Popular Tasting Notes
Well I’m traveling again and stuck in an airport all night with delays. Last night nothing was open but one small shop and the only thing they had was Lipton! I was so desperate I went for it. I noticed it was the new blend that they’ve been advertising on tv, so I was kind of curious as well.
I steeped the bag for 3 minutes at whatever temp the shop water was. The first thing I was greeted with was quite the aroma! It had a nice malty smell with some honeyed notes and a light roastiness. There was also a brightness that was pretty uplifting.
From the very first sip, I really enjoyed this tea. It must be the fresh-pressed tea leaves that they’re now adding to the bags. It really makes a difference! The tea was full bodied but still light and not astringent. It was smooth with a silky texture, with notes of molasses, fresh bread and a hint of chocolate. I really felt great drinking this tea.
I feel like I have to spread the news! This amazing tea can be had at your grocery store! I even found a special coupon code for ordering online today for 50% off, what a steal! The code is: APRILFOOLS
Preparation
Post hike noms
The berries this year are just awesome in PA! Check out some of our blueberry haul
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14514940398/
I love this particular state park because you have to drive up a mountain to get there, and it all looks like random shrubberies from afar, but then you get up close and realize that the whole mountain is covered in wild blueberry and huckleberry plants. THEN you hike elsewhere in PA and realize that many PA state parks are covered with these shrubs!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14699202424/
And then you get home and drink this and feel your happy tea buzz!!!!
And then you realize you’ve never rated any tea 100, and if any tea is it, this is the one. So you fix it. :p
<3 HOTOT
Yum, I absolutely love blueberries! I need to come visit you so we can go pick some, lol. I’ve never had a huckleberry though.
This is the “hot cowboy” right? :P
Have you ever been out blueberry picking? There’s something about DIY berries that makes them better than store bought, IMO. Fresh from the shrubberies!!!!
This is the one and only hot cowboy!!!
Haha! Many things I love about this review:
1) you went hiking
2) you got beautiful berries and you shared wonderful pics with us
3) you drank hot cowboy and gave it 100…
I’d say you’ve had the perfect day :-)
It’s been a sheng day!!!! I wish I didn’t have to work tomorrow!!!! I want to wake up and drink tea all day instead! :p
Those berries are preeeeety. I need to try my Hot Cowboy.
Do it!!! We should have a little HOTOT party later
And I should have stayed in bed today….
Why stayed in bed? The morning just started – can’t be that bad yet. Can it?
People are just working my nerves, pumpkin pie. I will live! I can’t be sad for long. I have good tea to look forward to later!!!!
I always dread Mondays. I have meetings ALL day today.
Eeeeew, sorry!!!! I only have one mtg, but it’s a doozy. I’m going to need a drink stronger than tea after that one.
Ok, you two, sending you the best vibes from my good vibe purse. Hope your day can go easily so we can all have Hot cowboy tonight together…sweeeet!
You are the sweetest!!!!! I’m taking a deep breath… Only 4 hours left and then Brian is taking me out for dinner and a couple beers and then I am going to make some HOTOT and relax!!!!!
Last meeting done – home early – MIGHTY mail day! Hot Cowboy will be good this evening – I slept the other night after shenging so I’m gonna go for it. I have a bunch of new sheng y’all
Awesome!!!!! You’re in sheng city, baby YEAH!
Like Austin Powers would say: wanna sheng now or sheng later???
All shenged UP! Except it has just been pointed out to me that I need more.
(Huh??? Don’t know what you’re talking about…)
(looks at you)
I wanna sheng now!!!
me too! And I’m home and I can…
Lol, I can’t sheng on an empty stomach, go ahead, I’ll join in later :-)
We can wait for you. I should eat too or it will be bad. Also, I may have gotten some (more) WM mao cha…
I will be home in 30 or so. I’m gonna sheng and season!!!!
OK – I will go get something to eat then.
I just got a sample of this cake today in the mail. woot!
@Cwyn – join us for a Hot Cowboy date later
Hehe… Virtual tea dates are fun!
I just broke into my Hot Cowboy cake so he will be ready for our date
I have my set up ready too :-)
What are temp parameters?
I will use my wee new tray
Theres none…I do mine at 195. And yay for wee tray!
I will make a thread for our Hot Cowboy date – kind of like we did for the moon party.
I am using 3.3 g in 3 oz at 200
OK. gonna go make the thread
<3
Ok
Mrs. Li’s Shi Feng Dragonwell Green Tea has arrived!
It seems like this tea present (more than purchase) will be arriving today (and the rest of this week) in households across North America and then around the World. ANTICIPATION!
I didn’t hesitate and went to the Verdant website, transferred all the information about the tea to Steepster so that we could review our Dragonwell together as it arrives.
Next, I read ‘How to Brew’ which I highly, HIGHLY recommend!
I chose the tumbler brewing method with 5oz. tea leaves, and luckily I had a gallon of Spring water left in the frig.
The quality of the water is very important with this particular tea.
With the tumbler method there was no straining of leaves, no timing of steepings and no worry. The process was very relaxed.
The leaves were jade green, very flat and had a fine white powder on them.
Following the brewing instructions carefully, I filled my tumbler and began blowing the leaves out of the way… sipping what looked like clear water.
That was fun.
I had to take off my glasses…the steam blinded me!
The sight of swirling green leaves and steam was beautiful.
Like the humid mist in the rain forest, I began to sip and think about green winged dragonflies, pure peridot colored leaves,
leaves swirling around like a school of fish.
I kept my eye on the level of the water in my tumbler and pushed the leaves away from my mouth by blowing on the leaves.
As the water level reached the lower third of the glass, I would fill it up again with water.
Blow on the leaves, sip, blow on the leaves, sip, pour in more water, blow on the leaves and sip.
That was all.
At times my technique of blowing leaves away and sipping had all the finesse of a whale sifting plankton. Some got caught in my mouth.
The flavor of the tea was savory soybean. This was the clearest, purest of pure flavors. No astringency, heat or bite. The sweetness was so subtle you hardly noticed.
The taste was soft but still rich and the mineral quality was like laying under a cool waterfall with the smell of wet granite and calcified rock.
As I continued pouring, the water turned pale green, and there was a bit of peppercorn heat.
My forehead became ‘tight’. Hum, I was aware that the tea was letting me know it’s potency. A well adorned object of beauty with hidden powers.
The last time I went swimming in the deep sea was 5 years ago in Kauai. The spot was off some enormous, jutting mountains (you might remember in ‘Lost’ or ‘Jurassic Park’) that go straight up and then straight down as jagged points back into the sea.
There in Kauai, the light penetrated the crystal water so deep that I watched small, flat, silver fish coming close to me then dart away. There was coral, giant marbled green rock…fern-like plants waving softly as though a gentle breeze was moving past them.
That is what I was thinking when I was drinking my tea. About the rocks, fish, sun and water, and the slow gentle movement of living things. I thought about me in the middle of it all floating.
When I finished my tea, I went to the cupboard, took down my small bottle of toasted sesame oil and put just a few drops on the tea leaves with a few grains of salt. (I could have added these to a salad but wanted to taste them as they were.)
They were delicious! Really, really good!
I can’t wait to hear the tasting adventures everyone else has with this tea. What fun, and what a pleasure to have this rare Dragonwell available to us.
This tea was elegant, refined and pure.
Thank you Mrs. Li for sharing your treasure with us!
My eyes are crinkling and my smile stretching with longing! A lovely review Bonnie – so full of vivid imagery!
Thank you, your opinion(’s) matter to me.
Yes, a beautiful review, I love the imagery, especially of the whale!
Beautiful, Bonnie, thank you.
You ate the tea leaves with sesame oil and salt? That sounds awesome! Cannot wait to get my tea and try it out!
Oh yes, of course! Kittenna this is right up your alley (or field of culinary expertise!) …I’ll never forget your stint with asparagus studies either!
I was already excited about this tea, but your review has taken my aniticipation to new heights! Also, loved the little scene you painted of Kauai, especially since I’m pretty sure that I went to the same place, and enjoyed it just as much as you did!
Beautiful review!
I still haven’t tried this tea! Bad me! I’m so craving greens + sesame oil right now though. And, my stint with asparagus studies is not over yet (although I wish it was!)
Today was such a dramatic day I… left my job.
Wow.
I was shaking when I got home – it really didn’t sink in. And now? I’m elated! (Don’t worry folks, I have another temp job lined up)
And I reeeeally needed a calm down tea. But also a super special one! And so, out pops my best friend, Laoshan White. Thanks LW, for seeing me through this crazy time!
Wow! Congrats!
It feels so empowering to take charge of your own life doesn’t it!?
Very glad you had this tea to come home to and also glad you have some work lined up already (gotta be able to buy tea, right!)
Good for you! Sounds like it wasn’t a good environment to work in from what you’ve been writing. It was brave of you to get out before things got worse. Hurrah!
I hope you find something better soon…
Thank you! My coworker and I honestly feel like we barely dodged a bullet. We got out at the exact right time, by the skin of our teeth! So many analogies – and although the hunt is still on for a permanent job, the temp jobs keep the bills paid and the tea bought b^_^
Congrats!!! hugs and luff
Amazing! Love your positive attitude! This is the right tea for the occasion! Ain’t nothin gettin you down…!!!!!
thinking of you!
Totally their loss. Good luck :)
Hope you find a better place. Definitely stay positive!
Wow! I hope your new job is better than your old one, and I hope you find a permanent one you love! ♥
Good for you! Good luck in your next job
Good luck! :)
I’ve done that after being on the (temp) job for only 4 days. Sometimes you just have to stand up for yourself. It’s scary, but totally liberating! Just know that something better will come along, with better pay! :)
Good luck!!!!
Congrats! There are few things worse than having a job you don’t like! So I hope your new one is 1000 times more enjoyable!! :)
Mabrouk !!!
I am hoping to do the same, soon, and I cannot wait for that feeling.
Wow! Thank you for your kind words everyone!!!
I encourage you all to take hold of your life and find happiness and liberation! And of course, share on Steepster so we can all celebrate together :D
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – you are the best community evar!
Good luck! Glad you’ve got something else lined up.
You’ll get a better job and be much happier hopefully it will also have better pay! :D Drink tea and be happy
Good luck on the job front. I hope the next one is a keeper!
Yikes! I got the impression that it perhaps wasn’t going wonderfully, but I see that may have been an understatement. I hope things improve with the next one!
How did I miss this?! Sorry to hear things ended badly.
No matter, from what I gather, you like the job you’re in now and that’s awesome!! :)
Simply the best tea from Della Terra Teas to date.
I pray that this is not a seasonal only tea.
If it is going to be seasonal only then I need to really REALLY stock up as this I am in love with.
This is THE most marshmallowy tea I have ever tasted. Yet not just marshmallow but caramel marshmallow!
Full review will be posted on http://sororiteasisters.com/
but for now – GET SOME before I get it all!
This sounds great.
Omg want.
Seriously …. its SO good – Steep two is really nice as well. I doubt I would get a third steep that is very noteworthy BUT steep two is still rockin that marshmallow flavor!
Looking forward to the full review!
Eeeee can’t wait to try this one! MARSHMALLOW! Looking forward to your Sororitea Sisters review as well :)
Thank you both!
the name of the tea itself sounds really magic !
just tell me Azzrian, is this Della terra teas different from the DT teas with marshmallows ? I mean do we taste the tea base in this tea ?
Ysaurella – I do not like DT base. Nor do I like how sometimes with some of their teas their sweetener or flavorings leave this oily coating on the top of the cup. To me, there is no comparison between the two – Della Terra is the clear winner. Now there are a FEW DT’s that I love but only a few.
Oh and I am sorry I understand your question more now – yes you can still taste the black tea base – the flavors are strong mind you but they don’t cover the taste entirely of the base.
Also just so you know – there was no problem at all with how you stated your question – it was quite clear – I am just feeling a little tired today so did not read it completely before answering :)
I LOVE marshmallowy teas! Yikes!
no problem Azzrian, however I think I do not like DT tea base (I tasted only 4 but have the same results each time) :)
Did you manage to taste Pleine Lune ?
