Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

You guys! There’s a new Development after the set back earlier. It’s a completely unexpected and rather scary Development, and we’ve had to email some grown-ups for guidance on the issue. I’m still not going to tell you what it is, because I don’t want to jinx anything, but I’ll tell you what it isn’t. It’s not a bad thing and we’re not spawning (which imo would be a bad thing)

Auggy shared this one with me. I’m always interested in a blend from these guys, but rarely buy it myself. It’s not shipping fees or other geographical restrictions holding me back here. It’s the fact that their tins are usually an awful lot of tea. This is a really stupid reason, actually, and I will tell you why. It’s about 100g to a tin if I recall correctly. Sometimes 200g. I have shopped at places regularly for years where I had to get at least 100g because that was just the way that particular shop worked for it to be worth it for them to ship it. So what’s the difference between taking a chance on 100g from Shop A or taking a chance on 100g from Shop B? I don’t know. You tell me. I told you it was a stupid reason.

There’s something else in it too, though. The couple of times I have shopped there, I’ve had to do it by email order and paypal the money directly, because their order form couldn’t deal with my address or my card, I forget which. It was rather a hassle. I don’t know of these things have been changed or fixed in the meantime, though. They might have. It’s been years. All it takes is going there to check which I don’t ever seem to get around to doing. Yeah, stupid reason. Told you so.

Luckily for me, I have an Auggy who generously shares a sample with me because she knows I like this stuff.

The dry leaf smells like… tea leaves. I’m suddenly finding myself in a peculiar situation where I’m sniffing it and I can easily discern all these notes. I just seem to have lost the ability to associate them with anything. Any other day I could have easily hammered out a description, but right now I’m suddenly uncertain about everything my nose is telling me. I’ve lost all my words! This does not bode well for this post as a whole, but I’ll do my best.

There’s something in here that smells a bit spicy and maybe tobacco-y, I think. Perhaps some kind of low grown Ceylon? Ooh, I like those. I hope it is. What else? I’m thinking something high grown as well. I want to say Darjeeling, because for some reason my brain really wants to detect some of that, even though my nose keeps telling it that it can’t find the slightest whiff of any such thing. There’s something grainy and sligthly smoky though, which makes me think of Keemun. Or perhaps Assam? With a sort of malty kind of note?

I’m so confused!

It’s not going any better for me when it comes to the flavour. It’s a very good cup of tea, and it tastes like… tea. I still think there’s some Ceylon in here, low or possibly middle grown. My brain is finally coming around to the lack of Darj-y notes, and I remain uncertain about whether I think it’s Assam-y or Keemun-y or perhaps a bit of both.

I give up. It’s a very good cup, I just can’t describe it.

GAME ON!

Here we go Terri….first cup of the morning and I KNOW you’re probably still sleeping. This is a sample sipdownfrom Kittenna who was awesome enough to bring it to me since she knows I’m a fan of black straight teas. I haven’t had many Damn fine teas, but those that I have have had a taste that I can get behind. Teas one is no exception. It is not a knock your socks off sort of tea, but it IS a great morning tea. There is a smooth creaminess to this tea, while still being obviously black. It’s not overly bold, rather this is like a more mellow cousin. :) a really nice blend – I’m sure I’ll be up for trying more of get he I limited editions when they come out!

I received this sample from the very generous scribbles. Thank you.

This was my tea of choice at work today. It’s ok, it’s fine, it didn’t blow me away. I found it hard to get it how I wanted it. I found the first steep was too strong, a bit bitter, and a little astringent. The second steep wasn’t strong enough. I tried adjusting amount of leaf and steep time, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Really happy to have tried it, thanks so much scribbles. I can confirm that I like Double Knit Blend a lot better. :))

Very nice — malty, peppery, slightly astringent. Lovely flavor.

well, i almost died on thursday morning haha… what i thought was like muscular hip pain, ended up being a kidney infection… i’ve had for seven months… they never caught it because i never had any pain in my back or symptoms of it.. i started to throw up blood and black stuff that looked like tar on thurs morning, and ended up in emerg on various iv’s filtering magic potions through me to try to make me okay. They’ve put me on an antibiotic that is supposed to counteract anthrax (which i guess tells me what kind of shape my body is in)… and with that. .i’m supposed to stick to (but limit my amount) of rooibos tea and herbals.. the caffeine and certain ingredients in various teas do not bode well with the medications… so i’ve been good up until today, but i needed some real tea, lol you can only stick to herbals and rooibos for so long before going crazy. I have about half a baggie of this blend left… its one of my favorites, and i’m hoping i can find a good swap for it ASAP! because shipping on it is crazy! … its a nice strong, musky blend, perfect for fall, and perfect for cheating on my ‘tea vacation’ ha ha hopefully i didn’t just do something i’ll regret!

