985 Tasting Notes
ChOTD….Thank you Jenn!
This is good, but it pretty much just tastes like chai. I do get the very faintest hint of caramel. I am thinking I can do better on preparing this one. This chai, and the other one I have from 52teas is more ground up than other chais I have. I imagine this is more traditional. I forget that for chais that are not full leaf, I can use about half the amount of leaf. Yeild was about two cups and I used 2 perfect teaspoons of leaf. I think it will be much better if I cut it. I will rate it the next time around, because I think it will improve greatly. Plus, that means more servings!!!!!!
Tisane of the evening……
So I seem to have this worked out to where I love it. It is a 3 parts Herbal Hot Cinnamon to 1 part Holy Basil Purple Leaf. The cinnamon is most prominent, but I do catch a hint of anise from the holy basil. I put 3 perfect tsp of the Herbal Hot Cinnamon, and 1 of the Holy Basil in my 24 oz teapot and steep for about 8 minutes. Tonight, I forgot it was steeping, and it was still very good.
Preparation
Tea of the afternoon….courtesy of ashmanra. (Thank you…this is really good!)
I am now craving bacon. Seriously, this tea has quite the bacon notes going. Not the smokey bacon notes, or mapley bacon notes, but just bacon. I do also get the raisiny/honey taste in the front notes. Yum! Isn’t it so cool how one plant can result in so many wonderful tastes? This is going on the shopping list for sure, but I need to pare down my stash of black teas a bit before buying more.
Steeped by the usual parameters…
Preparation
ChOTD…….courtesy of Jenn. (Thank you so much!)
I made this up by my usual pan method. What I get in the smell is marshmallows and chocolate along with the spice. I am not sure any cracker will make an appearance because that is more of a subtle flavor. The level of spiciness is not as in your face as something like Tipu, but it is a little stronger than the spice levels in my favorites. I do also get a little chocolate in the taste, but not as much of the marshmallow…I think the spices overwhelm it a little. For someone who enjoys chai, this is a wonderful change of pace. It still tastes very much like chai, but there are definitely more flavors going on. I really like this one and will enjoy every last bit of it.
It kind of brings out my inner Girl Scout. This is probably my last year (of 9) of being a GS leader. The girls that I have had the privelege of having in my troop from the time they were kindergarteners are just growing up and getting too busy. The are now in 8th grade. Mini-rant ahead, so you might want to skip this…..Plus, in my opinion, as with many groups that have big budgets and a huge building to maintain, our local council seems to have changed focus. To me it is so much less about the girls these days and more about the bottom line. Sad, really. My daughter and her friends can get together for activities in the years to come without having to worry about GS BS. Those of you who were scouts…they have changed so much of the program, it would be unrecognizable to you. (Thank you for reading…back to my regular scheduled programming….)
Preparation
(Mini rant affirmed.) As a veteran kids’ worker at church, I think there’s a universal movement afoot, and not a healthy one, to churn out children on the assembly line method rather than invest in relationships with small groups.
I’ll mention that this sounds absolutely tasty so I won’t be 100% off topic. Craving marshmallow creme now.
I am not sure the universal movement is just in regard to children. I think we are seeing the results of putting emphasis in the wrong things at all levels of society….. It is very disturbing. I guess the way our culture is leaning is to no longer value investing in people. Just the things they THINK people want. I know you lost a great deal in the tornado, but did you get a feeling that quite a bit of what you had was nice but unneccessary? I can’t even imagine what you have had to deal with, but I know I could get by with significantly less than what I have. There are quite a few niceties in my life, and it is so easy to take them for granted. (Yes, off topic and I will get off my soap box now……)
gmathis and SimplyJenW, I hear you! I try and keep my ears open to the education news and I am petrified. All the standardized testing, setting salaries to the results (not to mention firing teachers) etc speaks to the assembly line, bottom line horror that you guys are speaking of. I…just want to become a hermit and drink tea!