Unfortunately I have not had the pleasure yet. I will eventually get to though.
I wonder how difficult it would be for us to do a trade? I have never shipping anything to Paris before!
I send you a PM
:) great thanks.
Damn! I didn’t order this one in my Try Me packs :(
this sounds good!
how do you steep this?
Is this better then Love in a Cup? The only thing different is there aren’t any sprinkles…
Working this one up tonight. I bought this after tasting a sample of it a while back. Mengsong material is usually pretty decent.
I grabbed 11 grams out to start with and gave it a rinse and a little sit time.
Wet leaf you can pick some hints of floral but subdued and there is some smoke in there as well. The tea brews a nice aged golden color in the cup.
It starts out fairly thick and seems to rattle around in the mouth a bit. It is a pretty strong brew with the mintyness and camphor and bitterness rolling around in there. It is not as strong as a Bulang area tea but it is quite strong. Letting the cup cool a bit the bitterness can really come to the front. I see this one doing quite a few quick steeps as I am already 8 in and the leaf keeps giving. The aged profile of this will make you think it is a few years older than it actually is.
Flavors: Bitter, Camphor, Floral, Mint, Smoked
Preparation
Better than the 2008 Bulang? ;)
I never had the chance on that one. It was gone away I heard good reviews of it though.
I think after comparing your sample with the newly arrived one I’ve convinced myself to grab a cake.
I think it is a good cake for the price.
Have you tried Teaurchin’s Baotang?
@tanluwils I have. I have a cake aging away. I may need to put it side to side. I think the EoT was a bit more punchy if I remember right.
I bought a cake of this and it certainly is punchy!
@tea123 there is another one similar to this one…..
http://steepster.com/teas/menghai-tea-factory/67819-2015-menghai-dayi-legend-of-taetea-raw
Thanks. Yes I remember now commenting that you said it was similar. Very interesting.
I have a good hookup on a good price on this one too.
205 °F, 15 SEC, 11 G / 10 OZ: Understood. So 15 sec for the first steep, & then … ? Thanks!!
@looseTman I would go about 5 seconds on the first and adjust from there. I should go back and re session this one in the future.
I approach this tea with caution.
@tea1123 I really like this one. I think 3 cakes worth at least. Well maybe 2 1/2. I have drank a lot and shared as well.
This one has acclimated nicely to my tupperware storage. No more of that awkward prune and a bit more sandalwood, camphor, leather, and fig.
Hi mrmopar, Yes, I thought 15 sec sounded longer than you typically recommend for a first steep. I will look for your update. AllanK’s 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, 1 min, 1.5 min, and 2 min seems works well for Baotang.
@looseTman how are you liking it? I am hoarding it.
My oregano bush is in bloom, and like every year, it hosts a bumble bee party. So cute to watch them working their little butts off.
Thank you bees for all your hard work…because of you, my oregano looks like a micro forest!!
I had Sleeping Bear in the middle of the afternoon. I usually have it at night. But it was raining and this tea reminds me how rain tastes in my forest, so it was the perfect companion.
I’m on a “monthly subscription” for this tea…meaning, I buy it once a month cause it’s that good and I get to have the newest harvest every time.
Out of the three different harvests I have tried so far, this one is the best. It’s a little more piney than the others, and the jasmine is just perfect. The scent is therapeutic, it elevates me…I feel like I’m resting on a little cloud made of jasmine blossoms and soft pine needles.
So good that I re-steep it. Yes, cause Whispering Pines has made a re-steeper out of me!
Teehee bumble bee party! http://tinyurl.com/n95df9w
We had two big fat fuzzy bumble bees wrestling inside an okra flower at my house yesterday, too funny!
I would imagine bumble bee wrestling to be similar to sumo… Lol!
Lol, most of them are actually regular working bees, but I like saying Bumble Bee, makes me happy :-)
Lol, Cameron, that pic is cute!
Stephanie, i think Cameron is right, two big fat bumble bees fighting together = sumo bee wrestling :-)
I usually think of the small “regular” bees as honey bees, and the extra large extra fuzzy variety as bumblebees!
They were totally sumo wrestling, LOL
Awwwwwww I love bumblebees! I got stung by one when I was two because I tried to pet it. Surprisingly not traumatized xD
Yeah, re-steepage!!!
Also, sumo wrestling bumbly bees is the cutest image ever.
I’m totally crashing that bumblebee party!!!!!
Haha! KiwiDelight, kudos for petting a bee, so cute!
Sami, except when I do gongfu sessions, I was never much of a re-steeper…now, with those WP teas, it just breaks my heart to throw them out so I can’t help re-steep most of them!
Sars, I was hoping you’d crash ;-)
Bees are so awesome! I went to an insect behavior lecture a couple of months ago (just for fun) and learned some about them. Did you know that all the bees you see outside the hive are female? They are the workers and soldiers. The males stay in the hive and care for the larvae. Fun facts :)
YOU GUYS if you like bees, you need to read this novel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/books/review/the-bees-by-laline-paull.html?_r=0
TTF: You know I can’t resist a party!!!!!
Suddenly The Tea Hobbit has turned us into re-steepers LTF
I’ve learned here on Steepster that resistance is futile Sars…
MzPriss…let’s face it. We are total re-steepers. But only with tea hobbit’s teas… I still dump my other used tea leaves with no guilt after one steep!
The two I actually res-steep are GO and this one. I wih I had some right now. But it’s not long until the 1st. The Tea Hobbit is also lightning shipper
The firsssst…. it nearsssss…. Need teasssssss :p
Where do you get your “subscription” for this tea?
Lol, it’s a joke hippiechick, I said that cause I buy it every month, just can’t live without it, and I easily go through my 2oz within 30 days :-)
Oh ok I was going to order some, due to your amazing review, but it is out of stock. :(
This tea is available in small quantities starting on the first day of each month :-)
Usually sells out pretty quickly, so keep an eye out for it!
Thanks I will!
It a rainy day…non stop showers. I know it’s not recommended, but I can’t help it, I went for a swim, it was so invigorating! But now I am freezing to death, water is still at a chilling 67F!!!
I thought S’mores would make me feel warm and cozy inside.
So, you know when I have a new favourite teaware, that’s all I can talk about…sorry if I’m being annoying with…my new 24oz latte mug!!!
I don’t even drink milk, I know…but I like a big cup sometimes! I also love the new vegetal milks I have discovered lately and have been experimenting with them. My newfound love: quinoa milk. So creamy and nutty, without any of the dairy cow milk taste I dislike so much, especially in hot beverages.
So why not try S’mores as a latte and make it a little “chai-esque”?
It’s a hit. Oh, yum. That smoke against the nuttiness of the milk makes it really s’mores graham cookie like!
It’s already the end though, sad face, I’m all out now :-(
On to the repurchasing list it goes!
Oh, and I feel all warmed up now :-)
What mug is this new mug? pictures &/or link?
Haha! Cheri, don’t we like pictures? Look at my post this morning in the what did you get in the mail thread. In the last link, you’ll see my new teaware. “the mug” is in the middle of the pic, it’s very plain looking but I love the shape and size!! And the best part was the discounted price: $7,50!!!
It’s the new fairy jacuzzi mug! Lol. This tea is at the top of my list for my Whispering Pines order…
I actually really love swimming in the rain :-). When I was little, my mom used to have to chase me out of the pool once it started thundering. Obviously, I wasn’t too bright lol
Oh, a fairy jacuzzi, me like that :-)
Hope you will like this one cameron, it truly is a different take on s’mores…I thought I wouldn’t like it cause of the smoke but it turns out the smoke is the reason I like it!
I love huge mugs. But now I’m also loving teeny tiny cups.
I just tried their Campfire Blend, which was very smokey, and I liked it a lot. My first smokey tea. :P So I think I would really enjoy this one. :D
Oooh now I sorta wish I’d grabbed one too, but cupboard space is so limited. :| I ended up getting rid of two mugs to fit my new tentacle mug!
Lol, mj, I’m still lacking in the bright department apparently :-0
Seriously though, it wasn’t thundering, so I took a chance!
Cheri, I so love tiny cups but only for gungfu sessions…
Cameron, yes I remember reading your post, I didn’t have campfire blend yet, so I can’t compare, but I’m assuming Brenden is using the same Lapsang in both blends, so yes, you’d probably like it then :-)
Cavo, I too will have to get rid of some mugs, no room for the new teaware…but that’s ok, I like to gift people with them. The tentacle mug is awesome :-)
Ohhh man…one of my favorite things: Sitting outside in the fall when it’s just a tad too chilly to not have tea, sipping on a heavy mug of strong yunnan black tea or lapsang :)
Huge mugs of giant proportions really are awesome! It’s like a never ending cup of happiness^.^
I think early fall is my favourite part of the year…everything is perfect, no more mosquitos, fresh air but not too cold, colours changing…ok, but lets have a summer before we start talking about autumn :-)
^That
Quinoa milk???? I want that.
My current fave is the almond/coconut blend. But I am determined to find some quinoa milk now!
Sarsonator, I found it last week at my local health food store. They even have sunflower seed milk, which is also very nutty.
But I too adore the almond/coconut milk, but with all these new choices, it’s nice to be able change things up a little :-)
The almond coconut is also my favorite :)
No health food stores anywhere near me…guess I just have to use the forest! :D
Oh, I’m sure you can find a way to make some kind of extra special mushroom/bark forest milk :-)
Hahahaha!!! Mushroom bark forest milk??? I want that!
What about a Mushroom bark forest tea? It could be called: Autumn Fungus or Midnight Morel Madness. LOL
:-) Oh, oh, I think we’re on to something!!!
Funny you should mention that…I had chaga-infused rice milk last week :)
Did you really? Isn’t that the mushroom that grows on tree bark? It’s actually edible?
See, you did make your own bark forest milk ;-)
If the zombie apocalypse happens, it seems like Brendan would be an extremely useful guy to have around with his living-off-the-land-eating-tree-mushroom skills.
Maybe we should start a Zombie Apocalypse Tea survival group. I garden, forage for wild food, and make beer & wine. Brenden lives off the land and eats tree mushrooms. What else have we got? LOL
I’m in for the survival group. I’ll be bringing my friend and neighbor because she is super outdoorsy (like 2 week long camping trip outdoorsy) and has all the equipment. I’ve also already claimed her as one my zombie survival teammates. I bring to the table relatively few useful practical skills, except sailing a boat, swimming well, cooking decently, fishing, sewing, crocheting, and knitting. All my other skills are lab-related.
I should add that I’m not a complete nut job. I own The Walking Dead board game. My friends and I discuss silly hypotheticals while we play haha
Oh, i can negotiate with the wild life, I have Dr, Doolittle skills, no wild critter can resist me, so we can be safe from bears, wolves and coyotes. In fact, we can make them our friends and have them fight the zombies for us :-) Ducks seem to particularly like me, so we could have fresh duck eggs every morning and i could make us some mean omelet as breakefast. Also, I can make fire. Just sayin…
Lol, mj, your crocheting, sewing and knitting skills will be very helpful, you could create decent Pocahontas outfits, I always wanted to of wear one of those :-)
I could probably handle Pocahontas outfits lol. Also, I may or may not have been Tiger Lily from Peter Pan for Halloween for three consecutive years as a kid. So I’ve got a basic idea of the pattern…
Hahaha! “may or may not have been..”
Yep, Chaga is 100% edible. Well, with water or alcohol extraction. It’s considered “the mushroom of immortality” and is used extensively in Chinese medicine. It goes by the name Bai Hua Rong I believe in Chinese medicine, and is considered the king of all healing herbs. Basically if you drink chaga tea every day, you’ll stay at a VERY low risk or be totally immune to cancer cells, your immune system will be godly, and your overall health will increase dramatically. I’m a huge believer in the stuff. I drink it daily along with reishi and turkey tail mushrooms, too. Goes beautifully boiled with some elderberries and black tea.
I don’t like mushrooms for texture reasons, but I wonder how I’d feel about a mushroom tea. Hmm..
