693 Tasting Notes
I’m tired and my head is starting to hurt. My grandma on my mother’s side passed today, after choosing to end nearly a decade of dialysis which had grown very painful this last year. I was in full support of her choice and glad her pain is over. My grieving is mostly manifesting in just feeling a deep sorrow for the grief my mother is going through, and trying to be there for her as much as I can despite the fact I live in the western US and she lives in the eastern US. I guess the service will be held online due to That Thing That Shall Not Be Named. I wonder what that will be like…
This is my next old matcha that is now a smoothie target. I got it from an independantly owned teashop in Boise, and though they list Aiya as one of their matcha suppliers, they don’t have any flavored matcha, so I have no idea where they are sourcing this particular one from (or I’d list it under the appropriate source… sorry!) Mostly I’ve been making pina colada-esque concoctions, but I decided to mix some of this straight into an ice cold water bottle and do the “mad shake” to try it plain, to get a sense of its flavor as a matcha on its own. Unlike the Mint Chip, this one does have that noticable grassy flavor, but it is very sweet from the sugar (not a complaint for me, I can’t handle the bitterness of matcha straight up). The coconut is coming through toward the end of the sip, more pronounced at the back of my tongue. It is more of a gentle touch than a strong hit of syrupy coconut… to be honest, I like both flavors depending on their presentation. I think the coconut adds to the sweetness/balance of the matcha in a way that makes this easy for me to drink in straight water, and normally I have to take my matcha as a latte. Perhaps on days when I just don’t have time to mix up a breakfast smoothie, I’ll just dump a bit of this in a water bottle and take it on the go since it works well this way.
Flavors: Coconut, Grass, Sweet
Preparation
The Great Un-Steepstering of 2020 Review #11 (08/25/20)
Rather than adding a bunch more individual entries to the (already giant and slow) database when these dry herbs essentially taste like what you would expect when you steep them in water (What, you mean lavender tastes of lavender and ginger tastes of ginger?! Stop the presses!), I’m going to collect these all here since I’ve been using my loose plain herbal infusions stash in a few different ways I want to document.
Culinary Lavender by Silver Fox Lavender Farm
As a bonified lavender fan, this is the one I’ve gotten the most creative with so far. I bought quite a bit from a stall at a Farmer’s Market in Boise (yay supporting local farmers!) so thankfully I still have quite a bit of lavender buds still in-house.
My first endeavor was making lavender-infused hot cocoa by following the recipe here (https://www.teatulia.com/recipes/earl-grey-hot-chocolate-mix.htm), only the portions were so huge (I ended up giving bags to both Todd and my sister!) that now I have copied down versions of it not only halved, but halved several more times from that, down to getting nearly a “sampler size” portion. It’s basically a way of crushing the buds in a spice grinder and mixing them with sugar and cocoa powder for hot chocolate, and the stuff is delicious!
In the winter months, hot lavender lattes are a favorite. I’ve found my favorite way to do them thus far is a half gram of buds per 1 metric cup (a little seems to go a long way!) steeped in 3 parts hot water for 3-5 minutes, then I heat/foam 1 part coconut milk, and mix together with a small dollap of Farmer’s Market honey. I really like the flavor combo of the lavender with the coconut milk! During the summer, I like to cold steep plentiful teabags of it in lemonade, as the lemon/lavender flavor combo is another favorite!
I’ve also been using it to make my own deodorizer spray for the house. I steep a strong infusion (usually a heaping teaspoon of buds in half a cup boiling water), then let the brew cool some, and put it in a small spray bottle with a teaspoon of lemon juice and top it off with water. Makes a nice air spritz and I keep a bottle near every litter box; completely natural and doesn’t bother the kitty!
Ginger by Starwest Botanicals
I’ve been using this almost exclusively to make flavored white rice! While the water for the Minute Rice was boiling, I’d put several teaspoons of the loose ginger in teabags and let them steep in the boiling water, remove the teabags, then add the rice and let it “soak up” the ginger tea to make a lightly ginger-flavored rice. I found the ginger-flavored rice extremely easy on my GI system on days when I was having issues with it due to migraine. As such, I used up my bag I brought home from a co-op on a vacation in San Franciscio quickly. I need to restock!
I also liked mixing this with the hibiscus flowers 50/50 to make a throat balm when I was starting to get a sore throat/cold… the hibiscus was full of that strong Vitamin C hit that I wanted in the early stages of a cold, while the ginger provided the throat balm, and I liked the taste of the two steeped warm together.
Hibiscus Flowers by Starwest Botanicals
I imagine I’m the only person on Steepster who willingly owns (or rather owned… I’ve now used them all up!) plain ol’ hibiscus flowers. My main use was a generous heaping teaspoon per cup cold steeped overnight in lemonade, which gave the lemonade a noticable sort of “raspberry lemonade” sort of flavor that I really liked! I also used them for the 50/50 hibiscus/ginger throat tea for colds, mentioned above.
