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Herbal Cranberry Orange – Davidson’s – 2/11/2014

This is a very pretty blend but as I opened up the bag to spoon some into my Finium brew basket, I caught the definite scent of rooibos, which I hadn’t guessed was in this blend. Also hibiscus, which I’m not all that fond of. The tartness is too much sometimes. Most of the time. Such an awful filler ingredient.

I put a bit of sweetener in because that tends to tame the hibiscus a little bit. The dripping liquid from the brew basket looks red but I can’t tell because my cup is black on the inside and outside. I should really get a glass mug for work but I haven’t found one that’s 16-18oz that I like. Not that I’ve looked very hard.

Drinking this…definitely the tartness of the hibiscus right up front, scratchiness in the throat from the rooibos that I can feel but not exactly taste, and the slightly different tartness of the cranberry and every so slight bit of orange in the middle and the chamomile comes out right at the end of the sip and in the aftertaste. I could have identified the chamomile with my eyes closed because that flavour is so distinctive. Mostly this tastes like hibiscus-y fruit juice with a chamomile aftertaste. Not something I’ve ever looked for but it’s nice enough. I would drink it again if offered and I wouldn’t even make the yuck face.

You guys, I am so so so tired. My cold is making my brain fog and it’s taken me an hour to write this note. I’m getting minimal work done at work and there’s 5 hours left (I suppose to get more work done, we’ll see). I’m stuck with a mystery problem in my data file in a why will you do this when you won’t do this that’s almost exactly the same kind of problem. Frustrating.

This is my 500th tasting note.

TTBB #14

Tropical Eyebrows – 52teas – 2/10/2014

Well it certainly smells tropical. The smell from the steeping cup is definitely fruity, though when I put my nose closer to the cup I can pick up a faint green tea scent.

This is actually pretty good. I’m not drinking it very hot because I have trouble doing that. The green is quite grassy and the fruit is very generically tropical though I couldn’t say anything more than that. I am getting a faint flavour in the background that seriously reminds me of hotdogs though I’m sure there aren’t any hotdog-like ingredients in here. It really gets strong in the aftertaste.

I can’t say I ever want to drink this again, but I’m glad I tried it.

I’ve finally managed to think through the fog in my head to get some actual work done. (Not entirely fair, I had a lot of work conversations this morning but they were not useful towards meeting this deadline).

TTBB #13

Mind Boost Mint – Steap Shoppe – 2/10/2014

Took a break from tea for the weekend because of a vague cold-like thing that I still have but now I’m at work and I need tea. I made this without looking at the ingredients first (stupid me) and have just now realized that this has stevia in it so I’m now not expecting much. Otherwise, we’ll see. I like mint.

Well, it is a little overly sweet and the stevia taste is bleh but it’s mostly pleasing on the first sip. The mint is somewhat subdued to me by the other flavours. I think I’m picking up what must be gingko biloba but I’m not sure, never having tasted that separately before. There’s a certain earthiness that I’m not familiar with in here.

I imagine my taste buds are sort of dulled from my sort of cold and my mind is dull from the cold and lack of sleep and the aftermath of an adrenalin rush from my car accident last night (my fault, stupid mistake). I wish I didn’t have a headache.

TTBB #12

I cold-brewed this tea a few days ago but only now got around to putting sugar in it. I’m somewhat sick with a cold but there’s cleaning that needs to get done today and I’ve gotten a late start to it.

This tea, when cold brewed as long as I did, which is about 12 hours, has a nice dark rich tasting base and some sweetness on top that must be the cotton candy/caramelized sugar. If asked what the sweetness was, I wouldn’t have said cotton candy, but this is nice tasting all the same. Not quite up to the razzleberry standards but still pleasant to taste.

Apple Green Tea – Yamamotoyama – 2/6/14
4 minutes, 175 degrees.

I also forgot I was steeping this. I’ve been scatterbrained today with trying to get all of this work done but also drink my teas.

The dry smell from the opened package is very very apple. Nice bright and crisp and a little reminiscent of apple candies. Steeped the apple candy smell is a bit stronger and when I sip without sugar added, the tea is mostly green tea but at the end of the sip there is a little nip of the apple flavour that can’t be missed.

