Featured & Popular Tasting Notes
Oolong rocks my world. Especially TGY. But I’m critical when it comes to it cause I have tried many and lots of them just taste generic to me. Not bad, but nothing overly special. Since I now have a well garnished selection of my favourites that I keep at all time, I don’t seek them as much as I used to, I’m pretty satisfied with what I have.
When I read that Whispering Pines were roasting their own TGI, it got me really curious to try the first batch.
I’m having it in the gaiwan.
This is not heavily roasted, but just enough to bring out those sweet caramel notes.
And boy, are they present. I get dark caramel, sweet corn and light mineral notes. At the first steep, the wet leaves smell like slightly burnt kernels and roasted coffee.
Another thing that really got me to try it was the “caramelized bananas” mentioned in the description. I mean come on. Pretty hard to resist that one.
And you know what? Don’t underestimate the power of suggestion cause it really worked, I definitely got that, but wouldn’t have come up with it on my own!
It looses some of its “roastiness” at the fourth steep, that’s when peachy fruity notes and a nice floral mouthfeel emerge. As it cools, I get a light camphor minty finish, and it really lingers.
Me like.
All I’m really saying is this TGY lot no. 1 is wicked good. More please.
Method: 1 tbsp, 8 oz, 200 degrees, 3 minutes, Forlife brew in mug strainer
Dry Leaf Aroma: malty and sweet
Flavor: Oh my. Something seems amiss because this is very bitter! This was the sample I was most looking forward to, but I had to add sugar to drink it. I know the temp was exact, and I also have a separate tea timer. I tried this at 2 min, 30 sec and it already had a tinge of bitterness, so I stopped it at 3 min, instead of the 4 I had originally intended. It’s good with sugar, but it lost the maltiness from the dry leaf aroma.
I appreciate the sample, but this one just wasn’t for me.
Update: it seems the brewing instructions on the website were more general, and not specific to this tea. GTT has offered to send me another sample, so I’ll try again. I’ve removed my numerical rating for now. :)
Preparation
Wow, I wonder what happened. :( Everyone has been having such good experiences with Green Terrace’s teas…
I know! I tried an oolong yesterday. It was lovely. I still have the Eastern Beauty to try. I have high hopes for that one!
Maybe it should be a short steep black, I have a few that must be brewed like that.
I think you’re probably right, but I don’t have any more. :(
I did check the website for instructions, but I think this may have been better with only 1-2 minutes.
Don’t have any more, what? I have enough for like two more cups and I’ve already had two!
I went and looked at other ppl parameters . 1 tsp for 8 oz. if you were using 1 tbsp it had to be less than 3 min
I wouldn’t rate it.
boychik I wasn’t really able to measure this one since the leaves are big and fluffy. I don’t think a teaspoon would be enough with the amount of air in there…
Don’t want to scream at ya but 1 tbsp is gongfu method haha
And you should get scale, it’s not expensive and you don’t have to guess
Just my 2c
Not sure where you’re looking, but it says right here
http://www.greenterraceteas.com/pages/brewing-guide
Western Style, black tea, 3 grams (1 tbsp) 200 degrees, 3-4 min.
That’s what I did, and the review stands. :)
Oh and Cameron: They were very generous samples, but I brewed 2 cups for me and my BF this AM (actually I let it go the full 4 min). I was having such a terrible morning and I left the mug at home! I was so upset. So I only had enough to make one cup when I got home. :(
I’m sorry you are having a bad day. I said I looked at other people tasting notes. I rarely trust generic parameters fr companies. Sorry if my comment made you more upset
I’m not upset, that’s why I added a smiley face, so you’d know there aren’t any hard feelings, Boychik. I prefer when steeping parameters are on the package, but they weren’t here. So I went to the specific page for this tea on the GTT website. I didn’t see any info there, other than temp. So then I saw the link for their brewing parameters, and I went there for instructions.
I feel like a tea company SHOULD know the best way to steep all of their own teas. And to be honest, I don’t always have time or the inclination to check a bunch of different places for instructions, you know? If it’s not on the package, it should be on the tea page. I did the best I could with their instructions, and the tea was bitter. It is what it is.
That comment about scale was for Cameron. But I’m sending fr iphone so many times my reviews or comments are crooked. I only trust Stacy with her instructions. If you look at H&S website everything should be brewed 205F for 5 min.
A good scale cost me $8 at Amazon.com. Just do it! lol
Sarsonator – thanks for your honest feedback. It sounds like you definitely used too much leaf and oversteeped the tea. The samples sent were a total of 10g, so if you used all of the leaves for 2 cups, the recommended steeping time would only be 40-60 seconds. The brewing instructions on our website are general guidelines for steeping loose tea, and we take the blame for not being more specific. Generally, we always recommend our tea be brewed Gongfu style for the best taste. Per your feedback and the feedback of others, we will definitely work on providing more detailed brewing instructions for each tea and include it directly on the product page. Your review has been very helpful to us, but we don’t think a good tea should take the fall for our misguidance (we are sending you another sample as an apology). We hope you can try steeping this one Gongfu style for about 40 seconds, and adjust your review accordingly. Have a great day, and sorry you had a “bitter” morning!
That’s so nice Green Terrace Teas. Maybe it’s better not to have that general steeping page at all
Thanks, GTT! It was actually 3 cups from one sample. 2 cups in the AM, and one cup that I tried after work. I used 1tbsp for each cup. I’ll absolutely try again. Thanks for the offer! How much tea should I use in the Gaiwan?
Sorry you had a bad morning Sarsonator :-(
But very happy about GTT’S response, that’s great customer service! I will start tasting and reviewing my samples tomorrow, can’t wait.
Brewing gongfu-style, you typically want to fill up about 1/3 of the gaiwan with larger, strip-style leaves (this applies to our black, green, and eastern beauty teas). If you brew our oolong tea, which is semiball-rolled style, you will only need to add tea until you can’t see the bottom of the gaiwan (about 1/4 or less). For our Honey Black, try about 40 seconds for your first steeping, and then add 10-15 seconds to each subsequent steeping. You can of course add/subtract leaves or brewing time to suit your tastes. Our general brewing table is coming down, and we are adding specific brewing guidelines to each tea. Thanks again for all the great feedback!
TTF: thanks! I agree, GTT has been very helpful. I’m really looking forward to trying this tea again. :)
GTT: thanks so much for the additional tea and the instructions. I’ll update when I get the tea and try again. I am drinking your Eastern Beauty now. It’s really lovely, and I’ll be reviewing that soon. :)
So. yesterday was my steepsterversay except i didn’t drink any tea. So today i’m celebrating with this cup and taking a look back at the last year or two just for fun. :) I’ve not been on steepster for 2 years.
Year 1
874 different teas
2101 Tasting notes
235 teas in my cupboard
Year 2
1058 different teas (so i’m up to 1932)
2446 tasting notes (up to 4547 now)
174 teas in my cupboard – with only 4 teas being from 2013 and those from December of that year
random stuff
I have figured out that i don’t like 52 teas; David’s tea; teavana; adagio much.
I prefer blends that are flavoured with natural flavours OR simply be adding herbs and other fruits/berries etc…
Black teas are still my go to teas followed by puerh, though i am learning to appreciate the occasional green, oolong and white tea.
I have made lots of awesome steepster friends this year and had some great times with ppl learning about their tea preferences and their lives :) After two years around here, I’m still having a blast, loving tea drinking and loving this place! In case you guys didn’t know this – you’re awesome and quite possibly one of the few places on the internet where the trolls don’t come out :)
HAPPY FRIDAY SIL STEEPSTERVERSARY!
YAY! kermit arms
Happy Steepsterversary Sil!!! I agree LOVE how nice and non-trolly people here are
Happy Steepsterversary!
Don’t jinx the troll-free zone. :p
Happy steepsterversary!!!
Yay!! I love the stats! I’m so glad we connected on Steepster, you’re the most awesome tea sister, happy steepsterversary!
:D
Yayyyy! Happy steepsterversary!
Happy steepsterversary!
So I have a job interview at a university tomorrow morning and I’m semi-stressing out. On the way to Dollarama to grab a folder for tomorrow’s reference list/resume and a stapler, I passed a DAVIDs and it reminded me of the winter collection that just rolled out so I decided to swing by on the way back (and also made stops at… five different grocery stores/pharmacies to look for discounted Halloween chocolate when I realized such sales happen!) to grab some small amounts of some.
