Terri HarpLady

I finally got a chance to dig into the TOMC bundle, & this was the first one I wanted to try, as I love Dian Hongs.
I didn’t take any notes, just brewed multiple steepings back to back. On each steeping I poured half into a tiny cup & the rest went into a pitcher. Those tiny cups cool quickly so that I could have a small sample of each. Then I went & sat down & relaxed, drinking from the pitcher. Then I started the process again, refilling the pitcher 3 times over the course of a few hours.
I can’t say that the flavor & aroma were all that different from Golden Fleece: rich & buttery, with a breadlike aroma, very croissant-like. Later there was a hint of chocolate, but it wasn’t really all that present to me. A tasty tea, a visual novelty, a pleasant relaxing break after a few hours of gardening.

I took one look at this one & decided I probably wouldn’t like, LOL.
I wasn’t even going to try it, but I figure, what the heck?
So, I actually like it :)

So the other day I used the rest of the sample in the TTB-A to make a cold brew of this, & then promptly forgot all about it. I think that was on Friday. I’m drinking it now, with a little stevia, & admittedly, it’s delicious! Very refreshing, kind of like koolaid for adults. It doesn’t really taste like wine to me, but that’s a good thing! :D

Sipdown!
This is yet another sample sent to me from Sil :D
A tasty blend of black tea, a little cocoa, & spices, most notably Cardamom.

After Julianna left, I ran through several Gaiwan steepings of this one. I’ve reviewed it more extensively before. I wanted something unflavored & natural, & this hit the spot.

My grand daughter Julianna (age 8) came over for a little while after school & we did the same kind of sampling that Leif & I did earlier:
4 oz Gaiwan + 1/2 tsp or so tea, steep the usual time for each tea.
We drank our of tiny cups, & I let her pick any teas from the TTB-A that she though she might like. Here’s what we drank:
Oriental – Mariage Freres
Classic Phoenix Oolong – Element Tea
Bossa Nova Oolong – Teagschwinder
Coquelicott Gourmand – Damman Freres
Hazelnut Mate – Fava Tea
Candy Cane – 52 teas
I believe that’s everything we sampled! She was kind of a grumpus when she arrived, but by the time she left she was happy as a lark! :D

19. from TTB-A
    Not bad, but there is an odd flavor here that I just can’t pinpoint.

TTB-A #18
Unsweetened it’s just ok.
Lightly sweetened its a liquid ‘thin mint’.
Need I say more?

TTB-A Sample # 17
Smokey, minty, interesting.
The Lapsang is definitely the prominent prominent flavor, but I felt the mint in my sinuses too. Not bad, an interesting change of pace.

We are up to sample # 16 from TTB-A
Leif was really curious about this one. I thought it would be boring.
Turns out, we both enjoyed it. :)

Leif & I are cleaning house today. The kitchen is done, as is my studio. Now we’re taking a break, & sampling a bunch of teas from the TTB-A, so that I can send it off. We have 6 gaiwans lined up, using 1/2 tsp or so per Gaiwan This is our first sample.
This one is fairly astringent & has a hint of apple, which would probably be more prominent if we added sweetener, but both of our 2 oz cups are already empty.

This was actually my first cup of the day, steeped for 1 minute. I have additional re-steepings that I will get to later.
It’s not the bold in your face kind of tea that I’ve been leaning towards lately. This is more of an introspective type of brew, with a grapey flavor, a lively tongue tingle, & some serious chaqi.

Leif & I have been enjoying breakfast together (Drew is at a summer college class). We’ve also been perusing the Adagio Site, planning our next order. So far it looks like we may go with the following:
Bilbo Brew – re-order
Tardis – Re-order
One of the Team Fortress Two’s fandom blends for Leif
Avada Kadavra (I just have to have it because of the name…lol)
More Cowbell (gotta have it!)
I have to remember to send a $5 off coupon to a friend. Anybody else want one? :D

Regarding Kili – it’s a blend of Ceylon Sonata, Vanilla, Oriental Spice, & Ginger. It’s not bad, nicely gingery. Leif likes it with creamer. Decent with breakfast, especially a sweet breakfast like pancakes, but we both prefer Bilbo Brew, in part because of the Assam base, but also just because it is tastier!

Another Sil’s Samplebox Sipdown.
This is a very nice lightly roasty oolong. There is an undercurrent of fruitiness, a tongue tingle, & although it’s not a true Wuyi, it does have some of the rockiness to it.
Thanks again, Sil!

