Featured & Popular Tasting Notes
Shenging with The Monk 2012 again tonight.
I’ve written many reviews, so please see previous notes if you want to know how it tastes like. Tonight, I just want to share some thoughts.
Just love how it makes me feel. L-o-v-e-i-t. It embodies all the reasons why I love sheng.
I covet it. Cause 2012 is no longer available. And the fact that I sit on two cakes doesn’t make me feel any better. The day I run out will be a sad day. Hopefully, I’ll be sitting on a few 2014 cakes by then, and life will be good again :-)
I want to take this opportunity to thank Garret and Mandala for the outstanding quality of their product, but mostly, for the exceptional customer service I receive on every purchase.
It means a lot to me, and they have earned my loyalty. They are at the top with very few other sellers for me. And I don’t say this lightly.
So Garret, if you read this: thank you.
I drink your tea every day, and my life is better because of it.
Pic of the session:
Wow. It’s been so long since I’ve written a note on steepster that I…don’t really know what to say. I feel as though I first fell off the tasting note bandwagon, and then as the summer sweltered hotter and hotter, I sort of fell off the hot tea bandwagon as well. And as my samples continued to pile up around me, I just turned a blind eye to it all (har har) and chugged water. What a mistake it was to abandon tea for so long. I had this as a latte yesterday while at DT (where I of course picked up the green carry mug, omg omg omg), and made it again for myself first thing this morning. Nothing calms an anxiety-ridden heart like a cup of tea, and that, my friends, is a scientific fact.
What this tea tastes like: my goodness, I don’t even know if I have a tea vocabulary anymore. I get the thick, almost waxy and candle-like (in the best way possible) breadiness that lends this tea so, so well to having milk or cream in it, and the flavours I generally associate with pumpkin. I am no expert on what authentic pumpkin tastes like, but I know I like this tea for it’s pumpkin flavor, chai spices (although those aren’t too strong for me, I don’t think) and the candle-y breadiness that I love so much.
Let’s see how long it is until I write again! I’ve missed you guys!
Har har! I “see” what you did there! We have missed you – welcome back. :)
Keeeeyyyccchhhaaannngeee! :)
I’m baaaaaaaaaaaccccckkkkkkkkk!!!! yaaaaay!!
Welcome back :) :) :)
Hi!!!!! :) :)
HELLLOOOOOO!!!!! :)
Holy man, I’ve got some of that spearmint oolong I’ve been saving for you in a swap. I need to send you that!
how’s the wedding stuff going!?
Oh my gosh, guys! I feel so loved! Christina, you had that set aside for me? wow, that’s so sweet! and my wedding is next week, guys!
insane! so jealous! i wanna see FB pics! :)
Excited for you. I hope everything goes well and you have a blast!
Eee! That’s so exciting! I hope you have so much fun at your wedding. :)
We’ve missed you too, so nice to have you back :-)
steepster is making me mad this morning. It won’t let me comment on people’s tasting notes, but it’s hit or miss…so sometimes i can, othertimes i can’t. I WILL NOT BE SILENCED DAMNIT! lol
i am scrambling around like a madwoman today – need to get some work done, pack AGAIN, get ready to leave the house this afternoon and try to at least help my other half with a few things around the house. I feel terrible that he’s on his own all month.
This tea was pulled out because it’s my oldest tea (january) and because i need to finish something things up soon because Terri and Nicole maaay have exploded my cupboard a little…at least it’s largely samples lol
mostly!
up to 134… from 95 thanks to you and nicole lol
haha
lol!
I didn’t have this problem, but then I’m not a very good commenter either, so I only tried it out once. :/ At least we can post on the boards now. Are you getting TOSed again?
Tosed?
Terms of service warned
Aaaah…. Nope :(
I can’t navigate to the discussion boards now though….only dashboard
Sucky tasting notes abound…sorry team…just trying to track this so I can get back to sleep. This is another courtesy of variaTEA and a decent one at that. It still can’t compete against the pumpkin tea that Terri and I love but this was a nice enough visit with the pumpkin spice :) thanks for sharing VT!
Hopefully in about 4 months we’ll be able to get more of that awesome pumpkin tea!!
Jealous of that special pumpkin tea. Hope you feel better soon Sil.
dexter, when there is more to be had, you will get some!
We’ll have to place a seriously ridiculous bulk order :)
Seriously ridiculous bulk order sounds like a good time to me – especially if I can get even a small piece of it. :))
yeah…i’d do at least 200g…
have you even tried it yet dexter? lol
No I haven’t, but I’ve tried a MOUNTAIN of pumpkin teas and Della Terra Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie is my favorite. That should tell how excited I am to have the opportunity to try this one. Based on your comments I anticipate making everything else seem like warm swill water….
ew..no this one is better than della terra’s…though to be fair it’s got ginger, so if you’re a ginger hater, it won’t be for you :)
I don’t mind ginger if it enhances rather that obliterates the other flavors. :))
I.love.pumpkin.tea.too. Just saying…
hahahaha
ok ppl, i need this what you are talking about. i dont know what tea is that, but based on your conspiracy … very intriguing…
haha boychik – this tea: http://steepster.com/teas/traveling-tea/42210-pumpkin-ginger-spice
terri sent me some, i feel in love with it…it’s terribly delicious and fresh and made with love and real pumpkin chunks… and it’s gone…and it’s a sad time because it’s pumpkin AND ginger..and i love it.
(Boychik, I don’t know, just tried to infiltrate the thread also…)
good to know. i put it on my want list:)
TheTeaFairy ROFL
So really we are right back where we started with Terri needing to place a seriously ridiculous bulk order for us. ;))
Notice how I too just assumed my way in.
that’s how it goes.. and all i have to say is…as long as i get at least 200g…you ladies are all welcome to share in the joy of a giant order. lol otherwise…BACK OFF! (i kid i kid! but i wish i had this one to add to the GCTTB)
OK Peeps, don’t get too excited, because it is only available in the Fall. The gal who makes it used locally grown org pumpkins, which she roasts & then dehydrates, & that is the basis for the tea! Maybe I should plant pumpkins this year…it’s been awhile since I grew them.
It’s so funny how the weather affects people’s lives. No matter where you live around the globe, the one thing we all have in common is weather talk. And it seems we are never happy about it…
It rained everyday here last week. I love, love the rain, but a full week was getting depressing and I complained a little about it. This week, we got 4 days of hot sun in a row, and I couldn’t handle it anymore, I am beyond happy to find miss Rain this morning. Rainy days make my trees lush and pollen free, to quote a friend :-)
So it’s tea day today, cause I want to make up for yesterday.
I wanted to get outside old habits and start my day with something unusual instead of my typical strong black of the morning. I chose one I’ve never drank before, a Japanese Oolong.
This looks like Pouchong Baozhong, the greenest type of oolong. The colour of the dry leaf is beautiful, a nice silver teal.
First steep (using gaiwan) is very interesting. It’s almost a traditional Japanese green tea, vegetal and grassy.
The distinction comes from its floral body, it’s not orchid or lilac like most Chinese or Taiwanese oolong, but a different variety that I can’t really name. The end of the sip is nutmeg, a note I often find in greener oolong.
The second and third steeps are evolving into a sweet and soft mineral taste, it has an almost syrupy texture. Strong florals lingers for a long time after I swallow.
Later steeps bring some sweet cherry notes, I know it sounds silly, and it’s probably the fruit of my imagination (no pun intended) but it reminds me of Bath & Body Works hand cream Japanese Cherry Blossom fragrance. You’re probably going yikes, hand cream, right? What can I say, tea has a strange way of bringing olfactory hallucinations to life :-)
Bottom line, if you like a good Wenshan Baozhong, you will adore this tea.
It was only a sample I purchased from Tealux, but it will be on my shopping list, that’s for sure.
That sounds really good. I’m going to add it to my wish list.
Also, weather talk. It cloudy and dreary looking but quite humid when I went into the grocery store to pick up lunch today. (I love their salad bar. Really reasonably priced at $4.99/lb and full of things that I don’t want to have to buy a whole one of that I like on a salad occasionally, like cauliflower.) When I came back out, it had rained hard and was still sprinkling, but the sun was shining brightly.
Mmmm, cauliflower, I made a cauliflower almond curry last night, so good! Enjoy your salad :-)
I hate cauliflower cooked, but I love it raw. Go figure. But the salad was awesome.
Ooh, this sounds lovely. And MAN, it’s annoyingly hot here. And humid. I’ve got bean salad marinating in the fridge.
Sami, I know it’s easy to say once summer has arrived, but I’ll take minus 20 celsius of cold over any overly hot and humid temperature!
Lol, it’s salad day among Steepterites, enjoy yours! I’m having tomato, basil, pine nuts and fresh mozzarella salad.
I can always put more layers on. There comes a point when I can’t take off any more layers.
Cheri, exactly!!!
Ooooh japanese oolong? How neat!
Completely, completely. There’s only so much you can take off, and if you’re still hot, you’re still hot. Boo. I wilt like an arctic lily.
This sounds really good.
I am really enjoying this one! Notes of coffee, chocolate, sweetness, some fruit maybe. I like this one because it has a thick dry edge to the taste reminiscent of coffee. Not bitter in any way, but it reminds me in a nice way of something I miss. This is a good potential coffee substitute.
Quite a nice dark thick liquor, and while it to me, seems quite similar to other shou Ive been recently trying, this one does things in a nice way, if im wanting a coffee-like drink.
I’d be interested to know others thoughts on this one, I think its quite good.
Flavors: Chocolate, Coffee, Sweet
I’m not a big fan of shou but this sounds pretty good.
Yeah, something about this one is just nice.
