Plunkybug Send Message

Backlog: Had this one while on holiday about a month ago, and as I was writing up my tasting note for Good Morning Sunshine, I realized that I never did it for this one.

I had a very long day and travel for the trip…I got up at the same time I always do for work, and did almost a full day, leaving a few hours early so that I could catch my ferry sailing to Seattle at 5pm. Once I got to Seattle, about 8pm, I took the train from downtown to the airport (about an hour long) and did all the normal stuff for my flight, which didn’t leave til close to midnight. I arrived at almost 7am in Detroit, and caught my flight to Providence, RI. Between these two flights, I amasses probably 3-4 hours of sleep, max. I had sort of rested on my 3 hour ferry sailing to Seattle, but I never fell asleep on the boat, but I was fortunate to have the whole row to myself on both legs of my flight so I was able to lie down and snooze some.

I got into Providence, saw my best friend, and they (she and her hubby) bought me some coffee, cuz who wants to sleep when you’re seeing your best friend for the first time in person? Not this girl. Spent the day with her, had some more coffee, and tea in the evening, before crashing.

The next morning we went out fro breakfast, and then they dropped me off at the train station so I could head to Brooklyn (via Penn Station) to meet up with my husband and see my brother for a few days before heading out to Long Island for Long Island Who (Doctor Who convention). In the train station, there was a cafe, and I got some water and made this tea, for the first time on the trip. I’m not sure why I had waited so long…perhaps because I had a second wind or something the previous day. But you know what?

It was perfect. It was the right time, and it was relaxing and energizing at the same time for my 3-4 hour train ride to NYC. I was relaxed, yet energized when I got to the station and met up with my husband and brother, so I think it was just perfect.

Now for the taste, since really, that’s what this is all about, not my whole trip and what led me to drink it. I found it was not overpoweringly minty or herbal or anything. Having had the GMS now, I can now properly identify the guayusa taste. I can’t say it is my favourite, but it is quite tolerable. As I stated in my other review, I’d be interested in sampling the others before deciding if I want to buy any of them. I’m definitely up for trying more, just to get my feelers out…

I can say that I’m pretty new to guayusa….I tried The Killers Vanilla a month ago, and now this (which is a sample Stacy included in my most recent order, even though I had already picked my 2…I had mentioned curiosity in trying more guayusa, and she added it because she is awesome like that).

Anyhow, now having had the two, I can distinguish what the actual herb is like. I like the citrus notes with this one, though it’s hard to say if I like this better, the same, or not as much as the Killers Vanilla. I’d have to say that I like it as much? I dunno. It’s so cold for here, my head is throbbing, and I can’t think straight.

I think I was expecting a sharper and brighter citrus flavour than what I got. I’m on the fence with whether that is good or bad.

I think I might like to try more guayusa, but maybe just as samples with future orders.

This is one of my samples from my last order with Stacy. I thought I’d have this one today since Nelson Mandela died. I know…Kenya and South Africa…very different, but it’s the Africa thing. Don’t judge me. :p

I’m not really sure what I’m getting here…I did a little longer steep, cuz my 3 seconds seemed really pale. I may have steeped too long though…I’m getting a very strong taste. I’m not sure this is the tea for me. I read tobacco and leather, and I could agree with those…it makes me wonder why I opted to try this one as a sample, but glad it is just a sample. I’m actually getting the same mouthfeel with this tea as I get with licorice. It’s a very strong and masculine tea, for lack of a better description.

I’m not sure what I am gonna do with the rest of this cup…maybe dump some out and dilute it?

Used my whole sample of this one from MissB tonight, since it was just over a teaspoon (more like a heaping teaspoon) and I was making a mug of this.

The dates are an unusual addition, and really, the dates are mostly what I taste in this tea. While I love dates, and this is a yummy date tea, it is not really terribly oreo, though I imagine the dates are there to enhance the chocolate cookie part of the tea. That’s my thinking anyway.

It’s a decent tea for how it tastes, rather than what it is supposed to taste like. I did have this with only sugar, and then I added milk, and I like it better with milk.

I probably would not buy this one on my own, but I do like it and am glad to have tried it.

This one is odd. I was kind of expecting something akin to Forever Nuts, and it is like it in some ways, but there is a strange taste I’m getting. I wonder if it is the chocolate. I’m actually getting almost a licorice like taste, but I’m not sure where from.

This tea is alright, but I have to say, it is not my favourite. I prefer Forever Nuts or Nut and Honeybush Crunch over this.

I do thank MissB for the chance to try this one.

Well, I got one shot at this one, since MissB sent a sample, and I was in a mental frenzy and forgot I had made it, and officially killed it. Unintentionally, of course. It’s been that kind of a day.

Went in for some blood work to check for some allergy triggers among other things, since my skin’s been wacky lately. Had both arms poked, one was poked twice, and nothing. Weeellllll, not nothing. They did manage to get something out of my left arm, but not enough. They tried a heat pack, but that failed. The conclusion was that I’m dehydrated…which does make sense as I’ve been popping cold and sinus pills with decongestants and antihistamines for the last week to dry up the crud from being sick. My veins are already tiny and twisty, so I usually have to go with a butterfly needle even though it takes longer. This is the first time in a while I have failed to give blood properly. So now I have to wait a week til I’m off again (or choose to get up really early one morning…not gonna happen).

Ugh, now my days off are over and I’ve done pretty much nothing I was intending to do.

Back to making a new tea…

Sample sipdown!

Had a headache this morning…opted to try this one over my sample of Good Morning Sunshine, but I think I might save that one for Boxing Day (I work retail).

This assam seemed a bit richer than the Premium Taiwanese Assam, and I think I got more malty and mineral notes. I was pleased that I had very little to no astringency with this one. It did remind me a little of yunnan teas I have had. I think that yunnan and assam are my favourite straight black teas.

sigh

This is my go-to, or at least one of my go-to teas for when I’m upset.

Hubby said he wants to go to his niece’s wedding next month. In Georgia. On the 21st. And he was thinking of doing Christmas with the family there.

Say what?!

I’m incredibly upset at the thought he would rather spend Christmas there, several thousands of miles away from me. I know, I’m the Jew, but since being married, we’ve always celebrated Christmas together in our small and intimate agnostic way. We have a few traditions. Am I being incredibly selfish to not want him to be with his family at the expense of being away from me? There’s other, more personal reasons why this news upsets me too.

I’ve been crying off an on since he told me, and I’m tearing up now just writing this…

In the bag, and in the steeper, it smells sooo sweet and yummy. I can’t tell too well, but I don’t think this is quite as good as a previous, and similar, tea like this…but it is still tasty. The two teas could be from the same source, for all I know, but the caramel/toffee bits in this one seem smaller. Maybe it was a little weaker? I definitely picked up the pu erh base, and it was sweet and yummy….

I’ll definitely drink this one down, but maybe I was not in the mood for this after all…even though I’d been thinking about it all during my failed nap.

I dunno…I’m having mixed feelings about this one for some reason, even though I did like it, and like this sort of tea. Thanks to MissB for tossing this one my way.

Last tea of the night, and it’s another one from the lovely MissB (looks like I’m not the only one who got their package from her today).

Considering how careless I was in preparing, in that I forgot how long I let the water cool and then also forgetting to set a timer and steeping this for much longer than necessary, it still managed to be drinkable. That said, I do not believe I’m getting the flavours quite right. I can’t really taste much but maybe coconut and possibly a little pineapple juiciness.

Definitely deserves a better chance with better steeping parameters, but still surprisingly good, all things considered.