I feel horrible saying this but the sales associate was so damn annoying. Just as I was about to reach the tins of the winter collection on the counter, I was stopped in my tracks…
SA: Oh ma gaaaaaaaaah have you checked out the Advent calendars?
Me: I know about it but it’s not really my thing.
SA: Reeeeeally?! starts walking over to display of them and motions me to follow
Me: Oh yes, they’re very beautifully designed.
SA: talks for about two minutes straight about the features and how amazing the product is … and they’re selling like hotcakes! They won’t be around for long! One lady came in earlier and bought TEN OF THEM.
Me: Wow! Well, I’m interested in trying a few of the new teas.
SA: Well, check this out. turns around to face the winter collection display shelves You can smell them here since we just poured them into these little glasses so they’re nice and fresh. proceeds to talk about every single one for another few minutes
Me: Mmm, I love the smell of the Cardamom French Toast especially. And the Sweet Almond Green is so Amaretto.
SA: You can buy all of these in this collection because really, 25g gives you an idea of what they’re all like and it’s a really good price. [which is always bullshit]
Me: No thanks, I always get a little of the ones I’m interested in and then decide on what I want more of.
SA: Oh ok, then [clearly not happy with my answer]
So choosing the above two plus this one, I wanted 10-14g of this one and around 20g of the other two, because of course, one only needs to try them once or twice in order to get an idea of how it tastes.
For this tea in particular, on the first pour, she managed to get 12g in here, so I thought she’d print off the sticker and that would be that, seeing I asked for 10-14g. But she then proceeded to scoop more, and right when she was about to pour it in, dumping the first two grams in (out of, I’d say was another ten grams in the scoop), I said it was ok, that that would be enough, and I tried to say it in the kindest way possible. Then she went on and on about how sometimes the above smaller amounts aren’t enough because teas are heavier, blah blah blah, and would only be enough for one cup. Seriously? What are you making, an udon bowl full of tea in one go?
I’m sorry, but I’m noticing this behaviour more and more at DAVIDs. Always trying to sell the collections and saying it’s cheaper, overpouring, claiming 10-20g isn’t enough to even make one cup, etc. Yes, there are heavier teas out there, like Banana Nut Bread, which I can see needing like 8g of for one standard-sized cup, but man oh man.
The 14g ended up making one Nordic-sized mug + one standard-cup of tea for my mother and me. I guess this is where the actual tea review kicks in (sorry)!
I didn’t even notice that this was a pu-erh blend in the store. But I can tell from the smell of the loose leaf alone that it’s not going to be too earthy or dirty. Or fishy. Or anything else bad that pu-erh can sometimes be. There’s a generous amount of chocolate chips in the mix, so let’s go…
The Stevia Monster is out full force in this one. It’s seriously overpowering those earthy pu-erh notes that are struggling to be noticed. The liquor is murky, probably from all the chocolate, yet, I don’t taste much chocolate in here. It’s there but it’s a little waxy. The kind of waxy I get from other DAVIDs chocolate blends like Love Tea #7 and Chocolate Chili Chai. Cheap waxy chocolate lollipops shaped into roses and witches and shit that you get as a kid, because children don’t deserve better-quality chocolate or something.
Seriously, this reminds me of sitting on the swingset in the backyard when I was around six-years-old, and my dad brought me a heart-shaped chocolate lollipop for Valentine’s Day. A very nice gesture, for sure. This tea tastes like that first bite of the waxy chocolate whilst smelling the earth from our nearby garden.
But that stevia, though.
TLDR: Hot Chocolate = waxy chocolate lollipops on Stevia ‘roids. Sales associate tried to sell me shit I didn’t want.
Eee!!!! Fingers crossed for you tomorrow! Job interviews are so stressful, but jobs are good. ;)
Thanks, I seriously need all the luck I can get!
Seriously the last interview I had I was a nervous wreck and couldn’t stop talking. I was thinking, “Oh gods just shut me up!” But I think I got it. If not, I’ve applied for other jobs too. :)
Basically, that means (sorry I’m a little tipsy) that you will kick butt and ace it even if you’re nervous. You can do it! Google interview questions and prepare with examples for the hard ones. Like… have you ever received constructive criticism and can you give an example. And… why should we hire you? (UGH I hate those ones so much!)
Haha tipsy OMG is always awesome. OMG is always awesome regardless. But I’m glad you think it went well overall. I’m so nervous about not being able to answer a question properly, or not being properly prepared. I think I’m up against like 3-4 people out of who knows how many applicants (50-100? Who knows) so to blow it now would suck.
I hate those questions too!
I’m so sorry to hear the staff were off their game today. I actually really like the service I get at DAVID’s (usually) but it pisses me off when they’re just pushing products. This summer I was in one day and one of the sales associates kept on insisting it wasn’t possible to cold brew tea (okay, then what have I been doing?) and insisted I needed one of their perfect pitchers. As she was outlining all the features to me I couldn’t help but laugh (I bought two for various mother’s day gifts and could’ve explained it better myself). Whole thing really pissed me off really. Otherwise, never had a bad experience with the Halifax stores.
And good luck with the interview! My first one I was a hot mess (it was for the military and I didn’t realize I was supposed to pick three specific positions and they send my out into the reception to read up on some before we continued), but I still got it! Moral is people understand and are fairly forgiving. Just be enthusiastic and show them you actually WANT the job.
Ahh!! Fingers mega crossed then! You can TOTALLY do it. And at the end, ask them if there’s anything you could improve upon that would increase your chances, or something like that. I see that recommended everywhere, but I haven’t ever really cared enough to do it. :D
Break a leg tomorrow!
I’m part of a group on Facebook about teas and many people complained today about DT associates trying to sell them the calendar when they had no interest at all :( Such a shame!
Interesting how there have been a lot of complaints about overzealous employees pimping the calendar. It’s kind of contradictory to be so pushy when under the same breath, they’ll also say that they sell out really fast regardless so ACT NOW! So if the product speaks for itself and they always sell out quickly, then why the pushy attitude?
That’s good that your experiences with the sales associates are overall positive, Fay. It seems to be a mix here in Edmonton and in Victoria. Some are relaxed and respectful, then others are overly pushy. It probably comes down to management + the own individual’s personality. And I had no idea it was impossible to cold brew tea! I guess all those cold brews we do are a figment of our imagination. ;)
Thanks for the good luck wishes, all! I’m definitely going to throw in a couple fluffy questions for them at the end to help drive home the point of how enthusiastic I am about the position. I never did that in the past too, OMG, but have noticed how a lot of online sources say that that is a nail in your coffin to not come with your own questions. So many rules to follow when interviewing, it seems!
“What does a typical day look like?” Pretty good one, if it hasn’t already been gone through. :)
Exactly! Or “What have past employees done to succeed in this position?” Play the game, play the game.
Once I was enough of a regular at the Saskatoon store (I knew the associates by name, brought them in tea samples from other companies, had ‘partied’ with a few outside of work) I always got great customer service. Here in Regina I know some of the associates from highschool so I get great service from them. The others, I find, I have to really bite my tongue so I don’t say something like “You can stop; I know more than you do…”.
Good luck!!!
Good to know on the stevia front. Good luck with the interview my friend! You’ll kick butt!
Sorry to hear about your experiences with DAVIDS lately. I guess the sales associates must know me at my local DAVIDs cause they know not to bullshit me lol.
Ooh that’s a good one. I should have used that one. Oh well.
Your review made me laugh. It reminds me of the time I went into Lush to get a single bath bomb and got bombarded with three sales staff trying to get me to buy things I didn’t go in for. I was so peeved.
I haven’t had a bad experience at Davids yet, but perhaps they got a memo telling them to push certain products more than others?
Good to know about the stevia. I did buy a calendar from their website because I’ve wanted one for years, and I know one of the days has this hot chocolate tea in it— and I dislike stevia. Wonderful review though!
I hope your interview went well. I ended up getting 10g of this one, because I was afraid of the stevia. I hoped that the puerh and chocolate would reduce the stevia in this, but I’m guessing that it doesn’t based on the comment of STEVIA MONSTER. Makes me sad. I don’t know why they are adding sweetener to a CHOCOLATE tea. Chocolate not sweet enough? Given stevia or coconut sugar, I’ll take the latter…but even so, why don’t you let ME add my own sweetener (and amounts) DAVIDs, huh? Please don’t do it for me, thanks.
Thanks for the good luck wishes, everyone! I think they helped. :)
Great minds think alike, Alyssa. When I was writing this review, I was so tempted to write about how the above behaviour reminds me of Lush employees haha.
