SimplyJenW

My morning tea. Good stuff. Brewed in my jumbo mug, but next time a small teapot.

I finally decided it was time for a smaller teapot. My current one is 45 oz, which is perfect for tea for many, or traditional brewing of tea for iced (it is about the same volume as my favorite glass pitcher). Next week, my lime For Life 24 oz pot should be here. I went with the For life rather than the Chatsford because the infuser is all stainless, and parts of the infuser on the Chatsford are plastic. Can’t wait!

I really have to start tackling my sample bin. There are an incredible amount of generous people here in our Steepster community, and such a wealth of information. I love it here, and you all are what make it so great!

I was looking for a Sawadee Tea House black for the morning, and I really wanted to do a trial run of the cute tea cup Uniquity sent as a gift with our awesome US/Canadian swap. One thing I really love about getting items from Sawadee Tea House…I believe it is in Halifax, NS. I have been to Halifax once in my life, and I was on my honeymoon almost 17 years ago. Thus, it holds a special place in my memory.

The Peach Apricot tea is good. Light on the peach, but you can definitely detect the apricot, too. The black base is pretty straightforward, and nothing complicated, but it works.

I brewed it up in my red For Life teapot, and am using the little coi cup, which is a handle-less cup of about 6 ounces. I am used to a jumbo mug with a handle, so you could say I am kind of clunky with such a small, delicate cup, but I am working on it! One of the coi on the front is red, too, so it even matches (if you are into that kind of thing like me!) First mistake…I filled the cup too full and then it got too hot to hold. The next fill, I left a little space at the top for holding. I think the cup is probably better suited to oolong, white, or green….something brewed at a lower temp. I also like that the smaller cup encourages me to sip and enjoy, rather than chug! :D Maybe there is hope for this clunky tea drinker to learn some refinement!

Since I do like this one iced, I tried it as a cold brew. It was a dump out. I think I like black tea brewed traditionally for iced tea. I miss that strong black tea malteyness. As a cold brew, this one just tasted like the lychees the tea was scented with, and not in a good way. Ick..kind of like drinking perfume. I even upped the tsp to 8 in 40 oz. water.

Adieu, Paris! (This is the last cup of Paris in my cupboard.) Since I have found a new friend in Tower of London, it is unlikly that you will grace my tea cupboard again anytime soon. It was great while it lasted, though! I will always think of you fondly, as you were the tea that led me to try out Harney & Son’s.

I got a generous sample of this tea from Jillian just before the Canada Post strike. Thank you, tea gods! (And Jillian, of course!) I am sorry that I don’t know exactly what zabaglione tastes like, but I get a little creamy, vanilla, rumishness along with the strawberry in this tea. Very good!

You know you have become a true tea drinker when………

…you are sitting on the porch in 80 degree weather drinking hot Earl Grey Supreme. And you are usually hot in this kind of weather. Still, this is a nice relaxing cup, and it is now on my shopping list for the next order to Harney’s, even though I have about an once and a half left. Resteep at 6 minutes.

How did you know you had become a true tea drinker?

I have a tin of this to use up. So, of course I made this into iced tea. Cold brewed overnight. 4 teabags in about 40 oz of water (I do like my iced teas light.) I am really surprised with this one. I was expecting the green tea to be very present, but I mostly get the goji and raspberry. Very refreshing after working out on the patio, weeding and cleaning out the grill in preparation for many meals cooked outside this summer…starting with halibut tonight!

Cold brewed, this makes an awesome iced tea! Who knew?

5 tsp. cold brewed overnight in about 40 oz. water. (I have a brew basket with a lid that closes from my Trudeau Tea-mendous Travel Mug…it is perfect for overnight brewing!) The resulting brew has a light bite at first, but then a smooth vanilla finish. I must say I am totally pleased with this!

The last tea from my recent Harney order. As far as Earl Grey goes, this is a good one. Very enjoyable. I have discovered that I am getting to the point where I can appreciate a good base in my tea, and this one is no exception. The bergamot is not overpowering, and is rather relaxing. Definitely a repurchase when my 2 oz. are gone.

