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Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act II scene 6

’Twas told me you were rough, and coy, and sullen,
And now I find report a very liar;
For thou art pleasant, gamesome, passing courteous,
But slow in speech, yet sweet as spring-time flowers.
The Taming of the Shrew, Act II scene 1

Amongst all the teas that Doulton sent me, this one both intrigued and repulsed me. It’s in this adorable little tin with some Victoriana decorations. It looks like it should be a floral tea and not something with vinegar in it. Finally today I got the nerve to pop open the tin and give it a go.

I could not for the life of me smell vinegar in the dry leaves. Maybe the tiniest hints in the back of my nose, but I don’t think I would’ve noticed it if I hadn’t known what was in this tea. I went ahead and did a 10 second rinse of the leaves under hot tap water.

Smell from the cup was black tea — pretty sure it’s Assam. Still couldn’t find the vinegar. Then came sip one: vinegar! Yup, there it is being quite shrewish to the back of my throat. Three sips in I was wondering if I could finish this cup so I did my “let’s let it sit over here for a minute or two and then return to it” technique. That did the trick! The vinegar receeded to a very mild level and then disappeared completely for the rest of the cup and the 2nd steep as well. It’s actually a rather pleasant smooth cup of black tea overall.

With all that in mind I dub this tea my Katherina (a.k.a. Kate) from Taming of the Shrew. It starts off all feisty and full of spirit and over time is broken down into submission. Horrible, but true. I think that even though there are some funny moments throughtout this play it should be considered a tragedy and not a comedy.

Ultimately this is a very interesting tea. I’m rather proud to be able to say that I’ve tried and enjoyed a Vinegar Black tea. Next time I shall try it without the pre-rinse to see if it keeps its unique character longer. Will I be rushing to purchase more when the tin runs out? No, but it’ll be fun while it lasts. NE

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act II scene 5

“By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.”
MacBeth, Act IV scene 1

I consider one of the best parts of MacBeth to be the witches. They cackle, plot and give prophecies that have (said like Robot Chicken’s version of M. Night Shyamalan) a tweest! Plus they inspired the title of one of Ray Bradbury’s great stories (I’m a big Ray Bradbury fan too). They’re dark and naughty, but they aren’t the ones who do all the murdering in the play. Therefore to me this tea embodies the Witches from Macbeth.

I think that Upton’s Black Dragon is the best subtle LS that I’ve had. Having said that, this tea is the most robust wicked-awesome LS that I’ve had. This is a smokier LS, but it’s the smoothest smoky LS that I’ve ever had. It also has an uncanny sweetness that reminds me of Cafe Du Monde’s beignets. The sweetness may be due to residual from my oolong marathon yesterday, but I’ll try this tea again in the near future to confirm that it’s this tea that has the sweet characteristics that I’m attributing to it. This is like the best witches brew ever. So if you’ve had Upton’s Black Dragon (or any other subtle-smoky LS) and decide to further your Lapsang Souchong adventure, then I highly recommend this one as the next step up on the smoke scale. TG

Lapsang Souchong “Cat Sound” Scale: This tea made me go back to my Life in Teacup note and drop the rating a few notches. This also wins over the “Purr like a lion” from the LiT tea.

ETA: I got 4 very good steeps out of this one, but I think the 5th would become too watery.

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act II scene 4

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.
Romeo and Juliet, Act II scene 2

Envision this scene: this tea steps out onto a balcony (go with me here), and I’m on stage looking up at it. Just substitute the word “Rose Keemun” with “Juliet” in the above famous speech and that sums up how I feel about this tea. This tea is my Juliet.

I had pretty much given up on rose teas; they have never lived up to my expectations. Oh, but this tea was a revelation! I am utterly besotted with this drink and how it makes me feel. I’ve had lovelier teas out of the Shakespeare box, but most of them are out of my reach for now (i.e. from France) so I have resigned myself that it’ll be awhile before I can get more. This, on the other hand is just a click away and I very much want more and anon.