It seems like most people dislike stevia. So what gives putting it in a whole bunch of your teas, DAVIDs?
Here in To, I don’t notice DT people being all that pushy. He/she usually will suggest something or other once or twice and then I’ll mention that I am pretty familiar with their teas and products. Often, they’ll suggest that they’re hiring—ha!
This is where I saw the note about pushy DT salespeople lol, and I must say I had a poor experience with one today, also in Edmonton! I have never been so pressured into purchasing tea at DavidsTea before, my friend and I were given a free sample of the Chai and Mighty then attempted to be sold the Kashmiri Chai as well, then when that failed, into the advent calendars..which I am not interested in at all as I’ve tried lots of the teas included (and I don’t need that much tea lol), then into the winter collection boxed set, I said I couldn’t have the one because of nuts so I didn’t want the box set (little white lie, I can have almonds but did not want to spend on the boxed set). Finally I asked for 15g each of 3 of the winter collection teas, and I got 26g of the first, 28g of the second which I made her pour some back to get to 20g, then 14g of the last, as well as she overfilled my free 50g by about 14g so I had to pay for part of it!! And on top of that, tried to sell me paper filters. I am rather disappointed, and sorry for the long venting lol, but it was just the worst customer experience I’ve had with DavidsTea, and I am quite a loyal customer so it makes me sad. :(
wow that’s not cool misslena :(
Sipdown! 2/6 tins. 4 more to go. And might be getting more on Thursday if they are still in stock at the Lupicia store! :D
I seriously drink this tea so much. It never gets old. One of the best teas I’ve ever had. I can’t imagine not having this again. It’s the perfect tea for when I can’t drink caffeine! :D
Also the second tin of this went super fast. I don’t think I’ve ever finished a 50g bag THAT fast before. This is why I need more haha
That certainly sounds good! I’m looking for teas that I can drink in the evening without feeling too wired for sleep. maybe I should try this one.
Holy crap. I just went and ordered a tin of this. Crap. I wasn’t going to buy any more tea. Bad Maddy. Bad girl!
Haha Maddy. You won’t regret the purchase so don’t worry.
Yeah you definitely will not regret, Maddy!! If anything you’ll get as hooked as me :P
Thanks VariaTea and Ost! I’m looking forward to getting it. I also ordered Orange Kidd. I’ve never had green rooibos. I can;’t wait to try these!
so jealous of your ability to just go get this ost!
I didn’t realize this was a green rooibos blend. I really need to get some of this now.
Aha, well not sure why they have it since it’s the store in LA, Sil. The first couple times I came it wasn’t in stock but all of a sudden last time I went it was there, so I am hoping they still have some left. But yeah, thought it was only the SF stores that are supposed to have it. So no idea haha!
mmmmmm delicious! working from home today so i’m trying at least a couple of the samples dexter sent my way since i have time to enjoy them…sort of haha
there are malt notes in this tea and some underlying chocolate notes that are very faint i had a couple steeps of this one and it was thoroughly enjoyable. This would be one that i would consider picking up if i place an order through streetshop88 :)
I just checked out their ebay store after reading this note. I’ll have to add them to my ‘favourite sellers’ list. All the tea looks so good!
yeah allank? i think and dexter have ordered from them…i have not, but these samples are tasting delicious!
DeliriumsFrogs – I’ve just ordered once – two teas and a teapot – fastest shipping ever from China. Ummmm – I would like to put a little care package together for you. I can include some of this in that. Will talk later…
Sil – I found this one changed drastically with different steep parameters – water temp really brought out different flavors. I think boychik has also ordered from Streetshop88 – allank for sure :)
“mmmmmm delicious! … thoroughly enjoyable. This would be one that i would consider picking up if i place an order through streetshop88 :)”
Sounds great! So why only an 85?
honestly? as with all my ratings…because that’s how i felt lol my ratings are a spectrum of the teas i’ve had and i try to drop them in against other teas.
Just curious as your description sounded so good. No offense intended.
Personally, I’m always careful about rating something that I’ve only had once, and only have enough to try once – I wouldn’t want to rate it too high because I’m in a great mood, and then find that the tea itself doesn’t meet my expectations later on if I get more. An 85 still sounds like a should buy though. :P
yeah no worries loosetman. sometimes i just want to remove my ratings…but then they help me figure out rebuys so i don’t
Thanks, whatever works for you.
Since there’s nearly an infinite selection of teas in the world:
When tea reviews include a rating, I tend to focus on those rated 90 and above, like an interviewer faced with hundreds of resumes to consider and a limited amount of time to devote to the task. However, many times the language and tone of the review appears to be more positive than the numerical rating. Thus, sometimes asking clarifying question leads to an enlightening and enjoyable dialog.
totally get that loosetman! :) sooo many teas…so little time! on that note…highly recommend the puerh i had today. heh
Thanks!
oh, wow, Dexter! What can I do for you??!!
delirium…don’t send her tea LOL
LOL Sil is correct – the best thing would be nothing at all. :))
I will happily take this off anyone who doesn’t love theirs. For me, this is the right blend of a strong base, mixed with just the right amount of mint and cheesecake flavouring. This is NOT a travel mug tea. This is a sit at home and enjoy the aroma and the deliciousness of this tea while the outside world goes by. A little bit of sugar added to this, just makes everything pop while still allowing me to enjoy the deliciousness of the suncha base.
I am drinking it right now too :D I will try it sweetened next time!
I didn’t order any of this, and now you’re making me wish I did. lol
Steph – i loved it plain but just a teeeeny bit of sugar made it pop a little more
DF – nope you don’t want this… hahaha
I missed out on it.
Sweet! That makes me want to pick up my damn teas just a little bit more!
I TOLD YOU! COME GET THEM!
..or wait until the next box shows up…. do you have things in that box…no maybe you don’t…i dunno..
I don’t think I do? I think I’m waiting to see what A&D does for the year of the sheep/goat bc we might want to get something together.
gawd i want them to go up already..
Looks like it was Feb 11 last year! So we must be getting close.
I’m drinking this tea at the moment so that I can have a just for me moment. I’ve been very busy with: 1) Kickstarter stuff (seriously, unless you are exploding kittens, it’s hard work!); 2) blog stuff (getting all my reviews in place so that I can ‘retire’ and get our new sisters on board, plus getting the blog in order for them to get started); sampling/testing teas and flavorings.
Which is to say that I’ve not taken a lot of time to just sit back and enjoy a tea that is neither for a review or for me to test out for potential teas for the all-new 52Teas.
So, I decided to take a tea moment for me now and try this tea. It’s been beckoning me for a while.
And it’s good. I am not usually a big espresso fan. But it works with the melon. The espresso adds a roasty element to this, making it taste almost like roasted cantaloupe which I’ve never tried but based on my reaction to this blend, I’d say it’s probably quite delicious.
The black tea has a Oolong-like texture to it that I’m liking with the melon notes. It’s a very tasty … very unusual blend. I like.
Tony & I are in full couch potato mode, watching the “Rise of an Empire”, which is a sequel to the 300. I’m having trouble following the storyline, to be honest. I guess it’s not really a sequel, but a storyline that takes place concurrently with what went on in the 300. So I have to be honest, I get kind of bored with movies that rely too heavily on CGI effects. Just sayin’
I’m also really tired of auto spellcheck constantly changing yixing to mixing, etc…
So, as the movie ends, I’m going to disable my spell checker. Look forward to misspelled words, but at least they will be the actual words I wanted to use, instead of some of the crazy substitutes that I’ve been getting lately.
Meanwhile, yet another sip down from the TeaFairy Collection. This really was an awesome trade!
Do you just use the keyboard that came bundled in with your phone? I replaced my auto keyboard with Swiftkey, and so far I’m really happy with its ability to learn what words I tend to use.
I use all apple products: a desk top, a lap top, an ipad, & an iphone.
Currently I’m on the laptop, but this issue is on all of them. I think my desktop is a little more intuitive, but I’ll probably disable spell checker on all platforms, because I usually proof-read things before I post anyways, & I’m pretty good at spelling. :)
Apple LOVES to change yixing to mixing.
gongfu to gong flu:)
Yes!
@boychik LOL!
matchas to matches
Having GO at the end of the day is as satisfying as having GO in the morning.
I wasn’t planning on having it now, but a tea friend invited me to have a cup with her, so I did :-)
And let me tell you that it made a very satisfied fairy out of me.
