Yunnan Sourcing US

drink drink drink…. heh thanks for all these terri!

It’s been awhile since I made myself a cup of Tibetan Yak Butter tea, and this Heicha is perfect for that! Of course, any black or shu will work as well, but heicha tends to have a bit of a sour rye taste (in my opinion) and that goes really well with the salt and ‘butter’.

Since I follow an Auto Immune Protocol (AIP), and am also allergic to animal milks of all kinds, my recipe used the milk of the coconut. Here it is:

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 T of tea. Most recipes say to add the tea to the boiling water and let it simmer for a few minutes, but to be honest most of the time I just brew it in a teapot and let it sit for 4 or 5 minutes.

In your blender combine 1/4 cup coconut milk or cream, 1 T coconut oil (you can use MCT oil if you have it, but I just use the regular stuff), 1/8 tsp salt, and the strained tea. Blend on high for 2 – 3 minutes and enjoy. This makes 2 servings, but I usually drink it all myself.

If you don’t like the salty savory version, add some sweetener instead, or us both!

If you can have real milk, go for it! I’ve heard that canned condensed milk is especially awesome. Or use any of the alternative milks you like.

Warning: This might be habit forming, and it’s a really nice and easy snack if you’re following a ketogenic type way of life. There is something really satisfying about it, and it always provides me with a real energy boost!

I enjoy Hei cha. I don’t drink it every day, but generally speaking, when I order from YS, I like add some Heicha samples to my order. They are nice to have around for variety, and not expensive.

This one has a bit of a sour rye bread flavor, which I find typical of this type of tea. It’s not sour in a bad way, and this quality is part of what makes it interesting, palette cleansing, and different from both Black and Red teas. Lightly smokey pine, tobacco, & a sweet tart aftertaste with a lingering juiciness complete the picture & make this a pleasant end to my tea drinking day.

This is a tasty tea. Some sweetness, some sour, but well balanced. The taste lingers on the back of the tongue. A thick feeling tea.

It’s got some bite to it when left to steep. :)

Dry cocoa with a hint of that dark chocolate bitter taste from the first bite.

A different type of taste than the higher grade stuff from Verdant. When it comes down to pairing: this is a tea to enjoy with something, while the Verdant tea is something to drink on its own.

bready, smooth tasty tea. heh. A non smoky version of ZSXZ. I haven’t tried this version from Yunnan sourcing, so happy to see it in my box from my tea sister. Enjoyed this one while finishing up the last of the household crap in MUCH nicer, sunny yet cool weather. Here’s hoping fall is here to stay and that the humidity is over!

Final count:115

The other 2015 autumn version from my comparison today. Hot and cold this one is more up my alley than the spring 2014, however it’s not as delicious as i remember it being.

The brew to this smells more appealing after the Classic version—more like a chocolate biscuit. The wet leaves almost smell like a hot cereal with cocoa. There’s something almost liquor smelling about the brewing leaves that leaves me a little dizzy with anticipation. I’ve never had the Godiva chocolate liquor, but it’s how I would imagine it to smell.

The cocoa flavor is much more pronounced than in the YS Classic.; it comes out of my nose as I breathe out. The dark chocolate flavor becomes sugary as it cools, and the flavor turns a little bready. I’m getting chocolate croissant feelings from this tea. There’s a bit of astringency that brews out in subsequent steeps, and any bitterness is like that of a dark chocolate rather than a bitter black tea; it’s very faint.

I did a comparison on the YS Laoshans against Verdant. Full post and photos here: http://www.catlaittea.com/2016/09/05/laoshan-showdown-yunnan-sourcing-vs-verdant/

Sipdown! Sorry to see this one go but also not sad because I know I can get it again anytime :)

Finished this one today, but my 250g of classic showed up. Go me…yay for delicious teas being back in my cupboard…finally!

Final Count: 93

like one more cup of this…and then there will be no more LB in my cupboard…and i was even proactive about ordering when i was getting low! sigh someday my tea will get here…

For those that have been around a while… today we finally got around to submitting my job role for evaluation with HR. As in, after the like year? 2? of going back and forth on what my role should really entail while i do a little of everything…we’re finally getting close to the finish line. What does it really mean? Nothing yet…but the possibility of getting to hire underlings for me and a bump in grade…paving the way for more corporate ladder climbing if i’m so inclined…or yeah..and theoretically a raise. lol

so i had this tea…to celebrate. yay