I guess I had used up way more of my stash than I had thought, because I wanted to experiment with these in Sprite after reading about VariaTea doing so, and I had bought two different bottles of Sprite (traditional and a ginger one… I didn’t even know they made that!) but I had hardly any leaf left! I put a teabag into a tall glass of Sprite, and my findings were that other than turning the Sprite red, it really didn’t change the taste at all. At about halfway through the glass, the Sprite finally started to have a slightly “red berry/punchy” taste to it, but it was still pretty subtle against the flavor of the Sprite itself. By that point there was a) a lot less Sprite in the glass and b) the hibi teabag had been steeping for quite some time, so I guess to get any effect against the sugars/flavors of the Sprite I would’ve needed to use a lot more raw hibi leaf, and also probably done an overnight coldbrew of it. If I restock my leaf (this was another I picked up at the San Francisco co-op, and I can’t easily restock it locally without ordering online), I will have to try that out.
Peppermint by Frontier Co-Op
I had a lot of plans for this… I wanted to infuse cocoa with it, like with the lavender, to make mint cocoa as gifts at the holidays, which never happened, since I ended up using it up just making plain ol’ mint iced tea to soothe my tummy during bad GI attacks for my chronic migraine condition. The last of this from the San Francisco co-op ended up in a big pitcher and is currently in the fridge, and has been going into smoothies, mixing with the smoothie ingredients to leave a lovely fresh, minty taste! This would be nice to restock since I would still like to try out the cocoa idea, but since cheap, bagged mint tea alternatives are easily available here to make iced mint tea for the tum-tum, it isn’t as high of a priority…
Red Rose Buds and Petals by Starwest Botanicals
I still have quite a bit of this left from the San Francisco co-op haul. I have made one batch of rose-infused cocoa, which was just as lovely as the lavender, and have also used it to cold steep in lemonade, which I also really enjoy! I think I may try making another batch of rose lemonade and adding that to fruit smoothies in the future, or if I use up one of the spray bottles of lavender deodorizer and want to switch it up, I may fill one with a rose deodorizer next time.
I find hibiscus by itself, made into cold drink and lightly sweetened with just a tiny touch of simple syrup, is a wonderfully refreshing summer cooler. It’s served in some Mexican restaurants as ‘jamaica.’ Sometimes ginger is added. It doesn’t have a lot of medicinal benefits-mainly it can be used for hypertension. When purchasing hibiscus, the more of the flower and petals you can see, the better the tea will be. If you cold brew, it takes about 12-24 hours to extract the most flavor and color from the flowers. I’m sure you knew all of this Mastress Alita. I’m just admitting that I do own, use and enjoy hibiscus-but only by itself, not blended into anything else.
If you like the tartness of hibicus and haven’t yet experimented with dried rose hips for your Vitamin C ‘hit,’ they might be something to add to your dried herb apothecary.
Cold brewed hibiscus is lovely! I do enjoy it in dried fruit herbals, though, and tend to have plenty of those around, so I rarely cold steep it plain. I thought about getting rosehips (I like them, and I also like them mixed with hibi) but for whatever reason didn’t pick them up from that co-op when I was on that (so long ago now!) trip to the Bay Area… when I come across a chance to restock some of my dried herbs, I think I will!
I don’t know if you’ve used them before, but Mountain Rose Herbs (no affiliation) is a good source for the kinds of culinary/medicinal herbs you’re working with. If you have been happy with Starwest’s products, they’re good as well.
Do you make Fire Cider? I don’t use it because it’s contraindicated for my dosha type (Pitta-Hot), but if you don’t or have not, I highly recommend Rosemary Gladstar’s recipe from ‘Herbal healing for Women.’ It has to steep for about 4-6 weeks and this is the time of year I start some going for friends and clients.
Even though I live in a very big city with easy access to co-ops, farmers markets and herbal apothecaries, I still get most of my herbs and essential oils online. Something about looking forward to packages…
I know of them, and even visited their booth at the Portland Tea Fest one year. My main issue with them is the smallest size available (if I remember right) was 4 oz. and I rarely need so much of a single tea/herbal infusion in a single person household and tend to avoid any tea shops where that’s the smallest quantity I can get (I usually look for 2 oz. and smaller). That co-op in San Francisco was nice cause I could get any size I wanted and it was weighed. So I’m still hunting around for a place I can get raw herbs in quantities that better fit the storage needs of my small space/single person usage habits.
Ah! That makes sense. Herbs don’t keep forever. I purchase mainly for professional use so botanicals get used up quickly. For cooking, though, I always try to get the smallest quantity if it’s something I don’t use regularly because like you, my household is also single person.
