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Cherries Jubilee Bai Mu Dan from 52teas
89

Danish tax people are on to my activities. 196 kr in customs fees they demanded in ransom for my 52teas order. The contents of which cost 50 kr LESS than that, shipping included. Greedy greedy customs!

Anyway, this tea came out just after I had decided that I wanted to try some great cherry blacks. This is not a black, though, and it has other things than cherries going on, obviously, but still. Uncanny.

I was sceptical at first because of the brandy. I’ve mentioned before at length my dislike of alcohol in general, but having read some posts about it, it seems like the brandy shouldn’t be too strong. My curiosity returned and I plucked up the courage to buy some for myself and check it out. Somehow I don’t think I’d have managed to get peace of mind until I had tried it.

It smells quite cherry-y, but also of something else which I can only describe as borderline bubblegum. Synesthesia input says dark purple-y red.

Flavour is very much cherries as well, and also quite nutty, which I think is the white tea shining through. Also a touch of vanilla to all the fruit but not really enough to make much of a spectacle of itself. It’s a bit like onions in a spaghetti sauce. It doesn’t taste like onions at all, but if you leave them out, you’ll get a boring sauce. The vanilla is like that here. If it was left out, the flavour would be paler. Or maybe still very nice, but just different.

The brandy is excellent in its absence. I admit I don’t know what brandy really tastes like other than ‘alcoholic’ and since I dislike the alcoholic flavour and feeling of spirits, it’s impossible for me to get past it. So I’m not about to find out what it tastes like just to see if I can find it here. For me, the fact that I can’t find it, is a great big plus.

I’m glad I was brave and gave this a try, it was really well worth it. Whether it was also worth the extra customs expense… yeah, why not? Doesn’t mean I won’t whine about it though.

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Comments

JoonSusanna
JoonSusanna 2011-09-23 13:28:18 -0400

I SO understand your dislike of alcohol! I was hesitant to get this tea because of the brandy as well but I didn’t taste it either, thankfully. Have you decided on any cherry black teas to try? I liked the cherry in this but I wouldn’t mind more of a “pure” cherry taste.

Angrboda
Angrboda 2011-09-23 13:53:33 -0400

Cherries don’t appear to be a very common flavour in blacks from the shops I have access to. I’m on the lookout. :)
I found the brandy, though. It has whole dried cherries in it, and if you eat one after it has been steeped, that’s where the brandy flavour seems to show up. It didn’t taste alcoholic, but it didn’t make me want to eat any of the others in the pot either.

Winter Salo
Winter Salo 2011-09-24 07:07:55 -0400

So glad it made for a satisfying cup it’d be terrible to go through the extra expense to end up with a disappointing brew.

Angrboda
Angrboda 2011-09-24 14:36:32 -0400

Yes, that would have been annoying. Fortunately I had also bought two pouches of black currant bai mu dan which is a confirmed nom, so it wouldn’t have been a complete loss had I not liked this one.

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Bio

Angrboda felt her bio needed to be re-written, but she failed to consider what she wanted it to say instead.

Um…

Okay. Ang prefers black teas and the darker sorts of oolongs. She has to be in the mood for green and white and she enjoys, but knows little to nothing about, pu-erh.

Her preferences with black teas are the Chinese ones, particularly from Fujian, but also Keemun and just about anything smoky. She occasionally enjoys Yunnans but they’re not favourites.

She is sceptical about Indian blacks as she generally finds them too astringent and too easy to get wrong. She doesn’t really care for Darjeelings at all.

She likes flavoured teas as well, particularly fruit flavoured ones, but also has an obsession with finding the Perfect Vanilla Flavoured Black.

However, she thinks Earl Grey is generally kind of boring. Cinnamon and ginger are also not really a hit, and she’s not very fond of chais. Evil hibiscus is evil. Even in small amounts, and yes, Ang can usually detect hibiscus, mostly by way of the metallic flavour of blood it has.

Ang is not super impressed with rooibos or honeybush. She doesn’t care for either, really, but when they are flavoured, there have been known to be surprising exceptions to this rule.

Ang has a number of teas that she regards her Standard Panel and will always try to have on hand.
-Lapsang Souchong, any brand really, but preferably AC Perchs.
-Blackberry flavoured black or similar, any brand.
-Late Summer Blend, AC Perchs
-Raspberry Oolong, AC Perchs OR Red Fruits Oolong, Le Palais des Thes
-Caramel, Kusmi OR Toffee, Le Palais des Thes
-Something orange flavoured, black or pu-erh, any brand.
-Tan Yang Te Ji, Teaspring OR Bai Lin Gongfu, Teavivre
-A good Keemun, any brand.
-The Perfect Vanilla Black if and when she ever finds it…

Angrboda is almost always open to swapping. Just ask her.

The Formalities

Contact Angrboda by email: iarnvidia@gmail.com
Contact Angrboda by YIM: angrboda@ymail.com
Angrboda does not respond to gmail chat.

Find Ang on…
Steam: Iarnvidia
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Livejournal: See website.
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Location

Denmark

Website

http://angrboda.livejournal.com

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