3010 Tasting Notes
(The sequel)
This stuff has a mind of its own! Left to its own devices in my fridge, it darkened three shades to dark walnut and strengthened three notches as well. I think this is going to be a go-to iced tea at our house.
For hefty tea lovers only…oops, I meant hefty tea lovers, not hefty tea lovers. I’m medium and I like it just fine.
In the tin, this looks almost identical to PG tips loose leaf…tiny, crumbly, and dark. Ashmanra advised that all you need to do with Bewley’s is “show the water to the tea.” I let the introduction linger for a little under three minutes, and wow! What a nice, stiff-upper-lip morning wake-up! First flavor equivalent that hit me was “dark wheat toast.” Hefty enough to be breakfast on its own, and by lunchtime, I believe the pot will be strong enough to walk itself to the refrigerator.
Looking forward to trying some on ice after some manual labor.
After nearly two weeks of junk food, meals on the fly, not eating at all, or sad tired leftovers, I actually cooked tonight. Sauted and chopped and everything. Lemon pepper pasta primavera. This was an excellent after-dinner pairing. My mouth is happy and dancing with all that cheerful lemon flavor. This is one of my favorite-ever 52teas teas.
Two parts Holy Basil (Tulsi) + 1 part lavender; saw this particular blend in the latest Stash catalog and realized I had the means to make it (for pennies, Cheapster Steepsters)using the bulk raw ingredients I get for less than $1.25 an ounce at my favorite health food hangout.
It smells luscious and very, very floral—-good enough to bathe in. And what a nice flavor pairing…the lavender sweetens up the spicy bite of the tulsi without tasting like you’re drinking a Mother’s Day bouquet.
As for the relaxation factor…my day included a marathon software training session that required full-on concentration and refereeing by phone a walker fight between two octogenarians. Don’t know which helped more, the anti-stress adaptogens in the tulsi, or stealing fifteen quiet minutes with no demands on my time. But I’m thinking I may have found a pretty effective evening medicinal.
OMG. I can so relate. If you heard just my side of my conversations with my mother, you would …laugh or cry… I dunno. But my coworkers laugh and I always have to tell them what the “other side” was about because my answers are always so absurd sounding! (My mom has MS and lives in a wheelchair community for people with spinal cord problems. Between disagreements w caregivers, other residents, and the kitchen – coupled with the fact that she can’t hear what I say so I have to shout – and since she doesn’t get out much she doesn’t have much to talk about – I’m just glad my coworkers know I’m not enjoying myself on a personal call but rather trying to deal with impossible situations! Yesterday it was a 10 minute conversation about which of our dogs (throughout both of our lifespans) kissed the most. I better get some of that Tulsi.
I’m also grateful for kind coworkers who have to listen to my (yelling to be heard) side of increasingly frequent family calls. If you weren’t several states away, I’d invite you over for a cuppa and to swap war stories.
…and then I’d read you a book :) xoxoxo
Review’s up—this is one of those teas you’re not quite sure how to describe. It left me neither revitalised, sensuous, nor romantic as advertised by the supplier; just a little puzzled. Still have a bit left, I’m going to keep lightening up the leaf and steep time until something happens.
…until something happens…..LOLOLOL! I will have the giggles for the rest of the afternoon!
Guess I’d better notify the spouse, eh? (Told Mike—the allabouttheleaf guy—that he would have had a good laugh at this Baptist Sunday school teacher trying to…uh…find a little colorful background on Kama Sutra for the review that didn’t make me pass out!)
my comment is no comment… :)
After a week of high-intensity, minimal-sleep geriatric caregiving away from home, I am a puddle o’nothing. Found this for just over a buck an ounce at local health food hangout. And if Wikipedia is right (tulsi is considered to be an adaptogen, balancing different processes in the body, and helpful for adapting to stress), and if this even hints at being effective, I shall buy it by the pound.
I expected it to be a little bitter, especially after noting the bronzey-green color after a five minute steep. Surprisingly, it isn’t—more like a combination of lemon and cloves. Lovely herb-y smell to it, too. Between this little herbal pick-me-up and a beautifully mild day overflowing with sunshine (after a week of local flooding), I hope to feel marginally human by day’s end.
I think it helps me. :)
Lemon and cloves? yeah, that’s what I got from Fusion’s Tropical Tulsi. I thought the clove was an unlisted ingredient. Interesting. My only other tulsi was a bagged (Organic India). I don’t remember it having the same characteristics.
Went and checked my notes. I did note the clove taste but I wasn’t overwhelmed by the bagged version.
My morning kickstart for what’s going to be a keep-a-stiff-upper-lip sort of day. In the roller coaster that is geriatric medicine, it has been determined that Mom is mobile enough to come home. By complete strangers who don’t know that her chief caregiver is an 81-year-old rheumatoid arthritic who hasn’t had much sleep for a week. I’ll just step off the soapbox right there. (Have I thanked all of you recently for putting up with all the angst and tooth-gnashing that has accompanied my notes lately? I need to.)
Reading through others’ notes on this one…much being said about how stout and occasionally bitter it is. As a die-hard Assam lover, this is right smack in the middle of my tasty zone. Wheat toast in a cup. A little nourishment to remind me that “those who wait upon the Lord…will walk and not grow weary.” Or if you prefer Winston Churchill, a little boost so I can Keep Plodding On.
No need to worry about the angst, anyone who deals with insurance, healthcare, and the aged has reason to say anything to feel better. Let it all out, we are friends here.
I had Yorkshire gold with dinner and after dinner just last night. It is a reliable stiff cup. I do think I like the regular red label better thought…
What’s the difference between this one and the red label?
The red label, is just Yorkshire Tea, it is heartier, rougher on the edges. A more “in your face assam.” The Gold is softer to me, maybe more refined, elegant.
The red’s after taste is longer, and something I personally enjoy with a good assam. I want it to stay with me till I take another sip.
I hope that helps…
you can find it here… http://steepster.com/teas/taylors-of-harrogate/522-standard
Wondered about the red myself. Thanks for the explanation. Glad I got the gold! It is about as in your face as my face can handle.
Sounds like a run back to TJ Maxx at first opportunity to hunt down the red label.
It scared me. Sandy, too. Their Irish Afternoon is almost TOO weak, though.