I don’t care for hibiscus in blends that claim to be something else, like strawberry or apple but then all I taste is Hibi. I do, however, like jamaica and was wondering what the best source for loose flowers would be. All I have had is Tazo Passion, which is probably not nearly as good. It may not even be pure hibi.
ashmanra Tazo Passion is a fruit flavored tea (and it’s ‘tropical flavoring’, not even dried fruit pieces) primarlily hibiscus, some spices and rose hips but it’s a lower grade hibiscus; more broken up bits and pieces than whole petals. Kind of like green or black tea fannings (or ‘floor sweepings’ as I call it). To me, hibiscus tea bags are a waste of space and will tend to be low quality. A website called The Tea Spot sells good grade, organic, loose hibiscus petals and you can get a sample which is 5 servings for something like $4.00. That’s a good way to see if you like it, then you can order the next size which is 4 oz. Of course, if you have access to an herbal shop that sells in bulk, that is the ideal way to go.
Lot’s of good ideas and info, Mastress Alita. Thank you for sharing! I will have to try that lavender earl grey hot chocolate when the weather cools.
White Antlers: Herbal Healing for Women is, funnily, arriving at my doorstep today. I’m also into the first chapter of House as a Mirror of Self. Explored Jung many moons ago, so it’s nice to be brought back into that fold, and with the author’s ties to the Bay Area, makes me even more interested in her text.
derk and White Antlers: My copy of House As A Mirror of Self is on the way! Looking forward to reading it!
I know Tazo is not high quality so I really look forward to finding some really good hibiscus flowers. My eldest daughter, Superanna on here, loves jamaica and I would love to make some for her. Just learned to make horchata because the kiddos like it!
derk: Hmmm. The Universe works in mysterious ways. I love both of those books. Mine are dear companions, limp and ragged from so many re-reads. So glad they will be with you. Each book has so much to give.
ashmanra: Delighted you ordered ‘House!’ Tazo has some merit and it’s a gateway tea for many folks. Try The Tea Spot’s hibiscus. My bag is down to the dregs else I’d gift you with some. Isn’t horchata a treat? Those lucky kiddos…
I’m with derk—I am ready to try that lavender hot cocoa in a month or so!
White Antlers – just ordered some for me and some for my daughter!
Thank you Mastress Alita for lots of nice suggestions.
I don’t mind hibiscus nor rosehips in blends. But sometimes, usually in cheap stuff, there is too much of them making it only tart and nothing else. That makes me unhappy. But sometimes, it is just right and without it it would be, maybe just not that great?
Another aside, to White Antlers: I read in Herbal Healing for Women that the namesake and original proprietor of my local apothecary in Sebastopol, Rosemary’s Garden, is in fact Rosemary Gladstar.
The Great Un-Steepstering of 2020 Review #10 (08/24/20)
I have tons of matcha that just doesn’t seem to be getting used up fast enough, and since VariaTea uses hers in smoothies, I thought I might give that a try… except, I have never made a smoothie in my life (culinary expert, I am not). I know this should be as simple as looking up a recipe and following it, except… every smoothie recipe ever uses banana, and I have the strongest banana aversion on the planet (perhaps the reason why I’ve never attempted to make a smoothie before). There can be one slice of a nanner mixed with 20 other fruits in a smoothie, and I’ll taste it and gag. So #projectsmoothie is probably going to get very creative, and have some spectacular failures along the way…
Yesterday I decided to start with this matcha, and try making a chocolate mint flavor profile smoothie. I found a banana-less chocolate smoothie recipe to work off of, and made some tweaks to it. In the end, I ended up with one cup of cold brewed peppermint tea, eight or so pitted Deglet Noor dates (much cheaper in my area than the larger Medjool variety), 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, 1 tablespoon of the Mint Chip matcha, 1 teaspoon of Nutella, 1 teaspoon of almond butter, 1 teaspoon of chocolate sauce, and about 8 ice cubes.
For my first attempt at a smoothie, the biggest issue was the dates, which didn’t want to chop up/mix in well at all (and I ended up eating them out of the bottom of the cup at the end with a spoon). But the flavor was very good! The mint chocolate was strong! Maybe just a hint on the bitter side, but in a pleasant way, like the kind of bite you get from really dark chocolate. I didn’t mind it at all, but I suppose that next time I could add more chocolate sauce or Nutella if I wanted it sweeter. But I think I might prefer it this way, I do prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate. The peppermint had a nice minty flavor, but mixed with the chocolate didn’t come off with a menthol taste, just crisp and cooling. I didn’t really taste “matcha” specifically, but I wasn’t really expecting to and was just glad that both “chocolate” and “mint” were distinctly featured in the smoothie flavors. Good flavor profile, just need to figure out how to integrate the dates better next time!
