybe the way the body is, which reminded me of black coffee.
Mmmmm. I’ll have to give it a go :)
I find dark roasted flavors such as coffee, dark chocolate, and stout beer in Keemun teas, and I really like those teas. I’ll also have to add this to my want list.
try the sample first, I dont want people rushing out to buy it – im a bit of a puerh noob tbh, and it might not be the best substitute, its just something I noticed :)
I’m not too experienced with puerh either, but I’ve like all of the Shu that I’ve had so far, so it wouldn’t be much of a risk either way. I’m just beginning to figure out how to brew the Shengs, that truly is an art…
yes it is, i flash steep mine a lot and dont use boiling
drinking it again today, i immediately thought of coffee again smelling the liquor. And it wakes you up first cup the same way
Sipdown!!
Don’t you hate when you are about to click on a tea and the drop down list just changes? It took me like three tries to finally get to this page but I did it so yay!
Anyways, this is a tasty, tasty white. Thank you Roswell Strange for sharing. It really comes off as though I am feasting on some delicious berries. It is sweet, but with just the right amount of berry tartness. The white base is the perfect match to highlight the mulberries and the flowers add almost a butterscotch note to the whole cup. I am sad all the leaf was gone with just one (very large) cup. You shall be missed Mulberry White, until we meet again.
Preparation
Mmm… Now I wanna make this. I’m already prepping some Boatsman, though :(
I was going to make boatsman but by the time I got to prepping the water had cooled so I took advantage and went for the white tea instead.
waaaaaaaant my teas!
Haha – I have the advantage! Though, I want mine too :( I need more Pret a Portea for at night. I’ve also figured out that one travels well, too… I think I’ve asked you this before, but which did you get Sil?
uh….assam beast of the east, tropical dream and orange path + samples of a couple others :)
I love the name of Assam Beast of the East. Not sure why, but it’s fun to say – just like “Boatsman”.
no tea tonight sigh maybe tomorrow..which will end up being Wednesday since it’ll likely get stuck in mail jail…. bah!
This was the one I had to try first! I’m so happy I heard about it before I finalized my cart, or I would have had to create a second follow quickly after.
I still might need to. I’m so impressed so far.
And I’m trying Beast of the East tomorrow – I liked the name as well.
Awww. Poor Sil.
And everyone else still waiting.
Save a bit for meeeeeeee cavo!
Did you like it!? I think it’s fabulous! Right now, I’m most impatient about Sweet Helen, I think… And getting more Tea of Kings/Pret a Portea, but I still have a few cups left of each.
I have resisted an order so that I could try the teas that I was sent. Both were really tasty so it is oh so tempting but I am trying very hard to be good and not order more. Perhaps I should set a number and if I reach it, I can order more tea.
VariaTEA…don’t tell anyone that number or they’ll send you teas when you’re ALLLMOST there just to drive you bonkers with love :)
By the next time we swap, I should have received my RiverTea order, so maybe I can throw somethings in for you if they sound interesting. I’d love to hear your thoughts on The Tea of Kings.
Haha. Is that what they do to you, Sil? :P
And Roswell Strange, you know me so well…that was one I was looking at buying when I built my cart. I just realized I have built a lot of carts lately. haha. I guess I do have some self-control.
(May or may not be building another cart right now) I really like it. Best lychee black I’ve ever had, personally. I’d have sent you some in the last swap, but I’m down to about 2 cups – and I was being greedy.
VariaTEA – I always threaten to do it to Sil. It’s fun to make her squirm.
And Sil – done! (Well, noted at least. Lemme know if you want others, although I probably won’t see you at the tea fest)
I am sooo happy I splurged on a bunch of David’s Tea while in New York!!! I feel like the last time I placed an order I missed the ones that I would really love and got some that didn’t quite work for me. So this time, after making the vendor kindly make me sniff at every single tea and spending over $100 later… I have a collection of deliciousness to enjoy!!! Thanks David’s Tea!!! I am thrilled! Now if only I could get them to ship to Ecuador, I would be the happiest girl ever!
This tea was available to taste the day I went to purchase my teas. Of course, one taste was enough to get me hooked on it! The dry leaf looked delicious with the banana pieces and strong black tea scent… Oh dear… Must have 4 ounces (and a free tin…). And so 4 ounces were added to my long list of teas that I would be purchasing that day.
Now, at home, I brewed 2 teaspoons to 500ml of water in my fabulous new Breville. This is one of those teas that will make an entire room smell delicious. Everyone in the kitchen asked if banana bread was in the oven. Smiling, I said, “Nope! It is my delicous banana pie tea that I bought from David’s Tea!”. So of course, everyone, including my tea clinical brother, tried it. For the first time ever, everyone liked it! They all agreed that it tasted exactly like banana bread!!!
I love it. You can clearly taste the black tea base, which is pleasantly astringent without being bitter. The banana flavor is incredibly natural tasting. It tasted, in all honesty, like fresh baked home made banana bread! The texture was creamy and rich, almost as if milk had been added. I didn’t taste chocolate, but really, it was perfect without out it.
This is really, a tea worth travelling to another continent to get. Trust me, if you like tea and banana bread or muffins, you will love this tea!!!
Preparation
Why can’t they ship to Ecuador? Have you talked to Customer Service? I’ve gathered that they’re willing to ship places that their website doesn’t allow, you just have to go through CS.
Ooooh… I just found that new bit of text they added on their web page. I will email them and see how much it will cost. Thanks!
This sounds soooo good! I haven’t yet bought anything from DT. I almost bought their winter sampler the other day, which I think includes this tea, but then I didn’t. I don’t have a tea budget right now, but I see that some of these are limited-time flavours and I know I’m going to regret it if I don’t get some. Eep!
YUM!
It might seem a little late for Guayusa, and hopefully it won’t be keeping me up past my bedtime, but since I usually am up past 3 am anyway, I am not too worried. I needed an energy boost because I have a lot to do this evening, and I’m already feeling a little like I should be napping instead of getting things done.
This is really tasty. The tangerine and cream flavors are balanced, and the guayusa adds a richness to the background, tasting a little earthy, and even a little vegetal, and these notes work very well with the flavors of tangerine and cream. Overall, the cup is smooth, rich and creamy, with a deliciously sweet tangerine taste.
