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Lewis and Clarke TTB

This tea is pretty, brown and gold leaves twisted into strands.
4g 4oz 195F 1,2,3 minute steeps. Sweetened

The first cup is dark and malty, and a touch of dark cocoa. The second cup looses the cocoa, and is very malty. The third brings back some of the cocoa again. I don’t know if its because of the sweetener I added, but I (thankfully) didn’t get any bitterness from this.

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/2885-feng-qing-classic-58-dian-hong-premium-yunnan-black-tea-spring-2014.html

Lewis and Clarke TTB

I can almost believe that theres an ever so slight cinnamon note here. There’s also some subtle cream-like notes, and what seems like honeysuckle. Later steeps bring out some hay and oats.

This is a light and delicate tea.

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/whitetea/2887-silver-needles-white-tea-of-feng-qing-spring-2014.html

Lewis and Clarke TTB

This tea is so cute. Little fuzzy bud and the first two leaves.

First steep, is very light and delicate, it sort of reminds me of nectar. But there’s just slightly the barest hint of something deeper. There’s also a nice, refreshing, cooling mouthfeel.

Second steep, the flavor deepens a little. Like I have a cup full of sweet gentle nectar, and someone drips a drop or two of molasses in there.

Third steep brings out a faint floral note, and an almost hay like note, while still tasting sort of nectary.

Forth steep is honey and grains. Sort of like oats drizzled with honey.

Fifth steep theres an almost fruitiness to this cup, while still honey like.

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/whitetea/2913-yunnan-yue-guang-bai-air-dried-white-tea-spring-2014.html
Another tea I’m glad I got a chance to try!

Lewis and Clarke TTB

I haven’t had too many Darjeelings, but I’m always surprised by how complex they are. My first steep of this was while waiting for my dad to come fix my car, and I was too stressed to notice much in this. I think I got honey and hay.

MY second steep I’m having right now, and I’m getting hay and honey, peaches and maybe a touch of molasses. And there’s a background note that almost reminds me of wine.

This is very yummy, and I’m happy Stacy sent it for the box, because it’s something I would have most likely totally overlooked otherwise!

This purely a personal note, so feel free to skip it

I had a mental meltdown today. So were really tight on money, and my financial aid is messed up, and I just found out that the tax forms that I need to fix it can’t be retrived electronically, and instead have to be shipped to my mom. So since I can’t even accept the loans I need to pay for the rest of my tuition until that’s straightened out, I can’t afford my classes.

Then, the cable and internet was out all day, and 75% of my classes are online, and classes started this week, but I couldn’t even look to see if I had any assignments.

Then, my car battery died, and I lost it. I waited until my boyfriend left for work, and then I broke down. Unless I’m alone watching a sappy scene in a show/movie, or reading a sad part of a book, I don’t really cry.

I called my dad, because he’s the one who fixes my car when it breaks usually. Since my boyfriend has work all night and works both jobs tomorrow, he came out to help me get the battery out and take it to get charged. Gets to my place, turns out that when I replaced my battery last time, I didn’t didn’t tighten the connectors all the way. He tightens it properly, the car starts no problem.

At this time it’s dinner time, and he suggests we go to this Thai place right next door that I’ve been dying to go too since I moved here. Over dinner, he tells me he’ll give me the money I need for tuition, so I don’t have to quit school.

And I got a Thai iced tea, which I’ve never had, and it was sweet and creamy, and vanilla and delicious.

And then when I got home, my internet was back on. So after such a hard day, I feel much better knowing that a lot of my problems have been handled. (:

Lewis and Clarke TTB

This smells jasmine-y and juicy fruity. I steeped it up and then put it in the freezer to cool it down quickly. The result was cool and refreshing, juicy and jasmine, this tea is spring. It siting outside on cool spring day, birds chirping, fragrant jasmine wafting all around, butterflies fluttering by, and juicy ripe honeydew and cantaloupe in your lap.

Lewis and Clarke TTB

I decided to make this as a tea soda, following Roswell Strange’s method of using ~1T to 1oz boiling water, steeped 4 minutes, I then added the stevia equivalent of 2.5T of sugar to make a concentrated syrup, that I then added to carbonated water.

The result is interesting. I just notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and fruit, but not all in the same sip. Each sip is a little different than the last. Keeps things interesting.

Lewis and Clarke TTB

I’m excited to try another Mandala puerh, I’ve loved the ones I’ve tried so far.
So my Yixing that I have that I seasoned for green oolongs, doesn’t get much use since I’m not much into green oolongs any more. And I figured since I only used it a handful of times, and I drink puerh a lot more and puerh is a lot stronger than green oolongs, that I can just casually switch it puerh. So that’s what I did.

I did 2 15 second rinses, and then 30,45,60,75,120,120,150 boiling water, 7g/8oz, sweetened

I collected the rinses, and took a sip. It was actually tasty, and I ended up drinking them.
The first steep is wet earth and mushroom and bread and milk chocolate, in the best way possible.
The second steep is like the first with a little more milk chocolate.
Third and forth steep are creamy, nutty, earthy and ’shroom-y.
5th-7th steeps being back some of that milky cocoa.

This baby can still keep going, and I’ll be coming back to him later

Lewis and Clarke TTB

I usually like to use my little cup I got from Cozumel because it only holds about 9oz when filled to the brim, making it my smallest mug and the best choice I have for gongfu style. But I meant to put it in the fridge yesterday to cold steep yesterday’s golden strand, and instead accidentally put it in the freezer, and I guess it cracked during the expansion from freezing. sad face

First cup I steeped up for 2 minute and was rewarded with malt, cocoa, and molasses. This is delicious.
Second cup I forgot to set a timer so I have no idea how long it steeped for. I didn’t notice any bitterness or astringency though. Just more malt and cocoa and bread and molasses. Yum!
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/2934-wild-arbor-feng-qing-black-tea-pure-assamica-spring-2014.html

Lewis and Clarke TTB

So my mom gave me some frozen venison from last years hunting season, and she told me to stew it because it’s the tough cuts. I’m a rebel and decided to slow cook it on a BBQ sauce concoction I made instead. So now my whole apartment smells like yummy BBQ sauce. It won’t be done for 5 hours, but I plan in shredding it and I can’t wait.

Anyway, I’ve been drinking puerh all day (review in a bit), and decided to take a quick break in between for this.

There’s a little bit of an oily film here, I don’t mind it but just a heads up in case you do. This is yummy. Lots of cream and a nice coconut blast at the end of the sip and sticks around a nice long time.

I’m going to try the other half of the sample cold steeped. Persimmon Tree makes a mean cream tea though.