Big Apple

I’m surprised how well this one did in my travel mug and thermos today. It was a lovely hot tea, but it was also nicely refreshing when it cooled down. I kind of want to try it iced, but part of me fears that it might be a tad too light a tea for that. I somehow didn’t get any bitterness at all this time, so I must have gotten the steep time, the temperature, and the amount of leaf just right. I really do love my black teas, but it’s still kind of nice to throw a light tea like this one in there every once in a while.

Today the weather warmed up a little earlier in the day than it was doing last week. I’m tempted to brew up some iced tea for tomorrow. I’m not sure what it is but I really don’t like drinking cold tea in my travel mug. If I want to take it out with me, I have to put it in a bottle, otherwise I have to just drink it at home in a glass. Of course my reusable bottles are packed up somewhere in a box for the duration of the reno, and I don’t think I’ll find it until we move back into our home in September. Hmmm…do I go out and buy another one, or just sit tight and hope I run across the right box?…cue the Jeopardy theme…

Sipdown!! (150)

Thank you Aimee Popovacki for this tasty tea. I drank up what Roswell Strange sent me yesterday and today I finished off the last of my second sample. It is a good tea and I am sure I will get more in the future but I just don’t know when in the future. So much tea, so little time but I am happy I got to try it.

I drank some of this before I went to work (to drink more tea) and it seemed creamier today. I steeped it for right under 3 minutes. I think it tastes much better when you don’t follow the 3-4 minutes as instructed. 2 is probably the best.

It reminds me of apple juice but creamier, with just a little bit of green tea in the mix. Last time I was getting some spiciness but this time around I didn’t. I also brushed my teeth in the middle of drinking it, and that didn’t even adversely affect the flavor…in fact I kind of liked it even better!

I don’t think I had yet tried this one hot, just cold-brewed, so decided to give it a shot today. The tea in the bag smells exactly like a tart, delicious apple, as does the steeped tea, which is very promising! However, even with a three-minute infusion, there’s enough bitterness in my cup to result in it being not particularly enjoyable. Which is quite unfortunate, as this is possibly the best apple tea I have tasted – not a granny smith, but a tart yet slightly sweet red apple (my fave!). I seem to recall being able to discern a vanilla flavour in the cold-brew; it’s not quite as obvious here, but there’s still a vanilla hint. I think I have enough of this tea to try one more cup, which (if I remember), I’ll try with a 2-minute infusion.

Sipdown of this one from earlier in the week. This was the first time that I drank this one hot and I much prefer it cold brewed. It was quite bitter brewed hot. I don’t think that it’s available anymore anyway.
I think I am decreasing the rating as well.

I don’t care what DT says; keep the steep temp. on this one low! This has both white and green tea in it, and there’s definitely more leaf than added in fruit bits – so unlike Movie Night or some of the other white/green blends with high steep temps. you cannot get away with steeping this one like that!

That’s my little mini rant of the day; which I’m only pointing out because I nearly steeped this at that high of a temperature because I feel loopy and like I’m overheating (I am now convinced that I’m getting sick) and I wasn’t being the most tentative tea drinker/maker. I’ve made this mistake of doing this one at a high temp. before and it was sickeningly bitter and made me feel very nauseous – I definitely don’t need that now if I’m getting sick again.

But anyway; this is tasty (when done right)! Caramel Apple goodness!

omg i’m so excited!
omg what did i just do?!
i swear i was just gonna LOOK at the davidstea stuff…
but then all of a sudden i had The Earl’s Garden, Bamboozled, and Big Apple in my cart
PLUS
TWO Timolino Travel Mugs?!?!?!, one White and one FUCKING AWESOME Mate Purple!!!!
i couldn’t help myself! it was just so beautiful!
our eyes met and my knees immediately went weak. and i’m so excited to hold it close.
also i left my timolinos at home today by accident. weird. and it’s also raining and snowing at the same time right now out my window. help me Big Apple.

I love when companies send out samples with orders, because it usually means I’m trying something that I ordinarily wouldn’t have chosen for myself, like this one. I was surprised at how good the dry leaves of this one smell. There is a buttery sweet quality to them that reminds me a little of Movie Night, along with a fruity apple aroma. The flavor is very smooth and of sweet apple. There is a fresh, tart apple aftertaste that lingers. I usually find white teas too lightly flavored for my liking, but this one is amazing. Although the apple flavor is soft, there’s a richness to the apple and buttery flavors that’s very appealing. I would probably even order more of this one!

-Dry blend has medium and large pieces of brown and green tea leaves and twigs with large pieces of dried apples.
-Dry leaves smell buttery sweet with a note of fruity apple. Tea liquor aroma is of soft sweet apple.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium bright yellow color.
-Smooth sweet apple flavor and finish. Fresh tart apple aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Sweet and tart apple flavor with a hint of butteriness.

I went to visit my old roommate, who happens to work at David’s Tea, the other day and really went overboard on buying samples (and mugs). I’ve found a new way to waste resources and procrastinate: hold heat-sensitive mug under hot water, while turning it slightly. The colour change lasts longer if a hot substance is actually in the mug so I promise I won’t do that horrible thing too often.

Most of the samples I picked up were winter teas but I also grabbed a few non-seasonal deviants under ex-roomie’s “persuasive” coaxing. Big Apple was one of the deviant teas; along with Buddha’s Blend. She was a huge advocate for Big Apple but told me that it’s tricky steep and should be left in cooler waters than suggested. With that tidbit I steeped Big Apple around the 70 Celsius mark.

Big Apple smells so strongly of apple that it should be no shock that it also tastes like apple. The exciting factors are the hints of vanilla and unidentified spice (cinnamon or nutmeg) that I get. The tea gives an overall impression of apple pie with ice cream or some other baked apple dessert. It’s buttery and gooey light like a doughy crust or melted ice cream. Cream white goes into a soft green spice and end with a fruity, teasingly tart, apple. I feel like I’m drinking a baked and generously buttered spiced apple, especially when it cools down. Aftertaste is mostly apple. No astringency at all.

At about 5 min with estimated 70-82 C water, the second steep still has some apple flavour and a mushy vanilla note but I’m not picking up as much spice, only the softest of coatings! The liquid still gives off the scent of spiced apple but the aftertaste has creamy white tea with a toned down apple. Third steep is very diluted but Faintly fruity and very buttery leaves.

I haven’t had Mom’s Apple Pie or Movie Night in a while but this reminds me vaguely of both of them. Big Apple is much more buttery than the former and doesn’t taste as oily and weak (tea-wise) as the later. I have to try it at the actual recommended temperature, but for now I’m satisfied with this tea.

Blech. I’ve been on a flavored white tea parade for awhile, but this one just doesn’t work for me. I don’t think it’s the apple, and I hope not because I’m looking forward to trying mom’s apple pie soon. I think something went wrong with the steeping. I had this one a while back, sampling it at the store, but it didn’t have much flavor and I just thought they didn’t steep it to my liking. This time, I received it as a sample in my last order, and was excited to try steeping it on my own. I followed the parameters on the package, but it turned out very bitter, like the bitter peel of an apple. There was also a lot of sediment in my cup, which may have added to the bitterness. The cause could be the green tea that’s in the blend, or maybe I just oversteeped it. Oh well, probably won’t try this one again.