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Hm, hm, hm. I think I can grok the love, though I don’t necessarily feel it myself. The marshmallow treat nose feels very separated from the genmaicha taste, and by making room for each other in the blend they both give up some of their space and power. The flavoring also has a very — I don’t know how else to describe this — flat bottom, like it sits up top and then there’s a horizon that it just doesn’t sink past. Interesting, and a fun tasting — just not my cup. I know this about myself and scented/flavored teas — it’s a rare, rare blend that gets me raving.

Steaming leaves give up toast, roast, vaguely medicinal cherries, herbs. Pours a very slightly pinkish tan.

(As I give it a good sniff, I confirm this is this third cup today that’s had chlorine coming off of it… ordered a new filter between steeps… yick!)

Although the nugs are dark and small, which typically makes me expect a wallop of baking spices and liquor, the first steep seemed quite light, so I let the second sit for far longer than I normally would — maybe two minutes. No astringency, and the flavors did manage to pop. Baking spices, plum and prune both, tart cherry, vanilla, some citrus zest. Tannins in the third after another long steep. Wisps of cherry and tannins barely hung on while it got watery.

Maybe the lack of passion for this tea lies in its subtlety; it is missing substantial body, and I can see how it might creep in and back out before anyone notices it showed up. An easy daily drinker, and certainly a lovely cuppa to share with a tea-tuned friend or lover while sussing out its corners… holy in the way it’s embraced, if not in its own right.

I gave my remaining 6g a western brew for a sipdown. Kept the volume low (350ml) and went for a full five minutes. More oolong character came through, some biscuit appeared to back up those spices… and suddenly I felt strangely protective of this little “chase me” flirt.

And then it was all gone in the second steep. Ugh.

Uncle.

I’m not a huge fan of GABA oolongs; they mostly seem stripped of flavor to me, and that feels sad. I can’t honestly say I get much zen out of them, either. Ah, well. This is the first one I’ve had that I found some berry flavors in, though, which was nice! Everything I’ve had from GTH has been pretty satisfying, I have to say — though I think I’m done GABA-dabbling. Yabba dabba doobaling.

Sample from Brendan. This is a beautiful black, an easy winner for breakfast. I don’t know what the exact blend is, but the citrus notes almost hit like a Keemun, or… familiar and light like the orange pekoe tea bags of my youth, too, but that seems insulting as it’s far more. Strappy brown bread, malt, cocoa, marmalade, toast, whispers of minerality. There was a flit of floral perfume on the steaming leaves that I couldn’t pin down before it vanished. My split-second thought was rose, but I don’t think that’s it. Suffice it to say, this manages to be both familiar and interesting.

This was our first visit to Callisto Tea House, after an amazing vegan diner breakfast at Millie’s. I was really reveling in the big trees, tall mountains, and lush green of Pasadena after all of the recent rain. We flirted, as we often do, with the idea of moving to the area. To be sure, it would be lovely to be closer to this little place.

I hemmed and hawed for a bit over the six teas Nathan offered as gong fu candidates. I had been half-expecting to have a yellow tea available as an option, but they have moved on from that one since I saw it on their website. This aged white managed to be two things at once: a style I am less familiar with, as well as approachable for my not-yet-tea-obsessed partner.

The dry leaves had a light scent that I didn’t pick much out of. After warming up, some toast and roast became evident, along with an almost piney or herbal note. The base of the tea shifted between hay, wet leaves, wet wood, and twigs as the steeps played out. We got about ten total before some wateriness crept in. In the first few steps, I also found really lovely and delicate flavors of licorice, mint/menthol, and honeysuckle around the edges. The cooling sensation persisted, even when the minty/menthol taste had pretty well gone. This was a really nice session, in a simple little shop that afforded focus, calm, and quiet (but also 90s-00s female singer/songwriters coming through the speakers, just loud enough to tune in if you wanted… count me in). Chatting with the proprietors was an absolute delight, too, as they were just as excited about the intricacies of their teas as they were ready to commiserate over the eternal struggle of an out-of-hand-and-still-growing tea stash at home.

Of course, I also took home some tea. I didn’t feel like I needed to own this one, but they had a white tea from Hawaii which I am absolutely stoked about. The scent of the dry leaves, which I expected to be mineral-leaning from the lava rock, was actually full of tropical fruits. I can’t wait.

Morning birthday cuppa yesterday. I was so happy to open the cupboard and see this still unopened, it felt like a gift. The tiny dry leaves were so beautiful, brown and yellow and places in between… and dense! I stopped at 5g in my 5oz pot, where 7g is my go-to for most things. The very first steep poured a crisp chestnut color, noticeably reddish. Later steeps lost the red and were more brown.

This little love needed no warm-up before the magic happened — the first steep was a symphony. And it seemed every flavor was detectable on the nose and in the mouth… remarkable. Reminded me of golden snails with extra tucked-away gems to discover. Toast, roast, umami, saltines, nuts, brown bread, seaweed, cocoa, malt, molasses… ripe strawberry and caramel at the bottom of the cup. Incredibly smooth. Some tannins finally popped in the third or so, and they were as delightful as everything else.

Because they were closed yesterday, we are heading over to Callisto Tea House in Pasadena today, for a gong fu session (and probably some plant-based goodies, who am I kidding). I’m pretty excited to share some tea outside my home and see what I learn today.

My wife requested “the buttered popcorn tea” when I asked if she’d join me in a birthday sesh yesterday. Delightful as always. And a sipdown, so… wishlist!

Sipped this down with a friend to celebrate my birthday a day early (yup, joining the field of spring sprouts around here). Sat listening to the ting of rain on the patio roof, filling and refilling, catching up on feels and life and gratitude. Here’s to another zoom around the sun, my hungry little soul. You’re doing a good job.

I’ve been really trying to avoid adding more flavored teas to my cupboard lately, but after seeing some of the 52Teas reviews, I buckled. (Thanks, y’all… hehe!) This is a fun blend, with sweet and bright lemon that reminds me of a round, cellophane wrapped hard candy. I didn’t pick up on a lot of marshmallow in my first session, which I brewed gong fu. I’ll probably try this Western next — I anticipate the layering that western affords will showcase this blend a little better. The white tea is a nice delicate offset for the high lemon notes, while the houjicha brings up the bottom and gives it something to sit on (a characteristic lacking in, say, Tazo’s Lemon Loaf). The coupling creates a lovely profile on which to set some flavor.