1403 Tasting Notes
My neighbours have a newborn who has been crying through the night directly behind our paper thin shared bedroom walls.
I have been doing what I can to exhaust myself so that I can sleep through her wails more often than not: as much daily exercise as I can manage so that I am good and tired when I go to bed and cutting off caffeine earlier than I normally would.
This is my evening cup tonight. The creamy vanilla of the white chocolate is coming through and the mint leaves a pleasant tingle on my lips. Very nice.
Flavors: Spearmint, Vanilla, White Chocolate
Preparation
GCTTB5 version 1
I had put a sample of this aside to try. By the time the box came my way a couple of months ago, I was very much unwell and not up to drinking much tea or doing anything really.
Really really like this one. Bright juicy fresh berry flavour supported by the slightest bit of sage to ground it more firmly. Beautiful base. Yes, yes, very enjoyable.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Liquid Proust.
Flavors: Black Currant, Blackberry, Sage
Preparation
The first steeping had the slightest bit of char while the second is becoming very floral. Looking forward to seeing what further flavours emerge.
Flavors: Char, Floral, Honey
Preparation
Is this even the same Pinglin Bao Zhong tea that others are writing about? I am currently too lazy to get up and reread the tea pouch. Edit—I did get up and check the tea pouch and yes, that’s all the label says. I can only guess that this newer batch, purchased July 2016, is a totally different creature than those previously written about. Completely different flavour profile.
Totally coconut, which is being lost on me today as I just had another but different coconut oolong yesterday and I had forgotten how coconut this one is. Delicious coconut which is not quite was I was in the mood for, so I will postpone proper reviewing for another time.
Yesterday, I had an early doctor’s appointment in the city, which meant that I was perfectly positioned to wander over to Chinatown and treat myself to dim sum. A large group, about seven or eight, older men were there, old as dirt, really, and it was a delight to watch them hang out, joke, read their papers, eat, torment the servers, and carry on. Although they were speaking in Cantonese, it was clear that they had great affection for each other and had known each other for a long long time. I wonder how often they have their morning breakfasts together. I suspect rituals and camaraderie like this have much to do with their longevity.
Apart from this group, was an older gentlemen having breakfast alone. He had brought his own yixing teapot, teacup, and huge thermos of boiling water for the gazillions cups he drank with his meal. I. was. dying to go over there and ask him what kind of tea he was drinking, but I didn’t: too embarrassed and concerned about the possible communication gap. After his meal, he dumped his mountain of leaves out onto an empty plate: curly, fizzly, dark. I asked one of my favourite trolley people if she knew what kind of tea that was and she suspected it was heung pin, which we later got translated as jasmine. Yeah, maybe she just felt she needed to give me some sort of answer. It doesn’t necessarily tell me anything about the leaf.
Anyway…
I understand why you didn’t go over to him, and I also wish so badly that you had! I would probably have chickened out unless maybe a staff member could have told you if he was a regular and if he spoke English. Maybe you can go back and see him again!
I was fascinated that this gentleman brought all his own paraphernalia and tea despite the endless supply of cheap restaurant tea available. Perhaps that was the point. Hard to suffer if you are a tea connoisseur. While I was watching him, I had considered many of the possible stories behind this moment. That he had spent his life as a tea importer and had his home stuffed with the favourite teas he had spent decades narrowing down. That he wasn’t drinking tea but rather a medicinal herbal concoction. That the restaurant tea was too caffeinated for his health now. That he had been seasoning his teapot for decades and refused to drink tea without his ritual. And so on.
I go to this particular restaurant for dim sum from time to time, but usually a bit later in the day. Perhaps I will see him again. Communication in this place is a real thing though, so we’ll see.
Few of the staff speak English and probably wouldn’t know if he did.
Awesome! Please post it if you get to talk to him. I bet he has some stories to share! Hopefully they will be in a language you can understand. :)
Will do. That dim sum outing was a glorious morning. A beautiful way to start the day. I will do it again, but that particular outing was so good, I almost don’t want to ruin the memory of it. Perhaps I will let some time pass before I return.
Today marks a week that I’ve been addled with this summer flu or cold or whatever it is: chest, cough, achiness, headache, exhaustion. Horrible. My taste buds are still away on leave, though a bit of the chocolate is peeking through so perhaps things are looking up.
The past week, teas have pretty much been comforting carriers for a big spoon of honey.
I hope you feel much better soon!
Hope you start feeling better soon. Now is a goo time to drink up all the teas you hate :P
booooo on being sick. hope that is almost over for you!
Thank you! Absolutely on the mend here, but you know, the body takes its time. The problem with the whole sick tea concept is that when one is sick, there is no energy available to look for the teas you hate.
GCTTB5 original version
The scent of the dry leaf led me to believe that the peach and thyme were evenly balanced though after a brief steep, the peach almost disappeared and the thyme moved forward.
I selected this tea today because I woke up feeling under the weather: truly weak with a killer sore throat and murderous migraine. Possibly the frigid blast of air conditioning here and there in public transit and public spaces pitted against the demon humidity and heat and rapid weather changes finally got to me.In Morocco, thyme tea was used as a stomach soother but also general wellness tea, so I reached for this in hopes of general wellness vibes. While the water was boiling, I thought I might add some honey to this for my throat though I forgot all about that when the tea was ready.
I will add honey in the next cup.
Flavors: Peach, Thyme
Preparation
Beautiful tea. Exactly what it says it is and tastes like just that. Truly beautiful as is.
Thanks, tigress_al, for sending me some to try. This cup is a real pleasure.
Flavors: Cantaloupe, Cream
Preparation
The dry leaf smells like a cross between cream soda and black cherry soda. It tastes sort of like that too, but far more watery. It’s ok, in that very generic DT’s imitation flavoured red herbal tea kind of way.
Flavors: Cherry, Red Fruits
Preparation
Today I celebrate that the killer humidity has abated, with gentle cool breezes even. I could have worn sleeves today, it was so nice out.
Sugar cane with the vaguest hint of apricot in the first steep, or so my deliriously contented tastebuds told me. Super fab.
I am on my third steep now and have just eaten a maple sugar walnut tart. Heaven all round.
Flavors: Apricot, Caramel, Sugarcane
This was a lovely tea when I had it. And sorry to hear about the crying baby. Never a fun situation for anyone :(
Sounds like a delicious tea in the face of an unfortunate situation! I hear that humans age; hopefully the little one will scurry along to a phase that’s less annoying soon.
Nice people though who are generally aware of their neighbours, so hopefully the little one will enter a happier and easier phase soon.