Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea
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The breakfast mug of tea backlog. Today.
I wanted teh smokiness. In my large pale blue drippy-glazed pottery mug. Good!
This one I did a second steep of, but I realized once I had it at my desk that I’d need to get ready to meet a friend before I could finish the mug so I stuck in the fridge. Drinkable and good, I did not like it cold as much as I like it hot. The flavors aren’t as strong and the mouth feel is totally different. I could taste teh smokiness but it wasn’t quite the same. I would not ice this one on purpose.
2nd steep: 6 min 30 sec.
Preparation
This pair thing is definitely becoming a pattern. I want a tea. I drink it. The next day, I think that that tea was really yum yesterday, I want it again. I drink it. Then next day, I think now I’ve had enough of that tea, I want something else. I drink it. And so on.
Yesterday was day number two of Caravan. It was equally as enjoyable as day number one. Today I drink something different.
2nd steep: 6 min 15 sec.
Preparation
Thursday morning I wake up and I want Caravan. It’s really hot out. I haven’t wanted hot tea in a long time. Then I wake up and think, “Caravan, gotta have it.” So I make it and it’s good and I enjoy and am happy. Tea again.
2nd steep: 6 min 30 sec.
Preparation
Caravan seems to have replaced the Tiger as the morning tea that I crave lately. But don’t tell the Tiger that. I love him too still, and don’t wish to break his heart.
I am beginning to fear that Caravan will be the first tea out of any of the A&D series that I’ll run out of. I don’t mind limited edition teas at all. In fact, there are so many teas out there. Far more teas that I’ll be able to drink in my lifetime. I don’t see myself as being someone who will keep certain teas in stock. I think I will be more of an endlessly sampling new teas and comparing type tea drinker. But I fear I may want more Caravan once I’m out. Or something similar and smokey. Perhaps Caravan is the beginning of a love affair with smokey teas. How surprising to me this is.
I should comment that I added a touch of milk to the 2nd steep and it was just meh. I probably wouldn’t do it again.
2nd steep: 6 min. Ended up preferring a 2nd steep at 6 min rather than 7 min.
Preparation
Bumped up the rating to be right behind the Tiger (and Jackee and Thomas).
So you may be falling for smoky teas, eh? You’ve begun to fall under their smoky spell? Mwahahahaaaa::cough, cough, gasp::
Er, glad to hear it! If you want to explore more, then I highly recommend Upton’s Black Dragon – the one that both Doulton and I adore. Is so yummy!
lol Yes, I may be falling for the smokey teas, all brooding and such. And I’ve noticed positive tealogs for the Black Dragon. On to the SL it goes.
A question I’ve been meaning to ask The Smokey Tea Lovers Club is where does Caravan fall on the smokey tea scale? Just how smokey is a lapsang?
I thought Jackee was really smokey at first. None not so much. Same with Caravan.
I personally consider Caravan being medium-ish. But it’s such a different sort of smoke than the handful of LSes I’ve had. It’s deeper and mellower. So far Adagio’s LS is utterly smoky: a fragrant campfire. It’s the one I keep very very separate from other teas (and that’s just the little sampler tin). But perhaps someone else who’s had a much wider range of LSes could weigh in and give you a better idea.
I think that Black Dragon really is the perfect tea to see if you want to go the LS route. I think that it’s only a few steps up from Caravan and leans more toward the mellow side than the campfire! aspects of other LSes. Hope that helps!
Ditto to what Rabs said. I think Caravan falls on the medium side of things, too, though it is smoother than some. Samovar’s Lapsang Souchong is heavier and has a bit of tarry taste (and is great with some milk), Golden Moon’s LS is on the milder side (and is sweeter with no tarry taste), Republic of Tea’s LS is somewhat in between with a heavier body and smoky taste but not as smooth as Caravan (and a little heavier).
I think (based on descriptions on TeaSpring’s site) that the higher quality LS tend to be smoother and sweeter.
