gmathis Send Message

Weather and a poorly timed ear/sinus infection (it’s like trying to hear with corks in your ears) spoiled our plans to sneak down to the Ozarks today. But the antibiotics are kicking in, and I had a quiet morning to tackle The Corner of Guilt and Shame (piled up mementoes from mom and sister that I feel bad about pitching). Then we made do with a makeshift lunch date to a good pizza place about 20 miles south. We took the back roads and narrowly missed a dive-bombing by two buzzards that were as big as Thanksgiving turkeys. An adventure indeed.

So this is dessert, and a good one for a raw afternoon—damp and temps in the mid 40’s. When I initially reviewed this, I affirmed that the butterscotch flavor was accurate. Today I’m just getting caramel and burnt sugar. What licorice is in the blend just underscores its sweet pastry personality. I’ll still stand by my conclusion that this is a great little inexpensive grocery store treat.

I am not grousing about today’s chilly rain. It’s a much-needed drought breaker. However, that plus the confounded pre-daylight savings darkness made it stinkin’ hard to hit the deck this morning. Break out the hard core stuff.

And indeed, this one is not for the faint of heart. A review by another self-proclaimed barbarian compared the extra-strong PG Tips blend to oak wood. I might concur with that, if you left the water in the tree stump overnight with some acorns tossed in.

More analytically, PG Tips self-reports that it uses a blend of Ceylon, Assam, and Kenyan teas in its normal formula. I might guess that this rendition is far heavier on the dark Kenyan leaves. Unless you’re really living on the edge, use milk.

At last! An oolong that can stand up to my barbarian abuse! Early a.m., western style, time around 3:30 ish, maybe, while I was rummaging in the fridge for my work lunch—-and delicious all the same. I’m seeing all kinds of taste comparisons in the reviews, but I don’t believe I see raisins and good fruitcake yet, so I’ll just throw those in there.

My tumbler rode to work with me, but didn’t last very far past my office door. Good stuff!
(I hereby nominate derk for “Donor of the Month.”)

Yes, I know this says it’s iced tea. But as my body has shifted to standard time already (I’ll save the DST rant, as I’m sure you can find several in the archives), I needed a boot-in-the-backside wake-up this morning and decided to start with a strong and tannic tumbler of this tea from derk. A little milk to tone down the sharpness and I’m catching some of the subtler cherry wood undertones mentioned in other reviews. Eyes are open, albeit reluctantly. Mission accomplished.

One of you recently wrote, “a little milk can fix nearly anything.” That’s the case with this almond oolong. Fresh and new, it tasted like Christmas sugar cookies with almond extract. My pouch is old enough that although the almond flavor hasn’t gone bitter, the whole blend is running on about 60% power. A little half and half this morning smoothed everything out and made a pleasantly drinkable cuppa.

(Get some fresh. You’ll like it.)

Living in our little burg, sometimes it is easier (and this time of year, far more lovely) to take eight miles of winding back roads to the small town on the east of us than to navigate main drag traffic two miles to the west of us. The trees have overgrown the little county road and turned it into a tunnel sprinkled with leaf confetti in October and November. Occasional deer and flocks of wild turkeys, too.

And the grocery store at our destination is a slightly seedy but clean King Cash Saver—they just have several items you can’t find at the mainline big town stores. One of those treats this weekend was a box of Constant Comment, on sale, no less!

It’s tea with a secret sauce of orange rind and spices, if you’ve never had it. Some of that secret sauce is nostalgia; remembering drinking it with my mom. And some of it is just plain, unassuming “just tea” with a little autumnal kick. You need to try it once. More cloves and allspice, I’m guessing, than cinnamon or cardamom. It isn’t chai-y at all.

I’m not sure whether to lead with the tea (which was delicious) or the setting (which was equally delicious).

Aw, tea first. Delicate and delicious. It leads with sweet cinnamon, then the maple and cake batter essences catch up with it. Light and sweet and delicious. (I don’t normally associate waffles with cinnamon, but maybe you do.) A very nice pairing with oolong. Reminds me more of breakfast rolls than waffles, but we’re splitting hairs over a lovely cup of pastry goodness.

Setting…sunshine, mid 60’s. Backyard glider; quiet neighborhood; not an AC or lawn mower to be heard; just breeze rumpling the leaves and what’s left of our container garden. Book on my lap untouched. Can I have about a week of this?