Various Artists

So my day started off kind of shitty. I woke up and had to tidy the apartment since someone said they wanted to come see it. They were supposed to arrive at 3 and at 4:30, when they still hadn’t showed, I messaged them to find out they forgot. So now they are coming tomorrow…provided they remember. It just sucks because I stayed in all day waiting for them.

Anyways, after realizing they were not coming, my roommate and I decided to go out. Our plan was to go eat dinner and then see Captain America. After grabbing our tickets, we headed over to a bubble tea place for dinner. It was nice because it was the first time in a long time where the two of us just hung out, as opposed to us staying shut in our rooms 24/7. Plus, I got to have some delicious tea:

First, I had a Fresh Taro Milk Tea with bubbles, which was delicious. Yummy latte, fresh taro, and bubbles…can’t ask for anything more :). Then, since we had time to kill before the movie, we went to a Korean supermarket and bought both Barley tea and Buckwheat tea to see how they compare to my beloved Soba Cha. And then, we hit up DAVIDs to redeem my free cup of tea for signing up with their frequent steeper club. I got Gold Rush because I figured that is expensive so it was a good tea to get for free :P. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as it normally is since it seemed weak but it was free so I wasn’t too upset. Also, once I was at DAVIDs, I ended up buying a couple of samples and 100g of Birthday Cake because I have a problem.

Anyways, right now I am sipping away at the Barley tea we bought and though I think I prefer Soba Cha, this is a close comparison for those who can’t easily get a hold of Harney and Son teas. I would say the only difference is this is more like wheat/grains while Soba is reminiscent of a hot cereal. Both are good though :)

Oh and Captain America was quite great in case anyone was wondering.

Sorry Roswell Strange but I did not get to Camellia Sinensis today as I ended up going to the hospital instead to wait with my friend for test results :(. All is well though and my friend and I will be going some point soon enough.

As a thank you for coming to the hospital and supplying her with food she shared some tea from this really cute “tea book” (which basically looks like a tiny, elaborately decorated novel but is instead a small tea tin). I didn’t know what to expect since it had jasmine petals and cornflower and all sorts of random goodies but in the end, it almost tastes like Lupicia’s Sweet Potato Pie tea. I kid you not, and I have no clue why it would but that is what I am getting from this cup and I am loving it.

Went for a tasty dinner and had a delicious hazelnut milk tea with bubbles. It was like drinking creamy and delicious liquid pralines. Mmmm mmmm good :)

I started my day resteeping the leaves of the Cactus Flower tea I had last night. The flavor held up perfectly so I was very happy sipping away at it as I looked through different online stores and debating if I wanted to buy more things or not.

At the same time, I steeped some Georgia Tea Company’s Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Chai tea in my timolino. This came to me from JennyFur and I was excited to try it out. Unfortunately, I never got around to it because I ended up going with my roommate to actual stores to shop. Usually I would avoid stores on days with big sales, especially when I can get the same deals online,but she needed to get sized for bras and I needed a white collared shirt for my grad photo on Thursday (both of which we got so YAY!). However, this got left behind.

Luckily, we went into CaesarsTea and got some teas to go. My roommate had a coupon for a free cup of tea (the employee who sold me the 25 different teas a couple weeks back gave us each one but I forgot mine at home). She was only supposed to be able to choose between their two teas of the day but the saleswoman helping us let her chose any tea she wanted. She got a tea called The Energizer which was minty and very nice. I got a fruity Pu’erh and white tea while I was there called Pu Show. It was rather enjoyable because despite not adding sweetner, the Pu’erh was so caramel-y.

Then our shopping trip turned into a bit of a day out since we planned on meeting a friend near by later in the evening to go see Catching Fire. We decided to kill time by going to get some bubble tea. I got a Passion Lemon tea which was amazing. They basically take passion fruit black tea and throw in some lemon sorbet. It was fruity and tart and super delicious.

After the movie, which was AMAZING!!, we went back to our friends house and she made some Osmanthus tea. That tea was so buttery – it was almost like drinking liquid butter. Not really for me but an interesting taste experience for sure.

