Mercuryhime

Got husband to have gaiwan session with me this morning. :) That means I didn’t have to imbibe all that caffeine by myself. Which means I can have more other teas. :D so we followed the directions on teavivre’s website. Worked well! He even poured a few steepings. :)

The tea developed beautifully. Husband’s comments were great. He said they were like burnt flowers. Which I translated to understand as smokey and floral. Haha. I thought it was smoked prunes. Tasty. But a bit savory. Like a balanced meal.

Thank you Yssah for including this sample with the Pear White from Ovation you ordered for us. :) I really like the little baggie it came in. It’s the perfect size for a sample of tea. :)

The smell is quite appealing, but I don’t know if I’d describe it as blueberries and cream. It is vaguely desserty. Tastes more like rock sugar than anything else. The tea base is quite good though. I forgot about the tea for a good 15 minutes while it steeped. No bitterness or astringency to speak of.

Bright fresh bergamot. No astringency in the otherwise nondescript tea base. Definitely a step up from dusty bitter tea bags. I can drink this without additions. Which is rare for EGs but I’ve only had them bagged before now. I actually had a packet of sugar ready just in case, but it was unnecessary. :) this is the one with a Ceylon base. I’m eager to try my sample made with a Chinese black as that is supposedly more authentic. Would be fun to set up shot glasses of all the EG samples I got and try them all back to back. No time for that at the moment though. :(

Good cup in for the morning. The bright bergamot awakens your senses and the caffeine here is gently injected into your system.

No notes yet.

Tasty and caramely and toasted-ricey. All together it tastes like caramel popcorn. All good good things. :) This is a very balanced tea with a slightly decadent and very comforting profile. I could certainly use more teas like this!

Tasty tea! It reminds me of the flavoring used for DT’s Chocolate Orange only this is used subtly so that the tea base can work with the bright citrus and creamy decadent chocolate. :) I would say the chocolate doesn’t taste all that authentic, but it is not unbearably fake. I am a bit of a chocolate snob so it might just be me. :)

Steep tea has a bit or orange rind flavor (nice and authentic here) and still a bit or creamy chocolate, but mostly it just tastes like tea. And not a bad black tea base either. :) Worth a second steep.

Thank you for the sample!

Yum! The smell! Wow! Smells more like butterscotch than caramel but I’m not complaining. And the spice! Frank has a way with spicing.

Definitely taste pumpkin and caramel. Love the nutmeg here. It’s an under appreciated spice. Tried it with a touch of cream and sugar but I like it much better plain. Cream hides the flavors. Might be okay with just sugar? Will try next time.

Second steep has little flavoring. Tastes just like a plain black with a hint of spice. Not a bad black base. :) I’m glad I took a chance on this one.

Hmm looks like I already rated thus one. I completely forgot I had it before. Doh! That means I have two sample pouches of this open. My brain is clearly on its way to dementia.

Well it’s worth reviewing against I seem to like this tea a lot more today. It is indeed fragrant. It tastes like a sweet potato roasted over a fire. Sweet and toasty and delicious.

The first time I had this tea, I had gotten it in a swap. I think it was from Kittenna. I remember being really impressed with how juicy sweet the strawberry flavor was, and now bakery smelling the vanilla and cinnamon made the whole thing. I finally got my own pouch of this and it tastes just as good as the first time I had this. Summery strawberries are so yummy. Can’t wait for berry season to come back! And the cinnamony bakey flavor makes me think of brown sugar cinnamon biscuits…which I haven’t heard of until I just imagined it right this second. They will exist in my tummy in the near future. :) Oh! Wait! Strawberry shortcake on a brown sugar cinnamon biscuit! I am a genius!! And this tea is my muse. :) Now I really can’t wait for berry season. :)

EDIT: This tastes better cool. I suspect that it’s because the honeybush flavor subsides and lets the flavoring through. So much more juicy strawberry… mmmm. :)

I was so excited when my 52 Teas package arrived! Yay! Tea! The best thing about being home on is getting the tea the moment it lands in your mailbox. And then brewing a cup of new tea right away! Perfect timing since I was feeling cold from walking my doggies in the snow. They were not pleased. They look absolutely adorable in their jackets though. :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23283174@N00/8456031767/

So since I’ve been wanting this particular tea the longest, I ripped it open and dreamt of sweet malty chocolatey tea while it brewed. Unfortunately, what it really tastes like is a vaguely sweet pure honeybush. If I didn’t see the cocoa nibs in there myself, I wouldn’t believe there was any chocolate in there at all. Where’s the malt? Where’s the chocolate?! So much disappointment. :( I’ve read some people saying that a newly flavored tea needs a few weeks to begin tasting the way it’s supposed to. But even if there seems to be no flavor whatsoever? So many good reviews for this tea from the past too… I guess I can only wait a few weeks and try again. I’ll hold off rating until then.

