Various Artists

Finished off the last of my straight matcha last night making a green tea mochi cake!

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cake/ButterMochiCake.htm

I used that recipe, but sifted 2tsp matcha into the rice flour. It was REALLY GOOD! I’m wondering how it would taste using flavored matcha now…maybe I’ll try that some day :)

I’m actually having some straight matcha, prepared the traditional way, for once!

It is intensely vegetal, and a little bitter, though it might be my fault. It is probably getting pretty old, and I may have scorched it with too hot water.

Oh well, hurrying to sip up this cup so I can make some of my new Mandala teas that just came in the mail!!!!! What do I try first?? :)

Last swap sample from Dexter3657!

This one is a random tieguanyin, and is very lovely! Super sweet, super green and has a nice mineral note! Loving the tang. Very much hitting the spot! :D

Today I am trying an organic black tea my friend gave me that HER friend brought her back from Nepal. I think it is technically a little old and stale, but it has a bold, pleasantly astringent breakfast tea type flavor. I won’t have any trouble finishing the sample she gave me :)

Shh, don’t tell my tea stash. I cheated on it with some coffee at lunch today! I very very rarely drink coffee, but I had to opportunity to have Turkish coffee, which I do enjoy quite a bit. I love cardamom! YUM!

I’m heavily caffeinated now O_o

What I’m drinking is a sample from Mandala Tea. The package said-

Noble Mark 2013 fermentation tea nugget

I knew as soon as I woke up this morning I wanted to drink a shu today. I’ve been waiting for a shu craving to hit so I could try this sample! It was exactly what I needed. I find it very grounding. There are never any funky or “off” odors or tastes in any of the Mandala puerhs I’ve tried so far! First steep was earthy, and the 2nd steep is similar but a little sweeter. Very nice :)

This morning I am drinking 50% Butiki Pumpkin Creme Brulee and 50% Butiki Pumpkin Milkshake!

It is good but I definitely still prefer Pumpkin Milkshake by itself :D

Oh yeah! I almost forgot I made a big pitcher of iced Verdant oolongs. I had a couple of almost empty sample packs that I wanted to finish off- It was half hand picked Autumn Tieguanyin and half Shui Jin Gui Wuyi Oolong (Don’t freak out, purists!) And OMG it is SO GOOD! Best straight iced tea ever! :D

I’m going camping this weekend! YAY! Last night I packed up a couple of gallons of purified water and a bunch of teas to drink and share with my friends. (I love sharing tea with friends!) I chose teas that won’t mind boiling water, and teas that are nice and rich and highly caffeinated. It is going to get down to 30 degrees Saturday night, BRR! Hot rich tea will be perfect. Anyway- I packed…

Butiki Caramel Vanilla Assam
Butiki Organic Guayusa
Verdant Laoshan Black
Mandala Special Dark

Oh, and a little Butiki Citrus Dream for the evenings, though we’ll likely all be drinking beer and wine at night time. (OR hot cocoa with bourbon, HA!)

:)

Tonight I was in the mood for a treat! I made up some strong decaf English breakfast, mixed in some of my chai mix in. THEN I added a shot of creme de cacao! Heck yeah!!!!

I am finally trying a sample of BrewTEAlly Sweet’s favorite tea, Victorian Vanilla!

It has a mild black tea base and soft vanilla and rose flavoring. It’s drinkable, but not blowing me away or anything. I love trying new teas, though :D

Found a small ziplock bag with some tea leaves in it near where I keep my Verdant teas. I am pretty sure this one is a puerh?? Man I need to make sure I label stuff better. Anyway, trying to do some sip downs this week since I have a million new teas on the way! :D Anyway, whatever this is seems to be doing the trick for a Monday morning (I ate WAY TOO MUCH junk this weekend) detox. Earthy and smooth.

Been drinking through a few samples of Asian grocery oolongs courtesy of tunes&tea from ::gulp:: Christmas. Should have brewed these long ago, but was overwhelmed by too much tea, bouts of depression where I didn’t want to drink tea (silly as the ritual of tea helps me) and various cold/flus/infections and travel.

I started off yesterday with one labeled: “Asian grocery oolong, red octagonish can, $5.99- 8oz, similar to Wei Chaun” after some searching it seems Wei Chuan is a brand not a varietal and since this is a greener oolong, I’m guessing it’s similar to a tieguanyin. This was my least favorite of the three, there was something in the smell even after two rinses I wasn’t digging. I’m guessing it was stale, which is my fault for keeping it in a ziplock for 5 months, but I gave it my best shot, 5 infusions a few sips of each but ended out pouring it out. It wasn’t that it was undrinkable, I just didn’t want to waste my time drinking it. I know that probably comes off snobby or ungrateful, let’s try: “too much tea, too little time”.

I rinsed my teaware and moved on to the “traditional Asian grocery Dong Ding” and as soon as the water hit the leaves I could I was going to like it. Most of the first infusion went into an offering cup, because it smelled heavenly but I figured I should still treat it as a rinse (good tea goes in offering cups, blah tea goes down the drain and I brew more than one offering cup can hold) still I took a sip. Yes very nice roasted Dong Ding. I enjoyed several infusions before making cous-cous for dinner. Had to take the tea into the other room as the kitchen was becoming saturated with cumin and curry. Have plenty of leaf for a least two more sessions.

