Featured & Popular Tasting Notes
Drank this today while reading the timeline of Star Trek and now I feel dumb… then again it’s confusing. Enterprise is the earliest of them all but it was made last, why why why!
Anyways, this is a solid tea that has no bitter notes to it and a strong taste of what raw sheng is like when pure and untampered with by elements such as age, humidity, traveling, random hairs stuck in the cake, fast food oil from fingers when it was broken, and anything else.
That being said: All jingmai material I’ve had has been excellent and pure. This is true for this as well, even if I support what Glen is doing and say with a bias; CLT has that good good jingmai.
Here’s a reason to buy this: It’s a 2013 Jingmai cake at only $19 for 200g. I’m being serious when I say that’s a good deal.
I have already written about this tea on my blog. My note there says everything about this tea but does so in themes using a local folklore style and a true story from my life. Perhaps that note is best read after spending some time with this tea, because the details about the tea are less important than the experience and the reason why you might choose to drink it. This is a very high quality experience, you have to gut yourself in every way in life to get to a place where you need something more. But details matter for purchase decisions, they don’t matter to me on my blog but make more sense on Steepster. I also don’t want more people asking me about it, so here are more details for people who really need them, or for the merely curious person who won’t be buying.
I drank approximately 6g per 100 ml with boiling or just a few degrees under. I brewed the tea in a Lin’s ceramic teapot, and eventually transeferred the tea to a very thick porcelain teapot. Both pots hold very high temperatures.
This is a very high tier of puerh evidenced by the thickness of the stems, the durability of the leaves and a myriad of physical effects that you must drink a lot of tuition tea to recognize. The tea is motor oil thick, even with the cake still very wet and with the lighter amount of leaf I used. Flavor explodes in the front of the mouth. The liquid then goes into the throat like a ball of Nyquil and remains there. Finally, it settles into the stomach and stays alive there.
Top notes are both apricot and the grape, early steeps are bitter with honey sweetness creeping in much later. Peppery and medicine in the throat but without the medicine taste, just the burn. Right now the tea is very green and wet and has a lot of settling down to do. Some steeps were yellow or greenish yellow, suggesting that the tea is still green tea. Processing of course is top notch. Some older leaves in the mix of buds and leaf/bud combination stems.
Mega steeper and I’m still trying to steep the tea out after four days. Lost count now past 15 steeps. However, because the tea is wet I’m getting some degradation of the leaf due to high brewing temps that will not be the case in 6 months to a year. That wet vegetal needs to dry out a lot more. I’m amazed the tea holds up so well in the wet state, for example last year’s Poundcake, a lower tier tea, broke down after 8 steeps while this wet. This tea is definitely much more durable. Qi is energy in the middle of my back. I’m not noticing any psychedelics yet, might be too early and too wet. I did, however, get heartburn from the tea which is due to the greenness. I never have got a heartburn from a tea before. But this is powerful stuff, and I expect the greenness to turn and it won’t happen again. I didn’t get any bowel effects as I would from cheap tea though.
I plan to let the tea sit now for at least six months and then I will drink it up. I don’t have time to wait in my life to age this, though I expect that lower notes and many more interesting aspects of the tea are yet to come as it changes. There is strength and bitterness to age but I’m too old to wait. I think if a person is older than 35, just plan to drink it. I don’t want anyone else to drink this but me.
If you want to complain about the price, the size of the cake, the lack of details and marketing issues, then go buy cheap tea and drink that. I’m not trying to make too many more notes here than what I’ve written on my blog except to give a bit more for people who want to buy this now, because it won’t be around for long. This is conversation tea in its very early days, and I hope more people decide to go for it and we can all talk about it for the next year while we enjoy it together.
Flavors: Apricot, Beany, Bitter, Grapes, Honey, Pepper
Preparation
This is a queued tasting note.
So, a lot has been going on for me this week and much of that has actually directly correlated to DAVIDsTEA. I’ll be finishing up my Sommelier classes in less than a month now so I’ve been thinking about what I want to do afterwards. A fairly good friend of mine works at DAVIDsTEA and she recommended applying to work there as one of the seasonal tea guides just to get some tea related work experience on my resume and I thought that was an awesome idea. If nothing else, I think it’s a work environment I’d genuinely enjoy and it’ll be nice having that extra cash flow for the Christmas season.
So I actually got my cup of this during my group interview! One of the things they told us to expect for the interview was a free cup of tea and then my friend tipped me off that sometimes in smaller interviews one of the questions is to “sell” the tea you picked to the interviewer. So picking this one was definitely more strategic for me because it’s a tea I have LOTS of familiarity with and I knew there would be tons of different ways I could spin it. I could have talked about the “myth” based origins of the blend that relate to how it got its name because I know I’m always more interested in a tea when there’s a story or its nickname “The People’s Tea” and how that originated. I also know a ton of ways to cook with Genmaicha or pair it with different cheeses and chocolates so I thought that could be a unique approach as well. It’s also a great evening tea because of the lower caffeine amount and the fact the roasty notes are very soothing. Finally, I think it’s a perfect tea to bride the gap between traditional and “pure” teas and more fun, flavored ones. Also, I just really fucking like Genmaicha.
Turns out – that wasn’t even one of the interview questions. Probably because my group interview was gargantuan: roughly twenty people! Everyone wants to work for DAVIDsTEA…
Questions they did ask, for anyone curious, were availability (that was a huge focus) and what ‘defines’ good customer service as well as examples of how you could provide it at their store as well as how its been provided or not provided for you at other stores. Our interviewer (the store manager) also wanted to know our general preexisting knowledge of tea fucking nailed that part and then to finish and to get a sense of our personalities we were asked to either describe the person who has been our biggest influence in life/motivation in life OR an object that we feel close to that directly ties into our identity. I chose to talk about my tattoos – specifically the three I feel hold the most meaning, which would be my memorial tattoo, my Shel Silverstein piece, and my Camellia Sinensis tattoo.
Apart from the sheer size of the group, I’d say it was a pretty straight forward interview that, even if I hadn’t prepped before hand, would have been really easy to navigate. I’m a big fan of group interviews in general and I think finding a balance between having personality and standing out without ‘screaming for attention’ or talking over other applicants is something I’ve always done well with.
Oh, and I got the job! I should start somewhere between a week from now and two weeks. Once I start I think I’m going to continue to rate DAVIDsTEA blends, just without assigning any numerical score to them unless the Steepster community seems to have objections to that approach. I think that’s a good balance between continuing to write about them while still remaining impartial and not skewing the average rating here on the site. In the mean time, I’m going to continue to to review as normal. Also, any numerical ratings I currently have up for existing blends I think I will just leave untouched as they were before I was hired.
Thoughts?
