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Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #3 – March 8 – International Women’s Day

Had to go with a Butiki tea today for this prompt!  I hope Stacy is succeeding even more at whatever she is doing now, than when she was as a tea genius. (I would probably know what Stacy was up to if I followed any social media other than Steepster, but here we are.)   If Stacy ever wants to start blending some tea again, I will be first in line and she can take all my money.  Anyway, this is an ultimate favorite I like to occasionally break out, with its spectacular base and perfect flavor combination.  I have a couple steep sessions left, to treasure in the future and I feel very grateful for that. Somehow for a tea I enjoy only once in a while, will pair best with the new Glasser album.  She hasn’t had one in ten years! 

Album:  Glasser – Crux
Song: Clipt   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Ift8eoISE

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #2 – A floral tea

I realized as I was unwrapping the tuocha to finish this today that there is “flower” in the name, so I’m counting it for this prompt!  The flavor isn’t much, isn’t spectacular, so I’m glad I’m clearing it from the cupboard. 
2024 sipdowns: 24

Album: Will Johnson – No Ordinary Crown
Song:  Along the Runner (No Ordinary Crown) -   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwByxoDfsks&list=OLAK5uy_nwHzFgnwPcCNu4vVxRilt5eLqmJB3CWNM&index=1

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #1- Your tea with the shortest name

Oo, I like this prompt.  It required some thinking!  I’m guessing at six letters, this is one of the teas with the shortest names.  And it’s a good excuse to dig it out of the stash.  It’s such an interesting looking leaf!   Wish I had enjoyed it in its prime, but it isn’t bad now.

Album: GRETA – Portals
Song: First Weeks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuTUT-D4tIg

If you didn’t see my rant a couple weeks ago, they made these tuochas on the new batch I bought, they didn’t taste the same.  This time, I was attempting to cut one mini tuocha in half, to steep with a full tuocha (for 1 1/12 tuochas) but it was too much of a pain/ made too much of a mess, without actually splitting in half, on the verge of injuring myself, so I just threw TWO tuochas into the infuser, just for this session!   The second steep is DARK.   Throughout all the steeps, I would say even with two tuochas, none of the steeps quite had the COMPLEXITY of the previous 2022 purchase of the bigger tuochas, which is odd, as two of the smaller ones are definitely much more leaf than one.  So I’m wondering if the leaf might be slightly different, and it isn’t just the size of the tuochas that matters here.  Drinking two tuochas was certainly better in flavor than just one!  But again, not as good as the old batch, either way.  So not sure if it is worth it to steep two together in the future?  A fifth steep for 15+ minutes had some nice depth to it, at least…
Steep #1 // TWO tuochas for medium sized mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 7 second rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 11 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 10 min
Steep #5 // just boiled // 15+ min

Album: Helena Deland – Goodnight Summerland
Song: The Animals – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo_c7NJxWe8
Bonus Song: Bright Green Vibrant Gray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA12STWhAZ4

Mainly posting this to see what is happening with steepster…. I liked this more than I previously thought! Maybe the flavors are melding with age. I even like how rich the rooibos is.

From Tiffany a while ago, thanks very much!  I had this tea yesterday, so this note won’t be great.  It’s a middle of the road earl.  Sadly so, as it looks like a great quality black tea leaf.  I’m not sure if it’s worth saying it has silver tips though… I only see one or two of those sickles in my sample pouch.  The bergamot used here is just okay.  Not my favorite, not terrible.  Maybe hints of grapefruit.  Always happy to try all the Earls!

