JacquelineM

Each time I come here to write a tasting note, something pulls me away. Home is busy, work is busy, school is busy! This is my third attempt to write a tasting note today :)

Thankfully there are teas like this one to get me through crazy busy times. I don’t know what they put in this tea, but it makes me so cheerful! It’s perfectly bergamot-y and perfectly good-tea-ish. I love that it’s bold enough to drink in the morning, but fine enough to not need a grain of sugar. I have relied on it several times in the past week.

Love!

Finally tried this one with milk and sugar! Ahhhhh, that’s better :) A scant 4 minutes makes for a gutsy and caramel-icious cup. A very nice change of pace from all of the malty Indian tea I’ve been having with milk and sugar. Yum. This one rivals coffee in vim-and-vigor inducing properties.

I was d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g today after my restless night. An afternoon tea with some power was required. The crisp weather had me craving one of my milk and sugar favorites, Mountain Malt! So hefty, malty, and flavorful. I taste a slight…lemony character to it, too. I don’t think I noticed that before. Truly delicious, and truly fortifying. I was able to do all of my homework after my cup!

This chance combination: Vanilla Comoro by Harney and Sons, and Chocolate Almond by Talbott Teas.

I was so tired from a long week at work that I thought I could use a wee bit of caffeine even though it was evening. As I was preparing this pot, one teaspoon of the tea decaffeinated, one with caffeine, I had a deja vu. “Didn’t I do this before? And wasn’t I restless the entire night because of it?” flashed through my brain as the tea steeped. Ah, no turning back now!

The result was as I expected. A delicious, nutty, chocolatey vanillaish dessert tea…that kept me tossing and turning all night. Oy oy oy I will NEVER learn! No matter how tired I am, I will not sleep at night if I have real tea this late – even just a little!

Many thanks to Teavivre for this tea!

I decided to brew this one for minute, then increase a minute on each steep.

The leaves are very green, and very pretty. When I removed my brewing basket after my first steep the leaves were practically glowing :)

This is a very, very, very green oolong. It is almost like a green tea to me. A little more vegetal than some others I have tasted on this first steep, although it does retain that…Tie Guan Yin-ness! Interestingly enough, I’m really enjoying it despite the idea I have in my head that “I don’t like green tea.”

(I am now beginning to think it’s not that I don’t like green tea, but that I LIKE CAFFEINE and green tea has less. I don’t get the fiendish jolt from greener teas. Maybe that’s a good thing?!)

The leaves have unfurled even more on the second steep. They’re huge! The taste is a little less green, but more round and buttery and Mmmmmmm! The delicacy remains.

I’m really enjoying this, and am looking forward to at least two more steeps! Maybe I’m ready for a little “bump” in my horizon widening :)

This morning I decided that I absolutely, positively had to have Queen Catherine with a Toasted Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese. There could be no substitutes. Nothing else would do.

Of course we had a crazy fog morning which delayed the train, then there’s the construction going on in the station delaying everything even more. It seemed that everywhere that a Toasted Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese could be procured had a line from Here to Eternity, but I could not be stopped. I was a full half hour late to work because I had, had, had to have a Toasted Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese along with Queen Catherine today!

Readers, I have just finished my Toasted Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese along with my first steep of Queen Catherine and IT WAS WORTH IT! I don’t know anything that pairs so wonderfully! The slightly smoky, bracing Queen with the garlicy, oniony Circle of Heaven and that creamy Spread of Delight playing off both?

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

On to another steep of the Queen. I only wish I had another bagel!

Many thanks to Teavivre for this generous sample!

Oh, this one is fantastic! Gentle, golden, BRIGHT sweet potatoes! I’ve had only one other of this type of tea, and in comparison, this has a bit of…orange? to it. Sort of like you put a touch of orange juice in your baked sweet potatoes? And let me also emphasize the word baked. There is definitely some sort of delicious crust to this ;) This is one special unflavored, delicious exactly as nature produced it tea!!!!

I have to also add that the leaves are so fluffy and gorgeous! They smell so wonderful, too.

Rumor has it that this is an excellent resteeper, and what good timing – I am in the mood for steep after steep today! Off to make some more water :) This is GREAT!

Mmmmmm! This is a great example of a Gong Fu Black tea! Roasty cocoa, sweet and very even-keeled. Maybe even a little fruity on the end of the sip. It is extremely flavorful but does not feel strong – so nice and easy to drink. Not a bit of bitterness or astringency. Smooth as can be! I adore it!

I also love the little packets :)

Thank you Teavivre for this generous sample! It’s FANTASTIC!!

Mmmm! This was even better than I remembered! Sweet and fruity (ah, now I recall that I thought it tasted of cranberries! It does!) but a wonderful depth. A perfect cold weather tea. I am warmed to the bones after a cup of this with a little milk and sugar! Fantastic!

(It was an A&D weekend! Yesterday was Thomas Sampson as our afternoon tea.)

I’m really glad to have this in my cupboard as the holiday season approaches. I remember thinking last year, when I got it after the holidays were over, that it was an excellent tea to have as we anticipate Thanksgiving all the way through the New Year. Now I can enjoy it for a nice long span (well, as long as it lasts being limited edition!).

Not only is this an insanely delicious roasty chocolatey complex cuppa, but it is soooo good mixed with a little of Upton’s Rose Congou on the subsequent steeps. It’s like you get your powerful good morning cups in, then you can be a bit froofy (just a bit!) for the rest of the day. The subtle rose and pastry notes mingling with the earthy chocolate and good tea? My idea of heaven.

My coworkers gave me a gift certificate to T bar for my birthday back in July, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t made the walk over to use it! I read that T bar is closing its doors next week in order to solely have an online business, so I thought the time to pick out a few things was NOW.