Youve got a tea tat? Born for this :) & yeah just keep up with it, seems a fair balance to not score
I do! It’s pretty simple though; literally just the words “Camellia Sinensis”. It seemed the best approach for me because I like to stay away from coloured tattoos so getting the tea flower was out (because without colour it’s hard to distinguish from other flowers) and I wasn’t a fan of getting any teaware done because there’s no one style of teaware I feel particularly drawn to or use more than any other. And definitely no “tea bag” tattoos ;)
Congrats on the job!
And I think that would be a good system, to review but not rate, at least for the time being. It seems very fair.
Congratulations! Drink ALL THE TEA. I agree that you can keep reviewing and just not rate. Some tea company owners review their own blends on here and it is fine as long as they don’t rate.
Congrats! And good idea about not rating the teas. Sometimes (rarely anymore) I buy from Steeped Tea and looking here on steepster the other day it makes me mad when reps create profiles and rate every tea 100
Awesome!! Now we can get all the inside scoop on the newest teas. I hope you enjoy the new job.
Congratulations! I hope this with be rewarding and fun and useful to you.
A question—or two. How does a group interview work? How many people interviewed you? etc. etc.
So, in a group interview it’s typically one (maybe two) interviewer but a large group of people being interviewed. They’re typically less questions and generally those questions are more personality or team based. They want to get a sense of your personality and how you’ll communicate and interact with coworkers and customers. They also run much longer – about an hour in this case.
Also, thanks for all the congrats!
Way to go!
I think you are pretty unbiased so I know even if you work for the company, your reviews will be honest. So no qualms here…though you probably already knew that. Also, I was thinking about you getting hired and all I could think is “I would drink so many eggnog lattes if I had that job :P”…I would basically try the wall as an eggnog latte so when someone asked which tea was best that way, I could give an educated and informed answer
Congratulations!
Congrats on the job!
Thanks, Ms. Strange. When the interviewers ask a question, do they address it to a particular person? or to the group up for grabs? or same question one by one continuing whatever the person before you said?
I also would be eggnog latteing myself to death.
@Evol,
This interview was a combination of “up for grabs” questions (basically, answer if you can contribute) and questions that everyone was expected to answer. Personally, I’ve yet to do a group interview where they directed questions to specific individuals.
Thanks. I’ve never attended a group interview though I have been interviewed by a group of people from various departments as the single interviewee.
Y’all…
As some of you are aware, I was just out in San Francisco [or as I like to call it, my future home]. I am now back in Virginia, and yesterday, to mellow out my sorrow, I decided some Downy Sprout was in order.
If you were reading along with the insane thread of comments on Samovar’s latest feature in Steepster Select, you may be aware of the new steeping method they discovered for Downy Sprout. It not only produces a very interesting, almost completely different brew, but it’s as if someone went, “HEY! ADD Girl! You want another way to make this tea? Ok, go!” [Speaking of which, who else loves OK GO’s “This Too Shall Pass” video?]
If you missed the thread, Samovar has this teeny tiny 4 oz. glass oolong pot. You fill it with leaves [a heaping tablespoon’s worth] and cover them with boiling water for 30 seconds-ish, then pour it out.
This brew is thick, saturated with flavor, and sings of deeper sweetnesses – honeyed caramels and the darker sugars that come from hazelnuts, walnuts, and almonds. At times it gives me those heavy, yet shimmering, humid notes of tropical flowers. I think of orchids in particular. This mixes in with a more rural note of hay.
I recall reading in several places that white teas only have a lower caffeine content than greens if you brew them with cooler water, so with that information in mind this probably wrings out a bit more hihellowhatareyoudoingwhatsthathihihi than your typical cup of white tea.
Anyhow, for those of you currently [or about to be] in possession of some Downy Sprout and an adorable teapot, it’s definitely worth a whirl. Especially since that tea doesn’t quit. I started steeping this some time in the afternoon while I cleaned and unpacked. Hours later, it was still going strong. I don’t know how many infusions I went for, but it must have been in the twenties.
There’s not a ton of brightness at the end of the tunnel that is coming home from vacation, but good tea certainly helps take the edge off.
Oh, and hi, Steepster!
Preparation
Oh I love this tea! I’ve only ever had a sample size, so I haven’t been able to mess with the steeping parameters too much, but I plan on reordering a bigger size eventually.
I am so going to steal that little teapot from Shantea!
[Speaking of which, who else loves OK GO’s “This Too Shall Pass” video?]
Is that the one with the marching band hidden in the scenery?
(I am awaiting my very own tiny teapot eagerly, although alas I have no Downy Sprout to go in it!)
Cannot wait to try this one when the cute little teapot comes in! Yay! I have enoguh Downy Sprout that you sent me to probably make a regular cup, and then a super-charged-oolong-little-pot-of-wonders cup. NOM NOM.
Hehehe….evil Shantea out Now I’m curious about that small tea pot….
rational Shanti No!! There’s no more room in your apartment!
How much water are you supposed to use for this new steeping method?
I’m assuming 4 oz. to go with the baby teapot?
YAY! Welcome back! You’ll have to tell us about your sit down tasting over at Samovar.
nods Lots of us missed you when you were away in Samovar-land. I’m looking forward to hearing more about your adventures!
I gotta try this!!!
Welcome back! Nice review :D
I tried this last night. In the cute little teapot (which is TINY..easy to forget how little half a cup really is when you’re drinking two cups of tea every time you steep…adorable, though). It was good! But I had wondered, at about 5 this morning, whether or not it really is as caffeine-free as one would have imagined. Now I know.
No regrets. So good.
And yes, that video is the bee’s knees. But their stuff almost always is.
@Erin Completely worth it. It’s like getting two completely different teas. Phenomenal.
@Ricky Aww, poor little teapot.
@Cait I haven’t seen that version, except in thumbnails! I’ll need to check it out. I’m referring to the crazy Rube Goldberg machine one.
@teaplz Eeeexcellent. Whee for Samovar orders! I’ll be perfectly honest and cop to putting another one through just recently. I cannot get enough, it seems.
@Shanti I just fill it as far as I can so it won’t spill over. So a little less than 4 oz., I’m guessing. I missed you too! …And oh no. I don’t know how many of y’all watch Southpark, but I have the Imagination-land song playing in my head now. Oh. No.
@LENA I shall! Maybe now, actually. Time to make my mark on the Places section of Steepster.
@Jacqueline Please do! So good!
@Harfatum Thank you! Good to be back! And unfortunately getting ready to disappear again for midterms!
@sophistre I know, right?! I used my little 6 oz. Bodum cup for it, but it still seems teeny. And yet, I’m sure that I ended up drinking just as much anyway since it’s so easy to keep steeping it. Mmm…
The OK GO video is awesome! Always impressed by those guys. Good song too :)
Good morning Steepsterites!
