Popular Tasting Notes
Good morning Steepster.
I’m am totally eating cherries in bed on this lovely Sunday morning, sipping on Aila…
Because they go so well together.
One crunchy cherry, one sip of Aila…oh my.
This is my go to morning tea now. I just know it’s going to be good every time no matter what.
Sweet cup of malt and sea salted caramel, with super fruity notes, mmmmm.
It’s far from being as strong as what I’m used to early in the morning, but it’s just such a charming tea, I can’t resist it.
(I know you guys must be tired of me, but please be patient…cherry season is almost over already… soon, I won’t be able to find decent fresh ones, and you’ll stop hearing about it…I promise).
I have been excited to try this since my favorite Teacret Agents: TheTeaFairy and MzPriss, posted their reviews from the samples they received. So here we go…
Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 200 degrees, 3 minutes, brew-in-mug strainer & Dr. Who mug
Dry Leaf Aroma: I do not work for WP and I am telling you the honest to goodness truth – this smells EXACTLY like those gooey chocolate covered cherry candies, specifically the ones with the cherry surrounded by cherry goo and vanilla goo, then covered in chocolate. I brought the bag of tea into the living room, and I’m sitting on the couch, opening it and smelling the tea, then closing it to let the aromas accumulate again, then sniffing. It’s like a cherry-vanilla-chocolate heaven.
Brewing Aroma: Oddly, this just smells like tea, with a light creamy note. I don’t smell cherry. I start to get a little sad.
Flavor: I take a sip. Tastes like black tea, with a lovely sweetness, but WHERE’S THE CH…
Ooohhh. There you are, sneaky monkey. The cherry is hiding on the end of the sip, and it’s not on every single sip. However; when it’s there, it’s just lovely.
I have a feeling that this one may even get better with a little age. I have about 8000 lbs of pu’erh to keep me busy for awhile, so I’d like to try not to drink this, let it sit just a couple weeks, then see what’s what.
Even though I know this isn’t scented or flavored with cherry, my mind doesn’t seem willing to believe it. What tea magic is this??? :)
Preparation
All of the vanilla teas with real vanilla beans get better with a little age They get smoother and even more lovely. I am enjoying a cup right along with you right now.
Yep, that’s what I was thinking, schmoopie. I know that my GO improves with a little time, so I hoped this would be the same. Not that it’s bad AT ALL. I just think it’s the sort to mellow nicely and get smooooooth, like buttah.
(It’s subbliminal cherries!!!) Yay, glad you like this one….I like it so much, I ordered the poster to have it framed in my kitchen, lol. (And I would love to get me a few beans of that tahitian vanilla!)
I have some sort of vanilla beans… I wonder what kind. I will have to look!
I gotta try this with some fresh cherries. Or dried cherries. Or cherry pie. Or some of that coconut cream.
Yes! Some sort.
Oh I did cherry compote with the Terricreme
I know, I’m still gushing over that picture!
Pics, pls. And speaking of, I posted my pu haul for you on the Today’s Mail post, but here it is again.
https://www.flickr.com/x/t/0090009/photos/124304184@N02/14672325832/
Also, picture, in your mind, my new shelf on the wall above this table. It’s white. And it will have my cute little yixing gaiwans when they arrive from far away lands. Can’t wait!
(Sars that photo makes ME happy and it’s not even MY tea….)
Lord…I’m in awe. Best “starter kit” ever!!!! Actually, this will not only start you, it will last you for the next five years!!!
There’s a saying: Go Big or Go Home. LOL I went big!!!!
I really do need to stop now. For realz. I have a few things I want if the Butiki sale happens, and then I want some sleeping bear and jabber. But that’s it. Two orders. Then NO MORE TEA.
I know I am (sort of) a grown up, and I should show some self-restraint, that’s not really my thing. Moral support will be appreciated!!! Whatever it takes! Dex: please drive to PA and hip check me if I even LOOK at a new tea! :p
Got it – Butiki sale and TWO teas from WP… and then no looking – but for how long? What’s the goal?
I think there are a bunch of us who should be stopping, and we should be supporting each other – not that I would complain about a trip to PA for a little enforcing… ;))
Good questions… At least 2 months. Hopefully more. The goal, beyond not buying more than I can drink, is to be happy with what I have. That’s more of a personal Sarsy goal.
Also, I am going to stop enabling all of you! Instead, I think we should find new ways to enjoy our existing teas, either by mixing, icing or mixing and then icing.
Maybe we need to do a google+ Teahab Support Meeting once a month or something.
Oh, and I am cancelling my subscription services.
I know it’s going to be hard for all of you but you HAVE to stop reading about tea and looking at websites and seeing what everyone else is drinking. I didn’t have a problem as big as yours might be, but it was a problem. I was spending money I didn’t have on tea. I mean if I had the cash maybe I wouldn’t have worried. But I was borrowing money (credit card) to buy tea. So I kinda stopped looking around at all the tea I didn’t have. I read steepster notes but without focusing on the specifics. So “oh my god, that sounds so good, what tea is THAT?” turned into “that’s nice, she’s having a good time”.
I made a purpose of not looking up websites of tea companies. Cause once you’re there the pictures are pretty and they show juicy cherries or something equally colourful.
there’s always gonna be tea and no matter how much you try, you can’t drink all the tea because the tea makers just blend new stuff all the time. So just forget that. But hey, keeping up with the jones’ is an old, old habit. And if you do have the money, I don’t really see a problem with pleasuring oneself :)
I know, it’s unsolicited, but your chatter was inviting.
Good thoughts, Nxtdoor. I’m not going into tea-debt or anything, but I do (just as part of my personality) tend to go overboard on things in life, not just tea.
I have a good selection of teas now and I think it’s time to focus on enjoying them, which is what I plan to do. :)
Unless you get high on buying, not so much on drinking. Like someone I know, not naming names!
I get high both on buying and drinking :-o
Seriously, I totally understand what you are saying nxtdoor and thanks for bringing that out of genuine concern..,
I joke a lot about it all but things are not as out of control as they seem…oh, they are in the sense I could totally put that money somewhere else, but I don’t have kids and have pretty much only myself to take care of… But it is definitely an addiction, not gonna lie…
Totally agree, TTF. We have quite a few parallels.
I am guilty of retail therapy and I like shopping, but I genuinely love tea. I also joke around about my tea addiction, but I haven’t taken out a 2nd mortgage or anything. :)
Also, no kids, so no one is impacted by my little sprees!
I go back and forth with these attitudes:
-Life is short! Spend it all! Have fun!!!! Wheeeee!
And
- I am an adult. I will behave with decorum. Look at how grown up I can be.
What LTF said. I could do other things with the $ nand really I have too much tea – but it’s GREAT tea and I really am figuring out what I love and getting rid of the things I just HAD to try and now I have some and don’t LOVE it. And I got more mail just now. I got some HOT COWBOY and a pot. But SHOULD I slow down? Absolutely.
OMG! Which was the hot cowboy? The HOTOT right?
Yes ma’am
These days, and I mean by that in the last 2 months, I hardly bought any tea I dislike. That’s why I keep writing raving reviews, cause I pretty much only drink the teas I love. I’m also getting rid of all the stuff I don’t like and buying those allowed me to figure out what I definitely DON’T like.
And HOT COWBOY…and that pot…lol, thats all it took to get me going again.
(P
You know that’s me too – I’m just drinking stuff I don’t LOVE. I’m rooting around for last little bit of SB
I think I’ll make that in the AM, HoneyBelle. Last time I had it, I felt happy and serene. Seems like a great way to start my day!
I only have enough for one little cup because I only had a sample and I didn’t know how awesome it was and by the time I did, this month’s was already sold out.
I got a sample today. But I did talk to Brenden about it. He gave me the timeline, so I’ll be sure to get some of the August harvest. That’s one of my pre-approved purchases. :p
Good sleepytime tea
If you change your mind and still want me to send you some just say so:-)
I’ve been having it almost every night, that’s why I need a monthly subscription…
I’m going to try my sample tomorrow night. I love a good evening tea to wind down the day with.
I’ve had a discussion recently about bread notes in tea, and it made me think about which tea in my collection was the “breadiest”.
This won my vote.
To me, it smells and tastes like dark crispy sourdough bread crust.
I also have some Yunnan blacks in my collection that have yeasty notes, but nothing feels as baked goods as this tea.
It’s pastry like, with a very distinctive fruity taste, a little boozy also. Makes me think of raisins soaked in rum for some reason.
Also, it’s bug bitten. So yeah, welcome honey sweet tastes, with zero astringency.
I’ve reviewed it many times, not much else to say…it’s already a fact that this tea is spectacular.
A must try.
Oooh, love that ‘raisins soaked in rum’ description. Yum!
Mmmm….Now I’m thinking of a “raisins soaked in rum” tea with TWMB as a base. Haha! Wouldn’t that be glorious!
Well, that would be entirely doable. I think you should submit that as a suggestion for our next custom blend contest. Just saying!
Hehe…might just do that Stacy :-)
Isn,t it in the fall?
Couldn’t help myself: http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i446/butikiteas/Breadiest_zps21eb4cf9.jpg :)
Yep, it’s in the fall. :)
Hahaha! Goodness, you gave me the best laugh I have had today Stacy, love ya <3
Excellent, love making people laugh! :) hugs
This sounds Deelish! And you know that I’m all about teas which have the TTF seal of approval!!!!
Haha! And I’ve got my own personal stamp now, thanks to Stacy!
Sars, I promised this tea to a few people already and don’t have enough to send you until I restock. But really, it is like nothing else I’ve ever tried, completely in a category of its own!
I just got a little bit and I want to try it, but apparently I’ve forgotten how to make tea. Both of the cups I’ve made this morning taste bland and underleafed even though I made them the same way I always make them. My allergies are raging so maybe it’s that – but I hate to waste my tea if it’s going to taste so blah to me :(
Lol…you are one of the “person” I have mentioned. This tea is so light, it takes tons of leaves, and since we are both “over-leafer”, I understand why you got a bland cup. I’m sending you enough for a gongfu session, this one is much better for me in the gaiwan :-)
I have some of this LTF – I just got some in a Butiki order. I got the Leafhopper Sampler – cause I love my bug bitten tea and I also got two kinds of oolong. I’ll try it in my gaiwan when I’m tasting right. The other cups I made this morning weren;t this one. I’m looking forward to this one, but not today since my taster is apparently off. I made a cup of Zhu Rong and a cup of the yezi tea that I love and nothing tastes right to me. I’m gonna do a big fat cup of Special Dark and lay off tea for the morning until my taster gets right. You are a sweetie for putting me some back, but I have this :)
TTF: that’s ok. I was planning a Butiki order for the near furure. I’ll add it to my wishlist. :)
Also, good morning lovely tea ladies!!!!
Also, this is a pre-approved Butiki order. :p
Good morning Sars – how are you today??
I love this one. This is one I tend to keep hidden and not drink b/c I do love it so. I need to just drink it:) I have never actually had this one gong fu style before. I will have to do that in the near future. Love the description! You are so good with describing flavors.
And yes, good morning, all the lovely ladies!
Gotta run, hope to catch y’all later!!
Yes, Totally pre-approved, thanks SARS!!
