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hugs

Sorry you’re being chased by the blues. But I’m glad this helped! I haven’t tried my wild monk yet. Sounds like I need to do that tomorrow. :)

i need to buy this

Thank you sweet girl..I will get by. This tea is just fantastic, and I need some time alone when I have it, it’s just that good. I’ve had that now and feel much better :-)

Apt, this one is a no brainer…and I believe there’s only a few 2012 cakes left…

<3<3<3<3

<3

Hey! I put way more hearts on that comment! Steepster ate my hearts!!!!!

No worries, one heart from you is already full of special meaning :-)

This is one of those teas that makes me feel better too – glad that it’s working for you – enjoy your time with it and feel better. :))

Feel better dear TF!

Wild Monk to the rescue! Hope you feel better!

Sounds like this will end up on my list of Magic Mood Teas, but I won’t know for sure til tomorrow. :)

Seepster has been eating my characters all day. This sheng <3. I’m grumpy headache girl as well. Grrrr Instead of sheng though I just made up some GO in my newly-seasoned Vanilla Dream pot! LTF!!!! It worked. It steals very little even at this point after that long hot bath. I would say it takes a wee bit of the chocolate flavor and pretty much none of the vanilla. It’s awesomely good.

Thank you deaf friends <3

Sars, I cannot wait for you to try it…

(“deaf” friends??? I OBVIOUSLY DON’T KNOW HOW TO WRITE!!)

I don’t hear that well…

Haha!

But I DO have some badass tea!

Same here…shitloads of badass…

You win the typo of the day award, Foxy!

Whaaaaat? I can’t hear youse!!!!!

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW????

Hugs, TTF! I hope tomorrow is a better day :)

Thank you sweet mj, feeling much better this morning :-)

Excellent :)

I don’t think I got that oolong. I got a couple of their others which I need to try. I hear rumors of a sale though.

Oh lovely! I haven’t tried Butiki’s DYL, but I have Yezi’s and this style is definitely yumz. :)

I got the Da Ye Aged and the Reserve Four Season – LTF made them sound good – I’m gonna break into them and the blue tea tomorrow :D

I love butiki’s oolongs!! Are you planning to try the aged ones this week end Honeybelle?

Sars, I haven’t had Yezi so I can’t compare…but this one is more than lovely!

LTF makes everything sound good! Luckily she always seems to be right! :p

Yes, blue tea!!! Drink it and report back!!! It’s such a party tea. It’s kinda hard not to smile when you drink it. I recommend white tea ware. :)

TTF… You should let me send you some. Seems like the perfect thing for a tea fairy.

Yes I’m gonna try the aged ones and a little TGY and the blue tea. OH and my taster is back and I’m enjoying the SB

Oh, missed the comment where you said “I’m gonna try them tomorrow” lol.

Loke Sars said, can’t wait to find out what you think of them!

TeaFairy, which of the oxidized oolongs would you recommend? I’ve been looking at them and trying to decide! Between the two aged ones, the four season, Doke rolling thunder, and the Gui Fei. I know I’m getting Oriental Beauty! But any suggestions would be awesome. :P

(“Like”, damn typos)

Oh, I got the OB too – I got the leafhopper thingie and got a cute bug magnet.
Dang. Now I want OB

OMG. I got the magnet too, but I swear I’m not tea gear stalking you. It was weeks ago. Isn’t it the cutest thing ever!?!?!

I was not crazy about doke rolling…but Gui Fei is bug bitten, just like OB and they are both fantastic and super honey like!

It is very cute!!! I like bug-bited teas!

I ordered a wee bamboo tea tray for my office today.

With the crazy shipping?

Did you see the cute little cups I got today Missy?

No, with Amamzon even though I’m wanting to quit doing anything with them. I got my assistant to try sheng the other day and it was messy- water and tea on my desk – so I just ordered it. The are a shitload of things I want on that site though

Pics or it never happened. :p

And OMG I totally forgot to show you two!!! I finally found the tea tray of my dreams after weeks of searching.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350896243321

I did! they were adorable!!! I have that Buddha Hand holding a lotus one coming and the purple one and the crackly one from the other day. I LOVE that earth and stars one you’re getting! All of them are cute

OH that’s PRETTY Sars!!!!!

Wow, very nice sars, and it’s darker like you want!

And where was THIS when I was looking for a work thing????

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tea-Companion-Travellers-Bamboo-Gongfu-Teaset-12-Pcs-/350799855632?pt=Dinnerware_Serving_Dishes&hash=item51ad4d0010

I’m pretty excited. It was so hard to find a larger tray with the dark finish for a reasonable price. Every time I would find one in my price range, they were sold out. I’m really happy with this one.