This was one of my selections. It really does taste like a creamsicle, or orange sherbert, with the addition of a little sugar and a splash of milk. Delightful evening tisane. We slurped up our cups in record time! I’m so glad I tried this one. I originally wanted the caramel rooibos but they were sold out. I am no longer disappointed because this is really nice.

I thought this would be another good season spanner – and I haven’t had it in ages!!!!

I really like the mixture of vanilla and jasmine in this, but I had a bit of brain forgetfulness and blanked out that this has some green tea in it. I made it at 200 degrees and had a little bitterness. I also would have preferred it with a little sugar.

On my second steep, I added some Rosy Earl Grey which also has jasmine, and brewed it at 195 and was much happier :) More natural sweetness, and less bitterness. As a matter of fact, I think this might be a great way to change Rosy up a little! A pinch of Rosy and a pinch of Vanilla Jasmine will be a nice change of pace now and again!

P.S. I haven’t made a jasmine tea in so long. I hope not to repeat that mistake. I love jasmine tea and have MISSED it!!!! I have that swoony OMG THIS IS SO GOOD feeling when I taste it!! :)

Oh, woeful Monday. You are hard. I needed something sweet and delicious and powerful to coax me out of my blissful weekend cocoon (what, you don’t sometimes stay in your pajamas hibernating and reading and knitting the entire weekend?). During my train ride all I could think about was making a cup of Hot Cinnamon Spice as soon as I got to the office…and then another…and then another! I now have 3 cups of Spicy Fireball Goodness in me, and can deal with The World!

My usual stovetop chai, with a small but delicious addition. I used almond milk for part of the milk! It gave a slightly nutty (yum!) flavor, and the chai itself seemed a little thicker, which was really nice and very dessert-like! We usually have almond milk on hand for our cereal and oatmeal, so I’m going to make it like this from now on.

This tisane, to which I added some cut vanilla bean, is an extremely satisfying tea substitute for the evenings. I fixed it with milk and sugar and it felt very much like I was drinking black tea! The vanilla is present but understated, and very natural and delicious tasting. Although I haven’t logged this one much, I am almost out of the 4 oz I purchased in the spring! I will repurchase this in a heartbeat, and cut vanilla bean into it just like I did for this batch.

Another yummy season spanner! I can have my spring/summer Earl, and some fall/winter vanilla in one shot. The vanilla is a bit trashy, the tea base isn’t the best, but I still can appreciate it for what it is.

(The cornflowers, though, are lovely. I smile every time I see that brilliant shock of blue against the dark tea leaves when I open this tin.)

I’ve decided not to replace this one. I’m going to try cutting a vanilla bean into one of my really good Earls instead when this is done. But gosh darn it, I enjoy slumming with this tea every now and again! ;)

This tea was a breath of fresh air today! I love my daily drinkers, but sometimes you want something different, you know?

This gem perfectly spans the seasons. Good black tea, with fruit and fig! I put in a little half teaspoon of sugar and was delighted with the results. An almost jammy or marmalade-y burst of sweetness, then good tea, and the undertones of the fig. Glorious!

This is all the sweeter for being a sample from Dinosara. It was almost better to have this little amount to savor. I’m sad that it’s now gone, but I enjoyed every tea leaf. Thank you Dinosara!

My go-to rooibos when I’m having an attack of “I need something sweet and delicious” in the evenings :) Made like a traditional tea with a little milk and sugar, it is very satisfying when your sweet tooth is acting up, and you don’t want any caffeine. The antioxidants don’t hurt, either ;)

Today is rainy and a bit muggy. My tastes did a complete 360 and now I’m craving Earl Grey! I decided to pull this one out since I haven’t had it hot for quite awhile (it was my go-to iced Earl of the summer!)!

Good choice! The pleasantly piquant and pithy citrus flavor was exactly what I was in the mood for. I have a ton of serious writing to do today for work, and this Earl is setting the tone for Getting! Things! Done! That tiny bit of sour on the end of the sip makes me feel very serious and in command.

I have another Earl in my possession that I am crazy for, but I think there is room for two Earls in my life (!). My sweetie pie Earl, and this one. He is a little sour but I love him for it!

A good morning: working hard and enjoying three steeps of Hot Cinnamon Spice. One of my magic teas that always improves my mood. It’s so flavorful and sweet sans additions. I hope to always have it in my cupboard in the fall and winter!!! I am noticing that the way I drink this a ton in fall and winter, I drink Earl Grey a ton in spring and summer. Interesting!

Loving the wild, tall, dark, handsome brother of Golden Snail this morning. Unsweetened cocoa and good tea. Complexity. Perhaps we should nickname this tea Heathcliff! ;)

My cup of herbal apple pie :) I always say that I am not going to buy another tin of this, but when I get near to the end (as I am right now) I always change my mind. I find this tisane very unique and delicious. Apple-y and delightfully vanilla-y and good as is, or with a little honey (also lovely with milk, but I think I like it best with just honey). It also pairs amazingly with a good book. Right now I’m reading Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus and I can’t. put. it. down.

YUMMMMMMM! I needed a nice treat today, so I got out my current favorite plain black tea! So smooth and rich, and I simply adore that earthy cocoa flavor on the end of the sip. Little tea miracle! I love you!!!!!

I had a serviceable cup of my China Black blend before running to a meeting, with the idea in my head that I would run back to my office afterward and add a teaspoon of Rose Congou leaves to my brewing basket. And horray! I am back and enjoying my lovely, lovely Rose Congou. Sweet but not too, rosy but not too, and what a great tea base. This tea is always a source of delight for me. <3