An incredibly caring Steepster friend is concerned that all I’m drinking are samples from other people, and that I should take some time and enjoy some of my favorite teas. I’m searching for the great teas, but not enjoying the one’s I’ve found. I’ve decided to “sort of” take that advice.
I have sent samples of this out to several people, and assume that it is going to be amazing, but I’ve never actually drank it. So tonight I’m taking a ME tea night to explore the dark side.
I threw about 2.5 tsp of this into my gravity steeper, gave it a quick wash and then let it steep – I’ve read lots of review that say that this is AMAZING if steeped for a long time. I’m watching and waiting, and it’s getting darker, and darker, and I chicken out at about 4 minutes. OK 4 minutes is a LONG steep for pu’erh – at least for me…
Wow this is crazy – unlike any other pu’erh I’ve tried. There really isn’t any of the musty/earthy typical pu’erh taste – it is just deep dark chocolate – maybe a hint of “pu’erh” in the back but it’s just adding depth to the chocolate. OK I’m a believer.
I add another couple of tsp of new leaf to the old leaf (I don’t care it’s my tea night I can do what I like) – gave it another quick rinse and let it steep for NINE minutes.
OMG – this is unsweetened cocoa from a fine chocolatier. I add about a tsp of sweetener and just a splash of milk – just enough to change the color. This is my new favorite chocolate tea. I love this.
Now what do I do? I think I’m going to take the leaves and toss them in the fridge to cold steep. If anyone hasn’t tried it – cold steep pu’erh is crazy good.
As always, thank you Mandala for another amazing tea experience.
i’m so happy you enjoyed this one. i love this puerh a lot.
It’s your part-tea and you can steep how you want to, steep how you want to!!
Yay for ME tea nights, so proud of you :-)
Dark and choco, yum, yum!!
Wow, I tried this the other night and got it wrong. I’ll definitely try it again with longer steep parameters.
Darn right you can do what you want! :D
Cold steeping pu’erh, ah? I have to try that.
That sounds really amazing.
I will TRY to steep mine that long but I gotta say 4 minutes, and NINE minutes makes me a little nervous. I’m a “followe the vendors instructions, you noob” sorat gal. Especially with this. It’s my FIRST/ONLY Mandala tea!
It’s my par-tea and I did what I wanted. :)) It turned out great.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it MissB – it doesn’t get nasty as you steep it longer, it just gets deeper and more chocolate. I highly recommend a long steep. I was VERY nervous too, but after trying the 4 minute steep, I knew you could not hurt it. I will do 8 or 9 minutes first steep next time.
Kamyria I didn’t believe the cold steep pu’erh either, and then I tried it. I quite often western steep leaves a couple of times, then toss them in the fridge for 16ish hours. Can’t explain it, it’s a different experience – very refreshing, you should try it once….
Cavocorax – if you want to follow vendors instructions, then you go right ahead. It’s your tea, don’t let me talk you out of your comfort zone. First/only Mandala? You are starting with a good one….
I twisted her rubber arm into ordering SOMETHING, ANYTHING from mandala when I placed my order lol
omg yay!! u just put the seal of approval on this one for me…it’s on my to-try list from Mandala…it sounded delicious to begin with, although i was worried it might have a damp,earthy pu’erh quality. but if this is anything like you say, i simply must give it a go!
Good job Sil – “something – anything” is pretty much correct when it comes to Mandala – it’s all good.
pyarkaaloo – but I like the “damp,earthy pu’erh quality” This has a little of that – it is a pu’erh, but it’s more in the background adding depth to the chocolate rather than hitting you in the face. I love all Mandala pu’erh. Their Silver Buds are really mild – more of a white tea with a hint of pu’erh. Noble Mark is just fantastic, but more traditional pu’erh. Wild Monk is the best sheng I’ve ever drank – pretty much what Sil said – anything from Mandala is a good choice….
Does restocking favorites count as breaking hiatus?
thanks for the clarification…this sounds like a nice pu’erh! i think i’ll be happy with this as long as it isn’t a predominantly ‘mossy/earth’ kind of flavor, although one never knows…if i try enough pu’erh cakes i may find one that i love! or i may develop my palate.. the cold steeping sounds delicious!
Yeah, I’m really happy Sil was able to do talk me into it! It was difficult because it was Black Friday and I’d already allocated most of my budget to Butiki and DTT. But ONE tea from Mandala… OK YES.
There will be more from them in the future. I still have to get past them being fancy in my head and just start drinking!
And I can experiment now! It’s just the first steep that I don’t like to mess with on the assumption that the vender knows what’s best. :P
Does.not.count.
Cavocorax This is a video of Garret giving you permission to play with your tea. He has a very open, whatever you like is correct for you attitude…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUt6kt00mpo&feature=youtube_gdata
I love steeping Special Dark for extreme amounts of time. Unlike with most teas, this one improves on a longer steep. The last time I had Special Dark I steeped it for 15 minutes and added a touch of cream. Heaven.
Garret does have a very laissez-faire approach to tea. Which I really appreciate. It eliminates the guilt when I, inevitably, break the rules.
Do as you like :) Whenever I do tea classes, I give people basic parameters for brewing and leave the rest up to them. I let people know that if they dig a green tea with boiling water, that’s cool, that’s how they should have it. I do use a little disclaimer here, though, and tell them that if they are serving tea to guests that it might be a good idea to go to more “traditional” way of brewing it :)
Yay! I love this one. And I love that someone was awesome and reminded you you should not get overwhelmed with sampling and take some time out for whatever you want to drink. Definitely.
And so agree, it’s the most intensely chocolate tea I’ve tasted.
First Tasting…from a sample I received with my last Verdant order. (Prior to my full cake purchase arriving.)
Intro
I didn’t realize at first that the sample I received with my order was the same as the 07 cake I later purchased. The label was marked 06 instead of 07.
I thought I had received one of those extra’s that are never going up on the Verdant site, or a future tea that might be released in a few weeks. You never know with tea, things are always changing.
Tasting at H.L.
So I took my little sample to Happy Lucky’s to taste with my tea friends, Sam and Joe, and my granddaughter Schey.
Joe set up a little Gaiwan and 4 cups, then rotated through 7 short steepings.
From the beginning I didn’t think he used enough leaf and the steep time was instant, but he thought otherwise.
The first steeping was tongue numbing, and tasted ashy. The smell was sweet tobacco. The Pu’er was never bitter or harsh, just ashy tasting and vegital.
That didn’t concern me, I knew how a first steeping was so often unreliable in judging what future steepings would taste like.
It took 3 additional steepings for the ash and tobacco taste to subside, finally allowing a lighter, green tea flavor to emerge with a slight astringency.
I determined then to spend time at home brewing this Pu’er ‘MY WAY’. Something wasn’t right.
Curious about my sample, I sent David Duckler an e-mail. He said the handwritten sample said ’06 but was really the 2007 Fuhai Sheng. Aha!
Now I knew how to brew!
Prep
I decided to do a Western Style brewing to get a larger amount of tea all at once to envelop myself in the aroma and flavor. I also wanted to use lots of leaf.
I used SPRING WATER!!! (I do believe this made a big difference)
Steep time….1 minute! 8 oz water 5 grams or so leaf
The aroma of the leaves was lightly vegital with a background scent of Grammer School paste.
The color remained pale yellow.
The scent of the tea changed in such a peculiar way. I smelled sweet tobacco in the beginning then sweet spiced pickle, cinnamon, savory and sweet green tea.
Second Tasting Western Style
With the very first sip I was stunned at how instantly the tea numbed my tongue. Not just the tip but under the tongue.
The flavor was an ash-vegital taste that wasn’t too salty. The Pu’er was never bitter or harsh and had a natural sweetness.
I had the sensation of cream without a thick mouth-feel.
As the tea cooled just slightly there was a growing presence of cinnamon.
I was pleased that my choice to brew Western Style using more leaf and longer steep time had worked out so well!
The second steep was like the first and the third was less ashy, dryer and a weaker cup.
I needed to make an adjustment!
At Stepping #4, I changed the time to 1 minute 45 seconds. Perfect!
Always the experimenter, and following a hunch…I took a small break, took a bite of chicken and came back to my tea (just seconds away to keep the tea hot).
By taking that break, I discovered the Pu’er’s Savory personality! Sipping the Pu’er was really good with my light chicken dish in a way that an excellent light savory broth would be.
I could still feel a bit of tingle, that numbing feeling in my mouth that was kind of cool and a green plantain starchy flavor that is a little sweet as it begins to ripen with a hint of cinnamon (super light). (The cinnamon was sometimes only on the nose)
Conclusions
For my first encounters with this Pu’er, I didn’t taste apricot or nut.
The environment often changes what you taste from one day to another too. This is why I seldom eat before tasting tea.
Perhaps in the future my experience will deepen and I will taste many things as the Pu’er itself changes.
My recommendation is to use the best water, don’t skimp on leaf and steep long enough to get good flavor. If at first you don’t succeed try again. I bought a cake and a sample size to play with. Sheng is not like Shu Puerh. This is not earthy, fishy or mushroom tasting.
Sheng are a whole different adventure in the world of Pu’er and I for one have a lot to learn.
nice, I ordered one of these too. ;)
I ordered the sample, which arrived today, but did not order a full cake (although I almost talked myself into it when there was only one left…). I’m looking forward to giving it a try!
Well, today’s the day. I’m going to that tea bar to see what I think. Wish me luck – hopefully I’ll be making friends! =)
Good Luck…have fun…at least we get a story out of you!!!
Okay it was awesome! I’m so glad I went. It was strange because it’s run out of an upstairs apartment so going in you feel like you’re going through someone’s house you don’t know, but once we got inside there was a little bar set up and a friendly guy behind the bar serving gongfu tea. He was very informative and the tea was great! There were 2 other people that were there and they were very friendlly as well. It was so much fun to drink tea with other people who actually enjoy tea and not people I’m forcing to drink tea who have no clue what I’m trying to do when replicating gongfu with stuff in my kitchen lol!! Yeah…I think I’ll make it a regular friday thing. So happy I read your reviews and decided to check my area again because they defintiely were not there before!! =)
Hooray!!! Probably this will be your tea bar or pub! As you get to know people you might even share samples. I take tea to drink with my servers and they give me tea sometimes too or a free pot of tea. You learn so much more that way. Good for you!
I’m so excited I even got to buy some tea from the tea farm he worked on over the summer in Hawaii. I can’t wait to go again next Friday and I feel like he can really teach me a lot about puer because he loves it and I don’t know much about it, so I am hesitant to include it in my online orders. Yay tea friends! Woohoo!
Yay, Mrnixonpants!! Sounds like an awesome experience!
Woo Hoo indeed!
Awesome! I wish there was a place like that around here – I would be all over it.
Sunday I was invited to a Sunday google+ tea chat group that meets at 3pm at a local shop. I was recommended by Eric at Happy Lucky’s…still another benefit of visiting places LIVE and seeking them out!. The group sips tea and blogs about it on google+ just for about an hour.
Well, that’s cool! Fun with tea drinkers!
Still, I’d rather be on a cruise ship riding around with all you guys sippin…
Hehe, that would be awesome!
Teatanic: The unsinkable tea convention… :D
About how much leaf was used in the gaiwan and was there a rinse? When I read you used more leaf at 5g/8oz I kinda choked a little on the bran flakes I was eating, hahaha. I always start around 4g/100mL with both sheng and shu, though I vary the time and temp between ’em.
Thomas S- Well, the first time (using a Gaiwan) was about 2g in 4oz water for about 20-30 seconds and weak (remember I said I told the guy he needed more leaf) so I knew that going to 5g in 8oz water would be fine. I did 1 rinse. It was the time that mattered. I increased the time to about 1 minute right off.
(Verdant suggests 4g for 8oz water starting at 30 seconds for Western Style then increasing to 1 minute)
Okay all, I am getting ready to preach!
Three years ago this week I went for a mammogram. I was about a year late because I was too busy to get one and since I was the poster child for low risk factor I really didn’t need to go, did I now? There was no lump, no changes. But it came back abnormal.