Camping at Shabby House this summer has definitely affirmed that it is possible to live small. Also that it’s hard not to be acquisition-oriented! (I can’t keep sticky fingers off tea, books, and craft stuff, even in our crazy straitened circumstances.)
My beef (uh-oh, here I go) in my line of volunteer work is that it is so hard to find leaders who will invest an hour in real preparation and an hour in real, engaged teaching, that we have to compensate by herding kids into huge groups where you never really get to know them.
Tea, tea, tea, tea, tea. Come over and sit on my porch; I’ll make us a pot and we can rock like old grannies and discuss the way things ought to be!
Good volunteers are hard to come by, and then to keep them for burning out is nearly impossible. Life is just too overscheduled.
I hear you on the tea, books and craft stuff…. I do keep getting my books at the library, and have been able to keep the craft supplies to necessities ;). The tea, however, is a problem for me….so I will jsut have some more… :D
It wold be fun to all get together for a cuppa!
May I join the rant? My best friend is a special ed. teacher. ALL of her students are special needs, yet her performance is graded on how well the children score, and they DON’T get a take a special test. Just the same one as everyone else!
My son works for an autism society. He makes rather low wages, and spent the whole weekend making books for two adults that he takes care of…unpaid overtime. He was completely into what he was doing, because he really CARES for them. Wen budget cuts required that an all adult social group be cancelled, the autistic adults were upset. It was all they had. Some of the workers got together and agreed to keep it going FOR FREE!
So yes, sometimes we have to fight the machine. Sometimes the machine isn’t fair. But great teachers like Melissa, John, my dad when he ws alive, and soon JacquelineM, can and do make such a difference.
So here is the tea part…I raise my glass to you! To the GS leaders, the church volunteers, the teachers, Rhodes who help the young, the vulnerable, and the weak…Cheers! May your cup of satisfaction overflow!
LOL! Autocorrect again! Those, not Rhodes!
Wow, inspiring story ashmanra.
So wonderful to know that we can change the world, one person at a time. And those are the people we interact with every day!
I lose such hope in humanity when I hear acts that are being passed that seem so… inhumane. I’ll leave that purposely vague, but to see a community such as this really does inspire me to connect to the people around me, and that there ARE real, caring, passionate people out there!
… tea grannies 4 evr.
I just wanted to say that I completely agree with a lot of this conversation. I love to teach and I love my students, but all the pushing towards test scores can be demoralizing at times. Yes, test scores are necessary, but that shouldn’t be the biggest focus.
Thanks ashmanra – I know you’re right! I’m getting closer to my practicums + student teaching as the news in the nation gets more and more distressing. My heart knows what’s right, but my brain says “What are you getting yourself into?!” which I guess is its job ;) I’m just going to have to go into it full of major underdog energy!!!
…and I echo SimplyJenW – it would be an honor to all get together for a cuppa!
Mrawlins2: Hooray for teachers! You are gems to do what you do! And I realize there are no easy answers. I wish things were as simple as the Miss Read books! I had forgotten that you are a teacher, too!
Tea of the morning…..and usually every day at some point. Yesterday, I had this while running errands.
For now, I seem to be drawn to this particular tea. I have gone through over a half pound since August..maybe more than 10 oz. I have another pound on its way (when the tea you are obsessed with runs around $20 a pound it is BLISS!). And it has been the perfect complement for this Fall weather. Must.Not.Run.Out. :D
Steeped the usual way….no additions.
Preparation
Tea of the afternoon…..
Yayyyy! Samples from Dinosara. How lucky am I ? Anyway, this one has been on my wish list for ages. I was intrigued by the lemon/caramel, and the reviews that said the tea was reminiscent of Earl Grey. I do get the lemon in the top notes, and the caramel in the later notes. It is like a light, but richer version of EG, but not like EG. The Indian tea base is very smooth..and I saw some serious green leaves in there! This is so going on my shopping list. What a lovely blend of flavors. Thank you so much for sending this one to me! I even had some of it kind of cold and it was still very tasty.