That is just the cutest thing ever!!!

Cameron, I just tried a bunch of oolongs in the Education TTB 2; four seasons and oriental beauty were my favorites!

I love that set! Which tray did you end up with, MzP?

I’m excited to try them.

@LTF – RIGHT????

Thanks mj, I did read your notes! :) I’m so jealous, I want to do a Butiki educational box! I’m thinking I’ll definitely get Oriental Beauty and Gui Fei, I may choose another depending on how many things I end up getting… ;)

I,m pretty sure you’ll like them cameron!

Ok…wasn’t going to say anything but….i just got the last cherries of the season. 6 pounds. All to myself…and now, I feel like drinking you know what.

This one:

http://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Tea-Tray-Mini-Size/dp/B00HUIKCXU

I’m glad you found a beautiful one that makes you happy!

Of course you do – I will drink some with you

Love the tiny tray, just perfect for the office :-)

And thanks for drinking with meeeee!

Kettle just beeped

That little tray is so cute!!!!

I really like that little set with the bamboo cut-out in the top and all the stuff to with it and easily packable though. What is this “Best offer available” thing and how do I do it?

I’m pm-ing you missy!

Because I can return the amazon thing

Make an offer! Woo! Haggling is kinda fun, IMO. :)

It’s not fun so far

Oh. Well poo. :(

MzPrizz that’s a pretty good price for that one. The store where I first saw that type wanted 4-6 dollars more. If you do buy from Shanghai story, I’ve heard that their jinjunmei is pretty good.:)

We should start a Kickstarter for that purpose.

I really like the name of that tea haha. It feels all ancient and mystical.

Haha! That would be an awesome Kickstarter Marzi, you always have the best ideas!!

TeaterTotter, funny you say that…it does feel ancient and mystical when you drink it also :-)

I love vanilla flavored teas with a fiery passion. I’ll have to try this one out eventually. Also, you can fund anything on kickstarter these days, just look up the potato salad guy.

Then you will not regret trying this TeaterTotter. But please note that this is blended, not flavoured. REAL hand cut vanilla beans :-)
I personally don’t like vanilla flavoured teas much… this is something completely superior and different!!

?? I thought you had Fairy Power? Stuff magically appears in my mailbox….

Some powers…. :-)

When are you trying this one Dex? Did I mention I overleaf it to get even more goodness?

You’ve inspired me to make this one tonight!!!!

I don’t have a tin available for it…. :((

Sars, aren’t you supposed to play “pupu destroyer” tonight?

(dex, me think we both need more black tins…)

I am not allowed to buy more tins….. :((

( I think I’m lifting the tin restriction rule. This tea is tin worthy. I’d be very surprised if you don’t repurchase it. But you must TRY it in order to know that!!!)

I played pupu destroyer this AM, pookie. There’s a note on your Taiwanese Wild Mtn Black review. :)

I need time to recover before the pick comes out again!!!!

Aaaah! I was on the go this morning, I missed some comments, will go read about it :-)

I’m not really a black tea lover but that sounds so good!

:)

Teatertotter, although this one has vanilla beans in it, the vanilla flavor is not as strong in this tea as it is in the Golden Orchid, which is very vanilla!

I picked out a pot to be my vanilla dreams teapot!!!! So exciting!!!!

Yay! Sars that’s great! I’m planning to try PORT in mine today…should be epic!

Oh, and Which one did you choose?

I’m seasoning my vanilla pot right now

Well MzP suggested the lotus gaiwan, but I really want to use that for one of my pu’erhs, and I was reading that banko clay gives teas a sweeter, smoother finish over time, and that sounds perfect for vanilla, so I picked this one:

http://www.tealux.ca/hakucho_banko_houhin_teapot

That is cute!

It’s hard to see in that pic, but the knob on top is a cute little flower. :)

It’s precious!

Oh, that is lovely. And I love Tealux, just wish they had tinier yixing pots.

Thanks! I never ordered from them before, but they seem to have some great stuff! Hopefully my little teapot gets here soon! Vanillaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

Let me know when you order. I have tried almost every tea (unflavoured) they have, I can give you great recommendations. Their oolongs are fantastic.

Oh pookie pie! You know I have no self-control! I ordered that days ago. :)

I got a bunch of tins because I need some so badly! I didn’t get tea this time because I’m living in pu’erh city over here….

I need (* hides LTF’s eyes *) more tins

Tinzzzzzzz. Give us all the tinzzzzzzz!!!!!!

Hurry up Missy. I need more tins also. Y’all know what it means.