A second one was ordered, then a biopsy, and finally on December 21st I received the official diagnosis. I had cancer. The cancer it was impossible for me to have because I had four kids, I breastfed them, and there was no family history of it.
How does this apply to tea?
This is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and Panera Bread sells a special bagel in the shape of a ribbon. It is cherry vanilla flavored and I miss it when they quit making them.
Today I ground some wheat and made my usual buttermilk bread loaf, but this time I added some vanilla, Craisins, and chopped walnuts to try to recreate the taste of the bagel I love but can only buy one month out of the year. This loaf of bread is already history. Writer’s Group finished all that was left after tea time today! I also made a homemade version of Panera’s Cheesecake Spread, which is just cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon. (I left out the crushed graham crackers.)
What would be more perfect to pair with it than Mike Harney’s masterful Boston Blend? Everyone went so nuts over this tea that I made three large pots just for group, and one at tea time earlier. One group member who is crazy about green teas and jasmine teas said it was her most favorite tea of all the ones she has ever had at my house…and she isn’t even a huge black tea fan!
This is an intimate, cozy up tea. A quiet steady friend tea. A comfort tea.
Now, if you are female, make sure you have had your mammogram. If you are male, pester the women in your life to get one. My husband prodded me to go, “just to be sure.” I am thankful.
in my opinion everyone EVERYONE needs to read this review and hit hit the like button. it’s important.
ashmanra, i am very glad you are okay. my mother is also a survivor.
Congratulations to your mom, JustJames! When I was diagnosed, my dear hubby was so rattled that when we went off he introduced me as “this is my wife who just got diagnosed with breast cancer!” At the car dealership, the receptionist called two other women to her desk and introduced them to me, saying they had all had cancer and were all survivors, and that I was going to be one, too. It was so encouraging.
isn’t it strange and remarkable the places where people pull together when we need them? complete strangers, that share wisdom and become friends and supporters. these are the people that we didn’t know but that we never forget. i have a few of those too. xo
In Denmark we have a huge screening program for cervical cancer. All women are supposed to receive a letter encouraging them to have a smear test done when they are between I think 23 and 50-something. Recently it was discovered that due to a computer glitch at some point thousands of people had fallen out of the program and had been invited for many years. Quite a scandal over here. Last I heard there were 11 women who had applied for compensation. There’s a public screening program for breast cancer as well, but I can’t remember at what age that starts. I think around 40 or something.
What an incredible story. I am so relieved that it had a happy ending, and ama lso relieved that your husband prodded you to go. The realization that I could lose a loved one in an instant is never far from my mind (as gruesome as that sounds), and I’m glad that people are taking their health seriously.
Good for you, happy you are healthy now! And great job encouraging others!
Wonderful review and so happy to hear of the happy ending!
Thank you for sharing your story!
Thank you, all! It is so easy to get checked, and so important. Because mine was caught early, it greatly reduced the impact it had on my life. Please get checked out! :) maybe a bunch of female relatives should make it a yearly party! LOL! Get squished and then have a good time!
Preach!
Also, for women under 30, they don’t advise mammograms because of the radiation, but definitely keep on top of self-exams and have an ultrasound if there is cause for concern (I actually just had one – it’s benign, fortunately.) I’ve known grad students who have been diagnosed and gone through chemo.
Thank you for that reminder, self checks are vital and need to start early as well. If you have breasts, check them. A friend of mine who is a P.A. Had a clean mammo and five months later found a large lump – a fast growing, aggressive cancer. She is fine now, because she did her self checks. A student’s young grandmother told me she found a lump and wouldn’t go at first, and when she finally went she had stage four cancer. Check! Go! Do it!
True, I have a friend who got tested every year as her family has that gene focused on the French Canadian population that predisposes them to breast cancer. Her mother’s side of the family have lost a frightenly large number of women to it. Despite all this loss, her grandmother remains one of the singly most positive people I’ve met.
Thanks for this post! My mom is also a survivor.
I like the ‘get squished party’ idea, as none of us enjoy these exams.
i scheduled my first one some weeks ago. Going on Monday
Great! and it really isn’t so bad, especially if you get the digital machines. The only one I really hated was two weeks after my first surgery they did one. OWOWOWOWOW! LOL! ,a inky because the plate was shoved into the incision under my arm. But other than that it has been fine. For the first few after the surgeries, and they do them more frequently then, I took ibuprofen before going and it really was no biggie.
Thank you for sharing you story. i really admire your positive attitude.
Sipdown! (158)
I’m especially happy to finish this one as I bought it last February and it’s time to clear it out. Sure, I didn’t open the bag up until a month or so again so it was fresh but I’m pretty happy with my recent efforts to keep my tea rotated! So when I log a tea that I already have in stock, it gets a seperate entry on my sheet so I know how old the oldest stuff is and how new the newest. (Thanks Sil for that tip)
We were talking about tea earlier (right? who does that?) and I realized that 90% of my teas were purchased AFTER July 2013. So, that’s damn fresh.
Damn fresh.
Fresh to death.
…so what you’re saying is..you really became an addict in july
Define: addict
Phresh.
Addict – someone who uncontrollably buys tea and considers themselves a heffalump. A-D-D-I-C-T Addict.
Haha. My earliest teas are August, Cavo. Now I just need to drink them up soon (or send them away, that also has helped) to ensure my stash remains at maximum freshness.
I’m not addicted! I can stop ANY TIME!!!
I just don’t want to! And you can’t make meeeeeeee!
What if you’re a woozle?
That’s what they all say. :P
VariaTEA – that’s pretty awesome too! I try to rotate between my newest exciting tea, and my oldest nearly forgotten stuff.
The spreadhseet makes it so easy to track though. I love sort. (excelnerd)
I think I will have to add a column to my spreadsheet to mark when I got things. Typically I drink swaps first though and then go back to my own tea. Though I do make exceptions for cravings and for sipdowns.
I do he the same variatea….try to get to sample swaps first, then on to my teas. My oldest tea is from march at the moment but there’s only 1 and then it jumps to May….not too shabby, and of course I don’t count puerhs
Hi I really love the Winnie-the-Pooh reference undercurrent to these comments. Okay. Izzy out.
I should probably try to drink my sample sizes down. Usually I rush through as many as I can when I first get them, but if I get a lot of new teas at once it’s hard to do it, and then some end up getting pushed to the back. I don’t like to let them sit more than a month. Maybe two?
Sil – You not counting puerhs makes more sense than me not counting my ‘guest’ Tetley Orange Pekoe box that just won’t go away (for ppl who don’t want loose tea), and my eucalyptus/mint/ginger blend for colds that I only drink 2-3 times a year if I’m lucky! At least puerh ages nicely.
You changed your picture!!!
shhhhhh don’t tell the woozles!
“Addict – someone who uncontrollably buys tea and considers themselves a heffalump”
I’m not a heffalump……does that mean I can buy tea….?
uh oh… i think i found a woozle!
Heee. slightly tempted to change my pic to a woozle, but…
I’m a sucker for this cat. And this is my fav pic of her.
You guys…sheesh! Lol!
A heffalump or woozle
Is very
Confuzle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLnADKgurvc
Geez. Between that, Fantasia, and some of the super weird cartoons on TV when I was a kid, it’s amazing I didn’t turn out weirder.
Isaila! yay!
I have a lot of this tea, and the last time I had it, my throat prickled. I had a different rooibos and no prickly issues from it, so maybe it is from a spice in this that I got too much of in that steep? I hope it was a fluke, cuz this one is sooo good, and one of the few rooibos I like.
Hmmm. Did you buy any this year? From what I hear this blend is slightly different than the one from last year, so that might be part of it.
That sucks though. I get that once in awhile with rooibos, and I don’t know what it is, aside from the rooibos that triggers it because it’s not consistent.
I’m not sure. Miss B sent me a packet, I think, and I had some from before. It may be that it happened with the tea from her packet.
OMGsrsly: Kids shows are weird. I remember being super freaked out by many Winnie the Pooh movies. And I cried when I saw Finding Nemo in theaters…
I freaked out with ET and Snow White… just to show my age. :D
I love that we can date people by movies now… I guess I showed my hand there a bit too.
Aaah… I’ve had a good morning so far.
Got out of bed at 4:30am in order to go outside and watch the sunrise… a cup of Ailaoshan in hand, my dog Dexter by my side.
Love the feeling at that hour of the day, it’s like the world stopped, everything got suspended in time for you to admire. It’s so quiet, it has you think you are the only one blessed enough to witness such beauty.
That feeling is ephemeral, cause a few minutes later, nature starts its joyful symphony, and you are quickly reunited with life.
I love this tea. It fills my head with beauty and happiness, starts my day in the best possible way.
Still getting those sweet and salty caramel notes, with some nice cocoa feel.
Love the fruitiness of it, dried dates and figs.
A favourite of the morning….Forever and ever.
Good morning! :)
And good morning to you as well ;-)
Sssshh… I’m still sleeping. :p
(Oops, Okay…sorry ;-))
Seriously, you have inspired me to try to get up early and see a sunrise. I think it’s been over 15 years since that happened, and it wasn’t from getting up early, it was from staying out late!
Nothing beats that feeling…
Haha! I’ve had those wasted sunrises as well dear…memory lane. Mind you, I went to bed past 2am, so it was almost that!
This makes me want to start dragging my butt out of bed earlier, at least once in awhile!
I love the freshness of the early morning, & of course the birds & their songs!
My problem is I also love the silence of late night & my creativity seems to always awaken & peak from 10pm to 2am.:)
I understand the night creativity…then just be like me, a night AND a morning person ;-)
TheTeaFairy, do you get that beautiful blanket of cool mist in the mornings?
Brenden, yes I do… Especially on cooler nights like yesterday. A blanket is right, this morning, it was only at ground level, so dense I could not see through!
My favorite :) I had a fair bit of fog here last night and I went for a walk. Truly beautiful stuff!
I work in the night time Indiana woods. Last night a mist enveloped my world. A very special sight/feeling. :)
I so love that feeling inranger…glad to know the sight doesn’t get old even for you, as it is part of your job to see beautiful nature canvases every day :-)
Yes, I am blessed. :)
Every day!
Count me in also :-)
Love these comments!
Brenden, I go night walking as well, but only when there’s a full moon. Then it gets really magical!
Then jump in KS, you are always welcome :-)
The smell of thick fog in the forest is my absolute favorite thing <3
Or after it’s stormed all night and the sun is hitting the trees and you get that unexplainable freshness…mmm
Ok stop! You’re going to cause a massive human migration to the woods…how could anyone resist all that?
Right?! Well, I could only do about 5 minutes in the woods today to get some mushrooms I was letting grow a bit more…It’s mosquito hell out there today!
Understand the night and morning person thing. I just have to watch out for the phase out in the middle of the day thing bred into me by years of boredom at school.
Yyz, hate napping in the afternoon, it’s screws me up more than my insomnia!!
Brendan, mmm, fresh mushroom…what kind do you get? Have to be careful though…
And mosquitos have been the worst here this year, they are so big, and they give me allergic reactions, i have a bite the size of an orange on one leg, dammit!
OMG!!! WOW!!! I don’t care that this is tea bags, I don’t care that it doesn’t count in my chai quest (re the coconut) – This is one of the best chais I’ve come across. This totally works. Lots of coconut – almost to the point that I think it’s more of a spicy coconut rather than chai – nice delicate spices. Add a little sweetener, add just a touch of milk and you are left with a delightful cup of sweet, creamy, coconut, spicy goodness.
This goes right on the shopping list. (Where do I buy it?)
Thank you OMGsrsly for introducing me to this amazing tea!!!!
Hahaha that’s awesome. Also, who cares if it’s bagged, right?
(It’s just surprising!)
LOL I’m not a tea snob, I don’t care how it come – this is FANTASTIC. But yes a little surprised. :))
I tried so to find where to buy it too, but it either didn’t ship to Canada or shipping was outrageous.
Isn’t it good? It’s available at London Drugs, and goes on sale quite often.
http://www.iherb.com/search?kw=tea&x=-801&y=-141#bid=ZHE&p=1
you can get it here. It’s a us site but the shipping is cheap to Canada
Yay! I was just checking the Zhena’s site and the US Amazon. Thank goodness for Steepster :)
They have other things too like some Harney’s teas including loose leaf Paris..
