Various Artists

Had afternoon tea and a BBC Pride and Prejudice marathon yesterday with a friend! So fun! We’ve seen that version of P&P a million times, but it’s still the best! I made a new scone recipe, which was delicious…raspberry, white chocolate chips and coconut buttermilk scones! We also had a variety of tea sandwiches, of which my friend’s apple pecan version was awesome! I love long weekends!!

Oh, almost forgot to say, we enjoyed Nina’s Paris’s Grand Amour, Della Terra’s Oolong Creme de la Creme, and Butiki’s Maple Pecan Oolong! Yay!

Have you ever made a cup of a tea you really liked, but this particular cup sucks? I just did. I made some of that dragonwell tea from some unknown tea plantation in China, and it tasted awful. Perhaps my steeper still had residual from my steeping of Aztec Spice, even though I washed it? Perhaps my mug had residual, even though I rinsed it? Maybe my honey is getting too old? Maybe my taste buds are off? OR, maybe I subconsciously didn’t want that tea at the moment? Anyway, it was gross. So sad.

In other news, I created a spreadsheet of my tea inventory! Yay! I was worried that I was starting to lose track of some teas, and I was right! I have A LOT of little amounts of different teas. So, it’s pretty cool because I can sort by company, by type of tea (black, oolong, etc), by amount, and by a rating. I created a new rating system for the spreadsheet: Favorite, Good, Okay, and Yuck! Lol! Favorite and Yuck pretty much speak for themselves. The difference between Good and Okay is whether I might buy it again. Now I just need to organize my physical cupboard better!

I am perpetually using this for my dragonwell tea from an unknown plantation in China. So good with honey! I think I tend to prefer roasty toasty green teas to the grassy type. I’ve noticed this one has a bit of a lemon note as well….goes well with the honey! Mmmmmm.

I REALLY love this dragonwell tea from China that I got from my husband’s friend. Stinks that I don’t know where he got it, but I have a lot of it! It is extra yummy with honey. Funny how my tastes have been changing. Lately, I’ve been developing a better appreciation for green tea!

So, I’m gonna catch up on my backlog of tealogs in a backwards fashion, because I can! Had a pretty crappy day today after a fabulous weekend. Very hard to go back to work after that, on top of the fact that I’m so burnt out at work, I’m toasty! Anyway, my husband’s friend gave me some fabulous dragonwell tea from a tea plantation in China. I wanted to give the company credit, but he couldn’t remember the name of the plantation, even though he went there! It is roasty goodness! I especially like the second steeping, because, I think it’s smoother, and possibly sweeter? Added honey for both steeps. Still getting my palate acquainted with green teas. I like this one a lot, especially as an afternoon tea or to go with a meal. The other bad thing about not knowing the company is that I can’t buy anymore! Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to savor what I have! Thanks Terri, for setting up this “random steepings” tea. I’m glad I can at least write about it!

Enjoying a cup of my homemade roasted dandelion root tea. I love it. The dandelion roots came from my own garden. I scrubbed & trimmed them, ground them up in my food processor, and then slow roasted for about 3 hours. My garden is big, with an unlimited supply of dandelions, and in the spring I eat the greens daily, because they are so good for my liver. I roast at least one batch of roots every year in the fall, because it’s a great tea for me in the evening: all the depth and boldness of a black tea, none of the caffeine.

Over the last few years I’ve been adding more herbs to my garden for evening tisanes, for medicinal brews, and for the bees & other insects to enjoy. I don’t plan on starting a business, I just love gardening and I love tea. :)

Hello steepster friends! Sorry I’ve been such a slacker for so long, thus is the life of a successful musician, right?

