JacquelineM

Another pitcher, iced. This one by request of my husband. Yes, my Earl Grey hating, this is perfume, husband! He adores it iced, and even craves it with his cigars. He says the distinctive flavor goes so well with one, much like a good Scotch or Port.

I think this must be a blend of Chinese blacks and greens, despite the description. An utterly delicious and delightful blend! It tastes like magic. It’s totally different from Rosy Earl Grey, but it has that black/green/floral synergy going on. It also has the addition of a creamy vanilla flavor which just knocks my socks off!

You know I’m no fan of green tea, but like in Rosy, it really WORKS in this blend. It provides a delicateness that makes the fruits and florals, and yes even that touch of vanilla, shine! I wouldn’t want this one any other way.

Thank you so much Dinosara! This is fantastic and so different from my every day fare. I am really enjoying it.

Had to call in the Queen! I’ve been having so much trouble focusing since coming back from my little vacation. The Queen needs to put me back in line!!!

So rich. Morning perfection. I think I’m going to jazz up my second steep with a little Rose Congou. I can be bribed to work with roses too :)

My next to last puff of Golden Mudan! Sob! This is another one of my favorite hot weather teas. It’s so flavorful but light. Honeyed and sweet. I’m on my third resteep and it’s still delicious and flavorful.

Those of you who have enjoyed Golden Mudan – do you think this looks like a similar puff?

http://www.artoftea.com/catalog/black-peony-p-138.html

I think I am going to give it a whirl even though they are a bit expensive because I so very love this flavor profile!

I’ve been so Earl Grey crazy in this horrible heat. There is something about the bergamot that I find so refreshing (I think I’m just making excuses because I love to drink EG in the winter too. Let’s face it – I just love Earl Grey!!!). My tin of Earl Grey Supreme is at home doing iced tea duty, but I found this in my tea drawer at work, almost forgotten about. Poor Earl!

I’ve already had it twice since the temperatures have gone up. It’s a real classic. Perfectly bergamot-y (moreso than the EGS) and with the addition of a half teaspoon of sugar, really round and sweet. A true delight!

I added a little Rosy Earl Grey to the second and third steeps and had such a heady and enjoyable tea experience!

We chose a very hot stretch for our little holiday from work, which has turned from many adventures planned to sitting at home in our pajamas in the air conditioning (for me, knitting and reading, which is really great, but we were supposed to go to NYC and our local art museum and and and!!!). I even prepared a picnic for today’s adventures because it was “only” supposed to be 90 (!!!) but sigh – the forecast changed to 97. Way too hot to be out and about enjoyably.

So! We have a beautiful pitcher of Earl Grey Supreme to enjoy at home. I brewed it much the same way as I did last time, but did the first steep at 4 minutes and second at 5 minutes. That little tweak made it even more delicious. You can taste the subtle differences in the blended tea base better. It’s just as refreshing, but even more elegant. I’m officially done playing around with the brewing parameters on this one – it’s perfectly suited to my tastes!

For posterity:

4 tablespoons Earl Grey Supreme
4 cups of water, boiled
steep for 4 minutes, strain into pitcher.

Boil 2 more cups of water, and steep that in the original leaves for 5 minutes, strain into pitcher.

Add sugar to taste (about 1/4 cup for me).

Let cool as long as you can, refrigerate before bed. Serve over a glass of ice. If taking on a picnic, fill your bottle up with ice, then pour iced tea over and seal.

Off to knit some more!!! xoxoo

P.S. My comments aren’t working, so if you said something and I haven’t written back, I apologize!

P.P.S I have another guest post at Unputdownables :) This one about Virginia Woolf :) :) :) http://unputdownables.net/2011/07/22/seven-reasons-why-i-love-virginia-woolf/

Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Just popping in, saying hi, and exclaiming, “My, my, you are so delicious this morning, Mr. Keemun Mao Feng!”