I think here in NC it is available at World Market, Southern Season, and possibly the Fresh Market. I don’t know how widespread those chains are, though.
Thanks yyz – will check that out if I can’t find it at my local London Drugs.
(I’m seeking tea at London Drugs?…who would have guessed).
I think I sent you a few bags of their Chocolate Chai. Did I? I found it at Winners. Comes in a cute tin and was super cheap. Next time I go, I’ll see if there’s any coconut chai left.
LOL no you didn’t MissB – but that’s ok. I was just looking at the iherb website yyz mentioned and saw the chocolate chai rooibos, peach ginger, Tropical Green Berry Bellini. I might have to place an order from here. I didn’t realize they had all these fun flavors.
I don’t think I’m allowed to go back to Winners yet – little afraid they might still have/or more of the French teas.
Apparently you can buy from London Drugs online but unless our dollar takes a complete nosedive it’s still cheaper to buy from the US site because shipping is 9.95.
This is one of my favorite coconut chai teas, it is amazing, bagged or not
I’ve been waiting to walk by the Holiday teas from Celestial Seasonings as well! They’re not at Walmart, so I’ll just keep my eyes open. For a bagged tea, they work out well for an evening treat.
London Drugs pretty much only has the Chais. I like the iherb site, though. :) Thanks for the temptation, yyz! Cavo, Superstore had some of the Celestial Seasonings ones. They all have gluten, or I would have picked one up.
Cavo, they carry most of the Celestial Seasonings holiday teas at Bulk Barn. They have had them at the one near me since before labour day.
Cool! Thanks guys. :)
iHerb has this cute wee glass steeper cup for $3, and I’m so tempted to place an order. Retail therapy, etc. I don’t need it really, do I, tea friends?
Don’t you just love when a comment on a tasting note turns into a learning experience for several of us. You guys are just a wealth of information and awful enablers.. :))
OMGsrsly Wait to see if they have sales this weekend…..
(if you are ordering tea anyway…what’s a 3.00 steeper…)
It’s very cute, and 3.00 is an awesome price!!!
Sigh. If it wasn’t 9:56pm on a Sunday, I’d be walking over to the London Drugs up the street from my place right now.
If I didn’t have to finish laundry and get to sleep, I’d offer to meet you somewhere and do a quick, clandestine tea trade off. :D
We’re awful, I’m thinking about what day this week I can get to the mall to check out London Drugs – LOL mine isn’t “just up the street”.
Heh. This is getting dangerous, OMGsrsly and Dexter.. woo boy. Love it!
Adding this to my shopping list too now! aaahhh!
First cup of tea in MY HOUSE! We moved into OUR HOUSE! yesterday and I had a cup of this with my mother while the menfolk did all the schlepping. Our task was mostly to unpack what could be unpacked (really just the kitchen and the bathroom), heat lunch in the oven (a rooty lasagna), keep the cats calm and generally stay out from underfoot. OUR HOUSE! is all-over chaos with chaos on at the moment. Boxes and stuff everywhere, but we have the internet and our computers up and running, so chaos is not likely to be going down very quickly. Emptied the rest out of our old place today and cleaned it, so we’re both quite tired. Am now having some ice cream, before we’ll be going to bed for our second night in OUR HOUSE!
At least tomorrow we can go to work and relax. ;)
That is awesome. Congratulations on moving into… YOUR HOUSE!
Exciting, but exhausting, Congrats on your new house, have fun making it into your new home!
Congratulations. Now you can host tea parties in your own home! :)
Woop! Congrats!
Yay! Congratulations :)
Too awesome!
Welcome home!
Gratz dearie! Sounds wonderful!
Awesome! Enjoy these moments :)
Woo! :) Congratulations on your house. :)
Yay, congrats!
Congratulations! Enjoy every bit of the experience!
Congratulations on your house!
wow, congrats!
Sipdown! So i have to say, I tried this a while back and liked it a lot but then forgot about it because it’s a green tea and i don’t drink those often. VariaTEA sent a sample to me, which i opened up today in an effort to get ahead with my sipdowns since now i might not have the weekend at all for tea drinking!
…We’re driving to Detroit on Friday night, Chicago on Saturday, and then all the way back to Toronto on Sunday. Because we can. lol…
I love this even more than the first time. Something about the vanilla and caramel REALLY makes me happy. it’s deliciously creamy and wonderful and now i want more. So maaaaybe i can convince my friend to trek up to Miami in February heh :) Thanks variatea!
I love the road trip, because you can. This tea is AMAZING. I must have more. I emailed them and they mentioned you…
ME? lol
Haha yeah, Sil, they told both of us to talk to you about a group order to save on shipping :P. I am glad you liked it by the way. I think I recalled reading your tasting note so I tossed in a bit more so you could have it again.
Haha yes. If only Steepster could support pictures. I also was chatting with VariaTEA for this. They mentioned you might place an order and to see if we could get some sort of group order going to help with shipping costs because they think it’ll be quite expensive.
Oh man, VariaTEA I would send you anything for more haha!
So….i’m likely going to be trying to visit their store in Miami at the end of February. If i do, i’m fine to bring things back and send them to you guys or something like that…
Ahh yes. That’s not quite what came across in the email haha. I definitely wouldn’t want to take up room in your suitcase, although I appreciate the offer. :)
….you realise, when i travel to florida i take 2 suitcases right? one for the clothes and one for tea? hahahaha
(don’t get me wrong, i’m all for a joint order as well, but if i’m going there, we save on the shipping to us and just need to split shipping from here to us when i get back)
Hahaha the two suitcases. Okay, I don’t feel so badly anymore. :P
i guess technically we pay the 25$ for flying BUT the second one i can totally turn into a carry on and not pay for it bwahahaha
Haha. I was actually saying to Courtney I will be in Florida in March and plan to do the same thing as you Sil. Plus, last time I came back from Florida I also had a second suitcase to bring back my teas. By the way, where do you buy tea when you are there? Aside from Nina’s, I couldn’t really find where to go.
Soooo funny story…i order from retailers, ship it to my friend’s places and pick up that plus anything else i’ve ordered. I am a fan of ordering my camera bags while i’m down there: www.kellymoorebag.com to save on duty/taxes etc..
It’s okay. I order from retailers and send it to my Dad in LA to save on shipping. If he knows I will be in Florida he sends the stuff there to avoid customs and then I just bring it home. Yay for tea mules!!
Pssssst. I would be interested in a group order.
Right Cavo? Group order for the win!
Haha. I feel like the group order would be a whole bunch of samples and a shitton of Nina’s Japon :P
Oh man. Sil! I need to get on this group order. :D
I like how Sil has been appointed the leader of the group order by the people at Nina’s themselves.
Hahaha. Yea, that’s pretty hilarious. And tey should probably give Sil and VariaTEA some free teas for a) getting us all excited about an order and b) ‘volunteering’ to make it happen!
I am ALL for that… totally plotting how to get to Miami with ease…
If you are there around valentine’s day, they are having a tea, wine, and chocolate tasting event.
sadly it would be the last week in February..if i can convince folks to make the drive. We’re usually only in the orlando area when we o.
I won’t be there until March so I am missing it too. I tried convincing my mom to go but she is not into teas enough to drive the hour into Miami.
hum, when did blueberry become my default comfort tea? it wasn’t a conscious decision, but the day has been long, the sleep has been little and i am grateful to yyz and her swap package for this tasty sample!
by the by… what contractor builds walls without a vapour barrier? by the by part II: if you get a text from a tenant about a ‘little’ mold in a closet… break out the blueberry tea. the long day is going to segue into several more.
this tea is not candy or jam. it is soft, fresh blueberries with beautiful sky swirled flowers falling in my cup. the tea itself has a warm element, almost woody and somewhere in there i detect a note of green… as though the odd stem or leaf had been left with the blueberries. the green makes me smile further.
i think is my favourite part of swaps…. trying teas i never would have otherwise, being sent things that my friends think i may enjoy that i really, really do. i wonder if swapping teas counts as a hobby.
i dislike contractors…. at least the ones that cut corners.
thank you for my lovely cup of calm, yyz….
Preparation
I’m glad it helped improve your day! As to the contactor issue you’d be surprised! I remember watching too separate contractors build a group of Townhomes within a block of each other and the difference in the quality between the construction and materials was night and day. Sad, because neither were exactly budget homes. Hope that the issue is localised and not rediculously expensive to deal with!
I count swapping tea as a hobby – but that’s just me….
i think i really need to count it as a hobby… i find it far too much fun not to. and it makes me happy….. i wonder if i could somehow incorporate tea into a tattoo? hmmmm.
I’ve been looking at tea tattoos as well – most of the pics online are too “girly” flowery teapots for me – thinking about gaiwan with Chinese art or something like that (I’m just not sure anyone else would understand what it is). Placement is part of my problem – feel like I’m running out of skin….
Swapping tea makes me happy as well – tons of fun :))
far as i’m concerned i don’t care if other people understand what i put on my skin… the people that know me will get it. the girlie is tricky, i agree. there are things that are beautiful, but if i wear them i might seem odd… then again i never said i wasn’t odd!
i think the blooming teas are beautiful as they expand, as they carry/are carried by the tiny air bubbles…
you make another good point… where oh where would i put it? lol.
http://www.outblush.com/women/images/2009/11/high%20tea%20art.jpg
http://th05.deviantart.net/fs50/PRE/i/2009/326/f/e/Green_Tea_Dragon_by_Gildhartt.jpg
http://www.skaneatelessuites.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/japanese_tea_set.jpg
http://tech.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/japanese_tea_apple.jpg
i think i like the last one most, but liking something is a far cry from having put permanently on your skin!
I like the last one too, but I’m not sure how it would translate into a tattoo – the pic looks good because of the dark background. Depending on your skin tone, but I’m not sure it would stand out as well. I like the green dragon 2nd one-
Things to ponder – but now that I’m not buying tea, I could use that money for a new tattoo….
i’m part smurph i’m so pale, lol. the only colour i avoid is yellow because it makes me look jaundiced. a good tattoo artist takes any idea you bring them and caters it to fit your shape and space though….
dexter… you did NOT just turn this into a tattoo enable forum did you? because i’m not buying tea for awhile either. i cannot believe you just went there, lol.
http://www.tattooinspiration.com/tattoo-of-the-day-4151.html
I like this but I think it would be more appropriate for Awkward Soul
LOL – Oh I’ve been thinking about tattoo rather than tea for a month now…. LOL I’m not telling YOU what to do, was just thinking out loud…
I haven’t gotten any new ink in almost 2 years…I’m suffering from withdrawal big time….
very nice! i have 2000 years of cybernetic history in a 7 inch cuff around my ankle and up my leg that i want things always to link somewhat to (theoretical bypass to repair my nervous system)… sortof a theme for me =0). cybernetics, wires, gears, patches and screws.
oh no… i have another tattoo that says ‘you can’t make me’ (long story)…. but you can suggest with great efficacy!! it’s been awhile for me too.
sigh. great things start with ‘t’. lol.
i’ve been itchy for the buzzing pen.
http://s1308.photobucket.com/user/Dexter3657/media/d4febf32-dbfc-4d82-b3d9-6a768e1ea49d_zpse80ac13d.jpg.html?state=copy
That’s my Egyptian themed back piece….
I agree that they are personal and should somehow represent something about you. I like your idea of cybernetic re nervous system. That’s awesome. I also agree that others don’t have to like/understand your tattoos – as long as you like them then it’s all good.
I thought you had stopped buying tea re tuition, groceries, etc….
Ummmmm LOL you can’t eat a new tattoo…. I shouldn’t be encouraging this – but I don’t get to talk tattoos very often. :))
i have imposed a moratorium. i have a ton of tea. truly. and i have a student loan and i am applying for a scholarship this next week.
similar to my taste in tea, my taste in tattoos is expensive (also expansive). i love to talk about them… the next one will probably coincide with a major mile marker (ie a degree).
http://modeletatuaje.ucoz.ro/_ph/19/839921587.jpg this one would fit right in. what do you think…. 3000$? lol.