It’s such a comfort tea, no matter what the season is. I drank it all summer long, and we’re about to spend our first autumn season together.
A pure vanilla dream it is, with plenty of chocolate gooeyness. If someone can’t get the chocolate in this well…sorry but I am totally judging you!!!
My pic:
Ahhhhh, finally getting to enjoy PTA again. I missed it so much! Sometimes it is really nice to have a long break from one of your favorite teas just so that you appreciate it again when it’s back. Malty, caramely, chocolaty awesomeness!
I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with tea cocktails lately. So far, the reviews from friends have been very good. I’ve also been testing out cocktails against each other to see which ones are favored. The Hello Sweetie teatini is just a huge success. For anyone that is interested in the recipe, here’s a link: http://butikiteas.blogspot.com/2014/08/butiki-after-hours-hello-sweetie-teatini.html.
Last weekend I tested out the Red Queen martini and Lemon French Macaron martini. The Red Queen martini had an espresso vodka and plain vodka and had a mostly espresso flavor with strawberry at the end. This was a huge success with espresso and coffee fans. The Lemon French Martini had Frangelico and plain vodka. The combo of the lemon and fragelico (hazelnut liquor) was similar to a chocolate cake shot but more just like birthday cake. Everyone seemed to love that even people who were not fans of citrus. This one was pretty complex.
Oh yeah! I haven’t made that Hello Sweetie tea-tini yet!
Thanks for posting the recipe!
Stephanie-You so need to try it. If anyone does try it and doesn’t have brown crystal sugar, sugar in the raw can be substituted but you would want to use less sugar.
mj-You’re welcome! We will also be posting the other 2 recipes at some point as well. :)
Oooh what about Red Queen with Bailey’s or Kahlua? I know what I’m brewing tomorrow…
Those sound delicious! If you try them, let us know how it goes. :)
So far today I’ve been just laying around at my house, but I finally made some breakfast & have also been enjoying 3 & 5 min steeps of this tea. For some reason, it’s not as wonderful as I remember it, & seems kind of weak, even though I know I used the same quantity I always use.
It’s probably because my tastebuds & sinuses are allergy-affected.
OR maybe there was a higher ratio of white tea in that TB.
Who knows? Who cares?
It still tastes good, & although I drink hot tea year around, I especially enjoy it when the cool weather arrives, & it is pleasantly cool & wonderful here is St. Louis!
My visit with Sil was awesome, but short. We laughed a lot, & we drank a bunch of tea!
If you’d like to see a video of her playing my small harp, here it is:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10204087208195877&set=vb.1095023403&type=2&theater
:D
That’s so cute! It’s wonderful that you guys got to hang out and drink tea together. I’m a little jelly!
Also. That’s a SMALL harp??? LOL
yes…it’s the small harp LOL
Actually, I have several that are even smaller, but they are all rented out to students. That’s the one most of my students play.
I’m still thinking that when my kids all (finally) move out, I should turn this place into a bed & breakfast.
Terri, that would be awesome. Can I make a reservation now? :)
(Turning to open my calendar)
Sure!
Play the harp in the morning with some good tea and I’ll book my next vacation there!
If you guys don’t want to wait until my kids move out, you can always sleep on the futon, although it’s not really all that comfy, & there’s no real privacy, LOL.
LOL. That’s a very sweet offer, but I think I can wait :p
:)
That’s probably for the best. I’m not going anywhere!
I have played a lot of video games in my life, and I have been driven to fits of rage by many of them. Something that my dear fiance and I share is a tendency to get really ragey at our games, we just show them differently, where he is likely to just yell at a game, I take a page from the RageQuit book and get really imaginative with my vitriol. I bring this up because few games have made me rage as much as Terraria. Seriously, I hate the boss fights, I can have myself kitted up and buffed to the extreme and it never fails, I die at least half a dozen times before I get the ‘trick’ to killing a specific boss. Of course then I proceed to farm it mercilessly, giggling at my godlike power the whole time. Oh man, or that one time when you are mining and accidentally hit the TNT button instead of the pickaxe button and blow yourself up. It. Is. MADDENING! But I also love it because I can be a dark elf with a hoard of spider summons with a pet dinosaur who rides a unicorn while wearing feathery wings, gypsy robes, and a Spartan helmet. Skills.
Today’s tea from What-Cha is a funky little number, Thailand Sticky Rice ‘Khao Hom’ Oolong Tea, hailing from Thailand, this tea takes Jin Xuan and scents it with Nuo Mi Xiang Nen Ye, an herb from China whose leaves smell uncannily like sweet sticky rice. Used quite a bit with Puerh, (if you have ever seen sticky rice Puerh, this is the herb used) and I will be honest, mixed with Shou Pu, I find it utterly repugnant, usually because it is mixed with the really low grade fishy garbage and those are two things I do not want mixed. Ever. So I was really curious to try it in something else, specifically the glory that is Oolong. The aroma of this tea is something else, I advise not sticking your nose into these leaves, sniff from a distance because wow is it strong. Super sweet sticky rice notes with sweet cream, rice pudding, coconut milk, and an underlying almond nuttiness. So much sweetness, it is a little overwhelming.
So the first time I tried this tea I made the mistake of brewing it when I had a headache, one whiff of those brewed leaves and I needed to lie down, something about sticky rice scented teas make me feel really ill and dizzy if I have a headache (which is often) so I waited for a day when I had no headache to try the rest of the sample. It was a good idea because whoa, it is super strong, very sweet notes of rice pudding, caramel, flowers, green beans, grass, spinach…it is a bit of a cacophony, though oddly it blends well together. The liquid is more subtle thankfully, though not by much. That sticky rice scent is strong and sweet, notes of coconut milk, almonds, and rice pudding mix with a creamy underlying floral note.
I thought for a second, this could be one of those sensory overload things that happens to me with certain smells, so I got Ben to sniff it and he thought it smelled mild and sweet, where I thought it was like being face planted in pudding. The longer I sniffed it, the more I started developing a headache…oh dear. So, enough being nervous, I tasted it, it is smooth and sweet, and surprisingly cooling for an oolong. There are strong notes of cream, rice pudding, orchids, and warm milk. This moves on to caramelized sugar and a nutty aftertaste. There is however something ‘wrong’ about the rice taste, not wrong as in toxic or something like that…wrong as it tastes like rice but doesn’t. Like how stevia leaves are sweet but don’t taste like sugar, so when used as a substitute you can tell, it is uncanny and hard to process for some reason.
Second steep, the aroma at this point has permeated my tea area, which I am not entirely happy with. The taste is milder on the rice front, more of the underlying orchid and creamy notes of the Jin Xuan showing their color. The finish has a nutty rice note that lingers for some time. I called it quits after this steep sadly, the taste was quite pleasant, but the smell of the leaves was way too intense and killing my head, not to mention I spilled some on my tea table and just can’t get the smell out, whenever I get a whiff of it I am slammed with vertigo, it is safe to say that my sensory weirdness could not handle this herb. Clearly if I try to drink this tea again, I should do it with a nose plug, or maybe store the leaves in another room. It is a pity I had such a negative reaction to the aroma, the taste was really quite fascinating.
For blog and photos (and a link to a page entirely in Chinese about the fancy herb): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-cha-thailand-sticky-rice-khao-hom.html
Flavors: Coconut, Flowers, Orchid, Rice, Rice Pudding, Sweet
Amanda, please delete this and repost it in September after I get paid… I didn’t even know a sticky rice oolong was out there and my will power is weak. must. click. purchase.
p.s. 100g for $14
That’s so cheap… but is their site in USD or not? It’s confusing me.
but but but I don’t wanna write another blog tonight, I want to go game more :P
I know what you mean, I can’t tea shop until the first of the month and the new summer harvest teas came into What-Cha and there are some things I wanted to get with my last order that I want like right now sigh
Yeah that is what I am seeing, and I am signed into my account so it is showing USD. Holy crap that is cheap.
I’ll buy a lot and use some for swaps :)
Now time to upset you as I am upset that I don’t have this.
What Cha did have this: http://what-cha.com/out-of-stock/nepal-monsoon-flush-2014-pearl-oolong-tea/
Here’s the bad news, it’s not there no more :(
DAMNIT! You already had it :/
That is so sad! That was such a beautiful tea, though the real tear jerker for me is this http://what-cha.com/out-of-stock/korea-jeong-jae-yeuns-hwangcha-balhyocha-tea/ it was a glorious tea, though last time I looked it was retired…seeing more might be on the way, I think I just might faint!