Now I have finally returned home to find some awesome tea packages from MissB and Roswell Strange. And after 12 hours of sitting in my freezing apartment, my timolino managed to keep my Sleepy Hollow Tea warm. Although it tastes a bit soapy. I will have to try brewing it again and having it fresh to really review it.

All in all, I had a pretty great tea filled day. Plus, now I have a bunch of new teas to try to keep me busy until all my awesome Black Friday orders arrive!!

Today was a fun day with regards to tea for my roommate and I. It all started when I got home and my roommate told me she wanted to go to Camellia Sinensis. This is unusual for her because typically I am the one dragging her to tea shops because I like to try all the fun and different flavored teas whereas she has a lot more plain teas that she buys in Asia. However, she told me that she is almost out of Genmaicha and she checked out Camellia’s website after I told her about it a couple days ago. She wanted to check out the store and pick up some of their Genmaicha with Matcha and Sencha and since I am always willing to visit a tea shop we decided to head out.

Unfortunately despite its close proximity to our apartment we got lost and ended up wandering until we were near a shop, NosThes, that according to my roommate makes “the best bubble tea in Montreal”. So we decided that once we were nearby we might as well pop in there and get some tea. Based on the recommendation of the waitress we both ended up getting a Vanilla and Nuts black tea. Mine was a hot latte with no sugar and no bubbles and my roommate got hers done as a hot latte with some sugar and bubbles. This tea done both ways was AMAZING! My roommate was still talking about her bubble tea hours later and as I said before, she does not usually like flavored teas.

Anyways, while we enjoyed our NosThes, we looked up the location for Camellia Sinensis and so we back tracked towards our apartment and finally found the shop. First of all, when you turn onto the street where the shop is, it looks like you teleported back in time. The shops have an old-timey look to them that is just super adorable. Inside, Camellia Sinensis, is quite lovely. Its walls are lined with silver tins filled with tea (although there are no labels – you have to look through a book to see the different types of tea they have) and different mugs and teapots they have for sale. I was tempted to buy some of their tins because they are really pretty however they were also quite expensive and I could not justify spending surplus amount of money on tins. However, while looking at tins, I noticed a small tin filled with Lichee (their spelling, not mine) and peony tea that my roommate and I both thought smelled amazing. Then I realized the small tin was actually one of many small tea-filled tins that were for sale so I picked on up and we headed over to the counter. My roommate had come prepared and knew what she wanted to buy so she ended up getting 50 g of the Genmaicha with Matcha and Sencha and a small tin of Matcha Uji that the salesman recommended for casual matcha drinking. I, on the other hand, had made the mistake of not checking out their teas beforehand and because their tea book was in French I got overwhelmed and intimidated and decided just to stick with my small tin of Lichee and Peony tea which my roommate ended up buying for me.

We left the shop with our new purchases and made the short walk home. When we got home, my roommate quickly started the kettle so that we could try her new teas. This was funny because usually I am the one who comes home with a million new teas and I make her drink them with me but today was her turn to brew cup after cup for us to try.

We started with the Genmaicha with Matcha and Sencha. I had never tried Genmaicha and I have only ever had flavored green teas so this was a brand new experience for me. Anyways, the first steep, though delicate, was definitely far more vegetal than any tea I would ever by however to my surprise, I quite enjoyed it. The second steep brought out more of the toasted rice flavors which I thought was quite delicious. However, my roommate, though she quite liked her new tea said that the Genmaicha she already had was better. She started to brew that so that I too could try both and compare. Her Genmaicha had more of a robust and roasted flavor to it upon the first steep. Similarly to the other Genmaicha, the second steep once again brought out the flavors of the rice. So basically from this tasting, I learned a couple of things – I no longer mind a vegetal tasting tea and apparently I prefer the second steep of a Genmaicha because I like the roasty-toasty rice flavoring.

Once we got the ball rolling on tea tasting, my roommate seemed to realize why I like sharing teas with her so often and so she decided we should switch things up and try the Lichee and Peony tea. This tea was delicate and floral but the lychee helps balance the floral taste so that it did not come off perfume-y. The second steep of this tea was quite similar to the first with the exception of the lychee flavor being a bit more pronounced. Our third steep lacked flavor so we both concluded this tea should only be steeped twice.