Thanks you guys. That’s quite helpful to know. If Caravan’s right in the middle of the smokey tea range, I could prolly go 2/3 – 3/4 smokey. I dunno about 100% smokey. I think I’d have to work my way up to it.
You’re very welcome. :) I look forward to reading more about your continued smoky tea journey!
I found myself picking Caravan this morning over the Tiger. What’s up with that? After having this tea four times now and finding myself wanting it specifically, I think I can safely bump the rating up from deciding it was good (was undecided on first drink) to knowing I think it’s really good.
2nd steep: 7 min. For some reason, I think the 2nd steep was better at 6 min and will revert back to that.
Preparation
Yesterday morning, Caravan was calling my name and I could not say no. Afterward, I did not regret it one bit. I upped the steeping time 15 seconds from last time and was rewarded by a mug that was like 2nd steep Caravan goodness with a bit of the strength of Caravan steeped longer. The 2nd steep took another minute with no bitterness and retained the deliciousness that I love.
(PS For those who follow my tealogs, the recent addition of italicized notes at the bottom are so I can hop on Steepster when I haven’t had a tea in awhile and easily see how I preferred it steeped, given the vague timestamps once a tealog is over a month old. I had noticed that I’d have varying times and temps as I experimented with a new tea and either couldn’t tell which one I’d settled on or couldn’t tell easily without reading through several notes when all I wanted to do was check quickly and make a cup of tea.)
Good 1st steep: 3 min 30-45 sec. 3 min 30 sec is close to 2nd steep yum. 3 min 45 sec adds a bit of strength. 4 min is a bit stronger than I like.
Good 2nd steep: 6 min plus. Takes 6 min with no bitterness. I think it could go 7 min.
Preparation
I know they’re for your own benefit, but I love the italicized notes! One of the first things I do when I have a new tea to try, now, is to hop on Steepster and see how other people like to make it – prep summary notes like yours are fantastic!
Thanks Tea Bird. I’m glad they are helpful to people as well. I do the same thing like you when I get a new tea and made it for the first time I’ll read the tealogs for it to see if there is anything not to do or anything that people concurred worked well for that tea. Hence, I was shocked to find Jackee’s caramel side the first time and not have to search but I had a good recipe from many people’s trial and error before me.
When I got my last batch of new teas, I actually planned which tea I wanted to have the next morning twice and read the tealogs the night before. Then I got all excited and wanted to drink those teas right then. lol I’m such a tea geek.
But I just wanted to put it out there for people who regularly read my notes, in case anyone was wondering “why is that girl repeating herself in detail in italics what she’s already said in the post and/or with the sliders? has she gone daffed?” lol
I do try to tealog all the tea I drink so often I’ll have several tealogs for a tea and they’ll be long so it’d be a lot of skimming. I do tealog like a journal and I ramble. I’m rambling now. I don’t blog (anymore) so it’s like a microblog for me. lol
LOL! Yesterday was the first time that I hopped onto steepster just to check out prep recommendations! And then I did it again today, and now I’m reading your post, chuckling to myself, and thinking that I’m in love with the italicized notes. Do you do italics with < i > (no spaces – just have them there since I don’t want things ital if that’s the way you do it)?
Rabs ~ You can make italics on Steepster using an underscore (_) at the beginning and end of the writing you wish to italicize.
Ah! ::lightbulb goes on:: Thank you so much! :D
The italicizing is a brilliant idea—I may have to try that myself! :)
Yesterday morning, just like the previous morning, I drank Caravan. I woke up wanting to give it another try. See if I could get the 1st steep to trend towards the unique tasting goodness of the 2nd steep. And decreasing the steeping time did indeed trend the 1st steep in that direction. Next time I’ll try 3 minutes 45 second. Contradictorily, I found myself wishing the 1st steep was a bit stronger this time. Maybe in between will be just right.
I also gave the 2nd steep more time, which increased the flavors. I think it could take even more time without bittering. I am bumping the rating up since I’ve moved from could-be-good undecided to decidedly good.