Its quite strong. I can feel the caffeine
I’m saving this one on my “to get next” list. I’m currently working on the Feng Quin Dian Hong from Yunnan Sourcing, and it’s brilliant.
yeah ive got some of that. its lovely, isnt it :)
Yes. I’m trying to break away from sweets, and that tea is pretty great to do that with!
Now I just need this tea to break away from coffee, too! Ha. Ha.
haha, I dont know if it will do that. I’m also a bit of a puerh noob, so my recommendations arent that of people with more experience. Its one of the nicest ripes ive had though for this kind of flavour.
I had to give up coffee over ten years ago now – thats what sparked off my drinking of different teas. I was happily surprised with the flavour of this one. That might mean there are some out there with much more of a coffee flavour! that would be amazing
This one is on my list.
I’d be interested to know what you think of it. Something about the balance of the flavours just seems really nice, like someone has done a good job on the processing & storage.
or it was a leaf I would like in the first place
I don’t like coffee flavored teas, but the teas that are bold like coffee, I suppose. I usually drink tea (98% of the time); however, I have “coffee-only” friends. Perhaps this would be a tea to introduce to them!
it definitely tastes like shu puerh, no question. But there is something about it, maybe the way the body is, which reminded me of black coffee.
Mmmmm. I’ll have to give it a go :)
I find dark roasted flavors such as coffee, dark chocolate, and stout beer in Keemun teas, and I really like those teas. I’ll also have to add this to my want list.
try the sample first, I dont want people rushing out to buy it – im a bit of a puerh noob tbh, and it might not be the best substitute, its just something I noticed :)
I’m not too experienced with puerh either, but I’ve like all of the Shu that I’ve had so far, so it wouldn’t be much of a risk either way. I’m just beginning to figure out how to brew the Shengs, that truly is an art…
yes it is, i flash steep mine a lot and dont use boiling
drinking it again today, i immediately thought of coffee again smelling the liquor. And it wakes you up first cup the same way
I am so happy that I am the first to review this.
This is a prime example of what Sheng should be like. The dry leaf is gorgoeus. This cake is an array of loosely compressed autumn colored maocha. The bing carries an almost medicinal scent. I can pickup a slight eucalyptus scent mixed with an underlining sweetness. I broke off a chunk and placed in my warmed yixing. The scent was unusual. I’ve never smelled something so lively. It was like escaping to a jungle. The scent was thick, hot, and humid. I could smell the vines growing rampant around me. I washed these leaves once and began possibly one of my best gongfu sessions. The steeped leaves changed dramatically. These oily olive colored leaves carried the scent of an old Victorian home with a slight peppery aroma. The liquor was a pale gold and shone bright. It looked like translucent white gold. The taste was spectacular. I’ve never tasted something so silky and sweet. I was drowning in huigan. This brew gives a thick, and I mean THICK, mouth coating. The flavor was like watercress, silk, cream, and sugarcane. There was absolutely no bitterness or astringency. I found out that you can’t make this tea bitter. I used boiling water and steeped for a little bit of time, and the brew only grew sweeter. This was well rounded and the taste lasted well after steeping. The qi was incredible. My body completely soothed and my spirits became uplifted. This tea gave an all encompassing comfort to my body. I took my time with this session. Eventually, I had to go to work. I left my table until afterwards. I came back several hours later and resumed brewing. The liquor was still powerful and just as sweet. I honestly don’t know how many steeps I got out of this. This is by far my favorite sheng. This is a delicious brew, and I can only imagine how it will be aged.
https://instagram.com/p/5zpJIYzGaY/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel
Flavors: Creamy, Eucalyptus, Honeysuckle, Rainforest, Sweet
Preparation
I have some of this on the way. Secret, Rocket Yiwu soft for 3 steeps and then gets brash a bit on you. I have the Colbert one coming as well.
I just placed another order. I have yet to get to the Yiwi, so thats for the tip, hahah. I have the rest of the spring collection on its way. That moving sale got me. I love me free tea…
Agreed, I bought the tasting set for my son. I am trying to ease him into it as well.
Yes! I’m getting my friend one for his birthday. That free shipping is awesome xD
Haha. I was going to get the tasting set for my dad! Sounds like we all have the same ideas.
Excited to try this tea. Thanks for the review!
We are all trying to convert people xD
Not trying , WE WILL convert people!
TwoDog told me he has tasted this tea aged each year from 1-5 and it gets sweeter each year.
I really enjoyed this one too. I have enough for a few more sessions. Strongly considering the purchase of a cake though.. all this damn good young tea is killing my wallet ><
I would definitely recommend buying a cake for aging. This is was a fantastic session.
Haveteawilltravel, Excellent review! Free shipping?
I bought the Basics Set to get free shipping. Its well worth the purchase. I’ve been using it as my excuse to buy more tea, hahah.
Didn’t want to like it cause white2tea already has too much of my money….. Loved it, only the last thoughts was better imo (of the 2015 cakes) which makes sense if go by pricing. I think the next step is to just direct deposit my pay checks into White2tea’s bank account in exchange for tea. Like a scaled up monthly club for pu junkies.
Lol Grill. I have a certain amount of mental illness going with w2t puerh, the house label teas.
Same here. Once he starts getting my checks I’m going to have a stent put in my arm and just mainline it. I can brew up a big IV bag and get a steady dose all day. Just keep spamming the drip button till the nurse tells me that I’ve hit the max
This made me laugh really hard, yet I relate so well xD
as a side note, I did enjoy last thoughts (2015) much more than this; although, this is still an excellent brew.
Last thoughts is pretty much the tip of the iceberg for western tea drinkers, you aren’t going to find better or even equal so easy. You’d have to visit china AND meet the right people to possibly have something better. Pretty sure Paul worked his booty off to acquire such good maocha the last couple years.
And yes the 72 hours is a really excellent tea. The session I had with it the other nights was one of my favorites to date. Liked it more than both the bosch and tuhao. Under the Last Thoughts but closer to that tea in the spectrum of 2015 then it is the other 2 cakes imo of course, or even better to my personal tastes. Need another session or two but I’m pretty settled on getting a cake of 72 hours. If the next round is as good or better then I’d go as far to say that I’d rather have 2 or 3 cakes of that rather than the tuhao and bosch but then again variety is always nice.
Paul also stated that 72 Hours ages excellent. The cake becomes even sweeter, and it ages rather quickly (1-5yrs) with a noticeable difference.
I have reviewed this tea 57 times already. Why do it again today? Several reasons!
First, we had this yesterday at tea party. We tried a new recipe for French Silk Pie which my guest promptly renamed “Death By Chocolate” and said we needed to put it on the rotation and this was the unflavored black served with it. We followed with Dark Obsession Chocolate Rose.
But I had made a lot of it and we had eight ounces left, which I heated and put in my Thermos and took to the Cancer Center with me. I wasn’t really thinking when I did that, it was just the first tea handy. But Catherine has given me fortitude through some though times. She was with me every morning after radiation and kept me going strong. So how fitting it was that she was with me this morning when the doctor released me – FOR GOOD – from coming to the Cancer Center! I am not officially at the five year mark but he said he felt that my primary care physician could take of things from here on!
Nice to have her there for my celebration!
In addition, I noted some changes in flavor from drinking it in the thermos. The maltiness seemed amplified and there was also an element of hearty green tea about her today. Back in the day when I used to put her in a thermos I also added milk and sugar but I don’t use them anymore. So it was a pleasant little surprise to discover the little change of nuance in my reliable Queen.
That’s great news! Congratulations. Tea is indeed more than just a drink.
So good to hear! Tea is a great companion :)
Congratulations! I’m glad you have a tea to have kept yourself going.
I just did an out loud Woot! Awesome news.
Congratulations! That is amazing!!
Congratulations! That’s absolutely fucking amazing news! It’s lovely how tea will always have connections and ties to positive memories like this one – now every time you sit down with The Queen you’ll get to relive the feeling of hearing that great news :)
I am astoundingly happy for you!
That’s awesome! Congratulations!
Congrats!! That is wonderful news! It’s always great to have a great tea by your side for excellent news! I am very happy for you :D
Congrats!!!
Fantastic news! so happy for you!!!
How wonderful! Congrats!
Congrats God has blessed you again!
Fantastic! Congrats!
Thank you, everyone! I was pretty excited when I went in, thinking this was my next to last appointment and that I would get released from the center next February when it was officially five years since the end of treatment. It was really neat to get “set free” today!
What awesome news! Congrats!
That’s great news!! :)
This tea is truly magical! Extremely well blended! I actually had to check back at the ingredients since I was no longer sure that it was vegan, but of course it was. I saw something on Steepster a while ago written by a representative of a tea company about how blending tea was not some magical art. I strongly disagree with that statement. Very good blends, like this tea are art. I believe it is very easy to tell when love, creativity, and time have been committed to the creation of a tea. I know that is how I used to blend teas and still do for myself and I can tell the same type of care from some other tea companies.
I agree, it is an art. If it is to be a great tea. I mean, if some blender wants to throw a bunch of stuff together without much care, then sure, in that case, it’s not an art. But truly good tea, no…truly fantastic tea, is blended with care, and is sincerely an art.
Plunkybug-I agree! :)
There are companies that have wonderful tea but they just don’t really blend well. It’s a different talent.
That is the first thing that came to mind when i had it. What an amazing blend. This is a first for me to hear that mixing was a taboo. well i will surely continue steeping the mixed flavors . Cheers !
Stacy, come back. We miss you and your teas and your passion for the craft.
Seconded!
A motion has been put on the table. All in favor?
Aye!
I sure miss Butiki. Sipped Three Friends today… almost gone! STILL DELICIOUS.
Queued post, written April 9th 2014
Perhaps I’m a little bad, taking things out of a travelling teabox that I’ve already tried before, but I did it anyway. This one was from the EU TTB round 2, and I stole it. I feel no shame.