I still kick myself for not getting more of both of those teas.
Maybe when that weird ‘citrus’ oolong is in stock we can organize a group buy :)
I haven’t had any What Cha and just realized how much they have on their site… not sure why I haven’t heard more about them :/
Sympathizing so hard with the Terraria boss fights…I wonder if Adagio has Terraria fandom blends…
Fair warning, they are addictive. I am trying to try all of the teas…but Alistair keeps adding more!!
Oddly no! I looked a couple weeks ago and thought about starting a Terraria line to go with my Minecraft line. :P
Please do…I will buy every. single. one.
Hahaha! Will do! Any special monster requests for me to start with?
Definitely the Guide, probably “wooden sword” (based on a pu’erh with something…sharp), “worm food” (another pu’erh), but definitely Eater of Worlds…though I have no idea of what it would be comprised.
Ooh making things based off the different items used to summon the bosses could be a fun challenge.
mmmm worm food! I think this will be a fun project! I also decided that I am tempted to drag all my perler beads out and make perler versions of some of the banners, I have become a collector of them.
I have a sample of this
http://pu-erh.sk/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=4_65&product_id=399
Is it the same?
Wow, I woke up to a lot of comments!
Thanks for the review Amanda, the aroma in particular of the tea can be rather potent and I’m sorry it was causing you headaches :(
I’m happy to say I’ve ordered 300g of the 2015 Korea Jeong Jae Yeun’s Hwangcha Balhyocha Tea, so hopefully it should be back on sale in 1-2 months.
@Liquid Proust
All prices are in GBP (£9.20 for 100g of the Sticky Rice Oolong) but can be viewed in USD on the website (which now update hourly to reflect the market exchange rate). The order total is payable in GBP and so if you choose to pay in USD via Paypal you will get a worse than market rate.
If you would like to place an order at some point, I could send you a paypal invoice payable in USD, with prices converted from GBP to USD at market exchange rate.
The Monsoon Pearls may finally be coming back in stock shortly (1-3 weeks)! Unfortunately they’re a really rare tea where the total production per flush is less than 10kg, so there’s been a big queue among vendors to get more.
@ boychik
I believe the Hwangcha you have from pu-erh.sk to be a different tea, produced by Jukro Tea Company, one of the foremost Korean producers.
Balhyocha is a very confusing term and as I understand it, is best thought as to mean a tea which is not green (i.e partially or fully oxidised).
Hwangcha is a subcategory of Balhyocha, it confusingly translates as yellow tea, but it is nothing like Chinese yellow tea in production, taste or oxidisation level. As I understand it, tea with an oxidisation level between 18-85% falls within the Hwangcha sub-category. These teas are perhaps best thought of as oolongs.
Tea with an oxidisation level above 85% are perhaps best thought of as black teas (they are still Balhyocha but not Hwangcha).
Oh my, well, I plan on placing an order in a week, which excited me immensely. Now, when the Balhyocha comes back…possibly near my birthday…I foresee myself buying a massive pile of it. It is one of the few teas that I go all protective dragon on and don’t want to share, something about it is just magical and makes me happy.
Out of curiosity, and I understand if it is hush-hush, are you planning anything for Black Friday? I am getting my ducks in a row as to what I am doing for sales since Black Friday is right after my birthday and I tend to have happy shopping (fun fact, last year I bought a stuffed Minecraft spider)
As for the sticky rice, I am sad my brain didn’t seem to handle it, it makes me sad because it is so unique! And it doubly makes me sad because I didn’t dislike it, if it had been something I thought tasted awful then it would have just been me not liking it…this just seems mean spirited. Bad brain!! If it makes you feel any better, this is not the first time this has happened, strong smells are one of my migraine triggers and they seem totally random…like I can’t be in the house if anyone is cooking with Old Bay Seasoning or roasting grains for granola…but I can eat both of them just find. Just another one of those ‘the body is weird’ moments.
I can’t wait to have the Balhyocha back in stock along with some other interesting teas from Korea, including my first direct sourced Korean tea! I certainly understand your desire to purchase a massive pile of it, I only got to try a few grams last year before I had sold out!
To be honest, I haven’t even thought about Black Friday yet, but I’ll definitely try and put together some kind of special sale, probably a percentage off all teas coupon unless I can think of anything more creative.
I probably shouldn’t say this [but I do like to tease ;)] but I have some very big plans for October, including what will probably be a number of tea firsts for English speaking countries (including a Republic whose tea has never been sold in the West and almost never mentioned!).
Not to worry about the sticky rice oolong, we all have aromas and tastes which we react badly too. On the positive side, there may be a couple of interesting scented Vietnamese green teas appearing shortly, one scented with Citrus Maxima and the other with Chrysanthemum Morifolium.
Gurl…. lemme know if you need a local to tag onto that order. I have an imaginary shopping cart all full… :)
Hahaha! Will do!!
Well, I know where I will be spending my birthday money :P And a Republic you say, hmm, time to pull out my list of tea countries and see if I can guess which is it. I need to get back to work on that research project, I have been slacking lately (the shame!)
Seriously though, I got so excited reading this!!
If Amanda will allow me I can put together a group order :)
Hmm, if you guys want to do a group order be my guest, currently my planned order is like close to $60 :P so I do not need to get in for free shipping and honestly find the whole group order thing immensely confusing…probably because I agonize and waffle over my order for WEEKS
Plus I am shy and bad at these kinds of things
I’ll PM you :)
Okie Dokie!
Let me know, LP. I’m sure I can get to free shipping on my own as well, but I shouldn’t get to free shipping on my own. :)
The ‘republic’ is a federal subject rather than a country, so it might be difficult to find listed, especially so as of 2013, there was only 6 hectares used for tea!
Not easy to find a Keemun that isn’t one dimensional. Usually flavor falls flat…somewhat like a mediocre merlot. Bleh!
I don’t care much for who scores the best Keemun as long as I can find it and brew it up!
So happens, that the best I’ve found thus far is Teavivre’s Organic Superfine Fragrant. (And yes it is in stock!)
This tea is layered…like an old vine wine. Smooth and not harsh.
I prefer plenty of leaf when I brew and 2-3 minute steep. Don’t steep longer!
There’s nothing wrong with drinking Keemun any way you want to. Tea snobbery is vulgar!!!
Plain, with sugar and/or cream is outstanding! Robust!
Hello to old friends!
Preparation
Welcome back!
So happy to see you are back!
Welcome back Bonnie! We’ve missed you.
Thank you!
I’ve been well!
The past several years have been dedicated to drinking tea with others and developing that aspect of tea life.
What a joy it’s been!
Hi stranger! You need to hang around here a bit more.
Hi honey!
Good to “see” you again, Bonnie!
Hey remember Eric from my local tea shop? He’s getting his PhD in tea from Tufts University! Check out some of his videos on YouTube under tea geek (invoicing and tasting tea’s he picked up in China THIS Summer etc).
Welcome back Bonnie! Missed your wonderful tasting notes and stories!
Welcome Back!!
Thanks!
I missed your presence on my dashboard!
Welcome back!
Going from the Bang Wei to this… utter disapointment. This tea is mouth damaging as it leaves a lingering astringency. Now 2012 Wild Monk was the best stuff as many of us know and I strongly believe that this isn’t the same material being pressed from a different year. Unless a few years changes a cake that much… I feel tricking into expecting a similar product. Maybe I’m wrong, but I have found a cake that I believe is much closer. This just wasn’t pleasant and I used a small amount at lower temperature. Its strong if you want that, but the taste is an undesired one.
Try more leaf?
Absolutely not going to happen. This is not something I enjoyed at 4g and I’m confident in my assessment on it. I’ve had the 2014,2015, and loose… they are all much different than the 2012 and were not very enjoyable. I had to have two different sessions to come to the conclusion with certainty because there is always random elements that could make me have a wrong impression or experience. In this case, I know this tea is not for me.
Wasn’t my favorite. i thought its only me. i couldnt get past 3 steeps. i used off boil and 5g for 80ml
Generally I go lower for harsh sheng so I dropped my temperature a bit… still no luck :/
No worries though, this is only one of many cakes to which all vendors experience; some I hate you, eh, okay, awesome, and thisisgoingtobeadrunknight type of cakes
Drain cleaner sheng. Might be good in a decade though.
Swap you for a bit to try.
@ boychik this is why we share, so we don’t feel crazy! @ Cwyn sometimes I imagine you owning a house where each room is host to a specific decade of pottery and tea. @mrmopar I’ll weight out what I have and send it your way (I may have the loose and pressed material)
I have had it in a cart considering it.