Sorry for bad taste buds MzPriss, I hope they start behaving soon :-)
Thank you Teatiff, let me know what you think after trying it with short steeps, so GOOD!! And don’t save it, DRINK IT :-)
Well HoneyBelle, it’s Friday, so woo! I’m also drinking some Butiki (peach hoppitea). The boss started her vacation today. I broke into my 1st pu’erh cake this AM ( ), I have zero meetings scheduled for today, AND I’m going to happy hour with my friend after work. So I’m freakin’ fantastic!!!! How are you????
How is peach hoppitea? That is one I have been iffy to order. Glad to hear you are having a great day Sarsonator. MzPriss sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well. I hope your taste buds hurry up and get back to normal.
@Sars – THAT is a good Friday!!! We got some rain which we needed. How was breaking your first cake?
Hey Tiff – I feel fine other than sneezing – but I HATE it when my taster is off – because i WANT tea, but I feel like I’m wasting it :(
Y’all have a good day – I’m out the door for work
Foxy- I meant MY future Butiki purchase was approved. I won’t police you b/c Dex seems to have everything under control LOL
Tiff- it’s ok. Not my fave, but my boyfriend is crazy about it and he picked the tea this AM. Hope you are having a great day, too!!!!
MzP- I was a little sad about the cake, but it workd out just fine. I broke off a small piece from the back, at the indentation. I wrapped it back up carefully and you can’t even tell it was violated! I hope your taster gets back to normal ASAP!
Oh, so happy that you’re having such an awesome friday Sars, and WOOT for breaking Pu’erh!! (And don’t worry, you’re cake won’t even notice you cruelly poked it with a knife)
Oh look! Steepster is behaving :-)
Let’s post a review!!
This was one of very few teas I hadn’t tried yet from WP.
I was curious, cause although Keemun are sometimes not my favourite teas to drink when too heavy on the smoke, the taste profile of Pine Peak seemed very different.
Well I agree: definitely not your usual full bodied keemun.
It’s much lighter, and I had to steep longer (for my tastes) and add a bit more leaves to achieve a satisfying cup. Once I did that, it was super tasty.
No trace of smoke or strong earthy notes here.
This is the fruit and grain keemun type. I get raisins and barley mostly. It is sweet and a little malty.
There is some kind of light pine taste to it, a little woodsy especially as it cools down.
I see myself drinking this on a regular basis, as a very nice everyday cup.
It’s raining this afternoon, took out my happy ladybug teapot, girly tea time!
“Peak” of the session:Steepster isn’t behaving anymore :(. I had to fish for this review by going to the “discover” tab
Wow, I didn’t know that you hadn’t tried this. I love this one, possibly the most of any of their teas! Unsung hero. ;)
Oh! But steepster IS back again!! Thanks for “fishing” me out though mj :-)
Cameron, I agree, it is kind of an unsung hero ;-)
That teapot is adorable!
Love this tea. I double recommended amount of leaves.
Teapot is adorable !
This is my comfort tea :-)
Is sounds so good.
It is Lariel
Thank you Laurent, Sophie, and everyone else at Nina’s Paris for making my mother and I feel so welcome and at home!!
Before I talk about the tea, I would just like to say that I had yet another amazing experience at Nina’s Paris offices. I was made three different cups of tea (Pour Maman, The Sur La Lune, and this one) and I walked out with a whole box of delicious teas. I mean, when I walked in i had 91 and now I am back up to 115 and I cannot be happier because Nina’s teas are AMAZING!!
Many of you know I am neither a cacao fan nor a lover of chocolate mint so this is one of the last teas I would have ever asked to try. However, before I even knew what was happening, a mug of this was placed in front of me and since they went to the trouble of making it, I figured I should at least have a sip. I am glad I did because this was actually a really good tea. The cacao gave it a nice, smooth chocolate flavor, and the mint was mellow but refreshing. I was actually shocked at how enjoyable it was and ended up guzzling it down quite quickly.
Wow… What all did you get?
Try ALL the teas!!! :)
Haha. I think after I try everything I got today, I will have sampled almost all the teas Nina has to offer :P.
And Morgana, I got so many: Eve, Cancer, Taurus, The Sur La Lune, Pour Maman, Demain, Miz, Marie-Antoinette, Mon Secret, Ma Passion, Pisces, Aquarius, Magicienne, Darjeeling, Tigre Blanc, The de Noel, and so many more. Plus lots, and LOTS of Japon of course :P
Yay, good haul! I’m glad you had such an awesome experience.
Taurus! I’m so curious about that one. :) Looking forward to all your notes!
OMGsrsly, I have 100g of it so I can always send you a sample :)
That’s only 17… what are the other 7? LOL
We could do that. I already have a couple set aside for you. :) Sil and MissB are the hard ones to shop for!
Haha. Sorry. I also got Darjeeling, Balade a Shanghai, Versailles Rose, Rouge, 4 Fruits Rouges, The de Vendome, Under the Mango Tree (which is a tea they sell in Japan), Scorpio, Earl Grey, Je T’aime, Virgo, and Jasmin
I think that is everything. Oh, and they gave me a cup and saucer as a birthday present and since my mom doesn’t drink tea, she got some jelly and some of their beautiful soaps.
That sounds wonderful. Looking forward to reading your notes about them.
And OMGsrsly, they definitely are because they basically either own or have already tried every tea on Earth (though I don’t think either have had many Cornelia Bean teas so perhaps we should place an order so we have what to send them :P).
Awesome idea! :D I totally have a list. I should send it to you. FB OK?
Yeah. FB works.
This sounds like a wonderful time! And so many teas :O I wish Nina’s Paris had a proper website where one can order online :(
Kat_Maria, being in the states, Amazon isn’t a horrible option or you can email them directly as they have amazing customer service. However, I wish they had a site too as it is so awesome to just shop online.
Sounds like a great experience! Who would think a tea shop to make you custom samples to try… For free!?!? Now that’s service!
VT – did you buy this one or just drink it there?
This sounds amazing! I wish there were shops like that around where I live
@Suziqzer – They are an amazing company. I have dealt with such excellent customer service before.
@Sil – This was one I had there and I have a one cup sample if you want to try it. I enjoyed the cup I had but I just don’t reach for Mint Chocolate (except for Butiki’s Peppermint Patty) enough to warrant buying it.
i was going to ask how you saw it compared against stacy’s herbal mint chocolate heh
I think Peppermint Patty is on a whole other level when it comes to Mint Chocolate teas. In fact, I just stocked up on it which is another reason I did not get more of this one.
I would say this had more of a cacao sort of dark chocolate flavor whereas the Butiki is more milk chocolate to me. Also, the mint is stronger (though not harsh or overpowering like in some teas I have tried) in this as I find the marshmallow leaf tones down the mint a lot in Peppermint Patty.
hmmmmm on the list it goes to try haha
I will send you the sample they gave me. It is only enough for one cup which means an easy sipdown :)
Sounds like one I might have to try. I’ll have to look for it on Amazon when I have some gift cards to spend there :)
So, Sil is safely on the other side of the country, so what better time to do the Great Earl Grey Tea-Off Competition!
I have A&D’s Mount Gray, Hugo’s Grey Line and Justea’s Kathyrne Earl Grey… who will win as the best EG? Will I even notice any differences? Let’s find out!
I started by pouring ½ a perfect DavidsTea’s spoon into 3 different color coded cups. The I poured in roughly 6oz of 205F water, and I steeped them for 4 minutes.
Initial impressions:
I had to re-pour them into different cups because I realized they needed to have the same color inside for comparison. Whoops! So now that they are all in white cups I can tell that the Hugo tea is a much darker colour than the other two. It’s a reddish orange, while the other two are yellow-orange. Justea’s is probably a bit more orange than the A&D.
I sniffed them and they all smelled pretty much the same, except for Justea which was a bit earthier.
First sips:
A&D’s – smooth EG. Nothing to complain about. Bergamot lingers but doesn’t quite cross that too perfumy line.
Hugo’s – not quite so smooth – feels like there’s a little more going on in this cup, although it’s hard to put my finger on it. Bergamot is not quite as present as the A&D cup. I almost get peach or something with it.
Justea’s – this is quite a different animal! It’s musky and dark and the bergamot is fairly strong. Not a subtle cup!
Finishing the cups:
A&D’s seems to be the least complicated of the three. It’s an EG and it knows that and it’s not going to mess around. The base makes me think of a Yunnan black with the subtlest of honey notes, but maybe that’s because I’ve had the other two to compare it with. Overall? A solid EG that I’m guaranteed to enjoy! I know that this one re-steeps well but I’ve only re-used the leaves once.
Hugo’s almost has woody notes to it. At least after trying it after the A&D, that was the most obvious thing I noticed. It smells like lemon too! Along with the woody notes, I still feel like there’s a peach or some kind of fruit note in there. It’s a complex cup. Apparently it’s good for 3 re-steeps too!
Justea’s tea is better once it cools. It loses some of the musk (or whatever it is?) and mellow just a bit. I also can really smell the lemon and it makes me think of lemon cake because of the richness. I definitely enjoy this cup the more I drink of it, but the base tea is one that I’m still not completely used to and it distract me a little bit until I’m at least 1/3 done the cup.
OVERALL: Hugo’s Grey Line seems to be my favourite, although A&D’s Mt Gray is nothing to dismiss. Justea’s Kathryne Grey is enjoyable but one I crave less often due to the base.
Preparation
I love how scientific you made your study :-)
(part of me feels obligated to say “ewwww blergamont” on Sil’s behalf)
Nice comparison though. It’s interesting when you try similar teas together, because the differences suddenly really stand out. :))
Haha, Cavo, Sil might be away, but Dexter is around!!!
Great review!
I’m still watching you….I almost picked up the EG you wanted from out here today too but then I couldn’t remember what else we wanted if anything….
I definitely want the Grapefruit EG because it was surprisngly good. I’m not sure what else is available becasue their menu isn’t up to doate, but basically any of the chocolate blends I am interested in. The fruit blends were not as good as other tea companies, but Divine Temptation and Creme Brulee are good. I think those are the two that OMGSrsly blends together as a custom mix.
And thanks guys. :D It was fun to do a for-serious tea review for once!
Grapefruit EG? Where can I get that?
@Marzipan – I got it from Bayswater in Vancouver: http://www.bayswatertea.com
There website is really out of date but they will ship if you email them. Maybe they can send you a current menu as well?
I asked them today. Their website is only missing about 20 of he their teas, the prices are wrong (though not by much supposedly) I tried to get a new menus to take home and the woman seemed offended I would ask…. “Well just go to our website” me: oh is it up to date now? “Well no.” Me……..
Sil, does your real name happen to be Karen and were you friends with my friend, also Karen, who lived in Minneapolis?
Haha nope, sorry to disappoint..,in real life I go by sarah ;)
Sil – Um. Wow. Omg.
Y’know, I wouldn’t be that put out if you never went back there. That’s just awful.
Great comparison review!
Cavo…naw I liked the walk. It was all good. Plus I’ll likely pick up divine and creme….maybe one other. Then it’ll be off to steam :)
Do you know what you want from Steam? I didn’t see anything, but I don’t think I’ve had anything from there before. When I went into their store I wasn’t super impressed because all the prices were hidden/hard to find and I wanted to stealth browse without talking to anoyone.