Now the first time I had it I thought that it was good, but not quite on par with the hype surrounding the blend at the time. This hype has died down in recent time, so that the blend has now reached a sort of legendary status and is drawn out on occasion to bask in the glory of it. That’s the sort of vibe I get from people who occasionally post about it.
It smells lovely. It’s quite wood-y and a bit malty. I’m also finding a note of grain down there, which is strong, but not at the forefront. There’s a hint of cocoa, but not very much. I can’t remember what goes into this at all, but I suspect something to do with Keemun and Assam.
Flavourwise, I think I get it now. I think I get the hype. This is a strong tea and it’s very heavy on the Assam. I think I tried it the first time during a period of not much Assam appreciation (Assampreciation, hur hur!) and that put me off. This is very Assam-y, complete with smidge of cardboard and touch of raisin. There is also something in there that gives off a grainy note and a little bit of a smoky one as well. It brings me back to my earlier thought of something to do with Assam and Keemun, but I don’t think that all there is to it. There’s an almost toasty flavour as well and something that makes me think ‘Keemun, but stronger’. Perhaps there’s some low-grown Ceylon in there as well. I had one which, when brewed just so, gave me that same ‘Keemun, but stronger’ impression. Which is pretty good going, because in my opinion Keemun is a pretty strong tea all by itself. I’m a little uncertain here if this means I think there’s a low-grown Ceylon in combination with Keemun or if it’s only the Ceylon masquerading as Keemun. Either way there are those grain-y notes and a wee bit of almost-smoke on the swallow, so much definitely be in that territory.
Have you noticed, Steepsterites, that as soon as I sit down to write about a black blend I seem incapable of describing what it tastes like and almost invariably end up trying to decipher what it’s made of instead? Curious! It’s a bit like a puzzle. Having looked up the solution I find that it’s actually neither Assam nor Ceylon at all, but a pure Chinese blend. Three teas have gone into it, and I feel absolutely certain at this point that one of them must be a Keemun. I’m uncertain about the two others, though. Perhaps a not-too-hay-y Yunnan? The third one eludes me.
I just went back and re-read my first post about this blend from three years ago. Ah, yes! That was the time the on-off switch had broken off the old kettle, rendering it useless and making tea required boiling water in a saucepan on the hob! I remember that, it was ever so impractical. (Quite funny in hindsight, though) I don’t know if it was the fact that I didn’t have to bother with saucepans this time or whether my standard brewing methods have evolved a bit or perhaps my own preferences have, but I definitely had a vastly different experience with this blend this time. I mentioned it reminded me of Kusmi’s Samovar blend back then, though. I’d quite forgotten that one! If I were allowed to buy anything at all at the moment (which I’m not, I’ve got a To Try Box to empty!) I would go and see if I could find that one again. Ooooh yes, that was the one I bought when we were on a weekend trip to Paris, visiting friends who lived there for a year. That was the time I planned to ask them if we could make a stop in Mariage Freres while there and then only remembered it when on the plane home, stupid girl. (I later learned that M also had that same sort of vague plan while they lived there, but never got around to it and only realised that she had passed the chance after they had come home to Denmark. She’s not a tea-drinker quite on the average Steepster-level but she does have a mild sort of on-off curiosity about it. Oh well, these things happen.)
I enjoyed this tea very much this time around and I’m nudging my original rating upwards. It was 82 previously.
Are you a native Dane? Because your English is GREAT. Even the nuances.
I bought a tin of this at H&S while in NYC this weekend after tasting it in the shop.
Marzipan, I am. English came relatively easy to me in school (unlike German, where I never got further than learning a lot of words, but not how to put them together into something that makes sense), and then having spent the last 14 years living on the internet. Livejournal, mostly. I’m not very good at punctuation though. I find commas difficult. Being married to an Englishman helps a lot as well. :) I have to admit we speak mostly English at home. Husband speaks Danish at work, and we speak Danish at home if we have company or if it’s Saturday. I suddenly lose all ability to understand English when it’s Saturday. :p It’s a left-over from when he was taking his Danish classes and was preparing for his exams. We probably ought to speak more Danish at home, but we’re so used to speaking English together, making the switch can feel a bit awkward, even for me. I mostly read books in English as well, because I find it better to read the original version rather than a translation. Sometimes things are lost in translation and the original is the version that author actually wrote. Seems silly to read a translation when I can just as easily read the original. :) Besides, I like reading fantasy, and it seems precious little of that genre gets translated into Danish.
Sorry, that was a bit of a novel. And I didn’t even say thank you for your compliment. Thank you for your compliment. :)
MzPriss, I actually caught myself having a bit of a panic last night when Husband nearly asked for a cup of it. I was having something he doesn’t like, you see, so he’s gone to choose something else from the drawer. Luckily he settled on a different one in the end. (I did not say or do anything to influence him. Just panicked quietly.)
I read a lot of second language English since half of my family is in your area. Even when my husband first moved here he made some really cute and funny mistakes. So I can usually pick up on it, but yours is really great. It’s really funny with him since he (like you) switches back and forth a lot. He is basically like a language vending machine, whatever you put in, he responds in kind. So he can be speaking English with me and the phone rings and it’s Danish all the way. I love to listen to it. His sisters say his Danish is starting to sound a little outdated.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Husband says he’s forgetting how to speak proper English. He’ll be saying something in English and wants a particular word and the first one that he thinks of is Danish. Or he’ll start a sentence in a particular way because he’s forgotten that the keyword is a Danish one that has no clear English equivalent. He’s been here for five years now.
My written English is best. I make more mistakes when speaking, mostly because I get a bit sloppy, or I get distracted by sudden uncertainty about is/are in the middle of a sentence or something. :)
I remember a couple of funny ones he said when he first lived here. He called ear muffs “Ear muffins” (so cute) and we were going on an online video game and he asked if I wanted to go to the grocery to buy “raid munchkins” (so cute!). He also used to pronounce “steak” like “steek” and “taco” like “tack-o”
I loved reading this
You sneaky Zeke,lol, I think I would have done the same thing.
Husband once had to show me a dictionary before I would believe that ‘unpractical’ wasn’t a real word. It was quite shocking, I’d been saying that forever! (I still say it just to tease him. :p ) Mind you, he’s had some good ones in Danish as well. I usually proof read his emails in Danish before he’s comfortable sending them and he has a tendency to get overly formal sometimes. He also once sent me a postcard when he’d been travelling for his old job and wrote about a cathedral he had gone to see. He wanted to say it was impressive, but actually said it was impressed. :)
One funny one we have noticed, is that where I live (in the US south), people who say “I reckon” are like, total hicks. But to him it’s totally normal to hear British people say so he has a whole different idea of it.
‘I reckon’, yes, I’ve picked that one up as well. I don’t (think I) use ‘I figure’ very much though. It seems like an Americanism to me. I’ve been trying to weed those out of my English in recent years, because what with being influenced by films and television from both North America and from the UK, it was such a jumble. It’s quite difficult, because I don’t know that something is an Americanism until someone tells me and then I have to remember to avoid it. Sometimes that leads to further confusion, like when I learned that ‘gotten’ is an Americanism and only used in British English in a few particular dialects (can’t remember which now). It got me in such a muddle I had to go back and ask if, when I ought to say ‘got’ instead of ‘gotten’, should I also say ‘forgot’ instead of ‘forgotten’? I still find it a little weird that I’m allowed ‘forgotten’ but not ‘gotten.’ The words are so similar.
I’m also having to pay attention to how I use ‘okay’. If you ask, ‘would you like go and do such and such’ and a Danish person says ‘okay’ they actually mean ‘yes, let’s go and do that’ and not ‘we could, but I’d rather not.’ I caused no end of insecurity for Husband with that when we first met and it seemed to him like none of his suggestions were met with enthusiasm. :)
I had to get over that sort of thing with my cooking. It doesn’t matter what I make, I could only get something like, “It’s good” out of him. Over here people would go on and on about food and how it is so great, so I always felt like I couldn’t make anything that he really liked. But eventually I figured out it’s just him being Danish. I think somehow it all goes back to janteloven and keeping things low key.
I’m glad he chose something else. I have comma trouble myself. I like them too much.
Marzipan, This is true, it’s definitely a Danish thing. If I’d cooked for someone and they started gushing about how wonderful it was, I’d just start getting embarrassed and a little annoyed at them. At first because ‘yes, I heard you the first time’ and later because I’d start thinking they were just trying to hide how awful they thought it was. As a nation, we are not always very good at taking compliments. At least not the gushing kind. Janteloven is probably one of the greatest classical works that we’ve got, because it defines the Danish character very very precisely. Axel Sandemose ought to be a mandatory part of the curriculum, at least in gymnasiet (Danish equivalent to the American high school, for those following this conversation and not in the know).
MzPriss, if only you lot would use the Danish comma rules, my life would be a lot easier. :D Seems to me every single comma rule in English is followed by ‘except if such and such’
Every time I pick this up again, I’m all like, ‘I know I rated this a solid 95, but seriously, how good can it be?’ and then I smell it and I’m all, ‘Oh, right, it’s this one.’ and then I steep it and drink it and it’s just so insanely good. The florals are complex and beautifully balanced without ever becoming overpowering or cloying.
I stumbled over a tasting note by a user who’d mostly been reviewing Lupicia teas – it said that the biggest problem with Lupicia was that they recommend boiling water for all their teas… and that any true tea drinker (whatever that is) would know this to be incorrect.
Since so many of my followers find me through my Lupicia tasting notes, and since so many people ask me about Lupicia because I am, obviously, the undisputed #1 Lupicia fangirl (Those pesky Canadians are catching up, though, I have to watch that.) around here, I feel I have to stress this again, because it keeps coming up.
