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Finally, yesterday, I bought a gaiwan! I had to do some shopping at the Asian grocer (Vietnamese food tonight!) and I peeked around in the tea area. I fell in love with a cute little blue and white gaiwan and snapped it up. Also, during this time, I bought some teas on TeaTrade from LiberTeas and Rachanac. (Thank you, both!) This tea is from LiberTeas.

I chose this one because of the mellow, leafy scent in the packet. I was hoping for just a nice, mellow cup this morning. So, I heated the water to 195 and took the gaiwan on it’s inaugural steep. 30 sec. I burned the heck out of my fingers when decanting it. Then, I couldn’t wait to try it and took a sip. Too hot. So, I transferred it to another cup and started the second steep while I waited for the first to cool. 45 sec. Ouch. Burned my fingers again. I decanted it and went back to the first cup, which had cooled considerably by that time. Mmm… it smells very, very light. I can taste a faint toastiness, very slightly floral (less than I had hoped.) It’s good and mellow, as I had hoped. Okay, on to steep two… I take a sip… and burn the heck out of my tongue and upper lip. (Forgot to transfer to another cooler cup.) Now, I’m hurting and irritated. My fingers are turning red and my lip isn’t far behind. (Did I mention that I need to go for passport photos today? Grr…) The second steep is better, the leaves have opened more, slightly more floral, although the taste is still really light. I think I’ll go for a full minute or two on the next steep and see if I can bump up the flavor again. My lips, tongue and fingers, however, are all screaming no more. Hrmph. Hopefully the next go won’t be so painful.

Update: I accidentally got caught up reading some tea reviews and let it steep for six minutes. It’s amazing! (And cooled down, too.) :) The floral flavor and aroma are both fully developed. I’m picking up a lilac scent and taste in my mouth. The tea feels as if it has more body to it, too, and is much less watery. Maybe I will keep this cute little gaiwan after all…

It’s getting later in the day and my Adagio order just arrived. I plucked this one from the bunch and set it up in the Breville. It smells quite a bit like citrus when dry. 175/3 min. Now, it’s not so citrusy smelling, however, it’s still pleasant. The taste is very light. It’s not overwhelming and there is definitely a citrus aspect to this tea. The white tea has taken on a vegetal taste, which, with the grapefruit flavoring, isn’t my ideal cup of tea.

This was my morning tea. I haven’t tried too many Darjeelings, so I didn’t know what to expect. I went with 205/3 min as I dislike very strong teas. The scent is kind of pretty. It smells sweet, like the sweetness of cane sugar, but it doesn’t taste that way. I can taste a savory fruitiness, but it’s difficult to describe. It’s kind of like a full, heavy grape taste, but without the sweetness to accompany it. It’s more like a grape on its way to becoming a raisin. It’s not bitter, nor is it astringent. It’s pleasant.

When dry, the large leaves not only take up a huge amount of room, but they also smell like they just fell off of a tree in October. It’s interesting, and I’m in the mood for adventure.

165/5.5 minutes… I got caught up making Nutella covered crackers for my children and forgot about my tea steeping on the counter. Turns out to be a good mistake, I think.

I was thinking this would be a very light and delicate cup, but the color is pretty intense for a white. It’s a deep golden color. The scent is slightly vegetal and toasted now. Just a touch of autumn leaf aroma. The taste is slightly spicy with a peppery/cinnamon taste and toasty, but not a hearty toasted flavor. The tea lingers for a bit, changing to an ever so sweet flavor, but not fruity as the website’s description indicates. I’m guessing that’s because I left it steeping for three minutes longer than recommended. I really like this as it’s quite unusual and I love the idea of these teas being dried by moonlight. It adds to the mystique.

I just received my special bonus blend of Justin Bieber tea and tried it for the first time! My middle school students were so surprised to see the effects of the tea, which were almost instantaneous. My clothes became trendier, my mood cheerier and my hair scruffier. Little pink bubbles filled the room and agents were banging on the classroom door to sign me to their label. I found that as I taught the students, they were hanging on every word. Several asked me for my autograph. One swooned. This tea may be in a small package, but it’s the whole package… thanks, Frank!

Happy April Fool’s Day. :)

This was my second tea of the morning and it’s turning out to be a great day! I had purchased this a while ago as part of the Ocho Sampler at Joy’s Teaspoon. (If you don’t want to take a chance on a larger size bag, this is the way to go, and I LOVE the tiny tins that Joy’s T uses. They’re great for storing odds and ends when depleted of tea.)

I wasn’t sure what temp I should use to make this tea and I had to wing it as I didn’t have access to my computer at steeping time. (Thanks, Curious George on PBS Kids…) Anyway, I went with 205/3 min. It came out a bit strong for me, but still really good and full of promise if only I could figure out a better steep temp and time. I just made a second cup and it’s much lighter in flavor and I’m finding I love it so much more than the first. This tea is fruity and mellow. It’s really nice in that it’s not all black tea, but has the green as well. It adds another dimension to the tea and creates a very enjoyable cup of tea. If it were all black, I think it would change the focus from the fruit/tea balance. Right now, it’s pretty darn good. The fruitiness is slightly tart, slightly sweet. The tea is of medium strength and probably a really good tea to serve after dinner as I think it would appeal to many.

I love the look of green teas, from the vibrancy of their color before steeping, to the surprising ways in which they unfurl and fill the teapot. This tea really amused me this morning. It’s a beautiful, solid green, and it smells divine. It’s a peach scent, but not too sugary, as peach can sometimes be.

165/2.5 min. I dropped the recommended temp and increased the steep time as I didn’t want to cook it. It worked out well. The tea leaves practically hopped around while steeping as there was so much up and down movement in the pot. (Maybe it should be called Frankenstein Tea… it’s ALIVE!) ;) Anyway, the tea retains that peach fragrance which is so pleasant and calming, not monstrous at all. It’s not bitter. It has a bit of a grassy taste to it, which is perfect. It reminds me of a peach tree in a meadow. There is a hint of something floral in the tea, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s delicate and gentle and compliments this tea. As it cools, the fruitiness increases and I’ll bet that this tea is awesome iced, too.

Mmmm…. I love this tea! (Even though, technically, it’s not a tea.) I tried it for the first time at a Korean restaurant this past weekend.

It’s in these very large teabags for making 1 liter (35 oz.) of tea. I made two and put two bags in. I don’t like to drink cold tea, so I just left if out on the counter for an hour, then pulled the teabags out. It’s wonderful! It’s very nutty tasting, toasty and rich. My husband tried it and said that it tastes a bit like burned popcorn. (I disagree with the burned part, but maybe toasted popcorn… without the butter.) It’s wonderful! (Did I already say that?) My children both tried it. They said it tastes like coffee. (I agree a bit there, too, although it’s not a strong coffee taste.) They love it. It is completely caffeine-free, and as I don’t want bouncy children all night long, I love it, too.