And it tastes better with each sip! Incredibly YUM!
Hahaha, I was thinking the same thing about the matcha I’m about to have. Feeling quite tired already, but have to go and do some things at work that I neglected earlier, so the energy boost is probably required.
Night owls!
Is the taste similar to the good morning sunshine? It sounds delicious!
I haven’t yet tried Good Morning Sunshine, so I can’t say.
tigress_al-Kind of but not quite. The Tangerine Creamsicle was specifically developed as a dessert-y drink so it is more creamy and the citrus isn’t biting. Good Morning Sunshine has a little more citrus to it and a lot less cream.
The naming of this tea sounds yummy and for the summertime. Creamsicle or am I wrong? Laced with tangerine like fruits. Butiki Teas is run by Stacey? I just noted the wording tangerine creamsicle, after I typed what I am imagining flavor to be tasting like. Interesting.
Good morning sunshine is more like Meyer Lemon too. And Tangerine Creamsicle is like those 50-50- bars with the orange and vanilla ice cream. Really good. Stacy is the bomb! (She’s got flavor…but she’s the owner and creates the flavors…all natural!)
Yeah! I visited her site on line through Tea Trade when she was just starting out. About a year now in business or perhaps I recall incorrectly.
On Newbury Street in Boston, MA there is a sub-shop that makes wonderful sandwiches…one of which is the ultimate stake bomb. If ever there do try them. Not sure if they still exist as it has been years…when allowed to be employed. No matter. I can’t recall the last time I tried or had creamsicle; I would rather have it as ice-cream. When I have money I will get some and think of your comment. Kudos, Bonnie!
Thanks Bonnie! :)
Seule771-We’ve been in business for about 4 years. I would say its a creamy tangerine and also some orange peel shines through which has a bit of cracker-like taste.
Interesting. I really liked good morning sunshine. But it sounds like I will like this one even more. On my next order I guess!
For some reason, I’ve been craving Talking Heads a lot and often during this pandemic. Their Stop Making Sense album to be exact.
I ordered it in CD form so that I could crank it up. And then I forgot about it.
The neighbours woke me up at 4:30 and kept me up till 6, ie. I’m up now. So I feel justified in blasting my music whenever I damn well please—in the daytime. They wake me every single night and have done since they moved in six years ago. I don’t play my music all that often.
Today was the day. But what have they done to this album? Aside from four songs, this is completely different from the original version. What is up with that?
So I am disappointed.
This tea, however, is pretty great. As soon as my hair dries, I am going to go buy some milk to inflate its deliciousness.
A creamy creamy vanilla Earl Grey Cream. (still overpriced though.)
I still need to make a sample order to try Sloane! Maybe next year lol.
I’d recommend the heavenly oolong too. It may be called something slightly different.
I remember being most interested in this tea and the peaches & cream white tea. Will definitely put the oolong on the list too!
The Rooibos en Provence is good too if you like Rooibos.
Erm, Rouge en Provence.
Oh, yeah, Sloane! I want to try them too. Next year for sure.
This one is funny, sometimes vanilla cream sublime, sometimes bergamot forward.
I’ve just noticed that they have free shipping in Canada over a reasonable limit AND they have sample bags for under four dollars. Makes things easier. And they have white tea with Asian pear, sounds promising.
Oh… (currently browsing website).
Matchbox 20’s first album had songs that were better than the 3 am one that was so popular. You could blast 3 am for your neighbors though. Teach them some appreciation of it…
Thanks for the tip, mrmopar. I’ll keep it in mind. I don’t play music in the night, or even in the evenings. The walls are thin and I make efforts to be a decent human. That said, my neighbours reported me to the city AND to the police for playing my music loud in the day. Both the city and the police told them to get over themselves.
CrowKettle, I’ve noticed that Sloane stocks several teas that Mighty Leaf does, the fruit and herb teas in particular (at higher cost), so keep that in mind.
Evol – they called the police on you on the first DAY of your playing music during the DAY?
I will keep that in mind! I mostly just want to try their Earl Grey, “Peaches & Cream”, and Milk Oolong; everything else will be a bonus that gets me free shipping :O
Your neighbours do not spark joy. That’s a dick move, especially if it was their first response.
Tea-sipper, no, it was not the first day, but I only play my music (and I do play it loud) during the day, btwn 11 am and 7 pm. I usually only play an album or two, two hours max.
No, my neighbours do not spark joy. Sad though because I have had an excellent rapport with former neighbours who lived in that space, 15 years worth.
The neighbours on my other side do not spark joy either. Years of smoking dope on their porch till all hours of the night with their loud and unpleasant friends. Illegal construction. Stealing other people’s garden furniture. A gazillion cars and trucks coming and going all hours. Running an unlicensed daycare for years, read gangs of unsupervised children. Harley on front lawn snorting/idling/warming up for a while at 5 am. Two unleashed unsocialized pit bulls running wild up and down the streets, barking, snapping, defecating wherever. Now, them and also tenants all on shift work, and they seem to be running some sort of surveillance camera review thing from their homes in the night—minimum of 8 huge screens—and early morning which wakes me repeatedly and prevents me from sleeping. And all that is off the top of my head.
There’s more, of course.
And as for the adjoining wall ones who called the police and the city, they exercise on wooden floors in an old house for two or more hours each day, up to midnight usually but also at 5 am. From the time they moved in, 6? Years ago, they’ve been hugging that adjoining wall like nobody’s business, so each conversation, each phone text ding or vibrate and footstep wakes or alerts me round the clock. When their second child was born, they parked the cradle at the adjoining wall, so the child’s crying would alert me too. When I asked them if they could move the cot away from the adjoining wall, they acted as if it was a personal attack. They regularly took the child in and out of the house at night, so the sleeping child would wail when woken and taken out of/put into the car. They tend to have loud arguments at 3 or 5 am.
Initially, I tried to gently and respectfully speak with them about being woken and disturbed by them. They did start using an exercise mat when running and jumping and doing leaping squats in the house to soften the thuds and thumps, but otherwise, nothing changed. And all the various devices, Bluetooth connected. They didn’t seem to believe me when I told them the walls are thin and the key to harmonious sharing of space is to not make your neighbours aware of you every minute of every day and night, ie. stay away from the wall. They became rude. I started playing my music when I felt like it.