The biggest problem with Lupicia is not the above. It is that prejudiced tea drinkers insist on either ignoring Lupicia’s steeping instructions and hence, in many cases, get a lesser result and/or question Lupicia’s know-how due to these steeping instructions to the extent that many avoid the company altogether.
(Also that their teas are delicious, irresistible and will eventually ruin you, because once you’re hooked, you’re hooked.)
Numerous unnamed tea-litist people have approached me and told me they definitely aren’t going to drink sub-par Lupicia teas because a company that suggests boiling water for a green tea is surely run by amateurs and why am I so excited about their teas since I clearly don’t approve of Teavana and their ilk? (This is particularly hilarious, seeing as Lupicia are Japanese, not American, as most of these people have assumed.)
So no – Lupicia know what they’re doing. Strangely, so do A.C. Perchs when they recommend 11-minute steeping times for some of their teas. And those teas were weird, yet tasty experiences I wouldn’t have had if I’d stubbornly insisted on misguided tea snobbery.
As for the above user, I challenged her to try temporarily dropping that whole all green teas are the same prejudice and to following the steeping instructions, just to see what it was like. (Let’s hope for squees of delight rather than hate mail.)
To sum this up – Bravissimo! is one insanely tasty tea, especially steeped for 1.5 minutes in boiling water.
Preparation
I agree, but only to an extent. Brewing recommendations are just that. A recommendation. Meaning this is the way whoever wrote them prefers their tea, but it may not be the way I prefer mine. I did try ACP’s recommended 6 minutes out of curiosity on one of their Assams once. The result was… well. Let’s just say it was definitely not how I prefer my Assams. I can only assume that they use a different leaf dosage than I do. I prefer strength to come through leaf dosage rather than extended steeping.
Initially I followed recommendations to the best of my abilities. These days I know my own preferences quite well, but that’s something only experience can teach you. Recommendations are a place to start, but they’re not the end-all and be-all of a good cup of tea. (I find the idea that they are to be quite snobbery as well, actually.)
Oh, but instructions as the be-all end-all are not what I suggest at all, I honestly have no idea how you’d even get that from my note.
What I’m saying is that if someone ignores steeping suggestions entirely because of preconceived notions, that’s unfortunate, especially in terms of Lupicia.
That is all. I fiddle with instructions all the time, but I always try the recommendation first, just in case. And I definitely respect companies more when their instructions work for me, as well as for a wide variety of others. That, to me, equals a good product + good product knowledge. Hence, my distaste for Dammann Frères (and numerous ACP teas).
However, I’ve already outed myself as an incurable tea snob, so even though your implication was based on a misreading of the above note, it still remains true: http://steepster.com/clareborn/posts/212352
Actually.
I think you’re misreading now. :) I didn’t say (or mean to say) you thought it was => snobbery. I said (or meant to say) rigidly following instructions without accepting different strokes for different folks => snobbery.
Also, link. Was that only hibiscus? Who would produce such a thing? A vampire? I’m sort of morbidly glad that you found it tasted like blood. It’s that exact association I get from hibiscus. Not so much tartness and certainly not the berries it’s often used in an attempt to imitate. Just metal and blood. Yuck.
OH I KNOW WHAT YOU SAID.
(I agree, though.)
And I’m totally sending you some Karkadé now. Anonymously. And when you least expect it. I literally have NO IDEA what that tea was supposed to taste like, but I feel I need to inflict it on everyone else just to see what happens.
My boss has had a big bag of rosehip tea standing in her office now. Nothing else. Just rosehip. I live in fear of her suggesting we try it. Rosehip is the same sort of deal as hibiscus for me. I can’t get it through my esophagus without grimacing. (Strangely, I’ve had rosehip marmalade and liked it although it wasn’t something I’d ever buy. But in tea… shakes head violently )
Don’t you guys do nyponsoppa at all? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_hip_soup
Never heard of it before. It’s traditionally marmalade here. (Or itching powder)
Elderberry soup, though. In a mug with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream. :) (Or more traditionally with little biscuits. I don’t care for those. I’m not a soggy bread product sort of person. It’s a consistency thing)
My understanding of English might not be perfect, but to me when you say “insist on steeping the wrong way” just doesn’t sound right. There are no right or wrong, just what works for you. It’s like wine, a sommelier told me one day the best wine in the wold is the wine you like. To me, that also applies to tea.
Having said that, I think I do understand what you are saying about trying first the recommended instruction. But trying it any other ways doesn’t mean it’s the wrong way.
I have some tea knowledge, but I’m not a tea snob. I’ve been trying Lupicia teas only recently. (I’m one of those “pesky Canadians” haha!) I can assure you I am not dropping boiling water on White Melon, and yet, it’s the most delicious melon tea I have ever tried! I’m not a tea elitist, but I have had white teas before and learned what works best for me, that’s all.
That’s a fair(y) point – thing is, with the whole ‘You Steepster people rate your teas all wrong’ discussion in the forums fresh in mind, I just didn’t feel the need to clarify that I am entirely for everyone doing tea exactly the way they want to do tea, seeing as I was so hugely vocal about my opinions on the matter. Then again, I get that everyone doesn’t read the forums or (for unclear reasons) don’t memorize everything I write. I also hoped it would be obvious from the context of the post what I was saying. I have now changed the offending sentence into something far, FAR less snappy, but hopefully less confusing.
Individual choice, however, is not the point of this post.
This post has nothing to do with tea in GENERAL, or WINE, or PREFERENCES in terms of TASTE.
This is solely a comment on how some people tell me they won’t try Lupicia because Lupicia are obviously idiots for suggesting said steeping instructions, and because green tea can only be steeped a certain way.
That’s it.
…and I can assure you I sure as hell am dropping boiling water on Lupicia’s Melon White, and while as tasty as a white tea can get, it is never even close to how delish the Melon Oolong is, so go try that immediately, if you haven’t already. I know there’s a whole bunch of pesky Canadians HOARDING the stuff. Don’t tell them I sent you.
Angrboda, that’s CRAZY! I thought I’d had elderberry everything, but I’ve never had elderberry soup! I have to look this up. Also the little biscuits in the rose hip soup don’t really get soggy unless you leave them in there for hours. They’re super crunchy and resilient.
How about blueberry soup?
Anna, No, not that either. I think elderberries are the only actual fruit that we make soup out of. We’re far more likely to make fruit porridge.
TeaFairy, I completely agree. It’s a subjective matter, so there can’t be right or wrong. It’s the same thing with this or that note as well. If you say something tastes for example like apple, then it tastes like apple and that’s final. I’ll just have to accept that even if I don’t think it tastes like apple.
Does this recipe look right? (Obviously ignore the strawberry cream thing.) http://www.receptcentralen.se/snabbt-och-enkelt/fladersoppa/
(Or do you actually make it from the BERRIES?!)
No it’s made with the berries. (I’ve never had it home made, but you can buy it frozen) http://www.gastro.dk/opskrifter/forretter/Varm-hyldebarsuppe-med-karamelliseret-toast-og-vaniljecreme/ is an example. Sometimes it’s also served with apple chunks in, that’s very nice. Apples and elderberries suit each other very well. :)
Okay, added to the recipe bookmarks. There are, I think, three kinds of elderberry bushes/trees in Sweden, and two of those have poisonous berries, so I need to do some research. =) I’m excited to try this!
If you first choose, ‘produkter’ and then ‘Frukt- & bärsoppa’, you’ll see all of them. Blueberry and rosehip soup also come as a powder you can mix with water. (When I googled, I found someone selling it on Amazon, haha. All these poor expat Swedes trying to get their food fixes.) http://www.ekstroms.se/#/produkter/produkt/?product_group_id=12&
Anna, it’s actually because I remembered so well your position and your comments in the “rating system post” that what you wrote rubbed me the wrong way a little I guess (you know us fairies, we’re sensitive) i just did not understand why you of all people here would say that. Thanks for clarifying.
I did try melon oolong, I reviewed it recently and nearly died, that’s how good it was. I’m a huge oolong fan, it was really hard for me to decide which one I liked best, but I lean towards the white just a tiny little bit more, I even reordered some. I think their oolongs are fantastic so far. The pineapple one, OMG, so yummy. I have some Honey Dew on its way also. It’s costing me a fortune, but well worth it!
Aww, well, thanks for setting me straight, TF – I hope I’ve made my position clearer now!
I’m so behind on tasting notes at the moment – I’m going to go back and read all about your Lupicia odyssey when I get a chance. The oolongs are ridiculous, I agree – but it was their ripe mango oolong who got me hooked on Lupicia in the first place, so I’m probably biased.
Golden Orchid, I wrote a haiku for you:
Rich silky liquid
Flavours blossom in my cup
Indulge. Joyful mouth!
It’s really that good. Cocoa and vanilla, what a taste.
I loved the base tea as well (North Winds), but the vanilla is the secret. Vanilla makes everything taste better, literally, everything.
First two steeps were very rich and dark, third a bit weaker but still worth it.
I’d tried this yesterday in the middle of painting but didn’t have time to sit and properly enjoy it and take it all in, so I had it first thing this morning again, so worth it.
I also used bottled water, what a difference….
Definitely a restock!
Flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla
Preparation
:)
After reading this I am SO pumped to get my order! Well I already was. But now I’m on a whole other level.
You are a poet #_#
Dangit, man. I just get my first Butiki order after months of people raving about them and now everyone’s raving about WP and I’m so desperate to try them now. I CAN’T WIN.
Added to wish list.
I still haven’t tried anything from WP. I guess I’ll have to get with the program. :)
Memily Steepster is a dangerous place!
Yeah you guys all need to try some WP. I see another order in my future for sure. I love reading everyone’s reviews!
Terri how is it possible that I’ve tried a tea you haven’t?!
Haha! It well deserves its own inspirational haiku!