Steeped by the usual way!
Preparation
I thought it was a very strong tea. But I did like the lemon/caramel flavor I picked up in it. I made it iced for the gal that owns the shop across the street. She loved it the way I made it. I think I might try it hot tomorrow. Maybe it’s one I just don’t enjoy iced.
Haven’t had this in ages, but I have good memories of it!
Glad you like it! I was suprrised how much I really enjoyed it.
Arch! I want this one, too! I have heard great things about it!
ashmanra, I can send you a sample if you want! (I have more tea than I know what to do with right now, lol.)
Tea of the morning….
I don’t recommend shoppping with this company using their delivery service. They completely messed up my holiday order. I had promises of a full refund, and promises of a refund of shipping since they sent only a $15USD value of goods (from a $133USD order) along with their huge cost of $30USD to ship. Never got it. Had to get my credit card company involved to get a refund. Ordering from here is only worth it if you like slim chances and setting fire to your money.
Oh, how I love a Keemun in the morning. This one is reminiscent of the English Breakfast from Harney that I usually drink, and even the English Breakfast from Adagio. I did have a small issue when steeping this morning. The bus was 20 minutes late and I ended up having to take my kids to school. The tea was steeping the whole time as it was a rush out the door. I was afraid to even try it after steeping the whole time I was gone….. It has been an interesting Monday…..
I forgot to add: I dumped it and brewed a second pot….. I am a wimp!
Preparation
I guess you could peel away the cup and see if it stands up straight on its own :) I’ve done that before!
Uh, oversteeped like crazy. Not the peel thing. Yep, it’s Monday.
LOL!
LOL. It was probably steeped for a total of 30 minutes. I used to to clean out my drain. ;D The second pot was great, though!
Tea of last night….
Yep. Definitely anise. I do like that this one is very different than my other chais, but am not sure it will be the one I reorder. Still looking for the best rooibos chai, but I will definitely enjoy this one for a while.
Steeped by the pan method with 4 minutes before adding milk, and 3 minutes after.
Tea of the afternoon….
I finally ordered a bunch of this….yes, a whole pound. It is the perfect light afternoon tea, and makes a stellar iced tea. I am so happy to have this as a staple in my cupboard! There is a balance of floral and citrus. I love that it is a traditional flavor of tea.
Steeped the usual way.
Preparation
This is my way to pare down the sample stash. I just hate to waste good tea and this kind of makes it an adventure. These are the ends of samples I have tasted or teas on their way out (as I do have seemingly endless samples, but often not enough for a pot of tea…)
Today the blend is of two black teas from Upton. It is about a 1:1 ratio of Imperial Golden Needles (ZP99) and Tippy Golden Needles (ZP77). Both teas are no longer in stock, nor does it look like they will be returning as the product information for them is no longer on site. I do recall that the first one of them was a higher priced tea ($6/oz), and the other was in the low to mid range (just over $2/oz).
I steeped this up by my usual method. There might be more tea in the pot than I usually use. What resulted was an incredible pot of tea. It is malty with notes of cocoa and honey, and it is thick and very enjoyable. I guess the takeaway from this is that it is not a bad idea to perk up the more basic loose tea offerings with a little something special. It becomes a good way to balance out the cost and taste of premium teas. I do recall comparing the two of these in the Spring, and deciding the more expensive version was lost on me at the time. Mmmmm. Thoroughly enjoyable! I would blend them again if I could.
Preparation
It seems a lot of the black teas that I had dreamed of Upton are out of commission now, sadly. Can’t wait to see what they bring in next, though!
I agree! I am waiting with anticipation!
This is a FANTASTIC and EXCITING idea!!! :)
Feel free to use this category… I don’t need ownership! I just wanted a way to not clog up the database.
Indeed, a good idea.
I’m on a use-up-scraps jag at the moment; now I want to go home and play “what goes with what.”
When I get to the bottom, I like to use whats left to brew up a gallon of iced tea.