Guess I needed to get that out.
Yes, I should move, but it is such an ordeal. Choose your ordeal, I guess.
Gah, sorry, tldr.
No, it’s not too long. I remember you talking about your inconsiderate neighbors, so it was surprising to me that they can’t even handle music at decent hours.
Gosh they are a******s. I would probably choke somebody that was doing all that junk. Ness you are a much better and more patient person than I. Hopefully you will eventually get some peace and talking about it and getting it off your chest like you did will help too. You have lots of friends on here so getting stuff out will help you relieve some of the stress.
Thank you both. Getting it out helps. Here, I tend to write about what is going on in my life and this impact on me is huge. Believe me, I have been angry and vengeful and frustrated, all the emotions, but I cannot spend my life like that. And so it goes. There are still some things to try. Currently, I am chipping away at another room, creating space to set up an army cot to test sleeping there. It will take a while, being physically and mentally exhausted doesn’t help.
Yeah, that’s unspeakable. I’ve had my fair share of roommates and neighbours (a short-lived subletter purposely locked me out of the house while I was doing laundry in the garage) but none of it was long term or pervasive like that.
I hope the other room works out. And that they eventually move. Far away.
Gah! Thank you. I have tried including them in loving-kindness meditations wishing them a larger grander unattached house somewhere else. Likely, it will be me who moves, but who knows. Life is full of unpredictable changes.
Also, mrmopar, I forgot to mention that, a few years in, I did go through a rather extended period of loudly swearing at them through the wall every time I was woken, so I am hardly a saint. I’d like to think that was a bit successful in terms of consciousness-raising for the adjoining wall ones.
I admit I purchased this tea out of curiousity, a purchase review stated that it was a tea they had been looking for and had finally found after trying 30 suppliers. I was wondering what would be the draw for this person. Having had it using gongfu method twice I can say this is an intensely sweet and resilient black tea. I got many steeps with stewed apricot citrus and sweet cherry notes mixed with molasses on top and a nice deep base with cocoa, malt, and coffee, mixed with leather and earth. At times there are mole spice notes of cinnamon, chili and thyme, and baked goods notes ranging from charred crust to butter pastry. The tea is intensely sweet in its early steeps. It almost gave me a sugar headache! Altogether quite enjoyable.
http://instagram.com/p/uwBBJoGK_r/
It can be found here:
Sample sizes: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Promotion-of-high-grade-tea-Yunnan-Dianhong-2014-2-bags-Free-shipping-Buy-more-get-more/723612_2012109496.html
The dry leaf smells of fruit and cocoa and are mostly long flat blades with a mix of golden buds and longer dark chocolate brown blades at about a 50/50 mix.
I used 2.5g of leaves in a 140ml gaiwan at 95°C.
The tea had a red toned copper, slightly peachy colour with a yellow gold ring around the edges.
45s Scent: cocoa,hints of smoke and roasted notes, stewed fruits, apricot, red fruit and citrus notes.
Sweet and spicy up front with cocoa and darker malt notes underneath with molasses and hints of roasted notes with a touch of char. Stewed apricots, hints of citrus, and sweeter red fruits up front. It’s interesting because I under leafed this yesterday (2.5g/200ml) and got more leather, earth notes which are pretty well hidden in this steep and the tea was brisker. There is a faint hint of leather in the deeper base notes. Savoury spice notes, hinting at a mole sauce with cinnamon, hints of thyme and chili. In general very sweet with a rich deep base that may appeal to coffee and shou puerh drinkers. The tea has a good dose of caffeine and a hint of briskness with a thick rich texture on the tongue.
30s scent: similar to above with stronger malt tones
Cocoa,molasses,apricot, hints of sweet cherry,less citrus, malt, hints of charred crust,creamy buttery pastry, hints of coffee, mole spice, very sweet lingering aftertaste. Thick dense texture on the tongue with a light briskness creating a cooling texture on the tongue.
40s. Scent: cocoa, red fruit, molasses, malt, apricot, hints of pastry.
Cocoa, apricot, red fruits, citrus notes, molasses, malt, butter pastry, coffee , mole spice and hints of earth and leather, less intensely sweet.
60s indistinct cocoa, molasses, fruit mix.
Apricot, cocoa, molasses ( very sweet again), hints of butter pastry, coffee, malt, cinnamon, hints of earth and leather, and a tarter cherry note.
100s. Scent similar to above
Tarter with malt and red fruit, cocoa, fading molasses, citrus notes some cinnamon.
160s. Similar to above with a slight grain note and some briskness.
240s weakening with molasses fruit and artichoke.
yay! thanks for the great review!
Yes, great review! :)
haha, I went to aliexpress site but got overwhelmed so had to stop looking – so many choices!
caile…that’s also why i just live vicariously though yyz’s tasting notes…and sometimes dexter
Agreed, detailed and nice.
Caile, aliexpress can be overwhelming very true but it can also offer many great opportunities. My advice either attack it with a purpose, is a specific tea, or narrow your search is use x tea sort by price check for sales etc. Then if you find something take the keywords from the description to check for the best price:-). Ali has allowed me to buy directly from farmers, to find out detailed info about tea types and growing regions, and to try new things at good prices. I wouldn’t be afraid of it ( except for the possibility of addiction:-)). As for Han Xiang he started out with mostly Fujian teas but has added more and more Yunnan teas. The 1.99 samples are a good place to start. If buying larger sizes ask him questions and let him know if you are ordering a number of teas he’ll often offer you further discount. He’s reduced my order by 10.00 before even when one of the teas was already on sale.
for me aliexpress is like walking in to target on black friday when they’re selling things at 1$….
That tea sounds so complex. I’m really curious to try it. I set up an Aliexpress account some time ago but never used it. Just not sure how the whole thing worked compared to EBay .