My dad is 80 years old today. Mom turned 79 on xmas eve. They live in Florida, so I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like, but I chat on the phone with them pretty much every day. It’s a bit scary watching your folks grow old, seeing them become children again in some ways, but I’m really grateful. I’ve always had a good relationship with my mom, my relationship with my dad was not so good. It took a long time to heal, a lot of song lyrics written, a lot of journaling. The path to peace is always acceptance & forgiveness, it seems, & honesty. Dad & I understand each other now, we’ve worked out our issues. I’m grateful for that!
This tea is a comforting cup of rich buttery sweet potatoes. Nothing bright here, nothing brash. It’s not particularly bold. It’s a quartet of clarinet, viola, Cello, & Alto Flute.
Your quartet makes sense to me. I’ve never been one for brash instruments. This tea rates 100 with me. Work some Iommi crunch riffs in with this quartet and I’m in heaven.
Your path to peace is beautiful as well. Happy birthday to your mom and dad.
Happy birthday to your mom and dad!
:)
A belated happy birthday to your Mom and Dad!
It’s heartening to hear that you found a path to understanding and peace with your Dad. That may be one of the most important things you could do in this life. Song lyrics, journaling, honesty, acceptance and forgiveness are all powerful tools. You followed a difficult and potentially painful path, which speaks of your inner strength.
I recently went through a similar experience with my parents growing older. Mom and I always got along great, but it took decades to heal most of the distance between my Dad and myself. We both put forth an effort and made great strides, which I am immensely grateful for.
Their health began to decline around Christmas a year ago. I flew to Pennsylvania every month for nearly a year and watched them decline both mentally and physically, becoming more of a caretaker with every visit.
Mom passed in mid November before I could get there, but I was able to stay with my Dad as he slipped away over the next eleven days. I had the honor of holding his head and talking to him as he crossed over.
Later I went back to my hotel, made a cup of tea, and meditated on the feeling of being at peace.
Even though you can’t get to Florida very often, phone calls are a good way of staying connected. I truly hope you enjoy the time you have left with your parents.
Sorry to hear of your parents passing, but so happy to hear that you also found a path of peace with them & was able to be there.
One of the fun things regarding my relationship with my Dad is that when I was young, he strongly discouraged my musical path, but as he got older he revealed that he had wanted to be a musician, & was never able to pursue it, so there had been some resentment there for him. (sidebar: Mom & Dad both played banjo ukeleles & the night they met, they both walked into the door at a party, each carrying a banjo uke, knew all the same songs, & basically spent the entire evening jamming on folk tunes!).
So I started giving Dad piano & music theory lessons, mostly over the phone, several years ago, & whenever we visit, it’s a long long lesson every day. His desire to really understand music theory & how to apply it has been fun to satisfy :)
Very cool story about how your Mom & Dad met! It’s unfortunate that your Dad had to suppress his dream, but at the same time it’s uplifting that you have been able to connect with him on that very level. Giving music lessons over the phone takes patience and dedication on both your parts. My Dad got his first computer 20 years ago in the days of DOS and WordPerfect, and I taught him over the phone several times a week for about a year. Although frustrating at times, it was also a rewarding and bonding experience. It sounds like you are having a similar time!
I got this for Christmas from my youngest daughter and used it for the first time last night. Appropriately, I used it on my Mandala Tea Phatty Cake, which has some spots that are rather easy to break but some really difficult, hard spots around the edge.
This is a huge improvement over my previous dangerous cake breaking experiences. A slippery plate with no rim and a serrated tomato knife result in the occasional spilling of blood for tea. (Totally worth it, though)
I still don’t have a knife and pick but will get those soon. Even using my old knife, this was so much easier and safer. All the leaf was well contained by the rim, and the corner opening made it perfectly easy to just sweep the loose bits into the pot.
Hubby wants to devise a means of keeping it on display on the wall when not in use, and he prefers for it to be tilted in a diamond shape, which will tilt the Chinese character that is in the middle of the tray, so not sure if that is how we will do it. I wonder what the character is, anyway? I KNOW someone is going to ask!
Bottom line – I love it, and highly recommend buying one if you like any compressed cake teas.
I probably need one of these. I finally got the pick, & am so grateful I did, as it works way better than the small screw driver I was using.
(heading over to the Mandala website cuz I still have some playpal money, & I have no self-control)
I think you will really enjoy it using, THL!
awesome, thank you for the review! I’ve seen the tray on the mandala site, but was questioning it. But from your review, I’m thinking I need one as something to keep the cake in place and catch loose bits would be very helpful.
This is a must have staple for Pu Er cakes and bricks. This thing gets used about every day and is well worth the money. Ashmanara if you need a pick I will be glad to send you one. I have several. Just message me with your address.
Wow, thank you for the amazing offer, mrmopar! I will send the address right now!
Awkward Soul: I expect I will be using this A LOT! It isn’t terribly big so it isn’t going to take up too much space, but it is plenty big enough for even the largest puerh cakes I have seen, like Moonlight White.
THL: let us know what you think if you end up ordering one!
out of stock :\
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
I’m one of those people who spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day by myself. I’m probably not the only one…and after years and years, I don’t feel sorry for myself about it.
There was a time when I was forced to be around New Years events that I didn’t want to be around…and I ended up afraid of what could happen to me at the hand of an abusive person.
I’m so thankful in my present life to be safe!
Tonight I put on good music, made some dip and crackers…had a really good dinner too. Worked on my Pinterest Boards.
Now, here we are together…you, my friends on Steepster.
It’s just us with some tea.
If you’re alone like me…make some tea and I’ll tell you how this tea made me feel…how it took me back to another December.
The Story:
Silicon Valley is a new title for the Valley I grew up in.
Once it was known as the ‘Prune Capitol of the World’ not the center of technology.
On one side of the Valley are the small Coast Range Mountains and then the Pacific Ocean.
At Christmas, my children Aaron, Annalisa and I would bundle up and head up narrow Black Road…winding our way through Ponderosa Pine and Redwood Forests..up, up through mountain mists until we reached our favorite tree farm.
The dirt entry off the paved road was perched above the tree farm. As we looked below us, we could see a low ranch house and a big rustic woodshed decorated with Christmas lights, candy canes and stars. A woodfire billowed sweet smelling smoke into the cold, damp air. A hidden machine blew bubbles like snow high into the sky. It was magical!
When we arrived a rotund, aproned Mrs.Claus greated us with laughter, hot cider and ginger cookies…then gave us instructions on how to cut our tree to protect the trunk for regrowth.
We tumbled laughing and yelling through rows and rows of fragrant trees, letting the branches swipe across our faces…rushing off here and there to be first to find the perfect tree.
Such delightful joy!
I often think that this was one of those moments that God allowed me to be a child…as it does now in the retelling of the story.
The Tea:
When I prepared this tea…the use of real Ponderosa Pine with ‘mild’ Yabao in the blend, transported me back those 30 years.
I could smell the sweet, fresh cut fir tree and the sap. It’s a sweet smell. Then, brown sugar, graham cracker…nutmeg and ginger.
