1118 Tasting Notes
I over sweetened this, so it wasn’t as good as it should have been. I think I also steeped it a little too long. It was entirely drinkable, but what should have been a lovely peach-y cup was just so-so due to operator error.
Flavors: Apricot, Peach, Wood
Preparation
When it comes to Oolong teas I’m pretty persnickety, but this tea hits all the right notes. A roasty Oolong with sweetness at the end of the sip and light, but distinct, floral notes. I like. I’m really enjoying the grain flavor followed by burnt sugar (I almost said caramel, but it taste more like burnt sugar me). Right now I’m working on my second steep and I’m letting the tea cool a bit to see if the floral notes become more apparent. I think they might.
I still wouldn’t call myself an Oolong lover, but I could see myself keeping some of this in my cupboard and enjoying it.
My nighttime tea. I drank it while watching The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The tea was enough of a treat to keep me from snacking during the movie. The lemon flavor is spot on, and there is a lightness to it, a creaminess from the honeybush, that hints at chiffon. Yum. The movie was good, but I’m kicking myself for not seeing it in the theater. Still, highly entertaining (but the book is far better!).
What did you think of the movie? We saw it during the Christmas holiday. I’m torn. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the faithfulness to the book. The barrel scenes, the dragon, etc. On the other, I think making a single book into three movies is a bit of a stretch and I have to wonder about the financial motivation. By that logic, Lord of the Rings should have been at least six movies. Still, Martin Freeman is an excellent Bilbo.
I liked the movie, but I agree that making it into three movies is a bit of a stretch. I’ll wait until I see the last movie before I pass any final judgments, but right now I’m guessing that this could easily have been two movies. On the other hand, there was a lot that was skimmed or skipped over from The Lord of the Ring series, so maybe Jackson wanted to take one story and tell as much of it as he could.
I will say that Smaug looked like the kick ass dragon I always envisioned in my head, so that was pretty cool to see on screen! And I agree with you, Martin Freeman is great as Bilbo!
Stephen Fry saved this one for me (I just like his acting)…I was pretty disappointed with the rest of the movie. I know middle movies in a trilogy are supposed to be cliffhangers, but I wish they would have thrown us a bone and tied up at least one story line. (But you’re right. Martin Freeman is indeed a lovable Bilbo.)
I love Stephen Fry! I still watch episodes of A Bit of Fry and Laurie from time to time because they are both so funny.
I’m sipping on my last bit of this tea. Each and every cup has been sooo good. Wonderful maltiness. Rich chocolate notes. Sweet caramel. It’s a very well rounded tea, and I’m going to miss having it in my cupboard. At some point I will restock it. I’m trying really, really hard to get myself down to 30 or so teas, and this one will definitely make the cut.
I’ve been kind of ho-hum about this tea, but I have to say that today’s cup was really nice. There were the floral notes with the muscatel flavor following at the end of the sip which had been my normal experience with this tea. Today, however, there was also a silkiness to the tea that made it so delightful.
I think the reason for the change is that my water was cooler than usual when I poured it onto the leaves. I’d turned my kettle off and then was distracted for five or so minutes before I poured the water and began brewing the tea. A very serendipitous turn of events that had me practically swooning over my cup.
I may tape a note to my tea tin reminding me to always let the water cool for a few minutes for this particular tea. Come to think of it, I may need to go brew myself another cup right now just to make sure… you know… for science. ;-)
I was feeling rather groggy and unwilling to fuss over my tea this morning, so I popped a Lady Grey tea bag into my cup and called it good. It was a simple citrus-y cup that helped to clear my head and get me moving. Perfect Monday morning tea.
Flavors: Lemon Zest, Orange Zest
This was my morning tea. It’s such a unique blend, and I love the creativity and thought that went into it (or if this was a moment of inspired genius I love that, too:)). The lemongrass, spearmint, pine smoke, and berry flavors combine into something amazing.
A great first cup of the day.
You missed the “recommended” button ;) hehe. Glad you like this one! :D
But your tasting note says “Not Recommended” at the top. Waitaminute, you just want to keep this tea all to yourself. Sneaky! Well, I’m onto you….
Oops! This is what happens when I attempt to write reviews using my phone. All fixed!!!
@Christina – I’d love to have this tea all to myself, but I’ll share if I have to. :)
Haha :) I might just have this one right now, too. It’s been a while!
I spent the better part of this afternoon and evening at the mall. I am not a big mall loving person, so I was happy to get home. I was even happier to be able to settle in bed with a cup of this beauty. I’ve had so many cups of this tea, but I’m still impressed (and happy!) that this is a decaf tea.