If you see any great chocolate ones, grab me 50g of that from Bayswater!
Heh. Awesome! I find JusTea’s really, really easy to oversteep and overleaf… when I brew it “correctly”, I really love it (and blergamot is so not my thing).
Sil, just checking! I knew a Karen who went by Sil who was into tea, so I had to make sure!
NP mj
Cavo – after dark is the one I must get. Omg sent me some and I really enjoyed it….I think there was at least one other but I can’t recall yet…just woke up after a 12 hour nap
Sil, Chocolate Macchiato from Bayswater was pretty good. And Cavo, Steam makes a yummy maple tea :)
Oh, that one does sound really good! I’d split it, unless you’d rather keep 100g of it to yourself! The Hazelberry Puerh sounds good too!
Is the grapefruit one that isn’t on the site or is it called something else?
Yeah, it’s not on the site. It’s a new one they brought out last year – I assume it’s still there?
It is. I made sure to check for it
I’m skipping the queue with this one because THE TIME HAS COME! I have opened the tin. I have sniffled it. Happy birthday to me! (I thought that would be an auspicious day to try it, don’t you?)
I should make some preliminary introductions to this one and tell why it’s so extremely special to me that I had to have it, shipping fees be damned. This tin right here was the very thing that made me order from JW at all. Everything else that I got to taste from the company was purely coincidental and taking advantage of the fact that I would be paying shipping charges anyway. I’ve been looking at the unopened tin of it for weeks now, simply just enjoying that fact that I had it. Petting it now and then and enjoying looking forward to it while waiting for the right time to taste it for the first time.
As you all know (or ought to know at this point!) I’m partial to a Chinese black, and if it comes from Fujian, it simply cannot go wrong. Fujian is my most favouritest tea growing area in the world and has been for a number of years now. My very very favourite tea is Tan Yang. It is the benchmark of fabulousness to which all other black teas must measure up. Another favourite type is Keemun, usually grown in Anhui. Life-giving and delivering a solid cup of tea every single time.
What we now have here in this tin is both a Keemun and a Tan Yang, and it is not a blend. It was grown near the Tan Yang village in Fujian, but the bushes are the Keemun variety transplanted there from Anhui. The very idea of this awesome on an epic scale!
The leaf smells both Keemun-y and Fujian-y. It has the Fujian cocoa note and the Keemun-y grain. Mind you Fujian usually also has a lot of grain in it, but I tend to find it more prominent in Keemuns. There’s something else in here that reminds me vaguely of some kind of tart berry or something. Perhaps one which has been dried. Like dried cranberry, I think, but not nearly as sweet as those are. If I take a little leaf in my hand and breathe on it before sniffing, I get a strong note that reminds me of when Husband makes beer, just at the point where he puts the hops in.
Okay that it, I can’t wait for Husband to start cooking breakfast (full English, yay!). I need to make a pot of this NOW!
After steeping it doesn’t smell so beer-y, but rather more like freshly baked rye bread. Courtney understands this note fully. I suspect Marzipan does as well. It’s grain-y and dark and also somewhat sweet. There is some of the Fujian cocoa notes there as well, but they are under the grain and so I have to really look for them.
I’ve started sipping way too soon. It’s far too hot still and I can barely taste anything. I did, however, pick up the fact that it’s a strong tea we’ve got here. It even seems to have a rather smoky note to it, which ♥♥♥♥♥
I can sip a bit more now. It’s quite cocoa-y with grainy notes underneath and a fairly large amount of smoke and then finally quite sweet on the swallow. I can definitely see the characteristics of both types in this. It’s like the best qualities of one combined with the best qualities of the other. It’s hard for me to even come up with anything to write at this point.
Oh yes.
Mind = blown.
kisses tin
I have a funny rugbrød story! My husband misses it terribly, so I decided to make some for his birthday. I contacted one of his sisters, who is trained as a cook, and she sent her recipe. I started converting it to English and non metric, and found that the ingredients were just CRAZY – ten pounds of rye flour for example. So, I broke down and asked Karsten for help.
I had converted it correctly but it was a recipe that made many many loaves. We cut it down and I started making the bread.
It was still huge. But what I wasn’t used to is that it doesn’t really rise at all. The mass that you have is pretty much the mass that you bake. Most of our bread wishes until it’s double so I was pretty worried about the malty, slightly sour enormous mass of dough I had. It turned out fine and he loved it. Reading this it isn’t as funny as I remembered. Now the story where I tried to find hjortetaksalt and thought I was going to get arrested…..that was funny.
Wishes= rises. I can’t edit my comments?
Then you are intimately familiar with the way it smells just as it comes out. :) My mother would bake some for Christmas but during the rest of the year it’s just store-bought. :)
I miss leverpostej and Anthon Berg the most. :(
Happy birthday, indeed!
I know how you feel. We can’t get baked beans here for scratch. Heinz is the only proper brand, but it’s hard to find. We’ve tried a number of other ones that are available but they all range from meh to nearly-if-you-squint, so… :/
Thank you, teataku. :)
Yes, Happy birthday to you! Excellent review!
Thank you (on both counts)
American/Danish birthday song. Happy fødselsdagen to you, hurra hurra hurra! I dag er Angrboda’s fødselsdag, tillykky med birthday to you! ♥ ♥ ♥
Darn it, tillykkE
Gosh, Danglish! O.o
Happy birthday!! I’ve been looking forward to reading your review on this – I’m glad it skipped the queue for your special day!
Thank you. :) I was looking forward to writing about it. :p
I’ve had three (Western-style) steeps on these leaves so far and am wondering if a fourth is worth the bother. The third steep was a bit on the thin side.
Maybe best not to do a fourth then; it could just be disappointing. Three steeps is great though! :)
Although…for experimentation sake, it wouldn’t hurt to try the fourth steep just to see how it turns out. :)
Happy birthday! Lovely when a tea becomes an instant favourite!
Happy Birthday! This makes me want to bust out my sample of this. Maybe for breakfast tomorrow.
sorry we’re late to wish you a happy birthday, but we’re in China for this year’s harvest. Anyways, better late than never so: Happy Birthday! (and thank you for taking time to write such a nice review.) Cheers!
Those two tigers are head to head and create magic in my cup this morning!
Thanks to the wonderful and very generous Terri Harplady, I finally get to experience what Devotea is all about.
I chose this tea first cause with the name, I assumed it would be a good tea of the morning. If this stuff is an accurate representation of the company, well I am impressed!
The smell first. My grandfather was a farmer and worked really hard. At noon, he would come to eat lunch and my grandma always prepared a nice pot of strong black tea with sugar for him, just the way he liked it. The aroma took over the whole kitchen and I loved it so much as a child. My grandpa would let me have a few sips, winking at me.
The smell of this tea just reminded me of those special days, and I am already thankful for that…It’s super fragrant.
It says “a blend of Indian and Chinese teas” in the description…Assam for sure, and I am assuming Yunnan cause this tea offers boldness and mellowness at the same time.
First I taste a “bang” from the Assam and a light astringency, but I immediately get some comfort and softness from the earthiness and sweetness of the yunnan, (if that’s what it is).
There’s a very light touch of smoke in this tea, and though I’m not a fan of that usually, in this case it’s not offensive, it rather brings all the flavours together.
I am delighted I got to try this wondrful tea, thank you so much for choosing it for me Terri :-)
this story is beautiful. My grandpa has a special place in my heart.
Im in love with this tea. Do you know that AmazonV decided to make it tea of the month because of my constant whining.
Haha! Didn’t know it was a favourite of yours, now I’m gonna read your review…
Plwa
Please excuse my lack of knowledge but what is AmazonV? (Lol, I’m Canadian, remember?) Is that a special place for tea on Amazon that I’m unaware of???
(Haha, What the heck is “plwa” and what is it doing in my comment ????)
AmazonV is a Steepster member. She works for Devotea US
I’m going with “perfectly lovely wonderful assam”. Yep.
Lol, the minute you said Amazon, I was like, OMG more tea available to me please!! I know who you are talking about now :-)
Cameron B.: Hahahah!!!
pls read the comments of my note TheTeaFairy. you, Canadian friend is cracking me up (good laugh only);-)
http://steepster.com/boychik/posts/245567#comments
“OMG more tea available to me please!! " you are priceless ;-)
you need more tea???!!!!i can send you some. i now have an experience
Boychik, I read all the comments, lol, it’s good to be persistent :-)
Noooooo!!!! I don’t need more tea!! (345!!!) I just want more all the time, it’s a curse!!!
i dont think im far from you, i didnt log all the teas. i dont want to scare myself with the number
….i just got more tea. i’m afraid…
Lol, how much more???
Sil, don’t be afraid. Just accept it and enjoy. And we all know how good you are at sipdowns.
teafairy… i WAS at 205…aiming for under 200 by this weekend… bonny put me back up at 231 lol boychik…yes but sometimes sip downs are solo tiring…especially when you have like 131 small cups to drink hahaha
…and uh i might have one more swap, two travelling tea boxes and uh two orders still on their way bwahahaha
(i also really wanted to place a WP order tonight but i’m still sick and so sleep is taking over lol)
Poor girl…will you ever get rid of that flu/virus??
You made this one sounds wonderful!
I thought they decided to discontinue this one??
Thanks TeaTiff, it’s a wonderful tea…
Teabrat, I got it from a swap, but read the comments on boychik’s link just above.
I love this one too. What is this about it being the tea of the month?
@terri harplady i re-blended it for the tea of the month club – the website appears broken so i can no longer handle orders outside email until i have time next weekend to find a new host. :( 1 left i think
It’s a little strange that I actually like this blend. I mean, I hate red Rooibos, I’m not a fan of Lapsang, don’t even like my Keemun when they are too smokey…Basically, I only like smoke in my food or in my fireplace.
But this tea is like eating something deliciously smokey. It feels like a real treat. It’s not something I would drink at any hour of the day though.
Why did I choose to drink it tonight? Cause I ate some delectable smoked salmon for dinner and I thought this tea would end the meal perfectly.
And it did!
The blend is pure alchemy, I think that’s why it works so well, it contains a little bit of magic..
The Rooibos? I can’t see it, I can’t taste it, that’s the way I like my Rooibos!
The smoke? It’s just right, not bitter, not too pungent, just very campfire woody. The cinnamon and the smoke work so well together, it’s the most pleasurable thing.
I’m outside in the gazebo, it’s nightfall and I’m just chilling, listening to a little frog’s symphony, little pleasures are so rewarding!
I love smoked salmon! :3
…and this tea sounds amazing. Definitely adding it to my Whispering Pines list.
Tea + Magic is how I roll! :) Oh, and salmon, too…I LOVE SALMON!!!
Cameron B, I’ve noticed from previous posts that you like cinnamon a lot, right? I think this will really work for you :-)
And yes…SALMON is food of the GODS!!! (And so is the kale dish I prepared for it!!!)
almon is food of the gods!!
It depends on the tea, but I would definitely enjoy it in this. :D
Ohhh we should share recipes :)
Hmmm…maybe you wouldn’t like my recipes so much. I’m a “semi” vegetarian, I eat meat only once or twice a month, and I am a green smoothie fanatic lol!!
Veggies, seeds, nuts, fish, fruits, health freak!! But I love bacon, if that counts for anything :-)
I need someone to teach me how to eat like that, The TeaFairy! You must be super healthy!