Album: Buck Meek – Haunted Mountain
Song: Paradise – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RdRqZTLce4
Bonus Song: Haunted Mountain – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv8uI2VXppA

From Daylon R Thomas a while ago, thanks very much!  Can’t believe only Daylon ever wrote a note for this.  Must have been a quick offering from Whispering Pines and then disappeared.  The dry leaf looks absolutely my jam:  twisty with lots of gold… what I can only describe as a beautiful mess of twisted leaves. :D  It’s quite the golden cup!  Might be a little light for me, but it’s great for a light tea.  Lots of mineral notes.   I think the lingering aftertaste might even be better than while drinking it: like a tomato soup that is mostly cream.   Then maybe some pine sap and BBQ sauce spices.  The second steep is almost FULL buttermilk or cream.  Very odd and unique!  I don’t think I have noticed buttermilk in a tea before?  The leaf looks fierce in appearance, but the flavor is so delicate, I almost wouldn’t guess it was a black tea.  Definitely a tea I might occasionally crave, if I’m not in the mood for a strong cup…
Steep #1 // two teaspoons for a mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 //  just boiled // 4 min

Album: Wye Oak – Every Day Like the Last: Collected Singles
Song: Fortune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNBjdcxB9J4

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – February 2024 Tea #8- A tea ordered online

Finished one of my pouches of this classic.  Always good!  I’m very glad I tried this tea way back when B&B started out.
2024 sipdowns: 20

Album:  The Coral – Sea of Mirrors  
Song:  Cycles of the Seasons – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJFc5K87pjo
Bonus song:  Sea of Mirrors – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHrGZP6WKjU

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – February 2024 Tea #7 – Your cheapest tea

This might not actually be my “cheapest tea” but I think of it when I think in terms of the biggest sale/discount!  Let me look through my e-mail receipts for the actual price I paid for this….  Back in 2016 my receipt says I paid $3.70 for 150grams of Christmas Cake!  Now that is a steal.  In no way close to a sipdown, but it looks like I have less than 50grams left at this point.  It’s a robust black tea!  A bit like chai, with pine notes and fondant icing… it shouldn’t work but it DOES.   I’m happy to steep this up today,as I usually only have it once a year on Christmas day anyway. :D

Album: Fruit Bats – A River Running to Your Heart
Song:  See the World by Night – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h28NWjj7lu4

additional notes:  I stand by my original note for this one, nine years ago.  Though these tuochas are from a different source than my original sample: this time from Meowster.  Thanks very much!  It’s just not a very good representation of sticky rice and puerh is quite bland.  But maybe the “rice scent herb” that they add to the tuochas don’t age as well as puerh is supposed to.  However, I was really craving a ripe puerh to go with my cantaloupe this morning.  It’s such a great combination.  I think of Butiki’s Dark Side of the Melon blend for this inspiration, but that was a black tea and espresso flavoring with melon.  I don’t know how there has not been a cantaloupe/ ripe puerh blend yet!  Though I think I do remember Roswell mentioning one?  If not, maybe I’m remembering Roswell’s awesome fruit/tea pairings. :D

Offtopic about music if you are interested:  So I listen to hundreds of albums each year, at least once (on youtube — sorry musicians that aren’t getting my money…), because of my FOMO on any great gem of an album that I might otherwise never find.  Then at the end of the year, I make my favorites list of albums, before I read all those end-of-the-year best of lists, which tend to end up being basically the same list over and over.  Really, I just read those to make sure I didn’t miss any albums that I might be interested in.  2023 was especially harsh for me, as MOST of my favorite albums never even hit ONE year end list.   However, I think at this point, my FOMO has now almost become a FOMO for other people missing some really great albums, just because they aren’t listed on any of these lists.  A sadness that these musicians are somehow going unnoticed, underappreciated.  So in order for me to feel a little bit better about this, maybe get a few of them out there into the ether, I will occasionally post a favorite song from a 2023 album I really wish had gotten more recognition and attention!  But I usually recommend the entire album.  I will start with my favorite album of 2023 that actually had me crying a bit when I first heard it, that I might have missed it… and this album was not listed on a single Best Of list for 2023.  So now I’m grateful I caught it!  Again, the entire album is stellar (and the album cover is perfect to go along with a tea from Meowster!):

Album: Mapache – Swinging Stars
Song:  Amazing – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHDEn6lhaac