Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

This is very tasty. I only steeped for two minutes because stronger blacks sometimes are a bit too strong and I miss the nuances, but this way was perfect for me. It was malty and a bit fruity. It was very full tasting even with the shorter steep time, though I plan to do a second steep to see how far I can take it. I recommend it for people who love full tasting tea, and recommend it still with a shortened steep time for people who want the “light” version that is still packed with flavor.

Man, this is an intense one. I used to hate Earl Gray because to me, it usually tastes very soapy from the sharpness of the bergamot. However, once I learned to just put a dash of milk or almond milk in it, I am a huge fan. This one is perfect for that as it is very strong. I have a sample and can smell it perfectly through the bag. As this tea is a staple for many, I would highly recommend this brand.

The shared A&D order arrived last week. I am so thankful for JustJohn and RosebudMelissa who split a 3 pack with me. I get to own 3 A&D teas without completely swimming in tea.

I had this tea when I first started drinking tea. It was a sample and at the time I didn’t know how to pick out different aspects of tea. This is good! I have been drinking Nahorhabi for a while now and this is delightful in a different way. Today I am getting cocao and cinnamon in my cup. This has much more of the dark notes compared to Nahorhabi. I am really liking this.

DeleriumFrogs sent this to me in a tea swap. Thank you! I received about a dozen mystery teas and every one of them looks so amazing it was hard t pick out which one to try first.

Being morning and needing a good cup to get going, this one won the battle. I have had this once before, but this cup confirms my thoughts about this tea last time. The cup I had before had taken on flavor from the packaging. I am really glad I get to give it another go. This is bold, smooth and malty. This one doesn’t have much sweetness to it. A good morning cup.

EDIT: This tea resteeped so well. I finally get why everyone loves this tea. I might just have to get a tin of this someday. Or maybe share a tin.

I am enjoying this one this morning. This is a quite old sample and I think TerriHarpLady sent me this one. Thanks Terri !

I am an Earl Grey Lover, you know, I’ suprised I didn’t taste this one before.
This is perfectly balanced maybe too much for me. Tea base and bergamot are on the same line. This is pleasant but surely not my favourite EG. It has a lack of some bergamoty touch, maybe the peel ? not sure but something is missing for sure to be a real EG on my opinion.

Thank you, Cavocorax, for a super-generous sample of this!

The first sip of this clear and copper brew made me think of… Calming Manatee Meme ;D I have no idea why! It’s black tea, there shouldn’t be much calming about it. Yet, that’s how it is like. As if somebody patted you on the back and said “Everything will be just fine!”

It smells absolutely amazing. Chocolate, roses, bread are only some of the notes I detect. Each sip is like a different kind of cake – chocolate, banana, pecan. It is still more than just a straight black blend of a sweet character. There’s certain astringency and bitterness to it, pretty mild, and definitely not unpleasant, that gives it character. It could just become one of my favorite black blends, very obvious rival for H&S’ Queen Catherine.

Definitely my favorite Damn Fine Tea. Smoother than the Double Knit Blend, but more flavorful and pronounced than the Tiger Assam. This has everything that I look for in a black tea: It’s malty, rich, slightly chocolately, and almost but not quite bitter. When someone says “black tea”, this is what first pops into my mind.

Works great as both a morning and afternoon tea, depending on the steep time. Love this one!

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @100C. Steeped 3 minutes 15 seconds.

When, oh when, will I learn to stick to a 3-minute steep? Those 15 extra seconds make a difference. If you really like astringency and pucker in your tea, steep over 3 minutes.

I’ve need a while to warm up to this one. It’s bright and cheerful, with some pucker — but with no bitterness, no acid. The body is medium to heavy with a creamy heft that I really like. Mouthfeel is smooth; I can see lots of down floating in the dark copper liquor through the walls of my glass mug. An assertive India black tea that will wake you up and remind you just why you started drinking tea in the first place.

1.5 tsp for 250mL tea @100C, steeped 3 minutes.

Oooh, this is much better today. I’m getting some Muscat notes, too, some pleasant astrigency. The shorter steep time makes a big difference.

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @100C, steeped four minutes.

Bright and sparkly up front. I was expecting more of a Nepal-Darjeeling sort of taste profile, but this deepens into something stronger and a bit maltier. I’m guessing this has a lot of Nilgiri in it. I notice the steeping suggestion is three minutes; my four minutes have brought out a bitterness I am not enjoying. Next time, I’ll follow the instrictionsd.

This is a lighter Keemun that “the usual suspects” that hold the depth of “Middle Earth” in their mouthful. Named appropriately, Spring Keemun by Andrews & Dunham is light but full of flavor, for those who are patient with steeping. This is a Keemun Xiang Luo (Fragrant Spirals) and when I opened the tin, it looked like tiny little elves had been working away on a piece of black wood on a lathe all night long and put the little twirly shavings in this tin….it looks magical! There is a mild smell of the leaves in the tin, but I didn’t linger there, because I wanted TEA!! Into the cup the wee millings go!

Everything about this tea says Spring. The gentleness of the notes and color and how it feels on my tongue. The smell is earthy, but not middle-earthy. More like your neighbor is digging up their little veg garden on a breezy day. There’s a light baking bread note, a wee bit of sweet potato skin that wafts by, as well as a weensie floral note to top it all off.
That’s all I can write, cuz suddenly I looked in my cup and all my tea is gone. I’m glad it’s just the beginning of spring, because I have the tea to match the season. RAH!