Spot-on this tea takes me deep into the WINTER FOREST.
I’m a lover of raw innovation…bold creativity and high standards in blends. No spay-tan flavors to make-a-buck pseudo-tea for me.
One of the memories that lasts throughout your life is scent and taste. Cool isn’t it. All the tea will associate with places and people…woods and trees, love and celebrations.
Evergreen Spice allowed me to become myself 30 years ago with my young children in the Coastal Mountains cutting down a Christmas Tree with the scent of Redwoods and Pine. Spiced Cider and cookies…
How glorious is that!
Blessed 2014 to you all my beloved friends!
A note: Not a critic of real sugar here but I have a critical note for once below:
(No artificial sweetener…none…nada…it changes the yabao into soap so don’t please.)
(Yikes this is review 666 on New Years Eve…good thing that I have no fear! It’s funny!)
I really like your stories,it is one of the reasons I decided you to follow you…I am alone as well with my cats and my tea,haha…I don’t feel feel sorry for myself about it either…happy new year!
Thanks for the stories and reviews, Bonnie! Here’s to a happy new year! :D
Woo hoo! 2014! I’ll turn 66…choke, sputter! I still have 28 minutes in Mountain Time. Who came up with Mountain Time anyway…most of the Country has no idea what Mountain Time is!
So…a few thousand people most of which can now legally get high in Colorado…live in a time zone outside normal space. For some reason, we’re not as fat as the rest of the Country and we’re pretty happy. Mountain Time.
I don’t drink. Only tea.
What a great note. Happy new year, Bonnie!
Happy New Year, Bonnie. :)
Bonne Année Bonnie – you’re so right : it’s always better to be alone rather than in bad company.
You are good company my friends!
She’s the best!
Let’s have a party!
I bought this on Black Friday but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. My bad.
This is really amazing. I was just sipping away at it distractedly while looking for daycares and I was just hit – whammmo! – with a burst of fresh lime. Wow. So refreshing. I can still taste the chamomile and the overall effect is quite soothing. Like floating on a cloud before sleep. Or some such nonsense.
Preparation
This one makes me sleep. Lol
Oh man, I wish I could find a tea that helps me sleep. This sounds like it has potential.
chamomile makes me sleepy.. i liked the taste of this one as well..my finum brew baskets just didn’t like it
Brew chamomile in paper, Sil! Or those plastic mesh tea bags you can find in some Asian markets. I pre-fill and iron mine shut for ease of use. :)
yeah, i have a metal basket that i use for chamomile heh
Wait. No. Stop. What happenes to the basket? Does it get all clogged by little dusty chamomile parts?
Pretty much, Anna. I also find that a lot of little bits get through, which is why I prefer paper filters for chamomile.
I’m are Tony’s & it’s snowing!!!! It’s really snowing!!!
I predict a full day of tea drinking, supernatural watching, pajama wearing, logs in the fire, & food!
Yesterday they were predicting up to a foot of snow, so I came well stocked with tea, in fact, as usual I brought more tea than I could possibly drink. I brought the BBBB, the Steepster select samples I still haven’t drank, & a few other random things. Silly me!
I’m starting off with this one, TastyBrew’s offering from the BBBBox. I love the name of it, I love it’s backstory. I want to love the tea, & although I don’t hate it & it’s far from boring, it’s not something I will ever love. It strikes me as a Darjeeling type. The leaf is more of a green color, the sip starts out kind of cream of wheat like, but then a spicy lemon takes over the back & sides of my tongue. There are floral elements to the taste, & it does have other layers in there as well. Definitely not a morning tea for me, as it hits my empty stomach with the queasy effect slightly. It might make a nice afternoon pick me up & palate cleanser though. Still glad to give it a try!
Stay warm!
Welcome to my world! Enjoy you pj day, but you should also go play in the snow if it’s not too hazardous outside to do so, it’s so much fun :-)
I’m not much for playing in it, & just like watching it fall :)
i love snow.
terri, watching it fall is truly the best part :-)
James, though I have more snow than I can handle at the moment, i just can’t help loving it too :-)
Hard to get a fair measurement because it’s drifting so bad; I’d say 6 inches here down in our holler. I am done with winter, thanks.
Falling snow just calls for a full day of tea drinking!
It used to snow here a lot more than it does now. When I was a High school Senior (class of 77, Ava High), we got off for winter break a week early due to a scabies outbreak at our school (never heard of scabies until I moved to the Ozarks). The day before we were suppose to go back to school in January it snowed a foot or so, & school was cancelled. After that, it snowed about every 3rd day. We didn’t go back to school until February. THAT was a long winter! We lived 15 miles from town, & all we did every day was get up, feed & water the livestock, milk the goats, gather eggs, & sit around drinking coffee & watching daytime television, crowded around the woodstove. Then we’d eat lunch, watch more tv…etc.
We don’t hardly ever get an awesome snow like this anymore, if we get anything in st louis it’s usually ice storms & a little snow dust, so Yay! I don’t have anywhere to go, let it snow!
we got home today just in time for it to really start snowing but it was great walking around in it while it was lightly snowing. now i get to sit by the window and watch it all come down…so nice. i dunno how my florida friends do christmas without snow.
I heard we’re up to 11". I’m not sure if that’s true, but it looks like it!
Terri, I remember the blizzard of 77 well. It hit while I was in college. So much snow. It took military trucks to clear the country roads. It was like driving through a white canyon. It was so cold then just like we are supposed to get tonight. It stayed that way for so long. Classes were cancelled for a day or two until (supposedly) someone hit the Dean with a snowball. Who knows if it were true. There was an energy crises going on at the time. We weren’t allowed to dry our mullets :) I remember on one of the coldest days my hand literally froze up around my books. No permanent damage but I was nervous. Personally, I don’t miss it.
yeah, but once in awhile… :)
Hubby and I drank a whole lot of steeps of this tonight. A single teaspoon in my little glass pot and over a liter of water, and it just kept giving with each resteep. We are drinking this because we love it and also because middle daughter has caught a nasty cough and cold and this tea seems to help me stay well when I feel something coming on.
On a side note, my eldest daughter married her Irish fiancé Friday. We had the wedding dinner at the Pit in Raleigh, NC. I didn’t realize it had been featured on a television show as one of the best restaurants, and it was amazingly reasonably priced. But best of all, the food was unbelievably good. If you ever have a chance, go! My son’s girlfriend is vegetarian and had the barbecued tofu and loved it so much she wants to go back with her mom.
Superanna, my daughter, congrats to you! You have chosen a fine young man who is a great addition to the family.
Congrats to your daughter!
Yay! Congratulations to your daughter. That sounds lovely.
Congratulations to your daughter!
Congratulations!
So happy for your family, congratulations!
That’s wonderful! Congratulations!
Congratulations ! Lots of luck and happiness !
