626 Tasting Notes
Took this one with me to church tonight. I still enjoy the spice of it. Noticed the cinnamon especially tonight. Left a curious dry mouth feeling that I sometimes get with cinnamon.
And I really have to say I freaking LOVE my new travel mug. I bought it at a Castel Rouge (SCA) fundraiser up in Winnipeg last winter. I didn’t use it much until lately, when my old travel mug finally gave up the ghost. This one remains cold on the outside, even when boiling water is poured into it. I made my tea around 5:15 and took it with me to church. It sat with its lid off for about 2 hours. I put the lid back on to drive home. Tea was still HOT. No leaks, cold outside, hot inside, what’s not to love?
My evening cup. I didn’t enjoy it as much as my last cup. Might have over steeped it bit, or maybe there weren’t enough tea leaves in it. It seems watery and washed out, yet a bit more astringent than I remember. I’m not giving up on this one, though, because I did enjoy it last time.
Made this for my afternoon cup. I was glad to see a sample of this was included in my last order from Whispering Pines. I am enjoying it along with a piece of gingerbread. (I made gingerbread yesterday and have been careful not to gobble the entire 8×8″ pan up at one sitting. My sister is coming for supper tonight and I want something for dessert. Aren’t you proud of me?) Anyway, This is a delicious tea. smooth and just perfect with a spicy treat. No bitterness, no sourness, no astringency. Just a nice tea that i’ll probably order again someday in the future.
Preparation
I tried this a third time. Actually brewed a whole cup for 4 minutes, then dumped the tea and rinsed the leaves before brewing the cup I drank. Nope. Still not doing it for me. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I have an unopened 50 gram packet of chocolate orange pu’erh. I hesitate to open it. Maybe my friend Athena would enjoy it.
I had it a year ago or so when I was in the store in Winnipeg, and I remember enjoying it. That’s why I ordered it. Oh, well.
Wow! I really like this one! I made gingerbread and wanted a tea to drink with it, Not anything frou-frou or spicy, just something nice and smooth and gentle that wouldn’t overwelm the gingerbread. I pulled this one out of the cupboard and brewed up a pot. It went with the gingerbread smashingly. Smooth and with just a hint of sweetness, it complimented the gingerbread perfectly. I could sort of feel the citrus at the end of the sip. This one may need to go on the re-order list.
Preparation
I picked up a bag of this at the local coffee shop. The bag itself is nice. Nicer than the paper bags of other teas. That’s the best thing about this tea. It was bitter to me. I might have steeped it too long. I drank half a cup and brewed a second, this time with a little honey. That made it much better. Consiering how much tea I have, I won’t bother with this one again.
Preparation
Ahhh. How nice to come back to an old favorite. I love this tea. Slightly sweet, smooth, and always hits the spot for me. When I drink it I think of my Winnipeg friends with fondness. When they travel to Minneapolis they break their journey here in Fargo and spend a night with me. As a (unneeded but appreciated) thank you gift they always bring me a tin of this tea. So drinking a cup of this always makes me think of them.
I met the gals at a new coffee shop called “Beans” for knitting this afternoon, and they had a small selection of bagged teas by Numi and Rishi. I decided to pick up a couple of bags (because, ya know, I don’t have enough tea!) I’d been told that turmeric was good for nasal polyps, so I chose this one and the Yunnan Breakfast tea. I made this one for my evening cup. I’m honestly not sure what I think of it. The mouthful starts out a little tangy, and turns almost sickeningly sweet. Like lemon and honey cough syrup. The sweet lingers on the tongue after I swallow. I’ll finish the cup, but I’m not going to re-steep, and I don’t plan to buy this one again. Although I will say my nose is slightly clearer. I could suck on a Halls cough drop for the same effect.
Preparation
I’m going through the tea cupboard (yes, it’s grown from half of one shelf to the whole shelf, then two, now the entire cupboard. sigh.) in an effort to itemize and arrange per company, type, etc. Came across this. I’ve not had it a loooong time and decided to have an afternoon cup. It’s not bad. It’s a bit astringent, just tish bitter. Maybe because it’s old? Maybe I over steeped? I wonder if those chopped up tea leaves keep their flavor as long as whole leaves. At any rate, this one is okay if I’m looking for a black tea without caffeine. But really not a favorite.
Nice! Are you involved with the SCA? I have several friends here in Winnipeg who are, and it makes me wonder if we have other connections. Which would not surprise me at all because that’s how Winnipeg works.
Very likely we do know some of the same people. I don’t know all their actual names, just their SCA names. David and Robyn Brough, Daria Rakowski, Jocelyn Wirth. There is Dave Bonwick and his partners Lauren and.. darn, I can’t think of her real name! Oh, well, small world, right?