This one was sent to me by Auggy along with a bunch of other different EGs, one of which I have to admit, we already had. No matter though. I must also admit that out of all the flavours with which to flavour tea, bergamot is among my least favourite. I don’t dislike it as such. I just don’t find it very interesting. So, I suspect Auggy is going to try and convert me. Taste Twins, after all. Very well, I trust her, so I will step up to the challenge.

I was drinking this cup while cooking, and that is not the best sort of environment to go into a lot of detail about individual notes and aromas and what have yous, so this will be quite superficial.

One of my problems with EG is the fact that bergamot often strikes me as a floral kind of flavour. All dusty and grey, like an attic nobody has bothered to look into for a few decades. If the tea is very heavily flavoured with bergamot, this is the sort of impression I get of it. Like licking a dusty shelf. It reminds me of a time when I helped clean an attic such as the above described and even though we were all wearing protective suits over our clothes and masks to protect our lungs and all that, it still felt like the dust got in absolutely every where. This was where I learned what dust tastes like. It tastes… dusty. So, naturally, I tend to not like a heavily bergamot flavoured tea.

This particular version, however, is quite mild. It’s only slightly dusty and floral, but I can still clearly tell the bergamot is there. In a line-up, I defintiely think I would be able to pick out the EG if this was the one representing the flavour.

It has a certain creamy feel to it too, all thick and milky. I find that this happens frequently with EGs even if they haven’t had any other flavouring added to enhance it. I suspect it might be a quality of bergamot in general. Heavily flavoured EGs tend to lose that for me, so for me that creamy feeling is very much a plus. If I am to drink an EG, I want it to feel like this. This is very pleasant (for an EG).

In other news, I think it may be a sign that I’ve been listening to too much Cabin Pressure, when I heard Douglas’ voice dictating parts of my post to me as I write… (Also, sometimes, Arthur. Brilliant!)

The past month has been busy. Between moving into an apartment, cooking for myself all the time now, and my school work I’ve been run a bit ragged. In fact, the only reason I’m writing this and not working on something is becuse I finished a HUGE assignment for my Artificial Intelligence class (written entirely in Lisp, a language I was learning as I went). Regardless, I have a free day, so I can actually write about the tea I’m drinking for a change!

First steep – I threw a generous amount of this in my gaiwan, and I steeped the leaves for a minute with near-boiling water. The result is a deep red tea with a very strongly of a Keemun with lovely wood notes. The flavor of the first cup was very typical of the Keemuns I’ve tried, surprisingly sweet and very clear for such a dark tea. The interesting thing about this tea is that while there’s definitely Keemun, there is something else blended in that I can’t identify. The aftertaste gives it away, with a mineral sensation and a bit of something else a bit more bitter. Regardless, it’s a very pleasant blend and is exactly what I needed to recover from a long night of programming.

Second and Third Steeps – The tea has mellowed remarkably, yet it still retinas the important qualities like the gently sweetness and the odd sensation during the aftertaste. That other sensation and the slight variations in the flavor profile are driving me a bit crazy due to its elusive familiarity, so I’m working my way through the other reviews to try to jog my memory.

Fourth Steep – The big development here is that anything remotely resembling bitterness or astringency is gone, except for an itty-bitty hint during the aftertaste that still defies classification. The main flavor present is similar to caramel, and the tea has this wonderful smoothness that transitions into a mineral feeling with a hint of something bitter/sour. Also, I agree with one of the other reviews of this tea, the other tea in this mix appears to be from the Himalayas, either northern India or Nepal. I’m personally going with Nepal, but it’s hard to be sure. It does remind me of that Jun Chiyabari I got early this year, but that was a long time ago and my recollection is a bit hazy. Whatever, I’m thinking too hard about this, the point is the blend is really great for really trying to think about the flavors, and it’s rather fun to try to guess the mystery part of the blend :)

Tea #4 Great Canadian Traveling Tea Box

I really like this. I drank it all day at work today. This could be the everyday, go to, black tea that I’ve been searching for. It’s a really nice deep, rich, dark, bold black with out being astringent. It resteeps well. It’s not fussy about my haphazard steeping times at work. This is pretty close to a perfect black for me. I really enjoyed it.