Congratulations to your daughter!
My other morning tea, thankful that i brought two with me today since i haven’t had 5 mins to get food or anything. What a day! first day back with all the people who have been off for a week or two. I am really loving this today. It seems so much roastier and chocolatey. I may have to think about restocking this once i’m finished with my stash :)
I have this one I just haven’t tried it yet. A little addicted to Yu Lu Yan Chai at the moment but it’s almost gone thank god I ordered more!
yeah..16 ounces lol silly lady!
One I want to try sometime…I see a lot of people have tried this one.
Oh god I would buy 16oz of this one too if it were available I just tried it with a little bit of milk oh god Chocolate Heaven!
Tea of my heart, you are so tasty.
I love this. The jasmine and frankincense are amazing together. The super floral oolong is just amazing with it. I definitely get how people can say oolongs can taste like lilacs – no doubt that is enhanced by the jasmine. I keep thinking I should drink what I have, but then I never do because the idea that I need to wait and save it for something special overpowers. Hah. That’s ridiculous.
So I’m enjoying it now. I hope the incense is easier to get out of the glass steeper than it is the metal ones…
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Going on my shopping list :)
Haha. Definitely a good one if you like floral. :)
I’m glad you’re in love with this one haha.
Crowkettle gave me some in the initial meetup we had in Victoria, and I also ordered more. I can totally see this as a love-it-or-hate-it tea. :)
I should note that this is a well-aged sample, too!
note the “…if you like floral…” bleeeeeeeeechhhhhh haha
Florals yummm! I do love this one.
Florals, yeeeeeeeeeeesssss, lol
LOL! Sil, you are in the minority here. :)
Omgsrsly, It’s ok, she is uniquely awesome :-)
I’ve been ridiculously busy – lousy timing, since I have samples from the ever-amazing Ysaurella that I want to try and write elaborate tasting notes for, but, alas, no such luck.
Okay, so looking back at the previous notes for this, I’ve really fiddled about with the rating. And it’s seemingly a never-ending story, because I’m going to nudge it back up to 90. I love this tea, and until I find a better pear tea (if ever) I want to keep it around.
The leaf is beautiful, the tea itself is fresh and clean and natural-tasting, and I enjoy it very much.
So much, in fact, that this tasting note will have to cover the four cups I’ve had over the course of the past two days.
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Love me some juicy pear tea :-)
Pear Spice from Fava Tea is very good as well!
Rachel – that’s a black tea, though, right? And someone should write a tasting note for that one!
Oh i love pear. This i will make sure to include in my next order from LPDT. And their lovely matcha candy of course ;)
Oh, awesome, Dag – I hope you’ll like it. I want to try some more of their teas. The vanilla green could be better, but the Hammam teas, both the green and the rooibos, are excellent.
I love pear so i should really take the dive. I’ve been wanting to try LPDT anyway.
If you do try it, I think playing around a bit with the suggested temp/steeping time is worth it with this one.
For me, 90C/2 min tastes most deliciously pearful, but I’m sure that’s highly individual.
Aaaaah pear tea I haven’t tried! Aaaaaaah
+1 Sil :)
Sil/Ysaurella: I laughed so hard at this.
Anna, yes, it’s a black tea. I am going to have to rectify the tasting note issue soon! :-)
Stuff has a tendency to add up and I don’t want to stand here in a few months with the realization I would need 8 full boxes to escape with even half my stuff. So I’m doing the responsible thing and am bringing two suitcases home with me – one full of stuff I can’t possibly need. If I start jonesing for Christmas ornaments in May, you need to just tell me off.
In light of this, and the fact that I’m trying out a new flight path from Rome and hence have no idea whether I even have fast track (although, to be fair, the FT at Fiumicino is a little overrated, and they’ve checked me for explosives twice in four months, so they obviously have it in for me) I clearly need to gather some strength. Hence, Cookie. Let me tell you, with a couple of almond biscotti on the site, it’s f*cking delicious.
I bought a new carry-on and I love it so much I gave it a name and slept with it.
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What’s its name?
Hah, I want to know the name, too!
I understand this. I’ve also named our water cooler (Watson!)
The navigation system in my car is named Nigel. :-)
Yeah, I’ve been waiting to hear the name.. must still be having a good sleep with that new carry-on. ;-)
sipdown! mwahahah because the other half of my sample is going to go in to Terri’s box so that she can try this one as well. I have to say, these leaves are pretty darn big once they expand through brewing :) this is on the sweeter side of things, without being as distinctively sweet as some of the teas from TTC that I’ve had. it still comes across as a bit of a malty sort of tea but not to the extent of say, Tiger Assam. I am really enjoying this because it’s just a bit different than similar teas that i’ve had.
Norbu (greg) included this one for me because i was trying to find a similar tea to the one i fell in love with from Norbu that they have since stopped purchasing because of the lack of demand in the US. SHAME ON YOU US! :) While this IS a tasty tea, it doesn’t hold the same power over me as the other one. Still though, i enjoy this one a bunch.
Norbu has some excellent customer service for anyone interested, and until the end of January they’re having a 25% off sale :)
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Shhhhh….you’ll wake up little terri, & she doesn’t need to know about that sale right now. She’ll start bragging about her birthday & all the presents (tea) she thinks she should get…
Rock-a-bye Terri, go back to sleep
You’ve already got too many to steep…
(cheesy sheepish grin)
It’s true!
hahaha love it!
A great way to wake up this morning. There is horizontal blowing snow outside, and I have absolutely no idea how this country plans on functioning in such drudgery, but I suppose it’s possible.
This is a great breakfast tea, despite the fact that it’s flavoured. Now that I’ve figured out my magic parameters (a heaping tsp of leaf for about 10 oz of water) at four minutes, I can get a reliably smooth and fresh blueberry cup every time. I didn’t get as much of the base this morning, but that’s ok: hot, fresh blueberry juice fit the bill perfectly. I think this will be an excellent tea come summer, but for now, I let the fresh blueberry flavour remind me that although winter feels endless, it never is. But my god is it nasty out there. And what a toll it can take on your mood!
Your notes on this one make me want to re-try it haha. Hope you have a great day, despite the snow!
Did you not like it your first time? and, thanks. Made it to work, which is thankfully indoors. Now to get through the day and make it home! :)
I did enjoy it somewhat, but the scent overwhelmed me and the taste underwhelmed me.
I hope the snow lets up in time for you to go home. That is the worst! Whenever I wake up and it’s a disaster outside, I’m always tempted to roll back over and sleep.