We do know. How did I use up that many already?? And someone got more than me and you need more???? Laughs. We need an intervention. And I need some organization. I got a decent grip on it, but alas – out of control again.

I went to Harney for tins this time since I wanted some soba and they will stack and they are $1.75 for a 4 oz BLACK tin. I may spend some of today figuring out where all this tea is going to live permanently

Oh that’s a great price, LHBQotTFRotCT. Now that I am getting my collection of pots curated and housed (my shelf is on the way), I need to figure out a plan for ALL THIS TEA. I have some preliminary ideas, but I’m still working out the details.

Not sure if I showed you guys the shelf I picked out. If not, here it is. I think it will be great for little gaiwans and houhins and teapots :)

http://www.amazon.com/Intersecting-Squares-Decorative-White-Shelf/dp/B00GOFZ7B2

Oh that shelf is way cute.

It seemed perfect because it has so many little “cubbies”. I can fit 8 different teawares, and I think I could even go up to 11 if needed. I just have to make sure it’s hung VERY securely.

A stud-finder is your friend

I don’t have studs :(

Don’t tell my BF I said that :p

I live in an older house, so it has lath and plaster walls. I like them because they aren’t “perfect” and they have some visual interest, but I also hate them because it is such a PITA to hang heavier things.

OMG how will you DO that with those walls?

There are special support thingies you can buy. That’s the technical name: “support thingies”

You drill small holes and insert them. They expand inside the wall and keep your nails or screws from just falling out. It’s going to be a project, but I think it’ll be worth it :)

And I guess I should say that I DO have studs, but they are spaced much further apart, which is why it’s so hard to do this stuff.

toggle bolts

Well fine, if you want to get all specific about it. You are correct :p

Sars, I love that teapot & the shelf! I am now fantasizing about buying the swan yixing…OMG, it’s adorable!!

I also live in an OLD house, with lathe & plaster walls. When I was painting one of the bedrooms on the 2nd floor I accidentally bumped the wall inside the closet, & pretty much watched all the plaster disintegrate before my eyes. What followed was a crash course in ‘this old house’ style fly by set of your pants wall repair.
Even worse was when we had to run new wiring for a ceiling light…we finally cut some holes in the ceiling, which I later went back & patched with my now amazing speckling skills. LOL

Thanks, Terri!

Hahaha. You know exactly what I am dealing with then. I love my old house, but on the other hand, certain things are a pain. I will find a way to make the shelf work, but it will probably involve cursing, alcohol, unintentional holes, and yelling. :p

Haha! This is amusing..also an old house owner here! We disagree at times, but I love most of its imperfections. Also, I like the way it cracks and makes funny noises sometimes, as if there were ghosts in here :-o

Maybe there are :)

There are :)

Hehe…I’d love me some ghosts friends :-)

I dont think I would mind a friendly ghost.

My house is old-ish but not the kind of old y’all are talking about – mine is from the 1940s and it has its own problems – like zero insulation :(

No ghosts though my house also makes creaky noises

Mz were the $1.75 tins online?

I have a ghost, but my house isn’t old (built 2004). I also had a ghost in my previous apartment, I think its the same one. takes all the cheese and candy foods, sometimes leaves pennies. . Im really not kidding that I think I have a ghost that follows me! at least it doesn’t take my tea. Because then I would be prompted to call in the professionals. (^o^)

Takes the cheese and candy? We would be fighting. It is obviously a very old ghost if it only compensates you with pennies.

@ Marizpan – yes. I had to google empty harney tins to find them – the website didn’t make it easy

https://www.harney.com/black-empty-tea-tin-4-oz.html

No ghost of mine will ever touch the cheese. Ever. There would be an epic battle…and I promise the fairy would win.

I would help you fight that battle. Cheese is serious business

I wonder if that’s why I don’t have a ghost… No cheese!!!!!! Maybe my house had a ghost but the poor thing ran away!!!

Oooh, love that ‘raisins soaked in rum’ description. Yum!

Mmmm….Now I’m thinking of a “raisins soaked in rum” tea with TWMB as a base. Haha! Wouldn’t that be glorious!

Well, that would be entirely doable. I think you should submit that as a suggestion for our next custom blend contest. Just saying!

Hehe…might just do that Stacy :-)

Isn,t it in the fall?

Couldn’t help myself: http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i446/butikiteas/Breadiest_zps21eb4cf9.jpg :)

Yep, it’s in the fall. :)

Hahaha! Goodness, you gave me the best laugh I have had today Stacy, love ya <3

Excellent, love making people laugh! :) hugs

This sounds Deelish! And you know that I’m all about teas which have the TTF seal of approval!!!!

Haha! And I’ve got my own personal stamp now, thanks to Stacy!