Ubacat there are similarities, in fact there are sellers and agents that sell on both platforms. Sellers set up stores, transactions are processed by Aliexpress ( all of my transactions have been processed in the uk) and the system is set up in a way that it is supposed to offer some protection to both parties. Buyer protection is extended for a certain number of days. If you haven’t received the item within that time or if you are trying to resolve an issue with an item with the seller you can request that the seller extend the time period. Most sellers will do this as the do not want to have to go through a dispute process. Once you receive the item you confirm acceptance and you have a certain number of days to Raye a transaction. In Aliexpress 5 stars means that the transaction went as expected or if there was a hickup the seller resolved in an acceptable way and you are happy with everything 4 stars is when you got the product but something about the transaction was dissapointing. 3 stars or below is generally reserved for unacceptable service, unhappy disputes, misleading or unacceptable products etc. Generally most sellers will try to resolve any issues with you before you leave a rating so I have never had a need to leave a negative one. There is a new alipay system which is meant to be like PayPal. I haven’t tried it yet. The Cc transactions have been fine for me. Otherwise, if you have any questions it pays to ask them before buying. I. General though I have been happy with my transactions and I have bought some nice teas. Don’t discount sellers who sell tea as a side to their main business. I have got good products from these sellers as well. At times they are selling tea they or their family produce themselves.
Thanks yyz, that’s good advice and I will certainly give it a try. I think I’ll try to start out small, and the samples look like a good way to begin my exploration. :-)
lol That’s the temptation, Sil!
i know..i know.. but its overwhelming for me
Thanks for all the advice yyz! I did go on and log in. That seller has some nice samples. Do you find your credit card is secure on Aliexpress?
Sil, I know there’s so much! Even on Ebay. All I have been doing on Ebay is mostly going with recommended sellers.
I’ve never had a problem. Your credit card info is handled by Aliexpress and sellers don’t have access to it.
I brewed this up in my timolino for work today. It’s definitely a very fresh and almost watery take on blueberry, although I think my steeping parameters allow for the juiciness of the blueberries to stand out, the black base to be detected, and for the whole drink to not have a watery mouth feel. As I sipped at it, I tried to decide if it was a good work tea, although I can’t exactly describe what that would be. Certainly a good tea lends itself to travel muggage, but it’s more than that. The tea can’t remind you (or me, rather) too too much of home, because then I’ll lose my focus and just wish I was at home in my pjs, drinking that very tea. I’ll try taking it to work again a few times, I think, as it’s work probation period has only begun haha.
In other news, I’ve been unbelievably exhausted lately, and think I’m having some eye pressure issues related to my eye condition. The good news is that a lot of other people with my eye condition are reporting similar problems (wtf is that all about?), but the bad news is that a) no one seems to really know what to do about it; and b) I can’t see an ophthalmologist unless I set up camp in the ER for like five weeks because the waiting list to see one is like decades long, and although I’m really uncomfortable, I’m not quite at the point where I want to scoop my eyes out (I don’t even know if my eye is the problem!). Anyway, flu or eye problems, I’m out for the count for a little while. But tea is a constant companion and confidante, so I’m actually in pretty fine spirits. I’m off to make myself a cup now, in fact…that is if my laziness doesn’t prevail, which it likely will.
oh man.. hope that clears up for you hug
Hope all is well! I actually just pulled out my cold brewed blueberry jam myself!
Thanks! At this point I don’t really care what’s causing it, I just need for it to go away so I don’t come across as a bad employee! LOL
Oh yes, exactly how I feel right now, as I type away on steepster at work!
I hope you get it figured out…It’s good to hear you have god spirits..
Hope all goes well!
good spirits
Thanks guys! and abby, enjoy your blueberry jam! I bet this is great steeped. How much leaf and water did you use?
I hope you feel much better soon. :)
I hope you’re able to figure out what’s going on soon. Feel better!
Thanks so much guys. You’re all so very kind.
Sorry to hear about that keychange…feel better, sending good vibes your way :-)
Awww… Feel better keychange!! I hope your eye troubles get figured out soon! :)
I am so sorry you are experiencing complications with your eyes. The lists are horrendous. My mom was originally supposed to have glaucoma surgery back in 2006 but it got pushed back until now, when she is on the verge of going blind herself. It’s unfortunate there aren’t more ophthalmologists to take care of all the patients, and crack down on what is causing these symptoms.
Yes, definitely a shortage. Because although this isn’t technically an emergency, I think going to the eR is the only way to see one—which is kind of unfortunate, but there are probably only like three in the whole province. I hope your mother is adjusting comfortably.
Oh that sucks, keychange. I hope it works out for you and you get this resolved sooner rather than later.
Ok, so this isn’t actually going to be a tasting note about this tea, because I’ve written about it enough for you to know that it’s a lovely EGC, and that’s about all you need to know.
But last night, I decided to take a timolino full of this to a friend’s place for dinner and hanging out. And instead of using my Keurig to dispense the hot water like I typically do, I used Watson (Watson is the name I’ve given to our Culligan water cooler, that has both a hot and cold water tap—we named him Watson after the computerized jeopardy contestant! /nerd). Anyway, from my understanding, the water dispensed from Watson is around 107 degrees F, while the Keurig website says that the Keurig dispenses water that’s 192 degrees f, so that’s definitely a noticeable difference. The thing is, however, that I never never successfully brewed a cup of satisfactory tea using Watson, and it seems odd to me that a temperature of about 207 (ETA—sorry, I originally wrote 107, which explains the general wtfness in the comments below, but it really was 207) would be too hot for absolutely every tea (especially since I drink mostly blacks, which are reputed to almost always take extremely hot water). As for the water I use, the Keurig takes filtered water through my brida filter, and Watson uses Culligan’s water—both are filtered, but are provided by different companies, so perhaps that has to do with it. But last night’s tea tasted bitter and horrible, just horrible. No vanilla cream notes to speak of—only an amped up bitter bergamot note that was bitter and gross.
But this has me terrified to ever get myself a variable temp kettle, because what if the Keurig is the only acceptable source for hot water for me in this universe? this is actually really upsetting to me! Because i so badly want the Bonavida goose-neck one liter variable temp kettle, but like, if I drop 100 dollars on it but it makes all my tea taste like bile, then…then…then what?!?!?!?!!?
Please comfort me.
Preparation
(Have you actually checked Watson’s temperature?)
