Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

An impulsive Ode to Jackee blurb:
Just rounding off the night with my “ol’ reliable” Jackee. Oh Jackee, I know our time together is numbered—so I will enjoy you to the fullest and without hesitation!

(she says as she carefully measures out each teaspoonful)

I’m discovering that eating something sweet with Jackee makes him taste like bacon! Because right now I’m having this really sweet cheese danish with lemony crumbles and it really enhances his smokey pine notes.

It’s like Jackee but with extra campfire!

Savoring Jackee’s sweetness again, this morning. I wonder if this is a blend of Keemun teas or just a single estate or varietal? Something about this is special. I never knew I could appreciate a seemingly simple black tea as much as this! My eyes have been opened to the possibilities! I am currently in frantic acquisition mode ordering more Keemun teas to compare against this gold standard.

I’m obsessed with Jackee.

I’m not particularly sensitive to caffeine, so I can safely enjoy Jackee in the evenings. It’s perfect, because evenings—the best evenings— are an introspective, contemplative time for me and Jackee serves as a good companion. Tonight, he mainly evokes antique pine bookcases, rows and rows of them. They are filled with with Old World books and scrolls (of course).

And I am in their midst, overwhelmed…..eating a sugared biscuit.

I’m enjoying another mug of this fine tea and basking in my newfound love for Jackee.

I know this is old news to everyone else (and I am clueless sometimes) but I just realized, on my own , that this is Keemun tea! Just like Thomas is an Assam. I knew their names were significant—A&D is so clever with words. :)

So I’ve been reading up on keemun tea. And thought I’d save this little snippet of information for myself (found on thenibble.com’s tea glossary):
“Keemun: A fine grade of black China Congou tea produced in the Anhui province in central China, typically hand rolled and fired. [It]….is smooth and medium-bodied with notes of fresh pine and brown sugar.”

And such a fine specimen of keemun Jackee is!

Yum…I’m liking this tea more and more! Even with no special steeping procedure (I just threw about a teaspoon and a half in my travel mug and poured in boiling water) the taste is mild, woodsy, slightly smoky and sweet! Not overtly bitter or astringent. Very pleasant.

Jackee Muntz, I think I love you more than Thomas! At least for now. ;)

I feel so exhausted tonight…and lazy. I have just enough energy to jot down some quick impressions:

Scent: Almost sweet and a little like pine?
Color: Typical black tea appearance—deep brown amber liquid.
Taste: Astringent and woodsy with a hint of menthol—but it’s not mint. This is not as strong as Thomas Sampson—it’s much lighter-bodied.
Images: For some reason I’m reminded of those old-fashioned lacquered chinese jewelry boxes. My mom had a few. Maybe it’s the wooden aspect of the taste.
Final Thoughts: A classic black tea with an “antique” feel to it. Very easy to drink and not bitter.

UPDATE: This is so strange—I’m now on my 3rd infusion and it’s not just getting mellower, but sweeter too! A smooth and smokey honey note.

I think Jackee’s a bit shy—he lowers his guard and sweetens up only after he gets to know you.

I brewed this super-strong and added lots of milk. It’s very delicious, of course. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.

As usual, Thomas can do no wrong!

But he’s almost gone! Just a few teaspoons left in the tin. Maybe Simple Leaf’s Mountain Malt can replace him?

Thomas, your feats of strength never cease to amaze! Even after more than 6 minutes submerged in boiled water, you’ve retained your malty deliciousness. I am in awe.

Just wanted to add that this is fabulous with milk! Makes it a very proper breakfast tea.

Quick note:
Brewed strong (over 2 heaping teaspoons to 12oz of boiled water) and left to cool a little bit yielded more malt flavor and a brisk astringency! It’s definitely a matter of “the more I drink, the thirstier I feel”!

I’m on my 3rd infusion and the bite’s mellowed out quite bit (of course).

It goes surprisingly well with a blueberry scone!

Today, I was thinking how sad it was to not have any new teas to sample and note down.

I’ve been drinking basically the same two black teas for several days now (because I’m on a black tea kick, at the moment). They’re good teas but I’ve already noted them down on here and, for some reason, I don’t really like writing different notes for the same teas.

