1598 Tasting Notes
It’s a Laoshan Black morning! YUM.
And the first few sips of this reminded my of what I liked about the Anxi Fo Shou – I WILL have to get a bit more of that as the chocolate notes in that seemed nearly double what I’m getting here.
Not much going on today. J is invigilating exams after his classes so we are on our own until 10. We’re rocking out to some Moby, while the baby is playing with a deck of cards and I’m trying to look at jobs. Later, we’ll watch an episode of Supernatural during lunch, and maybe I’ll play Mass Effect 3 when she naps!
This is really good! It’s strongly vegetal, but also very sweet. It’s almost creamy and buttery, although I didn’t expect that at all. Each sip is refreshing and light. Beautiful.
I’ve been sampling a lot of Teavivre’s oolong’s lately, and I think this one is my favourite so far, although I still have three more Taiwanese oolongs to try after this one!
Preparation
I guess I’ve just been busy the past two days and not on Steepster enough. :( It doesn’t help that J has been using my computer a lot so it’s not as convenient to check everyone’s reviews!
This tea is a perfect accompaniment while I catch up!
I think J is going to study for two midterms today so I’m planning to take TK to the library so she can play with all the toys and other kids. She loves it, and it makes me feel better about her not being in daycare at the moment!
Hmmm. I’m sad to say that this one just isn’t for me. :( I’m trying to put my finger on it and I think it’s the combination of pumpkin and ginger – it tastes like some sharp squash note that I’m not keen on. Drinking this with milk and brown sugar turns it into something quite nice, but still, maybe a little too much ginger? Maybe I can pick it out. Further experiments to follow with the remaining 1.5 oz. :P
I was too ambitious when I brewed this as I was making three cups at once (all of which will be sipdowns —>105) and so I over-steeped this a bit. I will definitely have to reorder another sample of this when I do my next teavivre order. I can see the potential in this although this result is just a touch too strong for me. It smells fruity and sweet and I get bits of that in each sip. Had I not over-boiled it, I might have tasted it more.
And that’s the end of this one! Down to 109 teas! :O
So, yeah. I guess getting to 100 in a month will be a snap?
It makes a big difference once you stop buying ALL tea. Damn. Still it’s nice to go through my cupboard, figure out what I like and don’t, and drink down everything so it doesn’t get stale. I tried nearly 500 teas last year. I don’t think I’ll try so many this year. I think I’ll get more comfortable with what I like and experiment less, and that’s ok too. (Also cheaper because I can order more from one place and save on shipping/get cheaper prices!)
Ha – my calculations suggest that it’d take 250 days to drink all the tea I currently own. So, yeah. I don’t need more. Ha.
Wow! That’s pretty amazing.
But the OBJECT is to BUY ALL THE TEA!!!
i agree with anna…only it’s TRY all the tea!
:P It’s a good goal, but I can’t always remember what the difference between X and Y are, so it makes it harder to keep track of all the great teas, and which ones are better etc. My spreadsheet helps, and I do want to try more, but I don’t feel the need to get ALL of them. :P My palette just isn’t sophisticated enough to appreciate some of the differences in the same type of tea.
Don’t get me wrong though – as soon as I get a job I’m placing an order somewhere, for something, to celebrate!
(And getting a new kettle!)
Time for another oolong sample!
Now this is what I think of when I think of oolong – very green, light, slightly buttery and very floral. It’s bright and refreshing. I usually start with a black tea in the morning but this is very good. It’s much like a gentle wake-up, a tingling on my tastebuds, instead of the usual slap-to-my-face from the stronger alternatives. (Bolder Black & Tiger Assam to name a few!)
I think I prefer roastier oolongs over floral ones, but there is a time to appreciate these ones too. And I think the Iron Goddess variety is one of the most popular? I’ve had a few versions of this, and I think I’m happiest with this one from Teavivre!
There’s a slight seaweed aftertaste here – I think I may have oversteeped it just a tad, so next time I’ll try 2, or 2.5 minutes.
Preparation
Ugh. I feel super-sinusy today and groggy and the baby has a bit of a cold. Good thing I don’t have to work? I guess?
I wanted something to cheer me up and this is it. I love it. I also made a bottle of Mother’s Little Helper (DAVIDsTEA) for the baby and I’m crossing my fingers that she’ll enjoy it. Then we can both have a nap. :D
ETA:I really need to teach her to drink from a proper cup instead of a baby cup. Then I can give her herbal tea more often as it’s easier to wash a regular cup instead of the straw/bottle.