Glad I saw this.
Being from the same exact source area as the 2012 Wild Monk I would expect that this tea will mellow and become closer in character to the 2012 as it packs on some age. Of course the 2012 will change as well and of course, there will be differences in vintages of mao cha. This is why Pu-erh is referred to in China as the older it gets, better the taste/aroma. Ye Sheng cha changes alot in the first few years. It is intensely bitter and astringent in the first few years and then rather suddenly mellows quite a lot but with a lot of character. It’s only somewhat comparable to assamica (traditional pu-erh) in it’s aging as it’s a completely different varietal. Young purple leaf is going to act very differently and many customers are brewing it at green tea temp and up to 195. Give it time…
I will also add that there were plenty of people who thought the same thing about the 2012 Wild Monk at first, some still do. I’m not going to spend my personal money (and a pressing ain’t cheap) to press a tea that isn’t tasted by several people in the know. This 2015 Wild Monk pu’er is one of the hottest selling teas at Cafe’ Steam, a coffeehouse in Rochester, MN.
Different strokes, especially in a young purple leaf sheng. It’s why I write Purple leaf tea is very bitter in the first 2 years. Try a sample first to see if you are tough enough." It’s a whole different animal, this purple leaf stuff. The only thing that makes me not feel poorly after reading your review is that I’ve had all the repeat buys on both the 2014 and 2015 Monk.
Wishing you joy,
Garret
Garret, I still have some left ( it was a sample, beenghole) what parameters would you recommend ?
@Garrett Understood. For me, bitterness and astringency are a massive no no. That is why I rarely drink black tea and have a hard time with sheng because I am really picky. I’ve been drinking a lot of lighter stuff the suites my personal taste preference which will make this taste even harsher. For me, the difference is like tasting a cup of water and then a cup of straight black coffee; I have sensitive taste buds.
@boychik – Hi!! I’ve been doing a fun thing with the 2014 and 2015 Wild Monk… I do 2 to 3 steeps at 195 for 20 or 30 seconds, then I do one 2 to 3 minute steep at 195 (this will be bolder flavor) after that I’m back to 30 second steeps but with water near or at a boil and the sweetness comes out. The coffeeshops and restaurants we sell to are brewing the wild monk at 195 for 1.5 to 2.5 minutes, depending on the strength desired by the customer. I’d say most customers are brewing both at 195 and digging it that way. I also really love it grandpa style at 175, 180 in my tea thermos. So many ways to skin this cat :) Enjoy!!
Based on this review and comments, I am going to buy this now. I love my everything strong. Straight black coffee, espressos, single malt scotch, dry as can be red wines. So I will definitely be adding this to my cart.
tea-junkie, if you are buying, I’ll include samples from whatever vintage of the Wild Monk that you don’t, including some 2012 from my stash so you can see what a few years does to the purple leaf. Also highly recommend the “Bamboogie” and “Heart of the Old Tree” for you. I look forward to knowing your thoughts on them. Grateful,
Garret
@Garret I will take you up on those samples. I will place my order by this saturday. I actually purchased the “bamboogie” for black Friday and was shipped out when you received the RLBL. I just haven’t gotten to it yet. But I will soon. As for “Heart of Old Tree”, I have a cake of it and I love it. It is an awesome sheng!
NOOOO I wish I hated this tea as the price tag on it is high! Unfortunately, I love it. No wait, I hate it. I hate it so much that I need to consume it like a lust for revenge and blood like I’m a 90’s kung fu movie hero.
First off, cha qi off the charts. Maybe I should of made 3g instead of 7.5? I ran to the gym already and deadlifted 200lbs laughing like a maniac as I worked the railroad. Thankfully, it’s my birthday today so no one is questioning my sanity as I get a pass today, others think I hit the bottle early and needed a muscle pump before birthday dinner. But its TEEEEEEEa!
The flavor is freaking smooth, new born smooth with an aftertaste of pretty orchid floral and fruity green grapes. It’s thick and lubey (HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA) of a tea. That fragrance is the best though
I’m on steeping 10 and it’s not showing signs of quitting. No quitters here, just tea. RAWHHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Dammit, my eye makeup is crooked.
Preparation
i finished this one today. i want moaaaaar. decisions, decisions…just under 10 more hours to decide before hiatus sets in. bwahahaha love this tea!
Oh, the not-buying-tea-savings-plan begins after ten whole hours? I did actually come across a Canadian tea site and thought oh, what harm can it possibly do to have a look? And then, I began to fill up the cart. But thankfully, I managed to walk away. I walked away! Yay me! :)
I think you should order this one. It is so very delicious. And you have ten whole hours of reprieve, after all.
haha i just did it. but i did manage to get my cart down from 15 items to 4. lol so uh..baby steps? :)
Did you get all the sets of teas? :) :)
From 15 to 4! Now that is an accomplishment. I rarely manage to have that kind of resilience. Hurray for baby steps! More than baby steps, actually. Very well done.
If it doesn’t reduce your joy, can I ask which ones were the four that you managed to whittle down to? Only if it doesn’t reduce the thrill of the shop though. If it does, by even one iota, ignore, please.
And as much as I adore, QTT, I really truly hope that Lauren is changing her packaging really really soon. In my last order, there was far too much cross-contamination. However, that said, I had asked Lauren to delay shipping my teas, so they were likely hanging out sealed for far longer than was good for them.
Sil, I’m running a New Year’s sale starting tonight, so I took the liberty of refunding the difference on your order so you get the sale, in spite of the hiatus :p
Shipping is changing this coming year to a thicker mylar zip bag! Im also getting a thicker packaging material for samplers. I’ll actually have a post up in the forums with the flavor of the week with some other changes in about 30 minutes or so :D
@evol – i picked up the chocolate sampler (1 item, 3 teas hahaha); vanilla pears with cardamom butter; caramel keemun; and an extra ounce of chocolate cherry. there are a number of others i wanted (ie have tried and enjoyed) but i’ll wait. use it as incentive to drink up! and yes, i agree on the packaging.
@lauren – thanks SO much! I really appreciate that! oh man flavour of the week better not be amazing.. lol
Erm, yeah, the chocolate sampler is hard to resist. As are most of Lauren’s teas. Good selection there, Sil. Hmm, I wonder whether my cc will cooperate before the not-buying-tea-savings-plan begins?
I am drinking Chocolate Cherry Latte now in solidarity.
yaaaay! also it’s been 29 minutes…. must know what new flavour is.
oh i might be safe…if it’s Cranberry Maragarita Yerba Mate Tea. mate and i don’t get along.
Oh, but cranberry margarita sounds great! If only it weren’t mate. Haha. :)
You guys are really making me want to make the green tea version of this I had orginally envisioned D:
haha cranberry marguerita sounds lovely, just not as a mate. though to be fair i am typically on the side of wanting all blends to be black blends, rooibos or puerh…. sooo take that for what it’s worth lol
(I’m with Sil! Black tea ALL THE WAY. Rooibos is nice sometimes. And I like puerh.)
^ and ^^
I support.
poor lauren, we’ll be twisting her arm to make all sorts of black, puerh, rooibos blends!
I’m always open to ideas, so if there’s ever anything you really want to see definitely let me know!
^^ I support that too.
That said, however, your oolong and houjichas are very awesome too.
things to ponder…what do we want lauren to try making heh
Moratorium on tea prevents me from pondering the possibilities. At the moment. Give me three months or so.
ok, ok, if I must. That Vanilla Apple Panna Cotta Oolong was so divinely good that I could see Lauren doing a fine job of some sort of zabaglione. Or tiramisu. Or dulce de leche flan. Or Portuguese custard tarts. Or profiteroles. Off the top of my head.
Or caramel something. Or since I am on a strawberry thing, strawberry custard tarts. Or the tea equivalent of this. http://zsuzsaisinthekitchen.blogspot.ca/2011/04/hungarian-custard-slice-kremes_16.html
Wishlist tea from dexter holy we are being productive today. Tree down, house being dusted, vaccumed, floors washed etc while i work on release testing and copying all our CD’s over to digital. woot woot!
