ShayneBear

Okay, yes, I DEFINITELY need to do a Red Leaf order as soon as I have some spare cash! (ugh, horses in Victoria, why you so expensive?!?!)

Got a very generous sample from the lovely CrowKettle during our tea swap last weekend, but saved it until this weekend when my BFF came home for Easter/her birthday (it’s Monday but since she has to head back to school that afternoon, we had tea and then went out for a group dinner at Red Robin with some of her other friends to celebrate early) so that we could share it and celebrate. So I made us each a latte!

First of all, I have to rave about a nifty little tool that I found deep in the pantry when we were ripping everything apart to get ready for new flooring. I should start off by saying that I’ve had a Bodum frother wand for a while now, but have never loved the foam it creates – the bubbles are big and the foam “flops” way too quickly, making the latte sipping experience kind of blah. But I found another neat tool, also by Bodum, that we have apparently had for a long time (but it was hiding so I didn’t know about it, apparently), and it’s AMAZING! It’s specifically for frothing milk, but it’s a glass caraffe with a black line on it, that you add milk up to that line, put on the lid (that has a plunger and filter mesh similar to a french press, just without the “cup” around the bottom edge, and the mesh seems a bit finer than that of my Bodum french press), pump the heck out of the plunger, pop the lid off, zap it in the microwave for a minute, then take it out, pump again, and it creates this amazingly fine, dense foam. I LOVE it!!! After it’s foamed to the point I want, there’s still enough liquid to make 2 lattes, so I add a dash of sweetener, hit it with the frothing wand to mix it in nicely without killing the foam, and then top off my lattes.

But back to the matcha. I dished out the matcha into my bowl (enough for two lattes), added about 1/3 of the water I’d eventually be using, and whisked away with my little bamboo whisk. I used to just throw the water and matcha into a cup and use the bodum wand, or throw them in a mason jar with the lid on and shake it up, but the bamboo whisk really does create a nicer texture and is worth the extra cost and effort for anyone interested in matcha. I was skeptical, but for someone with texture aversions, it’s really worth the investment/extra minute of time and effort.

every so often I’d add a bit more water, whisk some more, and then added the last bit of water, hit it with the bodum wand (so I didn’t whisk it over the edge of the bowl) and then dished it out between the two cups. My friend added her preferred amount of sweetener (she opted for my vanilla syrup) while I went unsweet, topped it off with the milk and foam, and sat down to enjoy! Now, 24 hours later, my room STILL smells like caramel matcha, and I love it, haha!

This is the smoothest (texturally) matcha I’ve had! I really like that there’s an initial “oh my god CARAMEL!”, then “wow, what a lovely green tea!” followed by a “My breath still tastes like caramel!” haha! Translated: While it’s definitely quite obviously caramel flavoured, it’s not so strong that it completely masks the lovely flavour of the matcha itself.

I’m really eager to do a Red Leaf matcha order as soon as I have the spare cash to do it, because I can see some of the fruity flavours being really good in smoothies, and some of the other richer flavours (including the caramel) being great for curbing my horrible sweet tooth!

Thanks again CrowKettle!!!

I got a 25g sample tin of the loose version from a friend when she went to England last month, along with 2 other tins of Whittards Original and English Breakfast.

Normally not one to reach for a straight assam (usually go for a ceylon or lapsang if I want a straight black, or I’ll go for a straight blend like an irish breakfast), it’s taken me a few days to get around to trying this one, but I’m glad I did!

Another CTC style leaf, I was careful with steeping. I used the “french press” setting on my Breville multi-temp kettle, and used 1tsp instead of my usual 1.5tsp in my giant perfect mug from DAVIDs. I ended up going for a 5 minute first steep because I didn’t hear my timer go off at the 3:30 mark, so expected this to be a bit bitter, but I was pleasantly surprised!