Sweetened, this tastes exactly like a liquid apple jolly rancher. So very very similar. It took me a bit to figure out what I was tasting since I haven’t had a jolly rancher of any flavour except the red kind in a long time but it is definitely apple candy I’m tasting, not really true apple. That doesn’t mean it’s unpleasant by any means, I like it, but if anyone is looking for an apple tea that tastes like actual apples, this one isn’t it.

Coordination sheet Critical is ready for first signing! Now I need to do all of the stupid text attachments. Coordination sheet Less Critical just got the work amount doubled so I now need to do that. Stupid being inquisitive and asking if their request was complete or if they needed THIS piece over HERE too.

TTBB #11

Divine Fruit – The Tea Grotto – 2/6/14
4 minutes, 185 degrees

I forgot I was steeping this and it steeped for 4 minutes instead of the 2 I wanted but it seems to have come out okay. Without sugar, it tastes fruity already, a bit tropical, I think I see bits of pineapple and papaya in the blend. Sweetened, it is much more fruity but the base is still there in the background but faintly since white tea tends to be delicate and this one is a bit more robust than some but not like a green or black would be. I went looking for the strawberry and it’s right there at the front of the sip and getting stronger as the tea cools off. This is an enjoyable drink.

Coordination Sheet Critical when through the first round of review, I finished corrections and now it’s back again. I hope that this is the final round with the lead engineer because it’s due pretty soon, the end of next week and it still needs to get through the manager signature process. I’m about to start putting together the c/s for the slightly less critical job, since it’s due out in about 3 weeks so there’s more wiggle room. Except for the stupid enormous table I had to build by hand, it went quickly. So I should be looking for more tasks tomorrow and that’s always a nice feeling, to be done with everything due. I should line up some work for after that though, companies don’t like idle employees. Is that vague enough? I’m just happy for an end to the frustration and that things are starting out well in my transition back to work from a medical leave of absence.

Anyway this is TTBB #10

The Liberator – Java Tea Co. – 2/6/14
2 tsp, 3 minutes

Alright it smells like coffee. I was curious so I made a cup. Tastes like coffee too. Too bad I don’t like coffee. There’s a bit of chocolate but otherwise coffee coffee coffee. Poured the rest out.

TTBB #9

Backlog from yesterday. This was super good to end the day yesterday. I’d spent the day drinking experimental teas from the TTBB and I wanted something I love so I came up with that one and it was soo good. I kind of gulped it down because I was running late to leave work but it was still very nice.

Lavender White – One Love Tea – 2/6/14
? minutes, 185 degrees

While it was steeping and then cooling, my entire desk smelled like lavender and it was very nice.

Tasting this without sweetener, it is extremely flowery and a little bit bitter but strangely I don’t think that the bitterness came from the white tea but kind of from the lavender. Once the sugar has been added, the flower taste becomes more pleasant and the base tea comes out a bit more. I’m not entirely sure that lavender and white tea are the only ingredients here, there are several brown stick things that are in that I can’t identify. As it cools, the flowery aftertaste comes on stronger which is nice at first but quickly turns sickly as it lingers so I am drinking this fast and looking for a food item for after it. I think my mint Aero bar from England will do.

TTBB #8

Walnut Green – The Tea Grotto – 2/5/14
2.5 minutes, 175 degrees

Nutty and buttery are the first few sips without the sugar stirred up. It’s actually quite pleasant and drinkable this way. The base tea must be very nice. Sugar brings out both of the flavours a whole lot more and subdues the base a little except at the end of the sip and the aftertaste (which is in my cheeks again, keychange). There was one enormous half of a walnut in my leaf as well as some sort of fruit that I think was candied pineapple from the look of it. I can taste that faintly to the sides of the flavour of the nut. If I drink more quickly as it cools, the taste of the base green tea comes to the fore and is quite bright and buttery all on it’s own. Nut and fruit are fading with the temperature.

Verdict? I’d drink this again. Not sure I’d buy it because walnut isn’t my fave and I have way too much tea already but if it were served to me I would drink it with a smile.

TTBB #7 (almost time to go home from work)