Man, EVERY tea that WP makes sounds so good. One of these days…
mj1851, it’s just a lifestyle…I have no merit, I really love the way I eat and I never liked meat all that much. But because I eat it so rarely, if I crave it I just have it! The good thing about eating well 99% of the time is that you can indulge once in a while without feeling guilty! And I eat my dark chocolate almost everyday :-)
Haha! Christina, I guess it depends of everyone’s personal tastes, but so far, WP teas just fit so well with me :-)
Tea fairy – I eat the Mediterranean diet. Only eat chicken sometimes and fish if I catch it. Everything I eat is homemade, locally grown, and/or organic if possible.
I make my own yogurt, pasta sauce, rice milk, kombucha, etc…
And I’m nuts about nuts, berries, and fruits. I try to eat at least an apple a day and always have at least one meal of rice and steamed veggies a day.
In conclusion, I think I’d like your recipes ;)
Haha! OMG, you are a few steps ahead of me Brenden! Your own kombucha?
That’s awesome! So happy to know you’re not a hunter.
And of course, I too loooove the Mediterranean diet!!! I’m not crazy about rice milk, but I make my own almond milk and peanut butter, so good!
Lol, this tea review really digress ;-)
:) Yep, I’ve had my kombucha going for about a year now…I’ve actually just installed a heating element and thermostat to control the fermentation, too!
You might be interested in learning how incredibly simple it is to make your own kombucha…hehe… www.whisperingpinestea.com/kombucha ;)
I’m glad to hear about the dark chocolate or I might suspect that you are not human, TheTeaFairy
Aww, thanks! My goodness, good job, you really make it sound full proof. I will have to meditate on that a little before deciding to try. What’s scares me is not knowing what the heck I’m doing, but your step by step guide is pretty clear. Will let you know ;-)
Lol, mj1851, I also eat pasta and cheese every week and drink red wine if that makes you feel better ;-)
(As long as if I do a HIIT workout on that day!!!)
Hello Steepsterites!
Long time, no see.
I haven’t been around here for… 8 months or so, judging by the date stamp of my last post. So why the absence? Well, to be entirely frank with you, forum wank. At the time when I stopped coming here there had been a number of petty little arguments and other rounds of controversy on the board, one following the other. I got fed up and lost interest. This period of time was significant because anything going further than a heated discussion has been very rare on this site indeed.
So time for a break and a break I’ve had. I’ve enjoyed it, but it seems my tea-interest has changed in the meantime. I’m not sure I’d say it has waned, but definitely changed. I still prefer a decent quality leaf and I still brew it loose in the pot, but I’m buying much less, keeping less in the house, and have also come to appreciate the simple convenience of the bag now and then. GASP SHOCK HORROR!!! I know, Steepsterites. But really, once you no longer feel the need to analyse and consider every sip, but would rather just have something warm and satisfying to drink, you tend to start leaning more towards convenience. Don’t worry, I haven’t sunk so low as reverting to Lipton’s Yellow Label or anything of that ilk. I primarily have herbal teas in bags, with the very occasional exception if it’s a decent brand and an interesting sounding flavour. Such as that Nutcracker Sweet from Celestial Seasonings that I remember many people around here being very fond off around Christmas. I’ve even started drinking way more coffee than before, due to this fantastic espresso pot for the hob that we bought in January and Husband buying a coffee grinder, so we can have coffee with ultra-freshly ground coffee. It’s fab!
I can’t really promise that I’ll come back to regularly visiting the site. Maybe I’ll have a peek in now and then. Interestingly, I seem to have gained a lot of new followers while I’ve been dormant. Not sure how that works, but then again, I’m here now so, hi! waves
So why am I back now? Well, Steepsterites, Husband and I have spent a lovely week in a rented summer house in the South of Denmark. Understand that this area of the country is culturally very much coffee country. This was reflected in the summer house which had not one but two coffee makers and a sufficient amount of coffee cups to serve twenty people. At least!
For tea drinkers? Bit of a waste-land, and the forced creativity that followed was what made me think of you lot.
The house had no kettle. Not an electric one, not one for the hob. No kettle whatsoever. Okay, we had a sauce pan.
The house had no teapot. None. Hm. There’s a ceramic bowl with a handle and a small spout.
The house had no mugs. Loads of coffee cups, though…. The lack of mugs was for me the most dire. Coffee cups are fine for coffee, but for tea they’re rather small. Local charity shop to the rescue, where we bought two mugs and donated them to the summer house when we went home.
So, Steepsterites. Go to your kitchen. Cuddle your kettle! Pet your pots! Hug your mug! These things are pure luxury!
…
Now, this tea I’m drinking. My long break from this site has caused me to lose some of the tasting routine that I had built up before. I can probably still taste more nuances than someone who has never tried analysing a tea flavour, but some things are no longer as clearly different from each other as they once were.
As a consequence, when I drink this tea, the first thing that comes to mind is simply ‘this is very nice’. And then I try and think about some details and I feel a bit lost. There’s a familiar note here, how did I usually describe that? Another note there, is it more grainy or malty? I think I’d describe this as a fairly malty and somewhat grainy tea. It has a good body and a long aftertaste, and now I just sound like I’m trying to write a wine label. I’m so not used to this.
In the end, though, it’s a highly satisfying Taiwanese tea, and with a name like this, how can you not love it?
…
So, what’s new with you lot?
welcome back! I feel you on not needing/wanting to analyse everything. I think i can finally get to a place where i have my favourites and occasionally i’ll branch out. :) no tea bags for me though…unless i’m travelling haha. Hope your summer has been awesome!
Thanks! Yes, I think that’s where I am as well. I’ll make an order when we’ve actually run out of breakfast-type teas or flavoured ones in general or that sort of thing. Not ‘ooh I’ve got nothing nut-flavoured, must order seven different ones stat!’ I’m down to a breakfast type/Asssam, two or three flavoureds, an EG and some Keemun plus a few odds and ends. And I’m fine with that. :)
Welcome back ;)
Thanks. :)
Sometimes bagged black teas really do the comforting trick. I like drinking Red Rose Earl Grey during the colder months. /whistles not sheepishly
Yes, it’s just so uncomplicated. And these days, to be honest, if you pay attention you can actually get a decent quality teabag. It’ll never be as high quality as loose, obviously, but it doesn’t have to be floor sweepings either. I look mostly for flavoured in bagged form. There was a place in town where they had a good selection of Clipper, but alas they don’t seem to have as many as they used to. Sadly they’re no longer carrying the assam with vanilla that I’ve got a box or two of at my parents’ house.
Pickwick in Denmark was one of my first tea loves.
Eh, Pickwick is sort of on par with Lipton in my opinion. I’d rather go for Twinings, really. Or Clipper, if I can get it. Unfortunately the selection of either is limited.
Yes, but everyone starts somewhere.
This is true. I have actually always preferred Pickwick to Lipton, even way before getting into tea at all. Couldn’t tell you why.
Welcome home. You have been missed. I don’t get on here nearly as often as I should either. Circumstances preclude large (or any) tea purchases and I rarely write more than once about the same tea. Anyway, good to see you here again and I hope you pop in more often now.
Thank you. :) Oh, did you know, by the way, that little tea cafe in Århus where we met up has closed? They only have their (unreasonably expensive) webshop now.
Noooooooooooooo!!!!! Won’t somebody think of the children??!!!!!
That’s a real shame. I liked it there. The world needs more quality tea shops.
When they wrote about it in their newsletter it sounded like they were planning to reopen on a different address, but didn’t have one yet. That’s a good while ago now, though. I suspect the location by the river was just far too expensive for them.
I can imagine their market is not large enough to cover the cost of such a location, even with their tea parties. It’s a shame that they have not opened somewhere else though.
I still get their newsletter, so I’m sure I’d have heard if they had.
I’ll have to check next time I go to Aarhus, although that is not likely to be for a while now: I need to start saving for the big Viking conference in Reykjavik in 2018. It will take me three years to save up enough! :)
Welcome back! I have been bad about coming here and recording my notes, too…though I try to avoid the discussion unless it is a thread that someone mentions to me, such as Butiki Teas Custom contest, or something. Other than that, I can skip the petty drama there and just focus on what I like here…drinking tea, and sharing my thoughts with those who are interested in what’s in my mug at the moment. :)
Thanks. :) I know, staying out of there is what I probably should do, but I have hard time doing that. I get curious, you see, so sometimes it’s better to just completely remove the temptation rather than go and look at something which I know will most likely irritate me.
I think if I do end up using the site regularly again, it’ll be in a far more relaxed and occasional sort of way than it was before. I’m not really interested in going back to the sort of obsessiveness where I couldn’t bring myself to try a new tea if I wasn’t in the mood to write about it. I still, 8 months later, have to sometimes remind myself that I’m actually allowed to drink my own tea and don’t owe anything to anybody in relation to it.
I’ve been off here for much longer, but it caught my eye today, so I came and saw your post. I feel like I can’t read comments anywhere on the internet any more, soooo much hate and useless comments, which is sad because I used to learn a lot from the comments, they were relevant and informative! I didn’t know about the fighting here, it’s a shame really. We just love tea and want to share our love with other like-minded people. “It’s a tea thing, you wouldn’t understand.” No need for anger or hateful comments creating all sorts of drama. By the way, I have always loved your tea reviews! :-)
Also, although I may be a little bit of a tea/food snob, I feel like if there is a bagged tea that has a great taste that puts a smile on your face or the scent is relaxing, then go for it! Just like every once in a while, I love a double cheeseburger from McDonalds. Sometimes you just want it down and dirty! haha
Yes, it’s a bit like that. I sometimes catch myself looking at comments on news-articles and it’s generally pretty headdesk-worthy. There are some really peculiar people out there! I know I shouldn’t scroll down that far when reading the news, but sometimes I just can’t stop myself. What happened on the boards, though, I think were all pretty much isolated instances that just happened to happen almost at the same time. It seems to be all back to normal now.
As for the snob thing, I think it’s sort of a learning development. In the beginning, I knew nothing and just wanted to try as many different things as possible. Then I learned a little and became ultra-picky about a lot of things. Now I’ve learned a good deal more and am more comfortable in my choices, more familiar with my preferences and have relaxed a lot on a lot of things. It’s all a journey towards zen. :p
Exactly! :-)
Welcome back! I completely relate to your post. I still sometimes feel paralyzed to try a new tea if I don’t have time to write about it. But then I remember that’s why I have so much stale tea in my cupboard because I don’t often have time to devote to this site the way I used to. I’m slowly trying to change my ways and just enjoy drinking tea. Life is too short.
Yes, I’m trying very hard not to fall back into that particular trap. It was only a few weeks after I’d stopped coming here that I noticed my tea drinking habits were changing, falling back to a much more relaxed level, although I still had a few problems making myself drink the stuff I hadn’t tried before. A little while after that I had rather a substantial clear out of old teas. A couple of months of Steepster-break made it much easier to look at each objectively and decide if I was ever going to drink it, if I was going to enjoy it if I did drink it or if I should just toss it now. Afterwards, I could move things together from four drawers into two. It felt amazing! And to be honest, I only ever really look in one of them.
This morning was a busy one…I was under a lot of stress and had to run around for several hours.
