Liquid Proust Teas

Drinking this in the morning was a fantastic idea. I feel like it’s got just the right flavor profile to enjoy mid-morning (it’s not even 9 a.m. and it’s mid-morning…help). I definitely see myself buying more of this, the more I steep, the more I realize how much of an interesting take on genmaicha it is!

Somebody tell me how to feel right now. My initial reaction to the aroma of this one is pure confusion. It is, after all, my first time having a genmaicha made with something other than green tea, and my first time having black and oolong blended together, and one of my first times having cocoa blended with tea. I can definitely smell the black tea in this, and I feel like I can really taste all of the ingredients. Every flavor is distinct, and the cocoa and jasmine rice particularly stand out to me. I’m really appreciating the bittersweetness of it. It’s got a nice sense of decadence without the overwhelming richness that can sometimes put me off something that I would describe as such. It’s also got a nice lingering flavor. I will definitely be having this again soon!

Enjoyed this to unwind tonight after driving home from an overnight trip. Glad I received more while I was gone!

So, introducing this one to the SO has been fun. The following are some of her comments:

Wash:
“It smells like your dogs ran into a wet forest and rolled around in mushrooms.”

First steep:
“It smells like someone is making rum in a wet, dense forest.”
“It smells like rum. Like someone said I’m going to make some rum and put it into my tea. Pirates would drink this when all the rum is gone.”

Second steep:
“Now it’s like someone said I want to make mushroom alcohol. But not.”

Third steep:
“It tastes like wet bark and overly sauteed spinach with a little bit of apple cider vinegar”
“…I think I’m getting tea drunk.”

A couple steeps later:
“I think I’m /too/ tea drunk, can you finish this for me?”

She liked it more than I expected (she hasn’t been too receptive to puerh so far), so hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy more of them together moving forward. Now we have to go back outside to harvest more sweet potatoes.

I swear, my excessively useless talent is closing tabs and windows without my notes getting saved. ::sighs:: So let’s try this again.

When I first opened this package, the smell of rum filled my nose. I expected a rummy aroma, but it still managed to surprise me! And this tea surprised me, yet again, when I poured water over it and was hit with the smell of mushrooms. At first I thought it was shiitake, but then I realized it smells almost exactly like bunashimeji to me.

The liquor is dark and the mushroom aroma is strong, but the taste is not at all overwhelming. It’s very smooth going down, and has a very pleasant, rather light bunashimeji taste on the first steep.

The second and third steeps bring more mushroom aroma and flavor. The more I let it cool before drinking, the more the rummy notes come through, along with a touch of sweetness. After the third steep I notice a coffee-y, dark chocolatey aftertaste left behind.

The fourth steep tastes sweeter than all the previous ones to me, blending pleasantly with the other flavors. The following steep tastes the rummiest to me, and I—unfortunately—don’t get a chance to go beyond this before the day comes to an end. I definitely have enjoyed it, though, so this will be on the list to drink again soon.

This tea is very nice. It’s delicate and soft. It tastes pleasant. It’s not, like, riveting or exciting or something I’d scream about from the rooftops, but it is a gentle thing to sip at while doing a project.

I just wish I’d picked another day for this, because it’s raining, and I need something that’s going to show up and kick my ass like a drill sergeant today.

Also, unrelated: the word “sergeant” is not spelled the way I thought it’d be in my head. Nope. English is, without question, one of the most complicated languages there’s ever been.

EXCEPT THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE, OF COURSE.

From Mtchyg. Thank You!

This was the first thing I pulled out of the package Mitch sent me, and it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. It is quite a tasty green tea. Smooth and buttery but also quite light, but when I drink a flavored tea I tend to prefer if it’s a bit more flavorful. The Jasmine came through very lightly, and I didn’t taste the tangerine much at all. It was quite pleasant, but didn’t quite live up to it’s name for me.