Sars, I promised this tea to a few people already and don’t have enough to send you until I restock. But really, it is like nothing else I’ve ever tried, completely in a category of its own!

I just got a little bit and I want to try it, but apparently I’ve forgotten how to make tea. Both of the cups I’ve made this morning taste bland and underleafed even though I made them the same way I always make them. My allergies are raging so maybe it’s that – but I hate to waste my tea if it’s going to taste so blah to me :(

Lol…you are one of the “person” I have mentioned. This tea is so light, it takes tons of leaves, and since we are both “over-leafer”, I understand why you got a bland cup. I’m sending you enough for a gongfu session, this one is much better for me in the gaiwan :-)

I have some of this LTF – I just got some in a Butiki order. I got the Leafhopper Sampler – cause I love my bug bitten tea and I also got two kinds of oolong. I’ll try it in my gaiwan when I’m tasting right. The other cups I made this morning weren;t this one. I’m looking forward to this one, but not today since my taster is apparently off. I made a cup of Zhu Rong and a cup of the yezi tea that I love and nothing tastes right to me. I’m gonna do a big fat cup of Special Dark and lay off tea for the morning until my taster gets right. You are a sweetie for putting me some back, but I have this :)

TTF: that’s ok. I was planning a Butiki order for the near furure. I’ll add it to my wishlist. :)

Also, good morning lovely tea ladies!!!!

Also, this is a pre-approved Butiki order. :p

Good morning Sars – how are you today??

I love this one. This is one I tend to keep hidden and not drink b/c I do love it so. I need to just drink it:) I have never actually had this one gong fu style before. I will have to do that in the near future. Love the description! You are so good with describing flavors.

And yes, good morning, all the lovely ladies!

Gotta run, hope to catch y’all later!!

Yes, Totally pre-approved, thanks SARS!!

Sorry for bad taste buds MzPriss, I hope they start behaving soon :-)

Thank you Teatiff, let me know what you think after trying it with short steeps, so GOOD!! And don’t save it, DRINK IT :-)

Well HoneyBelle, it’s Friday, so woo! I’m also drinking some Butiki (peach hoppitea). The boss started her vacation today. I broke into my 1st pu’erh cake this AM ( ), I have zero meetings scheduled for today, AND I’m going to happy hour with my friend after work. So I’m freakin’ fantastic!!!! How are you????

How is peach hoppitea? That is one I have been iffy to order. Glad to hear you are having a great day Sarsonator. MzPriss sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well. I hope your taste buds hurry up and get back to normal.

@Sars – THAT is a good Friday!!! We got some rain which we needed. How was breaking your first cake?

Hey Tiff – I feel fine other than sneezing – but I HATE it when my taster is off – because i WANT tea, but I feel like I’m wasting it :(

Y’all have a good day – I’m out the door for work

Foxy- I meant MY future Butiki purchase was approved. I won’t police you b/c Dex seems to have everything under control LOL

Tiff- it’s ok. Not my fave, but my boyfriend is crazy about it and he picked the tea this AM. Hope you are having a great day, too!!!!

MzP- I was a little sad about the cake, but it workd out just fine. I broke off a small piece from the back, at the indentation. I wrapped it back up carefully and you can’t even tell it was violated! I hope your taster gets back to normal ASAP!

Oh, so happy that you’re having such an awesome friday Sars, and WOOT for breaking Pu’erh!! (And don’t worry, you’re cake won’t even notice you cruelly poked it with a knife)

Sounds so tasty! This tea has been #1 on my wish list! I’ve been wanting to try it out for a while, but I already exceeded my tea funds for the month. sigh

I have yet to find a mandala tea I don’t like, to tell you the truth…and yeah…maxed out tea funds suck!!

Hot Cowboy!!! Mine came yesterday and I will be breaking into this on Saturday. And I just re-read that thread from the other day. My only excuse is that I was all shenged up – I don’t know what you and Sars’ excuse is. We need to hide Garret’s eyes though. He makes all these gorgeous and majestic names for his beautiful teas and we turn it into Hot Cowboy.

Lol! Oh, those names are so beautiful. Did you know I actually bought this one only because of the name? I figured to earn such a meaningful title, it HAD to be good…and it was :-)

I can’t wait to try it. I got a pu-pick from Garret when I got this too so I have a proper tool! Oh and right this minute, I’m using my mug warmer. The Tea Hobbit is right – it rocks!

I’m still using my silly nut pick! I’m getting a knife and a pick today.