When I got home, the only thing in my mind was…TEA!
If you’re like me, you try to match the right tea for the right moment. Sometimes it takes me forever to decide. Not today. I wanted comfort, and I knew exactly that good old Earl would take care of me.
I say “Good old Earl” but thats not accurate. This Earl is the next generation.
Yes people, TNG Earl!
What makes it so special? Well, first let’s talk about the base tea found in earl grey teas in general. There isn’t much to talk about, right? What I’ve noticed is no one seems to really care…cause…bergamot. What I mean is, if you’re like me, when you need a bergamot fix, you’re not looking for some fancy black tea…you only care for the bergamot cause you know it pretty much overwhelms any kind of base anyways. So why bother right? That’s the impression I get from what’s available on the market. We get some generic black tea and what makes or breaks it is the quality of the bergamot. What I want is an earl grey that will provide a good balance of the bergamot flavor. I don’t want that overly parfumy and soapy taste they sometimes have. Luckily, I found a few brands that made me very happy over the years and just stuck to them.
When I saw Earl Gold, I said…really Brenden? You’re gonna “waste” some snaily yums on bergamot?
And then I tasted it…and said…damn it Brenden, must you succeed at everything?
Apparently, the answer to that is yes!! He truly is a master blender.
I already love Golden Snail a great deal on its own. But I was so sure everything I love about it would vanish under the oppressive bergamot. Turns out they both complement each other perfectly!
Malt, caramel, chocolate and bread? Please meet citrus and candied orange peel.
A very bright, sweet and warming cup of tea with a big kick.
It is suggested to drink it gonfu so I did try. Surprisingly, the bergamot oil doesn’t rinse off on first steep, it actually stays present through the whole session.
But I must admit, my personal brewing preference for earl grey tea will remain mug style. I just want a huge big fat mug of it and hold it and slurp it slowly while I read a good book. That’s what this tea is to me…a hugger :-)
I’m so happy I’ve got four ounces in the cupboard. It will definitely be one of my favorite comfort teas of the winter!
P.S. When you get this tea at home (cause I know you will, you MUST) please don’t skip the “inhaling protocol”. Beleive me, your nostrils will thank you.
Flavors: Baked Bread, Caramel, Chocolate, Citrus, Malt, Orange
I have some waiting in the cupboard. I can’t wait to set some time aside and enjoy it. It smells amazing!
Just do eeeeeet!!!! ;-)
Can’t wait to see what you think of it!
Earl Grey is one of the few favorite flavored teas of mine. I’m pretty excited to try it.
This sounds amazing. My goodness, I want some EG now!! This one:D
This sounds like one I might have to break my “No more damn Earl Grey” rule for :D
I have that same NMDEG policy Skulleigh, but this one does sound like it’s worth trying.
@missLena, I promise, it’s amazingly good!!
@Skulleigh and @TeaExplorer, lol I have that rule too!!! But this one was worth breaking all the rules for :-)
Your review is forcing me to try Earl Gold again. Most I’ve tried are bergamot overkill, like you mentioned in your review. I love bergamot, but I love black tea more, so can’t wait to try this.
Meant to say Earl Grey . . .
As I put an ounce in my cart I heard “Make it so!” in my head in that well-know voice :)
@pixel : I feel it’s probably the most balanced earl I’ve had and the only one that truly lets the black tea shine :-)
@TeaExplorer: Haha, what are you talking about, that was MY voice ;-)
Thanks Tea Fairy. I will definitely include this on my next WP order!
@TheTeaFairy: Huh. That’s not how I pictured you :-þ
@TeaExplorer: Hahaha! Laughing hard here!! I don’t have the voice of Captain Picard, that’s true, but I AM the voice of tea enabling :D
MAKE IT SO!!
@TheTeaFairy: You are not only the voice, you’re the poster child :D
And I appreciate that greatly!
Lol, had to Google the meaning of “poster child” (I’m French and some English expressions must looked up at times!) So after finding out what it means, I fully endorse the title, thank you! :D
Thank goodness for Google! Your English is so good that I forget it’s not your native language :)
Squeeeeeeees! How much do we LOVE the Earl of Gold?!!!? This review makes my smiley face ENGAGE! Love it!
@mzPriss, We LOVE it!! lol ENGAGE is right, here’s that voice again @TeaExplorer!
Today is such a busy day. We are attempting to add 4 new teas, 2 restocks, 4 teawares, our Autumn Comfort Sampler, and posting our 2nd Annual Custom Blend Contest & Plain Tea Contest.
I just added this tea online, so I thought I would relax with some. I love this tea. It came out even better than I could have ever imagined. The maltiness of the Glenburn Silver Needles really adds to the champagne flavor and there is definitely a bubbly sensation. The sweet and tangy champagne flavor seems to come and go but with each sip the rose and cream become even stronger. The silver needle also provides a nice heavy mouthfeel adding to the cream sensation as well as its natural buttery-ness. Every time I drink this tea it is gone before I know it. Initially this tea was planned as a black tea but once I tasted the Glenburn Silver Needle I knew it was meant to be.
(I am so adding this to my order!)
Oh man, gotta try this one :D
teawares, teawares..la la la
also…rose. icky. BOOOO HISSS! (i kid)
Anna & Stephanie-Glad this sounds interesting! :)
Sil-I think people that don’t love floral will also really enjoy this one. As for the teawares, both of the artists I had lined up to commission pieces completely flaked. I was super disappointed. So, we probably won’t be getting around to look for new local artists until winter-ish.
This sounds delicious! I love a good rose tea and really enjoy your cream flavor, so I must try this one!
Wow, this sounds amazing just in its name. I will have to put this on my list of must haves.
stacy….yeaaaah…you say that. you might be the only person who can convince me that it might be true..
also, bummer on the artists but the new things up are quite nice :)
Alysha-Excellent! :)
Rachel-That’s great!
Sil-We shall see. There are sill a few more teawares to go up but we will add those in the next few weeks. I was just really excited about this one artists. She had the most amazing use of colors and we had everything worked out then she just completely dropped off. Oh well, I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
Aaaand this goes in the cart. Rose AND creaminess, with a non-black tea base? Sold. Can you let us know when you’ve finished adding everything so I can place just one bigger order rather than several small ones?
Kaylee-Fantastic! Well, for the time being we are adding 3 more teas today. The next one will be Pumpkin Milkshake then Glenburn Silver Needle and Glenburn Estate Green. We do have other teas in the works but they probably won’t be posted for weeks.
added to shopping list….
I have a little money in my playpal account, so I’ll start thinking of an order, including a little of this rose tea, because unlike my bobsy twin Sil, I DO enjoy a rose tea from time to time.
Ali Bee & Terri-Good to hear this is interesting to you guys! :)
Terri – neener neener :P it’s not like i’m not working my way through all of stacy’s teas anyway! even the icky ones i don’t like because my tastebuds won’t let me
LOL :D
I have to order!
This sounds great so good.
For those who don’t know me, I have a very deep cynical streak (the title of my first CD was ‘Cynical Serenity’). I also have trust issues, especially when it comes to ‘guru’ types. So, having said that, when I hear people referred to as ‘Master’ this, or whatever, I’m always a little suspicious. Also, when companies give all these amazing descriptions & make things sound so unbelievably good, I secretly roll my eyes with doubt. Even Verdant. Sometimes it just seems a little over the top.
Having said that, where Verdant is concerned, I am almost always impressed, & today is no exception. I don’t know why I should still be skeptical, except that it is just my nature, I guess.
So…I’ve been enjoying this Shu all afternoon, steeped in a Gaiwan, steep after steep. Everything about this tea speaks of quality & craftmanship. From the awesome banana-leaf wrapper, (or whatever it’s made of, your damn right I’ll be buying a brick!), & the dark beauty of the leaf itself, to the bright clean flavor that is fruity, creamy, & slightly tart, this is a lovely Shu! I’m not done with it yet, & next time I’ll use the Xingyang workshop parameters.
Master Han is the Jedi Master of Tea. Thank you David & Lily, for all that you do for us crazy tea drinkers! I love you guys!
Ha ha. I’m a total secret eye roller. Sometimes not so secret. This tea has one of my most favorite tea descriptions ever, especially this part “The musty and aged quality of this tea is so refined that it moves away from earthy and more towards the satisfying smell of old libraries.” Someday when I finally develop a taste for puerh, maybe that will sound appetizing. Not so much yet :-). But I am sipping on special dark right now. Finally found one I don’t want to just dump down the drain. Ha ha.
ah, subtlety is lost on me… i don’t do it in secret, i’ve been known to say ‘prove it’. not rudely, just candidly.
this puerh i would love to try….. august, august, august.
My favorite “old library” shu is xingyang golden leaf ’98. I love that tea, & it just happens to be one of the reserve teas this month too!
Oh lucky! (for both this and the Xiangyang). I need to hold off for financial reasons. I hear you on the skeptical. My mom is often mentioning workshops to me by “one of the great spiritual teachers/leaders of our time” or something similar. And though I may be inclined to what they are giving a workshop about: ancestors, journey work etc, my mom’s phrasing turns me off.
Autumn, I figured out a long time ago that the answers always come from within. Nobody in the world can intercede for me, or do anything to help me connect to the Universe (God, or whatever). If I sit down & ask for guidance, I will receive it. There are a lot of things that nobody can know…the Pope, the Dalai Lama, etc. I’m not saying they may not have some answers, but those same answers are available to me (or you) when we take the time to be quiet & alone, maybe journal a little, & breathe! Nobody can guide my spiritual experience except me!
You said exactly something that has been on my mind about Verdant. They go so far out there with their over the top selling hype, I find it a real turn off. It makes me want to boycott them because it seems so manipulative. That being said, their teas are generally wonderful. But I can’t help feeling cynical when I try their teas which almost takes some of the joy out of the experience. I hope they read these comments, though I might send them a note as well.
mine arrived along with a sheng and a hand picked laoshan in my tea of the month shipment…
on a separate note and playing the part of devil’s advocate: culturally there are chinese tea masters, and in the north america there are tea mastery courses… verdant (in my opinion) creates brilliant products. who does it hurt really if they refer to their tea engineer as master han? why assume it’s a manipulation and not a sign of respect.
i can’t say either way which would be true, and in my experience the middle road is often the most accurate. i suppose i like to err on the side the cup of tea half full.
All in all, in spite of my skepticism, I’ve loved almost every tea I got from them, LOL. I guess that really says it all, right?
terri, you are a lovely person.
Why thank you, James!
Just noticed this thread, bit of a late response here, but I’ll throw in my two cents…
I’m also a bit skeptical of anything/anyone with the title of “master”, but it recently occurred to me that it’s a traditional form of respect in the Chinese culture to call an experienced elder “lao shi”, which basically means “teacher” and I suppose could also be translated to “master”. Considering that Verdant’s relationship with their tea sourcers is one of friendship and respect, I can understand why they would refer to them as “Master so and so”.
I also have some slight issues with Verdant’s fancy descriptions, but after listening to some of the conversations David has with the tea farmers, I’m certain of Verdant’s genuineness. Up until then, I had a slight concern in the back of my mind that some of Verdant’s claims of friendships with tea farmers and sourcers were exaggerated, but his fluency in Mandarin is impressive— I almost couldn’t tell he had an accent (my family is from China so I hear Mandarin and a few other regional dialects being spoken fairly frequently).