This is a lovely malty cup, with an almost chocolatey undertone. Lighter than the Assam Banaspaty from DAVIDs (the only other straight assam I’ve had), and sweeter. With the Banaspaty I usually add a dash of palm sugar or maple syrup, but the Whittards is perfect on its own.

This lovely English gift has inspired me to look for a Brown Betty style teapot, but I want a rainbow one!!! I really like the shape and curves of the Brown Betty, and they come in so many sizes. So if anyone finds a 6-8 cup rainbow teapot with a similar curvy shape to the traditional Brown Betty, let me know!!!!

50/50 blend of Lapsang Souchong and lemon myrtle, ground ultra fine with a bit of salt and sugar, used as a rub on a boneless/skinless chicken breast. Served with rice made with a 2-to-1 ratio of DAVIDs Sweet Ginger and Lapsang Souchong.

Tasted a LOT better than I expected. What a great dinner!!!

A friend just got back from a trip to England, and she brought me back some lovely tea. I got a sample pack of 3 tins with 25g each of Whittards English Breakfast, Assam, and this (Original Blend), A box of peppermint tea bags (a much sweeter peppermint than what I usually get, but lovely all the same), and a novel little set of tea bags with holders in the shape of characturized Royal Family (I believe containing basic black tea, I’m assuming so because I don’t see anything on the package, and I have yet to open it).

Having been “friend zoned” by a longtime love and then informed that another special person in my life is getting married (which came up very soon after she’d professed her love to me), all in the span of less than 12 hours, I’m feeling pretty broken hearted. So I figured I’d try one of my new teas in hopes of picking up the pieces.

As it’s a CTC style loose tea, I only used 1tsp of leaf in my 12ish oz cup, rather than the 1.5tsp I tend to use when it’s a whole leaf tea. I have a Breville multi-temp kettle, and tend to use the slightly cooler “french press” setting for my black teas, rather than rolling boiled water. I find the slightly lower temp brings out more of the sweetness of the leaf, and minimizes the astringency. That, and I can drink it sooner! haha

This really hits the spot. It’s bold, but still light enough to drink straight, the way I like it. The kenyan tea gives it a good robustness, but the Assam smooths it out and the Ceylon brings it all together with a light sweetness.
I did a short steep (about 1m30sec) the first time, worried I might make it too bitter, so I was able to get a second steep of equal length out of the leaf. I got a teeny bit of bitterness so added a pinch of palm sugar, and ohmygoodness, that hit the spot!

This is definitely what the doctor ordered on this drizzly, cold, blah day!

Tomorrow (Valentine’s day) marks the one year anniversary of me owning Java (Ceylon Star). Because I don’t know his actual birthday, I’m going to treat our anniversary as his birthday, so to celebrate, I’m making him a “birthday cake” mash out of a LOT of Birthday Cake rooibos, rolled oats, alfalfa pellets, “fibre max” (a horse feed comprised of beet pulp and soy hull pellets, which are then soaked before feeding to prevent choke), a little bit of sweet COB (molasses coated Corn/Oats/Barley), applesauce, and banana chips.

Happy Anniversary PonyPants! <3

Dear La La Lemon,
Why do I always overlook you? Your lovely rich black base, and vibrant citrus punch is SO refreshing, even hot on a cold day, and was just what the doctor ordered to end and awful week! Even the vaulting pony wanted to share you with me (but since you were merely a cup to go, I didn’t feel like sharing).
Please jump off the wall at me more often, so I remember to add you to my continuously growing collection!

Having an absolutely atrocious week. Between being attacked in a public bathroom for using what the person thought was the wrong one for me to be using (and then having security called to escort me off the premises for being a “pervert”, ugh), coming home to find one of my cats had passed away and her sister having completely lost her mind (that was Monday, it’s now Thursday and she STILL hasn’t touched her food or water…), followed by being blamed for the cat’s death, my dad leaving the province for work for the week so I don’t have anyone on my side, and then being too broke at the moment to afford to put enough gas in my car to go see my pony…ugh….Tea is my only comfort right now…

Once again, I found myself reaching for my tin of Butterfly Jasmine to console me. I wasn’t in the mood for the SweeTart profile of my usual Bear Trap, but didn’t feel like a full bodied black or pu’erh, and something about oolong didn’t appeal to me. So it came down to this, Sencha Ashikubo, Gyokuro, and my Japanese Sour Cherry green tea from Silk Road. For whatever reason the jasmine won.