Another Sil Sampler Sipdown.
Without a doubt, this is my favorite sample from 52 teas. Honestly, I haven’t really tried that many of Frank’s teas.
This one is quite tasty!

I’m finally getting my tastebuds back.
I may never eat grapefruit again…
I made a nice big pot of this to enjoy in the bubble bath. It was very pleasant. Early on I tasted sweet juicy apple. I don’t know if there’s actually apple in there, lol, but that’s what I tasted, along with a gentle black tea & caramel.
This is a sipdown from the Super sampler Sil sent me. Thanks again!

I haven’t eaten grapefruit for awhile. Did you know that eating grapefruit, or drinking it’s juice, or drinking water with slices of grapefruit will make your tea taste more bitter? I learned this lesson yesterday & this morning. Tony is really into fruit water right now, & fruit water is very tasty, indeed. It’s especially nice after working out & very refreshing. Unfortunately, if it has grapefruit slices in it, it kind of ruins the taste of tea, especially flavored teas. I had a glass this morning (luckily I had my first cup of tea of the day first), & immediately realized that the center of my tongue retained the bitter taste.
I made a cup of this tea, which is NEVER bitter, & sadly, today it is. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the cup while fixing breakfast, & am sipping the re-steep while watching the recap of last nights Induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Thanks to the grapefruit, it’s not nearly as awesome as usual, but I know what it REALLY tastes like. I was hoping eating breakfast would cleans my palate, so to speak, but no…
I hope this passes soon, as I was planning on doing a major sipdown today!

First cup of the day.
Damp earth, peat moss, shrooms, hints of rose & plum.
A pleasant prelude to breakfast.
:)

I still have a ton of teas from my swap with Sil, & I was digging around for a ‘dessert’ & decided to have a cup of this.
I love strawberries. Up until last summer about a 5th of my garden (which is huge) was named ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. Strawberry season always startsed with everyone at my house excited, picking, eating, coming up with ways to enjoy the ridiculous bounty of berries. At the peak of picking season, we had to pick them twice a day. Soon nobody liked them anymore, nobody wanted to pick them. “Can’t we just let the birds & slugs have them?” one of the boys said. We’d freeze enough strawberries to enjoy for the rest of the year in smoothies, etc. Sadly, last year’s drought killed most of my plants. There are a few, so I’ll get a berry here & there, plus a few alpine strawberries. I need to start a new berry bed this year, but this time I’ll try to keep it more manageable.

I’ve never had strawberry rhubarb pie. I like this tea, the berry is there, along with the crust, & a pleasant tartness, but there is a bitterness & astringency that I don’t much care for. Looking at the ingredients list, I’m not really sure where the bitterness is coming from. I’m still glad to try it, & I have enough left to try it one more time. Thanks Sil :)

I can’t believe I’m still drinking this from my generous trade with Sil!
Tony & I played pool for a couple of hours this afternoon, & I’m pleased to say I kicked his butt several times! Once at 8 ball & 4 times at 9 ball. I’m feeling pleased with myself, & yes, I’m gloating!
This tea, with its bold maltiness, was my reward upon returning home.
Thanks again Sil!

and this one is awesome too!
Not as crazy-bold as some of the other assams I drink, but gently sweet & malty & a nice tea to just relax with. More love.

Starting my day with a cup of this. I’ve been drinking a lot of Assam lately, so it feels like a change of pace. :)
This tea has such an amazing aroma, it always blows me away with the scent of chocolate & bread. I always wonder if the sprinkle crushed cacao nips all over the fields where it is grown so that the plants absorb that essence into their roots.
The first initial sips are more green bean like, but as I continue sipping there is a cumulative effect, as my mouth comes thick with bread & chocolate, buttered whole grain toast & a fine dark chocolate, or perhaps a dark chocolate croissant. The flavor lingers. I resteep.

It’s been awhile since I had a cup of this, who knows why.
I love this tea! It’s a blend of black teas, plus some Shu, AND chocolate. It’s properly bold & malty, & nicely chocolatey too. The mouth-feel of this is so rich & full.
I made a nice big cup to sip on while driving to play a wedding.

Getting ready to load up to go play a wedding, & the tin this tea comes in caught my eye.
Exactly what I needed.
To me, this Assam is like comfort food.