I’m impressed by how quick the city is to clear the roads etc. Back in Vancouver, it seemed like the entire city would start to crawl once a bit of snow hit the ground. That or people would drive like maniacs and crash like crazy. Toronto seems much more organized in comparison. I guess you guys have experience here that we in Van do not. :P (Says the lady who wore sandals for most of last year)
Calgary is a complete disaster when anything falls from the sky, which always amazes me considering it happens all the time haha! Yay for Toronto. :)
haha so i have to laugh… i see this much snow and i SQUEEEEE with joy! I was SOOOO happy to get back to toronto and see that we got snow like chicago did. I effing LOVE this sort of winter. It hasn’t been like this in years since i moved out to toronto so i am all over the being outside, playing in the snow, making snowmen and snow forts and snow angels and getting cold and wet and loving every minute of it. Winter with no snow is awful.
Haha that’s awesome Sil. :)
sil, I’m glad someone is enjoying it! because I’m certainly not LOL—far, far too cold. and cavo, that’s what I hear about cities that don’t typically get snow: the city grinds to a halt at the sign of anything falling from the sky.
keychange – i will make a snow angel today in your honor so the cold gods leave you alone haha
Please do! that way I’ll have a little bubble of warmth surrounding me everywhere I go, and you can have all the snow men and angels and chilly wind! everyone wins.
haha
Horizontal snow here too…
And living the country life, it ALWAYS a mess here wintertime, lol!
Glad you made it into work ok keychange! Hopefully the snow dies down for you when it’s time to go home.
@Courtney: I always find that after the first few snowfalls people start remembering that they have to drive differently and things calm down some. Now I wish I could say the same about the C-trains… they’re always braking down in the winter.
I hope the weather settles, although they don’t predict it will for a while yet. Oh well, at least I lead a highly-indorified life.
Indoorified haha. :P
Keychange – I’m also with you on the highly-indorified life! I thought about rebuilding the snowman outside our house, but everyone is sick, so I can’t just take the kiddo out with me to do it. I’ll just hide inside and drink warm beverage after warm beverage.
Oh my, this is decadent and dripping with luxury. TGY, why do you have to be so tempting and appealing to me?
Why do you have to be such a tease and so cruel by being so delicious and knowing full well that you are a sipdown and that I have no longer access to your splendour?
Oh, I do know what you are, and I can tell you what you are not: modest! No you’re not. You’re such a Diva, wanting to show me all your nuances and complexity at once…
Giving me sweet vanilla bean, enchanting orchid flowers, a rich buttery mouthfeel, wrapping it all in an almost minty fresh breath in the background, you possess all the attributes to exude such confidence, you are absolutely fabulous and luxuriant.
Wish I had a better vocabulary to describe you…
I must admit that despite your obnoxiousness, you are good to me this morning in your last attempt to seduce me, you are giving me many re-steeps by being so potent. I will cherish every moment I have left with you on this quiet Sunday, and tell you this:
Until we meet again! Cause we will TGY, yes we will.
Love this review!
will Stacy restock it ?
Thanks Terri, Glad I could entertain :-)
Ysaurella, what do you mean exactly, it’s available at the moment. I don’t think its one of the tea she plans on departing from…we’ll let her answer that if she sees this. But I will have to get heads up on that cause I definitely need to keep some of it around :-)
i’m just not ready to order now (well I’m always ready to order more tea, but I’m trying not too!)
Sounds fabulous.
I too am always ready to order more, but I’m really really trying to be good, at least for awhile…
I thought it was not available anymore because you were so sad to have finished it :)
Yes, me too Terri, though it seems I can’t be a good girl for very long when it comes to tea:-)
Haha! ysaurella, yes I am sad, but just because i must wait and refrain myself from placing another massive order with butiki!!
This tea is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon. :) Someone once described our TGY as mint ice cream, now that is all I can think about when I drink it.
sounds like you had a love affair with this Anxi TGY, LOL. very poetic
I’ve been a cranky ragebot all week long for various reasons, but as one of those small silly things that can talk you off the ledge last night before bed I reminded myself I’d be able to try this today (and thanks boychik, your review today made me even more excited!). I was a tad worried I’d find it too mild and straightforwardly sweet potato like I was just talking about with Golden Monkey, but this is great, a lovely balance of that sweet smoothness tips give with more robust but still smooth malty dark flavor I crave. The cup color tells it; it isn’t that warm orange-gold-brown hue of the sweet potato teas but instead a deeper more burgundy-tinged affair, as I like. And as it cools there’s a lingering aftertaste of dark chocolate, yum—I imagine it comes from the very faintest hint of bitterness I crave giving it a depth of flavor, but the smooth sweetness the tips provide rounding it out. Was prepared to send a lot of this off to my IRL tea buddy or Steepsters who might lean towards the general Yunnan style if I didn’t love this but I do. So there’s a win for the day, woo small triumphs!
ETA this is a resteep champ, yes even Western style. Had a second cup, 5 minutes just like the first, just as good maybe in some ways even better (lighter yes, but sweeter too, and still with enough heft to make it deliciously satisfying). Woo hoo!
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That sounds awesome! I was totally trying NOT to buy this too, but your review is very persuasive!
Hehehe. ‘Ragebot’. The Ragebots. <3
Yay glad you did review it and like it. I get irritated easy myself lately . I blame winter for my mood swings. Good tea is the best remedy.
This just went on my shopping list too.
Sounds great !
Ok, I was trying to not buy this tea…thinking…it’s just tea…I guess I’ll be putting in my order as soon as I get back from walking the beast.
cavo…i haven’t ordered yet lol
haha, The Ragebots! i would spend a friday night going to see them play. (:
yes boychik, the weather for sure plays a part. and yes again to tea as the best remedy! well, and friends. (:
another fantastic tea to kick start the morning.,This + maple really is a great time for me. It’s more smokey than i need it to be, but the smoke is flavourful and certainly not over powering. All in all, love having this one from time to time for a little extra smokey oomph!
“another fantastic tea to kick start the morning.” “love having this one”
Only an 82?
I just picked up a box of Russian Caravan myself! I completely agree that it’s a “once and a while” tea, perfect for mornings when you need the extra flavor push!
Yep. Because a lot is dependant on me being in the mood for it. Higher ranked teas are those that are fantastic and I could drink any and every time :)
Now you’re making me crave a smokey tea with maple syrup. :)
I am somehow really surprised that you, of all people, actually like lapsang. Like, mind blown over here.
but lapsang + maple = godly. so I approve!
I’m not at all surprised, since Sil loves blacks. Also, you are all right. Maple + lapsang = best combo evar.
This isn’t my favourite smokey tea but it’s a good one :) @ceylon – i still don’t like OMG IN YO FACE smokey teas..but ones that have a smoother sort of interesting smoke, really appeal to me…but i ALWAYS add maple. it’s the only tea always add things too
Sil, What are your most favorite morning kick start teas?
uh..i’d have to look at what i’ve been drinking in the morning, but to be honest if i REALLY need a kick in the pants, i usually grab a puerh and steep it western style :) otherwise my assams are usually what i go for, though i haven’t found my perfect bold cup of that yet…nothing fruity, so i stay away from me taiwanese blacks…
Sipdown (198/202)!