Preparation
Yup, still smells like smoked ham. Vaguely bacon-y. A smoked pork product, not just smokey, but edible smoked meat.
I was leary to try this tea, to say the least. I had thought before I got Series 3 and sniffed it that it would be smokey like the Tiger or Jackee, but a step or two up in smokiness. Then I sniffed it and got scared. The Tiger and Jackee did not smell at all like this. Whoa, smokey pork. I did not think I’d like smokey at all prior to the Tiger and Jackee. But with my change in mind regarding those two, I figured I might, just might, like a truly smokey tea. But, as I said, then I sniffed it and was back to thinking I would likely not like it.
So I’ve been putting off trying it. I gave permission to put off trying it. I smelled it occasionally. I commented on it to the husband. He said he’d try it. No, no, I said each time. I’ll drink it when I’m ready for it. And today was that day. I woke up wanting a BOLD tea and thinking about trying Caravan was not off putting to me. So I said to myself, I’m going to go for it while I feel an inkling of wanting to try it.
The Dry Leaves — Are black and of various lengths, some long, some quite short. Smell, well, I think I’ve already covered that.
The Wet Leaves — Are a medium Sierra brown and a richer lighter orangeish-brown. You could tell there were two different teas in this. Smelled of a more tannic typical black tea smell with a hint of smokey that faded into smokey pork.
The Tea — Is an orange-pink-brown. It’s a bit odd colored for a black tea. I didn’t know if I liked it for the first half of the cup. The second half I warmed up to it more. It was okay, I could see myself drinking the rest of the tin from time to time. The tea tasted smokey but not smokey like the Tiger and Jackee, which taste more like smoke in the air that you might breathe in. Caravan tasted more like smoke you might eat, like smoked food stuff, possibly like smoked meat but without the meat. The last half of the cup had a sweetness to it and the taste of this tea lingered in my mouth after I’d finished drinking.
2nd steep: 5 min, 205° F.
The tea looked lighter, it smelled lighter. The wet leaves had become three different teas visibly – the third one looked dark brown and coiled. I sip. GOOD! WOW! REALLY GOOD! I finish the cup really fast. I do not think I could get another steep from the leaves. That makes me sad. The 2nd steep of Caravan is WAY better to me than the first. It could likely take another 30 second to a minute more steeping though.
I may also try steeping the 1st steep for less time. I’d also like to try the 1st steep with milk and see how that changes the taste of this tea.
Preparation
Of the three teas in the third series, this was the tea I feared the most. I am not a smoky tea fan by any stretch of the imagination. I can appreciate a delicate smoky back note to a tea so long as it enhances the overall tea flavor. But one that is so strong in its smoky essence that this is the first aroma I sense, and the first flavor I taste… not for me.
But I still ordered the collection as I was lured in by the Steepster Select offer… and I do love the Earl Grey and especially the Jasmine of this collection. And… I must admit, I LOVE the tin and its graphics. Reminds me of Motley Crue.
Yet, I am a taster, so I didn’t want to let this tea to without tasting it. It is smoky. I “rinsed the tea.” It is still smoky. I added raw sugar. It is still smoky. Then I heated up some milk, added a dash of cinnamon to the milk, and whipped it into a froth, and turned this smoky tea into a smoky latte. It’s still smoky. But, with the little touch of cinnamon and the latte… it’s a tolerable smoke for me.
My dear Doulton … if you don’t mind, I am sending the rest of this to you. I have seen how much you love it, and I truly appreciate the work you put into the Dammann Frères teas. I hope that this small token will show you how much I do appreciate it. I also hope you don’t mind… but, I took the tea out of the tin. I … um… collect tins. And I love this one… The tea, sans the tin, but safely deposited into a tea storage bag… will be headed your way in tomorrow’s post.
Preparation
(Backlogging) I served this at my Murder Mystery Tea Party last night. We started out with my newly arrived Earl Grey in honor of the major character in our little murder mystery story — Mr. Earl Slater. I’m not the biggest fan of any earl grey myself but it was still a damn fine cup of tea.
