JustJames Send Message

how is it possible to be chronically busy? even on weekends? even in free time? it must speak to a time management issue or a problem with prioritization, and yet….

i got pictures of a snake basking in the sun today and got chased out of an urban exploration photo shoot yesterday by drug dealers… i found the snake much more relaxing, let me tell you! the rcmp and i are getting to know one another quite well ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MNANgFCYpk) lol.

as i review this tea i am drinking a dreadful one, but that’s just the way it goes….

the first note i observed about this blend once the water was poured was a light wood essence. it verged on smokey, but didn’t quite cross the boundary. light sweet wood… maybe balsa by comparison. i wasn’t sure how that would factor into the tea. the smell of lychee wasn’t as strong as the wood element.

everything changed with sipping. i realized what silk road had been striving for (i think)… they weren’t trying to recreate a lychee flavour, they were looking to create a lychee experience. the wood element built the suggestion of the lychee’s woody rind in china town, the warmth of the beverage reminded me of the boxes of lychee fruit basking in the sun, the lychee notes themselves had a NEARLY overripe quality, almost bruised… that ‘peel and eat me as soon as you get in the door’ urgency.

impressive. if you’ve spent time in china town (1 block down the road from silk road teas) then you know that this tea is less a flavour and more a spring scenario painted for your nose and tongue. very clever.

back to being busy… royal roads begins at the end of august so it isn’t going to let up anytime soon, lol.

i am on here too rarely… from feast a year ago to famine now!

i got a notification from ATR that they had a new website up and running, that if i wanted to sign up all over again there were discounts to be had. i have my favourites with ATR, i made a list and my package arrived today.

sitting on top of my items was THIS sample. i usually try samples first… suspicious nature maybe, or perhaps adventurous spirit? i don’t know know if this classes as a gift or a torment. it’s fantastic— like home run fantastic. like add milk and it’s a grown up creamsicle with way more layers and perfectly balanced flavour… …… ….. but. (of course there’s a but) IT ARRIVED WITH THE ORDER I ALREADY PLACED!!!!!!!!!

pretty funny when you think about it. it’s as though ATR has been taking lessons from stacy lim.

awesome blend on the heels of a great honour at school that will look fantastic on a resume. not a bad day… maybe i’ll behave badly and order more of this blend. maybe. =0D

far too long since i’ve been on here to review a tea!

how good is this tea? how’s this for a measure… last weekend the phone rang interrupting my homework. it was my financial institution. i was impatient. i had dropped a class taught by a difficult instructor late in the game and was playing catch up. i was not in the mood for service calls!

‘sir, i just wanted to check…. did you try to use your credit card at abercrombie and fitch online for 427$?’

‘no… WHAT? NO!!!!’

‘future shop online, sir? um… banana republic?’

‘no, i have a future shop just down the road, and definitely not banana republic!’

she continued, the sum total coming to just shy of 2000$. the conversation, beginning with my impatience ended with sincere gratitude! it was a long conversation- nearly 30 minutes. by the end all i wanted was a cup of tea! this was the blend i chose. it was perfect. depth, complexity, muted fruit tones, tempered malt… perfect.

you could argue i was tasting anxiety and then relief, however everytime i’ve had it since it’s been better. my only criticism? that steepster won’t let me rate it higher… c’mon jason, get on that! =0D

i can’t remember the last time i had a moment to review!

this tea is beautifully balanced, and a very mouth-round feel. it reminds me vaguely of malt and the sweet smell of pipe tobacco.

i have 10 seconds to review a half hour worthy tea!!!!!! ack!

lovely. worth the money. made my day. wouldn’t change a thing….. my new fave.

this was a lovely sample shared with me by my dear friend Xylona as we tried t get down to studying (still haven’t accomplished that yet!). there was a remote familiarity in the taste of this one. what was it? it was going to drive me mad!

then i had it. for me this tea has smooth overtones of roasted plantains. not just a little either. once i identified the note it became overwhelmingly clear, also charmingly engaging. this is a lovely oolong.

bit of turbinado, otherwise clear. thank you Xylona for sharing!!

very nice. so glad i bought! teavivre had a sweet discount coupon going that i totally took advantage of.

exam tomorrow. aside from saying malt, chocolate, don’t want to study, wonderful to resteep, malt that isn’t astringent, very smooth and impressive pearl size!

does anyone have a suggestion for a magical tea that inspires a person to study? i am SO done. =0(

this is a poignant paper umbrella!

a graceful gift from the brilliant VariaTea…..

this tea is velvet sadness. a paper umbrella driven outside by circumstance into a rainstorm, facing uncertainty. how is a paper umbrella to handle the onslaught of water? the rhubarb is a bitter stab of upset softened by the strawberry strands of optimism.

ombrelle de papier is whisked out the door under an impetus of regret, cushioned by the unconditional love of strawberry, padded by the dissolving paper umbrella structure of beautiful white tea.

magnificent. a story. poignant. although all the fruit is red i see it in my head as blue. bright and sprightly, but somehow tragic.

i am a ham. =0/

this tea is the whole reason i headed in to special teas originally! i met a woman who works on campus who saw me carrying tea which started a conversation……. lol. ‘the rembeng!’ she said. ’that’s all you need to know…. that and they’re almost always out of it!’

i have never had a tea even remotely like this. it looks like tiny perfect ball bearings….. THIS is an ASSAM in vietnam? i wondered? okay. finer than any coffee grounds— believe me, i managed to spill it. we became intimately acquainted!

the second i poured water over it the water transformed into a charcoal colour. no waiting.

it didn’t smell like anything particularly familiar… a vegetal assam…. but i was missing something. that said, it was early yet, the steep was only a minute into three.

honey, yes. malt yes. sweet caramelized seaweed, yes. a perfectly smooth black base, oh yes. evolves over the span of degrees, each flavour taking its turn as the lead separately. it’s like they caramelized the tea….. how do you caramelize a tea? astonishing.

for the record, i had to call this morning and have them HOLD 100 grams of this for me. by the time i got there their entire supply was exhausted. i absolutely see why. i picked up a friend and offered her a sip….. i didn’t get much of it after that and i still have lipstick all over my travel mug, LMAO. (she apologized but didn’t stop stealing sips, ha ha ha)

would i recommend this tea? HELL YES! prepare to have your mind blown…..

nice! never had a black like this…. took me completely offguard.

chocolate suggestion but not evolution, dark, dark cherry, malt…… strong neutral black base. complex. and i’m pretty sure i underleafed!

very nice =0)

back to the crush…. 12 hours until the exam and sadly i must sleep. (a little)

i am studying for an exam that i have only had 2 classes before. i was not in the mood for surprises. i wanted this tea. everything was fine- it was exactly the same as the last time i steeped and reviewed….. except this time instead of tea with cream and sugar i got curds and whey?!!!!

WE ARE NOT AMUSED.

i refused to drink it on principle. my steeping parameters were identical. the tea was identical. it was sitting in a cool dark area in a dark glass container with a silicone seal. there are no excuses, at least none i am prepared to hear.

my response (after chucking the clumpy mess down the sink)? ‘i want butiki’.

why? because i can count on it.

tea guys, my number is dropping by 20- that’s how ticked i am. and my recommendation is changing from yes to no. if your product changes under controlled conditions in such a short period of time then you either need to a) check product quality or b) issue a statement saying as much so people aren’t surprised.