Cool, Ag! Thanks for chiming in!
The truth is, I love almost every tea I get from Verdant, & I do feel that they are very genuine in all they share. I also really enjoy the info they share, & the personal way that they deal with the growers, & those of us who purchase the tea.
Been a while since I have had some time to post. Summer work schedule has been a bit brutal lately and the heat. I think most know it is that time of year.
I remember this when I first got it. I bought it untasted and then grabbed another after it got here.
I got about 10 grams of this to brew tonight. I have been doing it for 3 days but I wanted a fresh from the cake portion to start with.
The wet leaf after the rinse has a bit of smoke in there with a sweet aroma. The tea on the first brew has some sweetness in the beginning and the BuLang comes in. This one come in on the middle of the tongue. A bit of the oily coating come in on the sip. There is some tingle on the tongue. It is coming across as bitter and punchy. Smacking the taste buds around. The color of the tea is coming through as a more golden color. I remember it being a bit lighter and greener in color when young. I don’t know if it is the pumidor aging or a combination of both. This is warming , salty and with a nice bitter punch to it. There are wisps of some smoke and sweetness but the BuLang is the potent factor here. It is a nice blend and seems to be punching above its ticket for me. I have brewed this all week and I am glad I had a break to post on it.
Flavors: Bitter, Salty, Smoke, Sweet
Preparation
I am not proud to admit this, but I grunted when I tasted this tea. Not a mmmmm or an ahhhh but an absolute grunt like a pig. It touched the primal vanilla loving animal in me (who I have just discovered is porcine). I guess it could have been worse — at least I didn’t oink!
A subtle and delicious vanilla bean flavor. Slightly rubbery/tarry/dark (that’s a compliment) and the tea base is WONDERFUL. Smooth and flavorful and not the least bit bitter. Extremely elegant. Perfect. I’m drinking it with some sugar and milk, and it’s just lovely. Harney and Sons describes it as baking sugar cookies with your grandmother, but I completely disagree. It’s more like being served shortbread with your grandmother…the Dowager Countess!
…which makes my grunt even more inappropriate! I hope I can learn to control myself around this tea!
In short, I love it.
Preparation
I ordered a sample of it with my last order and drank 4 cups back to back!
This one is definitely on my shopping list thanks to your review, oink!
Oh man… I need to try this!
Is this your first time having Vanilla Black? This is one I had to buy by the pound because my youngest went through it so fast!
Might have to try this one!
I like the grunt admission!
Vanilla loving porcine. I love it.
Fabulous, absolutely.
Lovely note, Jackie. ‘It’s more like being served shortbread with your grandmother…the Dowager Countess!’ I miss elegant teas, I haven’t had any in a while and I see what you mean.
ashmanra – I knew I was going to love it because your daughter loved it so much, but I didn’t know I was going to grunt! I was waiting until I was finished my other vanilla tea before I bought this one. I think I found a new cupboard staple, to put it mildly!
Oh, my..I don’t know which I’d enjoy more: tea with Maggie Smith or tea with E.B. White (with Charlotte in the corner busily spinning SOME TEA.)
I am glad you found a new, grunt-worthy tea love! It is delicious! Daughter was in such a panic about running out when she was about twelve that a friend gave us four ounces to tide her over until my order could arrive. Said friend also ordered it by the pound, LOL! And I did pay her back! :)
stares in awe
Standing on the Rim
When I ordered my brick of Pu’er, I made sure to buy a .7 oz packet for sampling right away.
I’m so new at storing larger cakes and bricks of PU that I never would have had patience to wait before diving in with my Pu’er knife like an impatient tea Zorro.
Having purchased a large brick is a leap of faith. Is this tea going to be one of those special Pu’er’s that will grow richer in time and dazzle me with exceptional flavor?
I’ve waited to read the notes from Verdant on taste until after I had tried my sample.
I used my fat, white 4oz Gaiwan and 4 grams leaf. I always use Spring Water.
The liquor was an intensely rich Auburn Brown color through all 5 infusions.
The infusions were quirky (like me).
I began with 20 seconds on the first infusion which was fine (the first infusion is usually light), but the second steeping was very strong.
I cut back the time to 10 seconds on the 3rd infusion (which is the same as an ‘instant’ steep for me since I’m a bit slow) and that was most successful!
Keep the infusions at 5-10 seconds, not longer, for best results.
Even though I went from light to heavy and back to light strength, the flavor never went weird. (No hidden boxing glove came out on that second strong steeping and popped me in the nose with a bitter left hook.)
Had I drained the energy and flavor from the tea? The oversteeping could have diluted the Pu’er.
Thankfully, the third infusion was very good, and from that point on the shorter 10 second steep times produced smooth, juicy and flavorful tastings.
All along I tasted soft, sweet ginger with a bite on the front of my tongue that lingered long after drinking the tea.
Some might say there’s a cedar wood flavor but I tasted redwood. That redwood taste is warm and sunny with a tang to it and has more body than cedar.
There was a creamy, light saltiness on the last steeping.
When I drink tea I stand on the rim of the memories in my mind. It’s like looking over the edge of a canyon at pictures far below… with signs such as these:
The Grand Canyon, Santorini, Golden Gate Bridge, Rome, Peru, Alaska, Redwood Forests, Monterey Bay.
Under these signs and pictures are sub headings such as:
Golden Gate Park, The Aurora Borialis and Hiking in the Andes. Places I’ve been and things I’ve done…like my own mental NETFLIX.
When I begin to drink a tea, I stand on that rim waiting for the tea to take me to the place it wants to go and the tea always takes me to a good memory, never a bad one.
Today, I thought about the Redwoods. Inside the Redwoods main heading was a subtitle: Santa’s Village (Scotts Valley, CA.)
This place doesn’t exist anymore, but when I was young it was a magical place tucked into the forest with real Raindeer and a Santa House with Santa Claus. The sweet smell of the enormous redwood trees and the fresh baked Gingerbread scent coming from Mrs. Claus’s pastry shoppe sounds like a strange thought to pair up with a fine Pu’er.
But wait… Redwood, ginger, earthy forest…it wasn’t that far removed from the taste of the tea!
You don’t get to choose what the journey will be. The tea does the picking.
Over the rim I gooooo and I look forward to more leaps!
I love the redwoods Bonnie, one of my favorite places to be, especially around Humboldt. Thanks for sharing your tea thoughts and memories!
Loving this review! Now, when will I be able to watch The Adventures of Zorro Bonnie and the Pu on my NETFLIX Canada?
‘Z’ zip, zig, zag! Pu’er Zorro! By the time I’m done with my Pu’er knife, it will look like Swiss Cheese. I think my technique is early Scots Coal Miner, chip…chip…chip. I can only get better with practice.
Fantastic…Simply fantastic!!!
In another Universe a long time ago, this was to me, one of the finest tea’s ever. Really.
I was new to loose leaf tea and waited impatiently for my packages of flavored tea’s from Canada to arrive. Oh, they were so yummy good!
Oh Canada, Chocolate Orange Puerh, and Read My Lips! Slurp!
As the months passed, I tasted tea’s from Teavivre, then Butiki and Verdant, and so many other tea companies that opened my mind to the realization that the Tea ‘World’ wasn’t FLAT like a tea bag, but FULL of FLAVOR without being chemically ‘flavored’. My ‘World’ was set free, expanded and became ROUND!
I had a little bit of Read My Lips left in a tin and went back to taste it. What would I think?
Remembering my first love of the peppermint scent, I smiled. It was still as I remembered…almost like candy canes in the snow. Cool, with a chocolaty smell that is a vision of peppermint bark frosted with dark chocolate. Oh I hope my daughter makes some of this candy this year!
I took a sip of tea and the memory was ‘Oh yes, I am back at the beginning of my tea journey’, but the taste was…‘Oh dear, I don’t think I can finish this sour, over-flavored artificially spiked tea!"
Where was the tea? “Yoo Hoo, tea? Where are you?”, I wanted to yell into my cup.
Memories are often like this.
My first trip to Disneyland in 1955 at age 7, and later in High School were completely different experiences. Had Disneyland SHRUNK?
Of course not. I had changed.
Looking back, I had a great time with this tea.
I can’t say BLECH…I have to say…HUM.
Could also be that the tea has aged?
where was the tea ? I laughed reading this…this is exactly what I think each time I had a DT …yelling where are you ? …it never answered me !
I am still at the beginning of mt tea journey and drink mostly flavored teas but I have to recognize there are flavours and flavours…and some brands respect the tea base and some not always.unfortunately.
Don’t know I-bloom, don’t think it’s old enough and it wasn’t contaminated by other tea’s etc. either (I’m really careful because I’m very taste sensitive…smells too…the fibromyalgia heightens both). It just doesn’t taste as good to me. Too flavored and the aftertaste becomes SOUR!
I’ve noticed I’ve felt this way about jasmine flavored things. In the beginning of my tea journey I loved them a lot, but now I feel like they almost overpower the tea :(
darn, I was hoping that we could salvage David’s. So sad too bad!
Well Davids has less flavored tea’s and natural tea’s and unflavored tea’s too!
I never had their unflavoured ones but need to try, absolutely.
Read My Lips is a staple for me right now but it serves more as an over-glorified, powerful hot chocolate mix than anything else. I can see where you would get “sour” too. I wish David’s Tea would embrace subtlety and “tea-ness” but I guess that’s not what they’re about.
Your comments about disney cracked me up! Growing up in San Diego, we made the pilgrimage to disney every year (sometimes more, sometimes less…carosel of progress & pirates of the Caribean were always my fav rides). So jump ahead 30 years in the future when me and my kids went to FLorida to visit my folks. We went to Disney, and I was so excited…and it was SO lame. The rides WERE shorter, and my kids were bored. Bummer.
I remember going into Space Mountain and laughing till I cried because the planets looked like giant cookies.
space mountain!! that was my fave ride when I went! the big drop into the darkness, omg that was amazing.
and the cookie planets :P
Yep…. broke my tea buying ban for this and a couple other new ones from DT yesterday (although they were sold out of Pom Tango…. noooooo!)
I have been dying to try this one ever since it was released. Coconutty? Thai? YES!
And it doesn’t disappoint! I will admit that I think I overleafed, and am getting some bitterness as a result, but oh the flavours in here are divine! This has gotta be amazing iced, and possibly with some milk and sweetener. I can taste delicious lemongrass (it works really well here), enough coconut, and kind of a yogurt creaminess. This is really good, minus the overleafing bitterness. I hate that I’m kind of falling in love with this! I think I have enough for another 2 cups or so, so I should be able to make up my mind before then.
The only downside? This is supposedly a white tea blend… I didn’t check the price when I bought my sample, but it’s therefore probably way overpriced. But if I do love it, I will still buy it… sigh…!
ETA: Ginger! There we go! I knew there was something else in there but couldn’t come up with it myself. That explains the pepperiness and the fruitiness. Yum.
ETA again: Oops, neglected the steeping time on the second cup, however it’s pretty tasty. Not as good though; much more lemon (lemongrass?) than anything else. My roommate and I were contemplating making Coco Lemon Thai-infused meringues if we could figure out how to… just sounds like a yummy combo (probably because this tea is reminiscent of lemon meringue pie/coconut cream pie, as someone mentioned).