Really enjoying how the vanilla is worked into this — it’s not a strong vanilla at all, but it’s distinctive, and makes a great accent for the woodsy base teas. Oolong and black teas are not something I usually see blended, but I think it works here, probably because the oolong is so dark.

Sipdown. I finished off this awesome tea earlier this week. This tea worked well using both styles. Rummy and earthy and comforting and not overwhelming. It had also smoothed out since I tried it last. But now it’s gone.

So I had this last night after indulging in too many beers. After I added water, I thought that this might have been a bad idea. Delayed thought process FTW! Too late to stop now though.
100ml gaiwan, 212F, no rinse.
Tastes of rum, smooth, earthy. Granted I don’t drink rum much, but I know what alcohol tastes like. Started with short 5s steeps and increased steep time as I went. 10 steeps in I had to stop as tea is pretty potent. Tea was adding to tipsy/drunk feeling.

It took a number of steeps for rum taste to leave and for the pu to shine through. I liked it, but I need to try it again later.

Another sipdown from this week. Vanilla and great black tea. I seem to be working LP teas pretty hard this week, but I want to drink these while the flavor is still good.

Used 2 balls and part of the vanilla pod. 100ml gaiwan, 205F
20s- vanilla, bready, cinnamon
35s – vanilla, cinnamon, really evokes french toast taste/feel, thick
Becomes more bready and malty as balls contine to open. I can’t tell you how many steeps I did. I continued untill leaves were out of flavor, increasing steeping times as I went. Very good tea.

Oh I am so sleepy today! I stayed up late playing MTG with Ben, mostly building and testing my new Mono Black Control deck. It needs work, but the supplies to build it were light on the ground so for what I had it works well. I want it to be themed around specters and horrors, with lots of annoying discard for my opponent, it will be a fun alternative to my zombie hoard, though I still need to make a blue black zombie deck. So many deck ideas and so little time.

Today I am looking at another blend by Liquid Proust Teas, Berry Genmaicha, which is a blend of genmaicha and strawberries with flavoring. I have a real weakness for blended Genmaicha, something it tends to just work for me…or on a few occasions fail spectacularly. Success or failure, the adventure is always fun! The aroma of this genmaicha is pretty much identical to Captain Crunch berries, I kid you not, if you stuck a box of this cereal under my nose and this tea I doubt I could tell you which is which. The resemblance is pretty hilarious, but upon further sniffing and warming the leaves with my snuffling I can pick out the toasted rice and a bit of grassy green, but for the most part this is crunch berries.

Woo, my tea area smells like Captain Crunch! It is making me laugh a bit since that was not a smell I expected to ever come out of my little houhin! Along with the very sweet crunch berries there are gentle notes of hay and spinach with a touch of rice. The liquid is all berries all the time! Super sweet and a touch of rice, but mostly it smells like a bowl of milkless cereal.

Well, this tea is both tart and sour, it is very berry but not the kind of berry I like. I love my berries very sweet, if I buy a thing of strawberries or blueberries and they are tart or sour, well, it is safe to say my day is not really ruined but certainly not improved. I was so hoping for a sweet berry burst, but alas, it was not to be. I tried a second steep and got the same result, but with more of the grassy and spinach green tea base with a nice finish of toasted rice. Sadly this blend was not for me, really, but I am sure someone who likes their berries tart would love this!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/09/liquid-proust-teas-berry-genmaicha-tea.html

Aha! so now the infamous marinade tea – I do get what others have been saying about the dry leaf smelling like foodstuffs, like crisps or marinade..

After really trying to rack my brains I realised I am smelling oregano or Italian mixed herbs (a bit like sage & thyme maybe?) from the steeped leaf. From the liquor it is much less pronounced but still there. It tastes like hot Italian herb tea! But not in a bad way at all, I really quite liked it, it reminded me of craft gins that are infused with english herbs, and made me feel nice, like I was drinking something natural & healthy. This theme carried on through the session, & as I lean to the light & flashy side of brewing I’m appreciating the herbiness more than I thought I would.

