Featured & New Tasting Notes
I have this sample from Dexter3657 from a while back. I tried it when I first got it, didn’t like it hot that time but kept it just in case. I made some iced chai latte a couple of weeks ago using a different chai, and it worked great, so this morning when I read that TheTeaFairy made herself some iced chai latte I thought to myself "yes, yes, that is what I am going to do right this moment. "
So I used the remainder of this sample. Ok, so what I found is that I liked this one iced with almond milk way better than I did hot. Alas, maybe sugar and coconut or almond milk is the great equalizer. That, and a breath of cardamom was the ticket this time. Same steeping method I always do. Steep the chai in hot water as I would any other black tea and then pour it over ice. 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup sweetened chai. Bam!
Haha! We’ll drink cold chai non stop if we keep inspiring one another like this ;-)
For a couple of years I had an iced Chai habit. I think tonight I’ll start of pot of my crock pot chai & strain & chill it for tomorrow. Yeah, that sounds wonderful!
Yes, I have crockpot book here somewhere and they have a chai recipe. This was before I was into tea and found the whole idea quite dumb at the time. Like… Can’t you just do it on the stove? Who needs a crockpot-full of the stuff. Now I’m thinking we are onto something.
I want that recipe! LOL
8 cups water
8 bags black tea
3/4 cup sugar
16 whole cloves
16 whole cardamom seeds, pods removed (optional)
5 cinnamon sticks
8 slices fresh ginger
1 cup milk
Combine everything EXCEPT milk in pot. On high, 2.5 hrs. Strain. Add milk before serving.
*Rival Crock-pot Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes. No publication year available.
Mmmmmm, sounds good and so easy in crock pot, I love no supervision cooking!!! Too much sugar but that’s easily fixable. I have everything right here, might try it tonight…thanks for sharing!
Thanks! I’ve been making mine is the crock pot with only almond milk, no water. It’s pretty damn good, but I’m using a pre-blended Chai (mostly Verdant), & even though I made my own chai a long time ago, who knows where that recipe is?
And I agree, that’s a lot of sugar. I’ll leave it out & then sweeten lightly with either stevia or (more likely) a little maple.
Welcome to the final day of little terri’s Ultimate Sipdown Extravaganza!
31 days of emptying envelopes, baggies & tins! I did a preliminary tea count yesterday that takes into account all of the new teas I ordered this month, & I’m pleased to announce that I will still be under 401! Of course, you can never have too much tea, right?
I saved this final serving of Anxi Fo Shou for today. This is, in some ways, a sad sipdown.
This is such a rich & awesome tea. The first couple of sips don’t seem quite so, but then this chocolate-ness starts building & filling your mouth with every sip, & then lingers on, long after the cup is gone. I steeped everything I could get out of this, & now it is gone. Probably forever…sigh…
But, gratefully, I’ve encountered many amazing teas since I first fell in love with this one. When it comes to men, I’m happy with only one.
When it comes to tea, I guess I’m kind of a …well, lets just say I’m a little wilder in the free love department when it comes to teas, especially black teas. I have many lovers…
“Love the one your with!”
Farewell, Anxi Fo Shou.
I have loved you, but our romance has ended, you are gone.
Fear not, for although there will be many others,
Your memory will linger on…and on…
272
So the commotion last night that kept waking me up turned out to be someone being shot to death across the street. I left my house to a swarm of police.
Yesterday was a very surreal day, with me sort of floating through things, unsure as to what was going on, and, when I turned the news on, seeing my house as the backdrop of police activity.
Eeeesh. I’m unsettled. Last night was calm, but I think the whole neighborhood feels a little off right now.
But life keeps going. I have tea to drink, and to go to work, and see a friend, and generally feel odd all day long.
Not my most cheerful steepster post.
<3
So sorry, what unsettling, sad and horrible experience.
Wow! Sending good vibes for you & your neighborhood. And a hug.
Sorry for this terrible event…we’re here for you…
hope police will resolve the case soon as you can feel better and more secure
Oh my gosh, I was wondering what had happened – that is awful!
Thanks guys. Its gonna be very weird this week, I think. Thank you for your vibes and cyber hugs.
Oh, my. Praying for peace and safety for you!
Don’t you hate it when you are awakened at dawn by your phone beeping because the battery is low? I tried to ignore it for awhile. sigh.
I haven’t had much tea lately. I’ve been engrossed in a project – moving the church website. It was made extra complicated because it was on Wordpress with Godaddy and all the wonderful plugins, but it was getting expensive, now it is on Blogger which is free but limited gadgets and not really a static site platform. I made it work anyway.
I went looking for a tiny whisk yesterday to use with my morning cup of matcha milk. Couldn’t find one in our little town. I’ll look when I go to the big city. We do have a sort of small one that I used this morning. It made a nice frothy drink with everything dissolved. Giant improvement over the spoon I was using. My morning addiction has been fed.
