Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act III scene 8
Look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under it.
MacBeth, Act I scene 5
This tea is my Lady MacBeth. Part of my decision is due to some tea drama going on in my life. But we shall get to that.
The dry leaves made me think of a really old potpourri that’s almost done with being fragrant. It’s light and not unpleasant. Steeped, the fragrance is more pronounced with more of the pomegranate coming through. The first few sips were surprisingly good — a pleasantly light pomegranate green tea. Unfortunately, right after my first few sips I checked my email and saw that my Samovar order had been delivered, but not to me. I forgot all about my cup as I tried to figure out what the hell happened. I sent an email to Samovar and hope to hear back tomorrow.
When I remembered my tea I was in a foul mood and the cup was completely cold. There was a bitterness there in the cooled cup that hadn’t been there initially. I finished it still in a sour mood and steeped again. The second cup I drank hot. It was much better. I even steeped a third time, but now it seems a bit like soap (not bad enough for me to stop drinking it, mind you).
So I feel like this tea is getting the Lady MacBeth comparison because of my angry somewhat vengeful feelings at the moment. But also that it’s feminine and has many sides. There’s a bite beneath the flowery facade. Also, I can’t resist thinking of “Out, damned spot!” while drinking this somewhat soapy final steep. I shall try the second half of my sample when I’m in a better mood. But for now it’s NE.