As much as I can appreciate how awesome that is, it’s not something I would get. I don’t think the tattoo would be 3000.00 but the travel expense to find an artist who could pull that off might be. LOL
Expensive – yep expansive yep – go big or go home. That’s my running out of big chunks of skin problem….
Good luck with the scholarship – hope that comes through for you. :))
all i can do is try…. as far as i know i have the grades. i have demographics going my way too. disabled permanently, check. mature student, check. straight A’s, check.
it won’t be happening for awhile, lol. but i can dream and/or live vicariously through you! http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g5DdWGS28vU/Tr5cP5ibSpI/AAAAAAAAXgs/RMjV8EfzVys/s1600/cyborg-tattoos14.jpg
for me machinery fixes it all. my nervous system is so corrupt that basic things can be exhaustive! if i were partially mechanical the problem would be diminished. or so i have reasoned in my brain =0). and seeing as that is a rather remote conclusion, i am happy to have it represented artistically.
I love that tattoo. Most bio-mechanical pieces that I’ve seen are straight black and grey. I love the added color – looks like real circuit boards – love how the torn skin has some redness around it. That is a fabulous piece…..
OK that’s it, you’ve convinced me. I’m going to pick/commit a piece of skin and start searching for an artist who can/will pull off my Roman/Philosophy vision.
do i get to see photos? i want to see photos! lol. my cuff is very 3 dimensional with lots of colour. the artist spent 5-6 hours replicating an actual sized circuit board. ha! i even have an on/off button…. i think my wife wished there were a ‘mute’? ;0)
It’s still in my head – I can’t draw, at the mercy of an artist to capture my vision. I want to do something representing Ancient Rome and the contradiction of the different sides of that society. They were way ahead of their time as far as status of women, social services, democracy etc and yet they were brutal, cruel, slave owners and warriors.
Picture Roman soldier sitting in the “Thinkers” pose with a Roman senator reading to him from a tablet – garden setting olive trees, grape vines etc. That’s my vision…..
LOL doesn’t the “off” button also work as “mute” – or does she want you to function but in “mute” mode… ;))
Ok…I love you guys!
It’s been 2 years since my last tat, & if I didn’t spend so much money on tea (or sold more CDs) , I’d be getting a new one for my birthday in a few weeks.
I loved the green dragon. Tony has his entire right chest, shoulder, upper arm, & upper back as a Tibetan dragon, in shades of black & gray & I love the detail of it. The other shoulder etc is a hummingbird surrounded by tropical flowers…kind of like a Hawaiian shirt, very colorful. Mine are smaller, but symbolic of the place my head was at when I received them:
- a fairy that sits on my left shoulder to whisper in my ear & remind me of who I really am once in awhile. Got that one 20 years ago.
- a personal symbol I once drew during meditation, that ended up on the inside of my left arm, that serves to remind me that all answers to my questions lie within. That was about 15 years ago.
- a butterfly on the back of my right hand by my thumb & pointer finger. Freedom of self expression, letting go of inhibitions, especially in the area of playing Jazz. That was my birthday tat a few years ago.
I love tats & dream about them, drawing them on myself to try them out. I have a special affinity for spiders (& they like me too…the ultimate creators), but I have yet to find the spider tats I want. I think a spider stalking a butterfly or becoming one, would be the ultimate symbol for creative freedom, which has been my musical quest. I also have had several visions for back pieces, but never the funds. Ok….I’ve rambled enough.
A spider becoming a butterfly … wow, that is both intriguing and unique. If I saw someone with that I would have to stop and talk about it. What a cool idea :D
this is a great thread! so inspiring! beautiful ideas. i thought of getting a new tattoo too, and tea is a big possibility.
so we all love tea and many of us have tattoos… many of us are artists, many of us are students…. so many connections. what a brilliant thing.
oh and dexter… yes, i think ‘functional’ but ‘muted’ is precisely what she would have wanted, lol! i’m not a terribly quiet individual. i’m guessing that comes across and doesn’t surprise anyone on steepster. =0)
i love tattoos…on other ppl lol
Ahhhgg, so this Friday didn’t go so well. Everything that could have gone wrong did, including computer crashes and software lock outs and batches of tea ruined. One thing that happened was when I tried to log on to our company Facebook, I was locked out. It wouldn’t let me back in unless I converted to a business account. I knew this would not be good but did not think it would be as bad as it was. When I got back in, all comments and messages were erased. I tried to do a test post but the statistics showed that only one person read the post. Since they want us to pay everytime we post to reach people who were already our friends, this is just not really an option. I made another Facebook page for myself but will be posting only tea updates with maybe an occasional joke. Like before it will be mostly updates on new teas, contests, articles, and occasional reviews. I’m having a tough time finding some of our friends from before. Here is a link to the new page: https://www.facebook.com/stacy.lim.338. We will probably be doing a Facebook Contest soonish as well, to encourage some more sign ups. Luckily the rest of the weekend went fantastic! I went to see one of my favorite bands at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn then went to my first hipster wedding the next day. Fantastic location, it was on the rooftop right next to the Empire State Building.
This tea is fantastic! This rarely happens, but we went for the lower grade of tea from this estate. It is still a SFTGFOP, which is the top grade but it is very affordable and is even more flavorful than the more expensive tea. This year I didn’t get around to tasting 2nd flushes until much later than I should have. We tasted about 40 second flush teas all at once. This one really stood out and I would say that it is a Darjeeling for people who don’t like Darjeelings. It’s very malty, super buttery and has a delicious burned chocolate flavor and is nutty. There are light undertones of floral but they are hardly noticeable. This is a tea that I don’t mind drinking all day long. Yesterday I had 3 cups of it in a row and I’m drinking it now. My only issue with this tea is that it is very easy to oversteep but that can be remedied by adding more water. We will definitely be using this as a base tea for at least one flavored tea.
Wow, Facebook sucks huh?
Yeah, wasn’t so happy about that and its a real time suck to try and find people.
Ugh! Stupid facebook!
Hmm, so it costs money to have a business account/page? Personally, I don’t want to be “friends” with a company on facebook (as much as I love Butiki Teas and think you are awesome, Stacy), I would rather be able to ‘like’ a Butiki Teas page.. I’ll definitely subscribe to this one like I did the other one, but sadly it doesn’t let me comment on anything :(
Oh no, I can’t subscribe. You may have to enable that feature in your account settings :/
this tea seems lovely ! hope to see a pic of it soon
Andie-I think I fixed it. Let me know if you can’t subscribe. It doesn’t let you comment as a subscriber, that stinks. Another possible option, is to friend us but not allow us to see what you post or comment on your page. I think that may be an option, it used to be but I’m not sure if it still is.
It doesn’t technically cost money to have a business page but if you want your ‘likes’ to see your posts you have to pay for that otherwise only a few people will see the post. I will probably still post on the other page but you probably won’t be able to see anything I post.
Ysaurella-I might take a quick pic while we are inspecting the tea and storing.
great ! I love tea pics :)
Thanks- I was able to subscribe.
Andie-Great! :)
Ysaurella-I’m thinking tomorrow, we will probably link a picture. I can post it in this thread. It isn’t super impressive looking but its just a very tasty great value tea. It will be under $5 an ounce.
I just took a pic today since I was going to have another cup anyways, here it is: http://instagram.com/p/e5idHTlfIr/#
i must have!!! curse you BROKE GIRL gods!
What band did you see in Brooklyn? What part of Brooklyn were you in?
Heather, I went to see The Legendary Pink Dots. Here’s a song from them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szd_rVhsbuQ. I was in Williamsburg at the Knitting Factory. Before the show we went to Wild Ginger which is an amazing vegan pan Asian restaurant. We also hit up this tea bar which was mostly a bar with some tea and tea infused drinks. We end up in Brooklyn quite a bit.
I’ve heard of The Legendary Pink Dots, actually, though I’m not terribly familiar with them. Hubby is since he used to do an 80’s (late 70’s-early 80’s punk/new wave. etc) radio show (slowly being digitized for podcasts). I looked up The Knitting Factory and it is quite far away from where I was in Brooklyn (with my brother, SILm, and niece). It’s a super big area, apparently. :P
Heather-How unusual. I think your the first person that has ever told me they heard of LPD when I bring them up. Sounds like a fun podcast show! Yep, Brooklyn is super big. :P
I worked with a guy at a vegetarian place that liked them, iirc. I mainly know of the name. But when I hear it, I think of Wire, Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, Killing Joke and some of the early 80s pre-industrial phase….I’m not terribly versed with them though. The podcast is fun! I’m on some of them (I met hubby through the show) but mostly just referred to rather than on air.
)If you are interested..you can also get it through iTunes)
As for Brooklyn, I was in the Bay Ridge area southwest-ish (south of DUMBO).
I love all sorts of music but I do love me some Industrial. I typically go for 80s and early 90s but some 70s Throbbing Gristle is pretty sweet. I was lucky enough to catch an amazing Throbbing Gristle show (not so possible anymore since Peter Christopherson died). I caught Killing Joke once which was good but nothing spectacular. My favorites are Skinny Puppy and Coil though. I will definitely have to check out that podcast. Thanks for the link! :)
Also, what an interesting way to meet your hubby!
I used to have a bit if industrial when I was younger. I had some skinny puppy…trying yo remember what it was. I know I had something with Dig It. I think that’s what it was. There was something else where the second half was really mellow and instrumental like. I had some nitzer ebb, front 242, thrill kill kult, die warzau, and meat beat manifesto. I kinda outgrew my industrial and goth phases, but there are still some tracks that bring me back when I hear them.
Ah Dig It, that’s from Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse. Skinny Puppy is touring in February of which I will be taking off of work to catch a few shows. Music is my obsession. It’s kind of weird but I don’t really grow out of music. I grew up on Pink Floyd and The Beatles and I still listen to them. I just seem to rotate between genres. I will listen to 70s-90s Industrial (new Industrial is horrid) for a while then move to classical then to 90s alternative then to experiential then to Reggae and dub then to metal, etc, etc until I come back to Industrial and then back around I go. Nice selection of music there Heather.
I’ve not really grown out of music either, I’ve just expanded and diversified maybe.. Though I’ve always loved most types of music. I’ve never seen Skinny Puppy, but I’ve seen Front Line Assembly many times. When I was in university one of the local bars had a strange but fun, goth, industrial, brit pop night that was pretty popular and was great to go to if all you wanted to do was just dance!
yyz-I’m the say way. I continue to enjoy more and more genres of music. I saw Front Line Assembly once. The show was really good but Bill Leeb was lip syncing. Not sure why but it was so obvious. Maybe he was sick or something? They played with Switch Blade Symphony which was pretty cool. Sounds like a fun club night. Skinny Puppy puts on very theatrical shows. It can be very mesmerizing to watch. Usually lots of props, some fake blood, background videos. They go all out.
I might of seen that same tour, they also played with Spahn Ranch. I’ve heard many amazing things about Skinny Puppy live, I would love to go.
Yes, they did play with Sphan Ranch. I couldn’t remember the third band. I really like Spahn Ranch live and have seen them a couple of times in the past. Well, February is your chance to catch them. It is so worth it. Here is link with the dates: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=743585525657201&set=o.2237915069&type=3&theater
Me to. Thanks for the link!
Your welcome! :)
I’ve been working on a Skinny Puppy inspired tea for some time. Originally it started out completely different but it is now an insane chocolate chilli chai (but still needs some work). I really wanted to call it Heaven’s Trash (since it is so colorful and just a little of everything) but the hubby vetoed that one. He said it didn’t sound appetizing. Boo. Then I was like what about Genocide Applied with Subtlety? I thought the chilli peppers would make that perfect. Nope, he vetoed that too. Still working on a name and the blend needs some more work too.
Sounds nice. Perhaps something simple like ‘bites’ after the album. It has several double entendres and fits with the heat of the blend.
Hmmm, that is a solid potential name.
Depending on how hot it gets Last Rights could also be used.
That might be fitting!