Anyway, I’m loading up a box for my tea sister Sil (finally) and some of the teas I’m sending her have been drank, but not reviewed. So I’m gonna try to make up for that by drinking them all! First up, 10AM Morning Cleanse, by The Tea Spot. I’m writing this review on Random Steepings (which I actually created, back in the day) because there is no heading for this one, and it’s no longer being offered on their website. I got this sample ‘awhile back’, and am just now sampling it. It’s a blend of Black, Puerh, Rooibox, Cardamom, ginger, Cinnamon. Although it’s not overly remarkable, it’s not bad. Kind of a light chai, and although I rarely sweeten my teas, this one is happier with just a touch of maple syrup.

I’ve had this sample of Fu Brick from Life in Teacup for quite awhile, and today was finally the day. I posted some picks to my Instagram, if anybody wants to see it. Anyway, it’s dark tea with the Golden Flowers clearly on display. The texture over all the steepings is very smooth, with a vanilla like feel. The flavor is wood and tobacco, and after the first few cups my mouth has a sensation of camphor too. I till have quite a ways to go with this, but so far I’d say the taste is pretty consistent throughout. This tea is really more about sensations and a good tea buzz too. I enjoyed it. BTW, the reason I posted it over here at the Random Steeping page is because it was a free sample and I didn’t see a point in creating a page for it, since I don’t think Gingko is offering it on her page.
And that’s a sipdown, folks!

Roasted Chicory Root tea – deep, dark, rich, bitter, earthy… the ultimate coffee substitute, although I don’t actually drink coffee, but still…
I brewed it strong.
I basically made caffeine free ‘iced coffee’ with it, and added coconut milk & maple syrup.
If I’d thought about it, I could have put it in the blender with a frozen banana, and made a latte…
Tasty
Sipdown!

Damn, I forgot to bring tea to Tony’s house!
All he drinks is earl grey & jubilee, but digging around I found a single (old) bag of tazo Awake & another bag of Tazo Chai, so I brewed them together in a teapot. I’m not sure that this is better than nothing, but it’s what I got. In consolation to myself, I get to count it as a double sipdown :)

I woke up this morning & it was still dark outside. My alarm was set for 5am & hadn’t gone off yet. I laid there for awhile, luxuriating in being able to stretch & doze on & off a little. Some voice in my head (Ms Theresa, most likely) made a comment about going ahead & getting up, so that we’d have a little extra time to get ready. Needless to say, I ignored that voice, until suddenly I realized that the sun was rising.
It turns out, I forgot to turn on my alarm, & it was 6:15. I scrambled!
Luckily, I barely got to the school on time, but it was a long day, & the 6th grade group was especially obnoxious today.

Now it’s night time. I wanted more tea, but not more caffeine, so I’m using a teabag that one of my students gave me. It’s from the English Tea Shop, & it’s called ‘Happy Me’.
It isn’t listed on steepster, & I’m not adding it, because I can’t read the ingredients list, & I just don’t feel like adding any teas tonight. I taste chamomile, lemon &/or orange peel, coriander, cardamom, maybe a little apple…

It’s not bad, actually. A little fruity, a little sweet spice. Not something I’d ever purchase, but warm & relaxing. That’s all I want right now.

I’m heading out the door with the following teas in tow, to be drank in the order listed:
Hong Yun Black – Butiki
Chinese New Year aka Yunnan Golden Tips – Andrews & Dunham (I found a nut shell in there)
Black Beauty – Mandala
Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha – my dessert after lunch

Thus begins my day…

Brett, from Tribute Tea, sent me some free samples of teas that aren’t actually on his site yet. This is one of them. The dry leaf is fresh & green, & the tea is sweet & a little buttery, very enjoyable. I don’t have much else to say, but it’s because I’ve been watching baseball & knitting like a fiend while drinking this cup. The Cardinals swept Denver, & the sock is hopefully gonna be finished today…finally!

I have become Comfortably Numb…

I’d like to thank Gingko from Life in Teacup for sending me a sample of this. I was curious about it, due to their blog, but they don’t offer it on the website, so I feel very fortunate to be able to give it a try.