This tea is absolutely lovely. It’s the most subtle rose tea that I’ve yet to have. While drinking it it’s a subtle floral Keemun, but then it’s in the aroma where the magic happens — right after the swallow. It’s like a lightly scented rose is just floating through the back of my throat and up into my nasal passages. Well, that doesn’t sound very pretty, but it’s a wonderful sensation. I wish that I could describe it better. It’s very smooth without even a hint of astringency. All other roses that I’ve experienced have been almost harlotesque in comparison to this lady. It’s what I’ve been looking for in a rose tea. TG

This tea’s note is gonna have to jump the line in front of my Shakespeare one. Oh, what a joyous tea-drinking day! The Shakespeare tea (to be named later) was a revelation. This tea (I’m not even done with the first infustion) had me doing this (the PG tips intro for those who haven’t seen it — I’d be the monkey): http://www.pgtips.co.uk/

I’ll probaby do some editing on this note later to add info on the further steeping times and give it a rating. I was planning on having a lazy tea/book day and then I got a call to do an interview for a temporary summer library gig to help me get more hours/$. So I didn’t really do anything special with this tea. I plopped the whole packet into my large teapot (I know — sorry fellow oolong lovers, but I needed an oolong STAT and propriety flew out the window), but I did take 20 seconds to rinse the tea.

The smell was like a whammy to my scent memory (both the dry and infused tea). There’s something in my childhood it evokes. I think that I’ve narrowed it down to the church potlucks my family used to go to. They were held in a basement (sorta creepy but cool at the same time), and there was always a section of hot vegetable dishes. That’s this smell mixed with something else. I keep thinking that the something else has to do with early elementary school. I think that it may be the smell of the little boxes I used to keep my pencils, scissors and crayons in (like a cigar-box, but for school supplies). Weird, but true. If I hadn’t had oolong before, then it’d probably scare me off. But sweet baby jeebus on a pogostick: sip one and I was floored. This is oolong joy in my mouth! It’s got depth, a sweetness, a floralness, just yummy oolonginess! TG

ETA: getting ready for the 10th large cup infusion. This is ridiculous (but in a good way). I’ve been drinking this tea since around noon and it’s almost 10 hours later and it’s still pretty dang good. The flavor has definitely mellowed, but I love the sweetness that remains. ::sigh:: I love you tea!

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act II scene 3

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp’d tow’rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
The Tempest, Act IV scene 1

Oh, how this tea has been calling to me ever since Doulton’s box arrived. This was the main smell that I experienced when I opened the box. This is what’s been fragrancing my room. It’s sort of an intense vanilla/hazelnut tea smell. It sorta intimidated me.

Oh, this is good. I’ve only ever had hazelnut as a syrup in a latte (not my favorite) so I think that my mind picked up on the vanilla more. But wow. I think “hug in a cup” isn’t just something that Leland flippantly put in its description in order to sell more tea. It does seem like a holiday tea, but I’d take it a step further: this is more like the warm loving heart of most holidays. And Stephanie nailed the description of the second infusion: a cinnamony snickerdoodle!

This was the highlight of my day by far. I even kept the leaves for a final steep after I got home from work. Yes, three is definitely this tea’s limit. And usually I love contemplating where one of these teas fits in Shakespeare’s cannon, but this one was on the verge of infuriating. It’s not a tragedy and it should be one of his better plays. Could I call a tea “Shakespeare” the man? That didn’t sit well with me. Then I looked up a play that I’m not too familiar with: The Tempest. Aha! It’s got the family drama of many holidays but ends well. Many critics have even speculated that the character of Prospero was the embodiment of Shakespeare himself.

And then it happened. I was looking at this quote on one of the websites that I’ve relied heavily upon for these notes (enotes.com) and I read the commentary and almost fell out of my chair. They refer to Bogart’s famous last line in The Maltese Falcon: “The stuff that dreams are made of” and how Bogey had suggested this line himself (as far as anyone knows the misquote was unintentional). Well, I shall misquote intentionally: “This tea is such stuff as dreams are made on.” TG

Oh yes, this is fantastic cold brewed. The “dirt” taste of this oolong is still there but much more subdued. And please know that “dirt” isn’t a bad thing — I just don’t know how else to describe it. I feel that “earthy” is more complex than what I’m tasting here. Anywho, the orange is just ever-so-delicately there. This is quite delightful iced. And it’s how I plan to finish this sample tin. Bumping up the rating a bit, but it’s still NE.