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I don’t think my sample of this was from 2011 as the name suggests. I suspect this is from 2012, but I didn’t see one for 2012 so I’ll just stick this note here.

Snow storm Nemo has allowed me the opportunity to work from home today. That means pajamas and quality tea. I’m doing this one in my gaiwan, which I’m doing better with, but I need to work on amount of tea. I used way too much this time. But this still tastes lovely once I dilute what comes out with a bit of hot water. Not really focusing on this tea, which is a shame since it’s so wonderful, but I have to use my brain for working today. :) I thought I get this one sipped down since it’s getting on in age, which is not so good for a green oolong. :)

I’m glad I’m home. Snow storms are so much nicer when you’re watching from your window with a hot cup of tea. I’m just worried about getting home to my family tomorrow for Chinese New Year. sad.

Boring tea log tonight. My tummy is going through all sorts of chaos today. I don’t even want to put dinner in there. ugh. Mint is supposed to be good for tummies, so I busted this out. It tastes kinda funky today. Not sure if it’s the kettle. I’m on the market for a glass one.

Anyways, classic spearmint. sweet and fresh. Couldn’t ask for anything more.

I wonder if ginger would work for me or if it’s only good for nausea? I’ll try that next if this spearmint fails me. :(

Said to husband, “I’m about to start quiet tea time…don’t bother me!” Using my gaiwan today. I haven’t quite mastered it, but this tea’s reputation seems to call for something special.

Dry smell: bark, sweet buttery cream, coconut mochi, spice, light cocoa. It smells like dessert.

I love how the dusting of the brown tea fuzz makes everything look like it’s been covered in cocoa.

Steep 1: Hot water hits the leaves. Wow. Such a luscious sweet aroma. The taste is sweet creamy cocoa. Smooth and refined, yet dark and reminiscent of wilderness. Thick mouthfeel. I keep sniffing my cup. It’s fantastic. Non-tea scented air is so plebeian.

Steep 2: Hmm, darker. There’s some spice here…like roots. Still sweet and cocoa-y, but also more savory somehow. Mouthfeel is still brothy, but the moment the liquid moves past my tongue, I feel the effects of astringency. Liking steep #1 more so far. I probably went too long with this steep though. Let’s try again.

Steep 3: Oh my. The caffeine is kicking in. This is why I can’t do gong fu tea more often. Or if only I could convince husband to have tea with me. But the tea! mmmm… this steep is good. not so astringent as the last one. Dark and tastes like bark. Sweet cream and vanilla. Smells like ancient forest.

Steep 4: Last one till later. Something floral now. I’m terrible at recognizing floral scents and flavor except for jasmine and rose. And this is neither. More vanilla and dark spice.

This is a heavy rich tea. Nothing like the light springy green oolongs that i adore. Yet, I still enjoyed this thoroughly. More steeps to come, but my belly feels sloshy. I got a 4oz gaiwan, which produces about a quarter cup of liquid after allowing for the tea leaves and water absorption, but I’m still wishing I had a smaller gaiwan. They don’t seem to come much smaller than this.

Anyway, I’m feeling all warm and alive. Somehow relaxed yet alert. Lovely.

EDIT Here are my lovely tea companions (not imbibing)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23283174@N00/8438839204/

EDIT #2

Steep 5: Did not record this one while drinking. It was starting to develop that flavor tea gets if the wet leaves stay out too long. But the flavor of the tea underneath is still good. A bit weak, but I will blame that on my steeping time.

Steep 6: Reminds me to dark rye bread. It is a strong tea but the flavors are becoming more subtle now. There is bitterness in the swallow. Almost unpleasant.

Though I had originally wanted a ceramic gaiwan, I must say that this glass one has its charms.

Steep 7: This is, again, light. Reminds me of watered down barley tea. Or toasted rice porridge, which my grandpa was very fond of. This next steep shall be left to develop.

Does anyone else get super thirsty from gong fu sessions? I think I’ve chugged like 2 tall glasses of water since I started this late morning.

This is a beautiful tea. The colors! The lovely sweet floral aroma! It’s a tea for fairies! I love the pinkish tint in the brew. Possibly from the goji berries? The final brew is jasminey and nectary. There’s the herbal flavor of the flower petals. A smooth and subtle tea for sure. It reminds me a bit of a concoction my mom makes for me when I am sick. Chrysanthemum, goji berries, dates and honey. Good for chest colds, I’m told. This version from Verdant is more sophisticated of course. It leaves you tasting your cup over and over trying to figure out the nuances.