So, take two this morning. I probably should’ve stuck with the same recipe, but decided to try something slightly different, just because I wanted to “pre-make” the matcha this time to add in (instead of just throwing the powder into the smoothie) so I could taste it sans all the other ingredients to see what it tasted like on its own. So in this one I used one chopped apple, 4 dates (I pre-chopped them into smaller pieces this time… still trying to experiment with integrating the dates as a nanner alternative!), 1 tbsp dark choco chips, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, and 1 cup of matcha latte made with Mint Chip matcha in vanilla oat milk.
I was surprised to find the matcha, made on its own in the vanilla oat milk (a rather sweet milk), had that deeply dark bittersweet chocolate mint flavor, and it wasn’t coming from the ingredients in my smoothie yesterday! So, that’s a win. As I mentioned, I really like that deeply dark chocolate profile. Again, didn’t really taste any “matcha” under that flavor, even when separated as just a latte, but I really did dig the flavor I was getting.
Didn’t like this smoothie as much as the one yesterday, though, so of the two I’ll probably go back to the other (the apple just cuts the choco-mint flavor profile too much, requiring some cocoa powder to help offset, and that covers up a bit of the darker chocolate notes into something a bit more fudgy/sweet chocolately… though in hindsight, this probably was a better “breakfast option” choice.) Still had trouble with the dates, which like to “sink” below the blades of my blender regardless… my blender is old, an 80s monstrousity that is likely as old as me, if not older. If I want to continue #projectsmoothie (and especially if I want to use dates as a nanner replacement) I may have to upgrade!)
Excited to pull out some of my other flavored matchas!
Flavors: Dark Bittersweet, Dark Chocolate, Mint, Peppermint
Preparation
Bananas are pretty fundamental to my smoothies so I can see how that would be a hard ingredient to get around. Honestly though, sometimes I just toss whatever frozen fruits I have into a blender (normally banana and other fruits but I’ve done it with just frozen mango before) with milk, Greek yogurt (or dairy free alternatives to those), and then dump matcha in. I’ve gotten lazy with my smoothie making as yours sound more involved but also more tasty!
Ya, I had to get a lot of creative things that could be used, specifically, as “banana replacements” as that is a big firm “never gunna happen” for me. At least I’ve finally figured out how to get the dates to work! (I have to pre-soak them in hot water from my kettle the night before… the things one with a super-bad banana aversion must go through!)
I was going to say you can make smoothies with ANYTHING and not even give bananas another thought, but you’re already at advanced smoothie levels. haha. Also, you should definitely invest in a Magic Bullet!
Ya, I guess most people require a certain “thickness” but since I’m going sans banana, I am not as fussed about having thinner smoothies… as long as the taste is okay! I did a blueberry muffin one yesterday and finished up my Super Matcha and today I did a Creamsicle one and finished up my Icecream Matcha. I definitely may invest in a nicer blender at this point, since I’m enjoying these for breakfast and know a coworker who could use my old one as a hand-me-down.
The Great Un-Steepstering of 2020 Review #9 (08/23/20)
The site is (mostly) working again, but I’m not quite caught up with posting my backlog (at the time of this writing); I’m only posting one a day as to not overwhelm both readers and the (still somewhat slow) site, so until I catch up to “real time” my reviews will be back-dated (though the gap is getting closer!)
My friend Todd (https://steepster.com/ashi here on Steepster) is currently in evacuation due to the California fires. On Sundays we normally “watch TV” together (I live in Idaho and he in California; we “stream” at the same time and use a chat program to interact in real time!) and decided to keep our “Sunday TV date” since he could stream from his hotel (good to keep the mind on other things and keep to routine, right?) but before the stream, we decided to try out having a tea time together on Zoom! He doesn’t have any “tea stuff” right now due to the evacuation, but picked up some bottled houjicha from a convenience store and had a lavender cocoa from Peet’s he’d picked up from earlier in the day when he went to visit the family that is currently babysitting their coop of chickens. I decided to make this tea.
Since I followed my last Dazzle Deer oolong sampler to the T with their directions and it was a bit astringent, this time I used the website that I tend to always use when it comes to “water-to-leaf” ratios (something I have a hard time judging myself), OCTea (https://octea.ndim.space/#/) and… hey! I had no astringency this time! I did have to use a slightly larger steeping vessel to accomodate, but s’all good.
250ml teapot | 7g | 205F | Rinse/10s/20s/40s/60s/90s
I didn’t really notice much variation from steep to steep regarding flavor, so this is actually the kind of oolong that would probably do me very well as a Western or cold brew. I got a very smooth, roasted flavor, but not “charred” or “smoky” (there was perhaps a very subtle hint of a “burnt toast” note to the aftertaste, but it was mellow, more like an afterthought, and hit that spot of “pleasantness” that is hard for smoky flavors to hit for myself). It had a very toasty nutty flavor, like deeply roasted walnuts, with other notes of wood, oats, sweet honey, plantains/sweet potato, and subtle minerals. It was a smooth and pleasant cup throughout the five steeps I took the tea.
This is a type of oolong I can definitely see myself interested in exploring further.
