Notting Hill

Eh, nothing new to say about this one; deep, tasty and autumnal. Happy Friday to you all.

Even though I only drank this yesterday, I decided I needed to have it again today. I thought it would go well with Sunday breakfast, homemade waffles and omelettes. This time, I had it with both sweetener and milk (well, half & half, to be precise). It was very good and I enjoyed it. However, I think I like it better without milk, because the flavors are stronger that way. I’m kind of wishing I’d ordered a larger amount of this; I can see this becoming a new favorite.

I ordered a sample of this from the American Tea Room because I liked the description. Either because of or in spite of Julia Roberts, Notting Hill remains a nifty neighborhood in London. In my mind, really, Notting Hill is the place where some of Iris Murdoch’s “knottier” and sometimes “naughtier” characters live (in a pre-upscaled world). And yes! We are dressed like Sherlock Holmes with cape and deer-stalker hat.

American Tea Room has provided a perfectly apt description of this tea and I cannot do any better. It seems like a gentleman’s tea brewed in the country estates for those days when you need a really strong brew with your kippers, grilled kidneys, and marmelade.

Delicious!

Until I discovered Steepster I always thought that London was the epicenter for tea. Notting Hill by American Tea Room reminds me of that sense. This is the kind of tea that might be served to the men whilst the women have a lighter blend in a Victorian novel. It tastes of the outdoors. It tastes as if we are marching through somewhat boggy fields on our way to the hunt. Or to fish.

Making a note of this quick before Steepster dies again (was down all morning for me), may edit later. Drank to wake me up for meeting with friends for lunch. Stayed up late watching Sherlock.

first tea of the day, and i loved it. LOVED it.
simple and yet such a heartfelt warming tea. might have another pot right now.
i feel sensitive today and think i need it :)

tea log # 590. i’m totally gonna write and drink 10 more teas.
totally.
new year here i come!

even more of a side note,
i know you’re not supposed to ever talk about money, politics, or religion.
but steepster is such a kind and friendly and still kinda generic arena that maybe it’d be okay to share the fact that, as of right now, i am completely out of debt. no credit card. no student loans. no utilities due. no large looming costs on the horizon.
i may not have a car or a house or much savings, but along with the meaningful relationships and bonds in my life, plus my health and also art to experience, i now blissfully have a certain amount of freedom that having no debt can offer me in the coming year.
i feel insanely grateful. i mean, i worked really hard, but i still feel like it involves a certain amount of luck too.
(i work hard to be good, and i fail sometimes, and i also beat myself up too much, but i try to repair and fix it all whenever possible. my heart my heart.)
i just hope that i am deserving of this new development during the year to come.

Many thanks to Doulton for this tea!!!

A classic milk ‘n sugar breakfast blend! I love the fact that it has both Indian and Chinese (Yunnan) teas in it, and I can taste that chewy Yunnan delightfulness quite well! It is really hitting the spot on this sleepy day. I’m trying to find the energy for a hike, and I think it may just be in this cup!

Thanks Doulton for this tea sample.

I too liked the name and simply had to try it and I found it to be very yummy. I would say it is smooth in that the blend was well-balanced but not at all creamy. It feels high-brow and complex, rich and sophisticated as I suppose Notting Hill must be. :-). I am enjoying this cup and am glad for the opportunity to taste it.

Early morning, reaching for a random sample, how about… Notting Hill by American Tea Room. I’ve never been to the neighborhood and I recall being rather bored during the predictable Julia Roberts romantic romp. The name does little for me. Onward to the this yunnan/assam hybrid.

Dry leaf says yunnan. Wet leaf says assam. Liquor scent is a mix. The first half of the sip is all yunnan, nice sweet earthy goodness. Good yunnan, not great. The second half of the sip screams assam with its typical dry, malty taste. Average assam. The after-taste leaves a slightly sweet taste in the front of the mouth (yunnan) and a dry astringency in the back of the mouth toward the throat (assam). Overall, the tea is smooth, which is critical in such a blend. The more I drink this, the more I yearn for the sweet yunnan that’s at the forefront and less for dry assam in the back-half.

This blend does the job as a morning wake-me-up tea, but not too much beyond that. Rather average fare. A few bonus points for being organic. Not something I would run out to buy. Like a Julia Roberts film, this tea is pleasant, yet predictable.

This is a very nice English Breakfast – definitely astringent but smooth and flavorful. Good with milk and sugar.

There is so much I should be doing today but instead I find myself struggling to get off the couch and get moving… The hubby is out rock climbing in Yosemite and I have the house to myself… which means tea and books and maybe (if I get motivated) a little bit of housework in there somewhere between cups and chapters.

Notting Hill is a decent breakfast offering but it doesn’t stand out to me as something so special I would need to run out and get more once this sample size is gone… Its good with milk and sugar and has the usual maltiness I associate with English Breakfast but theres so many other breakfast teas out there I enjoy more…