Can I quote your awesome haiku on my facebook page? You’ll get credit, of course :)
Yeah, go for it!! :)
whatshesaid, I have no idea! LOL
Aaaahh… I see we have finally received our WP order! I love this review. :)
:) IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT!
/capslock
I have decided to break this small 100g cake tonight, time to give it some love.
It’s been sitting in its fairy box for a little while now…for real. I was given a special box from a special tea friend. It really moved me cause I like all things fairy and needed a box to store some cakes. When I saw it, I knew right away it would be perfect for my little Mandala cakes. Thank you friend, I think of you every time I look at it :-)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14310294606/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14331713972/in/photostream/
Now the tea. I’m using 5g for my little 5oz glass Gongfu pot.
It’s very clear in colour, beautiful pale yellow.
Seriously, this is almost to good to handle.
I don’t know if there’s something wrong with me, but I’ve been getting lots of peachy notes in tea lately. I get that again, bright unripe peach flesh. There’s a nice bite at the end of the sip, quite strong for a first steep, I like that very much, it tingles my tongue. It’s not on the sweet side, maybe something I’ll get later.
I lost the peach in the second steep, this time I get woody notes, but no smoke. A nice citrusy astringency is developing and keeps my interest growing. I closed the tv and instead, put on the beautiful piano-guitar-violin and baritone voice of The National to better savour the moment. (I promise if you listen to this song till the end, you’ll get chills)
That’s what tea moments are all about for me.
I’ll be sipping my night through this tea, as I know it’s still holding many surprises in its leaves…
I love the box, you are right its just perfect for the cakes. i think you need Autumn Song in there as well.
Thanks boychik, I will keep that in mind for next order :-) I love the size of those little cakes…
I am so afraid of cakes now, after having read a thread in the forum about mold. lol
I love the art on those cakes. That song is sad…
Such a pretty box – I love fairy things too! :)
Sherapop, I’m no expert, but I wouldn’t be afraid of mold if the cakes are bought from a reliable source. If it’s stored properly and never in contact with anything wet, I don’t see how it can grow mold. I’m not aging my cakes so I know they’ll be gone soon. If I was, I’d be asking more advices for storage. Lol, I must have missed that forum discussion.
Boychik, I agree, everything about those cake is artsy, I feel bad when I brake one!
(Sad songs are a necessity sometimes…)
Caile, I see lots of fairy lovers manifesting themselves on Steepster, awesome :-)
(I meant “break” lol)
You supposed to rinse puerh. Some recommend twice for shou. Boiling water kills everything. If you notice some mold discard the tea.
Sherapop, mold is from “excess” humidity and poor storage. If you need to know the good ones to get cakes from just message me with what you are looking for. I keep close check on sellers and prices of cakes.
Sherapop: I know there are other places for info but this has some good info on how to store. http://verdanttea.com/how-to-store-tea/
P.s. I live in Florida and I don’t have any mold on my cakes; they are a couple of years old.
Love this tea! Thanks for reviewing it, my friend! Every time I taste this one, or heck, or even just think about it, I am transported back to the land where this tea was grown. Being able to sip of the various grades of mao cha that were picked there and then make the purchase of their best leaf to make this cake with was a true pleasure.
I really like buying tea from these small producers and will be doing as much of it as I can until I can’t do it anymore.
Things have to be pretty wetly stored for mold to occur. I have only seen mold on cakes once and it was from a water pipe break in a warehouse in Kunming. That’s not to say that mold isn’t an issue – improper storage (in areas that already have mold) and improper curing of cakes can mos def lead to mold problems.
I was in a mood for sheng today. If somebody told me that I would become puerh obsessed last June I would think that person is crazy. Yes, I see puerh cakes in my dreams and I also place orders in dreams and real life. A lot.
Back to the tea.
5g 150 ml gaiwan 195F
Rinse/ 5/5/7/7/10/15 sec
Nice sweet like bell peppers, juicy and some tobacco.
Later I decided to increase temp to 200F. I like it even more. No bitterness, dried persimmon, some spice and very smooth. It has some orangish tint compare to other young sheng I tried ( those are yellowish-greenish usually)
Im so happy I picked another cake to hoard before it disappears.
Preparation
This is a really excellent Sheng!!!
Best sheng I’ve had so far…except maybe Butiki’s new one!
Yay! This makes me happy! The 2014 version is a delight, too. At first, I was resistant to it, I’ll admit… thinking it could not live up to what I had expected as far as energy and zing from the spring-picked 2012 leaf from the same farm. But I was wrong. Did another session with it on Sunday and was grinning from ear to ear by the 5th infusion, ready for yoga, ready for anything.
Good stuff for sure!
Lol, is there little clouds and little sheep with your little pu’erh cakes in your dreams?
TheTeaFairy, in my dreams I’m stacking bricks and cakes. And I wake up because its not enough space. Haha ( actually its not funny , I ran out of space)
I’m scared of pu’er.
DT – what scares you about pu’er???
donkeytiara, i think you are a black tea lover, so shou maybe more palatable to you than sheng. You shouldnt be scared, just try. rinsing tea and short steeps(like seconds) are essential. you dont even need a gaiwan or Yixing. You can brew it in a steeping basket.
I’ve tried a mild pu’er (I don’t know if they get any milder than Lupicia’s Chocolate & Strawberry Pu’er) :) and it just kind of had this “barn floor” taste to it….. it seems like they are like very complex wines, but do they all have that “barn floor” taste to them?
Special Dark by Mandala has no barn or fishy taste or smell. its one of my favorite.
You tried A&D Yunnan Golden tips and you like it, so now you should find shou with golden tips. This one i liked a lot
http://www.dragonteahouse.biz/golden-buds-mengku-pu-erh-tea-cake-2009-150g-ripe.html
I also like Haiwan recipe with dried fruit notes and leather.
I feel the same, donkeytiara. I’ve only tried one pu’er which was from verdant and although it wasn’t “barnyardy” it was very earthy and seaweedy, and not something I am used to or really like. The mandala special dark always seems like a favorite – I have a mandala order planned in my head with this one on the list.
donkeytiara good puerh rarely has the off taste to it. A blended puerh like you have had will never compare to a full on one with nothing in it. A shot of Special Dark would probably change your mind. Dayi and Haiwan and BoYou brands are good shous also.
mrmopar, I agree with you!
Thank god there are no such thing as tea overdose cause I’d be so dead by now.
This tea is ambitious, it has climbed the “corporate ladder” of tea like a bullet in my collection and went straight to the top.
I have a well established tea routine, there’s only a few that have really “made it”. they’ve been sitting on my shelve, very confident for many years now, knowing they have had no real competition. And then this newbie came along and has made them all nervous. All of a sudden, they wonder if they are good enough…
I will have to reassure them and let them know they are…eventually.
But right now, it’s all about this one.
I look at the other tins, but I can’t help it, Ailaoshan is like “pick me, oh pick me” and I just know I will.
Sweet and salty caramel, cocoa, fruity-floral notes, dried figs, there are so many layers of complex components in this tea.
It might be a newcomer, but I already know it’s not a one hit wonder, it’s well on its way to becoming a classic!
Bumping the rating to 100!
This is an awesome review :)
And I think you’ll be glad to hear I have some of this on the way…and by some I mean a LOT. ;)
Added to my wishlist for my first Whispering Pines order!
Yay, good to know…means I can go through the 4oz I just got worry free :-)
(Inranger, you might want to add a couple more WP teas to that wish list of yours!)
Yay!
I think you are right TeaFairy, I’ve been noticing a buzz about Whispering Pines but haven’t taken notice of any specific teas until now. Any suggestions for my list?
Inranger, I will PM you :-)
Inranger, I have a coupon code for first time customers…15% off your first order with coupon code SIP-INSPIRATION :)
Great review! This tea is fantastic.
Let me know when it comes in pleas, it was out when I looked last.
Damnit.
Turns out I like this one a lot more than I wanted to. Ugh.
I made it for my breakfast tea today because I actually, for once, woke up in time to make tea for breakfast and not be rushed drinking it. It’s sorta weird when that happens, not going to lie; I’m so used to waking up just minutes before I need to start getting ready for work.
It’s really, really good! It’s pretty much smooth toffee/caramel with hints of coconut and a kind of pineapple juice sweetness to it and the whole thing comes together in a way that perfectly emulates sticky, “smack your lips chewing” caramel popcorn to a tee. And, now I want to go pick up more of it because it’s really good. Downside? It’s sorta like Spiced Fig in that it’s a very heavy blend with huge pieces of stuff in it…
So, not really cost effective overall. Blah. Now I have to decide whether I really want this one. Boo to that.
Flavors: Caramel, Coconut, Nutty, Pineapple, Popcorn, Toffee
So I own 250g of this :P
And it’s so damn heavy that you’ll be out before you know it ;)
I will just have to keep stocking it. I am a fan.
I have to try this now. :) I guess I should just get it iced to go? Or is it worth picking up 20g and making it at home?
I liked it iced but it is not bad hot. If you grab 20g, that will be like 2-3 cups
hahahaha
Don’t laugh at me, Sil. If I have to go out into the West Coast style gross heat, I might as well treat myself. TREAT YO SELF!
Haha TREAT. YO. SELF. I just showed my brother that episode the other day :)
I haven’t actually watched much of the show, but that bit is just SO funny!
i will laugh. it’s what i do
I think I’m too dopey. I read “treat yo self” as “TEAT yo self”. god damn.
That may be some people’s definition of treating themselves. Not sure who but some.
LOL, Bear. That is definitely a different thing than what I did. :)
I blame lack of sleep (and besides, even if I wasn’t overtired, BEWBS!)
:D
I’m liking Temple Stairs more and more…I find myself longing for it. Could it be addictive?
It fills me with positive energy in the morning. What a great warming feeling it provides.