Looks like my wife is going to win. I’m going to take her to town this morning to pick up a Chineranian. Apparently a cross between a Japanese Chin and a Pomeranian. I really don’t think we need another dog. She thinks Spike our Chihuahua/Jack Russel mix needs a playmate. I thought that was our job. What do I know. I joked the dog should be called Buffy. My wife liked the idea. I was just kidding
Let me know if you find a mini-whisk at a retail outlet that might be in MO. I am looking for one, too.
My wife is convince Bed Bath & Beyond has them. If you get there first let me know.
Target/WalMart have had them when I’ve been looking for small ones. Not sure what you mean by “tiny” though. My small whisk is about 3 inches long (whisk part only). And I’m almost positive that I have seen the flat whisks at BBB – not sure what they are called but they are generally with the barware? Those flat metal disks with the circle of whisk attached? Seems like those would work well for matcha, but I’ve never tried it.
And Buffy & Spike are of course excellent names for a dog duo. :)
Mini whisks are hard to find, I got mine at Homesense a little while ago, don’t know if they still carry them.
A new puppy! Joyful times!!!! (And patience :-))
The whisk I started to buy at Walmart was nylon. Bamboo and milk can’t be a good combination – and I like the nylon idea with a ceramic mug. The Walmart one is the same size as the one we already have at home but ours is metal. If BBB doesn’t have something thinner and a little longer I’ll pick that one up next time.
Buffy is now kicking butt all over the house. Spike is not sure he is amused. Hope I survive.
May give BBB a try tomorrow; close to church and hey, if I happen to wander into Michael’s, there might be paper crafting stuff on sale, and…
Hope your husband contains his glazing over in Michael’s better than I. Usually I stay in the car and listen to the radio. We both prefer it that way. BBB I like. Lot’s of cool stuff to play with.
Ah, I married an enabler with a somewhat artistic eye. He points stuff out to me :)
I can do Hobby Lobby. Lot’s of fun stuff to play with in there as well. I just bought a dog that already pooped in two rooms. I get enabler. :)
It’s just a puppy, right? Just testing boundaries. I hope to room pooping stops soon!
Training usually doesn’t take too long. I actually find it funny.
The moment has arrived, people. Today is the day I try Port for the first time.
At $22 an ounce, this tea is dressed to impressed. It wears a garment made of pure Madagascar vanilla beans and colourful saffron. (Spanish saffron, not the cheap imitation stuff)
Yep, that’s how Brenden rolls apparently.
But will all that glitter hold enough substance or will it fall flat?
I really want to like it and do it justice, so I decide to meticulously follow the master’s instructions.
Alright, alright, alright … The smell. Oh my, that smell. I could bathe in this. Miaow.
Torture, now I have to wait until it cools down? Or should I burn my tongue just a little?
Ok, I wait.
What I taste is beyond description cause it tastes like no other tea I’ve had before. The first thing that hits me is that creamy exotic vanilla. So different from your generic vanilla flavour. So organic.
Then, the unusual…a fresh eucalyptus mouthfeel is shinning through the base tea. What is this black tea from Dehong, China? I’d be really interested to try it on its own. There’s a certain earthiness to it. Sophistication meets rustic.
I will make sure to extract every little bit of flavour left in these very special leaves.
This is a pure delight, so happy I went with my gut and purchased it, well worth the investment…good job on this special creation of yours Brenden :-)
Omg this sounds divine. I should try. I have a sample but I need a special time for a special tea
Yep, it’s something special…but don’t wait too long, enjoy while it’s fresh :-)
But YS has sale few hrs left. I just can’t think of anything sigh…
Don’t.need.to.know.this.
Haha
No new order…… :))
I’m just going to keep saying it…
(Go fix yourself a cup and forget you saw this…)
This does sound amazing.
Your opening line worked because when I read it I was like “Well, holy HELL!”
Lol!
This is a sample from the wonderful Dexter3657.
Oh, this is a good one.
I keep Bailin Gungfu from Teavivre in stock at all time, I drink it often and it’s easy to compare the two for me without having to do a side by side. Teavivre is more chocolaty and this one more caramely.
It’s grainy and bready with very sweet notes. It’s almost a dulce leche kind of caramel, it lingers in the mouth. I made a strong infusion and there’s no astringency whatsoever, very smooth.
How do I know I really, really enjoyed a cup? In no time, it’s empty, so I run out of words for a proper description cause it’s all gone.
Thank you Dexter3657 for allowing me taste such a wonderful tea :-)
dulce de leche, just had Haagen-Dazs last night. Guilty…
I should try this one. I like Teavivre Bailin Gong Fu, but it’s not my favorite. The only black from my Norbu order that I’ve tried is Ye Sheng Hong Cha – I didn’t really like it… This one sounds more my style. LOL pretty sad when I’m reading your reviews to decide which of MY teas to try….