Also, I’m going crazy over this tiny thing:

http://www.chawangshop.com/index.php/tea-hardware/tea-cups/sky-and-earth-qing-ci-cup-40ml.html

Good morning my Fairy Princess Schoompie. If you’re looking to me to discourage you, I think you know you’re barking up the wrong tea tree. That is freaking gorgeous and it doesn’t cost hardly anything. I would have already bought it. * Dusts off hands * My enabling for the day is done. Nice to have gotten it out of the way early.

Haha! And good morning to you :-)
(Shipping is $17 BTW!!)
How was your night with all that sheng you had to drink “for the cause” last evening?

Holy shit! Really? OK I take my enabling back. That is a pretty cup though. You know, I don’t know how it happened – but I slept like 5 and a half hours. WTH? Maybe I should sheng at night more often. The mug warmer is bril!

Yeah, too expensive for one tiny mini cup. Lol, yes, we definitely should have sheng more often.
(I just sent you a pm)

I am trying Yu Lu Yan Cha from Verdant for the first time, having already sucked down my Dark Beauty and some Zhu Rong. I LIKE this new one. I’m going to have a hard time writing a note on and describing it. It’s like woody-insense. mmmm likey!

Ummm, Teafairy, I spent some time at the site again and learned 2 things……1. You can order 25g of any tea even if it is not sold as such on the site. 2. They have recently started epacket service out of Kunming, so if you are really interested the shop owner said to email him about your interest in said product and you can probably get a cheaper shipping rate….

The owner is out of town until July 28 so don’t expect an immediate response, but maybe that tea cup can be yours.
chawangshop@gmail.com

Haha! Yyz you are so sweet!! I can’t seem to get that cup out of my mind :-)

I really love that cup. So pretty! Love the contrast of it.

Looks like minty frosting :-)

Yes, all cool and minty and then the more rustic clay. It’s sweet.

DAMMIT! I just looked at all of the “Tea Hardware” which is an odd thing to call it. I now need about 10 things from there. How did this go from me enabling you to me trying to justify $17 shipping to myself? How???

Read yyz’s comment above…she’s the sweetheart who pointed me in their direction :-)

It is really pretty. He has some pretty nice teaware. Epacket is for up to 2 kg. If the shipping is a lot cheaper a tea tray for 15.00 is looking reasonable right now too.

GAH! I just keep finding things – there are lotus cups and cute gaiwans and teapets. I even want to get a present for Awkward Soul because there is the MOST adorable little owl cup.

Yes, I guess the low cost of items absorbs the shipping costs…

Hehe…did you see the blue lotus cup? And the little piggy pet?

YES AND YES!!!!!!! The laughing piggie on its back? And the lions playing with the ball? And yes! They are so reasonably priced that the shipping might be starting to make sense. Epacket would be better though?

OH and a wee small CHEAP tea tray for my work tray that I was just saying yesterday I needed?

No, did not see that one…that would be great!

Its true, once you start thinking about a few things the price isn’t so bad.

Except – when I added all the items and I wanted and estimated shipping to Texas – I had TWO choices $40 or $60 in shipping. Um, what?

It goes up with weight. That’s why I started thinking about epacket. The prices for China post go up after 150g. Given epacket ends at 2 kg you may need to break up the order.

Actually its 50g for small packet, and then increases again significantly over 1 kg

Cries.

Epacket rates look to be under 11 dollars for 2kg Max to the US but I’m not sure of what handling fees the seller would add on.

I need to figure it out. Because I WANT those things

This post just made me want to get a cowboy hat! So wonderful. Great to see you all on here. Life is such a gift – smiles and laughter make it all the sweeter!

(But get the hat!!!)

I don’t know exactly how HOTOT became hot cowboy, but whatever!

TTF: that cup is gorgeous!!!! Love it. Am I supposed to be enabling you or not enabling you currently?

HoneyBelle: those lotus cups are gorgeous. Not sure which one you liked, but they are all pretty.

I see several things I could use. If you guys find a better shipping option, let me know. I am taking a break for awhile, but I still have a wishlist!

I’m waiting until the 28th when he comes back. Hopefully then I’ll find out the cost of 25g of their dark teas and have an idea of shipping rates. I’m tempted by too many things there. The good thing about time is it gives me time to edit.

The prices are just amazing, and there’s a great variety. Let us know what you find out, yyz :)

I bought a ton of these nugs. OK, not quite a ton… close, though! I am happy that you enjoy them. I really enjoyed reading your review. But then again, I always love your reviews!

And it is a pretty sweet price, isn’t it? Yay!

Grateful,
Garret

Thenks Garret :-)

And I looooove your teeeeeeea!!!!

Maybe I will try this one next. It certainly sounds good!!!! I am currently sitting on the couch, sniffing all my pu’erh cakes.