Preparation
Might have to try this one!
If you like the ingredients, I would highly suggest it, as I think it’s very well-blended.
It is delicious iced! And also wonderful blended with Cocomint Cream.
I don’t think I have any Cocomint Cream left. Sigh.
I could probably send you some, if you want. I have over 100g.
I will keep that in mind! Sounds like my mom still has the sample I left her over Christmas, so I may steal it back when I visit in a month. :D
I do love this tea, and I do like it with milk. One of two teas I take with milk.
Nice, good to know! No curdling? (Perhaps lemongrass doesn’t do that, anyway.)
Not that I had, and I was toying with trying it with coconut milk.
Sounds delicious!
SIPDOWN! gasp
Alright…i have a bunch of backlogs to do but first i needed to pay attention to this tea. You see kittylovestea really wanted to try this, so i opened my bag up and realised i had enough to send her a small tasting (usually it would be more) and have a single last cup for myself.
Since the whole point of doing a mini swap with mercuryhime had been to try MY LB with the new LB i knew it was time to check this out.
1. New harvest? Smells funny. I understand now why some folks have recently been off put by the smell. It’s very earthy to me and honestly when it got wet it was sort of wet mud. My other half said it smelled like bread. My old delicious wonderful harvest? It smells like cocoa…delicious cocoa.
2. Western brew since quite frankly that’s my favourite way to brew LB. I must have sat and stared at my two cups, smelling the wet leaves, smelling the cups, looking at the liquor…just waiting…
3. First sips…oh man, it’s been a while since i’ve tasted you my old friend. The new harvest? It’s still chocolately and malty but there’s a bitterness in the back that makes it a little less smooth than my spring harvest. The old harvest is a little sweeter too, though it’s a dark malty chocolate so it’s not “sweet” exactly.
Final Verdict? While the taste of the two isn’t that far off – at least not enough that a black tea lover like myself would strongly object – the SMELL from the wet leaf is really quite off putting. It’s enough to make me hesitant about drinking it until the liquid is actually in my mouth. Will i repurchase this harvest? Maybe. But i’ll likely try and spend some time drinking down other teas in my cupboard first, and grabbing some of this IF the harvest gets low. IE. I don’t want to NOT be able to drink it, but that aroma is killing me.
Thanks again to Mercuryhime for letting me do a comparison. I understand now why people have been confused with the high ratings for this one. Makes me glad i’ve had 6oz of the old harvest to enjoy while it was here lol
Edit: Just have to put out there that this is one of the few teas i’ve ever re-ordered, and certainly the first tea i ever ordered 4oz of. After drinking through my 2 oz lol. So the tea is totally worth exploring when the different harvests come in.
David from Verdant is currently doing a Spring tea tour of China. I’m hoping he brings back a spring harvest of Laoshan black. I’m starting to forget why I loved this tea so much to begin with. :(
Also, I’m glad you agree that it tastes different than the old batch. I was afraid I was losing my mind. :)
You haven’t lost your mind. It’s changed but not like ZOMG it’s SOOO different, but enough that today i’d probably only rate it like an 80?
It’s true that it isn’t SO different. I can recognize the elements that I loved in the old batch, but it’s different enough that I actually can’t tolerate more than half a cup before I have to toss it. Might also be because my high expectations create extra disappointment. But anyway, I emailed Verdant about it and they told me to let them know next time I plan to order and they’ll let me know if the Spring batch is available. :) I just have to get enough of the spring batch to last all year.
let me know if you hear about the spring batch. i for sure want another 4 oz since that apparently lasts me 7months or so in between all the other teas i drink lol
The main difference I noticed was that the ‘bean’ flavor has be ome more prominent
I’m one of those who uses a little less leaf than Verdant recommends. I think that adjustments have to be made with each harvest because they’ll never be exactly the same. All the factors of earth and climate is what makes tea do exciting…much like wine and perhaps we’ve yet to taste the best Laoshan Black.
Bonnie – pretty sure i’m with you on that boat…verdant suggests a tablespoon if i recall. I pretty much treat this like most other teas with a 1-1.5 tsp per cup ratio.
So there is a difference, although a fairly small one taste-wise. Interesting. Well, all years can’t be equally good, I suppose.
I did 1 tbsp per 20 oz the other night, and my impression was still chocolate and dirt pies. Nice loamy dirt, but still dirt! I really want to try a different harvest…
For me, the worst thing about this current batch is the very roasted, almost burnt flavor. It overwhelms the natural chocolate flavor that I fell in love with. :( OMGsrsly, I’ll send you a bit of the spring batch when I get some, cause I’m sure I will. :) just remind me in case I forget.
I am fascinated by what you just said Mercuryhime. I bought some Laoshan Black for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was so excited to try it. I’m really not sure I like it, though, and it’s specifically because of the roasted, burnt quality you just mentioned. You can see what I said about that in my last tasting note.
Well I am glad to read all the comments here. I just got an oz of this because of the great reviews and although I enjoyed the tea I didn’t quite understand why everyone was describing chocolate as opposed to heavily roasted.
Yeah – I felt the need to do this comparison because I was seeing so many recent reviews of people saying less than stellar things. Not that i think everyone has to love this tea but some of the comments were confusing me as they didn’t jive with my experiences. So a plot was born by mercuryhime and i! bwahahahahaha Stay tuned for scenes from our next plot – spring harvest – is the chocolate back? :)
Tune in next season for the exciting continuation. ;)
Early Spring harvest is going to be the first oolong from Laoshan and Verdant bought it prior to picking. Laoshan Black would probably come after since the fields will produce the rest of the Spring tea’s we all love. We’ll see.
Oh, that would be awesome Mercuryhime. I’m giving the rest of my package to the guy who runs my local tea shop. He likes it, and I don’t want to waste the Autumn Harvest!
There’s a list of tea’s that I could be satisfied with having and be happy with them for the rest of my life. (There are just over 15 I’ve been tinkering with.)
Laoshan Black would be in my top 5. It’s a staple in my diet.
Have you looked at the Verdant website alchemy blends?
Three have Laoshan Black in them. This is one of the reasons this tea is a staple in my cupboard…BLENDABILITY!
My local tea shop has herbs and spices at reasonable prices ranging from $1-$2 an ounce (and Eric always makes sure I have the freshest).
I received my new Laoshan Black in the mail yesterday on the way to tea, and thought I’d buy some of these interesting additions for adding to tea. I’ve been mixing elderberries, ginger, chysanthemum, fennel, jasmine, burduck root, cassia to pu’er on occasion, whipping up tasty brews to satisfy my creative nature (this seems to work best with milder pu-er).
A big pinch of Laoshan Black added into Ginger Sage Winter Spa Blend is delicious (one of my favorites)!
My cocoa hull pu’er (called choco pu) with a pinch of Laoshan Black is amazingly rich.
This morning, I made a big pot of tea which I drank Naked. Laoshan Black and nothing added to it!.
It was an especially sensual tea drinking experience! (The guttural tea noises you can make when nobody is around!) A-hum!
You know what I’m talking about…come on, don’t pretend you don’t!
How could I have forgotten the cocoa goodness? Had it been so long since my last cup of Laoshan Black tea?
The new batch has to be even richer and creamier than before.
DD (David Duckler) is up to something, I know he is! That grainy texture mentioned by many people in earlier reviews was missing.
Maybe it was just Me? (Hope not!) But this was richer and creamier than I remembered.
No, this isn’t a hyped review of a tea. This isn’t an undeserved review.
It is as good as hundreds of people say. Even…Better!
hmmmmm maybe i’ll have to pick up some of the new batch heh. Of course that means i need to drink the rest of what i have left down….
my sentiments exactly, Sil!
I’ve seen so many swoon over this tea, drawn to its natural and distinct chocolate/carob/nutty undertones that paint its unique character….the tea has clearly sown itself into the spectral star of the flavor profiles that distinctly outline various regions and this has certainly added the region to the map in a unique and wonderful way
I messed this up.
I will postpone rating this tea until I sprout a brain….
…it might be a while.
For your entertainment, here is my 34 step process of how to destroy this tea:
1. Get up ridiculously early
2. Stumble into the kitchen – eyes barely open, drunk with sleep
3. Overfill kettle and put to boil, spilling water everywhere in the process
4. Try reading the instructions, but because you’re so tired the words don’t make sense and may as well be hieroglyphics. Instead, stare at package and eventually exclaim “oooh pwitty!”
5. Proceed by guess
6. Tear open the bag and enjoy the aroma….mmmm…pancakes. Try not to eat it (I’ll let you guess what I did)
7. Enjoy the aroma for so long that your brain wakes up enough to realize that you have to pee…like right now!
8. Ignore brain – cross legs instead
9. Scoop overly generous teaspoonfuls of tea into your teapot
10. Spill a little extra in for good measure
11. Realize that wasn’t a teaspoon, it was a tablespoon
12. Shrug and carry on
13. Wait for water to boil
14. Realize that you can go pee while you wait
15. Walk into the wall on your way to the bathroom
16. Walk into the wall on your way back from the bathroom
17. Slip on some water on the kitchen floor and curse whoever spilled it without cleaning it up
18. Realize you’re the one who spilled it. Clean it up.
19. Forget that you already put tea into the teapot
20. Put in another spoonful without looking
21. Realize that there was already tea in there, and AGAIN that is not a friggin teaspoon! It’s a tablespoon!
22. Shrug
23. Now that the water is boiled start pouring it over the tea
24. Catch the edge of the strainer at the perfect angle so that it shoots everywhere, including on you. Mutter obscenities because it burns, but don’t stop pouring – that’s far too logical
25. Leave it to brew while you go to brush your teeth
26. Walk into the wall again on your way to the bathroom
27. Forget tea brewing and proceed to brush teeth, have shower, and start to get dressed
28. Realize the tea is brewing, wrap a towel around you and rush to the kitchen
29. On your way there, say to the wall “haha! Missed me this time” because you didn’t walk into it
30. While you are trash talking at the wall, walk into the cupboard door which you apparently left open earlier – mutter obscenities of your choice
31. Slip on the water that had shot everywhere in step 24 – drop towel that you are wearing
31. Cover up. Start cleaning up the water.
32. Realize the tea is still brewing
33. Pour tea which is now so black it could be mistaken for tar
34. Burn tongue on hot tea
TAA-DAA!!!
Oh dear!! Methinks you and pancake tea need a fresh start :)
I love your review ! hope you’ll love the tea when you’ll be able to prepare it as wished :)
OUCH. :s
LOL! :-P
You need to take try this tea a the end of the day next time. haha.
That squirrel must have kept you awake all night :P
Sounds like a sit-com….funny thing you are!GLAD YOU HAVE MORE TEA AND CAN WRITE!
Hahaha, best tasting note fail ever :D Thanks for the entertainment!
@Indigobloom- Meagrees :D
@Ysaurella- thanks, I’m sure I’ll like it when I manage to make it properly, the dry mix smells heavenly.
@OzlI & Barbara- :D
@Marcel- a little later in the morning might have saved me from a few of my bruises today ;)
@Lala- bwahahaha! love it!