Boychik, don’t temps me…I’m not a dessert freak, but ice cream is a big weakness…Haagen Dazs rocks…chocolate cherry…mmmmmm!!!!!
Lol, Dexter, try to remember that before placing your next order (look at me giving you advices!)
They also make green tea, but i cannot find it in the supermarket . Pineapple coconut was very good. i only eat 2-3 tsp. just to taste
http://www.haagendazs.us/Products/?utm_campaign=Google|Branded|Exact&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_content=haagendazs+portfolio&utm_termhaagen+dazs+green+tea
Btw, have you tried Shang Bai Lin?
Balanced but exploded cupboard = NO MORE ORDERS ;))
Dexter, i say it to myself every day,when i open my eyes. Like mantra, no more orders
Boychik, stop trying to corrupt me with both ice cream and tea!!!!
:-) :-):-) (haven’t tried shang bai lin)
Oh Dexter, Dexter, if only things were that simple…
Boychik – I’ve been saying it for six months now, doesn’t seem to be working for me. I wish you all the best, and if you figure out a way to actually stop ordering, please let me know.
Fairy – LOL it really should be that simple. Just don’t order, but it just doesn’t seem to happen. Paypal is just WAY too easy….
Lol, think about your Paypal annual statement…SHOCKER!!!!!
I’m in denial about my annual Paypal statement…. it couldn’t possibly have been correct. What’s really scary is that I didn’t really start ordering online/Paypal until about April last year – I will have four more months on this year’s…… I’m not even going to look at it.
I think I’m in more trouble because I have puerh addiction. I see tuocha and bricks and cakes in my dreams. It’s serious, no joke. I need help.
You can do group orders. Cheaper and less tea to consume.
At least, if stored properly, those puerh cakes will get better with age!
You are right Steph, time to build a pumidor
My husband has a special fridge for beer, only seems fair ;)
The Ben & Jerry’s limited edition cotton candy ice cream is really good.
dexter – i have a few from norbu you can steal some of :)
Thanks Sil but I have an entire Norbu order here that I haven’t tried yet. :)) I have TOO MUCH TEA!!!!
Welcome to day 30 of little terri’s Ultimate Sipdown Extravaganza!
Yup, my month long festival of sipdown is coming to a close! I’m actually glad, because I have new teas to drink, special teas that I miss drinking, etc. Tomorrow will be the final day of clearing my shelves of anything old, small, or just unloved.
I’ve been working on updating the database, & as I’ve said before, I’ll probably end the month with more tea than I started with, haha. I started with 401, & although I didn’t set any actual goal, I think I’ve been kind of aiming for 250.
This is a really interesting tea, & if you let it warm up in a hot cup, the aroma of plums is outstanding! I could sit around just huffing this, & I did for a few minutes. Something nice to wake up to. Going with short steeps, the tea itself build through layers of Congee rice, sweet plum, a little tartness, & an amazing chaqi. Some of the steeps make me think of Plum Sake, even though I’ve never had anything like that, LOL.
It also really reminds me of a sweeter sister to Master Han’s Wild Picked Yunnan. It has a very similar energy, & a rustic wild quality to it, but coupled with a lovely sweet aftertaste of plums.
It’s silly for me to count this as a sipdown, as I have a new shipment en route, but the newer version is from Spring 2014, so there you go. It’s legit.
277
plummy stuff is great :)
Oh, i do love this tea! It is absolutely outstanding gong-fu style. Never did get the 2014 harvest. i noticed that the 2013 i have has chaged character quite abit since it was “fresh”, it matures very well so dont drink it all at once :)
June is going to be a sipdown month for me….
Stephanie: Yup! Did I send you some of this one?
Dag: I agree whole heartedly with everything you said!
Sil: Good luck with that! :D
yep, kind of reminded me of Dancong :D
Just got 100 grams of this one in. Mow I am glad I did. Nice review Terri, I look forward to trying this one.
MrM, my YS order arrived today, & somebody probably needs to take me out back & shoot me, LOL. I must be crazy, this order is ridiculous, but I’ll enjoy sharing the teas with my BBBB sisters, & can’t wait to start drinking them! :D
i need to place a YS order…or you can do it terri..and i’ll place the verdant order and we’ll swap quantities lol
That’s a real possibility! I’ve already placed the huge order, so anything I bought that you want(pretty much all of their 2014 black teas, & a few puer samples) is an option…
Wow, all of their blacks!?! Thats a huge amount of tea :D
Terri, did you order fr US site? My order fr China is in transit for 2 months already. Not that I have nothing to drink…
Dag: well…maybe not ALL of them…but I did have quite a bit of money in my Playpal account from people buying my songs off iTunes, so lets just say I went a little nuts…lol. I won’t need to order anything from there again until Fall, and really only because I’ll want to try out some of the Fall teas, right?
