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Iced tea of the day…..

This one definitely tastes different than the iced Black Currant which has the berry notes and just a slight briskness to it. This one is smoother and more citrusy, which is what I’d expect. I do catch the grapefruit flavor and light bergamot. Yep, this is also a favorite iced. I just love a tea that I can drink any way I prepare it.

My son is now into drinking iced tea with me, which is fun. He is probably my only offspring that has the potential to become a real tea drinker.

Usual pitcher method.

Tea of the morning…..

I always forget how good this one is.

I have a spreadsheet of my teas to keep track of my stash (Oh come on, admit it, you keep track, too!). Of course, there is a column indicating which ones I intend to keep on hand, and which ones I intend to cut once gone, and then those that fall in between. Some of the keeper teas are such because of the ease of obtaining them as well as the price. Let’s face it, I am falling into drinking what is convenient.

This tea is probably the only one I source from TeaSpring. At one point, I had moved it to the ‘maybe’ section of my spreadsheet. It must have been price. But after this morning, I moved it back into the teas I will keep on hand. There is just something perfect about this one. I do have to part with more money than I’d like to purchase this one and go a little out of my way (I usually have to sign for TeaSpring packages, so if I miss the mailperson, it means a trip to the PO), but this tea delivers every time. It makes me feel indulgent and pampered. Who does not need that every now and again?

Another thing this tea reminded me this morning…..I shouldn’t cut a tea from the list unless I am drinking it. Here is one instance where it makes sense to make decisions while drinking.

Usual teapot method with a resteep for 5 minutes.

Iced tea of the day…..

Iced tea season is in full swing for me. This is one of my all time favorites. I know it comes in pitcher sized pouches, but I usually have it loose on hand. It makes a fruity/berry iced tea that is so refreshing. So glad I decided to skip trying to ‘use up’ some of my lesser favorites and just went for one that I knew was great. In fact, I have since binned that pouch I was trying to finish. Life is too short to drink tea that is ‘meh’. This could mean another wave of stash reduction very soon.

Usual pitcher method.

Tea of the morning…..

I have had this for several mornings of late. As I drink it, I just keep calculating in my head how much I can blend up before all my ingredients are gone. I’d say that is a pretty obvious indication that it is one of my favorites. (And I think I will run out of the Assam first, but I am hoping not to buy any tea for a few months.)

What this packs is a morning touch of briskness with a roasty chocolate and smooth finish. I completely feel like the queen of something or other while drinking it, even if it is just ’Mom’s taxi service’.

Usual teapot method.

Tea of the morning…..

I did it. I blended it. My last Franken Breakfast blend has been reblended, making it a favorite of mine. Now to design a label….

Notes of malt, slight briskness yet still smooth, with a punch of cocoa at the end. A great way to wake up!

Usual teapot method.

The bulk of my teaware…

I have ForLife Curve teapots (three of them) and ForLife Curve Tall Mugs (five of them). They all use the same infuser.

The 24 oz teapot is my everyday pot. I love it so much, I bought a back up just in case something should happen…. The 45 oz pot is just for big groups as the infuser does not go all the way down into the pot to make smaller amounts of tea. Just remember to buy the size for the amount of tea you need to make.

The mugs are what we use every day. I don’t often use the mugs with an infuser except when I travel or am drinking a tea that resteeps well, but I do pour from the teapot into the mug. I love the handles. There is plenty of space to put your hand in the loop and not burn your knuckles on your hot cup.

The stainless infuser is perfect for loose leaf tea and easy to clean.

Tea of the morning…..

Needs more input ;), but this one is very smooth. I have many ounces to put together a thoughtful review with a numerical rating, but for today, you will just have to be happy with “Yum!”.

Usual teapot method.
Resteep of the same pot….

More Yum! Notes of cocoa, no smoke, maybe a slight bit of malt. Full body. So happy with this one.

Resteep at the same parameters. Adding my rating!

Second pot of the day…..

Score! The last time I bought this, I purchased 100g. Little did I remember that they packaged them in 50g amounts. Here it is, I thought I was almost out. And then I found another pouch in the recesses of my stash. After having a good look at the items back in there, I have decided that waiting until September for new acquisitions of tea will not be difficult at all. I also had some Dragon Pearl Black Tea back there, 100g unopened, lots of Keemun Mao Feng, and lots of Hong Tao. Yes, my tendencies to stock up for the zombie apocalypse will pay off.

This tea is wonderful. I love the natural sweetness of this one. Caramelized sweet potato. And back on the staple list this goes (I was hoarding what I thought was my last bit of this!) After all, there are several favorites of mine that TeaVivre offers. It is never difficult to shop there, even if your tea tastes run very specific.

Usual teapot method. Yes, a whole decadent pot all to myself!

Tea of the morning…..

I have reached the end of my ‘super sample’ from my Millerton order. (I ordered 2 oz of all of the black blends I found interesting a while ago….a 5-6 cup sample just did not seem enough to get a real feel for the teas, and the 2 oz minimum at the shop came out close to the same price as a sample online.) I have some Eight at the Fort left, plus some Organic Assam, maybe even some Anniversary Blend and some Supreme Breakfast….

All I can think about, though, is that the end of this pouch as well as the remnants of my older tin of Keemun Mao Feng have altered my Franken Breakfast Blend slightly as that is where the tea goes if it is less than a mugs worth. The first blend of three teas was near perfection, which means I will probably have to order the two main teas that were in it at some point and reblend it. I am hoping to wait until September to order tea again if I have the restraint to make it that long. Yes, I do think my last version of Franken Breakfast will become a real blend in my cupboard. Time to start pondering a fun name for it. And a cool label will be the icing on the cake.

Palm Court is a good tea, but I have others from Harney that work better for me. Still an enjoyable cup.

Usual teapot method.

Tea of the afternoon….

I am down to one jasmine-ish tea in my stash. Lucky for me it is my favorite one. I think once I get through a pound of this (I bet I have at least 10 oz), I won’t likely buy more as it is the only tea among my staples that comes from thePuritea. I am definitely getting lazy in my tea ordering. Efficiency is starting to come into play. Does that mean I am an old tea drinker getting set in my ways? ;)

Still choclatey with a nice, sweet floral note. Yum.

Usual teapot method.