234 Tasting Notes
A slightly cloudy green-tan liquid with the hypnotic smell of rose petals. Despite its sweetness it has a slight bitterness that is unpleasant. I think the bitterness is actually coming from the rose petals rather than the tea. The tea itself is submerged under the rose petal taste. Not one of my favorites.
I know. Today was supposed to be Oolong Day. I was supposed to sit and experiment with steep times and temperatures of the various oolong teas. It was supposed to be a sophisticated, elegant day. I’d even though of planning our trip to the Art Institute of Chicago as I sipped.
What happened? We decided that today would be a good day for a hike and geocaching adventure through a swamp. That’s what happened. My beloved said, “Don’t worry. It’s been cold enough to kill off the mosquitos. Besides, it’s mid-October there won’t be any mosquitos.”
No mosquitos, hah! I am covered from head to toe in little itchy bites. I don’t want to appreciate my tea while reviewing artistic possibilities. I want my tea to appreciate and love me. If it could kiss my mosquito bites and make them better, that would be ideal.
Since it is really just tea and can’t do any mosquito-bite aftercare, I’m doing my best to make it comforting. I’ve simmered it in soy milk with a small amount of sugar. It is a real chai instead of my normal steep and add creamer style.It is worth it. It smells warm, creamy, spicy, and sweet. It smells like it wants my mosquito bites kissed. Made this way the cardamon comes into its own with a sweet fruity smell. The cinnamon makes it taste like a cookie, the perfect emotional salve. And the taste? Divine! Each layer of cocoa, cardamon, tea, and cinnamon takes over my palate briefly revealing depths within and then retreats for the next flavor star.
Hope you itch less soon. Try a tea bath?
Your description of this is so tasty it almost makes me want to get bitten by mosquitos. I actually could, as the mosquitos here don’t die until hell freezes over and Elvis does a jig on my coffee table. But I’m always the person who gets bit by them when no one else is, so I feel like I don’t need to spend any more time donating blood. Might try this tea out, though.
Thanks chrine! My itching has subsided. (Little known fact: bathing the worst areas in Purell over and over is helpful.)
takgoti: If anyone should be able to get a magic Elvis to dance on her coffee table and eradicate the mosquitoes it should me. I live in Memphis. I’ve actually used Elvis brand Love Me Tender Shampoo. That should count for something.
I asked some of the rough tough geocachers here when the mosquitoes go away and they just laughed evilly at me. I retain hope despite that.
Oh man. Yeah, TN’s probably got a leg up on VA in terms of mosquitoes. My condolences. [I’ll have to try that Purell trick.]
That shampoo sounds amazing. Or horrifying.
When I first tried this tea I thought I liked it and I ordered a canister of it. Since getting the canister I’ve found that I don’t like it as much as I thought. It may be that I am over-steeping it but it has a strange taste to me.
Typically I like green teas, white teas, yellow teas, and black teas but haven’t much cared for oolongs. On the other hand, I love Golden Moon’s Coconut Pouchong tea, which is also an Oolong. So I’m not certain what is up with me.
Fortunately, I have more of the Sugar Caramel Oolong and can experiment with steep times and temperatures.
For something that should be as theoretically simple as boiling [or near-boiling] some water and sticking some leaves in it for x number of minutes, getting certain teas right where you want them can be deceptively difficult. Nearly everyone who talks about making tea uses the phrase “making tea isn’t rocket science.” I think that maybe I even have. But on some days I’m like, “WHAT DO YOU KNOW? MAYBE IT IS! MAYBE IT IS EXACTLY LIKE ROCKET SCIENCE! And uh…please tell me it is because then I won’t feel like such an idiot.”
On a different note, Sugar Caramel Oolong sounds delightful. Let me know if you get it sorted out.
Probably not like rocket science. More like organic chemistry. ;)
I plan this weekend to spend some Oolong time with thermometers and timers. I’ll let you know how it comes out.