It’s as beautiful as ever, lightly sweet, floral without being perfumey, and a lovely green base. I really do love it, but it’s not really doing what I’d hoped it would. sigh Back to moping around and hoping nothing else goes wrong I guess. At least I didn’t ruin my tea?

This is one of very few flavoured pu’erhs that I can throw a scoop of into the bottom of my travel mug, top with water, and let it go all day, topping up the water as it gets low.

I was really excited that it contains grapefruit, I LOVE grapefruit, but have few teas with it in them. It gives the tea a different citrus kick than the usual orange or lemon, and the extra tang really cuts through the earthy pu’erh to make the cup feel fresh. The cinnamon is subtle in the steeped cup, and intensifies with time.

I usually throw it in the bottom of my Timolino, fill with water, and then it takes about an hour with the top off to be able to drink it. So I’m going to write the following bit as if each steep is about an hour:

First: the grapefruit really shines in the first steep. It’s sweet but tangy, lightly spiced, with a really rich finish. It reminds me a bit of breakfast. Half a grapefruit with a cinnamon bun and cup of ceylon. I feel like the pu’erh is lighter than most in my collection, and tastes like a slightly earthy, slightly malty Ceylon, and I think that’s why I love it extra much.

Second: the grapefruit is still there, but milder, the pu’erh is a bit bolder, more earthy, more malty, more like my other pu’erh. The cinnamon really comes out in the second cup. Reminds me of Christmastime, and those oranges with the cloves poked into them. Really comforting cup!

Third and beyond: more of a cinnamon pu’erh, the citrus is almost gone by the third, and totally gone by the fourth. The pu’erh has softened again, and is back to feeling like a mild black. I like to add a splash of oat milk at this point, and it looks like chocolate milk in my cup! haha! I usually squeeze about 5 cups out if I start with the leaf in the bottom of my cup first thing in the morning.

If anyone is interested in a sample, I have LOTS (probably 250g right now) and since I work up the block from the shop, I can always go get more with very little effort, so I’m happy to send a couple cups’ worth :)

This is still my go-to “antidepressant” tea, at least when I can have caffeine (so before about 6pm), and this is definitely one of those times when I needed a cup of comfort with a bit of a “stop dragging my butt” boost without causing jitters.

Really not having a good time of things as far as aftermath of my coming out. Today was the first day I’ve been home when my family has been for more than a few minutes since coming home after giving them the letter, and there’s been nothing nice said to me. DAd’s out somewhere, and I’m stuck home with mom and my sister, and every half hour or so one of them comes down to my room to tear me a new one. So hot comfort was very much needed.

Out of the milk oolongs I’ve tried, this is my favourite. It’s the creamiest and sweetest, without being overwhelming. A soft floral note comes through, though I wouldn’t call it orchid as the description suggests. More like…magnolia, with a bit of honeysuckle thrown into the mix. It’s sweet, like whipped cream, and the light floral notes cut the sweetness just enough so that the flavour lingers without coating the tongue for hours on end.

Sipping it makes me feel like I’m being hugged by a long lost friend, or that I’m floating on a big fluffy cloud. It’s comforting, makes me smile, and makes the world seem a little less dark and evil. So really, it’s no wonder why I keep stocked up on it and always reach for it when I need that cup of compassion.

I’m having an awful day, mood-wise. Slept badly, had some pretty brutal nightmares, spent the better part of the morning feeling like a zombie. I needed a pick me up, but didn’t feel like something fruity or sweet, which meant I didn’t reach for my usual Bear Trap or Ceylon Star. Something made me pull down my tin of Butterfly Jasmine and the smell hit me immediately after opening the tin and I knew that was what I wanted.