When you try it, don’t be afraid to use a lot, I might use ten grams next time cause I could have used a more intense flavour that’s how good it was…but then again, don’t listen to me, I tend to overleaf everything!

Oh, and I may or may not have purchased another brick of something else today

MmmmHmmmm – what she means is that she got busted in the pick or knife thread… ;))

Oooooooh busted!!!!

I got a pick, but I have to see how that goes. I may need a knife, too, eventually.

Lol. Sooo busted…but it was all worth it, and I’ve NEVER been more reasonable on a mandala order before!!

Sars, if you got the pick mentioned in the thread, you should be ok. Garret recommended it, no need for knife he said…for most cakes, (some you might also need a jackhammer)

http://steepster.com/discuss/8113-puerh-pick-or-puerh-knife

That’s the one I got!

I figured it would be safer since it has a cover and I can be a LITTLE accident prone. Like when I fell down the last few stairs on Sunday, or when I banged my leg on the bed frame, or… you get the idea.

At least I have great tea to console me!

Haha! Don’t you know I the queen of clumsiness also? Ask Dexter….Then it’ll be safer for both of us!!

It’s kind of weird b/c with me, it goes in phases. I have zero incidents for several weeks, then all of a sudden, I’m very accident prone, then it stops again.

I hope you are ok though,poor girl…not that funny after all :-(

I did stub my finger with the knife trying to get a chunk of very tightly compressed cake . No joke. Be careful. I also got a cake break tray .

I am fine, my lovely. And are you kidding? It’s kind of hilarious.

When I came tumbling down the steps the other day, I scraped the front on my right shin. I hit the ground and my boyfriend was sitting in a chair across the living room. I put my legs out in front of me on the ground to inspect the damage and he kind of paused for a second, like he could not believe I just fell down the stairs, then he started over, but it was like slow-mo. I was in pain, then he started moving my way in a faster manner (after the pause) and I was whining, and something about his reaction and my reaction struck me as SO FUNNY. So I’m half crying, half laughing and this poor man is probably wondering if I really have officially lost it.

I make falling down the stairs FUN. Actually, it was only 3 steps, thank goodness!

Perfect note for this! <3

You two are too much. I love reading your WP reviews even if they make me want to buy lots more tea to try!

Pudding mouth!!!

Happy to entertain Whatshesaid. Spending for this tea won’t hurt, I promise, I put a Fairy Seal of approval on it!

mzPriss don’t you think it’s totally pudding?

:D I seriously love these reviews!

Yes I do!!!!

This is adorable. Love it!

You and MzPriss are clearly influencing each other in the right way … or it could be the tea drunk! ;) Either way, your two reviews of this tea are the bear-st I have read in ages.

Thank you Dr.Roughage, great compliment coming from you. And thanks for my daily bear pun fix ;-)

You’ll be bear-gging me to stop before long, bearcause I shall be dredging the bottom of the bearral! :) Now I really should get back to work instead of reading Steepster.

WOOOOO! When my new yixings get here – I’m going the same thing!

Go look at your PM. And “bathed in awesomeness all night long” is full of win!

Lol, I guess not! Can’t wait for you to try this…

I think I want my Vanilla Pot to be the purple one that sadly, is coming from China so will take a while. Maybe I’ll change my mind and use another one for the vanillas.

You have the purple and the one from mandala coming right? Any others I should know about?

No. I finally managed to stop after the Mandala one. For pots anyway – I do have that lotus cup coming. But I also have 2 others I need to season. One will be just for SD and one will be for other shous and that will leave one for…..?

I REALLY want the purple one to be the vanilla one though, so I may have to wait

Yes, you better wait for what you really want…just pretend you did not see this note this morning…

I will try

This new yixing habit is going to get expensive… I can already tell. In addition to the yixing gaiwans I’ve bought over the past few days, I bought a wall shelf last night, to keep them on. Because you can’t have broken tea ware! And now I see this idea, so I need another yixing gaiwan!

This time, I blame Brenden. You’re off the hook, Foxy!

I’m having GO as my going out the door tea this morning. @Sars the lotus gaiwan need to be the Vanilla one

Have a great day MzPriss!!

Sars…it’s totally on him, thank you.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125488674@N02/14688641333/

Cute new mug (filled with GO)

Which lotus, HoneyBelle? I got two. Though one is a different type of clay. So maybe I should stick with the yixing for this. Not sure.

Love the new mug!!!

The mug looks awesome!!!

The one where the lotus is actually the shape of the clay with no glaze. Isn’t that mug cute? $4.99 @ TJMaxx

OK out the door with my GO. Have a great day y’all

Thanks for the suggestion, MzP! Have a great day!!!