I haven’t checked it myself, but I have a friend who works as a distributor for Culligan, and she checked the temperature of her hot water dispenser and reported back to me.
Maybe that’s a good first step to rule any temp problems out. But isn’t 107 exceptionally low? Like 42 degrees C?
Uh, sorry, you want comforts, and I just want to crunch numbers. I’m so sorry you’re having Watson issues. I’m sure it will be okay. I see a goosenecked beauty in your future that will make everything better and easier.
If it doesn’t work for you, you can ALWAYS pack it up and return it.
But you should probably check Watson’s temperature, because every water heater will be different. That would be a LOT different, but 107F is not very hot at all. It’s tap water hot at 40C. My tap water is actually way hotter than that (think green tea steeping temps about 65C) depending on how long the boiler has been on for.
I hope you’re right. I was so so so so close to ordering one just now! I literally had to sit on my hands and rock back and forth to stop myself. And yeah, 107 is lowish it’s true, but I swear this water yields the nastiest tea ever. And the Keurig, by contrast, makes a perfect one. Maybe I just like all my tea at an incredibly low temperature? I have no idea. But you can barely tell you’re drinking the same tea—the differences are that noticeable.
Ok, you guys are right. I should just check Watson’s temperature. I just checked my conversation with my friend on FB and she admitted that her thermometer only went up to 200 f, so I imagine she couldn’t get an accurate read, either. But like, do you guys think it’s just that Watson is super hot in real life and that the keurig is cool and that makes all the difference?
But how do you adapt the steep times if you use 107 degree water? Or 192-degree water for blacks, for that matter.
And if 207 f is so low, but Keurig’s website says its water is 192, then isn’t that even more odd still? that I would prefer (even black) tea at such a ridiculously low temperature? but I’m seirous, guys. No one would enjoy the tea from Watson. It wasn’t keychange bitter—I had two other people taste it and they thought it was nasty, too. Maybe I should try boiling our random kettle with the same water I use to fill the Keurig and comparing that against Watson. Because maybe it really just is the water.
I don’t. I always steep for about four minutes (if I’m steeping blacks) when I use the Keurig.
Hm – 207? But you said 107 in the original post. 207 would make more sense, I guess.
And Omgsrsly, it never occurred to me that I could just return the bonavida if I don’t like it. I’m so stupid LOL
This is all just so very odd!
Sorry sorry sorry!! I meant 207! oh my gosh.
Wow. Wow. And you guys kept on being like “107? that’s so low! crazy! so so low!” and I was thinking: isn’t 207 just five degrees shy of 212? how bad is my math? aaaahhhhh."
Ok, so now that we know it’s more 207 than 107, and that the Keurig really is 192…then is it more likely that culligan’s hot water just sucks?
Haha! That was so confusing! The hot water is probably too much for you. :) I steep all my black teas at 195F, so about your Keurig temp. 207 is too much for me.
There, there. (Comfort comfort.) My guess is it is something about the water filter rather than the temp that is causing such a major difference. I steep my blacks at different temperatures (200,205,212) depending on the seller’s recommendations and my own tastes, but I rarely steep them at lower than 200. My parents had a Culligan system and it included water softening. Does yours? I wonder whether if it does, it’s some of the additives in the water that are making the taste sub par. In any case, I wouldn’t rule out the variable temp kettle. I love the convenience of being able to set the different temperatures without having to use a thermometer or just guess.
Morgana, omgsrsly, and anna—you are all heavenly. Just divine! thank you!
We have an answer!
Morgana, I think you were right: because I just did an experiment.
What I did was use our regular kettle that was lying around, and filled it with Brida water (so, Keurig water). Brewed up grandma’s pumpkin pie from dellaterra tea, mostly because I know what that’s supposed to taste like, and have brewed many a consistent cup. And it tasted pretty damn near perfect! soo, I think it’s just that Culligan’s hot water is a no-go for me. Morgana, I imagine that the water in the cooler is treated, so you’re right about it affecting the taste. Omg, now I want a variable temp kettle so badly!
Man, I love science. And all you amazing women, of course.
Isn’t it all just so wonderful? process of elimination FTW!
Yay! :)
Yay for finding an answer! I think you’ll love having a variable temp kettle so I have no problem encouraging you to spend your money. ;-)
Now to get my variable temp kettle!
This is day 3 of my raw food cleanse. From time to time, I like to follow a raw diet to cleanse my body. This time around, I haven’t really been overly hungry (yet) but today is a real low. I’m feeling very exhausted, weak, and am unable to focus. This will pass since I’ve felt this before in the detox phase but I was hoping to get the ‘community’ page of our website done tonight and that is not looking real promising right now. During my raw diet, I allow one cheat of one tea a day. Today I opted for the Hattialli Golden Lion Assam. This is a real special second flush. It reminds me very much of a Yunnan. I love the maltiness of this tea and the oaky and peppery notes. Right now I’m also getting an almost burned chocolate note as well as some apricot and floral notes. I’m very glad I chose this as my reward tea. Hopefully, it will help me focus a bit.
Preparation
Hope your diet goes better after today. :) Usually after a week, or in the middle of a week is the most difficult part of a dietary change.
Talking about the tea now, I’m super excited to try this. I have it in my cart in an order I think is almost ready to be submitted. Hehe. :D
Chizakura-Thanks. I’ve done the raw thing before and the weakness and inability to focus usually only lasts a day or two but it can be rough. I was fine the first two days and was thinking wow this is easier than I remember. Guess not. This is a fantastic Assam. We recommended a 3 minute 30 second brew time but if you are ok with astringency, this tea is even more complex at about 4 minutes 30 seconds. :)
I did a cleanse last year. Not raw food but lots of restrictions. No tea! gah!
Hope tomorrow goes better for you.
Ahhhh this one sounds amazing
Indigobloom-In the past I’ve cut out tea with the raw food diet but this time around I decided not to. Thanks! :) It is quite delicious!
Love the name of that tea! Really hope it will help you feel better :-) Do you eat protein such as seeds and nuts during your raw food cleanse or do you keep it strictly fruits and veggies?
There used to be a raw food restaurant in the Cupertino Whole Foods when I lived in California. (Think it’s gone but I have their cookbook). They allowed brown rice and soup as heated items.