Lightly yet boldly Jasminey, I get all the wonderful jasmine goodness without feeling like i’m drinking soap or perfume. The green tea itself is slightly sweet, which I think really accentuates the bright crispness of the jasmine.

I’m contemplating making matcha in some steeped butterfly jasmine when I finish this cup.

Tried this while at a friend’s house on a REALLY foggy day. We were originally going to go explore some caves in a provincial park near her place, but the fog was too thick to safely drive the 15 minutes to get there. So we made each other a cup of our favourite tea (I made her some milk oolong and she made me this)

WOW! I’m actually surprised I liked it so much! Not usually into cranberry, but something about the nuttiness of the red rooibos combined with the tart cranberry and sweet orange really worked for me. I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon on top and let it sit while it cooled, and it made me feel like it was Christmas all over again, especially with outside being so white (only with fog and not snow).

she didn’t like my oolong though and dumped it down the sink. It was tragic! I would’ve totally drank it for her!!

I have been having serious anxiety issues lately while writing my “coming out as transgender” letter to my family, and this is the only tea that has even remotely calmed my nerves.

The first time I bought it, I didn’t smell it or find out what was in it before buying a tin, all I cared about was the bear aspect. Well it turned out to be my favourite herbal blend!

It truly tastes like a bear hug in a cup. Sweet, tart, great hot or iced, and very “beary”! I love it plain, with one raw sugar cube, or a splash of maple syrup. Toss in some guayusa for an early morning kick too. I went through 100g in 5 days, and got another 200g today after running out of the house after giving my family the letter. Now at almost 1:30am I’m making another cup to help mellow out so I can sleep off this anxiety! I feel like my heart is going to burst from my chest or I’m going to shake right out of my skin!

This is my third cherry tea, the others being Teaopia’s Wild Cherry herbal tisane and Silk Road’s Japanese Sour Cherry green tea.

Unlike the Wild Cherry, Cherry potion has quite a tart bite to it, thanks to the hibiscus.

I actually like the hibiscus in this! It reminds me of Bear Trap, crisp and fruity, really refreshing both hot and iced. I can’t drink the Wild Cherry hot, it’s too sweet and too much like a ripe cherry, and something about hot cherries doesn’t sit right with me (can you tell I don’t like hot cherry pie? haha).

The Bai Mu Dan definitely takes a back seat in this one, but I’m not sure it’s entirely a bad thing. At the same time, I feel like this would go wonderfully with a green base, something nice and crisp to compliment the crispness of the cherry and hibiscus. I feel like the white base is too soft, too subtle, it needs something with more oomph, you know?

I had to toss some mini chocolate chips into my tin because I ate most of the chocolate chunks out of it…They’re like pieces of mini toblerone, and I LOVE toblerone!!!

I definitely prefer SN to Super Chocolate, I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon and green tea, and find Super Chocolate to bee too strong. I gave what I had of it to a friend who loves it.

As much as I like it, I feel like it would be better with an oolong base. I actually drink it exclusively blended with Spiced Carob/Dr Chocolate to get the oolong component I feel it’s missing. The sweetness of the coconut and vanilla balance out the bite of the cardamom in the Dr Chocolate, which in turn lets me enjoy it more as I’m not a huge fan of cardamom.

Because I really don’t drink it on its own, I don’t feel like it’s fair to give it a rating. It’s a great tea, but I kind of wish it would have been an oolong and replaced Dr Chocolate/Spiced Carob.

I treated myself to a beautiful blue matcha bowl, so sat down to “christen it” with a bowl of Matcha Matsu.

I have some really odd texture issues, so I don’t generally drink matcha unless it’s in a latte, but I wanted to have the first drink out of my new bowl be pure.

Hmm, the flavour is nice, but the way the matcha coats my mouth when I have it straight bothers me. I do a thin matcha for straight consumption, thicker when I intend to make a latte, but something about the latte (is it the milk? or the texture of the foam??) makes the feel of the matcha sticking to my mouth seem less offensive.