I don’t think my sample of this was from 2011 as the name suggests. I suspect this is from 2012, but I didn’t see one for 2012 so I’ll just stick this note here.

Snow storm Nemo has allowed me the opportunity to work from home today. That means pajamas and quality tea. I’m doing this one in my gaiwan, which I’m doing better with, but I need to work on amount of tea. I used way too much this time. But this still tastes lovely once I dilute what comes out with a bit of hot water. Not really focusing on this tea, which is a shame since it’s so wonderful, but I have to use my brain for working today. :) I thought I get this one sipped down since it’s getting on in age, which is not so good for a green oolong. :)

I’m glad I’m home. Snow storms are so much nicer when you’re watching from your window with a hot cup of tea. I’m just worried about getting home to my family tomorrow for Chinese New Year. sad.

Boring tea log tonight. My tummy is going through all sorts of chaos today. I don’t even want to put dinner in there. ugh. Mint is supposed to be good for tummies, so I busted this out. It tastes kinda funky today. Not sure if it’s the kettle. I’m on the market for a glass one.

Anyways, classic spearmint. sweet and fresh. Couldn’t ask for anything more.

I wonder if ginger would work for me or if it’s only good for nausea? I’ll try that next if this spearmint fails me. :(

Said to husband, “I’m about to start quiet tea time…don’t bother me!” Using my gaiwan today. I haven’t quite mastered it, but this tea’s reputation seems to call for something special.

Dry smell: bark, sweet buttery cream, coconut mochi, spice, light cocoa. It smells like dessert.

I love how the dusting of the brown tea fuzz makes everything look like it’s been covered in cocoa.

Steep 1: Hot water hits the leaves. Wow. Such a luscious sweet aroma. The taste is sweet creamy cocoa. Smooth and refined, yet dark and reminiscent of wilderness. Thick mouthfeel. I keep sniffing my cup. It’s fantastic. Non-tea scented air is so plebeian.

Steep 2: Hmm, darker. There’s some spice here…like roots. Still sweet and cocoa-y, but also more savory somehow. Mouthfeel is still brothy, but the moment the liquid moves past my tongue, I feel the effects of astringency. Liking steep #1 more so far. I probably went too long with this steep though. Let’s try again.

Steep 3: Oh my. The caffeine is kicking in. This is why I can’t do gong fu tea more often. Or if only I could convince husband to have tea with me. But the tea! mmmm… this steep is good. not so astringent as the last one. Dark and tastes like bark. Sweet cream and vanilla. Smells like ancient forest.

Steep 4: Last one till later. Something floral now. I’m terrible at recognizing floral scents and flavor except for jasmine and rose. And this is neither. More vanilla and dark spice.

This is a heavy rich tea. Nothing like the light springy green oolongs that i adore. Yet, I still enjoyed this thoroughly. More steeps to come, but my belly feels sloshy. I got a 4oz gaiwan, which produces about a quarter cup of liquid after allowing for the tea leaves and water absorption, but I’m still wishing I had a smaller gaiwan. They don’t seem to come much smaller than this.

Anyway, I’m feeling all warm and alive. Somehow relaxed yet alert. Lovely.

EDIT Here are my lovely tea companions (not imbibing)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23283174@N00/8438839204/

EDIT #2

Steep 5: Did not record this one while drinking. It was starting to develop that flavor tea gets if the wet leaves stay out too long. But the flavor of the tea underneath is still good. A bit weak, but I will blame that on my steeping time.

Steep 6: Reminds me to dark rye bread. It is a strong tea but the flavors are becoming more subtle now. There is bitterness in the swallow. Almost unpleasant.

Though I had originally wanted a ceramic gaiwan, I must say that this glass one has its charms.

Steep 7: This is, again, light. Reminds me of watered down barley tea. Or toasted rice porridge, which my grandpa was very fond of. This next steep shall be left to develop.