Having a little post-lunch sit down and was in the mood for something sweet. I didn’t have quite enough of this left to make a whole pot, so I put in a pinch of Chocolate Almond Allure from Talbott Teas. Nice! It’s less marzipan-y and more nut-y, and you can taste a little chocolate. I do prefer the unadulterated Trois Noix flavor, even if it does make me cry with nostalgia!

Thank you Dinosara for a most enjoyable tea experience! I think instead of abracadabra, the magic word should be marzipan!

Mmmmm. What a tropical treat! I taste primarily the candy banana taste, and then a pineapple-y, creamy, yummy flavor. I’m really glad I combined these two teas because the result is so dessert-y! I was having a bit of a sweet tooth attack last night, and this satisfied it well, with the addition of a scant teaspoon of sugar and a splash of milk.

My pitcher of Earl Grey Supreme Iced Tea of the Gods is now gone. Sob! I loved every sip of it, and can’t wait for another picnic or having guests or whatnot so I can make it again (it’s definitely a special occasion iced tea, imo :) Love!

I had a St*rb*cks *c*d C*ff** this morning (that’s Starbucks Iced Coffee, shhhh!), so I thought something with green tea in it would be lovely for the afternoon. I’ve started perusing the Dammann Freres website for the Future Order of October, so I thought what better tea to drink with that than a French one!?!? :)

Mmmm. I’m definitely getting jasmine and tropical fruit. I can’t really say which one, but maybe mango or passion fruit? The black tea is giving it a nice base, and the green a fresh taste. I don’t much care for green tea, but when it’s used in a blend I love the little oomph it gives – that little bit of grassy freshness is very nice, almost like another flavor in the blend!

Another bonus for a work afternoon is this reminds me in no way of anything Holiday-ish or growing up-ish :) In fact, I don’t think I had a mango until I was in college and living on my own!

Thank you Dinosara! This is so, so good! It makes me wonder how it would taste iced, too. I bet refreshing.

I had a cup of Emperor’s Red this morning, but was left wanting something fruity…nutty…something else, something more. I decided to put a scant teaspoon of Coquelicot Gourmand in my brewing basket to add a little je ne sais quoi to my second steep.

The tea itself is beautiful. I’m a goner for blue cornflowers in tea, and then the pink peony – oh!

Mmmmmmmmmm. Marzipan. Cake. That soft subtle indescribable French fruity flowery vanilla-ish flavor. This is so good. Thank you once again Dinosara for an incredibly delicious French tea experience!

I finally figured out that the addition of milk and sugar to these French teas is the thing that unlocks the nostalgia button, so being a glutton for punishment I am going to take the rest of these leaves home for a good sulk in Nostalgialand this weekend! Oh my.

Yesterday we went to Chanticleer:

http://www.chanticleergarden.org/

and I wanted to make a special picnic to take along. I’ve been wanting to make Earl Grey Supreme as a hot brewed iced tea for so long, but my frugal angel (I have a frugal angel and a decadent devil on my shoulders – at war!!!) balked at using all those leaves. Well, the decadent devil won and I made it. The frugal angel has her 2 cents in there, and I did two steeps of the leaves thinking I do that when I have it hot.

So – that was 4 tablespoons of leaves (!!!), 4 cups of water, 5 min, then 2 cups of water 5 min.

A few tablespoons of sugar thrown in, let it sit out a few hours to cool, then refrigerated. When I took it on the picnic I got my container and filled it half with ice, then poured the tea over and put it in the cooler. Some of the ice melted, but not all.

The angels and devils were all happy because it was the most delicious iced tea I’ve ever had! Not too sweet, the pithy citrus gave that pleasantly bitter taste sort of like Campari which is soooooo refreshing when it’s hot (the heat went to 101 yesterday!). Not the least bit perfumey or overwhelming. The tea tasted of quality and was of the perfect strength. The leaves were just fine being brewed twice.

And I didn’t really need to get all upset because even this special picnic divine decadence winds up being under 35 cents an 8 oz glass including the sugar. No biggie!!!