Bascially herby all round, also a dry woody taste. When the leaf opens the dong ding comes through a bit & there is a slight perfume aroma appearing in the liquor. Basically it stayed pretty similar throughout the 10 or so steeps I gave it, just gradually losing herb strength. I preferred the later ones because I could taste that slightly thick dong ding flavour marrying with the cypress a bit more. I would have liked it more if these tastes were stronger earlier to balance the cypress. I did enjoy it though, felt like healthy herb tea.

I have read reports that Cypress oil reduces obesity in mice, so this is a proven weight loss tea! – Andrew, your marketing department needs to learn a thing or two from the Chinese on Aliexpress :lol:

Andrew, you are too kind. This tea is pretty interesting. You did a good job with the roast: nice warm and toasty like the cooked whole grain bread of the same adjective and mildly vegetal. The texture is creamy and I got the roasted peanut butter taste after two minutes. The smell is also nutty. I’ll have more to add, but that’s the sum of it for now.

I was so impressed with the flavoring of this tea because it’s so hard to find an authentically flavored ANYTHING watermelon. First of all, bao zhong is my absolute favorite oolong tea so I thought I’d snatch this right up and I’m so glad I did! The light creamy oolong is perfectly complimented by a nice juicy and very realistic watermelon flavor! It tastes like actual watermelon and it does also have pieces of watermelon in it. This is currently one of my favorite flavored teas and I’m trying to savor the last bit of it that I have.

This tea is so good! A nice rolled oolong with an excellent berry flavor that doesn’t taste fake at all!

I have had this one for a while. Interestingly enough, the first thing I thought of when I smelled the dry leaf (this time) was a candy bar. Definitely a different candy bar, but that’s what came to mind.

This is so much better made light than heavy. I was steeping it for way too long the first few times I have had it. It has a nice woodsy, I would even say nutty taste that I’m assuming is the cypress.

I wouldn’t put this as a daily drinker for myself, but I don’t think that was the intent. It’s now in the category of one of those surprise type of teas that I forget I even have, but when I see it, I’m like “that’s what I want right now.” Interesting tea for sure. I look forward to all the other creative teas Andrew comes up with.

So, I spent the last two days playing Ark like a mad woman. Turns out the big reveal was an expansion pack, one that was a desert world with dragons and giant bugs. Basically it is like Dune, Mad Max, and Dragons of Tarkir (the MTG obsession runs deep) three of my favorite things, Scorched Earth has been amazing so far. Granted I really should have used the $20 it cost to buy some needed clothes, but eh, gaming is more important than leggings.

Today’s tea is one of Liquid Proust Teas’ experimental concoctions, Home Roasted Jin Xuan Oolong and Brazilian Coffee. He took some Jin Xuan and some green Brazilian coffee and roasted them up, going for a tea that is not roasted as much as the other types of Taiwanese Oolongs and for a light coffee. Since LP is not a fan of coffee he asked a local coffee fan who recommended the Brazilian, personally I would have gone with an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe to bring out that sweetness…what? I used to be a manager at a coffee shop, once upon a time I was equally obsessed with the beans as I was the leaf, but it turns out tea is easier on my insides so I only rarely indulge. Anywho, the aroma of this tea is kinda odd, with notes of toasted grains, pine trees, very gently roasted coffee, burnt wood, and a distant note of cigarettes. The blend of coffee and smokes reminds me a bit of an old diner that no longer allows smoking but did years ago and the smell still lingers, but someone brought in a roasted oolong for good measure! It is hitting that nostalgia factor for me for sure.

So how does one brew coffee tea, gongfu of course! After steeping the beans and leaves the aroma of the leaves loses any of that diner aroma to be replaced with nuttiness, toasted grains, pie crust, and an underlying creamy sweetness. The liquid has a blend of toasted nuts, specifically hazelnut and peanuts, with a bit of toast and vanilla cake. It is sweet and nutty with just a slight bit of roast.