Does anyone else get super thirsty from gong fu sessions? I think I’ve chugged like 2 tall glasses of water since I started this late morning.

This is a beautiful tea. The colors! The lovely sweet floral aroma! It’s a tea for fairies! I love the pinkish tint in the brew. Possibly from the goji berries? The final brew is jasminey and nectary. There’s the herbal flavor of the flower petals. A smooth and subtle tea for sure. It reminds me a bit of a concoction my mom makes for me when I am sick. Chrysanthemum, goji berries, dates and honey. Good for chest colds, I’m told. This version from Verdant is more sophisticated of course. It leaves you tasting your cup over and over trying to figure out the nuances.

On an unrelated note, started watching Downton Abbey. I’m finding it both fascinating and frustrating. I usually hate shows about social politics. Why can’t we all just get along? There are enough lovable characters to keep me watching though. For now. If it gets too much more frustrating, I’ll have to stop. Can’t wait for Sherlock to come back!

No notes yet.

I got some of this from TeaEqualsBliss a long while back. It was such a generous package I’m still trying to finish it up. :) This one was intimidating for me. Chilli cherry rooibos? How crazy is that? I don’t even like cherry flavored things. They either taste like chapstick or cough syrup. Usually. But I’m pretty low and non-caffeinated teas so I thought I’d finally brave this tea.

Gotta say, I’m not too happy with this. I enjoy spicy foods and chili, but I don’t like it in this. Plus the cherry tastes like chapstick. The is pretty pleasing for a rooibos. It’s a nice smooth base for taking on flavors. I’m going to try and finish this mug, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to. I just don’t want my tea to be so spicy…

This was a tea I had bought during the black Friday sales. I left it vacuum packed in a box under my desk since my usual cupboard didn’t have room for more tea at the moment. I vowed that I wouldn’t open new packages of tea (except samples :p) until I made more room. Well, my dogs had other ideas.
Husband and I went out to dinner with friends and came home to find a pair of furry escapees waiting for us at the door and a pile of vomited tea leaves. They found the tea under my desk and chose this one to rip open and gorge on until sick. Genius. I’ve got to say though, best smelling pile of vomit ever. So floral and sweet smelling. Too gross? haha

Thankfully, pup was fine, and I got to have some new tea. Weee! While this is a very tasty oolong, I wouldn’t say it’s particularly honey tasting. Very creamy and milky. Nectary stone fruits. Fresh and green and summery. Delicious. Subsequent steeps are vegetal like steamed greens. Still smooth and milky. Not much honey. Am I missing something? Maybe I should try again when I haven’t just had banana spice waffles for breakfast.

Had a rather caffeinated black this morning so some green bancha should be a nice mild way to start the afternoon. I got tea bags of theses in the happy bag. First whiff was very scary for me. I detected pineapple and then a strong scent of the dreaded cherry cough syrup. Eek! Well, let’s be brave and try it anyhow…

The liquor is a bright green which leads me to suspect matcha. The taste confirms it. I get a bit of herbal quality from the flowers and a nice mix of fruits. Pineapple and papaya? Not sure. Tea base is a bit grassy. Bancha is not really my favorite but the flavor is pleasant if vague. no cough syrup taste! :)

Also, I’m sure the tea is pretty to look at but it’s hard to appreciate through the bag. :(

Overall, I don’t like this too much but it’s pleasant enough that I wouldn’t feel bad trying to foist this on someone else. Maybe it’s just not my thing.

I’ve been feeling headachy all week. I figured it was all the pressure I was under at work. This morning I felt worse than ever. Pounding headache and nausea. Ugh. Thankfully, I had a nub of fresh ginger in my fridge. Husband offered to help but kitchen activities leave him nearly frantic with flailing helplessness. After watching him fumbling about for a bit, I stepped it and made the drink myself. (He’s a sweetie who does the taxes, computer stuff, and saves me from spiders, but food prep is a mystery to him. Cute. :))

Grated a bit of ginger into my infuser and steeped in boiling water for about 7 mins. Dollop of honey and you’re good to go. It’s a very tasty and energizing drink. I love the warmth and spicy burn of ginger tea. It always feels like liquid health. Delicious too. One large mugful made my nausea practically disappear. Halfway through my second round of this and I’m feeling up to making pickles! Daikon pickles! Can’t wait till tomorrow when I can eat them!