TheTeaFairy-I’m getting a lot of protein. I’ve been eating a variety of raw unpasteurized nuts (and raw nut butters), seeds, and soaked flax seeds. I’ve been monitoring the protein intake. The haze is a bit better now. I had a huge amount of raw mac and cheeze (nut cheeze) and I think that helped along with the tea. The name is great. I love that it means elephant road.
Bonnie-That’s awesome. I’ve been to only one raw restaurant and that was in Vegas when I attended the World Tea Expo. I make warm soups. I have Vitamix and came blend it until its warm but still below the 115F requirement to be raw.
Oh, then you reassure me! I know some folks who’ll do cleanse from fruits and veggies only, and though it is for a short period of time usually, I don’t think it’s good to cut off protein, even if it’s just for a couple of days.
I also own a Vitamix, I used to think you’d have to be out of your mind to pay that kind of money for a blender, but this is one appliance I now can’t live without, it has changed the way I eat completely. I use it min. twice a day, my body craves green juice whenever I skip one day, which almost never happens :-)
TheTeaFairy-I agree. Its important for me to make sure that while cleansing that I’m still getting proper nutrition. I LOVE my vitamix. Isn’t the self-cleaning feature awesome? I have a juicer too but it takes so long to clean, so I love using both the juicer and the vitamix. I know what you mean about your body craving juice/smoothies. This morning I made a carrot, apple, kale, spinach, ginger, celery, zucchini juice. It was amazing! Have any favorite recipes?
Stacy, your morning juice sounds great, love the ginger!
Every morning I have a green smoothie that involves these basics: kale and or spinach (love the fact that Costco now has frozen kale, it’s sometimes hard to find fresh around here and frozen makes it perfect for smoothies), uncooked oats, raw almonds, soy milk, coconut water, chia and hemp seeds. Then I add whatever inspires me, carrots, cucumbers, apples, strawberries, you name it! I put it in a thermos bottle and I sip on it all morning. It helps speeding up my metabolism and makes me feel so good, that’s why I’m addicted to it, plus it tastes great!
I have tones of favorite recipes, let me know if you want me to PM you some, feel free to send me some of your favorites too, it’s always great to get new ideas. I’m a big fan of this website, it is a goldmine of great recipes and ideas:
http://healthyblenderrecipes.com
Oh, and You are so right about the self cleaning, so easy compare to the juicer plus you get to keep all the fibres :-)
I used to be a raw vegan, & practically lived on green smoothies for a couple of years. I ruined a regular blender at least once a year until I finally broke down & bought a vitamix. Now that my garden is growing again, I’m looking forward to being able to walk out back, pick some Kale, Collards, or parsley, & make smoothies again. My favorites (which all include whatever greens are abundant that day):
- apple, ginger, & lemon
- peach
- mango
My other favorite is cuke & lemon, no greens.
TheTeaFairy-I put ginger in nearly all my juices. Yums. Oooh, I’ve never tried oats in a shake before. Interesting idea. I think I will have to try a tropical oat shake after the raw thing. Absolutely, feel free to send me any recipes. Thanks for the recipe link.
Terri-Oh that must be so amazing to have kale right after its picked. Mmmm. I’m a big mango fan too. Mango and kale smoothies are awesome!
To chime in, an amazing smoothie is banana, nut butter and oats. Adding vanilla, a pinch of salt, or some sort of chocolate makes it even better. I like to use almond milk in it, which is super easy to make at home if you’re doing raw. :) I should try spinach in it tomorrow.
Second Review
Feeling in a blue mood today and one of the best remedies is going through my big stash of tea’s to find just the right cure. What I’m looking for has to be at the top of my list of all time favorites, somewhere in the top 10!
Frankly, I don’t have many white tea’s but this Laoshan White is something unique. Something really special. This is the one!
I would advise not to drink white tea on an empty stomach because it has caffeine. But, you might feel a sense of centerdness which a high quality tea can provide and is a pleasant feeling.
I used a Gaiwan and kept my steeping time at 20 seconds which gave me a rich tea broth and very fragrant light green liquor that smelled like salty buttered green beans and spinach mash. It was a wonderful smell.
When I brought the liquor up to my mouth to drink I inhaled deeply and my sinus’s almost seized up…like an old vehicle…clanging “Wha’z this Bonnie?”..clunk clunk…! “Ouch!” The scent was soooo intense that it hurt! I have to be more careful!(It did smell good though and opened everything up for the tasting session ahead!) Wow!
I took a single sip. Water, like drinking hot tea over ice crystals and the melting ice slippery like little daggers then gone.
The flavor was young, sweet (but still vegital enough) snap pea’s and green beans.
Ah, Grandma’s pole beans. (Did you really think I could get through a review without a STORY?!…OH NO!)
WHEN I was a little girl my family lived so close to the San Francisco Airport (in Milbrae,CA) that when Jet Planes were NEW and flew over our house the TV would go out. AND we had a lot of SONIC BOOMS! You can imagine. I’d be looking for frogs or building a fort and BOOM!, then on my bike BOOM! Mikey Mouse Club, BOOM! NO TV!
My rich grandmother would come to our house every Spring and plant pole beans in the backyard. For some wierd reason her name was LOLITA (not a common Scots name)! (My middle name is LO. Just LO and no more because of her). Anyway, we had beans growing everywhere in long rows filling the whole yard instead of lawn. When I wasn’t busy digging a hole to China (and trying to avoid wherever the devil was), I was picking pole beans or eating the sweet young ones raw..snap…crunch. So good!
My second steeping was better than the first. Sweet. There was something floral…but not…then I thought there was a strawberry fruitiness…but no…ah some honey in the snow peas. Yes, a little honey! Clover honey! And saltiness.
Even though this is such a juicy tea it’s not really creamy. I don’t mind. Everything is so fresh and clean.
There is a draw, some sort of mystery that comes from drinking this Laoshan White. I feel the addictive longing for more. EEKS!
Finally, the third steeping while I am still fairly sane, is like walking through fields, row after row of tended beans along the Watsonville, Santa Cruz Coast in the early evening… right after late watering is done. The fog is about to roll in from the Pacific and I have picked a handful of dripping crisp beans. Snap. I pop several into my mouth to crunch. There is nothing fresher or sweeter.