Boychik: I have ordered from the US site, which comes very quickly, but I usually order from the China site, because the selection is so much bigger, & yeah, it can take awhile, especially if you go with the cheapest transit method. If you’re like me, you’d rather spend your money on tea, rather than on shipping, so usually by the time the box comes I’ve sort of forgotten about it. That makes it like a surprise present!
This time I actually paid for the next to cheapest shipping & the box came in a couple of weeks, but I think my first china order took a couple months.
Anyway, it’s not like I don’t have plenty of tea to drink while I’m waiting!
In case you were wondering…
1) steepster is awesome – you all deserve a kickass YOU ROCK! from everyone in your lives..
2) My tea sister terri made this weekend full of moving and other assorted crap, the best time ever. Lots of mail this week that was like getting cupcakes and fresh gelato for free! and then terri came along and made this tea the icing.
My beloved LB is here again to tie me over until my order gets here. I have a feeling i’ll be blowing through this like nobody’s business but thank you so much terri for the thoughtful accompaniment to the BBB Box. :) I really do appreciate it.
(so of course i’m having it today while i work and move and clean when all i want to do is go for a ride on my bike..in the sun….)
I took this tea to work today – thought I would drink a cup or two and toss the rest back in the box. That didn’t happen. This is fabulous and I drank it all day. It’s big and bold. I didn’t get any chocolate, but it was malty and caramel ? toffee? dunno – something sweet.
I really like this. I don’t think it’s really complex, but it’s interesting enough to drink all day. It’s a great tea that take abuse well – that’s a must for me at work. All in all I was really happy with this one.
SSTTB
It’s soo good!
I’ve really been impressed with all the Hugo teas!
sadly they dont have any promos
@Dexter—thanks for the kind works. Full-Steam is the tea that I’m personally the most proud of. We certainly had to go the furthest out of our way to acquire it. It’s made exclusively for us at the farm. And it’s what I drink every day.
Thanks sincerely for the support.
Cheers,
Tyler
Hugo Tea Company
The is from the July Reserve TOMC, & it is a sipdown.
I’ve been sipping on this one for awhile, probably about an hour or so. It has good energy to it, but I’m probably about done with it. How to describe it? Kind of woody, kind of sweet, kind of bland. I think the last time I drank this, the steeped leaf ended up in a jar of water in the frig, to become an refreshing Ent’s-draught, & I think this one is headed in the same direction.
279
I’ve had this kettle for almost exactly a year. I love it! The only complaint is that it doesn’t have any indicator sound to let you know it has arrived at your specified temperature. I love that it will hold it there for up to an hour though! I also really like that only metal touches the water, no plastic. Also the gooseneck makes it prettier than most electric kettles :)
I’ve been thinking about getting this one as a second kettle for months! (:
Thanks Stephanie!
Is the 1-Liter capacity large enough for pu-erh Gongfu sessions?
It is for me and my little 4oz gaiwan :) I can get like 8 or so steeps without refilling. But it heats water so quickly it is no big deal for me to refill it in between steeps, too.
Would there be any advantage to the 1.7 liter model?
I bought the 1.7L version because it was a little cheaper on Amazon. (I actually wound up being happier with the larger size.) I love it. I have learned that if I’m not paying attention I need to just make sure I hit the hold button when I’m heating up water so it’s not cooled off again before I get back to it. (Mine is at work, so this happens a lot.)
Ooohhhh, I should get one for work!
It’s wonderful having one at work. I wish I’d done it sooner.
that sounds awesome. whats the smallest amount it brews?
Hmm, I’m not sure Skysamurai. I usually just put in a little more than I think I need. I don’t usually measure!
haha ok. So like enough for one/two cups? The water kettle I have right now has a minimum of 4 cups and I just don’t drink 4 cups in one sitting …ever haha. IF this one does a minimum less then that that would be awesome
I just emptied it out and measured exactly 2 cups and it performed just as usual. Next I’ll leave just 1 cup in there and test it on the resteep!
For those who may be considering a 1.7 L model, here’s some news from the World Tea Expo:
http://steepster.com/teaware/bonavita/47196-1-dot-7-liter-digital-variable-temperature-gooseneck-kettle
Regulars know I love Earl Grey. My usual mug has a Ceylon base to offer some bite to my lemony delight. I also love a good Earl Green when I can get it. I despise wimpy bergamot teas IF they call themselves Earl Grey (H&S I mean you) I also get offended if you change anything and still call it Earl Grey.
This one. This one smells so gloriously of bergamot when dry. Beautiful, beautiful bergamot. Once steeped it has some rooibos scent. It does say Rooibos in the name, so I am cool with it.
The taste is so Earl Grey that for a moment I forget it is not my usual cup. I taste no rooibos until the aftertaste. Even then it is covered in glorious bergamot. It is strong and sweet. To those who adore it, this is not overpowering, fake, or soapy tasting.
Earl Grey friends this one I could drink on a regular evening basis. So Good! If I weren’t afraid of upsetting the ratings police, this would get a very high score. Oh, what the heck, get over it.