I think it’s my most “elegant” shou pu’erh, not as bold and strong as some others, but still imposing its presence in a sophisticated way.
I love how the steeps evolve, and contrary to Special Dark, I prefer drinking this one Gongfu style. (Special Dark is my Big Mug guy!)
It’s got a light brothy mushroom flavour or “dampness” if the word mushroom in tea scares some of you.
There’s faint bittersweetness about it, hard to describe. Cooked turnips come to mind.
I love how creamy this is. I also detect notes of cocoa, but they aren’t prominent in this tea.
(Now, something I read put the thought of fresh cherries in my head early on this morning.
I think I have enough Temple Stairs energy stocked in me now to jog to the market and get me some!)
Have a great Wednesday dear Steepster friends!
You are right, Special Dark is great for “big mug” type steeping. I haven’t tried Temple Stairs yet but I hope to sometime soon! Also I too think puerh can be addictive :)
Mushrooms….you’re making me nervous about my Temple Stairs purchase, haha
Yay! I had Temple Stairs this morning! I am really excited about this tea. The 100 gram cakes will begin arriving in a few weeks and while I don’t want to wish time away, these cakes will be cha-mazing in 2 to 3 years. I hope I had enough of them pressed (500 cakes, 10,000 mini-tuochas) cause I’m gonna hog a few of them for myself :) Happy wednesday to each of you.
Stephanie, don’t we looove our big mug of special dark!!
Whatshesaid, I was actually thinking about you, lol!! It’s nothing offensive really, no worries :-)
Garret, i just love ALL your pu’erh!! Cha-mazing sounds just perfect :-)
I am having Imperial Dark for the first time and now I just don’t know which is my favourite anymore, so good!!
Your reviews are so seriously adorable. You make me want to do nothing but drink tea all day long.
Lol, Sarsonator, that’s because I haven’t been working for the first time in my life. I usually work 50 to 60 hours a week, so I actually DO take advantage and drink tea all day :-) life will take its course eventually, work madness will pick up where I left it and you won’t be seeing these notes quite as often, that’s for sure!
Then I will enjoy them while I can. :)
“Your reviews are so seriously adorable.” +1
You guys are very good for my self esteem :-) :-) :-)
Tea of the (actual, yet early) morning. So I got the MOST beautiful little tea set yesterday (thank you for the inspiration TeaFairy!). It is pink-flowered and girly and just lovely. I love the convenience of my brew-in-a-mug thingie. It’s efficient and not fussy.But.
There is something just so civilized and deeply soul-satisyfing about brewing beautiful tea in a beautiful pot and pouring the beautiful tea from the beautiful pot into a beautiful teacup.
This is beautiful tea and I am having it from my beautiful tea set. This tea is everything me (and everyone else) says it is: smooth, caramelhoney sweet, malty and delicious. I am just purring with contentment.
And it’s FRIDAY!
Pictures!
And….voilà:
Wow that is gorgeous.
Thank you! TeaFairy pointed it out and I only ordered it after putting two of them in my cart to make sure there would be one left for her and then taking one out (though I see they are sold out now), so I feel slightly guilty about snatching it – but it’s just SO pretty! And it wasn’t expensive. And I love it very very much. Petting it right now :)
OH and thank you Marizpan for the tip on making the letter accents on a mac
And it seems the pot is still available – just not the cup
Yw – hubby is foreign so it’s an everyday thing here.
You must NOT feel guilty you silly!! I was so happy you liked it and bought it it made my day :-)
And it makes my day that you are enjoying you pretty tea in your pretty tea set this morning!!
I’m about to get out my gaiwan and tea try and gong-fuy the Moonlight tea. I will quit feeling guilty and pet my teapot some more.
tea TRAY
And I totally noticed the “voilà” but I miss “viola” a little ;-)
Well I can keep doing it that way :D
I blame you MzPriss for my Golden Monkey addiction:) I opened my 3oz tin this morning and thought hmmm maybe I should order more already! It is one of my favorites right now. I saw the picture of your teapot. It is really nice! I am glad you are enjoying it.
I blame you MzPriss for my Golden Monkey addiction:) I opened my 3oz tin this morning and thought hmmm maybe I should order more already! It is one of my favorites right now. I saw the picture of your teapot. It is really nice! I am glad you are enjoying it.
Haha, I have no idea why that posted twice.
It just does that sometimes. And I’m sorry(?) for your GM addiction – but I shouldn’t be all alone in mine should I?
Good tea with beautiful objects is an all around sensory delight.
WALLA! ;)
Love the tea set! I am not reading this review because I do not need another tea addiction! I already ordered tea today b/c of you and TheTeaFairy!!!
Ah I want some Golden Monkey!
And this is the BEST Golden Monkey I’ve tried so far, although Inreally really like Teavivre’s too – this is one of my happy places.
Whispering Pines is going to be the death of me, but at least I’ll die a very happy, tea-drunk death.
Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 203 degrees, 3 minutes, French Press
Dry Leaf and Brewing Aroma: light malts and honey
Flavor: Why, WP, WHY?!?!? Every time I think I’ve found my favorite tea, I end up with another beauty. And then I have to go order some. This was a sample from MzPriss(HoneyBelle) and I was dying to try it after her glowing review.
This tea is just lovely. Really wonderful. It has a very mild, smooth feel. It’s naturally sweet, and very noticeably so. It has a light malt flavor, but then there are these juicy fruits on top of that! I’m really amazed at how good this is. This is going on my list of teas that I want to drink every day.
I had a wonderful evening last night with dinner at the Macaroni Grill and then some RiffTrax Live Sharknado! I woke up in a great mood and this tea just enhanced my morning. I’m starting to think that MzPriss may be a Tea Secret Agent, writing amazing reviews and then sending out samples to make me buy more tea! LOL. And her co-conspirator is TheTeaFairy!!!
Preparation
They are both registered Teacret Agents. That is all I can say on that subject, the rest is entirely confidential :P
Laughing extremely hard
I KNEW it! I look forward to the day when I am recruited into the Teacret Society as a Teacret Agent. Wait, I mean, no. Not interested. You keep your Teacret Societies to yourselves. wink wink
All these people blaming my totally innocent self for their tea addictions. TeaTiff blamed me for her Golden Monkey problem this morning too.
I call shenanigans on your innocent act! :p
In all seriousness, I think we all love you and TTF and your passion for awesome tea. My bank account doesn’t appreciate it, but I know I do. :)
You two make excellent Teacret Agents. I hope you’re well-paid! With extra tea hazard pay!
Well the thing is there is awesome all over the place. The one thing you won’t ever see is me being passionate about tea that isn’t spectacular IMO. So whether it’s this or the Golden Monkey or Special Dark or Golden Orchid or Wee Snaily Yums (I mean Golden Snail) or Wild Monk or Laoshan Black (etc, etc, etc) I will assault you with superlatives – but I will also share amazing tea :D
No one will ever accuse you of being blasé about tea while I am around! Or else!
Hahaha! Too bad i missed this post this morning :-)
Oh, this is so hilarious.
Thank god me and MzPriss have some kind of credibility here…at least I’d like to think we do:-) (we’ve both been steepster members for 3 and more years)
I have tried and seen many companies through the years, I’ve also been approached by a few to get “involved” with them. I can tell you that WP is at the top right now with just a few other places I order from, and I would NEVER say this if he was paying me to say it. I buy and pay my tea (except for the occasional teacret samples:-)) and the day I try one of his tea I DON’T like, I will not be afraid to say so (but really, I doubt that this will ever happen!!)
Like MzPriss said, if the passion isn’t au rendez-vous, than you will never read a raving review from me.
(Sarsonator, I will strongly recommend your recruitment!!! You seem to be teacret worthy…or i never said that…wink, wink,)
I think it’s wonderful that you give totally honest opinions. And I know they are honest because when I later try those teas, they’re just as amazing as you said they would be!!!
Oh and thanks so much, TTF!!! I really want to learn the teacret handshake! :p
Haha! Will be working on that :-)
And I forgot to say, I’m really glad you liked the tea…I start my day with this one almost every morning!
I can see why! It’s really impressive. I may try this with a little maple syrup next time. Somehow I think it might be good that way!
Maple syrup gets the seal of approval in EVERYTHING!!
Yes, I have noticed that it seems to be the holy elixir of steepster! I assume that it is the official sweetener of the teacret society.
I call maple syrup in tea “Terri-style”
Does that mean I get to be a teacret agent too? ;)
Absolutely. In fact, I’m pretty sure that if a tea technique is named after you, you won’t even need to do the interview portion. Lucky!
Teacret Terri-style
Why… why… why did I have to add this tea to Steepster???
This is an absolutely wonderful in the middle tea that is making me smile. While it’s not 100% to my liking, I can pick apart the taste in this so well because it’s very clear on each sip. Each taste includes a well balanced amount of sweetness to astringency while keeping the integrity of vegetable notes WHILE having a slight floral overtone that is upfront and disappears as the astringency sets in with the sweetness rather quick.
This is one of those teas that make me question the concept of building something to store tea myself because I’d love to taste this throughout the years at 7 grams at every 3 month mark. Just… this is a lovely tea.
& it gets thicker… this is so good.
Nan Nuo can be good done right. Remind me I have a Dayi NanNuo that has some aged stuff blended in. Pretty interesting.
This is my first one that I know of. It’s a mixture of taste that make it fun to taste.
That Dayi is like that.
a sheng eh?
I was having the last piece that I had left of this one. I like it, but in a weird way. I don’t think I could drink it daily or even every other week, but I do end up missing it and coming back to it. The Nan Nuo floral always teases medicinal and tobacco notes in my brain.
I woke up this morning knowing I needed a serious tea to power me for some cleaning that needed to be done. I grabbed this on because EOF is expensive so I made a dumb association with $ to qi.