I had to check wiki, but I think the one I had was either Too Dark Park or Last Rights…I’m thinking it was the latter. I once had a cassette my friend made me of Christian Death (not nearly as bad as it sounds) but the cassette player in my car would consistently spit it out. It was kinda of funny, actually. My friend opened me up to a lot of music, but in terms of industrial, if did prefer the dance-y stuff more. I was also a pathetic goth, but oh well. I have a pretty wide range of music tastes, which of course is helped by my hubby and his search for good stuff, and my music friend who sends me cds with random stuff on them, which sometimes I hate, but sometimes I love. I range from loving Steeleye Span’s “Lovely on the Water” to Tears For Fears everything to Pet Shop Boys to The Damned to The Specials (and other 2nd wave ska) to The Decemberists to Die Roten Punkte to The Housemartins (and later The Beautiful South) to Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance…it covers a lot, but mostly in the alternative and less mainstream areas.
Nice, both of those are excellent! Hahaha, I was a pathetic goth too. I even had the whole black hair thing going for a few years. That’s quite a range on those mix cds. Mix cds are the best. I’ve participated in a few group music exchanges where you send your mix cd to everyone in the group and you receive one from everyone in the group. I’ve found some great music that way from people around the world. Confession time, I still really like Tears For Fears. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone.
It is a wide range, yeah. The music exchange sounds cool. There’s also a few Scandinavian groups I like. Right now though, I have a wide range of songs from A Very Potter Musical and Sequel in my head. :P Temporarily replaced with the music from hubby’s computer (Andy’s 80s) right now though…
I’m not a Cyber-toothed -tiger! (Cyber Monday in the U.S.A.!)
I’ve been in my pink polka-dot jammies ‘ALL DAY’ because I don’t feel well. Over these jammies, I’ve wrapped myself in a red plaid shawl …and I have red fuzzy socks on my feet. When My body aches I drink tea, go to sleep…drink tea…come here and ’I’m Thankful’ that ya’ll can’t see me!
I can’t afford all the sales that are out there today, sorry to say. Maybe next year I’ll be ready for them. We’ll see. I still have lots of tea to drink in my cupboard and some samples from sTEAp Shoppe to review!
This little tea had a curious combo of ingredients. I couldn’t imagine the tea taste. Sometimes, I have an idea of what I’m about to taste. The ones I can’t imagine can be a disaster if the ingredients are weird.
None of the ingredients in this tea were unknown to me, just never imagined together in a tea. Especially curious to me was the Lingonberry which is sweet/tarte little seed-like berries mixed with Black Tea.
Brew Time:
I set the brew time as suggested (2 minutes). My later comment to Janet at sTEAp Shoppe was that I liked a little longer steep (2.5 to 3 minutes) and a 3 minute second steep worked well also.
Taste:
I didn’t expect this tea to taste fantastic. Lack of respect on my part. I should know better!
At first, before the fruit flavors developed in the black tea, it tasted like yummy Black Tea with Vanilla.
Then, with a little longer steeping…the Honey flavor developed and a little Lingonberry, which was so light, popped up in the background.
Goodness…this tea was so full of rich, layered flavors that it caught me off guard.
Even though there are Maple Sugar Crystals in the tea, you don’t taste Maple. What you taste is Vanilla Honey woven with a Caramel Trio of Black Tea’s and a subtle hint of Lingonberry (like Jam).
This was like having a European layered pastry. A waffle!
So, good. FYI, BTW …(I sweetened my dessert waffle tea!)
hope you’ll get better soon Bonnie – I am wrapped in a red fleece plaid every evening …you’ll lend me your red socks one day :)
But Ysaurella, your red fleece plaid is in France which makes it ‘haute couture’ and mine is in the U.S. and is ‘haute Macy’s’!
it is a Spanish one from casa shop ;)
Oh Bonnie, what a vision you must be :-) One can only feel better wearing pink polka-dot jammies!
Unless it’s KS or Mrmopar or Roughage…but one can never tell.
Oh, never underestimate men’s secret wishes!!
LOL! Loving this banter!
MAN UP! WHICH ONE HAS PINK POLKA DOT JAMMIES! (You know this is the end of sample/swaps from these guys!)
(Hush, Hush, they don’t know we know about their little secret…)
Haha I got a pair of fuzzy red slippers…story later..bonnie you will get a kick from this story!
Knew it!
Feel better soon Bonnie!!
Sanks u bloomer!
Yousa most welcome! (JarJar Binks anyone?
Aww, I hope you’re feeling better already, Bonnie! No pink polka-dots here, but I love animated characters and especially anything Cookie Monster (as some of you may already know). Currently I’m wearing my Grinch pyjamas and listening to holiday music. =)
How did you get the text to change colours in this note?
There’s a page somewhere that explains lots of tricks. Can’t remember.
heather – it was on the first page or so of the discussion threads if you still haven’t found it…
Thanks!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thank you Invader Zim for this wonderful tea gift sample!
I saved this ‘Experimental Pressing Sample’ that Invader Zim shared with me from her Tea Club offering for tonight, New Year’s Eve!
(If I saved every tea to drink on special occasions that I’ve received from friends here on Steepster, each day would have to be a Holiday!)
Steepster people are the BEST!
The little cube of pressed Pu’er is beautiful. It looks like a jewel. You really can’t tell from the picture, but there’s a sheen…a brilliance that I’ve never seen before as though delicate silk threads are woven into the leaves.
My instructions were to use half the small square jewel, boiling water…1 rinse and then steep 6-8 seconds in 4 oz. water multiple times.
The aroma after the rinse was different than any Pu’er I’ve had before. It smelled like a light black tea with honey and malt and no aroma of typical earthy Pu’er. This was altogether peculiar.
The liquor was pure bright gold, which sparkled in my glass mug. (It’s worth it to have clear glass to see the color on this tea!)
My first sip was sweet and juicy, more like a light Nepalese Black Tea with a hint of Darjeeling than Pu’er. Brisk and clean, not astringent or dry.
How could this be a Pu-er? I’d never tasted anything like this before. No earthiness! No barn or stable, no mushrooms, cedar, bread or cake. What was this all about?
The second steep revealed raw sugar crystals…the kind I sometimes don’t put into my tea but just pop into my mouth like little candies with their faint taste of molasses. Smooth, clean and lovely tasting.
For the third pour I added a few seconds on the steep time and thought there was a fruity flavor, very faint but there. I couldn’t figure out what it was because every time I went… “That’s the one!”, it was too strong. Not peach, apricot or any other flavor, so…I changed my mind. I concluded that the taste was honey/agave. Mixed together agave reduces the honey taste which is what I imagined tasting this delicate tea.
As I was pouring the 4th steep into my glass, I was mumbling to myself…“What’s the fruit flavor in this tea, something is in there, I know it from somewhere?”
I was turning to sit at the table where I was making my notes…and the answer came to my mind.
“Ripe…yellow Golden Delicious Apple Pulp!” Just like that.
That was it! These sweet apples grew outside my bedroom window in California from age 7-20. A dwarf golden tree that spread out branches horizontally and had to be propped up on stakes because there were so many apples. I had eaten my share of sweet, warm fleshed goodness and this Pu-er tasted remarkably like them.
Other apples are tart and may have tart skins but not these apples. Everything is sweet like candy and juicy. The sunshine comes inside to such an extent that you can almost hand-squeeze the apple juice out of them. Nothing in the stores can compare with these lovelies.
(If you’re not familiar with this taste, it’s a bit like the flesh of a sweet Bosc Pear).
To be more certain, I added a few grains of sugar and the tea flavor didn’t turn into caramel. It stayed apple.
This is a unique and absolutely outstanding Pu’er!
Personal Note
The Best Thing to happen to me in many years has been finding the people here on Steepster!
I am amazed at how generous and caring everyone is!
If I were able to do it, I’d rent a resort and fly everyone in for
a vacation where we could all share tea and good food. You are the
best and I couldn’t be more proud or humbled to be a part of such
a place as this.
Thank you to the creators of Steepster!
With Great Affection for All of You, Happy New Year!
http://youtu.be/STqDowSbSTQ Auld Lang Syne on Bagpipes (What can I say, I’m a Scot)
Thank you for this wonderful note Bonnie. :)
Happy New Year, Bonnie!
Gracias! Prospero Ano Nuevo!
I love your personal note and couldn’t agree more. Happy New Year, Bonnie! :)
apple pu-erh, sounds incredible!!
Happy New Year Bonnie. I love that you are one of the amazing people on Steepster!!
Shucks, too nice. Not just any apple, that specific kind. Do you get them in Canada? Thin skins, light yellow all over and taste like nectar? Juicy? Not tart at all.
we have something similar here. reminds me of honey crisp
I am so intrigued…I missed this on the Verdant site and yet I’m so tickled you were able to find it an it inspired such a wonderful blushing set of words… I wish you the best in this new solar year and may the dragon change into the snake with equal fortune…
Kashyap, this was a special reserve tea club offering and a member of the club shared some of theirs with me. I wish you the best.
Thank you for these heartfelt words Bonnie…I know I’m a little late on this one, but I also wish you and all the steepster community a Happy new year!
P.S. Your Steepsterites group vacation could be lots of fun! I’m thinking «tea bar resort», unlimited «drinks» included of course!
I hope you had a great New Year’s Day Bonnie, and I hope you are enjoying all your tea gifts from everyone! I’m glad you liked this and I was happy to share it with you, that’s what Steepster is all about!
I even took a little bit to Happy Lucky’s to have Eric taste it because he’s such a guru who loves Pu-erh and a science teacher at the local Jr. College. He was intrigued by the sweet taste until I told him what the tea was and it made more sense. Such a fun experience.
I have high hopes of Davind putting it on regular sale since he did double the amount of the sample “because buying directly from farmers turned out to be cheaper” I so hope to buy this on a regular basis…
Me too!
Mmmm, having a cup right now. Recently, I have been on this kick looking for probiotics and fermented foods. I have a few food intolerances (sorbitol & fructose and maybe a few others too that I haven’t been tested for yet) and have been reading about adding good bacteria to help get rid of those intolerances. I plan on doing a fast at some point as well. I took this puerh course that talked about all the positive bacteria in puerh and showed us what it looked like and the breakdown of the bacteria. A study done in China had claimed that these bacteria could survive the hot water and stomach acid. Whether this is true or not, I’ll take any good bacteria I can get.
The smell of this tea is a strong sweet chestnut. There is also something almost sour in the aroma of the tea. When I sip it the first thing I notice is roasted chestnuts. I’m also getting some sour dough, tabaco, and toasted rice notes. The taste remains long after the sip and becomes drying though in a different way than most teas that are astringent and almost sticks to your mouth. This tea is different than any other tea I have tried but its so delicious. It reminds me a little bit of coffee, though I am certainly no expert on coffee, but it is much gentler.
I was very excited when I first tasted this puerh. I had never seen a Japanese puerh before. After a bit of research, I found out that this is a relatively new type of tea. There are other Japanese fermented teas but I have not been able to find anything that is made in a similar way.
This sounds amazing.
Geoffrey-Its so tasty and different.
Looking forward to trying this!
sounds interesting!
I have intolerances as well. Good to know about the pu-erh, thanks for sharing! love learning about stuff like this :)
That does sound interesting….think I’ll add it to my shopping list.
Okay, I’m intrigued!
Indigobloom-I thought that was interesting too. I’m still doing more research on it. I will have to share anything new I find.
The tea talk I was at the other day mentioned that Yunnan tea is most suited for fermentation because of the genetic structure, and that people have tried to do the same with other regional teas. I wonder how they managed it!! neato!
That is very interesting about puerh’s positive bacteria! I have intestinal issues in my family so I know I need to start loading up on more good bacteria and eating better. I also want to start probiotics but I don’t know where to start there’s so many choices out there. I know there’s some in my raw prenatal vitamin but I’ve always thought the refrigerated kind were more effective.
From what I under the refrigerated kind are the best and you will want to look for supplements that contain multiple strains and add up to at least 7 billion I believe. The good ones are expensive but effective. Also, look into fermented foods. They have been great for me and are pretty tasty.