This last drink reminds me of this coolness and juiciness. Fresh. Sparkling.
I can sit for hours in a beach chair sipping this tea, observing nature and enjoying how the tea makes me feel. So relaxed and centered.
This tea is not to be missed! I’ve upgraded my rating!
It is obvious that after drinking this tea I NO LONGER AM FEELING BLUE! ;)
Here’s to being happy! Cheers! :)
Thanks Amy Oh. Bonnie Lo.
:)
“When I wasn’t busy digging a hole to China (and trying to avoid wherever the devil was), I was picking pole beans or eating the sweet young ones raw.”
What a sentence! That’s one of my favorites of the year. I absolutely love your stories, Bonnie. Thank you.
We all have our stories. My point is, that when we stop what we’re doing and settle into TEA something magical can happen. When people share stories or even a few words of genuine interest about a tea it makes me excited!
Oh…thanks spoon ….I’m always amazed that anyone even reads this stuff!
I love reading your posts, always great stories!
I guess I’ve lived long enough. Must be it! Thanks!
Live long and prosper Bonnie! V
Glad you’re no longer blue Bonnie! but I’d say the Mickey Mouse Club going poof is cause to pout ;)
steepster is making me mad this morning. It won’t let me comment on people’s tasting notes, but it’s hit or miss…so sometimes i can, othertimes i can’t. I WILL NOT BE SILENCED DAMNIT! lol
i am scrambling around like a madwoman today – need to get some work done, pack AGAIN, get ready to leave the house this afternoon and try to at least help my other half with a few things around the house. I feel terrible that he’s on his own all month.
This tea was pulled out because it’s my oldest tea (january) and because i need to finish something things up soon because Terri and Nicole maaay have exploded my cupboard a little…at least it’s largely samples lol
mostly!
up to 134… from 95 thanks to you and nicole lol
haha
lol!
I didn’t have this problem, but then I’m not a very good commenter either, so I only tried it out once. :/ At least we can post on the boards now. Are you getting TOSed again?
Tosed?
Terms of service warned
Aaaah…. Nope :(
I can’t navigate to the discussion boards now though….only dashboard
Just taking a minute to relax before I plunge back into the craziness of Black Friday. This morning I had to go to get blood work done for my annual physical. I’m so glad I finally got that done because I dread it for months before I go. One time I went to have blood drawn and it was such a horrific experience which left me covered in bruises and a little mentally scarred. Because of that I now can pass out while having blood drawn, so I have to wait for a special recliner and an experienced lab person. Luckily, I did not pass out this time. Yay! No cold sweat either. Only had my heart rate elevated just a little and a bit of fast nervous talking. Go me.
This Black Friday sale is insane! At this level we may surpass last year’s sales in a few hours, and we still have more than 3 days left. We have already run out of Vanilla Carrot Cake and there are a few other teas that are in danger of running out. I love the insanity of these 4 days and at the same time, I’m a little terrified that we will have all sorts of issues of running out of teas and whatnot.
I love this tea! If I could drink only one tea for the rest of my life, this would be it. The caramel and cocoa notes are just perfect right now and since I brewed it a little extra strong, the maltiness is coming out nicely. Yum. Perfect tea for my mood right now. Next I think I’m going for the White Rhino. That is just a real caramel-y tea.
Ooof, I hate having blood drawn too. Apparently I have tiny veins and they always have to use the baby “butterfly” needle on me! I get way light headed but luckily I’ve never actually passed out! I bet you are glad to have that overwith and congrats on the excellent Black Friday business!!
Oh no, that doesn’t sound like fun. So glad to have it over with. It was really quick too since I was the only one there. I guess everyone was busy shopping. Thanks! :)
I’m quite similar to you about getting blood taken, I get so fuzzy headed and nervous, close to passion passing out but not quite. Happy it went better for you today! :)
I really wanted to get some of the Vanilla Carrot Cake…sorry I missed it!
MissLena-Thanks. :) Fuzzy head and nervous is no fun. I don’t know if you’ve tried it but I find lying down when getting blood drawn really helps.
Terri-Oh no sorry. :(
Thanks to Janet at sTEAp Shoppe for this tea sample!
This review is part of #2 Virtual Tea Tasting. What a great idea!
I’ve been chatting a bit with Janet, getting to know her better and she’s a really nice person! We Steepsters are blessed with tea vendors who don’t just care about making a living with tea, they want us to really have a great experience with their companies too!
The Storm-Sandy
I sat down today flipping between the Weather Channel and CNN, watching the development of Hurricane Sandy. Like a grandma Hen, I’m worried about all my Steepster friends in the South and East who are going to be in the path of this monster system. If I could manage it, I’d scoop everyone of you up and bring you to my house for the duration, feed you and serve you tea.
I have not forgotten the kind words when the hills were ablaze during the High Park Fires here in Colorado this Summer, the comfort when I was hunkered down with a cloud of smoke like fog outside.
Now, it’s my turn and I will keep you in my prayers also!
The Tea!
The dry tea smelled roasty, reminding me of coffee and chicory with a little sweet caramel.
The wet leaves had the aroma of a cocoa-raisin energy bar.
The base flavor tasted ‘green’. Maybe it was the fenugreek but I’m not convinced. The tea wasn’t malty or strong like I had expected.
Plain (no cream or sweetening) there was a light cocoa flavor and caramel scent more than taste. A bit disappointing.
I was certain that what the tea called for was sweetening and milk to bring out the true flavors. I added sweetening first, which brought out the caramel right away, then milk which brought out the cocoa taste just a little.
(I wouldn’t recommend drinking this without sweetening it at the least.)
There was an aftertaste of raisin…not sure why.
The only thing that I would love to taste more of is ‘chocolate’.
A little more of the nibs would be fantastic or a maltier tea.
(I didn’t feel that the base tea was contributing enough depth to the blend.)
Knowing the sTEAp Shoppe this will be part of their continuing commitment to bring quality natural ingredients and good taste to tea drinkers like us.
Last night I was repeatedly checking the weather too. My dad lives on the southwest coast of Kauai and was told he had to evacuate, but it turned out they were fine and he is home now, thank goodness.