Flavors: Honey, Mineral, Nutty, Oats, Roasted, Roasted nuts, Sweet Potatoes, Toast, Walnut, Wood
Preparation
Being displaced stinks. Been there. I’m glad you could be there for something familiar and comfortable! (“Familiar” and “comfortable” are in short supply if you’ve been booted from home!)
That is so touching that you are providing your friend something stable and familiar during a horrible time.
I hope Todd is able to get back to a normal state of living soon. Virtual tea time does sound quite nice, though :)
I think he said he would be back home Friday. Lets pray he does.
Right now he has his current hotel booked through until next Monday, and waiting until the evacuation order gets lifted. At the moment, water and power have been cut in the area, and even if the evacuation orders are lifted, they want to make sure all utilities are up and running before they return. :-)
The Great Un-Steepstering of 2020 Review #8 (08/16/20)
I just buckled and made a large 52Teas order, so I really need to get through some of my oldest packages! But we are in another heat wave and I have this one and Ginger Cola from 2017, and I prefer soda pop-themed teas iced. Prepared 7.5g steeped in 2 cups 205F water for 3 minutes, which was added to 2 cups cold water, then left in the fridge to get nice and chilled.
The dry leaf, warmed steeped tea, and used leaf all smelled so delectably of root beer. The aroma on my cold water bottle is lovely, I can pick up the licoricey-aromas of the anise and licorice root, and sarsaparilla, and something a bit sweet/creamy as well… though I did sweeten this tea (I don’t normally, but to heighten the pop factor, I added a bit of liquid sweetener to the iced tea).
The flavor is quite nice… the black tea base is actually not entirely overpowered with flavors, as I’m getting a sort of malty/raisin bready flavor in the background. I’m really digging the anise and licorice root notes, which are leaning more in the direction of sharp spice (perhaps because of the clove, though I’m not picking up a distinct clove flavor) rather than sticky sweetness. The sarsaparilla creates this nice root beer-flavored base with that sweet, somewhat licorice/minty flavor, and while I often can’t taste vanilla added to teas, I am tasting it here; perhaps the sweetener I added is bringing that note to the forefront.
It is a nice iced tea, but one I pretty much knew going in I was going to enjoy. I really love root beer teas, and the flavors of sarsaparilla and the “licorice herbs.” I have enough leaf to do one more quart after I finish off this batch, and will probably prepare it the same, including the sweetener. Super tasty and refreshing, tastes just like uncarbonated root beer!
Flavors: Baked Bread, Licorice, Malt, Raisins, Sarsaparilla, Smooth, Spices, Sweet, Vanilla
Preparation
The Great Un-Steepstering of 2020 Review #7 (08/16/20)
Digging into more of my pure origin teas from 2017 (I’m sorry I neglected you, poor teas!) I realize that any lack of quality at this point, well after the best-by dates, is only a reflection of my bad habits and not the tea.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried a baked/smoked oolong…? I can’t stand fire-smoked teas like lapsang souchong, as the strong, smoky “aroma” is a major migraine trigger for me. I’m not a huge fan of smoky flavors, either, if they taste too strong/ashy/charlike (a bit of mild BBQ-esque smokiness I am fine with, and really like in Chinese blacks). This came in a sample packet with a lot of different teas, and probably wouldn’t be the kind of thing I’d select for myself based on those tastes, but on the other hand, I was wildly curious so of all the Dazzle Deer samples I have to go through from that pack, I chose this one. It’s a fall 2016 harvest, best before 12/31/2018 (I’m such a bad tea mother!!!)
The samples were packaged in the gram amounts the site suggested for gong fu, so it was a good excuse to get my lazy butt to actually brew gong fu on a Sunday afternoon where I had the time to do so. I used the instructions from Dazzle Deer’s website, albeit slightly cooler water (honestly, at the high altitude here in Idaho, I haven’t really found much difference between using 205F and 212F so I tend to brew most things that ask for “boiling” water at 205F, which is faster on my kettle).
100ml shiboridashi | 7g | 205F | Rinse/20s/25s/30s/40s/50s/60s
On the first infusion, it smells of roasted nuts, smoke, slightly vegetal, and a sweetness on the floral side, perhaps honeysuckle? There certainly isn’t the sort of “smoky” aroma from a lapsang that makes my head think a forest fire is in full swing, so I don’t think I have to worry about a migraine trigger here. The flavor on the sip, however, is a bit more “char”-like than I tend to prefer… but it isn’t as bad as I always imagined in my head, either. It tastes like burnt toast, and I’m probably the only person I know that will willing eat burnt toast (and several other burnt foods… I actually like hotdogs and marshmallows better that way, heh). My main issue is that burnt flavor is a bit overpowering and lingers on my tongue, and has a bit of a bitter/astringent quality to it. The tea seems to have some woody/nutty notes, but I’m having trouble tasting them under the heavy burnt toast quality.