Edit forgot to say thanks to CelebriTEA for sharing this one.
Preparation
And tasting note 1200, done, and done.
OMG, 1200. Congrats!!!
Rate it whatever you wish :D. I love it when tea moves people to high ratings.
I just made a second steep and iced it. Yep, I stick to my story. This is one awesome icy glass.
Yay on 1200 notes! And nice you had a good tea to celebrate!
Went to bed around midnight. Woke up at 3am.
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is : fix yourself a cup of tea. But at this time of the night, I have no patience to choose so I ask the Steepster Tea Randomizer
http://www.jaydeee.net/pickatea.php
Ironically, it chose Morning Sun for me, ain’t that amusing?
Anyways, I’m glad it did, cause I love it.
This tea feels thick and dusty in the mouth. There’s also a weird peppery sharpness to it, very strange and so different in a good way. But it’s also sweet, earthy and roasty. Very complex.
It will keep me company until sunrise :-)
I love this one. It’s smiley tea
i had to order but forgot;(
I didn’t know about the tea randomizer. Very cool!
I like that this is “smiley tea” mzPriss, I can see why :-)
Boychik, Don’t you hate placing an order and then realize you forgot one? It seems there’s always a “forgotten” one…
Cheri, I love the randomizer, it’s so clever and it amuses me, it’s like the “magic 8 ball” for tea :-)
ok.. so I haven’t even seen the randomizer before, very cool! If I use it much, I must include all the little samples I have 1 cup left of … hmmm… or just make myself a grab baggie of them and make myself sip them down. I find sip downs can be difficult. :/
Thank you Dexter3657 for this sample.
It is weird. I’m eating a cookie with it and I’m not getting much tea flavour. A bit of bitterness, a bit of weird mentholishness that must be from the sarsaparilla root, I smell but can’t taste a general fruitiness.
So. Weird and interesting. Not something I’ll pick up in the future (Unless it’s amazing cold brewed. I should try cold brewing this!), but really neat to try!
Edit: I missed it! This was post 1234! AHHH!!!
Preparation
And you are just Dexter now! I hadn’t noticed. Sorry!
Most people found the numbers confusing, and I JUST changed it – no worries (and I might change it back – weird to see it as just Dexter…).
I need to play with that tea too. it’s strange, but I think it has potential…. cold steep? maybe…
It got better as it cooled (to me) so yeah. Cold steep, maybe iced…
This tea is NOM.
I had some for breakfast. Well after I drank something else. What was that other thing…..OMG. I have no idea. I’m losing my mind.
Maybe it was a resteep of something leftover from last night?
Or maybe this was my first cup of the day?
I woke up
Fed baby
Played with baby
Made an omelet
Drank this tea
I feel like I had something else after I fed the baby but before the omelet.
Oh well. It’s gone.
THIS tea, this tea is NOM.
Chocolatey and delicious.
Who woke up first you or baby?
We both woke up then went back to sleep. Then I woke her up! :)
Dude your reviews rock. So glad you use the word nom the way it should be used :)
I made up a word last year that I use in everyday conversation: Phenomable. Phenomenal and Nommable. Phenomenally nommable. So. Good. :)
That word is amazing haha!
It really is!!
Though this is a bad day for me to learn this new word…..my Facebook feed is blowing up with people posting Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman”
:/
Hahaha :) Glad you like the word….use it in your reviews! ;)
This is a sample which came to me from Terri HarpLady – thank you
Gongfu style
4g 150ml gaiwan 205F
rinse 1/3/3/5/5/10/15/15/15/20sec etc
I like this tea a lot. it starts like pale and floral. Later steeps introduce Lychee, grape, nuts and some floral in the background. its sweet and malty but delicate. even kinda Darjeeling type with some slight citrus. im not done, lots of life left in this tea. some steeps i combined in one cup, but tried them first. very nice and light. i think its easy to drink in Summer, its not heavy with honey and malt ( could be too much in hot weather).
Thank you so much Terri for letting me enjoy this wonderful tea. Sadly, Verdant doesn’t have in stock but i can totally see myself buying it
Preparation
Yay! Another Win! I’ll be glad when my sipdown extravaganza is over, because I haven’t drank this one, or so many of my other teas, for awhile!
All the teas you sent me are fabulous. I need sipdown extravaganza. I should stop hoarding.
I have to get some sort of gaiwan or something someday so I can really try tea gongfu style.
I just tend to not want to drink the same thing so many times in a row!
You can combine steeps in one cup as I did. But did taste each time. It’s just different. I tried teas western and gong flu methods. 99% gong flu wins. I do it only with Chinese and Taiwanese teas. In other words, more leaves less time is not equal to less leaves more time
Gong flu ;) autocorrect
Good to know! I will have to look into getting something. Is a gaiwan the best option?
