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I dunno… I think these Upton teas are mostly stale or just not very good. Every time I look at them, I have no memories of any distinction between them. I wanted an easy western brew after dinner last night, and this tasted like Lipton tried something new (sure, let’s say oolong). It’s fine to drink, not repulsive, but there’s one note and it’s not terribly interesting. I’ll take these to work… a pined-over, ugh-finally sip always tastes better than it has any right to, I think.

Lowering my rating, as I think I was trying too hard to throw it a bone.

Jeezo.

I sniffed the open bag and started laughing, as I haven’t been this overwhelmed by bergamot oil since I was a kid and every sip of Earl Grey tasted like an exotic perfume.

This feels like travel — waking up and teetering down creaky steps to breakfast in the UK. The proprietor’s homemade marmalade and fresh brown bread, hoofed back from the bakery before sunrise; a barely-sweet mug of cocoa on the generations-old oak table; that cozy buzz before heading out into an overcast day of wood beams and lichen-stone and drizzle and history.

The second of my cold-steep experiments with teas I adore. This one’s good, but in the way cold vegetable soup is good, and why didn’t you just take 3 extra minutes and put it in the microwave, ya impatient chucklehead?

Sipdown. Onto the wishlist it goes. This is cinnamon biscotti in a cup and I really enjoy it.

I sort of waited to see if something would smack me into full note-taking mode here, and nothing did. I find I am enjoying shengs, but I can’t really tell why…? The floral and cedar/sandalwood tasting notes provided by Mandala got me pretty excited to try this; I think maybe I just need to sit more quietly and focus to find them, as it was nice but without any specific flavor-angels singing to me. Hm.

This week, I finished up my for-kicks chemistry class with a lab and was left with some good distilled + re-electrolyted bottled water. I usually utilize my instant hot faucet for tea water, rather than futz with a kettle, so I took this opportunity to cold steep three of my favorite teas in the fridge — about 7g/mason jar. This one came out around 30 hours in, and holy gods it was so good. To be fair, this tea might be my favorite ever and can basically do no wrong as far as I’m concerned, but still. The florals and charcoal were so delicious and surprisingly refreshing cold. I threw it back in with fresh water, so we’ll see how many decent steeps it holds.

Steaming leaves are full-on warm potato chips. Yowza.

As I started pouring I realized my water was probably way too hot — I’d forgotten to cut it with cooler water for the green tea. Daggit! My fingers smelled like seaweed after I poured it, and it was indeed too hot and bitter, but the umami seaweed still came through.

Rejiggered my water and apologized to my little green friends… low and behold some purple florals actually came through in the second steep. Cotton candy at the bottom of the cup… this tea is weird as hell, but I’m enjoying it.

Backed off on steep time for the third, and it was a good call. I also think I might leaf this a little lighter next time (7g:5oz for this go).

The purple flower/cotton candy is reminding me of something else. Dark berries maybe, or like a thick jungle fruit… I want to say the smell is how durian tastes. Not the other way around, hahaha. Classic green tea grass holding up this whole profile.

A fun tester session; I look forward to giving this a few more goes.

Lilacs, lilacs, lilacs. Butter and green peppers. Lovely.

One time when I was a kid, my dad cut a whole bunch of purple and white lilacs off the bushes in our backyard and put them in a big jumbled pile. He asked me to take them up the hill to my mom. I looked down and I’d somehow managed to pick up all the purples in one hand and all the whites in the other. It blew my little mind that this miracle had occurred.