Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

It’s been fun to read everyone’s prior tasting notes on this one—Thomas seems to bring out the mischieviously poetic in all of ya. And I can’t top any of them in descriptors. Stiff and stout, a good gumptious breakfast tea, yes.

My tea hero Doulton sent this my way … had to make the morning cuppa with rural farm water (Hard. Blecch.) so mineral taste cancelled out a lot of the subtlety. Even so, I caught the sweet notes I’ve read about and am looking forward to a better cup on a better day.

Much more floral than I would have expected (or remembered).

It is raining HARD this lazy Sunday. Already went to early service and everyone came home starving (LOL! Starving at 10:30 am and I had breakfast before we left!) so we made a quick “rat lunch” – JacquelineM understands that is grilled cheese sandwich and tea! I made a single cup of this to test before Wednesday tea party. It is quite good and I took it sans additions. I was only brewing a single cup and I didn’t check to see how many ounces my cup held – it is one I don’t usually use – so I think I made this a little on the weak side. Still, it was good and met my parameters: not bitter, not too astringent, not screaming ASSAM! at me. I imagine that brewed properly and perhaps with the addition of milk and sugar, this is going to be a cup good enough to elicit a happy sigh from everyone!

Sandy couldn’t stand it and ordered tea while she was in NZ and had it shipped to Texas, from whence she brought it HERE to my house in ole’ NC! Today we made our trek up to A Southern Season in Chapel Hill to stock up on a few teas and things. She brought a tin of this for me to try and to tote in my JoeMo XL. (Seriously, order this puppy from Teafrog and get their Chocolate and Cream tea while you are at it! You really should since you are paying shipping anyway!)

Smokey! Smokey smokey smokey! But also sweet! I like lapsang teas okay, I will drink them if offered, but if you are a fan you will LOVE this one. I think I detect a fruity note in the tea, and the smoke is strong without feeling like you are breathing in a whole campfire. Sandy resteeped and still had plenty of smoke!

Brewing a pot of this fine tea.

Jason doesn’t like the jasmine aspect of this tea.

Brewed in Huge Glass Teapot

I got the cranberry notes back today! My measuring cup was in the dishwasher, so I sort of eyeballed the water amount. It must have been a bit low because I had less than my usual amount of tea, but it had a wonderful strength and flavor! Now I know to use a little extra tea with this one.

I’ve been on Winter Break, living la vida loca (which for me means drinking black tea at 7, sometimes 8 pm and staying up late watching movies!!! Wild, I tell you). This has been my go-to, especially since the party usually includes holiday cookies. It is flavorful and bold enough still to stand up to my favorite monster chocolate chips (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-big-fat-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie/) without tasting weak (like many of my otherwise favorites have when paired) or competing with the flavor of the cookie (like my flavored teas do). Classic, epitome of black tea flavor!

P.S. – I’m reading a diary of WWII called Few Eggs and No Oranges by Vere Hodgson – an account of everyday life by an everyday Londoner. Tea figures prominently! People were rationed to 2oz tea per person per week in the period I’m reading about right now (early 1940s) (!!!) and they really DO make a pot of tea each time life throws something they need to cope with at them, and they always feel strengthened by their cup of tea! She notes that when something particularly awful happened, the person would need 5 or 7 cups of tea to be a bit restored! It’s so interesting to read the huge roll our favorite little leaf played in the daily life of the British at this time.

http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/books/few-eggs-and-no-oranges/ if interested!

We’re out of coffee beans, so I wanted at choose a tea with some muscle to get me kinda, sorta going today. I chose this one because, it is the holiday time now!! Eee!

Anyway – since this is the THIRD holiday season I’m enjoying this tea, it has lost a bit of its snowflake glitter :( Those cranberry notes are no longer singing. It’s still a good cuppa, but the lesson I’ve been learning this year – that I need to have less tea so that I can drink them all in their prime – is sticking like a pine needle into my side! Ouch!

I think I’ll now enjoy this as more of an afternoonish blend. Yes, with holiday cookies :) What do you all do with teas that are not what they once were? Make iced tea? Blend with something else? Donate to the compost pile?

I did pretty well this year, but 2013 must be the year I get down to 30 teas!!! Pinkyswear!

Made a staunch cup of this one today! I was heavy on the leaf, and I think my scoops had to be heavy on the Yunnan! Tangy, tarry, and thick tasting. No cranberry notes today! Delicious nevertheless. So warming and fortifying.