This was quite nice. Chest warming and a mild head feel with a taste that mellowed out by steep four; became quite nice but I think that it does need a few more years. The mouth pucker is almost, ALMOST, gone. Probably only 2 years of some storage on this and it will be golden. The only negative aspect to this tea is that it is on the darker spectrum of sheng, to which people will continue to hear me say that I like my light sheng.
Ranting time:
Last night I had some friends over and we were talking about how one of my friends was kicked out of the church because he took a stance that homosexuality is not a sin… as difficult of a conviction that such a thing can be right now with things happening in the US and the church figuring out how to respond, it’s just beating me up. So, anyways, if only it was that simple!
My parents ended up joining us and it’s only around my friends that I discuss such things because I know that they will throw the: ’ I thought we taught you better’ and make me feel as if they ‘failed’ me…
My stance on not understanding psychological and biologic implications to life choices leads me to believe that this whole issue revolving around gay marriage is stupid. The condemnation has now put me in a position were I may not speak to my parents as much because they think that my thoughts are tainted and I’m not sure if I can channel my love for them to see past these negative comments that they spread to the rest of our family. Stupid ass drama that doesn’t need to occur; my thoughts do not change the way in which I act. Whether I think A or B is right or wrong, I’ll always treat people with respect and treat them as I would want to be treated.
Tears are shed as I lose my family because of my own thoughts which now define me…
p.s. that friend who was kicked out was a pastor and it was done via email; for real?
Dude, I know exactly how you feel. I grew up in a Southern Baptist household and my best friend, of 14 years now, is gay. He also used to be an active member of my parents church. In fact, we met at this church (lolz how times change). There were many, many times that I had serious conversations with my parents that inevitably devolved into arguments because my parents were incapable of understanding at it’s root that it’s just not a choice. Eventually, things came to a head when their church pastor spoke out one Sunday around the same time the US was legalizing marriage for the LGBT community and started saying things like, “Real Christians will vote against this.” I don’t like people thinking for me, and I sure as hell am not going to sit and listen to some pastor telling me that the person who has willingly been there for me and been the best friend I could ever ask for was going to Hell, solely for being gay. Fuck you, breh. That’s not what my Christ teaches. So I started looking around and I now consider myself part of the Presbyterian Church of USA (PCUSA, not to be confused with the archaic PCA). Their beliefs are more in line with my own, and they consider spirituality and religion to be a very personal journey, to be defined by free-thinking individuals under the tutelage and guidance of the church who focuses around the ministry of Jesus more than some Old Testament verse that is surrounded by controversy and misinformation, even amongst scholarly circles.
Whew! I didn’t mean to blow you up, I just say that to say, if you wanna talk about it, I’m all ears. I’ve mostly retained my faith through the whole ordeal, but it’s definitely caused me to view differently how I integrate my religion and spirituality into my life. :)
don’t worry Andrew, we love you just the way you are! :D
AS Christ drew the symbol in the sand and asked who among you is without sin? I ask you those who are withut sin cast the first stone. Then said “Those that condemned you are not here. I condemn you not”. As the Bible said “Judge not lest ye be judged”. It is to be judged by God not any of us here on earth.
God made us and loves us for who we are. No matter what. Else fore, why would he have sent his son to save us all. Jesus was asked how much do you love them. He said this much an spread out his arms to be nailed and crucified for us.
He loves us all as we are.
I’m sorry you are going through this, LP. I have been surprised and touched by religious people here treating me with kindness and respect. A friend and I parted ways not too long ago because he was always fast to tell me that my ‘lifestyle’ was an abomination to God. I have been told and have told others that God created us in His image so did not create anyone who is imperfect. Thank you LP and thank you, too, mrmopar for being kind, generous, decent, caring, open minded people.
I wouldn’t give up on them. My long experience with conservative religious people is they are likely to change a stance when confronted with someone they love, given time. The key is an issue that is close to home, not just a hypothetical moral dilemma. When one’s own child is gay, that hits home more than someone else’s child. Look at Dick Cheney, if he can become an advocate for gay rights, nobody is a lost cause.
That’s a great point mr mopar
Christ died for everyone! :) there are far worse things out there. And I’ve been guilty of one of them. But Jesus loves me and died for me. Remember this, if god did not care about you, me or anyone, Christ would never been born. Keep your head up! Enjoy the good things of life that’s what god likes. When we do that and care about others. I care about you.
If you need to talk to me, send me a message
I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but your comment struck a chord in me. As a gay female who is, incidentally, an atheist and someone who cut family ties early in life… well, I’m often dumbstruck by the willful ignorance and disrespect that I see people direct at one other as if doing so were a badge of honor. It’s a wonder that anyone has the unmitigated gall to tell others who & how they should love and to pass such harsh judgments upon their character and worth as people is… wow. Just… wow.
That said, it’s always reassuring when I see people such as yourself who, despite what personal dilemmas may come of it, choose tolerance over bigotry. I can’t speak to reconciling theological morals and family dynamics, but I do hope that open minds and open hearts prevail.
@Teazilla The most important part is keeping dialog and not being exclusive with conversations. Why people won’t discuss comes out to what I find to be ridiculous answers… as if they have the plague or something.
@Kirk Nobody should dismiss someone because of their thoughts. If I acted on my thoughts in a way that harmed someone sure, but meerly just saying I believe this or that shouldn’t be enough to put me in a category of people someone can’t talk to.
@mrmopar exactly… and I had thought that the Golden Rule stretched beyond all people as a simple practice, but I continue to learn it doesn’t :(
@whiteantlers I never let the people speak or act for me which I believe causes some disconnect with religion nowadays. People tend to associate the actions of one for the whole group; it’s understandable, I helped a friend work through prejudices that kept her from religion all together because of a tragedy (sister was raped by a pastor on church grounds). This is the same reason that any type of people get prejudged to do or act a certain way which is wrong. Everyone is different and at the least deserves their chance.
@Cwyn I still have a lot in me, but it’s really hard when your mother gets on the phone with your family to tell them that her son (being me) is going to hell… just not the kind of thing I would like to be said around my family because of my thoughts. It’s really awkward at family events now; especially the time I told my mom I was Baha’i and she believes anyone who is non Christian is atheist so everyone kept saying they were praying I’d find God again…
@Shade I hope people can get past private affairs of one another as well so we can communicate without such anger and disgust. It really takes a lot out of someones day to think about the private life of two people who are attracted to the opposite sex and then bash them; it’s as if you’re missing life that can be lived by following a passion instead of tearing another one apart. I don’t get it… I mean, I tell people oolong is the best type of tea and I believe that but if they say otherwise I say cool and then it’s to the next topic.
@All Every year my beliefs change because I encounter new people and learn new ways to view things. As Kahlil Gibran explains things, you really have to travel around the mountain and not just up and down it to figure out the angles. The coolest part about all of this is how much dialog I have with those who drink tea about these matters or I get to speak to those I never would be able to because of the internet.
Thanks for your thoughts all :)
@lquidproust your right! you’ve been so kind to me and i appreciate that. you are a good fellow and friend :)
@liquidproust ive done terrible things in my life and to have people be friends with me. it’s such a blessing.
Kirk we all have done things we are not proud of. It is a learning experience on this world. The Golden Rule will always apply. It can take some people a while too learn it. I know it did me.
This is a sheng I bought cause i saw Scott posting pics of it on Instagram and it being a yin and yang design, well, I knew I just had to have it!
It’s like when I sometimes buy a bottle of wine just for the label, hoping To get lucky.
Well I just got lucky!
This is quite a deal. Young sheng yes, but it tastes a lot more mature than its age.
And I’m sure it will only get better with time.
I get close to zero astringency.
It’s super mellow, all sweet and honey.
I get hints of apple pie, feels like autumn tea to me.
It’s also a bit grapey. Definitely fruity.
Tonight I’m having it with the TEAplets, but I had it for the first time last night, and it gave me pinky cheeks. And a nice buzz.
Hey, I never wear much makeup, so a nice natural blush sheng glow is always welcome ;-)
The qi is kicking and I almost feel like I stole this cake, having spent a ridiculous amount of $15 on it.
People. Get this, it’s a bargain!!
Pink cheeks!
Gettin’ lucky!!!! :p
Dr. Sheng approves!
Lolol!! You little dirty teaplets!!
WE weren’t the ones talking about pink cheeks O.O
OR getting lucky! :p
Hahaha! I love you teaplets!!
<3
i will get one next time hopefully
<3
TTF, Congrats on your 400th tasting note!
Awww, Charles, how sweet of you to notice that!!! :-)
Last night I sent my neighbours a note asked them to tone it down with exercising—running, jumping, doing weights, and so on— on wooden floors. It took me a year and a half of it driving me crazy to mention it to them because I didn’t want to be the crazy lady next door. So I sucked it up. 7 am, 10 am, 3 pm, 4 pm, 5pm. And this week, I lost my ^%&t.
My note was polite. I have no problem with their newborn—sometimes it feels like I have a newborn alongside—and their six-year-old. Or their extended family and large friend network. But for the love of God, with the running and the kettlebells and motivation soundtrack against our adjoining wall and repeated thuds and thuds and thuds and boom and boom and boom and who knows what all else that makes the floors jump and the walls vibrate and me want to crawl out of my skin. And why do all this when you have perfectly good concrete floors too that will muffle the sound and not make your neighbours want to kill themselves? So I hated having to send the note, but nope, couldn’t take it any. more. I so much hope that they will understand instead of thinking that I am a lunatic.
ok ok, I may be a lunatic, but in a good way.I have often thought about this tea. When it is good, it is really really good. I misplaced it. It wasn’t in the place where I usually store it because I had included it in a swap with a tea friend and it got buried among other teas I had put aside to create swap samples. So, now, yay! Such bitter coffee and burnt caramel deliciousness. It is super lovely with milk, but I am drinking it straight up. And deliriously happy. Until I begin thinking about my neighbours.