After all that, my roommate thought I needed to try a good Pu’erh tea she had from China. She got very excited and had me smell the dry leaf. She then poured boiling water over the leaves and dumped it out since apparently you should always rinse a good pu’erh to bring out the scent. So once she rinsed the leaves she made me smell them again and she was right as the scent was definitely more robust. She then informed me that a good pu’erh is always better after the second steep so we had our first steep and then a second. Since the tea was fermented I worried about the flavor but I was pleasantly surprised. The second steep was definitely more delicate than the first but both were delicious. Unfortunately, we then had to rush our last cup because we decided to go to a Body Pump class at the gym.

All in all it was nice exploring new flavors that I would not usually pick myself. I tend to go for bold flavors but more and more I realize the value of a simple yet delicious tea. That is not to say I plan on giving up my love of flavored teas anytime soon. In fact, arriving home from the gym I found a swap package from Courtney in my mail box filled with many new flavored teas that I can’t wait to try.

I crawled out of my anti-social hidey-hole today and got together with a friend, which ended up with us sitting in Starbucks and chatting for the better part of five hours.

Of course, now I’ve had more caffeine today than anyone rightfully should.

But at least the trend started with a pretty lovely pot of Da Hong Pao from a local Asian restaurant. It had the right mix of woody, loamy and a bit of apricot-like sweetness to make polishing it off a pleasure.

This tea is apparently ‘Of Flowers’ from Postcard Teas in London and came my way from justnord (thank you!), but I can’t find anything on here or online, so I’m cataloging it here.

It’s really a gorgeous blend, with huge flowers in it. Rosebuds, marigold, chrysanthemum yellow cornflowers and a whole lot of stuff I don’t recognize. But chunky and gorgeous, basically.

I used a full tablespoon per 8 oz because of the size, and steeped for 10 minutes. It smells rosey and almost chamomile-like. And pretty much tastes exactly how it smells. Chryanthemum is the dominant flavors, with a bit of rose in there.

This one isn’t really for me I think, as chrysanthemum isn’t really my favorite.

With my last order from Blue Raven, I received a bunch of small (1 cup or so) samples, but I couldn’t find this one on here or in their store so I thought I’d throw it up here!

Anyway, it was labelled Sunshine Oolong and is supposed to be a yuzu berry flavored oolong.

It’s a rolled green oolong base with big pale yellow flowers that don’t look (or taste) like marigold, but it’s hard to tell with there only being a cup or so of tea here. It smells fresh, citrusy and a little green. As it steeps it becomes very citrus fragrant, and not unlike cutting into a fresh grapefruit.

As far as taste goes, there is a surprising strong floral component. I actually think the flowers are chrysanthemum because that’s the closest taste equivalent I can come up with. It’s a tart grape fruity citrus flavor with a sweet orange element that hits at the back of my mouth. This might be the closest you could come to eating yuzu without actually eating it!

The oolong base was buttery and green with just a little floral component of its own (delicately orchid, but not in conflict with the dominant floral flavor). I got 4 pretty solid steeps out of this, but by the last one it was very much floral and oolong and not yuzu. Still! I would probably by more of thiis for the summer months if I could. I would imagine this would be amazing iced, or with a splash of orange juice! Yum!

88/100

I’m not entirely sure what company this Cinnamon Apple Caramel Rooibos came from but it was found in my sample drawer. It’s actually pretty good. It has a nice crisp apple flavor with subtle cinnamon and a sweet note from the caramel. Mmm :)

Mm a simple chocolate/mint black tea with a vanilla twist. A slight coffee aftertaste. It’s ok but the flavors could be tweaked a bit.

Working on finishing samples today! Thank you to whoever sent me this one! It’s called Apple Bliss but I can’t seem to find it. The asroma is very warm with apple cinnamon. The flavor reminds me of dried red delicious apples dusted with cinnamon. Quite enjoyable and one of the better apple teas I’ve tried.