I’ve been to Kauai and it’s beautiful! Glad he’s ok. I haven’t heard anymore about the earthquake today but last night I was watching the news. What a crazy bunch of weather stuff!
These teas sound delicious!
The combination of the hurricane and this cold front is terrifying down here. No rain but the wind is like straight out of a blizzard! It’s 50 but feels like 43…definitely drinking a lot of tea once I’m done hiding in my bed.
Thanks for the good thoughts Bonnie :)
My grandma phoned today to make sure we were okay – with any luck we’ll just get some heavy rains, but it never hurts to be prepared – the weather is unpredictable!
aren’t I just so lucky i was in Foco for the fires, and now after hardly a month of living in NY I get to experience my first hurricane! excluding some of the folks here all is still calm. bonnie i would love nothing more than to cozy down at your place for tea, sounds heavenly. if the electricity is still up in my area in the morning I’ll surely be making myself a hot cup of chocolate tea as i watch the storm from my window. thank you for the tempting review and the warm wishes.
Oh my goodness, Hi HabikiTea, I was just talking on goggle+ to Eric at Happy Lucky’s and I can’t believe you left here after the fires and moved into a Hurricane! How’d you do that?! I think Chai is good for hurricanes and strong black tea! Take care of yourself. I’ll tell the guys about you! Keep us updated OK?!
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, Bonnie. =) Currently it’s quite windy here already, but we’re told that the brunt of the storm will hit Monday 4p-Tuesday 4a. It will be interesting to see how much the wind and rain pick up in the meantime. Having experienced a few hurricanes while I lived in Orlando, I’m having a tough time buying into Sandy. Mostly I’m surprised that such a hullabaloo is being made over a category 1 ‘cane. Then again, we’re not used to storms of this calibre in the northeast, so I suppose some concern is warranted. They’re telling us to expect widespread, extended power outages. Eep! Hopefully their estimates have overshot the mark and we’ll get power back soon if/when it goes out. It was out for 8-11 days when I was in Orlando, and boy, that was not fun. (Okay, it was fun for the first 16 or so hours, while I made a fort out of cushions like I did when I was a kid, and read books by candlelight, but after that it stopped being fun.)
All the best Nik and everyone in the East! It seems like the surge of tide waters inland and the fact that the trees still have leaves which will bring them down on power lines is one factor that you wouldn’t find in Florida. I’ve been in winds that strong with trees coming down in the West but California doesn’t have hurricanes and now I live at 5000ft.
A redwood tree came down and just missed my daughters house and crushed the car, a camper and all the kids bikes before we moved to Colorado. Scary! Stay indoors!
hmmm chai… thats a good idea. I’m pretty much stuck indoors all day and i still have about 2 oz of happy lucky’s india assam. I’ll keep you guys posted. its still pretty calm here.
If you have a thermos, Make hot tea later tonight in case the power goes out!
Lapsang is smoked over pine wood, not hardwood, which is what is used for barbecue, charcoal and liquid smoke. That’s why the smoke is similar, but different.
If you want to try a lapsang that is very mild (but probably still best in the colder weather) try “black dragon” from Upton Teas.
Thanks for the recommendation Jim!
As an aside, I might be willing to concede that Texas has the best beef-barbecue, but, and this might just be my East coast roots, I have to say that I find pork barbecue superior to beef. But then, I’m living in Houston, and I suspect that the barbecue here is horrible compared to “real Texas”.
Try Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas (near Austin) if you wanna know about “real BBQ” and then well talk BBQ. I don’t promise many things but I promise you’ll like their BBQ! BTW as this cup cooled I picked up on the pine that you had previously mentioned.
Awww, no…. Goode & Co is awesome! ;-)
The only trouble with traveling for barbecue is that my wife is a veggie. But we may stop in en route to Austin the next time we go (we went recently, but it was Lent).
Goode… is that the one with the Emerson, Lake & Palmer armadillo out front?
Morgana-I don’t care for Goode & Co have you tried Salt Lick before?
http://www.saltlickbbq.com/
Really? I loved Goode. Never been to salt lick.
I agree, the Salt Lick has the best BBQ in the world possibly.
Morgana and Jim take it from me and mrawlins2 try Salt Lick! :)
@Morgana my husband likes Goode & Co but he even says that Salt Lick is the best BBQ in the whole world and he’s an engineer (it’s not easy to get him to say things like that) LOL.
Next time I’m in Texas (whenever that will be) I will, if I’m anywhere near Austin!
Apparently I just dated myself with that EL&P reference. O well.
No, I got it. I just don’t remember the Armadillo. Lol.
http://thatsmynamenotthatsnotmyname.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/elp20tarkus.jpg
BEST. ALBUM. COVER. EVER.
I’ve heard some pretty good things about Salt Lick, it’s true. As far as good barbecue in Houston though, there’s Swinging Door ( http://www.swingingdoor.com/ ) It’s in Richmond, which isn’t THAT easily accessible, but it’s quite good.
Har! Armoredillo!
I live on the southwest side, so that actually works for me.
As a Jersey girl who has recently moved to Texas, I attract quite a few odd looks when people find out I’m vegetarian. Oh well!
Try Houston. My wife’s a veggie and its no problem, here.
Is the Hobbit Hole still around? I used to love that sandwich shop for great veggie sandwiches.
The Hobbit Cafe is still just off Kirby on West Alabama, yes.
Erin, Everytime that I see a post that says you are in Burleson I wonder about Liz from the MTV show “My life as Liz”.
P.S. I have a teenager that’s how I even know about this show. :)
BBQ for Northeast coasters = Dinosaur BBQ i <3 them! never had texas bbq to compare though
I heart SC BBQ – pulled pork with mustard-based sauce! But will eat any good BBQ and would love eat BBQ in TX sometime.
@chrine, I wouldn’t mind trying some SC BBQ. :)
Now I’ve been wanting BBQ for dinner all day! Thanks guys! =)
I am eating pulled pork I made myself, right now. I couldn’t eat it during all of Lent and it has been calling me since practically January. Now, it doesn’t stand a chance.
Jim ~ Do you give up meat for all of Lent? We only do it on Fridays and Ash Wednesday. But we usually give up sweets for all of Lent.