The one thing that bugged me, though, is my iced tea got cloudy! I know it has something to do with the tannins and cold, and that it happens even more with a better quality tea because it has more tannins, and I also know it’s just an aesthetic thing, but does anyone have a way they avoid this? I’ve heard a pinch of baking soda, a few drops of boiling water before serving (impossible at a picnic but maybe at home I can do this if we had company). Any others? Thanks!

Another humid one. This calls for one of my favorite hot weather teas in the whole wide world: Rosy Earl Grey. I love how delicate and heady it is (jasmine!) despite it containing black tea. The perfect marriage for me! Another summer day in a cup. Swoon.

Also, I thought it was funny/neurotic that even though I was carrying in a thousand things this morning, I still stopped and bought bottled water for my tea making because I knew we were out at the office. The thought of that nasty spigot water ruining Rosy! No, no, no!

It is so humid out – I was craving something light and fruity after I waded through the swamp, I mean walked to work from the train :) The French teas that Dinosara sent were calling to me from my tea drawer with their intoxicating fruity and flowery fragrances! I picked this one because I thought the ingredients included in the blend mixed with the Ceylon and China teas would really hit the spot. I took it with a half teaspoon of sugar – I seem to like these French teas with un peu! ;)

I’m getting good tea, then the sweet, slightly pithy, slightly powdered sugary citrus hits, and then I taste a sweet and delightful fig flavor. I was so afraid that this would be another tea that sent me on a reverie of nostalgia – figs are another flavor I associate with being a child. We always had dried figs for the Winter Holidays, and our neighbor directly in back had a fig tree that reached into our yard. Summers were for fresh milky delicate figs. Thankfully, with this tea, the citrus mitigates the figgy flavor enough so that I am smiling and remembering, and not shot through the heart!

Dinosara, thank you! This is a sultry summer day in a cup. I love it.

This was a free sample from Upton! The packet said that it made a good iced tea, so I decided to prepare it as a cold brew to accompany our picnic for our day at Winterthur http://www.winterthur.org/

Delicious and refreshing. Great classic tea flavor. I was surprised how strong it was as a cold brew! I only added a touch of sugar, but I think a little lemon would have also complimented the classic flavors. A great treat.

Upton has several teas that they highlight for being good for iced tea, and I am now going to take closer note of their recommendations! This was excellent!

This is a lovely Golden Monkey. Flavorful and balanced, and I really do taste what the description refers to as “apple skin” – specifically granny smith or another kind of green, tart apple. Second steep very good, a little sweeter and less tart but extremely flavorful.

Delicious, but different than the dulcet honey of Harney’s GM, which remains my Holy Grail (did anyone else hear that this year’s is not as sweet or did I imagine that? Has anyone tasted it since it has come back in stock?)! This is a very close second, and I’m actually quite pleased to have something a little off the beaten track to drink for a few months (I purchased 125g but I tend to drink these Goldens quick!) :)

Nice! This ginger is perfectly spicy – it builds a warmth in your mouth, but it is flavorful and does not spread to your lips and overwhelm you like some other ginger teas I’ve tried. Wonderful with a little honey as a warming evening herbal, and I bet it would do the trick if you had a cold or upset stomach. This is going to be my go-to ginger tea – just pure organic ginger, and no black pepper or other things obscuring that nice ginger flavor!!!!

This was from my latest Upton order, and I have a tale of kind customer service for you! I sent in my order on a form with a check enclosed, and at the last minute decided to throw in a case of small tins for samples, since I was out. I quickly re-added my total and threw the envelope in the mail box!

When I got my order today, it wound up that in my flurry I got my addition wrong, and was short 2.50! They still sent my order (and a free sample!) and just noted on the bottom in the calmest fashion that I had a balance of 2.50. I of course immediately wrote another check – but in this day and age – it seemed so old-fashioned and trusting and lovely (they even took time to thank me for my return business) to still send the order.