The second steep has mellowed the tea out nicely, however… into something I can actually enjoy somewhat. I can actually taste the wood, and a roasted nuts (particularly walnut) flavor that is quite pleasant. There is still a somewhat unpleasant astringent aftertaste (maybe this was just a touch more leaf than I typically personally prefer for 100ml gong fu style? I usually use the ratios on OCTea which seems to fit me perfectly, but due to the size of the packet, went strictly with the vendor-provided instructions this time). Hoping the bitterness will mellow out a bit, too. There is a cooked vegetables sort of flavor as well, though I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint specific vegetable notes (maybe roasted mushrooms?). It still tastes a bit too ashy to tell if there is any sweetness/florality present.
Subsequent steeps did mellow out further, and the astringency following the sip went away. I continued to taste wood, roasted walnuts, and charcoal as the main flavors, with a subtle cooked vegetable note in the background. In the later steeps, I was finally able to coax some of the florality I’d been smelling from the tea out in the flavor, as a subtle honeysuckle note, once the charcoal quality were really starting to fade.
After trying it, this definitely isn’t the sort of tea I’d choose for myself, but I didn’t find it so unpalatable that I couldn’t drink it if offered, and at least find myself curious enough to sample if the opportunity arises to see if there happens to be one out there that falls into the “right” level of smoky vs. charcoal/ashy territory that appeases me. I’m definitely glad for the chance to try this, even if it isn’t quite to my tastes.
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Burnt, Char, Floral, Honeysuckle, Mushrooms, Nutty, Roasted nuts, Toast, Vegetables, Walnut, Wood
Preparation
The Great Un-Steepstering of 2020 Review #6 (08/15/20)
Today is the one year anniversary of me buying this house! Which was around the time I fell really behind on reading Steepster reviews, hense the year-or-so backlog I have to get through. It will also be the one-year adoptionversary for my kitty Chiya in a few days (PRIORITIES… bought the house to get a cat!) and sadly, I have to get her booster shots. I will certainly make it up to her with a special treat and I already replaced her favorite mouse that she went Mike Tyson on by ripping its ear off (and it probably won’t be long until she destroys this one… she’s a little black death machine!)
Still trying to get through my 2017 teas, which are my oldest (I got into tea late in 2016 and did a lot of bulk orders in 2017 in my enthusiam!) I especially have a lot of pure origin teas from that time, which is sad I let them get so old, but c’est la vie… Here is another from that old What-cha order, and it was a big bag! Oof, this will take a while to sip down… I’ve already made one cold brew batch and will probably be doing that a lot to work through the bag, but right now I have a warm cuppa to sip with my classy microwave eggroll lunch. 2g in 175F water, 2 minute steep.
I have tried other Bi Luo Chun’s in the past. The aroma of this one smells very floral, which my (admittedly poor) memory doesn’t recall any of the others I’ve tried being particularly floral (they were always a very savory vegetal flavor with a strong beany note, with some variances on that between the different ones I tried). I’d have to look through all different iterations to see if any of them struck strongly floral… I do smell that “beany” quality as well, though. First sip, and this definitely does have a florality to the flavor… smooth, a bit like the lilac/orchid flavor in green oolongs, not heavy or perfumy. The vegetal quality is there, and I am definitely getting that bean note lingering on my tongue after the sip. The vegetal flavor is a bit like peas/pea pods, green beans, and black beans, and comes across very savory/umami. I know I’ve had a few Bi Luo Chun that had a “meaty” taste in the past, but I’m not getting that here from the umami quality… perhaps because of the florality of the tea.
It’s a nice tea, I probably don’t need 50g of it, but it is pleasant.
Flavors: Beany, Floral, Green Beans, Orchid, Peas, Smooth, Umami, Vegetal
Preparation
Happy Home Owner anniversary!
Thanks! It was a week ago now but was really nice… I spoiled the cat as cat mommas tend to do! (Though to be fair, I also put in a rather large tea order for myself when I’ve been barely ordering tea this year, as well, to mark the occassion, hahaha. I should’ve bought a piece of furniture or something since even after a year it is still a little barren, but, ah well!)
I no longer own, but when I moved cross country and back home several years ago, my place was not ‘put together’ for over a year; the cats, however, had everything where it needed to be and then some. : )
It’s put together enough to be perfectably “homey,” and I figure I have plenty of time to “decorate” over the years. I feel especially thankful I have this place at the moment; my best friend (toddashi/Todd here on Steepster) lives in California and was evacuated due to a lightning strike fire in the Santa Cruz mountains, from a home he bought maybe just a month after I bought mine (hasn’t even quite been there a year yet!) He’s having to live out of a hotel right now with the fear the fire is going to spread and take his home… I’m worrying enough for the both of us right now! A safe and happy home is the best kind. <3
God, I am so sorry to hear about your friend! I hope his home is spared. I had just moved to the Bay area a few months prior to the horrendous Oakland Hills firestorm in 1991. Several friends lost their homes and had to flee with just what they could grab and throw into their cars. California has been badly hit with fires the last few years. Callous as it may sound to my fellow humans, my heart always aches for the wild life killed, habitats destroyed as well as house pets who cannot be gotten to and rescued.