Hehe gong flu
I think glass gongfu pot is the best
http://www.dragonteahouse.biz/chinese-clear-glass-tea-pot-200ml-b-204.html
It’s the best price free ship . DTH is very good company and I got it under10 days
I have several and use it everyday. SS spring filter is the best removable and easy to clean.
2 nd option is easy gaiwan
http://m.ebay.com/itm/350927580204?nav=SEARCH
I have the same. Daily use. Good seller.
You don’t need a set of tiny cups. Useless.
Lastly, you need strainer. I absolutely hate dregs
I really like this earthen Gaiwan too. I have it in green & in brown, LOL
http://butikiteas.com/Teawares.html
Boychik, both of those links you shared are really nice too!
Gaiwans…pretties!!!
Ohhhh that little glass teapot has a filter?! I might need to buy one of those!
Terri, I love that gaiwan fr Butiki. I probably will get it with my next order on Stacy’s Bday.
Here I am again. I’m sorry I haven’t updated, but I also haven’t been drinking much in the way of tea, although that’s a lie because I have been drinking iced tea. No excuses.
Actually, I’m just hear to say that this tea is terrible iced. It tastes like strawberry yogurt milky water, and I never want to be made to feel I’m drinking watery yogurt. It’s ok though, because this used up my entire sample, so onwards and upwards, I guess. I’m going to be tossing what’s left in the pticher (which is pretty much all of it actually), but ’aint nobody got time for bad tea, I say.
carry on, folks. Let this week end.
You can’t know until you try it…or someone else tries it first!
I agree about bad tea. My friend drinks everything and says she just can’t throw away bad stuff. Thank goodness we do not have that problem. Life is too short!
Oh god I know. I keep reading about people who choke down awful sip down after awful sip down and I’m like waaaaahhh why are you doing this to yourself?!?!?!
just thinking about what that had to taste like makes me a bit queasy!
I agree about bad tea. Why force yourself to drink something you don’t like? If it was a pizza with something on it that you discovered you didn’t like, you’d pick that off too instead of forcing yourself to eat it, wouldn’t you? I don’t understand what the difference is. Out with it, either to the bin or to someone else.
Yes I totally agree. And people may think it’s wasteful, but I also think needlessly assaulting my tastebuds is wasting tastebud wattage on bad choices. Bad idea!
The wasteful argument doesn’t really fly with me. It’s also wasteful to force something down you don’t enjoy rather than give it to someone else who might enjoy it. And whether you toss it or struggle through it, the leaf is equally gone.
(deleted for editing and reposted)
Euck… watery yogurt drink. I’m glad you tossed that pitcher out.
(and yes… let this week end!)
“tastebud wattage” Hahahahah!!! I love it!
hahaha! yes, let this week be gone gone gone! also, ang, great argument about the leaves being equally gone.
I was considering trying to cold brew the rest of my sample. Thanks to you, I’ll pass! Yogurt water…blech
mj1851, I honestly don’t know how anyone could enjoy this one, but I suppose you just never know. It absolutely tastes like strawberry yogurt water, though. Maybe it’s better hot? or maybe you’ll cold brew it and fall in love LOL.
I’m down with all of the above, especially the ‘no time for bad tea’ comment! That made me smile! With as much tea as most of us have in our cupboards, why let something undesirable take up residency? I think that’s really one of my favorite things about samples & tea trades, that we get to try something & ask, “Do I really need to buy this?”
Usually for me the answer is no, although occasionally I find something hoardworthy, LOL.
I feel the same way, Terri HarpLady. I have found a couple that I’ve gone out to buy, but mostly I just enjoy trying the things in the boxes and whatnot and just go from there. (Then again, I’m about to place a huge Butiki order as soon as I hear back from Stacy, and there have been a couple of others lately that I am enjoying and I want more of.)
It works better made hot and iced, IMO. But I’ve only had it in-store.
I agree OMG – I just make it hot and let it cool – put it in the fridge. I think you need the hot water to “melt” the yogurt bits.
I did make it hot and then added ice…ah well, can’t please ’em all, I guess.
Now I want to try it again to see if I get the yogurt-water taste! :)
I have to admit that I have difficulty western brewing Oolong’s ( I only have one that I brew that way on any regular basis). There is something about the complexity of tastes, the spice and the warmth it produces in my body that compels me to play with the tea and deconstruct its flavours. I’ve had this sample for a while but have only recently had the time and the health to fully appreciate it.
This is a lovely tea it has a wonderful mix of dark honey, fruit, a variety of floral tones, cured pine, roasted charcoal note, corn, and a variety of savoury vegetable notes. I absolutely enjoyed it and could easily see myself purchasing some in the future. Thank you very much to Temple Road for sharing this tea with me.
I must be impressed with the quality of the packaging of temple road tea as even this sample was packed with a dessication packet to control the moisture levels of the tea.