Already in a tearing hurry, so this will be short: not much needs to be said. This is tasty, bright, sweet, worth repeating!

Whoa. This is STRONG. I made it for iced tea.. so even slightly more diluted than normal it was almost too strong. There’s so much of it too so I’ll be drinking this for a while. This is my first tin of tea from Damn Fine Tea, it came with a cute magnet and all… wonder if all the teas are so strong. Smells great dry and brewed.

This is a good, thick Assam with a definite bite. Semi-lame-ish tasting note as I am home late. I had this at work and actually did jot down some notes but left them there. I don’t honestly think they were much more complicated than this, though. :) I do remember that I didn’t steep for longer than 3 minutes. I think at 4, as recommended, it might have been a bit harsh for me.

I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to keep this in my stash, but I wouldn’t turn it down if someone gave me some. And someone did with this sample. :) Thanks, Sil!!

I drank a vanilla latte this morning instead of my usual double cup of chai tea. I might as well not have had any caffeine at all for as tired as I feel. So, I do believe…it’s tea time!! Thanks to JustJames for the sample. :)

I chose this one because it’s described as, “Tigers don’t tolerate weak tea, nor should you.” LOL! Okay, this stuff is the bomb. I’m working from home today, and I just got a call from a coworker who was having trouble with an assignment. It’s wicked hard to troubleshoot over the phone, especially when the person says they’ve done what you’ve told them to when they really haven’t. I finally finished the call and, by then, the tea was cool enough to drink.

RAWR!!! This tea makes me want to roar like a tiger! LOL! Sorry, I’m just so glad to have a nice cup of tea in my paws…err, hands. Yum! I even drank it sans additions! O_O This stuff is GRRRRRRREAT! (Okay, that’s all the tiger puns I can think of). :P

And now just for fun, some pictures of my kitty sleeping:
http://instagram.com/p/c7DfiMl-nE/
http://instagram.com/p/c7D1gul-nx/
http://instagram.com/p/c7E8uKF-p2/

Don’t you think A&D should get the award for Best Use of Humor in Tea Marketing?

Tigers, after all, can do anything—just ask Calvin.

There’s not a ton to say about it; I’m not picking up layer upon layer of flavor; but doggone, it is smooth and toasty-tasty.

Wishing that Hobbes and I could spend the day at home playing CalvinBall and drinking pots and pots of this fine, stout, no-fuss Assam. But if I have to be at work, I’m glad there’s a tiger at my desk :)

(thanks to Terri HarpLady for this morning’s flight of fancy)

In a moment of weakness I purchased the A&D triple pack, which I’m finally getting around to trying this weekend. I threw a teaspoon in my gaiwan and used near boiling water to steep the tea for 15-20 seconds. The foretaste is a bit strange and is dominated by the smoky flavor of the tea, but then the taste transforms into a smooth and mildly sweet flavor before trailing off into a lightly mineral aftertaste. The problem with this tea is that I find myself comparing it against Zheng Shan Xaio Zhong, which is hardly fair because this tea is above average. That, and nothing smoked is really in the same galaxy as Zheng Shan Xaio Zhong. Oh well, it will still be interesting to see how the tea develops.

Second cup was made with the same parameters as the first, but the taste is much different. The tea isn’t quite as sweet, allowing the smokey flavor to assert itself a bit more.Another change is that the texture of the tea has gone from a bit creamy to a nice solid mineral-ish sensation. Both of these changes actually improve the flavor of the tea, and I can’t wait to see what the next development will be.

So in my efforts to get into blends and stuff I ended up in a large swap with scribbles, this tea included. I drank this yesterday so this is going to be a really short tasting note but thanks scribbles!

THIS TEA IS SO GOOD. I could tell it obviously wasn’t straight tea but it wasn’t sweet or fruity or anything and maybe that’s why I liked it so much? It was perfect for a break from all of my straight teas because it had a little somethin else going on! I drank it on the train down to Comic Con and it definitely helped pass the time :) it’s bold but not KICK IN THE FACE BOLD and has a lot of yummy flavors. It basically tastes like Essence of Warm Cozy Sweater On a Rainy Day by a Fireplace. That’s what this should be called. Soooo goooood.