Special Dark is always special, but there was something extraordinary about it steeped in the new clay. The mineral of the clay is just amazing with this one. So happy that WE are enjoying our pots and finally giving them the love and care that they deserve. :))

I just keep drooling over additional fixings, & thinking, “if I had this one, I’d use it for (such & such tea)…” :)
I love them

Yup, going to have to make some Special Dark in a yixing pot, tomorrow.

You’re so right Dex, it’s really “Special”!!!

Terri, OMG, I do the same!! I am in such a yixing mood right now, it is dangerous.

Spencer, yes…JUST DO IT :-)

Hmm, so, now balancing the wisdom of taking a yixing to the office…which would mean a bamboo tea tray, too…

Yixing pots are very addictive . Glad you enjoy the experience;)

You can never have too many Yixing pots. Honest! :)

I seasoned my wee-est yixing with Wild Monk yesterday using the Tea Hobbit method – put it in the bowl of tea and put the bowl on a mug warmer for 3 hours. I may have a new yixing or two coming. I’m going to do a Special Dark pot, and a VANILLA DREAMS pot and one for shous that aren’t Special Dark. But right now, I’ve just woken up and am on my way to the kitchen to kickstart my day with my Dark Beauty cocktail and hope that today is better than yesterday

I hope so too…today WILL be a better day :-)

I did my VANILLA DREAMS pot last night!! 7 gr. of GO devoted to it, HOBBIT way, cause it worked so well with Special Dark. Will have my first shot this morning, yum!

I would love to see some pics of these yixings! Is there a discussion topic for that? Maybe I should start one.

Oh there are many sars “show us your teaware” or something like that….but you could totally start a new one!

I’ll see if I can find one that’s yixing specific to resurrect. If not, I’ll start one. I am so excited! I’m currently searching for one to house my special dark. And I think I’ve figured out which tea is going in which gaiwan.

Choosing the teas that match is the toughest part, congrats!! Show me the special dark one when you find it. Will it be a pot this time, or another gaiwan?

I will take pictures of my four pots later and post them :-)

Don’t you worry, sweetie pie. I plan to show you all of them, along with the teas I want for each one, to get your opinion. And I’m going to hope HoneyBelle gives her input, too! :p

I think I am going to stick with gaiwans, assuming I can find enough unique ones. I just like ’em.

Yes, pics pls. I would love to see them.

Well, TeaFairy, looks as though I will get my wish for Special Dark in a yixing today – working from home, due to a rough cough.

Sars, can’t wait to see them all, will be happy to give you my humble opinion :-)

Yay for the tea, boo for the rough cough Spencer :-(
Let me know how you enjoy your SD session :-)

Hope the cough passes soon, Spencer. Regarding a tray for the office, I really like this one http://shopmandalatea.com/tea-wares/tea-trays/bamboo-island-tea-tray.html, it’s nicely compact. Currently out of stock, but I think Garret gets more of them in now & again.

I’d really like a yixing for my really wonderful smokey teas…I’ve been eyeballing one for awhile, but I’ll need more play pal money to get it.
I’d also like one just for Dian Hongs…and for Jin Jun Mei’s…and…and…and…

I need a tea tray for work. I have a gaiwan there and I just dump into a coffee mug, but a tray for work would be awesome. I need to quit reading stuff.

Thanks to Garret’s recent sale, I’ve begun the journey into the mystery that is Special Dark. Have all you SD lovers discovered your own optimum brewing parameters for this very popular shou? I’ve seen a variety of brewing times from 30 seconds to 7 minutes. Dare I ask … Is there a consensus on brewing SD?

i like short steeps. but i like short steeps for every tea because i want to see how flavors change. couple times i made it long steeped like 5min but then cut it with some milk and maple syrup. it was delicious. i still prefer short steeps;)

And I prefer the longer steeps! :D

How long a steep do you prefer?

Me? About 5 minutes. SUPER rich and cocoa-y.

TheTeaFairy also recommends 5 min.
MzPriss from her tasting note appears to enjoy 7 min.

This is on my list for when (if) I make a Mandala order.

boychik, How much pure maple syrup do you use with what quantity of SD that’s been steeped for 5 min.? Thanks!

very little, i start with 1/2 tsp, then try to see if i need more. maybe up to 1tsp. usually i dont sweeten my tea.
im thinking now that if you brew 1tsp 8 oz 5 min its probably will be the same as 5-7g 100ml 30 sec

How about for TheTeaFairy’s: 12 oz. / 5 g / 212 / 5 min. Western brewing recommendation?

Sticking my nose in – I like 2tsp/12oz 95c 8 min – I do do a quick rinse first then just let it steep….

