The Devotea

I played a beautiful wedding today, one of those really heart-felt weddings where the groom has tears streaking down his face, tears of joy. I love it when the groom can’t hardly talk because he’s so emotionally effected. It was beautiful. The day was also beautiful! 58 degrees & sunny! A perfect day for a 45 minute drive (each way).

I drank a cup of this tea before I left the house. It’s a rich & bold Assam. I love the name Mokabari. I’ve loved that name ever since I first had a Mokabari estate tea. Every time I see this tea’s name, I’m like an exotic parrot, pronouncing it over & over again, in slightly different ways. I’m like that with interesting words. It’s one of my quirks.

A note from The Devotea, creators of this tea.
When word got around that we were considering dropping this tea, we started hearing from a lot of fans, including this blogger: http://networkedblogs.com/Uffc9
Please let us know what you think: you can email me directly on robert@the-devotea.com or comment here.
We value the thoughts of the Steepster community!

This Chai was also nice. The Star Anise is the star of the show here, & again the spices are fairly mild. Next time I’ll probably double the amount of tea of both this one & the Aussie.

This is not the spiciest Chai I’ve ever had (which is fine with me), but is a nice soothing one, with Ginger being the most prominent of the spices. And I love Ginger!

Watching the Cardinals play the Brewers from the couch.
Currently 3 – 2, Cards leading.
Nothing like tasty tea & baseball on a Sunday afternoon.

Another nice strong cup to enjoy while painting.

I feel like I didn’t really to drink that much tea today, & I found myself craving breakfast for dinner & a pot of…something…
something easy…
something bold!
This was it! Combining the richness of China with the boldness of India. What more could I ask for?

This is more like it!
Ah… I love the sensation of caffeine, spreading through my system…sigh…
Even though I’m still a little under the weather, I have food in my belly & I’m kicking back & watching this week’s episode of “Elementary” with Tony.
This is a satisfying blend of Indian & Chinese teas. I’m grateful that I found it in my purse :)

I just really need a cup of some straightforward black tea.
My senses for bitterness are unfortunately high these days, I guess because of allergies, so although this was a little on the bitter end, everything I’ve drank lately has been. Otherwise, this is the tea I was looking for.

I really enjoyed this one too…sigh…& now it’s gone!

A nice blend of some of my most favorite tea varietals. The rich earthiness of Yunnan first presents itself, followed by the boldness of Assam. What I love about this cup is the way that I can taste them both separately & together.

I’m not a huge fan of white teas, although I have begun to appreciate them a little more lately. I AM a big fan of licorice root, however, & have enjoyed it on & off for years. It is great for balancing the blood sugar, & the mood, & has a natural sweetness to it. This cup of tea was a pleasant diversion.

I’ve said in the past that I’m not a big fan of bergamot in my tea, & even less of a fan of lavender (except in my garden, pillow, & bubble bath). Occasionally there are exceptions, & this might be one of them. I steeped a cup for Tony, since he adores these kinds of teas. He loves it! :)
I took a few sips, & admittedly, it is very nicely done! Although it’s not something I’d drink regularly myself, I have to admit that an occasional sip from Tony’s cup might be nice from time to time. The bergamot takes a real back seat here, with the orange being upfront & juicy. The lavender was included, but very judiciously, so that (I can’t believe I’m saying this Sil) it enhances the orange just right.
Tony & I both agree that the base is a little weak, but perhaps I undertea-ed it a little.
Then again, she is a lady.
Of course, some people would say I’m a lady too, but I’m probably not as refined as she was. ;)

2nd sipdown in FL, perfect with breakfast, this is bold, smooth, & malty.

We’re in full storm mode today, which I’m rather enjoying, to be honest. I tend to like chaotic weather, although it makes me feel lazy & just want to sleep, or lay in bed reading. I went to bed this morning at 1am, only to awaken at 5:30 to the sound of tornado alarms going off in a distant neighborhood. Gradually closer alarms went off, & then they gradually faded. I consulted my weather app, & apparently a tornado touched down in U City, which is about 3 or 4 miles north of my neighborhood. Otherwise we all had fairly strong winds, rain, & hail. No damage done here. Not sure about U (that’s University) City, but I’ll check in with friends up there.