Remember to ask your doctor and maybe a dietician about probiotics….just to be on the safe side.
Yeah always ask a doctor. Mine suggested getting one that was refrigerated and had as many billions of cultures as I could find. I bought two…one a chewable and the other a pill (one for home and one for work) both have over 17 billion in them.
How have those been working out?
Pretty well. I typically take the probiotic pill in the morning at home…then take the antibiotic two hours o so later. Take another pro around lunch time and my anti pill after dinner. I have Lyme Disease so I’m trying to do all that I can to get better.
Butiki, thanks I look forward to seeing what you find!
Yummy!!!
Now that some magician has handed me some dried elderberries, I was able to make the real version of this Northern Sweet Tea. Though my own temporary blueberry version was pretty darn delicious, I admit that it’s fun to have it the way it was meant to be.
It was hot today. This was the perfect iced tea.
Really, A little maple syrup added to Golden Orchid and some cute rustic tiny little berries….how could you not like this?
I drank two big mason jars today, and wanted more!! And the good thing is, I can make more, which makes me a very happy fairy :-)
I do need to try this!
It’s fab.
I have some in the fridge!
Lol, I’m having GO right now AND I’m having some NST. A sip of hot, a sip of cold!
I’m having some GO after I finish this delicious cup of Yi Fu Chun. I’m saving my NST for later in the day out on the porch. I LOVE the combo though. May have to try that.
I am making this today. I know I said that a few days ago, but this week was nuts. After my hike, I am coming home, and I am making this. Since HoneyBelle sent me elderberries, I am ready to rumble!
Make it before you go on your hike and put it in the fridge so it’s cold when you get back – it will be PERFECT after your hike!
Yes, ma’am! Making tea NOW! :p
Oh! Hike and NST = Perfect Sunday
I can’t wait to hear what you think of it
Indeed, TTF! I am looking forward to both. I’m making a double-batch of the NST. I’ll maybe share some with the boyfriend. :p
Double batch is a good idea with this. I make it a quart at a time. I may go sneak a little drink of it now
I made a quart this morning :) Mmmmhm! :D
I tripled the batch. What the heck! You guys haven’t led me astray yet. I know I’ll love this!
Oh yes you will. And so will the boyf.
IF I share. :p
He didn’t appreciate the pu’erh I am drinking, but I’m certain he will like the NST.
Which one are you having?
Mandala’s Heart of the Old Tree Sheng Pu’er 2012. Please check out my note if you get a chance. I actually read your note before I made it, since I was looking for brewing times. I thought it was interesting that you found peach, because to me, it smelled exactly like dried apricot!!!
That settles it – I’m ordering that now.
MzPriss, I was just gonna offer you to send you some, but I don’t think a sample would be enough :-)
I did check your review Sarsonator, awesome!
I’m just gonna order it.
It sounds sooooooo good!
I hope I someday end up in the tea retirement home with you two. Remember it from this thread? http://steepster.com/discuss/2404-stash-slash-cupboard-pictures?page=10&post_id=135229
Also, does this mean that I am now a tea enabler, MzPriss?? :p
Yes, you have totally earned enabler status. We will have to all be there together and all chip to pay a Tea Dobby to make us amazing, perfectly-prepared tea all day long.
Haha! Yes, I remember it!! And you have now officially entered the TTEG. (The tea enablers guild)
Awesome!!!! I will wear my TTEG badge proudly, and look forward to the day that we sit around all day, chatting and drinking perfectly-prepared tea! :)
And I so want a tea-dobby…
NEED a TeaDobby. It’s a NEED.
Haha! Definitely a NEED.
i’m pretty sure dinsoara and i aren’t the only two people on steepster who have this in their cupboard. Come on people fess up! That being said…this will NOT be in my cupboard for long. this one is destined to visit some other sucker…er i mean tea lover. But sil? WHY would you do that to this poor tea? well let me tell you…this tea has nearly everything i hate about life in it. First off….it’s a green tea. Which, on it’s own does not make for hatred, but wait..what have we added here? BLERGAMOT! gahh!! the dreaded evil flavour to kill them all… bah! and then… just for a real kick in the face, to make SURE i would hate this tea, because after all, i can sometimes get past the blergamot in some teas…. what did verdant do?
sigh they added lavender. A flower that has no place in anything but bath products..and even then…only bath products that aren’t going to live anywhere near me. When my mother and i went to france for a month..it was almost impossible to avoid. and now.. it’s here.. in my tea..looking so pretty and innocent…hanging out with blergamot as if to say.. suck it sil… we’re in this together…
….all that and i’ve only opened the bag to measure out a spoonful into my mug.
brewing….waiting….the aroma takes over my house…my other half calls from the other room…WHAT IS THAT? are you putting on lotion at this time of the day? I thought you hated lavender…
no dear…it’s just that this tea and i have a date…i can’t let it win…
BEEEEEP goes the microwave… crap.. GAME ON!!!
alright tea… i’m on to you… i WILL drink at least a sip of your deadly poison.
cautious sip… noseful of blergylavender…GAH!
I’m pretty sure is what it would taste like if i started licking lavender soaps randomly in those tacky gifts shops…maybe add a little spinach and a squirt of orange and hey look…it’s a tasty soap salad.
feck. no thank you.
buries the rest of her half of the sample in terri’s teabox mwahahahahahahaha
(why can’t i rate a tea zero? also…not rating this as low as i want to, because admittedly some of you out there might actually enjoy the taste of lavender and blergamot…together in a taste hot green mess. At least the tea is pretty? cough)
Lavender? Wah wah!
BLERGAMOT! I can’t stop laughing, Sil. At least you gave us some entertainment out of it? :)
for sure… my other half is laughing at me as well… “WHY would you put that in your mouth?” uh…because i need to try ALL THE TEAS! “even if they taste like ass?” uh…..yes? :)
Can you and your other half come live with me? Please? 1) you’re adorkable and 2) you crack me up to no end!
I love Earl Grey and green. The lavender sounds a bit weird though…..
…i think this would have tasted better with more blergamot and less lavender to be honest…
yucky lavender makes me think of the Thrills gum. Now there is lavender soap taste for you! I don’t think anything can be as bad as that. Then again I haven’t tried the tea yet so….
I am cringing as I read this note, and hope that I have zero teas today with either ingredient in them. Blergamot though? I love that word!
helena – is that those purple gum thingies? if so i know what you’re talking about and this is way more lavender and much more gross…and those are gross. lol
Hmm, I like lavender in sencha…I like bergamot and lavender in black tea…the idea of it in green just sound kinda odd.
YES, those purple crunchy coated gums! Me and my brother would buy them and dare each other to eat them.. and then my mom found them somewhere and got us each a packet for Christmas. Haha. It’s just sitting there, waiting…
LOL what a note. This seems to actually be a revamp(?) of an old blend they had way back when they first started Alchemy Blends called Lavender Earl Green. I tried it then and thought it had too much lavender, so I am interested to see how this one compares. I doubt I will have your reaction, though…
Yep Thrills gum is that evil deceptively purple chicklet looking gum that tastes like Lavender Soap not that I’ve ever eaten Lavender Soap but I dare anyone to try that gum and not say that’s what it tastes like :D
This is way more lavender than that thrills gum IF my memory serves…..
Dinosara – yeah…you will probably be ok with these…
I could always send you some Thrills if you’d like to compare, Sil. :D
LOL!, I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. I’ve only come across one tea that made good use of lavender, and it was a ratio of one or two of those mini buds per 4-5gms of the rest of the herbal tea. Bergamot… not so much, to me it is too strong and ‘invasive’, it overshadows all other flavors.
JC – i kinda think that’s part of the fun of new teas…even if they are soooo very gross lol
OMG – i will hurt you lol
Lol, I call those a ‘learning experience’ together with low or no score. I always insist that nothing teaches you about great tea like awful tea.
all right everyone send 1 pack of Thrills gum to Sil on Christmas morning (insert evil laughter here)
LOL
Helena, I like how you think. ;)
Haha awe so much hate for this tea, I found it pretty tasty haha but I am a rare one who like lavender and ‘Blergamot’ lol :D still, quite an entertaining note! Sorry it didn’t pan out though lol
haha it’s all good misslena. I’m happy someone out there loved it haha
I LOVE this tea and would LOVE to have more of it!!!
lol
Sil~ It is hard for me to see anyone rating it so low…
Different strokes for different folks~ I guess ;-)
I didn’t like it either. This showed up in my monthly verdant tea bundle and I tossed it.
Awww, Helena…wish you would have sent it to me…ahahaha…
I love it!
I just updated this one after some research. It has older tea leaf in this cake. Stored as MaoCha and then they were pressed into cakes.
I pulled 9 grams off the cake to start with and gave a 5 second rinse. There is color in the rinse that would support the older material.
I started steeping at 5 second increments. The color on th e brews is a nice golden. The aroma has the camphor humid type note to it. This is confirmed upon drinking the tea. You can taste the humidity and the camphor notes along with some mineral in there. The leaf was pretty tightly pressed and there is some bitterness in there as well. This thing is very similar in profile to EoT’s Baotang. It has good storage without being too wet. It gives some tongue tingle and it exudes mintiness breathing it in and out for a minute or so. This thing feels almost like a supercharged ‘7542’ hits all the good notes for me.
This was loads better than the Menghai ’Old Tree Round" I had a while back. Maybe Menghai is something that can be drank without a 5 year or so aging process. I have a couple of more in this same style production to try as well from Menghai.
Flavors: Camphor, Mineral, Mint
Preparation
There are something like four versions of this in the catalog.
I like the comparison to the EoT tea, although I’ve not tried it. It shows you have pinned it down to something specific.
@tea123 it is very close. I think an initial tasting would be close. The Baotang has a touch more depth to it.
It’s a yearly series? Tried your 2011? It’s smoky and chop but not the worst I’ve had.
@Cwyn, I think this has had some emphasis put on it. It is very much different from the 2012 that I have. It is still chop and goes maybe 9 steeps before I tossed it but the age of the leaf is evident with the taste and color.
That Baotang is superb. I’ll have to look into this.
^I second Haveteawilltravel’s comment. mrmopar thank you for directing me onto Baotang a few months ago, so I’ll have to look into this tea too.
Is “Baotang” an alternative spelling of Bo He Tang? “Bohe” is mandarin for peppermint. Stuff from this terrior is extremely rare and pricey.
its two separate locations. Baotang 保塘 is in the Mengsong region of Menghai, and BoheTang 薄荷塘 is in Wangong region of Mengla
@mrmopar where did you buy this? King Tea?
Sqt, I did in fact get it from King Tea. I bought it on a whim for historical aspect but it turned out well so I grabbed another.
@mrmopar thank you, threw in a cake with my last order :)
HAhahahaha!
I was sitting hear, reading this, think, “Really?”
LOL
Good one!
ehehehe I was like, “Wait, Lipton tea rated at 97? INCONCEIVABLE!”
Yeah, I will take the rating off tomorrow. I don’t want anyone to see that in my highest rated teas. :D
Haha man you got me good. Happy April.
With Easter I almost forgot it was the first of April…until I saw this rating ! well done ;)
lol
wow, I was totally believing you until I hit the coupon code. Nice one.
DOh! ya got me :P
Best tea prank. I’ve been chuckling all day!
You had me there too, especially as the 2nd of April arrived earlier here and the outrageous rating was still there;) Very good one!
I BELIEVED YOU!!!!!!!!
:D I actually used some of their promo material copy almost verbatim. The stuff about enjoying it “from the very first sip”, and that I “felt great drinking this tea”
Don’t tell me the fresh-pressed tea leaves, the honeyed maltiness or the uplifting effect were also in the promo material…
The most likely uplifting effect it might have is on my stomache, especially if steeped too long.
LOL! Actually they fresh-pressed tea leaves is something they have started advertising in tv commercials. No clue what it means! And “uplifting” was also a word I lifted from the promo material!
Very good!
hahahah!!
LOL! At first I thought ‘Gosh, Dinosara must be in sore need of a cup of tea…’
which online website uses that code?
LOL!