The dry tea is composed of tightly wound nuggets that are dark spruce and olive green heading towards a dark charcoal colour. The leaves smell of a mix of sweet fruit, charcoal roasted notes and a faint woodiness but are overall very fruity.
I steeped the tea 11 times after a rinse (45,30,35, 40,50,55,60,70,80,90, and 120s)
45s. Liquor pretty buttercup gold colour
Scent complex fruit smell, papaya,melon,warm peach, honey, carnation like spice tones, hint of roast and woodiness, cream.
Taste. Delicious, warm papaya and peaches, honey, vanilla orchid with carnation, cream. Spicy,warm fruit with a slight spicy floral tone.
30s stronger honey tones,fruit still get aparrent, sweet spicy floral, roster woody tone.
Taste spicy floral, fruity tones at the for front as well as something more deeper, tart and berry like, strong honey tones, hint of roasted, charred,bitter greens. Creamy buttery, mouth feel,a bit of woodiness.
35s. Brew is a deeper saffron like colour. Scent buttery, spicy soft floral, with fruit not as intense as before, honey, hint of sweet buttery lettuce like greens.
Taste hint of spinach,spice a faint echo of cloves on top of floral spice vanilla cream, touch of honey, sweet cooked greens, aftertaste of warm peaches. A balance between, savoury, sweet, and spicy, a little perfumy.
40s. cream over stewed peaches and papaya, vanilla, and floral spice.
Floral spice better balanced with other flavours so it is nit so perfumy, sweet buttery green tones slightly more apparent, a touch of spinach. Spicy feel at the front of the mouth.
50s. Scent corn, fruit, vanilla, butter, fainter spice,tones, dried , cured,pine.
Taste savoury vegetable cooked with cloves van butter cooked peaches in vanilla cream, hint of corn. spice in the aftertaste.
55s .scent Orchid and lily, buttetred creams, vanilla sugar, cooked peaches, a touch of citrus, spice.
Taste cooked peaches, vanilla sugar, spicy floral mixed with 5 spice powder, cream, savoury spinach and sweet greens.
60s. Citrus and peaches, vanilla, cream, faint vegetal note.
Corn,warm peaches and cream, vanilla orchid and nutmeg, faint cured pine note.
70s citrus, cream warm peach, sweet cooked greens
Warm peach and spice with citrus accents, a touch of cream, cured pine, sweet cooked greens.80s. Sweet tone with hint of dark honey, cream,peach, corn.
Hint of woody tone and echo of spice.
90s corn, cooked greens, cream,hint of fruit.
Same as above
120s dark honey and spice with a hint of greens
A beautiful tea to help me soothe my tummy. And I’m drinking this tea to break in the new mug that I got!!
http://dftba.com/product/1de/QualiTea-Mug
I got that, my Augustus Waters shirt, and a This Star Won’t Go Out bracelet :) Ahh okay yes, busy busy day so I’m going to leave this note here! I’ll write a better one next time I have this tea :)
Preparation
I am reading The Fault in Our Stars now and loving it. Yay for an Augustus Waters shirt :)
I loved that book. Loved it. (And I’m loving the mug. Very cool.)
Oh gosh. I read it when it first came out, and then a year later, attempted to reread it. I haven’t been able to finish my second reading of that book because it was just SO hard to read through my tears!
I’m totally bringing a box of tissues when I watch the movie next week. Oh gosh, that movie is going to be brutal
That’s why I’ve decided I don’t want to see the movie in the theater. I’ll probably watch it on NetFlix or something later, but I just can’t….I prefer my sad stories in private. (Although you know the theater will be full of sobbing people.)
Dude. I was already bawling when I saw the first trailer. And all the little scenes that they’ve released since then, I cry every time.
I told my roommate that I want to go to the theater alone because I didn’t want her seeing me cry, but I figured, heck, we’ve already seen so many season finales with each other, now we just need TFiOS to top it all off!! She’s probably the only person I’d wanna watch this movie with cuz I know she and I will be bawling three minutes into the movie ahha
Ah! The fault in our stars! I LOVE that book! I’ll be out of town the weekend it comes out, so my ugly crying in public experience will have to be postponed by a week.
Thick, honey, malty, smooth, cocoa-ey, molasses-y… good for 2.5 steeps of long length. I seriously regret not buying a larger amount.
This. Is. Freakin. Good. Tea.
Preparation
mmmmm
This review singlehandedly made me add this tea to my wish list. Lol
What whatshesaid…said. Well that was awkward lol
That’s what sometimes I call her whatsherface giggling
Er…why not what
I’m ready to change my name but fear no one would know who I was, haha
dont change, its fun
im not happy with mine, what the hell i was thinking…
Aww.
as long as you keep the picture the same for a while, name changes are doable. i think
Sil you’ve changed pic several times. When notifications come its by name. And I like her name;).