I’ve been sipping on this one for the better part of the afternoon – puerhs are great for busy house weekends i think because if you forget about what you’re drinking, just make another steep lol this is a really nice, smooth puerh. more to the woody side of things than earthy, sort of like hiking in the woods in vancouver ;) really enjoyed my time with this, and may have to put it on my wishlist, though i suppose it’ll likely sell out before i can get to it.
note: was able to do a significant number of steepings with my little sample from dexter – 10+ before it ran out of steam
Awesome! I has many days off but unfortunately wasn’t productive in the way of cleaning- only productive knitting and reading wise, lol.
it’s technically a day off but i’m working all weekend from home. so goo excuse to get shit done…though i’d rather be reading :)
I’m glad you liked it! :-)
Wait. Dex AND I sent you this one?! I though Dex had a different CL Bulang… unless her Steepster cupboard wasn’t updated.
mmmm lemme go check this was a dex one for sure and nothing was a duplicate in my cupboard
i have no shou from you from CL…just sheng
The ball is Planet Jingmai. I thought I also sent you a silver baggie with this one though… I’ve never had the 2012 unless they were sampling it at the tea festival.
nope nothing in my puerh sample in silver from you. :)
I’m not imagining things. It’s in the current box for you. :P
Dunno – I sent the one on her wishlist – I just ordered a couple of samples when I pot my yixing pot.
Was thinking about drinking Planet Jingmai next but it might have to wait for tomorrow. The little gold one from W2T is smaller and will be more appropriate for tonight.
Happy you liked this one…. :)
Planet Jingmai seems to last forever. The W2T one has been inexpertly hacked apart by moi.
I’m not going to treat it with too much care – just going to toss it into a small pot and see what happens. I’m doing better with sheng lately with less leaf and hotter water – will see how that does with this one.
jingmai is on my list for tomorrow…since it’s not in a bag and i keep forgetting what it is lol
The productiveness of yours is very impressive. Very impressive.
This is not a sipdown. I woke with a headache today, & every time somebody opened the door, it got worse. Some new allergen was in the air, my ears were popping, my entire body hurt, especially my head. I had a gig to play this afternoon, & I finally broke down & took a Zyrtek. I don’t really like taking medication of any kind, but I was reeling with dizziness. I haven’t been that dizzy since shortly before I gave up alcohol, lol.
I also broke down & took an Aleve.
I also used my cool finnum Zita cup (I finally figured out how to use it!). I put 1 Tb of this sheng into the filter area, added hot water, & left for my gig, adding more hot water as needed. It was just what I needed. Somewhere between the 2 meds & the tea, or possibly just because I was playing my Harp, my achiness improved.
I also now have even more money in my Playpal account…
Good thing you headache improved!
Probably the meds cured the headache, but this tea was very energizing, in a very good way. I felt much revived, & really enjoyed playing a fun mix of Led zeppelin, arrowsmith, tom petty, stones, clapton, Kansas (I always loved that band!), & also some jazz.
Yep, sometimes the meds are neccesary…but so is the tea! Glad it helped.
Nice little set you played there, was Dust in the Wind on the music menu? Love that Kansas song…
I could see Dust in the Wind being a good fit for a harp, especially the instrumental part with all the runs.
Yup, I’ve been playing Dust in the Wind for years, I love that song. I loved the song Icarus, & of course, Carry on my Wayward Son, which I didn’t play last night, but have played before.
I love the era I grew up, the music was & still is awesome! :)
My allergies are totally whack today, too. Had a sneezing fit as soon as I got to work and now I’m all congested. Bleh! I bet the tea helps :)
Wild Monk, medication, meditation, Kansas saves the day. 70’s music rocks! Carry on my wayward son, there’ll be teas when you are done.
Haha, Garret, I think I like your lyrics better than the original ;-)
For the life of me, that’s how I thought it went :)
Garret, just one more reason we all love you :)
It’s been a while since I’ve written any tasting notes, but i’ve been drinking a lot of tea. I’m going through this odd phase where I sort of drink tea automatically—haphazardly choosing a tea from my collection without giving it much thought, drinking it without really noticing it, and not really feeling inclined to write deep tasting notes with all my feelings and interpretations. But then I also think that one of the main reasons I update on steepster isn’t necessarily to explore all my feelings about a given tea, but mostly to feel connected to people who love what I love. And withdrawing from my various networks is never really a good indication for me, and so I’ll make more of an effort.
Random thoughts on this tea:
1. It’s wonderful iced; I haven’t even tried it hot.
2. I’m really into making my teas iced now, and I find I’m actually preferring them iced to hot now. I never thought I’d be saying that. Oh, and I really like the instant cold-brew method (that of steeping in a bit of hot water before topping up with ice) to letting it brew for hours on end, but that’s because I’m impatient.
3. This tea tastes like a conglomerate of tropical fruits, with perhaps the slightest hint of white tea at the end of the sip. I know this combination of fruit is meant to taste like nothing else, but you could probably tell me that this was a tropical papaya and guava punch and i’d believe you. That being said, I’m actually going to buy some more iced tea packs of this tomorrow because I still really, really like it.
4. I love that DT sells pre-packaged iced tea packs. People can carry on endlessly about how they can measure it out themselves, but if anything exists to support my laziness and reliance on all things convenient, I’m all over it. Besides, DT’s website says that iced tea calls for eight perfect spoonfuls of tea for each pitcher (and omg I got the blue and green pitcher and love it!), but each package seems to have far less in it than that but still yields a fairly strong and flavourful brew. So what gives? who knows. But yeah, packages are where it’s at.
Ok bye
I’ve been there!! Drinking all the tea but not logging it. Especially when I don’t have many new ones to try
Oh yeah, I have a ton of tea I have yet to try, but I just can’t seem to generate anything worth writing down.
I’ve missed your reviews, so I’m glad to see you’re here. :)
I completely agree with the laziness and convenience bit. Absolutely. I’m all about making things easier.
aww, thanks cheri! I’m glad to be back too :). And yes, convenience all the way.
Glad you’re back!
I also miss my “partner in crime” ;-) but I understand that phase, I get that often…but that part where you said «to feel connected to people who love what I love» is what keeps me coming back here…
Glad you’re back!
wb keychange
Rome is at its very worst in June; I’ve always left in summer and it’s always taken a couple of years for me to even consider going back. All because of June. There’s something about the light, maybe. Or the dust in the air, the loudsweaty tourists, the desperate groping in the parks. This season turns everyone into an animal, but June, for some reason, is always the worst of it. In June you still remember delicate, sheer May – what it was like not to be sickwrong and itchy. In July you’ve adapted and just learned to live with the illness.
A ripe, dark, fruity oolong is just right on a day like this. I’m never disappointed in Lupicia’s oolongs – they never let me down, they never make me reconsider. What more could you possibly expect from anything?
Preparation
Very poetic!
I understand, though Rome tends to absorb tourists a little better than some other major tourist centres I’ve been to. Florence was the worse. Firenze is a completely different city between the renaissance Disneyland of high tourist season and the rest of the year.
my niece will be there in a week….adding to the chaos that is your environment!
Haha, thanks, Doug!
yyz – I agree Rome (not least, as the vastly larger city) absorbs tourists better than Florence, but sadly that doesn’t make the glaring difference between the off season and now any less obvious. It should probably be added that I live in an area of Rome that more often than not makes it necessary for me to choose one of the Ripetta/Corso/Babuino options, which are all near impossible to navigate efficiently right now.
donkeytiara – Ooh, I hope she has a very lovely time!
I found myself scoping cadeau-deco-vendome ( A Dammann reseller) so I figured that this is as good a time as any to dig into the samples that Sil sent me.
This tea smells like butter, roasted hazelnuts and vanilla and has a light maple wood coloured broth after steeping at 1tsp/225ml/4min/95°C.
There is a lovely roasted hazelnut note with a touch of a wood in the flavouring, as well as a touch of butter caramel and a warm vanilla tone. The flavouring blends well with the base tea which is slightly fruity with a cocoa note and is relatively innocuous except for providing a light astringency and a medium body. The flavouring is light and subtle as is the tea itself.
Thanks for the treat Sil
My experience with cadeau-vendome was so awful…brings back bad memories. Guess I was just unlucky though cause everyone on Steepster seems so happy with them.
Sorry about that was it the service or the tea?
Both!!! The whole thing was surreal, really, maybe all their regular staff was on vacation or something and an unexperienced employee took care of my order. I know it’s overseas, but the box that it arrived in was so damaged, it was made of very thin cardboard and nearly got destroyed in transport. The tea was poorly packaged, not sealed, and not even labeled as Dammann Frères, so it could have been anything really. The worst was the smell: believe it or not, the tea was wrapped directly in smelly newspaper, the smell was so strong it took over the entire box! The tea not being sealed, it got compromised. They all tasted like cigarette ashes! I wrote them twice, they never answered back… I decided to let it go cause the whole thing made me too angry, didn’t want to think about it anymore, lol.