Thanks Kittenna for the sample. Sadly, I’m using it all up for this mug – I would have liked to play around a little with the whole ‘sugar and salt bringing out different flavours’ thing. It seems weird to me to add salt to tea; I mean, I don’t add salt to anything, and I never sweeten my tea either so I just made this cup plain.
This is one of those teas that you just have to try because of the concept. It’s pretty weird, at least in my opinion (though nothing like Bacon tea). It definitely solicited an interesting response from my friend who was over the other day when I said “Potato Pancake” tea.
So steeped up (with nothing added) I think this tastes pretty amazing! I’ve actually had apple sauce and potato pancakes before, though only once, made by my Grandma. We don’t celebrate Hanukkah or anything, but she made them for us anyway. It was a while ago – when I was in elementary school, but I remember shredding apples for her with a cheese grater, and loving them because they were sweet enough I didn’t have to add syrup or anything to them. I feel the same way about this blend; it perfectly captures what it claims to, and I think it’s really well balanced and doesn’t really need to be swayed more to one side.
Although it’d still be interesting to try it with salt added because that’s still a weird concept to me.
I’m also happy because, to me, it doesn’t taste green. Yay!
I’m going to add this to my shopping list as well, for when I finally finish off some of the Butiki teas I have that I don’t plan on keeping around (also for when I have money). Maybe I wouldn’t want a full pouch of it, but as a sample or something to drink very occasionally or as a treat – because this was good!
Flavors: Potato
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Adding salt?! Bizarre. I also never add things to my tea. :)
Well, never sweeten, or add milk/cream.
I add milk, but not often – and typically never as a first cup (unless it’s matcha). I also sometimes add club soda – but again, not for a first cup.
Club soda is an interesting addition. What teas do you add that to?
Roswell Strange, have you ever had a Monk’s Blend tea soda?!? I think that would be tasty. Also, apparently I have Monk’s Blend on the brain :P
Lately, I add it to matcha for matcha soda – but also fruit blends. I haven’t tried a Monk’s Blend soda yet, though.
Nuts! i’m sorry; I should have given you more, because I’m not a big fan, and I had more. I usually give enough for two normal-sized cups.
Neat! I’ll have to remember that. I’m always looking for ways to mix it up with matcha.
It is so neat if you add a tiny pinch of salt, or a somewhat larger pinch of sugar. It changes the tea so much. :)
@Kittenna No worries! 1 cup was more than enough (I got a good resteep too) – especially if I hadn’t liked it. I’m super skeptical of greens.
Adding salt is a good idea. When I added some maple syrup it didn’t do it for me. Maybe I’ll like it savory. Maybe I can send it your way. Let me know
i send you pm
I’ll add a pinch of salt to a hot chocolate, so this isn’t a totally crazy concept to me. (Though the idea of a latkes and applesauce tea is a bit; I’m very intrigued, and also I really wish I had some potatoes in the house to make actual latkes now!)
Fiance: This smells like amazing cinnamon buns and then tastes like a carb and sugar free version. It’s always disappointing.
10 minutes later
Me: If you haven’t finished your cup yet I will!
Fiance: pouts I wanna. It grew on me.
Fiance: So. Um. How much more of this do you have have? I want it again.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present the most quickly resolved disappointment in Fiance’s life.
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As I was about to go to bed after closing all the lights, I noticed a halo illuminating the entire kitchen. I stood in front of the bay window and realized it was a full moon tonight…Blue shadows everywhere, the moonlight caressing the surface of the snow, creating the illusion of a vast carpet made of a thousand sparkling diamonds. Breathtaking.
No way I was going to bed…took my gongfu set and boiled some water. Decided I was gonna have a meditative tea session in silence with Miss Moon.
This tie guan yin was an excellent choice. It is everything I love about high mountain oolong. Very floral, buttery and sweet, but also juicy and refreshing. There’s a pure crystalline quality about this tea, a breath of fresh air.
Stayed there for a full hour. I kept staring at the night, the imagery was picturesque, I tell you, the only thing missing was the wolf howling at the moon!
My head is full of beauty from the scenery but also, from this magnificent tea, I think I can sleep now…
(See previous note)
I too love moonlight on the snow…
seems magic
loved this review! ;)
Beautiful review… Last night was indeed magickal… I love full moon nights.
Thanks…moonlight on the snow makes me feel I’m in my own little fairy world, it is magical indeed! it’s been a while since we’ve had such a clear sky at night around here, had to take advantage.
This tea is a bit of a miss for me today, and the other one I brought was so undrinkably strong that I had to dump it (no milk or sugar here to fix it with). It’s cold here too. And mediocre tea = a SAD Cavo!
Also, I had to laugh at how my friends in BC are freaking out about the 5 cm of snow that fell. :P Ahahahahha. Ok, that’s mean, but I can’t believe how extreme the weather is in Toronto, while I managed to wear sandals for 80% of the year when I was in Vancouver. Granted if you go to SFU it’s a bit different because the mountain is pretty undrinkable, but it’s not a crisis situation all around.
Ok, enough poking fun at my BC people ILU guys, really. I’m just jealous. :P
I’m gonna make myself finish this cup (or not) and then move on to something tastier.
Haha! Are you originally from BC Cavo?
Yup, this one was a miss with me also!
I am! I grew up in Merritt, then went to college in Kamloops (both in the Interior). I went to Northern Alberta for a few years to work, then retreated to Vancouver Island, and then finally Vancouver. So I’ve seen a few different climates!
I never really believed that the Island/Van were an actual rainforest until I got out there, but then Merritt is pretty much a desert (with actualfax tumbleweed!) – I didn’t expect so much variety so close!
Keychange – I had a sample of it before and it was amazing. So I wonder if this one is just really finnicky?
Haha we drive through Merritt every summer when we visit Vancouver. It always amazes me that people live there. :P I lived in Burnaby for 6 months before I had to move to Calgary since J was here. I loved being out there. :)
Hmmm, it’s possible. Definitely wouldn’t be the first time I screwed up a tea haha.
Wow, Cavo, I had no idea you lived in AB or on the Island. I’m going to have to ask you sometime about your thoughts on where you are now, and how it compares to Vancouver. Because as much as I love it here, job prospects-wise, it seems like it would be a smarter move to head to TO eventually. :)
I don’t know why people live in Merritt either! :P Especially before the music fest was a thing. Pretty much everyone I knew that I graduated with moved away.
And fjellrev – it might depend on your personality etc, and what kind of job you are looking for. It was tough to find something on the island, but within a month I was working in Vancouver, and when I was laid off there, it was less than a month before I found another job (making $15+/hour in an office setting).
It took me 4+ months to get a job here in Toronto, and even then I only got this job because my sister-in-law recommended me and got me the interview. Before that I was trying to find something within the same wage that I had back in Vancouver, and wasn’t too far of a commute.