The taste of this tea is fun! It tastes a lot like a creme brulee coffee latte, the creaminess of the lightly roasted Jin Xuan blend with the gentle nutty and burnt sugar notes of the coffee. It is light, not very strong in the coffee department, the roasted Jin Xuan being the dominant tasting note. The finish is light and creamy with a lingering nuttiness of peanuts.

Hilariously I only got two steeps from this tea, and not because there was anything wrong with it. See I gave up coffee because it irritates my guts, but also because it is heavy in caffeine…and when I get hit by a strong dose of caffeine I pass out asleep. Give me a soda and within an hour I am snoozing, too many Matcha lattes and I am out, 18 steeps of shou and it is time for bed…you get the idea, I have a paradoxical reaction to caffeine. I thought since it was a blend I would be safe, but no, halfway through this steep I fell asleep in my desk chair, Ben found me drooling onto my keyboard!! What I got from this steep before I fell asleep was pleasant creamy sweetness and a bit of hazelnut and toasted grains, it is sweet and mild, and I guess great to drink before sleep if you are me! Now I am hoping for a blend of a charcoal roasted Dong Ding and a Sumatra Mandheling, that would be epic…and sleep inducing!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/09/liquid-proust-teas-home-roasted-jin.html

I used the rest of this tea for my book club. I used it to pair with the book Furiously Happy. I made a really strong pot of this brewing it Western style. It turned out tasting much like a strong coffee with hints of vanilla. Really really good. So, after that pot was gone and the meeting was winding down, I did a second steep. I put the water in the pot and then just put it in the refrigerator to steep overnight.

This was an excellent choice. This tea might be just as good or even better cold (if you’re into that sort of thing. And I am). It is something like a nitro brewed coffee when cold. Thick, dark, chocolate/vanilla flavors. Just a great tea.

My daughter just started her first day of 4th grade today in a new school. The really cool thing about that is the school is a block from our house so we were able to walk her there and she will be able to walk home. Pretty neat and exciting.

To celebrate this event, I decided I needed a complex and possibly special tea. I chose this one. I was really torn on whether to gong fu or western brew this. I went with gong fu.

8g is more than I would normally use but there was a large pecan in there so I figured I should put a little more in to balance it out. The first steep went 30 seconds. I decided not to do a rinse because I didn’t want to wash out any of the flavors. The first steep is a light hazelnut brown. The liquid is slightly thin but creamy with hints of vanilla and… is that… raisins? Almost reminds me of a very light/faint custard. There is also hints of nut as well. Really good preview of what will hopefully come out more in the next few steeps.

Before the second steep (30 seconds) I put my nose in the leaves and the brewed liquid and took a sniff. The leaves smelled like a perfect blend of puerh and an earthy black tea. The liquid was a bit more puerh but with some vanilla notes. The flavor of the liquid on this steep is much more puerh with earthiness and a hint of vanilla.

3rd steep, 45 seconds The leaves are… woodsy. Wet wood is what comes to mind. Maybe like a vanilla oak. I’m not 100% sure but that is what popped in my mind. The liquid is a bit thinner so perhaps I should have upped that time but the good news is that it is smooth and more vanilla and nut has returned.

4th steep, 1 minute. Talk about your rookie mistakes. I didn’t see until after I poured the water from my electric kettle that it had shut off and the water was reading out at about 190 degrees. Weeellll… let’s see what happened, shall we? Interestingly, the black tea flavor seems to stand out a bit more alongside the vanilla and nut.

I’ll stop the review here because I need to attend to other things however, I can say that this is a fun and flavorful tea.

I actually am going to use it as one of my tea pairings for this months book club. We are reading Furiously Happy. It is a woman’s take on her different mental conditions by using humor. It has both very real and heartfelt entries and also very humorous entries. I think the Dark Kitchen Sink will go well with some of the darker sides of mental illness addressed in the book.

The smell in the package is heavenly french toast. Used two balls, per instructions, and received a nice cup of vanilla goodness. Re-steeped for about 5 minutes and had a pleasant, though less vanilla, cup.