That’s awful. My experience was awful, but I have noticed that some of the less popular teas can taste a little weak. My experiences with them were good, but I did notice that in the shipping notice they say to refuse acceptance of the package if it appears damaged. Any ways my next French tea purchase is used to be Betjeman and Barton from fouvrac in Montreal, but I always get sidetracked by other things.
B&B teas in Montreal? Do they sell online?
At the moment no. But they claim to carry the whole line and as a bonus I think you can order 50g. So, if your interested build an order from http://www.betjemanandbarton.com/fr/ and then you order over the phone at http://www.betjemanandbarton.com/en/content/9-world
If you have any questions first you can contact fouvrac through Facebook first https://m.facebook.com/lefouvrac?_rdr. They sell the teas at both locations.
Thank you so much :-)
Your welcome!
I’m guessing people at Fouvrac would speak some English? Because my spoken French is not good enough to place a tea order. I could email them in French, but…
They do. I wrote them on Facebook and they responded in English. As well, a member of Steepster, I think they were in California ordered this way with no problems a number of months ago.
OMGsrsly, I’m pretty sure they do, I don’t know many merchants who don’t in Montreal, businesses are 99% at least bilingual. Sometimes, it’s even the other way around, they don’t speak French, lol.
Excellent. :) I’ll add them to my list. Did you get any info on shipping costs?
I haven’t placed my order yet. It cost $10.00 to ship 200g of tea for the US order. I was just told that shipping was reasonable when I mad my original enquiry.
Perfect! Thanks so much for enabling, yyz. :)
:)
BOOM BOOM! I’m gonna shoot you right down. Right off your feet. Take you home with me. PUT YOU IN MY HOUSE! Haw Haw Haw. Sorry. I can’t stop John Lee Hooker-ing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSnQ0bdHW0s) over this tea. Boy howdee this is good. There are many teas out there that I like a lot. But I have a pantheon of tea. Mandala’s Special Dark, my necessary shu pu-er, Verdant’s Golden Fleece – the best golden tip black, Whispering Pines Golden Orchid, my favorite black blend, and now – this. It is a genuine pleasure just to stick your nose in the bag and inhale (a quality it shares with Golden Fleece). Deep, rich luscious chocolate. Dark, creamy chocolate.
More on my blog:
http://mizzprissy.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/zhu-rong-yunnan-black-verdant-tea/
Flavors: Chocolate
Preparation
Oh my. Well I need to put this on my wish list, it seems. :)
Nommmmmy :) I’ve been wanting to try this for a while!
@Brenden – I will send you some to taste…
Love the musical links Mz
Thanks inranger! This song is an especially good one to wake up to :)
MzPriss – that would be lovely! :D
And in that case, I have just switched your sample out to a very very special new tea… :)
Look what’s ready to ship with your order: http://oi61.tinypic.com/2pobqtv.jpg :)
oooooh!!! makes me want to order from your company! I love Galdalf…..
Ooooh! I wonder what it is. I’m somewhat jealous. I got a pre release version of a tea from Butiki to taste, and that was awesome. I’ll have to be on the lookout for this one, as I’m still on a self imposed tea buying hiatus until the end of the month, at least.
I came back to check your review after I drank this one, and we totally agree on the chocolate! This tea is amazeballs!
Yes ma’am – this one is extra dreamy. I love the chocolate. I especially love this in the morning after my Special Dark. So glad you liked it :)
I got excited and wrote my review on the 1st cup. I’m on the 3rd steeping now. Still going strong!
Yeah it’s got nice stamina
This morning’s project was S’mores with S’mores tea! I think it was a huge success!
I used 1 tbsp of tea per cup, 208 degrees, and steeped longer this time (5 min). I added about 1/2 tbsp of cacao nibs to the steep also, because why not?
I used salted chocolate for the actual s’mores, and since I am not camping and don’t have a gas stove, I toasted the marshmallows in the oven. Broil on high, ONE min per side. Seriously, time it.
I melted the chocolate on a graham cracker for about a min in the micro. That was too long. 30 secs should do it. It may not look completely melted, but it continues to melt after it comes out. Don’t ask me how I know.
The tea and s’mores are amazing together. Salty sweet chocolate smokey creamy goodness.
I had some extra marshmallows, so I threw one in each cup of tea. They weren’t melting fast, so I just put the marshmallow in my mouth and drank the tea. Yumz.
Here are pics of the operation:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14500425813/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14479086634/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14500425323/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14293852837/
Preparation
Oh yum! Those look awesome! And I love your Weeping Angel mug. I love the ones I got from that lady – I got a baby sloth doing yoga and a Ganesh. sigh I want s’mores now.
I’m such a dork with that mug. I have one at work, and one here. Exactly the same. It is my fave mug for sure, LOL. I really love her work, but I don’t think I’d ever use another mug now. :p
Come over and I’ll make ya some s’mores :)
BTW – your tea should be there tomorrow…
I’m a dork with all of my tea stuff.
That is super. Thanks for sharing! I hope your trip went well. Are you home now?
Those look fabulous.
Is that the BonaVita gooseneck kettle? How do you like it? I was looking at one but I worry that the long spout would lower the water temp between the time it leaves the main pot and enters my mug.
Haha this is awesome :) Do you mind if I share one of these photos on my Facebook page?
Kaylee: It is, and it’s the love of my life. Don’t tell my boyfriend, though I suspect he already knows. I haven’t noticed any temp issues. If you were concerned, you could always add a degree or 2 to compensate. That is the greatest thing about this kettle. If you’d like 178 or 207 degrees, instead of the standard presets, you can have exactly that!
Brenden: I never deny photo usage to tea mixologists. Feel free! :)
Yay! :) Thanks so much! And I totally thought I was following you already. Weird…
Yes, I’m home and my trip went fine, thanks for asking. I travel a lot for work and also for pleasure – this was a work one. I hope you like the Zhu Rong. You too Brenden.
:)
IOU some tea, MzPriss, so if you see anything you like in my notes or stash, let me know! :)
Hahaha, s’mores tea & S’mores at the same time, now that’s true decadence!
I have that exact same kettle in my office, & I SO love it! My old electric kettle is around the corner in the kitchen, & it’s great for when I first wake up & want a full boil, but I love the variable temp so much.
Awesome, now I crave them as well. Maybe I’ll bring them up North next weekend!
Nice idea! I will have to try this tea at some point.
We have the same kettle! :)
I’m actually already nearly out of the s’mores tea, so I have to order more soon. See what you started, Brenden!
Variable temp, FTW!!!!!! I wish it had a bell though, so it would ding when it’s done!
Yum!
Don’t tell anyone, but I kind of wish my kettle would die so I could get a new one :D It’s finicky about letting you do variable temp and the buzzer is just annoying. Does the Bonvita have an annoying beep?
no beep on the Bonvita
I was able to get one because one of my sons gave me aa Amazon gift card for my Bday back in January
Oh good. I will put it on my Amazon wish list for when this one dies. Mine is a black & decker one, and the beep sounds like a server hardware error warning, so it gives the husbeast a twist.
The Bonavita is totally quiet. Too quiet, maybe. I think it’s up to something….
Since joining Steepster, I am discovering that I’m a total oolong lover! I thought I was mainly into black teas, but oolongs are just. so. good.
Mj, what I like most about oolong, is its flavour spectrum. It is amazing what you get from a high mountain green to an aged roasted one, and everything in between!
Oolong is the bomb! :D
Woot! So glad you liked it! :D I’m absolutely in love with TGY :)
I didn’t like it Brenden…I looooved it ;-)
Can’t July first be on 28th instead, just this year so I can place my order NOW?
Pleeeezzze????
Right??
That does it, I am planning on an “Oolong Tour” when I get off my buying fast in September. I really love milk oolong and I had a Dong Ding that I really liked, as well as the Rare Orchid one from a Steepster box. I will have to comb through your oolong reviews and get some ideas :)
Yeah MzPriss, Girl Power in the house again, Don’t you feel pressured Brenden?
Skulleigh, i don’t always review all my tea, let me PM you a list instead, will be easier for you :-)
Well maybe if you and MzPriss checked your inbox you’d realize that I work much better under pressure ;) hehehe
(You are such a bad boy Mr. Tea Mixologist)
Thank you! A list would be great!
Looking into it for you then :-)