Folk Apothics

Shae Advent Day 5

This looks like mostly mint, but apparently there’s some black tea in there too. I decided to refrigerate it and add milk, and the flavor is pretty simple, but pleasant. It tastes like mint, but I feel like I can taste the black tea a little too. It’s nice, but it doesn’t stand out too much next to other similar teas, like ones I’ve had from Cuppa Geek.

I think most of my notes start like this (sorry in advance) – I really love floral teas. Rose especially, I think, because many of my grandmother’s desserts growing up had rose water in them. Maybe it’s nostalgia. No matter the reason, I love them. This one is no exception and I think with the herbs present I can only love this more.

It’s even more delicious as it cools, so I’m certain it will make an amazing iced tea as well.

The dry blend mostly looks like mint leaves. I don’t see any black tea but it does steep up kind of dark. Maybe that’s still the mint though. I don’t taste any strawberry, only mint and lemon balm.

SIPDOWN 19, from Advent Calendar from Shae. Thank you!

This is an interesting blend! A mellow, maybe too weak, black base with very fresh spearmint. Strawberry just adds some sweetness. Unfortunately it isn’t much present in taste as well.

It’s not a bad tea… just I have been expecting more. Maybe there is too much spearmint, with too weak base — but stronger would maybe clash too much. I am not a blender. And I am afraid I never will be.

Song pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WybFA3lZCSA, translation here: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/s%C3%ADla-starejch-v%C3%ADn-power-old-wines.html (honestly surprised someone translated it)

Shae’s ADVENT CALENDAR, December 13

Well this is interesting blend. A mint with black tea. And what are those red-brown pieces? Let’s see what Steepster says. Oh, it’s strawberry. Our Southern Gentleman Tea Blend heralds back to a less complicated time. Oh well, needed in this unfriendly environment. And hopefully it will calm me down a bit, though… I can’t be on a front porch while listening to cicadas sing. I am listening to rush road instead.

A tea… is pretty much simple; a mint with black tea caffeine boost. Unfortunately, I have noticed only peppermint today and no strawberry in taste. It was somehow simple, but tasty tea, but bit lacking. I miss the boldness of black tea. To be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention to this tea which it certainly deserves.

Hold on rating

Photo: https://flic.kr/p/2kgqtmC

I have almost sippedown this tea, but not yet. One tea spoon remains. Maybe I will finish it in the afternoon.

And I have rated in only 72? I think it deserves more. Shae, thank you for this tea!

This is very interesting blend. I would bet it won’t make me immortal; but I won’t care.
It’s mellow, slightly earthy tea with lemon twist. I have used, as it’s green, a water that was 5 minutes after boiling. Haven’t measured the temperature, which is a bit of shame; as it turned out great! I don’t know about the steeping time too. I guess it could be around 4 minutes. Somehow I wasn’t focused while preparing! Nice and mellow results, as written above.

I love that lemon twist with this tea. And the light-feel too with few robust notes. 72 → 78

So guys, it has started! And as I live farther east than you, we have there a morning, with temperatures around 0°C, rather below, overcast, quite unappealing weather.

ADVENT CALENDAR SEASON HAS STARTED and since I got only one (won’t re-do Sonnentor this year) and CuppaGeek one is still in the travel, I start with Shae’s “swap” Advent Calendar. And first one is…*ba dum tss

Immortalitea by Folk Apothics. Okay, what we got here? It looks like a green tea. And indeed it is! Then I see quite a nice amount of safflover which looks like fire in contrast of green tea. I notice some other ingredients, which are wiry and few rose petals.

Allow to steep for 3-5 minutes whilst pondering life. Let’s translate “pondering”. Ah okay, I get it now. How on point when I was preparing this tea and reading derk’s note (https://steepster.com/derk/posts/410124) and writing the comment.

You want to hear about the tea, right? I used boiling water, but I let it cool, thermometer was saying me 78°C when I added the strainer of 4 grams in. I let it steep for four minutes, which sounded reasonable to me.

Loose leaf, as well the brew is herbal, I notice mostly rose in dry stuff. When brewed, I notice some earthy notes as sage and rosemary. And quite strongly the lemon, I would dare to say lemon balm, but it’s not included.

Brewed, and after 4 minutes it is thick tea. And quite earthy. Quite a lot herbal forward with a lemon twist. I don’t notice much of the green tea, but caffeine boost a bit. Nice tea, but not for daily drinking. We will see how much it will make me immortal.

Be Present in all you do. Sounds deep. And to be honest I am not really sure if I am present in all I do. Sometimes I behave like I am doing it just because I have to. Ehhm…

Photo: https://flic.kr/p/2kciKWs and thank you Shae for first cup! I have never been that person who can craft beautiful photos of teas, so this will be more-less typical set-up of my advent. I don’t have that ideas how to make it with all the background, like books and flowers… but when somebody can do that, it’s amazing. My light parameters aren’t great as well.

PS: I went bit on writing mode while writing this note it seems!

My husband and I are in Blue Ridge, Georgia, for the weekend and stopped in at Folk Apothics this morning. This store – oh wow, is it incredible. There are dried herbs hanging from the ceiling, dark bottles of elderberry syrup and vanilla, bars of homemade soap, and walls of glass jars with all sorts of teas and herbs. We, of course, picked up some teas to take home while we were there, but we also sampled this Yogi tea that the owner had warming by the door. When he told me it was Yogi tea, I thought he meant the brand and was kind of bummed that he didn’t have one of his own teas out for sampling. When we started looking through the tea selection though, I saw this one and realized that it’s the name of his blend. Makes more sense. This is a nice, warming blend with cinnamon. Probably not one I would drink in the morning, but it would be a comforting cup at night before bed.

If you’re ever in Blue Ridge, or even kinda close by, please go visit this shop! They also have a website if you want to have a look at some of the teas (and other goodies) they carry.