I already thought Upton had amazing customer service, and just the fact that they offer 4.4 oz of Rose Congou for a penny over $7 makes my world a better place!!! but they are now held even higher in my esteem!

Yummy, roasty, tangy, chocolately love! Yummy second steep, too.

I read something about how the low crop yield last year made Chinese tea growers harvest wild tea leaves more vigorously than usual. I wonder if this offering stems from this circumstance?! Interesting to ponder!

I’m in a very tea-ish mood today (stuck in office without my usual comrades and unable to take lunch!) so I think I’m going to keep the kettle piping today and put a pinch of rose scented in these leaves for yet another cuppa!

Do you know how long I’ve been pining for my very own tin of Harney’s Keemun Mao Feng? Exactly two months (when ashmanra sent me some, and I drank up her generous allotment in under a week!!!!!) That’s how long!

I am so over the moon happy because I finally have 4 ounces of this exactly suited to my tastes morning tea in my possession…and possession is a good word in more ways than one, because I am simply in thrall to this tea! A little chocolate, a little smoke, a bold tea flavor that is SO smooth, round and complex. I truly love so many teas, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that this is my absolute favorite tea in the entire wide world.

Love, love, love, love, love, love, love!

I prepared this as a dessert tea (a little extra tea, 5 minutes, barely a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of half and half). I’m tasting the most delightful marzipan flavor, which actually reaches a crescendo (!!!) where it sweetens and almost tastes like orange blossoms and you don’t know what is going to happen!!! then it quiets to a nuttier, deeper flavor. Wow. It reminds me of childhood and my Grandfather and definitely Europe and goodness…what can I say. These French teas can be so evocative for me! So many of them taste like things that simply don’t exist in America any more, and they cut me to the quick! I actually have tears behind my eyes!

Needless to say, I find this tea very dear, and I thank you Dinosara for a little visit back in time and across the globe.

Paris has come to New Jersey! Dinosara was the kindest, most generous world traveler ever, and sent me some of her Paris teas from Mariage Freres and Dammann Freres! I didn’t know where to start! I bet she thought I was kidding when I said I was going to do eenie meenie miney moe to decide, but that is what I really did! (but I said "catch a Frenchman by the toe! instead of a monkey. Monkeys are for Chinese teas!)!

So, the Frenchman chose this one!

Divine Decadence! I taste a nutty, chocolatey tea taste, and then PING the orange on the end of the sip. It’s really delightful, round, and yes, decadent. It’s amazing how sweetly satisfying it is sans additions!

I did my first steep at 3 minutes, and there was a little thinness. For my second steep, I put in a little more leaf, took it to four minutes, and yes. There it is. French Perfection! No bitterness, no astringency, great flavor. I love it.

I must say, though, it certainly makes me not want to work! It’s making me dreamy! I want to sit on a park bench and read and watch the world go by when I sip something so lovely. Ah!

I’m so excited! My Harney order arrived! This is a new Chinese Black from them. When I read “dark” “intoxicating” and “cocoa” I knew that even though no one on Steepster has yet to try it, I would order a tin without batting an eyelash!

My trust in the Harney empire has been rewarded with a …dark, intoxicating, and cocoa cup! The only word I would add is “tangy.” It has that Emperor’s Red tang, which I love (how to explain “tang”? Soy sauce like fermentation meets vegetal? I don’t know. It’s very hard to describe but I think you’ll know what I mean when you taste it), but it’s waaaaaay richer. It’s like Golden Snail’s tall dark and handsome brother. It’s utterly delicious. I feel so happy (it must be the intoxication!)!

My “Golden” teas are really taking a hit in this hot, sticky weather. Golden Monkey is now gone! (sob) We know Golden Snail is bye-bye! Yunnan Golden Bud is half gone! and I only have three puffs of this gem left. I brewed it a little longer and the sweetness is unreal and on the verge of apricot. Ah! So good. I love how all these golden teas have their own charms. Chocolate, honey, yams, apricot!