Toronto is far more formal than Vancouver, which is NOT great for me because I am a jeans&t-shirt lady all the way. I do not do formal business wear very comfortably and would have had to buy a full wardrobe if I did get an office job elsewhere… IDK if any of that helps. :P
Wow thanks, that’s very helpful. I keep hearing and reading that it’s next to impossible to find a job in Vancouver, and if you do, it’s usually around minimum wage and/or you’d have to juggle 2+ jobs in order to earn a living. And this is why the younger crowd are getting driven out. But yeah, I’ve been hearing and reading about Victoria being just as bad, if not worse. So I’m so torn on what to do once I graduate. It doesn’t help that my mom wants to retire here, so in a way, if I am on the west coast, I feel like I’d be obligated/stuck staying on the Island.
But the formality part doesn’t surprise me. I’ve never been to Toronto before, but seeing that it’s essentially the corporate centre of Canada, I can see that. I’m shocked it took you that long to find a job though? I don’t know why, but I always had the impression that there are far more job opportunities there than in Vancouver.
Part of the issue was that I needed to make at least $17/hour in order to make paying for daycare/transit etc worthwhile, especially when daycare can start at $700month. If I was willing to work for $15 I might have had a job within a month, or at least made it to the second interview. And these jobs were all for Office Managerial roles, or something like that where I’d be in an office and have some degree of responsibility.
It’s funny but with both jobs I had in Vancouver, I found them both through Craigslist, even though people say it’s all scams etc. And the second job was AMAZING. Until I found my new job I was a little sad we had to move and I had to quit because it paid well and was interesting. What field are you going into? And do you have any experience? I guess that would make a difference as well since I’m 32 and have had several different jobs with a wide-range of experience, making me both more and less hirable. :P
Oh ok yeah, dealing with extra expenses such as daycare can definitely complicate things. Haha I’ve never applied to jobs on Craigslist before but I’m glad it’s worked out for you.
Outside of academia, I have mostly retail and supervisory experience, and within academia, research and teaching assistantship duties. I’m open to trying to get into HR, or some sort of office/government job. Teaching languages. There’s a lot I could do with my degree, like it can be applied to many domains. But it’s always nice to hear from someone who’s lived in different cities what the job market is, or can be, about. :)
Fjellrev, Vancouver is easy, especially if you have any office skills. $14+ an hour to temp reception? Uhh, ok! Can be boring, but it’s easy money, and you can gain experience/work up to longer contracts/permanent stuff. Gov’t jobs, check out the temp agencies. I forget which one has a gov’t contract here, but it’s a good place to start. Once you’re temporary you can apply for inside positions. Which sounds terrible, but whatevs. :)
I have a feeling I’m going to be back in office work by 2015.. I’d just make more money, and that’s sadly really important.
Huh, you know, I never considered temp agencies before. You’re making it oh so tempting. My gut says Vancouver would be better than Victoria too. I just keep hearing that it’s super competitive and you need connections.
I also read that the wages you earn in Vancouver support the COL there, whereas in Victoria, they don’t. Gah!
Haha. Cost of living here is just over $19/hour (about $40k). I don’t make anywhere near that, and it’s hard, but it’s do-able. Temp agencies are nice because you can temp while you look for something permanent. Get a feel for different companies and corporate environments.
Maybe check out Victoria, see what’s available. I had a really hard time finding work there because I’m definitely from Vancouver. :)
This morning it is rich and smoky and malty and sweet and borderline chewy and all kinds of complex. And very good with half of an unadorned banana bread bagel (onion or garlic or salt is ordinarily about as far away from plain as I’m willing to go with bagels, but the BF bought these and the kids were going on about how great they were so I had one and they were right). And I just realized I’m still writing in the mode I used for my writing exercise of last night, with all the and and or connectors. LOL. Fortunately I haven’t been doing that in my emails for work.
I’m really tired. I didn’t sleep well and I think I was over-caffeinated, so today I’m going to make an effort to stop the caffeine by 4 p.m. or so and try to get to bed early. Daylight savings time. Ugh. It will put a crimp in my tea-drinking style, but I need the sleep.
Don’t read this part if you don’t like to read about medical ailments. ;-) Over the past week I’ve developed a rash of some kind on my foot. I have attempted self diagnosis via the internet and I believe it to be dyshidrosis, which can be brought on by stress, and apparently by inhaling dust if you’re allergic to dust. (And I did get a big whiff of dust during the weekend before last’s cleaning project.) Or nickel. (Does tea have nickel in it?) It looks awful, though it doesn’t feel that bad. I am not sure whether it’s going away. If it doesn’t go away by the end of the week, it’s medical appointment time. Great, just what I need.
Hopefully the rash will go away quickly!
Thanks, caile!
feel better. BTW shu at night and i sleep like a baby(probably tea drank)
Maybe it wasn’t the shu that kept me up, then. I was ready to blame it.
Really, I had sleep prob before but since I started drinking shu 3-5 steep just before bed it knocks me out. Do you want me to send you some samples( it’s not swap I need nothing in return)
Aw, thanks. But I really do have a ton here already. :-)
Admirable;)
I get a similar rash issue on my index fingers (random) triggered by hot weather. It’s annoying as heck, but eventually goes away on its own. I’ve yet to find any treatments that speed its disappearance besides avoiding situations that trigger it, which can be nearly impossible, depending on the cause. I’m probably not helping! Just mostly wanted you to know that you’re totally not alone.
Thank you, Sami. Are yours little tiny blisters? That’s what I have.
If it’s itchy hydrocortisone usually helps. Calamine is another good one.
Not really itchy, which is weird. You’d think it would be…
Yep, that’s what I get too, Morgana. It’s been okay for the past few months, but I’m not looking forward to summer. Especially when the blisters start to weep.
Hot damn, that sounds like a tasty deal! Now if only Puerh Shop’s shipping to Canada wasn’t so painful.
Le sigh.
I can probably reship it cheaper… some parts of Canada I ship 7oz for $4 through USPS, but other area vary
Not too shabby. Puerh Shop’s flat rate for me is $32.75 and that’s not even Express International – ouch!
$32 shipped or $32 shipping?
That’s $32 for just shipping. If that where shipped, no problemo.
LMAO, get out of here… They are right in Michigan too, come on now. Let me know if you ever need something state side and I can check shipping for you because shipping 7oz or under to Canada is $4 to $9, over 7oz goes a bit higher though
Michigan? Seriously? That’s so messed up. O_O
I’ll certainly keep you posted, thank you! I’ve been eyeing Puerh Shop’s stuff for a while now, but with outrageous shipping like that, it just wasn’t gonna happen.
Just when I was considering to buy two Jingmai cakes from them. Shipping to UK must be horribly expensive.
I’ve sent stuff to you in the UK for like $9 before. I don’t get why companies charge so much.
To make a quick buck?