The Sheriff's Secret Police

My most recent order from Adagio I got the ‘The Town We Do No Speak Of’ sampler set. Since I had the day off today and all to myself I decided to get through as many of the tins as possible. This was tea #1.
Brewed this has a green smell with something vaguely smoky and coffee-esque (but not like bitter/burnt coffee). It’s earthy and definitely coffee like when I tasted it, though I’m not sure how much of that is the maté since I’ve never had maté before. It’s not unpleasant, just kinda odd. Overall this blend was just kinda strange, not in a bad way, just strange. I also couldn’t really taste any of the clover or cardamom, though it could be because I was concentrating so much on the overall oddness that they just blended in with the rest.
Unfortunately I think I might’ve brewed it too hot? I figured on something close-ish to black tea since the gunpowder can stand up pretty well to hotter water, but when I went to the Adagio website, they recommend 185* for brewing. Whoops. Lol. I’ll have to try that temp next time.
I can say that when I got to the bottom and went to dump the dregs out of my cup (my strainer isn’t the best), it was gritty black and pretty alarming. I’ve never seen that happen, so again, it might be the maté. I hope it was because sheesh, I just drank it. Lol!
Overall not bad. I’m not sure about the supposed kick the maté is supposed to have since I don’t react as expected to caffeine (can drink it right before bed and still sleep), but this did make me feel vaguely shaky/jittery. Could’ve been because I hadn’t had much to eat, but it’s something to keep in mind for next time I drink it.

Not bad, very mate. Not really tasting the clove.

This is a mostly mate tea, I think. There’ sa bit of sweetness to it, and a little bit of cinnamon, but it’s really mostly mate. And mate is ok, especially when I feel like I need more kick than tea will give me, but I’m not certain t hat mate actually does effect me more/less than tea. #experiments

It’s good. I guess this is what I think of when I think of my Night Vale blends, and now that I’ve had most of them in the last 24 hours, I can see that there really isn’t that much mate after all! Strange. But the Sheriff’s Secret Police are pretty integral.

Where were they in that last ep? With their helicopters? :| #shakesfist

BLAAAAAH! Cavocorax got me. YUCK mate! gross! BOOOOOOOO! Seriously, mate is like a second hatred of mine.. NOT as much as jasmine or blergamot… but it’s up there. it just always tastes like mate. always! this is like hey… wanna bit of cinnamon with your mate. blah. sorry cavo.. BLECH

I had this yesterday and didn’t review it. I’m really new to mate, meaning I am not sure if I’ve had it before? But yesterday was a rough day – I stayed up really late to watch the True Detective finale after HBOgo crashed and I had to use other methods – and then I had a 2-hour insurance class about statistics and I thought I was going to puke or die. Or maybe just pass out asleep. Bad associations with mate.

But hey, here’s a fic i read at lunch while sitting on the porch in the sun: http://archiveofourown.org/works/574904
It’s set in a diner. Which is like happiness catnip to me. Lonely diners. It’s a thing.

I’m not an ex-smoker like my wife, so I can’t comment on whether this actually tastes like smoking, but it smells like the inside of my grandpa’s pipe with every sip.

As for taste, it started off as a slightly sweet smoky black, like a keemun maybe, but as I drank the cup down the tobacco taste got stronger and stronger until I just couldn’t stomach it any more. I don’t think I’ll be having this again, but I don’t know. It draws you in. I know that the last sip got stuck in my throat, but I keep finding myself reaching for the cup.

Like the Sheriff’s Secret Police, there is no escape.

I have the feeling that this tea will be similar to the Management, but I’m really hoping not.

Sidenote, I have my window open and someone nearby is frying fish, so now I’m dying for fish and chips. Dying.

Anyway! First sip: Yup, this is a tea for the wife, as I’m not too keen on it. It doesn’t make me want to run away screaming like Management did, but it’s still not great. The roasted mate is a saving grace for this one. You can really smell tobacco as it gets near your nose, and then you can taste it as well in the aftertaste. As an ex-smoker, I find it both delicious and revolting and I want a cigarette now. Badly.

So, uh…don’t try this if you’re trying to quit. Yeah, after a few more sips, this is all I can think about. It tastes like drinking a cup of tea right after smoking a cigarette. Or improperly stored tea from a smoker’s home. Which…if the Sheriff’s Secret Police kept tea in their headquarters, this is what I imagine it would taste like. So spot on tea, but it’s not for me.

right on cara mcgee. [twohandhighfive]
this tea has bracing notes of a stale coffee flavor and smells like the breeze cast off a used ashtray.
in the best way of course.
i’m really digging it.
i’m sure anybody else who likes toasted mate likes it for this reason.
it’s sometimes like a mouth of dirt. juicy dirt.
(ya know, the same way green tea can taste like damp grass)
anyways,
maybe i’ll get a chance to listen to an episode or two of this podcast today.
i’m up to episode 6.