We’re enjoying back to back steeps of it, maybe on #5 & 6, & although it’s not particularly potent, it has a pleasant sweet cream kind of taste, & vanilla mouth. A gentle maltiness is also there, & the chaqi sensations are outrageous. My chakras are all pulsating on high.

Sil & I have to leave for the airport pretty soon, but this has been a really fun, albeit short, day. :)

This morning I’m dipping into the trade I had with Stephanie. So many interesting teas, & yet I’ve barely tried any of them. So I’m starting with this black tea from Nepal. I’m not sure where it came from, but it reminds me in appearance of a Darjeeling type, so I went ahead & treated it as if it were, allowing the boiling water to cool for a few minutes. The resulting cup is pleasant enough: a little tart, sweet, & floral. More of an afternoon tea than an accompaniment to breakfast, but not unpleasant in any way (although I think if I’d gone with boiling water the level of astringency would have been undesirable).

Thanks Stephanie!

Good Morning Everybody!!
I’m not usually up this early on a day I don’t have to teach at the school, but it’s going to be an exciting day, so here I am.
“Why exciting?” You ask.
“Because Sil is in St. Louis!!!” little terri blabs! She’s so excited that she was jumping on the bed all night :)
Of course, she is working by day, but tonight we get to hang out for awhile, & tomorrow we get to hang out ALL DAY, or at least most of the day. YAY!!

Here’s a brief survey of the teas I dragged to school with me yesterday, all teas that I’ve already reviewed many times, all teas that are worthy of their own review & tasty:
Malty Irish Breakfast – Butiki – sad sip down…sigh…
Dinjoya estate assam – also Butiki
Premium Grade JIn Jun Mei – YS
Feng Qing Gold Needle Yunnan Dian Hong – YS
and once I got home:
Vanilla Citrus Spice

That’s all of my tea drinking day yesterday rolled into one.

Good morning Steepsterites!
How I’ve missed you all. I’ve been peeking in daily to read a few posts & see how the site is coming along, & I see things are still not back to normal, but I know that eventually it will all be sorted out.

I started the morning with Teavivre’s Organice Superfine Keemun Fragrant Black tea, which is always such a yummy treat, & which I realized I’m getting close to running out of!

Then it was on to an offering from my swap with Dag Wegin, who I haven’t seen here for awhile. This is ‘Emperial Long Jing’, but I have no idea what company it is from. It is tasty, however, with a pleasant green-ness, a thick tongue, & a lightly tart sweetness that really brings to mind tropical fruits, particularly Mango (which I love).

Thank you, Dag, wherever you are!
:D

Heading out the door with the following teas in various sized containers to enjoy over the course of the day:
Irish Breakfast – Butiki – yes, I still have some of this beloved tea
Black Dragon Pearl – Teavana – the only teavana tea in my cupboard
Wu Liang Hong Mao Feng – YS
Yi Mei Ren – YS

Yes, Sarah, I did place a YS order over the weekend, including a portable gongfu thingy…

Heading out the door with 3 teas in tow:
Irish Breakfast – butiki
Yunnan Dian Hong black tea – full leaf – Teavivre
Spring 2014 Yunnan Black Gold – YS

This should hold me until I return…

Stopping by briefly to say I miss you guys!
I’ve been so busy this week, I can’t think, so here is a list of some of the teas I’ve been drinking:
Jinggu Golden Strand Pure Bud – YS
Organic Superfine Keemun Fragrant Black Tea – Teavivre
Master Han’s Wild picked Yunnan Black – Verdant
Fengqing Dragon Pearl Black – Teavivre
Zhu Rong – Verdant
Shiva’s Breakfast – Butiki
Premium Taiwanese Assam – Butiki
Imperial Moijiang Golden Bud Yunnan Black – YS
Bolder Breakfast – the Tea Spot
Yunnan Purple Beauty Black tea – YS
And probably some other ones, but that’s the teas I remember.

I’ve written actual reviews on all of these before, so that’s all I got!