JacquelineM

Another very loved tea…all finished! This one is perfectly spiced and enjoyable no matter if you cook it stovetop with milk, or brew it like regular tea — which is how we had it this evening. The tea base is strong enough to stand up to all that spice (and honey, and milk!) but never bitter. I took a thermos of it to visit my mom, along with a home made cheesecake. Very nice pairing — the creamy cake and the spice are lovely together.

Many thanks to dear Doulton for this one — I enjoyed every sip and I’m sad to see it go.

I chose this tea today specifically because we are out of spring water at work, and I had to use tap water to make my tea. I hoped that the strong flavoring would mask the bleeeeeaaaachhhh Philadelphia water taste. Alas — I can still taste it (feeling very princess and the pea here!). Moral of the story: when the experts tell you water matters when preparing tea, they are not exaggerating one little bitty bit!

No notes yet.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Just wanted to note how very much I’m enjoying this. It’s too delicious to do much typing. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Roastychocooooooohalittlefloral. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

I, too, got a GREAT card from the wonderful and talented card maker otherwise known as gmathis! Mine had the most wonderful olde fashioned black boot on it – I know it belongs to a very elegant and stylish witch – with an adorable green Halloween background full of her tiny monster friends.

I am drinking the oooooooooOOOOooooo-long she included in the card right now, and it’s delightful! A bit roasty and the end of the sip has that greenfloral wonderment that is so typical of oolongs.

Why, why, why don’t I drink more oolongs, this stubborn mule of a tea drinker asks herself?!?!? I am so glad that I have leaves enough for another pot of this. It’s delicious and such a nice change of pace.

THANK YOU GMATHIS!!!!

…and another beloved tea, finished. We are drinking our last pot of this creamy vanilla delight with a little sugar and half and half. Intoxicating! I love that I can taste the vanilla bean itself in this one. I’m very sad to see this one go. I have a little of another vanilla tea in my cupboard, but once it is gone, I’d like to repurchase this again. I also miss Golden Moon’s Kashmiri Chai in my cupboard so I will have a nice amount of restocking to do. :)

I started taking this one with just a little honey, for a most fantastic hot pear/caramel/apple cider type evening treat. The honey brings out the caramel notes for me, and the pear is juicy and lovely. It was such a nice change of pace after having a rooibos chai almost every night since it got chilly!

Well I certainly went through that 50g fast!

Roasty, grainy, chocolatey. When I’m too busy to think about what I want, I always pick this flavor profile — I’m always happy with what I get. I love it in every season, in any mood. I’d order it again in a heartbeat…if I was ordering tea. (I’m down to 50 in my cupboard — imagine me beaming proudly at my restraint!!)

Veeeeeeeeeery nice with a butter croissant :) I am still finding the tea base a little weak, but the nutty, floral flavor mixing with the buttery, flaky pastry — who could complain!?!?!? :) It is so enjoyable that I’m going to save this tea especially for the days that I treat myself to a croissant. YUM!

Truly chilly today — perfect for two little pots of Hot Cinnamon Spice! Excellent for clearing through the tail end of my flu, too. The spice and energizing black tea were both appreciated.

I’ve been doing well with not buying any new tea like I said, but it sure is making for boring tasting notes for you guys :( My apologies! They would read like Diamond Jubilee, Diamond Jubilee, Hot Cinnamon Spice, Gong Fu Black, Gong Fu Black, Ceylon Black Tips, Ceylon Black Tips, Diamond Jubilee, Goldfish crackers, goldfish crackers, goldfish crackers ad nauseum!

This tisane was wonderfully comforting last night. I think my cold is actually a flu … sigh. In any event, I felt great relief after having a cup of this with some honey. Warm, and my breathing improved. Good flavor and not “bitey” – I love that it’s organic, too.

I’ve managed to get a cold and can’t taste a thing, but the hot, soothing, GOOD is coming through loud and clear. Pure comfort, and no funny tastebud business (hate how colds can make things taste like FISH to me. This Ceylon tastes sweet and comforting — without tasting like anything — I know it’s strange but some of you must experience this when you have a cold, right?)

I haven’t linked to it yet on here, but I started a book blog a bit ago! Today’s post is about having a cold, and of course tea is mentioned as one of the ways to feel better: http://jackiemania.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/comfort-reading/

Gloomy, rainy … this calls for some Hot Cinnamon Spice! I believe this is my first of the season! What more can I say about a tea I drink at least once a week all fall and winter? The proof is in the 1 lb bags I go through!