I have a lot of ‘stuff’ (antique tea sets, oil paintings, flow blue ware, books and so on) and even though this is a rental, I work from home so I repainted the whole interior and refloored the kitchen and the bathroom. Those things set me back with unpacking and then setting up each room to my satisfaction took on (as always) a time sucking life of its own. The real joy comes belatedly when you have been in residence for a few years and suddenly realize what a beautiful sanctuary you’ve created for yourself. If you have not read/heard of this book, may I recommend it? Clare Cooper Marcus’s “House As a Mirror of Self: Exploring the Deeper Meaning of Home.”
I haven’t heard of that book, I’m a librarian so when I’m back at work I’ll have to see if we have it!
Thankfully Todd and his son and daughter-in-law left with their two dogs and three cats (they are renting two hotel rooms and have a “doggo room” and “kitty room”). Initially they had to leave the coop of chickens behind, but after making some phone calls the next day and finding a friend who would keep the chickens for the interim, he went back into the evacuation zone for the chickens and got them out. So thankfully all the pets were able to be evacuated, too.
I am so glad to hear that Todd and his animals are out of harm’s way. I hope his home fares just as well.
Mastress Alita: I am so sorry that your best friend is having to go through this! I am so glad that they are all safe now,
White Antlers: i need to look at that book! I do sit quietly in my living room and look around with a great sense of peace. Most of what I have in there was made by us or repaired/improved by us, inherited, or was purchased at estate sales for a fraction of the retail price. I used to follow Danny Seo’s curated home articles and I think we do tend to display things that sparked our interest.
It sounds like your home is very pleasant, indeed!
ashmanra, it’s an excellent book. I bought it when it first came out in 2006 and have used it a lot in my work as well as gifted it to several good friends. There is a copy in my office and another one in my book basket, next to my bed. It can now be found on Amazon for a few dollars.
Your house sounds very pleasant as well-especially since you also have the sound of music in it. : ) Do I recall that a few years ago you wrote about having a beautiful old radio (the kind in a wooden cabinet) as one of your treasures?
I take my cue for decorating my house from this William Morris quote: “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
I was just thinking ‘not those CA fires again’. Every year. I’m very sorry Todd is so affected by the fires this year. I hope everything works out for them and all the pets.
A couple of great anniversaries to celebrate, Mastress Alita :) Glad to hear todd and his crew are safe and hope his home stays unscathed. I wish we weren’t a few hours apart.
White Antlers: I’m going to pick up that book. Sounds like it’ll fit snugly into the broad subject of interest of how natural and man-made environments effect our psyche and sense of place.
@Mastress Alita, Tell Todd we are keeping him in our prayers. You guys are having it rough out there.
Happy anniversary(ies) (though late)! And yes, tell Todd we are all thinking aobut him here :)
Will do, guys.
The Great Un-Steepstering of 2020 Review #5 (08/07/20)
My What-cha teas are all really old now (it was a 2017 order) so I’m trying to move those to the forefront. I know green teas are not prime for aging but I really like greens, whites, and oolongs as cold brews, so I opted to cold brew this one. 5g in 32oz of water, steeped overnight and strained to make ice tea.
This is a delightful cold brew. I’m getting a very nutty flavor from the tea, with notes of roasted nuts, particularly chestnut and walnut. There is a brisk and refreshing vegetal background, that is sweet and subtly spinachy. The flavor reminds me a bit of genmaicha… a sweet grass paired with toasty rice, even though this has no genmai in it.
Very tasty and a refreshing cold brew tea! I was going to use the rest of the sampler as a warm cup, but now I think I’ll just make another cold brew batch with it.
Flavors: Chestnut, Grass, Nutty, Roasted nuts, Spinach, Sweet, Toasted Rice, Vegetal, Walnut
Preparation
Last teabox black, from the Discovery Teabox, so thank you to Skysamurai for organizing and all who participated and shared teas in the teabox! (All I have left now are some very old teabox pu’erhs from the very last Here’s Hoping Teabox… and since pu’s aren’t my favorite, I’ve continued to sort of… uh… “let them age”? Hahaha.) Another floral tea, so of course I wanted to try it! Scooped a teaspoon (CBA to weigh this morning), 3 minute steep, 350ml of 205F water for my work thermos. Brewed to accompany my two pieces of toast with marmalade and then take to work with me.