@Bonnie – thank you – That’s quite the compliment coming from you – the great story teller
@Kittenna – Thanks -I’m glad you liked it
I agree! Best tasting note ever!! Gave me a good chuckle this morning :)
I assume the tea was a write off after that?
@TheKesser – Thanks. sheepishly no…I just watered it down and drank it. I couldn’t bear to waste it. On the up side, it helped me feel more awake. I later realized what I thought said instructions, were actually ingredients…yeah, it was a special morning :P
Oh dear. This rather makes me want to hug you. hug
This belongs in the tasting note hall of fame! lol
The accidental pairing of Banana & Keemun
Soooo, being a big fan of The Banana makes me quite critical and hard to please when it comes to recreate its taste.
I have encountered only one banana tea that I truly enjoyed, the others end up tasting weird to me.
One day, I was drinking some Keemun tea while eating a very sweet and ripe banana. I thought, hey! That’s pretty awesome, they taste incredible together!
Then I decided I wanted to have fun and pretend I could make my own blend. I soaked some walnuts in a Keemun infusion then added some mashed banana and a little nutmeg. Beleive it or not, it was tasty! ( but of course the texture was awful, unless you like banana grime floats!)
I started wondering how come Butiki didn’t have a banana tea to offer, cause if someone can do it right, it’s Almighty Tea Alchemist herself, Stacy!
So I emailed her and told her about the accidental pairing on Banana Keemun and my own concoction. Turned out she was already working on a banana blend! She told me she had tried a few blends so far but was not completely pleased with the results, so she gave the Keemun a shot!
The rest is history :-)
So, am I biased when it comes to describing this tea? Of course I am! But the fact that I am is so irrelevant…just try it and see for yourself! It is fantatic!
The dry blend looks amazing as always. Lots of walnuts and pieces of sumptuous freeze dried bananas! I am loving the sweet natural banana taste, and paired with the walnuts, it’s an instant cupboard classic!
I love the fact that the taste of walnut isn’t overpowering. I’m glad she didn’t put any nutmeg, it would be too much. Her Keemun makes it just the perfect base to bring it all together. And it re-steeps pretty well!
Thank you so much Stacy for giving me my perfect banana cup and making me part of that process, it was so much fun! Whenever I have a conversation about customer service, I mention you cause you are the standard in my opinion. At this rate, I think your business will unstoppably bloom, like a big blooming tea flower!
But I hope not too much though…selfishly, I wouldn’t want to lose that proximity you so graciously offer :-)
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ETA: Well, this was good while it lasted…but I’m afraid it’s all gone now :-( So long Foxy Roxy, till we meet again. Don’t want to tease too much, but this little tea just got better and better, such a nice and soft creamy bananarama delight, let’s just see how long I can resist another Butiki order!
Yay! I’m so glad you sent her a note about this one. I’m excited to try it out :)
Ok, I could persuade myself into not buying the Caramel Vanilla Assam right now but this is another story. It sounds amazing.
Haha crow kettle….
Girls, feel free to indulge! It is amazing! Caramel Vanilla also looks irresistible, I got a sample of it, smells divine, yum! Can’t wait to try, but I have to calm down my banana fever first!
Oh i’ll be placing an order, but first I need a few more sipdowns and my swap packages to arrive because otherwise i’ll be back up to 300 before you can blink!
Oh, Sil, just embrace your addiction, I accept you as you are :-)
I’m so glad you mentined the banana keemum combo and at just the right time. :)
Me too!
Wowza! This is officially on the list for my NEXT butiki order!
Terri Harplady, hope you like it as much as I do :)
on my list as well! lol
Sil, no more list for you!! Just sipdowns, remember???
hahaha ok fine, it’s on my spreadsheet? :) I’m actually hoping i get put a nice dent in my tea stash on the weekend since i have a lot of small sample sizes to go through (like 60). Luckily with stacy’s teas, i can hold off because they’ll be there for a while, and because i like to place giant orders at a time. I have about 20 of her teas in my cupboard so i need a few more of those gone first heh
LOL for the spreadsheet! Have a happy sipdown week end then :-)
Oh, wow, thank you for helping bring this to the world! ~~
I love banana, I’m excited to finally try a tea blend that lives up to the fruit.
Rie T., what I like the most about it is the fact that there’s none of that artificial banana taste your normal get from banana flavoring. It is subtle though, you can really taste the base tea and the walnuts through it all, so don’t expect a big bold banana taste, this is not it. But if you want a delicious mellow black tea enhanced with natural banana and walnut , THIS IS IT :-)
In that case, definitely cemented on my list. (‘v’)/
Mashed banana and tea. Crazy!
Incendiare, oops! What can Ii say? I know this one was a little over the top, my tea obsession gets messy sometimes :-)
Wow I can’t wait! I ordered some of this and Ruby Pie because… after reading this… I just could not resist! Ack!
It’s allowed though, since Butiki is one of the only companies I will allow myself to buy from while I do my sipdowns lol
well if it had to be an unplanned thing, it ought to be a butiki tea. go go 2000th tasting note! woot woot! Still loving this tea a bunch, if only because i really like how smooth it is, while still being one for late nights. Not that caffeine has much affect on me, but friends like having delicious teas at night, and this is one i have NO issues sharing with them. :) thanks stacy! and thank you steepster folks for being awesome!
OMG! 2000?! WHAAAAAAT??? You go, girl!!!!
200! Woo!
Charoma-yeah and the worse part is that I don’t always remember to log all the tea I drink…and my “cups” of tea are usually 12-16oz lol
2000 ~ Now that shows commitment! Congratulations :D
2000! Wow! Congrats Sil!
Yeah!! You Rock!
So. Much. Tea. :P
Kittenna..least mine’s IN me :p
Congrats on 2,000! :)
Woah. Congrats!
2,000 …!?! That’s awesome.
lol thanks everyone.. i drink too much..
Haha. The geek in me sorta wants to take those 2000 notes and analyze them. What percentage of them are black teas? Or teas from Butiki? Etc. That’s a lot of data just sitting there…
Lol
Thank you mrmopar for this most silky Puerh!
Yesterday there was a long grey cloud parallel to the foothills by my house.
The cloud didn’t move.
When I walked from my car to the house I looked up at the texture and thickness of the huge monster and recognized it as a Lenticular cloud that you see at high altitude and was formed by moist air blowing over the Rocky Mountains. Constant light winds were keeping it in place, still and waiting.
I knew what was going to happen at sunset. I had seen from a greater distance a cloud monster like this one at Lake Tahoe. But this cloud was right over my head!
I went into the house, got my camera and checked how my buddies on Steepster were doing, when I noticed that my room was suddenly lit with golden light.
The cloud was illuminated by the setting sun which lit up my room!
I ran out the door with my keys and camera, took 3 shots over the complex and drove a block away to the entry of the Equine Center so that I could take my sky shots without buildings or cars.
I sat in the dirt and had the best time shooting a sky that was an ocean of gold, purple, pink and fire red. The color was so bright from ice crystals that the ground reflected a rose tint.
http://flic.kr/p/dkfUHv
http://flic.kr/p/dkfT6d
(I hope these pictures show up because I’ve been having trouble with flickr/yahoo.)
Sitting on the ground with the colors of Autumn thick and textured stretched across the sky, it was as if one enormous wing of an Angel was shielding me in an ethereal glow.
I can understand why the shephard David sat on a hillside writing songs of thanksgiving. I want to write Psalms after seeing or experiencing beauty.
The experience of last evening was so awe-inspiring, that I had no question about what kind of tea I wanted to drink this morning.
I picked Puerh.
Puerh always binds me to the appreciation of nature. I get all mushy sometimes about how much I love the rich and earthy thickness of it.
This Puerh I picked out of my to-be-reviewed stash at random.
I couldn’t find any information about it so the opinions are entirely my own.
My usual method is: A 30 second rinse followed by 3 steepings all at 30 seconds. The 4th steeping was increased to 3 minutes (pushing the envelope).
The wet leaves had a remarkable vanilla bean scent. I was surprised!
The liquor began as honey brown, deepening to rootbeer color with later infusions.
The first tasting was mild, lightly sweet and very light cedar. It was hard to tell that this was a Puerh for the lack of earthiness.
I expected the flavor to develop as the leaves opened though. The second steeping was the same as the first.
By the third steeping, I wondered what to do. Not a thing had changed from steeping 1,2,3.
I checked the leaves which HAD opened enough to produce some darkening as the steeping’s progressed.
Should I just drink this as I would a tea that wasn’t a Puerh? Add some sweetening?
I sweetening it a little and it was smooth and light but a bit boring to me.
I decided to increase the time to 3 minutes on the 4th steeping.
Now this was clearly a darker liquor, very smooth tasting, silky and mild. The only change from previous steeping’s was a little cedar bite on the tongue that quickly disappeared as the tea cooled.
This wasn’t a review of the earthy Shu Puerh’s I’m used to… quite the opposite. Don’t get me wrong though, this is a fine enough Puerh for people who DON’T like the earthy, stronger Puerh’s.
For anyone who is fearful and wants to try these exquisite tea’s this may be exactly the rare, golden beauty you’ve been looking for.
Those are breathtaking photos Bonnie! I love reading your reviews.
Very nice photos!
Colorado seems so beautiful ! I should have come here instead of NY the only time I came in the US.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing these.
that is a stunning photograph… flat-out gorgeous
WOW. That might be motivation enough to go to Colorado. Also, the word nubs is very funny.
i got 6 infusions from this one. i think thats a record for me. glad you enjoyed it. love and blessings your way! keep up the great tasting notes( i will work to make mine better).
rebecca the nubs are the clumps left over when they ferment the pu-erh that they cannot separate to press into the traditional beeng cha or round cake. they separate them out and press them into bricks. the bonus is it will contain these nubs from several different years so you are sure to get some well aged peices in there as well. it is a great way,like bonnie posted to try pu-erh. the off odor and taste of the newer shu is almost gone in these bricks.
No wonder it was so mild mrmopar. Really mellow!!!
bonnie let me know when you run low. a little of this stuff goes a long way and i have 2 cakes of it.
gorgeous pics Bonnie!! I love looking at clouds, they remind me of hope :)
I’m glad I live a block from open space so that if the sky changes or clouds form I don’t have to have buildings or cars getting in the way of taking a wide vista shot. Keeps me out of trouble.
those photos are lovely, Bonnie
Thanks chrine!
I added cherries to my shopping list. Just sayin’ :p
And then there will be Cocoa Amore ;)
(Subliminal cherries!!!!)
Haha! You know there will be Brenden…. :-) there will also be a nice print to look at all year around!!!
mmmm subliminal cherries….
Now I’m biting into some cherries myself
Me too. I’m about 2/3 of the way through my 9lb cherry purchase from last week :P
Still insanely jealous of your cherry drawer
Maybe you should get a poster of it….
Lol, still laughing at 9lb. I bought a total of 6 pounds this week…I guess I’m not the only cherry junkie around here :-o
I just realized something.
I can make one more round of COCOA AMORE! * Snoopy dance! *
Lol mine is long gone! I drank it during the night!!!
And suddenly, I envy you…
And you should. Because I have some. If I had teleportation powers – we would share it.
Aww, I know we would my darling :-)
We will have our very own piles of it soon though
i love cherries too! and this tea sounds amazing- what notes…wow!