Tasty! I’m quite enjoying this. I think the flavors are strong enough that I don’t notice the rooibos too much. I’m noticing that most of the not so good reviews for this are because people just don’t like rooibos at all. If you do like rooibos and berries though, you’d love this tea. Even I, neutral to meh about rooibos, enjoy this tea.

This is the bagged variety that arrived in a sample form with my order. So just poured boiling water over it and let it steep while I ate my dinner. No oversteeping issues here. None of the sour woodsy flavor I dislike. The berry flavor here is like berry syrup. I think I’m detecting blueberry and strawberry in here. Blueberry strawberry syrup. Mmmm…makes me long for summer.

This tea totally confuses me. I had gone into David’s for a bit of xmas shopping a couple weeks ago and asked the person helping me to recommend something non-caffeinated. He offered me this. I sniffed it and thought it smelled totally minty. I was informed that there’s no mint in this. No way! It’s so menthol-y! whyy? It also smells very blueberry and lavender. So I got half an ounce (actually .6 ounce since that’s the lowest the scale would go) to try at home and solve the mystery.

I’m sniffing this tea again pre-brew. Still seems very menthol-y. Does lavender have menthol in it? Anyway, the blueberry is nice and jammy. I’m not really liking the lavender. It reminds me of the super old dusty tasting herbs my husband refuses to let me throw away. Well I’m not using them, and he doesn’t cook so they’ll just dustier. I’ll toss it all one day… Anyway, I love the smell of lavender, but I’m just not a fan of eating it. Alas. I wonder if husband would like this?

Marco Polo! I’ve been wanting to try this for ever so long! Well, kinda. Back then, I didn’t really like black tea much. So while I found Marco Polo intriguing with all the stellar reviews, I wasn’t really motivated to try it. These days, I find myself craving black teas quite often, though usually chinese blacks. I’m not sure about the source of the tea in this blend, but it tastes Chinese to me. It’s satisfyingly dark and rich without being too strong. There’s a lot of smooth vanilla and berry syrup flavors. Tasty! Not tasty enough to be worth $24 for a box of 30 tea bags… but tasty! Thankfully I acquired this box of tea with a Dean & Deluca gift card I got for Christmas. I would never buy it with my own money at that price. Crazy! Too bad they didn’t have this tea loose. I rather like their tins.

I had a great New Year’s Eve with my friends last night. It’s when we do our Secret Santa style gift exchange. I have awesome friends who gave me awesome gifts. We stayed up way too late. So I’m still groggy right now, but I did manage to haul myself out of bed at around 11am and started using my awesome gifts. :) Feta and olive waffles on my new waffle iron! Yay! Husband was simultaneously please and disappointed because they were tasty but not meant for maple syrup. haha What can I say? I prefer a savory breakfast.

So after my tasty waffles, I got pretty thirsty and started thinking about what tea to drink. I got a sample of this from TeaEqualsBliss, like, forever ago, and I was in the mood for a green oolong. So here we go!

I love the floral hit in the first steep of pretty much every green oolong. Then in the after taste, you can start appreciating the other flavors. I’m getting apple skin and peach. Lovely creamy texture. I’m also getting the coconutty milkiness other people are talking about. I’ve never had a green oolong with the particular natural flavor.

Steep two was like cooked buttered greens. Still floral. Such a nice oolong! Judging from Tea’s notes, I’d say this oolong is at least 2 years old. It’s aging quite well! I can only imagine how it must have tasted when fresh. :)

Thank you for allowing me to try this!

Also, Happy New Year to all!

I was mostly interested in this tea because people have been saying that the tea shimmers. whaaa? That’s crazy awesome! So I picked up half an ounce to try. I brewed it up at a oolongish temp for 4 minutes. I looked for the shimmer, but it was very subtle if there at all. But then again, I only had one or two gold balls in my tea. Not too many of them in my pouch overall. :( But that taste was quite nice. I found the flavoring to be a bit heavy handed on the vanilla. It was sort of like a vanilla spice cookie. I would have preferred for the tea to shine a bit more, but from what I could taste, it was a very nice toasty malty black. Perfectly balanced between refreshing and dark. I enjoyed two infusions. The second one was less flavor and more tea. To be honest, I think the level of flavoring in the second steep is definitely better.

I enjoyed it!