The third I have just started on this afternoon. It’s labeled “Ti Kuan Yin, asian grocery- good though” and it is! Very good indeed. It’s a darker roasted tieguanyin and these are always a rare treat for me! Going to savor this one. I’m eager to try the “Asian grocery Pouchong” as well, but that will probably be for another day, or perhaps this evening. Thank you “tunes&tea” sorry it’s taken me so long to get to some of these.

Also wanted to mention here that my dad has recovered very well, he was given the go ahead to drive by the doctor two days ago (I had a dream the night before that he had my nephews on his lap in the drivers seat and was accidentally squishing my sister into the side of the garage when I volunteered to drive and had to go with him on the road for business for the next three months, very strange) and I have gotten over my flu and have been cleaning. These teas are a bit of a reward for a clean kitchen ;)

Even though I’ve added this to all the packets I currently have on the go, I’m not feeling like adding it to Steepster.

Basically, this is pretty good. The delicious toasty buckwheat. (Way too much) sweetness from sugar. Creaminess from milk. Tasty matcha.

IDK that I’d get this again, but I was super excited to see a buckwheat tea of any kind at any of my local markets, so I totally bought a bag of this. :D

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDb_tmtx5Ed/

Unknown Chinese green jasmine from Bear with Me.

It’s actually really really good. I’m having it with honey, because, well, I’m sick. The leaves are really lovely, but I totally neglected to take a picture.

Anyways, thanks so much! I don’t have much jasmine in my cupboard, so that was fun to drink today. :)

I possibly should be embarrassed to admit this.

Day 3 of Grandpa Style steeping some unknown black tea sample from Sil. Unknown because I can’t remember what it said on the packet!! Dragon Bohea something something? I’m really not sure.

It is, quite frankly, delicious. And gives and gives and gives.

I, uhh, had tea today. Pretty sure. And yesterday too.

Some bit of a sample from Sil steeped grandpa style in my best timolino (no basket, just mesh).

So Long and Thanks for all the Licorice.

Smokey Spice.

I think.

Gosh I’m so tired. My alarm (it’s random in the AM!) went off at 5:45 this morning. I didn’t notice till half way through my day when I sync’d my tracker and it was all, “YOU DIDN’T SLEEP ENOUGH, FOOL!!” And then I understood why it was an ALL THE COFFEE kind of day.

Zzz…

“This should be Green Tieguanyin” from Dexter.

Had in my thermos at work today. Pretty good, but not worth a resteep when I got home. Mostly I just wanted a gin and soda when I got home, but I managed to have a couple cups of herbal whatsit first. :)

This honestly could have steeped longer for Western Style. I was just conservative due to the temp I used. Oh well!

Random oolong from someone. :D It’s actually really nice! Smells a little toasty and like steamed veggie water, but tastes sweet and thick and floral with a bit of spice notes like pepper.

Yum.

It’s some sort of TGY.

Just going to drink a couple 50ml steeps and then brew up an herbal for sleepy times.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAi4iVPx5Ku/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAi67swR5Nu/

This is a Lychee Chinese Black I got from Bear With Me, last time I visited. IDK when that was though. D:

It’s really really good. I’m having it with some cream, because it’s what I had in the fridge. Super fruity and floral, although I’m not sure I’d really pick out lychee flavour. So much of a lychee is the experience peeling it, and then the funny texture of the fruit. :)

Thanks so much! I have enough for another mug, but I think that will go quickly…

I’m too lazy to go dig this out of the cupboard. But it’s a tulsi chai that Bear With Me gave me ages ago.

Yes. Tulsi chai.

It’s pretty good! I added some sugar and milk because why not. And even though coriander is the SECOND INGREDIENT, I’m really quite enjoying it.

Yay! Thanks, Bear With Me!

I tried ALL THE TEAS today.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-XvKMbR5DA/

Noteworthy teas:
The Chinese Tea Shop
http://store.thechineseteashop.com/2013_Fu_Ding_Bai_Cha_White_Tea_Brick_100_grams_p/wb-002.htm
https://www.instagram.com/p/-XTgOTR5OP/

Capilano Tea House
- Hiking the Canyon (SO GOOD)
- Warm Grey (I think? Amazing Assam based EG with lavender)

Oollo Teas
- Baozhong
- Red Jade

Cultivate Teas
https://www.instagram.com/p/-XUerTx5AJ/
- 2012 Sheng
- Rougui Oolong

Crimson Lotus
- Everything, seriously. I loved the way they set up with the giant tree stump table and all the tea sharing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/-XUNoUR5Pv/
https://www.instagram.com/p/-Xiw1CR5MB/

I’m not really sure where this is from, but it is indeed a black tea ball.

https://instagram.com/p/9zgKRUR5Bx/

There were 2 bags and the labels were conflicting. The more detailed label suggested gongfu starting at 1 min and 70C, moving up in time and temp. Which. No. Insipid lightly coloured water.

So I steeped it for about 10 minutes? It’s gone a little astringent but not too much. Still not the bestest though. There are other balls I like better. ;)

This is some random “Caramel Toffee” tea from France that MissB shared with me. I don’t think it’s the Dammann Freres one, because there’s no papaya pieces in it and also it says it’s a Ceylon, while DF says a blend.

So.

Right after steeping, it smelled quite drying. So I added milk. As usual. So with milk, although it does feel a little funny on the teeth, it tastes quite nice. The flavour is much reduced due to the fold-over baggie style of packaging, but it’s still nice.

Thanks so much, MissB!