Backlogging.
It looks like I’ll have to find another plain black tea to punch up this one cause I’m all out of the A&D Ceylon that I’ve been using. Since I was using the dregs of the tin for the Ceylon, this mixture was not half Ceylon and half EG. Last time, I did that and the smaller bits of the remaining Ceylon made a bitter mug of tea. This time I compensated for that fact and was rewarded with a not bitter mug of tea.
2nd steep: 5 min.
Preparation
Backlogging.
Half EG, half A&D Ceylon. I have very little Ceylon left and some dust is getting mixed in with the leaf when I make tea now. Because of this, it came out very strong. In a good way I think. I made the addition for the second steep all EG and that evened out the cup.
2nd steep: 6 min.
Preparation
Backlogging. Thursday morning.
I actually felt like I needed (and wanted) more black tea after drinking two mugfuls of LiberTea’s Breakfast Blend. I had just typed my tealog the night before for the second steep of my Ceylon and EG combo that I randomly decided to add the Tiger to as my bit of fresh leaf. So it was fresh in my mind how much I liked the surprising outcome of that mixing. So I decided to try to replicate the effect on purpose. I used one third each of EG, Ceylon, and the Tiger. Good, but not anywhere near what happened last time. I did not resteep.
Preparation
Backlogging. Wednesday morning.
Before I tried the Ceylon and EG combo, I had tried the Tiger and EG in several ratios and decided they worked well enough together. So I tried them again then. They did not work as well as I remember them and I was not inspired to resteep.
Preparation
Backlogging. Last Tuesday morning.
I had my usually half and half of this EG and A&D’s Ceylon and it was perfectly fine. But I wasn’t too interested in a second mugful. I needed some kick to wake me up. This combo usually needs a little bit of fresh leaf to keep the flavor up for the second steep. So instead of adding a pinch of EG and Ceylon, I added a pinch of the Tiger. Now I do not like the Tiger and this EG as a combo. But somehow the three of them together was magical. I will be trying to replicate this effect in the future.
2nd steep: 5 min. Pinch of Tiger.
Preparation
This morning I went to make my customary EG and A&D Ceylon blend that I so enjoy. I picked the top tin off my Series 1 stack and had already added the tea to my freshly washed and still wet infuser basket when I noticed that it was A&D Napal, not Ceylon. I’d had Napal out of Series 1 last. I usually have Ceylon on the top of the stack because I’ve been making a lot of these EG and Ceylon blends. I paused for a moment and considered just having a mug of straight Napal. Then I decided to go ahead and try a EG and Napal combo, thinking EG darjeeling. I should have went with my first instinct.
The resulting tea had a floral soapy taste that I did not enjoy and was quite drying. I poured out the last third of the cup and threw out the leaves without resteeping.
EG + Napal = NO
Maroon and teal striped pottery mug = about 14oz. Used a well rounded teaspoon and a half.
Preparation
Backlogging. Sunday.
My husband and I shared a pot during a late afternoon lull to perk us back up. This was prolly the best I’ve had my EG and Ceylon blend to be. I used a rounded teaspoon of each for a two mug pot. The tea was strong. I could taste the bergamot and the Ceylon. I think A&D’s Ceylon is definitely my tea of choice to blend with this EG. Though I am not adverse to experimenting with others, I can’t say that I think I will.
2nd steep: 7 min.
I add a rounded half teaspoon of each tea as neither of these teas will steep quite strong enough on the second steep alone.
Preparation
Hi ya’ll. It’s not a comment contest, but it is possible free tea in the future. If you didn’t get a chance to plant a tea tree for Adagio’s Earth Day promotion, planted a different tea tree and want to try some of the assam black tea from India, or just want some free assam black tea, please adopt a branch of my tea tree here: http://www.adagio.com/trees/adopt.html?planter=482_24 (I didn’t know how to get to this page before since I don’t have Facebook or Twitter but I saw how someone else did it and figured it out.)