So. I finally blended my own chai. I included pink peppercorns, crystallized ginger, whole cloves, whole cardamom (which I crack open with a mortar and pestle right before brewing), broken up cinnamon sticks, and rooibos (this is our nighttime treat). I scoop in a perfect teaspoon and a half per 8 oz of water, and serve it with vanilla infused honey and a splash of milk.

Wow! Maybe because the spices are glorious ones from Penzeys, or maybe because I used just enough to make things flavorful but not ultra spicy or bitey, but — I’m in love! My husband is in love, too! He requests it every night, and I have to cajole him to try another tisane at least one night a week!

I want to try it with black tea and I also have 2 packets of flavored rooibos and one of honeybush I want to give the chai treatment to. I hope that will allow us to have chai throughout the winter without purchasing more tea!

So I worked and worked and worked on my blend of earl grey, the Earl’s Garden (a berry earl grey from DAVIDsTEA), and vanilla tea. Each time, it felt like it needed more vanilla. So I finally got it tasting exactly how I thought it should taste this morning, and then realized – gosh this tastes an awful lot like Paris! That is wonderful — because I love Paris! But it’s also kinda funny because I have a half pound of Paris in my cupboard already (!). Now I have another 4 oz, more or less. OK!

I made a Franken-blend from all of my random bits and bobs of unflavored black teas in an effort to consolidate my little tins, baggies, and whatnots. From memory, I know there is some Keemun, Yunnan, Assam, and other Indian teas in this melange.

Success! This is a bold, chocolatey tea that is best with milk and sugar. I wouldn’t go a touch over 4 minutes, and I’m glad I used a timer. I feel like I have a brand new tin of tea (I think I gathered together about 3 oz of leaves altogether!) without spending a penny. Some of the teas were 2 or 3 years in my cupboard, and the fresher additions really gave them a new life. I highly recommend Franken-blending to revitalize your neglected, leftover, or otherwise languishing teas!

Gunpowder from Soma

This was one I basically picked up on a whim when I visited my friend in Bloomington. There was a coffee shop that sold loose leaf tea, so I got some of this and some Assam.

This is kinda nice. It’s got a grassy minty thing going on in a way that’s nice and cooling, not overpowering and antiseptic. An especially nice thing after having had fast food for dinner earlier, and Big Cheez-Its for a snack (the best junk snack in the world, but I always feel like I need to wash my mouth after I eat them.) This shall be my cleansing tea.

Gunpowder & Mate by Teapots & Treasures

Not the best morning. Bit stressed out, all the little things. Woke up from a creepy-ass nightmare a bit before 6 AM and never went back to sleep. Need the good stuff.

This green taste is cleansing and refreshing this morning. Already starting to feel a bit better. I never thought this would be a staple, but apparently it’s about to be.

Gunpowder & Mate by Teapots & Treasures

This is take two of this one. I was combing through old Steepster notes last night and found my review of this one; apparently I’d had it in November while watching Back to the Future: Part II, and while I wasn’t in love with the taste it was a nice burst of energy. To be honest, I’d just about forgotten I still had it, but it sounded like just the thing this morning when I was sluggish.

And you know what, it was! I drank about 2/3 to 3/4 of a cup at home as I dashed around getting ready, then took a thermos to work. The leaves are a mix of the rolled gunpowder leaves and more fine shreddings (the mate part?) The smell and taste are grassy-smoky, “dark green” like the color of the leaves. I wasn’t a fan of the flavor when I first tried it, but now I don’t mind it. It’s growing on me a little, in fact. If anything, the “green-ness” of the flavor is refreshing and kind of clean. And I drank it all day and didn’t have the mid-afternoon slump.

I’m glad to have a tea in my cupboard that has, so far, proven itself to be an extremely good energy boost and a nice alternative to my standard morning teas. Fresh, clean, and different from anything else I’ve got.

Gunpowder & Mate by Teapots & Treasures

Backlog from this afternoon. This is one I got on a curiosity-whim back when I visited this store in July while I was staying with my friend in Indy, and because I always want black tea, I haven’t done anything with it until this afternoon. Since I was feeling sleepy and wanted to simultaneously tidy up my room a bit and watch Back to the Future: Part 2, I decided to give it a shot.