So, I was a little despondent because I had no new teas. But then I came home to discover that my first A&D order had arrived!! Wow, that was fast. I think I just ordered a couple days ago. I got Series 2 consisting of these two legendary teas. The box they were nestled in is adorable, as are the two collectable postcards and the tins themselves (I’m number 63 of 110). I really appreciate good packaging. Thank you for all the effort, Damn Fine Teas! It was like receiving a gift. :)

I immediately brewed Thomas first. From everyone else’s notes, he sounded irresistible! I love malt, I love bread, I love anything bakery. From the tin, the scent was pretty nondescript. Seemed like your basic black tea, I guess. Brewed, the scent reminds me of a watery Guinness. A Guinness of tea. And the taste? Let me just say that if you love strong breakfast teas, this is definitely for you! Thomas is a full-bodied black tea—very much like Yorkshire Tea (which is a strong, black tea blend). He has a “bite”…very tannic.

I’m not really getting any bakery, biscuity goodness. This is very dry, almost harsh. Maybe adding some cream and sugar will soften it up a bit? Too bad I don’t have either, right now.

I’m gonna be so sad when this sample is gone. I wish I had caved and gotten this tea when I had the chance. It’s so deliciously nommy. This morning I wanted something nicely stout to wake me up but not too aggressive so I reached for this one. Mmm. Matches exactly what I was looking for. I added a splash of half & half to my cup since I really didn’t want anything mean this morning and it made it just a hair smoother which was, again, exactly what I was looking for. See, if coffee were like this – strong, stout, fragrant, tasty and manly without being so acidic – I could totally get into coffee. ♥

I was just given a shock by running water. Sigh. Today has just been one of those days. I deserve an early tea break.

Takgoti was lovely enough to send this to me so I’m very excited I get to try it because I? Was totally not on the ball and ordered no Series 4. The dry leaf smells lovely – earthy but fresh. The leaves are pretty cute, too – short and brown but with fuzzy gold bits popping through everywhere. I kind of want to coo at them. (Please note, it is only just past noon but it has been a long day.)

The color of the tea matches the dark parts of my desk which the office supply place says is a cherry finish but it’s not really because if it was, part of it wouldn’t have peeled up when I got tape stuck to it. But anyway, the tea matches my desk nicely (though I imagine that it would react differently to tape). Oh and the smell is so nice. Rich and fuzzy and stout and sweet like figs and brown sugar.

Wow this tastes good. Sweet with a little coffee-like edge of sort-of-acidity. Not so much that it isn’t smooth (because it is), but just enough to make it energetic. It’s not quite chewy but definitely closer to chewy than it is to light-bodied thinness. I could see perhaps putting a splash of milk in it to make even richer but it’s sweet enough with the raisin/fig/brown sugar taste that I think adding sugar would be overkill (that’s not to say I still won’t give it a shot though).

This is a good tea for me today. Bracing enough to help me make it through the rest of the day but with an edge of sweetness to show that it is a nice tea and really just doing what is best for me by standing me up, dusting me off and sending me back into the fray. Good kitty.

ETA: 2nd steep @ 5mins. Oooh, smooth. The tiger is calm and purring as he sits beside me. Lovely. Very similar flavor as the first steep but without the not-quite-acidic edge to it.
3.1g/8oz

The leaves have a mesquite smoke aroma that mellows substantially once brewed. The dark amber liquor smells more like the memory of a campfire. The flavor is much milder than the aroma with a gentle brown sugar sweetness that offsets the dominant, mildly astringent, woodsy taste. The mesquite smoke returns as a persistent aftertaste.

I’ve been so Earl Grey crazy in this horrible heat. There is something about the bergamot that I find so refreshing (I think I’m just making excuses because I love to drink EG in the winter too. Let’s face it – I just love Earl Grey!!!). My tin of Earl Grey Supreme is at home doing iced tea duty, but I found this in my tea drawer at work, almost forgotten about. Poor Earl!

I’ve already had it twice since the temperatures have gone up. It’s a real classic. Perfectly bergamot-y (moreso than the EGS) and with the addition of a half teaspoon of sugar, really round and sweet. A true delight!

I added a little Rosy Earl Grey to the second and third steeps and had such a heady and enjoyable tea experience!

I got the shock of my life when I asked my husband what tea he was in the mood for this afternoon. He said “Earl Grey!” Wow! Remember this is the gentleman who only likes his Earl Grey iced, liberally mixed with a solid black tea so it is not “perfumey” or “girly” !!!

I knew that this could be a delicate operation, so I chose Andrews and Dunham’s Earl, since he has loved every single tea I’ve made for him from them. I’m so glad I chose right! He loved it! He didn’t say it was “perfumey” he said it was “good” and “interesting” and he would like to add it to our afternoon tea repertoire!

I, of course, enjoyed it greatly. I find the tea and bergamot well balanced and delicious. It was an extra special afternoon tea at home treat to have it with a little milk and sugar today. I love the creaminess with the bergamot.