It provoked a conversation at work about how we need to order yet another big bag to split for the coming months … which made me peek at the Harney site … which made me realize it has a redesign! It looks quite nice – take a look :)

After reading The Purrfect Cup’s tasting note about this tea yesterday, I knew exactly what I was going to drink today! Sweet, chocolatey. So flavorful but not one bit harsh. The second steep is even better than the first. You can go steep after steep after steep, too. Expensive? Yes. Delicious? YES!

Today was a good tea day! Three pots of sweet potato goodness :) A very nice flavor to ease into the autumn with. I am also enjoying the orangey tea liquor in my glass cup. Is matching my tea liquor to the season Too Much? As Mae West said, too much of a good thing can be wonderful!

An Obsession: this tea and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers (classic). The roasty, grainy perfect sans additions tea and the salty cheddary crackers? My idea of heaven! It’s gotten to be such a thing with me that I bought an over 3.5 lb box of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers at Costco.

I’m enjoying it right now. Mmmmmmmmm.

Just a little note of continued appreciation for this one :) So, so delicious. Earl Grey candy! I love the sweet lemon note I get from this tea. The base is fantastic, and it loves being brewed in my little Beehouse pot. I’m tempted to get the sachets again just because I love it so much exactly the way it comes out each time I have it (and ok – I wouldn’t mind having another of those gorgeous tins).

Awww, Christmas is over ;) I am enjoying my last pot of this delightful orange pomander in a cup. Sweet, spiced, and always garners “Mmmm, what smells so good?” comments from far and wide. I enjoyed this so much. Thanks again, Kashyap!

My last puff! I so very enjoyed this tea. The molasses-y, rich flavor is outstanding, and I love that I can steep it again and again.

I’ve been trying to do some Cupboard Sanity Measures so I’m not going to replace this just yet even though I adore it. I’m trying to not do a tea order until my cupboard reaches 40 items (it’s at 54). Wish me will power!

Another great day of tea prep. 3 heaping perfect teaspoons + 500 mL water makes for a rich, nutty, hot chocolate (with a touch of coffee) like brew. Better than with my old set up! Maybe because I’m not used to it, my chemistry finds mate very invigorating. You should see all the work I did today!

I finally know how to make my tea taste how I like it with my new set up! 500 mL water, two perfect teaspoons of (most) tea. Today I am enjoying a pot of Gong Fu Black that is so wonderfully delicious and perfect. Grainy, roasty, rich. Slightly sweet. Again, I think it’s a little better than in the brewer mug! Yay! I’m glad I gave it some time and didn’t run out to buy something I did not really need.

There is nothing I like more on the weekends than making myself a pot of Ceylon tea and sitting on the sofa reading in the afternoon! I don’t know how it happened, but that “meh and boring” Ceylon profile now tastes “delightfully afternoonish!” and “classic!” to me! A little milk and sugar and I’m set. This one is bready and not lemony at all.

This tea has been my best friend this week. In the whirlwind of new student prep, orientation, transfer student day, and first day of the semester, I had absolutely no time to be careful with tea prep. I had one less thing to fuss over since I was using these sachets. Also, that bright bergamot and lemon (I know it’s grapefruit – I taste lemon!) flavor is so invigorating when tired and frazzled. I drank this every day but one! Love it.

I’ve had a Rough Tea Week. I’ve been so busy at work, and my good perfect reliable tea brewer is broken! I brought to work my lil Beehouse tea pot and one of my new glass cups to make tea. It seemed silly to buy a new tea brewer when I have this lovely little pot from Doulton which I don’t get to use nearly enough because I make large pots at home.

First day, I hated it. Fussy, wrong amount of water, wrong amount of tea, wrong wrong wrong (god forbid I stop a second and do a little math to figure out the ratios)! Each day, it got a little better. I’m still learning the quirks of my new set up, but FINALLY on Friday I made a delicious pot of Rose Congou. P-H-E-W. It was pastry-ish, rosy, and I swear it was sweeter than usual. I am really digging my glass cup, and seeing all the gorgeous, varied shades of each tea I brew. Rose Congou has a particularly beautiful reddish hue.

Look at me – I am embracing change :)