Mmmm! This was even better than I remembered! Sweet and fruity (ah, now I recall that I thought it tasted of cranberries! It does!) but a wonderful depth. A perfect cold weather tea. I am warmed to the bones after a cup of this with a little milk and sugar! Fantastic!

(It was an A&D weekend! Yesterday was Thomas Sampson as our afternoon tea.)

I’m really glad to have this in my cupboard as the holiday season approaches. I remember thinking last year, when I got it after the holidays were over, that it was an excellent tea to have as we anticipate Thanksgiving all the way through the New Year. Now I can enjoy it for a nice long span (well, as long as it lasts being limited edition!).

Hefty and rich! Chewy smoke. Is that a little peat? Is that a little muscatel? (and this is with milk and sugar!)

I made a pot for my husband and I – he exclaimed “It’s delicious!” and drank it faster than you could possibly imagine! When he was ready to go back to his studio, he mentioned how great it was again.

This one screams “resteep!!!” to me – and that is just what I’m going to do!

OK! I’m back! I’m having a resteep with just a little sugar. Some of the stouter flavors are not present. This is more of a smooth, sweet cup. The first steep kicks *ss and takes names! The second steep is kinder and gentler and perfect sans additions. I am so full of tea, but I think it could do another steep just fine!

I’d like to try to steep this like Yunnan Golden Buds (175, 2 min steep) just to see what happens! I want to keep the tin at home because my husband is so crazy for it, but I’ll scoop some into a lil tin to take into work with me so I can play around with it. I love the flavors that short steeps and low temps create with Yunnan tea, and I think this one has a good deal of Yunnan in it.

Andrews and Dunham hit another one out of the park!!

Also – I admit I am not up on my Star Wars, and thought those things were camels and it had something to do with the three wise men,…or something!!! I understand that they are Imperial Walkers now! I love the little tea cup personally – please tell me it really is a tea cup and not a Star Wars thingamabob that I’m not familiar with!?!?!?

Ricky: “Pretty standard earl grey.”

Brewed in Tiny White Teapot

Wondering how this one compares to mermaid. They should fight.

Brewed in Huge Glass Teapot

Brewing some of this cause I know how much Mike loves his green tea ;)

Brewed in Huge Glass Teapot, wrapped in black tea cozy

Mike: “It’s smokey.”
Ricky will post a short review later tonight.

Brewed in Tiny White Teapot

Goodies came in! http://goo.gl/H6uQk

Enjoying some damn fine tea at the office with Mister Rupto.

Woaps, brewed a bit light.

Brewed in Huge Glass Teapot

Quite a good brew! I didn’t steep it for as long as they said to, but it was pleasant and light after about 3 minutes and I liked it quite a bit.

Not too flowery, the bergamot is well balanced, and is definitely the finest Earl Grey I’ve had in a very long time.

I really enjoyed this fiesty tea. While the can says 4 minutes I admit to leaving the little punk in my french press until I got around to a second cup and failed to find him bitter at all. Loved it with milk and honey… totally spoiled.

Hmm… Still searching for the caramel…. I think last time I made this I used way too much leaf, over-steeped it, and at a temp that was too high. This time I used only about 1 – 1.5 tsp of leaf, steeped it for 3:45 at about 195-200….

This brew still wasn’t caramel tasting, but definitely I was able to notice very very slight undertones of burn sugar when I started to get towards the bottom of my mug.

Still going to leave it unrated until I can experiment more…..

Just got my Series 2 in the mail today! Not going to rate this quite yet. Jackee is hiding the caramel from me. I steeped this a second time and didn’t get as much of a smoky flavor, and there was a slight sweetness to it. I definitely think it is due to my steep time and temp, the second steep wasn’t as long or nearly as hot. Jackee is teasing me, I know the caramel is there, I just need to work a little harder to find it!

So far, I’m not a fan. However, after reading others’ tasting notes, I realize that maybe I messed up in the steeping/water prep/or something. This, apparently, is not a tea to be made in the office. It is one that will make use of my tea trappings at home.

So, I’m refraining from giving a number rating. I’m sure the problem is all me.

The thing is, though, that immediately upon adding water, I got an unbelievable scent of lapsang souchong. I am really not a fan of lapsang souchong. I’m sure part of it is that I haven’t ever had a good one, but it’s also that I don’t like smoke. And since there was a hint of that smell, it immediately went in that category for me, and no matter what I couldn’t get past just the tiniest bit at a time.

So I’m not finishing this mug. I’m going to take the tea back to my house, and try it there once I can control the variables a bit better. I want this to be the amazing tea I’ve read so much about!!