This is a strongly lavender black tea. The florality isn’t perfumy but has a bit of a herbaceous bite, and that is with a short 3 minute steep (I bet any longer and it would’ve gone very bitter, as lavender in high quantities tends to do that easily). This is probably stronger in lavender than any Lavender Earl Grey I’ve ever had… but then, maybe the bergamot is cutting through the lavender some in those cases. I like lavender, but omph, it is very heady here, and if I knew it would be this strong, I would’ve prepared this as a latte (I love me some lavender milk). As a bonified, 100% loves-all-things-lavender fan, and even I feel this tastes like a little too much, I think the blend could’ve either done with a) a little less lavender in the ratio or b) a stronger black base to compensate. I’m really not able to pick out any particular notes from the base black tea against the lavender. That said… the base tea is supposed to be apricot-flavored?! I think that was what interested me the most about this blend, as apricot plus lavender sounded like an absolute win of a flavor combo. But I do not taste any apricot at all! That’s a bit disappointing too. Who knows, maybe it is in there, but with the lavender being so strong, there is just no way to taste it…
I added a teaspoon of honey and a dash of lemon juice to the cup to add a bit of a mellowing effect against the strength of the lavender, and that was actually quite pleasant (I somehow always forget additives are there to save an otherwise meh cup!) I will probably continue that going forward with future cups, or go with the latte idea, since the milky/vanilla flavor will help compliment/cut through the lavender flower as well.
Not one of Simpson & Vail’s florals that I would purchase (it’s no Violet Black!) as without the novelty of the apricot with the lavender, I can easily add lavender buds to any black tea myself, and then control the propotions more to my taste. Definitely glad I got the chance to sample this first, since it’s the sort of thing I probably would’ve bought for myself and then been a bit disappointed that it wasn’t what I really wanted. Thanks so much for the sample, tea_sipper!
Flavors: Floral, Herbaceous, Lavender
Preparation
Yeah, nevermind the puerh. :D
I’m not ignoring the pu’erh, I’m aging it! :-D
Mastress Alita Me too! That’s why I haven’t been drinking or posting about any pu’erh tea. The last one I tried recently was White2Tea’s If your reading this it’s too late. I think it still needs to rest a bit.
It was kinda a joke, Kawaii, hahaha. Every pu I’ve tried thus far tastes like dirt or swamp water to me, and I haven’t liked it, so I’m kinda “putting off” drinking them. I’m just “rebranding” the “putting it off” as “aging them” :-P
The Great Un-Steepstering of 2020 Review #3 (08/05/20)
Some days are multi-cup, black-as-black tea days… my sleep has been “where the hell is it?” lately, and today is one of those days for me. Pulled out this bag which came from Meowster’s cupboard de-stash a few summers ago… thank you, Meowster!
I was a big fan of Keemun Concerto (I do like me Chinese blacks) and have to say, I’m really enjoying this one as well. It tastes a bit like barbecue, but in the best way… there is a hint of smokiness, but not too much, and a sort of tangerine citrus note that reminds me of an Asian sauce, a bit of aged leather that brings out the librarian in me, with the backing of a deep, malty/bread black tea flavor. And it’s really, really smooth. Nice first thing in the morning, but also as my mid-day kick-in-the-pants cuppa, too.
Flavors: Baked Bread, Citrus, Leather, Malt, Orange, Smoke
Preparation
Ditto to your first paragraph! Making a note … I can’t remember if I have tried this one.
Last night was another blergh night, but in the time since I wrote that review (the 5th! It’s the 21st! Where is the time going?) I’m already down to about 2-3 servings of the 50g package left! This has pretty much been my morning daily drinker this month, hahaha! No complaints, though.
I love Chinese black tea. I may have to check this one out.
This tea was the one I was most pleased to see Meowster destashing.
It’s a good’un.
I’m sorry for your loss.
Sorry about your loss. Just remember them in your heart.
So sorry for your loss.
Sorry to hear. Peace and comfort to you and your mom.
I imagine someone must be very strong to go through ten years of dialysis. I’m very sorry you lost your grandma.
Thanks everyone. <3 Yes, she was very strong, no one thought she’d last as long as she did doing dialysis for such a long time. I owe both my love and tea and my love of books to that lady… I remember the smell of a strong ol’ cuppa of English Breakfast and the vision of a constant pile of library books (which I would thumb through and then “tell her the story” before I could read when I was a very young child) from visits to her home as a child, and now as an adult I’m a librarian and a tea-head. Thanks, Grandma!
Even more of a special Grandma then!
Accept my condolences; be strong for your mum as well yourself.
What a beautiful memory!
I’m very sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry for your loss! What beautiful memories to have! I never really had a grandparent in my life but it sounds wonderful! It made me think of something I saw recently…remember what you loved about the person you missed, and then be that for others. You honor her memory very well by sharing your memory of her with us. Hugs and prayers for you and your mom.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Your Grandma sounds like she was an wonderful woman!
So sorry for your loss and that you can’t be with your loved ones in person during this difficult time. Just prayed for you!