Barring the texture issues, it’s a really nice bright green tea. Crisp is probably the best word to describe it. I can’t think of anything to compare the flavour to, but it’s refreshing, totally different than my usual choices of buttery greens.

Not quite as high on my list of favourites as the Quangzhou Milk Oolong or Gyokuro Yamashiro, but definitely a close competitor!

I finally splurged on a tin of this after getting a $100 gift card for Christmas. In the same trip I also picked up an adorable glass gongfu tea pot. So I’ll give a quick recap of both my steeper-and-mug tasting and my gongfu session (as I finish off my last couple gongfu steeps)

First, my steeper-and-mug. I used the lowest setting on my new Breville Variable Temperature Kettle (not the tea maker, just the kettle). 175F. Because it’s such a delicate tea, and I wanted to do a decent steep (3m30sec) I didn’t want to go the next step up to 185F. It was a good call because I ended up over steeping a bit (almost 5 minutes), but it didn’t go off because of it. The beautiful vegetal notes came through first, followed by a slight butteriness, and finally finishing with a sweet alfalfa taste. I felt like I was sitting in Java’s stall, sharing it with him, inhaling his soft alfalfa-laced breath. It was a very comforting cup of tea!

Now, tonight, after a really negative dinner with my parents and sister, I shut myself in my room and pulled my sencha ashikubo off my shelf and sat down to do some gonfu steeps. I used a heaping Perfect Spoonful, and the second setting on my kettle (185F).

First steep: 30sec. bold vegetal qualities, like steamed asparagus? overwhelmingly vegetal, couldn’t pick up on the sweet butteriness I loved about my mug.

Second: 45 sec. Alfalfa and butter lettuce. Grassy, slightly less “steamed vegetables”. Sweet, like Java’s breath after he eats a handful of alfalfa pellets. Comforting!

Third: 1m20sec. PEAS! I actually had a bit of a flail over this one, it was just like eating buttery sweet peas at family dinners! This is possibly the best flavour profile I’ve gotten from this tea!

Fourth: Final steep. 3min. I had to run and pee, so it went a bit longer than originally intended, oops! Peas, but with a slight bitterness (without being astringent/drying), kind of like eating peas straight from the pod after they were on the plant for a little too long. You know, when they’re over ripe, kind of hard, and not as sweet as they were at peak ripeness? Still enjoyable though!

This is definitely the nicest sencha I’ve had. I generally prefer gyokuro or korean seyjak when I want a straight green, but this may be my go-to green for a while, at least until DT restocks the Gyokuro Yamashiro!

This gets a perfect score because not only is it delicious, it never fails to make me ridiculously happy! It’s like a cupful of rainbows and unicorns and glitter.

This is, by far, the “gayest” tea I’ve found, in both meanings of the word. Not only was the play it’s named after full of men dressed as faeries and the like (because at the time it was written, only men were allowed to be in theater), but it’s a cup of supercharged fruity/sweet/tangy/refreshing goodness that just makes me think of my very flamboyant buddy every time I smell it (and even more when I taste it). It also happens to be said friend’s favourite tea, which makes it more meaningful.

I find that the tartness and a slight creaminess are most prominent when it’s hot, but the cool and refreshing quality of the mint makes it an incredibly satisfying iced tea too, complimenting the lovely fruitiness and accentuating the sweetness of the blend.

I enjoy mixing in a bit of Guayusa for a supercharged morning cup of rainbows.

I think next year, I’ll throw a tea party during Pride week, and make Midsummer Nights Dream cocktails!

Oh. My. GAWD!!! YUM!

Being a HUGE fan of the Gyokuro Yamashiro (Gyokuro being one of my favourite greens) I was really wanting to try this one, but my local DTs didn’t get it in. Lucky for me, as a “congrats on being famous” gift, a lovely friend (and manager of my favourite store) gave me a generous sample of this from her own personal stash!