Yayyy! My first taste of Tower of London loose leaf. Thank you to the Harney Millerton Shop for getting this in stock for me, so I did not have to buy a whole pound!

Berry and honey notes with a rich black tea base. What more could I ask for? I definitely like the loose over the sachets. Not as convenient, but I like having control over the amount of leaf. 2 level tsp. of tea in an infuser, 16 oz freshly boiled water in my jumbo mug, 4 minutes.

My evening cuppa, and the main reason I wanted to go to the Harney shop in Soho several weeks ago. I finally got my hands on some of this tea in loose leaf! (Without having to buy an entire pound!) This is probably my second favorite decaf black tea, with Vanilla Comoro in the lead. Now that I know I can purchase loose leaf of these two in smaller amounts than an entire pound, I am ecstatic. 4 ounces at a time for this variety is sufficient, and a half pound of Vanilla Comoro will hold me for quite a while.

I did find it needs to be light on leaf and have a short steep, but I am pretty sure that is mostly due to the base being decaf. And I have had this at least three times since my trip to Soho, but I guess I didn’t have much more to say about it until now….. Yum!

Another add on to my Millerton Shop order…..I was intrigued by the honey flavoring in Tower of London (yes, I got a half pound of it!), so I thought I had better try this one.

The smell of honey is wonderful in the dry tea…..but I am sure I was not quite prepared for the light bite of the Assam in the tea base. It is a good tea, but I am thinking it needs to be a morning tea for me, or maybe iced. The Assam is not overpowering, but I can definitely taste it. It did mellow significantly with the second brewing, and I rather enjoyed that cup. I am currently thinking this is not a repurchase for me, as I tend to lean more toward smoother teas, and there are so many options. I will play around a little with steep times and see if that makes a difference.

Yesterday I got an order from the Harney & Son’s Millerton Shop….. I added a few ounces (they have a 2 ounce minimum) of this on to my order and I am not disappointed. I have been on the search for a good blueberry tea that is readily available, but I am thinking this tea works well for my berry flavored tea. The tea base is rich (which is usually what dissappoints me in most flavored teas) and complements this black currant flavoring well. I have no idea what real black currants taste like, so I can’t say if it tastes like it should. I just know really I like it!

Packaging from the shop is in foil lined zip bags that have a brown kraft paper outside. Everything was well packed. They enclosed a hand written note which was a nice touch, and from looking at my receipt, it looks like they have some kind of frequent buyer program at the shop. (I have 68 more points to go! Whatever that means… :) ) I do like getting a few ounces to try rather than just a few cups like on the website. And for some teas, the cost is similar. I think this one was $2.46 for 2 ounces, rather than the $2 on the website for 4-5 cups worth. (It is also really cool that the return address on the box has Brigitte’s own name…..as you are getting a package from Brigitte Harney herself!)

My evening cuppa, curled up with a good book. I probably have about one cup left, but this is definitely something I will buy again from a different vendor once the tea cupboard calls for more vanilla rooibos (this currently requires drinking two small tins of something similar first, though….).

Trying this one iced today…….yep, pretty good. I am thinking I would like something a little bit smoother, but it is good to know this one works well for me as an iced tea….refreshing without additions.

5 tsp in 40 oz teapot, brewed for 4 minutes. cooled to room temp and put in the refrigerator. At some point I need to try the cold brew method!

My morning tea. Yes, I am a big fan of Keemun Mao Feng. This one is perhaps not my favorite, but it is still quite good, and well worth the price! If there ever was a bargain KMF, this is it!

My morning tea…….after drinking my morning coffee! My family is so relieved I will be in a better mood today!

Something about the Queen just gets you going in the morning. It is a great anytime of the day blend, though. How many times have I said something similar?

The first of several teas in a wonderful swap with Uniquity. Thank you! This was my tea of distraction this morning to make me forget my coffee! I was interested to find this tea was an Assam as yesterday I was looking for an Assam to try to see if that was where the punch in my usual breakfast blend originated. Bingo! This tea definitely answered my question.