I almost got up, thinking “now I’m awake”, but I ended up going back to sleep & not waking up until 9:40!! I start teaching at 10, so this was my first teapot of the day, something strong & bold to awaken my groggy mind & senses, & it was good!

Upon my return home for the funeral, I was feeling very teaprived, & this one seemed the only suitable choice, to continue the theme of the day, & the week, actually, now that I think about it.

Note to self: Next year spend all of St. Patrick’s Day drinking & comparing Irish Breakfast blend, you silly lass!

Breakfast Blend Protocol Day 3:

Although this tea was designed to be for the milk & sugar set, it’s pretty tasty as is. Bold, Malty, & very smooth, but not to be taken on an empty stomach (maybe that’s why people add milk & sugar?).

Having a 4 oz cup of this & the 1910, side by side, before the remainder of each sample goes into Sil’s box :)

This one is properly bold & reminds me of a black tea I drank yesterday, Butiki’s Crimson Horizon. They aren’t really the same, but there is a certain undertaste, which I can’t quite name, that is similar. Now it’s gone!

Sipdown!

Another bold & substantial cup from my Devotea sampler.
The first sip had a slight touch of marine, leading me to think that our Irishman was a swaggering seafarer as well. This is a bracing cup, perfect for a morning navigating the fog, either of the sea or of the mind.

Another easy cup of tea, enjoyed with breakfast. I’ve already reviewed this one several times, so not much to say except I like it! Bold & shiny :)

This cup of tea accompanied me during my 2nd round of tomato trellis tying this morning. I have 2 varieties of plum tomatoes this year: some Italian heirloom that I bought 2 of because I detest roma’s & couldn’t find my beloved favorite, & the next day I found my beloved San Marzano (another italian heirloom), so I bought 3 of them. Both are heavily weighed down with fruits, & I’m starting to pick some of the San Marzanoes! Soon I’ll have bucket loads of both, & the making of sauces, roasted toms, etc will begin!

The Day She Planted the Sweet Potatoes
Part Two
I have various ways I grow sweet potatoes, & of course, every year is a different experiment.
Usually I create a Playpen out of moveable wire fencing, put it somewhere, add a bunch of compost, etc, plant the potatoes, & hope for the best. This works really good if you plant them in the middle of a leaf mulch pile that is 1.5 or more years old. The worms have already done their magic, so there is actually soil there instead of just clay.
I’ve also made a playpen around well established beds with a fair amount of success. The potato vines love climbing, & you can pretty much plant them & then walk away for 3 month, just giving an occasional drink if it doesn’t rain.
My best sweet potato haul was a raised bed made out of straw bales. I made a thick layer of cardboard across the bottom, & filled the form with various layers of soil, compost, manure, etc. When we were ready to dig up tators, we were amazed to find some that were the size of a newborn baby!!! And guess what? They weren’t ideal for baking, but they were great cubed up & fried, although it took every skillet in the kitchen to cook them. We’d eat as much as we wanted for breakfast, & then make a coconut curry for dinner, adding the leftovers, plus greens, shallots, etc.

So this year’s sweet potato experiment: I already have 8 wire frames that I used to grow potatoes in. I no longer grow potatoes because my feet hurt when I eat them, although I do still occasionally eat them anyway, especially if I find volunteers in my garden somewhere. The frames are circular, roughly 3 feet across, 2 feet tall. My plan is to put those frames in various locations around the garden, line them with cardboard (I save cardboard all year for these little projects), & then fill them with the usual mix of growing stuff, then plant one sweet potato slip in the center of each one.
In 3 months I’ll let you all know how this experiment turned out!

So while I’ve been eating breakfast & drinking this tea, which is a great breakfast tea, with a nice punch, & an earthy quality that makes it perfect for a gardening day, my 2 sons have been putting together another 8 wire frames. (4 foot tall cheap fencing wire, cut long ways so that each section is 2 feet tall, & then cut into 10 foot lengths, more or less). Our first run to Lowes will be to get more fencing, because we need 8 more frames.

Desiring a potent cup of black, & drank some of this one, for it’s satisfying shiny Obsidian quality, like a smooth piece of black glass. I’ve never tried it with the sugar cube. Probably never will.

Home from the gig, desiring something bold & strong, so I made a cup of this one, & again, it seems as if I have under-leafed it. It was tasty, but I still feel unsatisfied.
Is it me?