Was this from the amoda box? sounds amazing!
Ugh noisy neighbours are the WORST. Our former neighbours had six kids. When they played outside? each invited a friend over, and there was chaos. I swear they were opera divas in training. Working from home or studying was literally not possible. I feel your pain. Here’s hoping they respond with a compromise that works!!
Initially it was and then I ordered it.
Ah, so you know the pain. I have a set of truly despicable neighbours on the other side who have six kids with the same situation. Years and years of them outside. all. the. time with friends, of course, with no supervision. So yeah, I was not able to do any of my studying or work at home. Thankfully, most of that set are teenagers now.
I am certainly not prepared to go through that situation again. Nope. But I also want to be fair and understanding, which I think I am being with these new neighbours.
Unsupervised, yup!! they had an inground pool, which means summer was absolute torture. So glad they moved away. I’m glad you’re neighbours kiddos are grown now!
It sounds totally reasonable to me. I’d bet it hasn’t even occurred to them and they will be horrified. Kudos to them for being healthy though. Do they know about tea? it might be a nice olive branch :P
No pool, but I raise you two pit bulls and an antique car, truck, and Harley collection in addition to the other vehicles. And only three are teenagers. And they are all still here. However, after I began researching and reporting various bylaws they were breaking on a daily basis, they learned how to play nice. For now.
I don’t know. Nice idea though. Let’s see how things go. I think this is a period of reflection, hopefully. My mistake is that they don’t hear me, but in my note, I illustrated the reasons why that is.
Thank you for being supportive. It helps.
thankfully our neighbours toned it down before i had to write a note explaining that if you’re going to be uh…enthusiastic…for over an hour…ONE of you is probably faking it..so could that be done before midnight instead of at 2am. heh
also i’m with IB – this sounds good
hhahahaaha! It’s always something.
The tea or the note, Sil?
@Sil Oh dear! hah.
@Evol You win on that one. Not sure if that is good…
We have other neighbours with a pool. Two kids with autism and a teenager who loves having friends over. And a hottub. They try to keep it down unless it is a special occasion, but sometimes the kids have tantrums. Oh and the adults go into their hottub topless sometimes. Not sure about the bottom bits, I try not to stare.
We’ve bumped heads with those neighbours before, but I can’t complain much now. They are much nicer now. Long story :P
Anything that keeps people outside and making noise of any kind is potentially troublesome, if the people are neanderthals to begin with. Topless and bottomless bits don’t faze me. Lack of respect for others makes me go ballistic, however.
I don’t care if they do go topless but my neighbour on the other side squawks and causes more drama haha. Desperate housewives, I know.
:)
I don’t care what ppl do as long as it’s quiet. heh
Me too. However, I’d object to a meth lab next door though. So, quiet and something that doesn’t infringe on any of my senses, health, and sanity. Otherwise, absolutely cool.
Totally agreed on that front! and I don’t want my property damaged either (neighbours emptied their pool and it went through part of our yard. eroded the soil)
People sometimes, ugh.
grumbles People.
I hope they’ve come back with an apology. Or something.
Apology, yes! And a whole lot of ideas on how we can compromise in this situation.
oh wow yay!! faith in humanity revived*
Well, not so fast. I’ve been woken up by the exercise and their infant four times in the last five days.
So clearly we are not there yet.
Oh dear. Can you record it for them? Or maybe the decibels, so you can show them comparable noises? http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Decibels
Thank you for this, Indigobloom. I will take a look when I have some brain cells to work with.
I hope it works. Good luck!
Thanks. Currently, making an effort to write a note in response to them in a polite reasonable way without sounding like a crazy lady. They have taken steps, but I don’t think they understand the impact of the kids, and the tv, and the exercise thuds and thumps on top of all the rest of life noises.
Having been super busy with work over the past few weeks, continual plans to visit DAVIDsTEA to redeem my points for 100g worth of tea kept getting foiled, so of course, when I finally got there today, it was too late as they expired on the 3rd. Damn. I kept thinking I had until the end of the calendar year.
But I was able to still redeem my free birthday cup of tea from last month. I chose this because I didn’t feel like dealing with their sugary sweet blends this time around. It was ok but expectedly astringent, so astringent that it covered up most of the plum notes I was picking up on. Nothing memorable, to be honest.
Wow! I think you should call their helpline and do some screaming.
Their prices are far too high to let your FS points expire.
Yeah, it sucks because I was planning on stocking up on more Lemon Pound Cake since it’s pretty pricey but I did check the email they sent me in October and it did specify that they were going to expire on the 3rd. I thought they transferred over to the next period if you didn’t redeem them and only truly expired at the end of the year, though?
I did submit an inquiry about it just now, just out of curiosity. I reviewed the program stipulations, but it just seems odd how points themselves roll over to the next period (and ultimately expire at the end of the year) yet the rewards themselves do not. Doesn’t really make since.
Lollerskates, make sense, rather.
What? The points roll over to the next period, but then, all of it is gutted at year end to start again at zero?
Well, the end of the year is coming. In three weeks.
And they’ve now stipulated that if you have 100 points for one free bag, it can only be $19 or under, which eliminates the pure teas like Organic Ruby Oolong.
Yeah, points reset to 0 at the end of the calendar year. It’s just odd how points roll over from period to period but not actual rewards though. So, a person can earn 99 points in the 1st period which could roll over from period to period, until near the end of the year, yet, once you earn that one extra point, which would then get converted to a 50g reward, you absolutely have to redeem it within two months, and if not, you lose that reward (essentially 100 points) entirely.
They claim though that at least, since the beginning of this year, they have introduced a new policy that any leftover points at the end of the year will be converted to free cups of tea unlike before, but whatever.
In other works, it is ****ery.
How many free cups of tea? How does that work?
That about sums it up!
I have no idea. They’re very vague about it: “Effective February 24th, 2017, after we convert every 100-point increment into free tea rewards at the end of December, any leftover points will then be converted into free beverage rewards you can redeem in any DAVIDsTEA store. Your points balance will go back to zero and you’ll have 60 days to claim your rewards. So you can start sipping all over again!”
There rewards system sounds so ridiculous and half-***ed- like they just wanted to have one on paper without actual big rewards being redeemed for long time (although maybe irregular) customers.
Exactly, when they rolled out this new FS version, they lost me as a client. I used to shop there quite regularly. Though I did take advantage of their 40% off deal the other day. Even with 40% off, I would have been better off spending my money elsewhere in terms of value for dollar. And my points from that purchase apparently will expire in three weeks or turn into a free cup of tea—woohooo!
The whole thing just pisses me off.
And I don’t drink tea to be irritated by it.
Right? Half-assed rewards system for sure. I just dropped around $35 on teaware on the last day of their in-store 30% sale but do they really expect me to rush within the next twenty days to drop another $65 just to get 50g of free—yet otherwise overpriced—tea? No dice. Negative dice considering I lost 200 points for not making timely FS rewards redemption my #1 life priority.
Pretty much why they don’t even get me going in for 10g samples of their new teas….why risk loving something when it will be stupidly expensive and have stevia in it…not to mention that the times that’s ever happened are faaaaaaaaaaaaar and few between so they were getting my money to try mediocre teas.
By 10g samples you mean resulting-likely-intentional-overpouring-and-doubling-the-amount-you-asked-for, right? And bonus points for getting added snark from the sales associate for asking for that much (or “little”).
At least there seems to be a correlation between price hikes and stevia usage?
Yes! I stopped picking up small samples of new teas primarily because of the snark and resistance. I was going to buy +$50 worth of teas but now I’m just going to spend $10 on one tea, or nothing at all, thanks.
Stevia is my “hibby” or “blergamot” and I have not forgiven DT for adopting it as their new flagship ingredient. I feel very strongly about its infiltration into everything and I know if I ever accidentally buy something with it in it I’m going to go on a long, angry rant. :(
^^^What Sil said.
I used to go and pick up about 10 grams of each new tea that came out and then all this stevia and imitation flavour nonsense started and all their teas started tasting more or less the same and then the butchering of their FS system and nope, not doin’ it.
I just get swept up in a rant every single time I start thinking about the degeneration of DTs, from the time it was more or less reasonably priced for several reasonably good and fun teas with a reasonably good customer appreciation program.
Thankfully, I never had a problem with snark and resistance and upping my intended quantity. Generally, my servers have either been low-key indifferent or stellar.
I had someone flat out tell me they couldn’t sell me 10-15g once. It was around the time I had a friend who worked at another DT who sold me oodles of little samples, so I was more unimpressed than I normally would’ve been. XD
That’s rough when a sales associate is already resorting to lying. You have sales goals to tackle, cool, but these types of selling strategies hurt the business far more than they truly realize.
So, they ended up getting back to me and said that they would reimburse 100/200 of my points lost as “an exception” then passive-aggressively linked me to their FS program page to review the policies in spite of the fact that I referenced that very page in my inquiry and demonstrated my understanding of it very clearly. I just wanted an answer as to why they have structured it the way that they have. Sigh.
I <3 the Wild Monk
Mee too!
Garret is awesome :)
oh golly… my face hurts from smiling and from being bright red right now. I want you each to know that I find you amazing. This thing I call a tea business would not be possible without each of you being a part of the Mandala. Truly. Your words, your kindnesses, your business too, all keep me going in this. No kidding.
I am so grateful.
:-) the idea of your smiling face makes me even happier!!
Congrats Garret! With so many satisfied customers, the future of Mandala Tea looks very bright – another American entrepreneurial success story!
I’m drinking Wild Monk now.
Cheri…mmmmmm.
:D