Slightly chilly today, the high will be 57, and it’s currently 39. Definitely a lot warmer than the snow-buried northeast, though, thank goodness. But it’s a good day for tea! Oh, who am I kidding, it’s always a good day for tea.

Polishing off the last of this tin. I don’t know why this shows I drank it 1 time. I know I was drinking this regularly. Whatevs.

Can I go back to bed now?

Last night, the hubs and I went out for curry at a Thai restaurant we frequent. I had some of my veggie Massaman curry left over, so I brought it home and am having it for lunch today, along with this tea.

I had thought about chai with my curry, but decided I needed a plain tea that wouldn’t compete with the spices in the curry. Frothed some splenda and almond-coconut milk while the Assam brewed, and then combined for a nice malty latte. Perfect with my lunch.

Another one from the awesome Terri Harplady. This is a smooth tea. Very good. I think the Tiger is my favorite of the two, although I’d be happy to drink either one.

I’ve read TerriHarpLady write about this many times so when she and I made our big black tea swap I asked for this one specifically. Assams have always been my first love when I discovered loose leaf. Mostly because they are so darn strong, malty, and flavorful, which for me, meant I could add all the honey and cream I want and the flavor would not diminish as it does with most black teas. Over the past few months I have definitely cut back on my additions to tea, rarely adding honey and even more rarely adding cream (not milk mind you, half/half — something i learned in Australia when I was in school there).

Lately I’ve been having a pull back to my roots and have been enjoying honey and cream in my teas, but most of my new tea finds are straight black teas that i wouldn’t even want to add anything to. I’m sure for a lot of people, this Assam is fantastic on its own. And I tasted it plain, and it is, but the second I taste Assam, I just know how much more I’ll enjoy it with honey and cream.

And (in honor of the tea maker), I damn well did. Thanks Terri!

I splurged and ordered from Andrews & Dunham a few weeks ago when they were offering free shipping. I just couldn’t pass it up! Anyway, this tea is smooth, delicious and is like a punch to the face (y’know, in a good way).

My last cup of this at work. I need to see if I have any more at home before I remove it from the cupboard here. I think that’s it though. Other than decaf teabags and possibly one small sample, I am mostly EG free. I think.

This cup is tasting particularly good. Perhaps it’s trying to lure me back into the arms of the Earl… no! I won’t do it! I am tired of you! :D

More “Mount Gray Bravo” for me. The scent seems to have mellowed and meshed a bit more, and it’s not so offensive to me once it’s brewed now. I think I will still retire the tin once it’s empty again, unless I can figure out a way to exorcise the Bravo scent from the metal. Maybe a peroxide soak, or something…

Anyway, it’s another dead quiet morning at the office. I am looking forward to my 4 day weekend, and hoping they close the office early tomorrow. My employer is always really good about that, but I try to never take it for granted.

In return, I’m going to try to actually get some work done, but it’s soooo hard! It’s holiday time! :D

Christmas week here at work is going to be sloooooooow. All the developers are going to be out, so at least I will have time to catch up and test everything in this build before they make another. And then, I am off Thursday and Friday, so 4 day weekend, woohoo!

I brewed up the last of the Adagio Earl Grey Bravo I had at work last week, so I brought the tin I used home and filled it with Mount Gray (it’s so hard for me to spell grey that way!). That may have been a mistake. I think the potent scent of the Bravo that permeated the tin has overwhelmed the lighter scent of this tea and turned it into Mount Gray Bravo. It’s palatable, but barely.

Bear with me Steepsterites, I’m logging a teaful day. Got lots of teas recently, so I’m going through and trying them all.

I love A&D’s design sense, and adore the Mt Gray magnet that came with the tea. Even though I had a hard time finding the tea on here since as far as I’m concerned, they spelled Grey wrong :D

I made a latte with Mt Gray this morning, and it was all right. I think I’m kind of tired of Earl Greys, there’s so much else to explore. It’s decent though. But I have so many other EGs and love my Kusmis, so I kind of wish I’d gotten the trio with Russian Caravan instead of this.

I’m sure I’ll drink it though, and probably make a few for my hubby.