I think it’s self-explanatory; it’s gunpowder green tea mixed with yerba mate. I have no experience with either, so I have no basis to go on for this tea. I was afraid I was going to roast it; the instructions said “almost boiling (180 degrees).” To me, 180 doesn’t count as “almost boiling,” and that kettle was definitely “almost boiling,” but I poured the water, let it steep a comparatively short time (1-2 minutes?), and hoped for the best.

It’s decent. Since it’s a backlog, not a whole lot to say, but it was quite smoky. Not really in a bad way. A twinge of grassiness, maybe a hint of spiciness but I can’t remember? The yerba mate definitely did its job, though; I was nice and awake for the rest of the afternoon! … Although there was, admittedly, more movie-watching than room cleaning.

Backlog from this morning and afternoon; this was another one from Teapots & Treasures; I think it was called Art Deco? It was a black tea with Assam and Keemun as well as some flavorings.

Not quite my cup of tea; nonetheless, I was very impressed! It was a satisfying black tea brew, and the flavor was a healthy mix of fruity (which is why it wasn’t quite my thing, I’m not a fruity tea person at all) and nutty. I don’t know if “complex” is the right word, but it was an interesting and quality flavor. I’d recommend it!

I am a baaaaaad trumpet player right now! I’m practicing while drinking tea! And it’s not even a week before I’m leading an instrument care clinic at our store, which will probably include me mentioning that anything you’ve eaten or drank right before playing will go down the trumpet and build up on the inside! Welp, I am planning to get it chem cleaned within the near future. That’s my excuse.

Today’s tea is Guatemalan Black Tea by Teapots & Treasures, a little shop full of tea and knicknacks just off the main circle in downtown Indianapolis. Went there with my friend when I visited her in July; it’s a little bit of a cramped maze, but it has very sweet and personable associates. Also quite the range of medicinal teas… especially for women.

This is infusion #2 of this tea I’m doing today. The first one was okay; I don’t remember thinking a whole lot about it. I think it’s growing on me though. It’s almost malty or something, but there’s a fruity note and a sliver of astringency, possibly from me oversteeping. Not really bitter. Aftertaste is a bit odd. It reminds me of other black teas I’ve had, but I can’t remember which ones. Oh boy this is an eloquent review.

Probably not a restock, but a pleasant little morning cup. I’ve got a few ounces, so this should last me a while.

Ah, back to relaxing after a busy three days of running around. I did have some tea during that time, although I don’t know what it was. I was staying with a friend for Christmas Bird Count, and she made me some kind of strong black tea at our 4am wakeup. She’s married to an Englishman, so she makes tea that is designed for additions. Even though the plain tea was bitter, some milk made for a perfectly pleasant cup and certainly provided a jolt of energy.

Now today is Christmas part II… we spent actual Christmas at the BF’s parents, and now we’re having Christmas with my parents. A nice way to extend the holidays. :)

Sipdown, 143. From looking at other “Random Steepings” notes, I believe that this is Sil’s “grocery store puerh”, the tiny little foil-wrapped tuocha. Having bought tea myself in a Beijing grocery store, I know that there is a substantial difference between grocery store tea in China and that in the states. I brewed in my gongfu teapot but it probably was still too big for this tiny tuocha.

I gave this a few rinses because it smelled rather pungent at first (i.e., a bit fishy), but that washed away pretty well. I was left with a smooth, woody puerh that really wasn’t half bad. Granted that shu puerhs are generally not my thing, it was pretty decent. Mostly wood with a bit of earth, a somewhat creamy texture and a hint of sweetness.

Sipdown, 146. Here’s a true mystery tea… a gold-foil packet of black tea from China from Sil. At least I know approximately what it is! It looks and smells fairly similar to the Tan Yang I brought back from China myself, though with a few less golden tips.

Interestingly, this one smells more chocolatey than I would have imagined, close to Laoshan Black. Definite toasted grain notes, but no honey or caramel. It’s a little more charcoaly than I would prefer, but overall pretty good. I think I steeped it a little strong, which may be contributing to that sensation. Still, an enjoyable cup for the afternoon.