I think it still keeps people following you. I know I’ve had “new” people show up in my dashboard and had no idea who they were until I figured out that they had changed their name. :) But I like everyone’s names. :)
haha yes, i change pics instead of names :)
boychik, I love your name!
Terri, that’s how my late grandpa called my son. I dunno why I picked it. I just miss him a lot
Lets just keep it the way it is, I think I’ll start freaking out;)
I think boychik is adorable, and that explanation is so worth keeping it :-)
You can always change the display name but keep the url name the same. Like how Sil’s or Nicole’s display names are different from their urls. :)
Never noticed that before!
shhhhhh angrboda!
i agree…boychik cannot change names! :)
oh god….life saving tea today. it was an indescribable delicious tasty cocoa-y mess of goodness…that kept me from killing anyone.
note to anyone who is a people manager out there….if you have an employee who is doing 5 people’s jobs and kicking ass at 4 of them, do NOT tell them that a conversation needs to happen about that 5th job because it’s not being carried as well as the other 4 jobs…ESPECIALLY when that person is also doing 15-20 hrs of overtime a week to keep things going. grrrrr
Unfair….
Especially if you are not being renominated for it. One of my friends went down to part time at her job because she returned to school to perdue her dream of a PhD only to be basically still be doing her old job because the new hire either is too lazy to put in the work or does not have the skill set to do the job ( she apparently wants to build software by pasting and clicking from other peoples work).
Though at one of my jobs it was not so uncommon for people to be worked to the point that they were so exhausted that they would have car accidents leaving the parking lot.
Renominated was remunerated.
naw… i mean i get OT…but today was also a conversation about how legally i can only work 48 hours..so can they hire a contractor or someone to help me…to which i responded…sure if you want me to rack up more OT babysitting said contractor since i know you won’t hire ppl at the level i need them to work lol
True. If it’s not a long term position that they are willing to invest in training the person you are probably better off, just dealing with it.
Plus, if they give you an assistant, they’ll probably pile more work on too, just to make sure they’re getting their money’s worth.
Oh my goodness. ~hands you another cup of tea.
This will be my next order from them.
Having this hot, and it’s a much needed reminder of how delicious this one can be after a string a mediocre cold brews. Much like many of the teas I’ve had today this is succulent and juicy and is really getting my mouth watering! I’m so happy I decided to make this afternoon one dedicated to white blends.
That said, I still am perfectly fine sipping it down and not restocking: I like Watermelon Xylophone a lot better and it seems kinda redundant keeping both Butiki melon blends around. I’d much rather give the tin space to another white Butiki blend like French Lemon Macaron, White Rhino or, apparently, Doke Silver Needle.
But yum; a much needed switch up from the way I’ve been preparing this lately. Seriously, the contrast is jarring.
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cream, Melon
I’m a little tired and I need to open a new box of contacts. How I know this? As I squinted at my profile just now, I read, ‘All pets are off’ and wondered what the hell whoever had written it meant by that.
Those poor smelly pets.
Anyway, this is today’s second batch of Thé du Hammam, but this time… iced! This has the same unfortunate reaction to being cold-steeped as Kränku’s delicious kiwi vanilla – it gets all foamy. My glass seriously looks like I’ve been drinking beer from it (and it’s not just the contacts this time).
Aside from that, it’s nice – clean and fresh, but without much of an aftertaste. I was hoping for a little bit more of that smooth, creamy vanilla LPdT do so well, but this is mostly vaguely Hammamy and nothing else.
In accordance with my ratings rule that greens, whites and oolongs must also be tasty and delicious iced, this might have warranted a five-point reduction, but I was going to give it another five points after enjoying it so much hot this morning, so I’ll just do nothing and congratulate myself on giving it such an insightful grade right from the start.
In other news, the right index fingertip pad is a really bad place for two mosquito bites.
Preparation
lolololololol. ‘all pets are off……’ hedgehogs too? :-(
HEDGEHOGS ARE FOREVER.
Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you…
Morgana I am laughing so hard….
Oh, Phoebs. Such a creative genius; so misunderstood.
Too Funny!
Good for you both!
Enjoy both you man and the PJ day :-)
So far, so good!
Sadly, the St. Louis Cardinals are already not looking good in the 1st inning: 4 – 0, San Francisco…
And it’s my favorite pitcher, Lance Lynn
I went out and saw music last night (as I do a lot). The band was one of my favorites I saw at SXSW. The opener was a soul DJ from St Louis who had ALL the great old soul 45s – some Ike & Tina Turner that I don’t have. It was awesome.
PJ days are the best days. :)
Priss, any idea who it was?
(not that I’d probably know…)
Yes, his name is The Soul Selector Tom “Papa” Ray. He talked a lot about music in St Louis
We do have a pretty awesome & varied music scene here!
Yes, so I hear. And also in Springfield right? A couple of friends of mine were in a cool band from there. I love living in Austin because we have great music pretty much every night of the week here. I used to be a DJ for a community radio station and it was soooo much fun.