Oh, this is a limited edition (aren’t most teas?) and they have a ticker of how many tins are left on their website….as of this morning there were 57 left of 150. I tweeted this company and asked if there were any coupons and they sent me a code to use for free shipping. So if you’re thinking of ordering for the first time from them, tweet them at @damnfinetea… it’s worth it and they are super responsive. Gotta love a company like that! It’s exactly what creates loyalty from me!

I open the tea cupboard each evening and try to choose what I’m going to take to work with me the next day. Sometimes I choose well, sometimes I’m digging through my haphazard stash of tea at work because I guessed wrong the night before. Last night, the tiger wanted to go to work with me to help me through my Friday, and here he is. I’ve written notes about this tea before, how it is simply a delicious assam. The key word is simply. Simple. There is a beauty in a tea with just a few notes (in this case cocoa, malt and raisin) when it is balanced just right. And this tea is. My tea ritual at work is different than that at home. At home life is simpler, so a more complex tea is welcome. At work, however, it is not simple. It is, at times, absurdly complex, so a good simple flavor profile is often exactly what I’m looking for. I think I’m going to leave this tin at work. :)

Somehow, in April in Southern California, a 85 degree week has turned into a blustery 55 degree weekend day….and my Tiger Assam arrived YESTERDAY!! Perfect timing! Since I’m a terminal milk and sugar girl, reviews of this tea built up my curiosity up so much that I paid $20 for 4.4 ounces of this stuff before I tasted or even sniffed it. This could go terribly wrong…but here goes.

Dry leaves: Malt. Definitely very assam-y.
Wet: more malty goodness. I was so excited to smell this tea wet that I fogged up my glasses huffing what was in the cup. And I wasn’t even embarrassed.
Drinking: Oh nom. nom nom nom. Not extraordinary like Butiki with many notes. Not astounding….. just assam NOM. Malty, a bit of a raisin bottom note, a touch of cocoa. I don’t think I could drink this without sugar and milk, as there is an astringency to this tea. …but the astringency is what makes this tea a “mouthful”…which on this wonderful surprise of a blustery day in Southern California is truly appreciated. YAAAAAAAY! Recommended to the milk and sugar crowd.

I’m so sleepy. I thought this tea would give me a nice boost. It did, nice and gently. It’s very smooth, not bitter or doesn’t need any additions if you make it @200F for 3min

http://instagram.com/p/yfR4x4Bwu5/

So I’m technically self-employed which has many benefits/drawbacks that I’m not used to. One that I haven’t had to deal with before is that sometimes on Monday, you might get only 4 hours sleep, and then you might just forget the power cord for your laptop and not realize it until you’re halfway to work… And then you have to be VERY careful about how much time you spend working on your laptop before you run out of power, and you remember that this normally wouldn’t be an issue becuase your company would typically provide a computer for you….

WHOOPS! But I had to potentially waste power so I could log this tea. This sweet, slightly smoky, delicious tea. SO GOOD.

Also the benefit of working from my own laptop is that it’s MY laptop and if I have a billion saved tabs on my browser to non-work related sites, well… that’s my business. :)

Monday… :|
Monday means that I brought some of this to work just so I could have it for my morning tea, and because it’s Monday (and morning at that!) I ended up dumping it all over the floor. Whatever. I’ll risk it and drink it anyway! #badasseryachieved

It’s a good tea.

Not sure if I’m grumpy or what, but I don’t feel like talking about tea today. Too bad because this one is great. SO great. I’ll just sip it in silence.

(unrelated: I’m at home today and after cleaning the house all morning, I’m now relaxing in a sundress because I want to enjoy spring, and sweat pants, because i’m cold!)

Warning, opinionated post, read at your own risk!

Today I am feeling frustrated and opinionated. Mostly because many of my clients seem like they have lost their minds. It’s the equivalent of asking, “What color is the sky” and them answering, “Giraffe.” It makes me wonder if I am speaking in tongues!

So anyway, I want you all to know that I read each and every review that comes up on my feed. I rarely “like” them, because the damn heart is so tiny and I most often read them on my iPad. I invariably hit something next to the heart and lose my place. Why can’t they make the heart huge?

So this morning I woke up and was lying in bed reading Roswell Strange’s many reviews, and it occurred to me that I enjoy reading them far more than many of the (official) bloggers (not all, don’t get your panties in a wad) whose posts I also see. Roswell’s posts are so funny/quirky/interesting, and I have two daughters about her age so I guess I relate to them in a way, but I really do enjoy reading every one of them, beginning to end. But many of the bloggers write huge long posts that really don’t say anything. /rant off, and good job Roswell Strange.

So I picked this tea (thank you Stephanie for the sample) because I had had it before and knew I would like it, and this morning I didn’t feel like gambling.

In other news, you know I run a company, and that makes us plenty of money and keeps me plenty busy, but because I’m a FREAK I always have to have things going on on the side. You probably don’t know that I own an online bookstore that has a few thousand books. And, I recently bought a bulk lot of 60 handbags to sell on ebay. Just because. They’re inexpensive Chinese made ones, but some of them are cute, and I’m sure someone will like them.

So there you go.