Onto this tea itself. I did rather enjoy this. It packs a little more punch than I am used to. For the first several minutes, the cup was smooth and earthy (but no where near that of puerh!), maltey and slightly smokey. As the cup sat (yes, I may have to start brewing certain teas in smaller amounts than 16 oz.) it got more bitter and astringent with time. I am pretty sure Assam is not my favorite, but I do see where it fits into my choice for a breakfast tea blend. At some point, I will try a few more, but I am pretty confident that I have at least an idea of the flavor profile for Assam tea.

I completely forgot to drink my coffee this morning. I was trying a sample I received in a swap early this morning and completely forgot my coffee. My single, lonely, necessary cup of coffee. Needless to say, I have had a caffeine headache all day, and it finally dawned on me where that headache came from…at 8:30 pm at night. Yes, life is getting a little too hectic. Time to slow down and ‘smell the roses’.

Anyway, since it is now around 9pm at night, and a light amount of caffeine will likely help, I settled on this choice as it has a white tea base. This one is pretty amped up as far as the blueberry notes, and the hibiscus from the Berry Blues is strong enough to taste and see, and definitely strong enough to add a little bit of sour with the sweetness of the blueberries. When the tea is prepared hot, the white tea base really does not come into play much, as I think the hibiscus might be just a little too intense. I may change the ratio slightly next time, but it really is quite refreshing iced just the way it is.

4 tsp in my jumbo mug with 16 oz water.

The first of many teas I received in a swap with our beloved QuiltGuppy (who, yes, she may be a tea pusher, but I know it is about her love of tea and wanting to share the experience with kindred spirits). Thank you for your generous heart! And the awesome tea, of course!

I had really been wanting to try this one. It is a white tea blend, so not typical of what I normally drink. And for a white tea, I have to say it has the most complex flavor profile that I have sampled. I did slightly sweeten mine, just enough to bring out the vanilla, coconut, and almond. I do taste all three flavors, and I love that the vanilla or the almond (two flavors which can easily overpover others) are light enough that I still can detect the coconut. This blend works because it is all light, and really does blend well with the lightness of the white tea base. If I were a steady white tea drinker, this would definitely be high on my list. But, alas, I love the tea of foreigners and barbarians (remember that the Chinese mostly drank green tea, and made their black teas for foreigners and barbarians.)

My morning tea. I love the punch in this one. It definitely is not like anything else I have (I have mostly Keemuns and Fujian blacks). This is a Yunnan and Assam blend, so it must be the Assam? I have not had much Assam, so I might have to look into other varieties. Anyway, this is great for waking up. But I think it is time to move on to something a little more mellow. I hear my Keemun Mao Feng calling…….

My last sachet of this (for now?). I am trying to decide what to do. I love this, but I am not sure I love it 16 ounces worth. It is kind of funny, because the tins sort of work out to be around 36 cents for a double cup (the sachets make 12 oz) and the loose does make it a little cheaper.

If I were to buy the pound, is there anyone who would want part of it? It works out to be about $1.50 per ounce, and I might ask that you pay around a dollar for shipping. I am just looking at my options right now….I am not sure I will go this route. I can always buy the sachets for a while.

Update: It sounds like they will be able to get it at the Millerton Shop!

I am not very good at picking out the flavors of Darjeelings, yet. It may be getting close to time for another round of palate training! I do think the bergamot is light, and there might be a light hint of vanilla. It is good, but not a keeper for me.

Finally, I get to try one of the standards (at least in the US) for English Breakfast thanks to teawing….thank you for the generous Twinings sampling, by the way! I jumped directly from so-so bagged tea right into loose leaf in my tea journey, so I missed getting a chance to try some of the better bagged ones. I also find it interesting that there are some bagged teas that I like quite well. And this is one of them. It is always good to have something on hand that will travel easily as loose leaf can get a little messy.

This really is very good for a bagged tea. I liked this one without milk, but slightly sweetened. The tea itself is pretty basic, the flavor is rounded and smooth. It works for me, because I tend to gravitate toward good basic tea lately.