There’s still the freshness and buttery flavour that’s there with the green, but there’s also a nutty richness that made me melt after the first sip! The smell of the liquor reminds me of an aged oak wine barrel, with some almost grassy notes underneath to lighten it up.

I need more ASAP! This is, hands down, my favourite straight black now, actually beating Lapsang Souchong!

No notes yet.

When Teaopia was having their closing out sale during the Teavanna transfer, they had this on for 75%+ off, so I bought 1000g. Yes, you read that right, I bought an entire kilogram of milk oolong! Only cost me $40 and some change after taxes too!

I LOVE milk oolong, it’s the first thing I reach for when I need a cup of hot comfort. DAVIDs Quangzhou got me hooked, and I’m hoping to expand into others soon.

Now, I only have the Quangzhou to compare to, so take this with a grain of salt.

This seems like a greener, crisper oolong than the Quangzhou. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked it, as it gave the tea a more buttermilky taste as opposed to the sweet creaminess I grew to love in the quangzhou. That’s when I learned about rinsing the leaves before steeping, and that made a whole world of difference! The sourness was gone and I was left with a nice sweet cup of milk oolong goodness, though not quite as strongly flavoured as the quangzhou.

It almost reminds me of a milky tie guan yin, which I actually quite like, oddly enough.

What does Java think of it? Well, he’s a funny little brat. The first time I offered him an oolong, he flipped the bucket over! Offered him this and he sniffed it for a minute, and then looked at me. I added a bit of cold water to it, thinking it was just too hot for him, and the little stink stuck his nose in and blew bubbles! He did end up finishing it off, but for whatever reason THIS was the one he had to play with first. Silly pony <3

To celebrate Java’s feature in the DT newsletter, he got a very special mash made of oats, bran, applesauce, copious amounts of piping hot Ceylon Star, and alfalfa pellets to bind it all together. He hoovered it right down in no time! Spoiled pony m sure he appreciated the warm treat on this blustery day!

First off, I should say I LOVE ceylon! I also despise anything remotely licoricey. So with that in mind…

This is the perfect balance of sweet coconutty, chocolatey, creamy goodness, with just enough of the anise undertone to round it out. Fantastic as a latte too!

I’ve been struggling for weeks now to keep this tea a secret, because the wonderful folks at head office sent me an incredibly generous sample after I sent in an email asking for their input for a tea-related show name for my pony, Java. Well, Java grew quite the fan club at DT HQ, and among the name suggestions was “Ceylon Star”. I really liked it, and it suits him, because he is very sweet but still has a sassy edge to him, he has a big white star on his forehead, and we both enjoy a nice cup of ceylon. So the lovely folks at head office sent us some of this “secret tea” to try, and both Java and I fell in love! Thus, “Ceylon Star”, the pony, was born! haha!

Now DT just needs to release some more ceylon ;)

This is the first green pu’erh I’ve tried, and I’m not sure if I burned the leaves, or if green pu’erh is just meant to be more astringent than black, but it’s got a bitter, sour tang to it, that’s not there in the black tuocha.

That being said, I still quite like it. I’m still on the first steep, and have laid the leaves out on a paper towel lined plate to save for more steeps later when I have more time, but it’s a comforting cup of tea, perfectly matched to the crispness of the weather.

I really enjoy the convenience of shaped pu’ehr, the tuocha are individually wrapped in tissue paper, inside the tin, so it’s easy to grab one tuocha, toss it in my tea-on-the-run kit, and then I can toss it in my cup anytime I want it, no separate bags/containers needed!

I’m going to look around for other green pu’erhs to try, and would love suggestions!

I LOVE jasmine teas, so when a jasmine black tea was released, I jumped on it!

The black base is rich and slightly sweet and creamy, and the jasmine makes its presence known without tasting like a punch in the teeth. One or two pearls makes a great light cup, two or three for a stronger or larger mug.