Well, I ordered the puer sampler. I blame (or thank) you guys. ;)

Dexter, I’ll have to try that. Less leaf, usually reduces the flavor & body. Does the 8 min make up for the reduced quantity of leaf? Does 95c reduce the bitter chocolate flavor? So far, most of the comments I’ve read about SD aren’t suggesting a rinse, which is commonly suggested for some teas. What do you find is the benefit of rinsing of SD? Thanks!

i always rinse any puerh including SD! quick rinse,few secs

I do too! SD is already a little “dusty”, I find it helps removing some of that.

OK, I’ll definitely rinse.

This is how I like it. I hardly ever use boiling water on pu’erh (or black for that matter) – I prefer slightly lower water temp. Garret is a believer in rinsing leaves before steeping, something about the rinse opens up the leaves and prepares them to be steeped. There was a huge conversation about it on here about a year ago (I will never find it now), but every time I drink Mandala tea I think about that, so I rinse. I don’t have anything scientific for you. Those parameters are how I make Special Dark and I LOVE it. 8 mins isn’t written in stone – the longer this steeps the darker and richer it gets.

Thanks Dexter I’ll have to try your formula. I ask because I’m trying to optimize the rich creamy dark chocolate flavor without increasing the bitter chocolate aspect.

Brewing parameters
As a primarily black tea drinker I’m used to seeing either of the following:
- tsp (g) / oz. / temp. / min.
- tsp (g) / oz. / temp. / rinse / min.

Being new to pu’erh I don’t automatically think to rinse if it’s not stated in the brewing parameters / directions.

i think i put in parameters that i rinse. i even put pause. i like to pause couple min after rinsing
rinse/pause/5/10/15 etc :)

Some people believe that you should rinse all tea – white, green, oolong, black, pu’erh. The instructor of the tea class I took in the spring rinsed everything.
I only rinse pu’erh and all Mandala teas. When I rinse, I don’t fill the vessel full of water, I just cover the leaves, give it a swish and dump it off – approx 5 sec. I also preheat my mug, gaiwan, pot – whatever I’m using.
I think we all just have “habits”. Some one told us to do that, so we do even if we don’t really understand why….
I personally don’t find Special Dark as being bitter chocolate, so I’m not sure my recommendations are going to help you. I think you will just have to play with it to find your preference. :))

Dexter, boychik, & TheTeaFairy, Thanks for reminding me about the importance of rinsing. To my surprise, it’s not listed on the SD package brewing instructions. However, Garret does recommend a 10-15 sec. rise on the instructions that were included with his recent Ripe Pu’er Sampler. Rinsing helped a great deal!

Dexter, I tried your suggestion: 2tsp / 12oz / 95c / rinse / 8 min. Both my wife and I found it to be too light for us. So far, 1 Tbsp. / 10oz / 212 / rinse / 5 min. appears to provide a good balance for us. I may fine tune this further. Time will tell.

Thanks everyone!

My S.D. farewell: https://steepster.com/looseTman/posts/399892

Oh, this sounds NICE.

This sounds super good. I love almond milk chai. But I never tried it with maple syrup, so of course, I’ll be doing that next. :)

This is exactly the way I feel about it. The spices are really balanced – you can taste them all, not just the cinnamon and I love what the vanilla does.

That’s actually great news for me, HoneyBelle. I generally find that cinnamon overpowers everything, but I am a total sucker for cardamom and I like to be able to taste it!

But the important question… Is it ginger bonanza?!

Not too much ginger for sure – you don’t get a lot of cardamom either – I am a cardamom freak and I would add a LOT just for me – but there is balance here and it’s good. I like it Terri-style with a little maple

(MzPriss – have you tried Cardamon Black from NMTC… I think I’m the only one that LOVES it, but it’s JUST cardamon…)

I agree…the only thing bonanza about this cup is how creamy it is. The spices are there, but they don’t fight with one another.

Cardamom black???? OMG. Need. That.

Cameron, Ginger is strong here. I added some milk which I normally don’t do. I like it a lot with maple, without milk. It is strong

Lol, see I don’t get ginger, but not stronger than any other flavours…but I do love ginger, so I guess what is little for me might be a lot for someone sensitive to it.

love me some ginger!

I meant “I do get ginger” in comment above.

Yes terri, me too! And there is definitely some in here. But it’s not overpowering the rest for me.

this sounds really excellent

Dexter – I have not tried that but I would LOVE it – I LOVE cardamom!

I don;t find the ginger stronger than anything else – in fact when I make my on chai – I pump up the cardamom and the ginger because those are my two favorite chai spices

i don’t really like chai tea :(