On an unrelated note, started watching Downton Abbey. I’m finding it both fascinating and frustrating. I usually hate shows about social politics. Why can’t we all just get along? There are enough lovable characters to keep me watching though. For now. If it gets too much more frustrating, I’ll have to stop. Can’t wait for Sherlock to come back!

I got some of this from TeaEqualsBliss a long while back. It was such a generous package I’m still trying to finish it up. :) This one was intimidating for me. Chilli cherry rooibos? How crazy is that? I don’t even like cherry flavored things. They either taste like chapstick or cough syrup. Usually. But I’m pretty low and non-caffeinated teas so I thought I’d finally brave this tea.

Gotta say, I’m not too happy with this. I enjoy spicy foods and chili, but I don’t like it in this. Plus the cherry tastes like chapstick. The is pretty pleasing for a rooibos. It’s a nice smooth base for taking on flavors. I’m going to try and finish this mug, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to. I just don’t want my tea to be so spicy…

This was a tea I had bought during the black Friday sales. I left it vacuum packed in a box under my desk since my usual cupboard didn’t have room for more tea at the moment. I vowed that I wouldn’t open new packages of tea (except samples :p) until I made more room. Well, my dogs had other ideas.
Husband and I went out to dinner with friends and came home to find a pair of furry escapees waiting for us at the door and a pile of vomited tea leaves. They found the tea under my desk and chose this one to rip open and gorge on until sick. Genius. I’ve got to say though, best smelling pile of vomit ever. So floral and sweet smelling. Too gross? haha

Thankfully, pup was fine, and I got to have some new tea. Weee! While this is a very tasty oolong, I wouldn’t say it’s particularly honey tasting. Very creamy and milky. Nectary stone fruits. Fresh and green and summery. Delicious. Subsequent steeps are vegetal like steamed greens. Still smooth and milky. Not much honey. Am I missing something? Maybe I should try again when I haven’t just had banana spice waffles for breakfast.

Had a rather caffeinated black this morning so some green bancha should be a nice mild way to start the afternoon. I got tea bags of theses in the happy bag. First whiff was very scary for me. I detected pineapple and then a strong scent of the dreaded cherry cough syrup. Eek! Well, let’s be brave and try it anyhow…

The liquor is a bright green which leads me to suspect matcha. The taste confirms it. I get a bit of herbal quality from the flowers and a nice mix of fruits. Pineapple and papaya? Not sure. Tea base is a bit grassy. Bancha is not really my favorite but the flavor is pleasant if vague. no cough syrup taste! :)

Also, I’m sure the tea is pretty to look at but it’s hard to appreciate through the bag. :(

Overall, I don’t like this too much but it’s pleasant enough that I wouldn’t feel bad trying to foist this on someone else. Maybe it’s just not my thing.

I’ve been feeling headachy all week. I figured it was all the pressure I was under at work. This morning I felt worse than ever. Pounding headache and nausea. Ugh. Thankfully, I had a nub of fresh ginger in my fridge. Husband offered to help but kitchen activities leave him nearly frantic with flailing helplessness. After watching him fumbling about for a bit, I stepped it and made the drink myself. (He’s a sweetie who does the taxes, computer stuff, and saves me from spiders, but food prep is a mystery to him. Cute. :))

Grated a bit of ginger into my infuser and steeped in boiling water for about 7 mins. Dollop of honey and you’re good to go. It’s a very tasty and energizing drink. I love the warmth and spicy burn of ginger tea. It always feels like liquid health. Delicious too. One large mugful made my nausea practically disappear. Halfway through my second round of this and I’m feeling up to making pickles! Daikon pickles! Can’t wait till tomorrow when I can eat them!

Tasty! I’m quite enjoying this. I think the flavors are strong enough that I don’t notice the rooibos too much. I’m noticing that most of the not so good reviews for this are because people just don’t like rooibos at all. If you do like rooibos and berries though, you’d love this tea. Even I, neutral to meh about rooibos, enjoy this tea.

This is the bagged variety that arrived in a sample form with my order. So just poured boiling water over it and let it steep while I ate my dinner. No oversteeping issues here. None of the sour woodsy flavor I dislike. The berry flavor here is like berry syrup. I think I’m detecting blueberry and strawberry in here. Blueberry strawberry syrup. Mmmm…makes me long for summer.