Terri HarpLady

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Terri HarpLady drank Black Pearl by The Mountain Tea co

Here’s another tea from the book club trade with Alpha Kitty!

I immediately liked the looks of this tea! It’s dark, rolled up, & visually appealing to me, with a dry smell of sweet apple pipe tobacco with a hint of chocolate! MmmmmMMMMmm!
There were no instructions, so I went with 3 minutes.
The wet leaf does not smell quite so appealing to me. It still smells fruity, but there is a bitterness to the aroma.
The cup of tea smells fruity, malty, & bitter.
Flavorwise, it’s ok. Malty, for sure, roasty, a little bit of a buttery taste, & the aftertaste de apple-like. I drank it straight.
Not bad, but not on my list to purchase. Nice to sample though.

2013-02-23 14:30:48 -0500

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Alphakitty 2013-02-23 16:01:12 -0500

I admit that I picked this one more on the name than on the taste—I mean, it’s one of the characters’ nicknames, how could I resist including it? Sorry if it didn’t quite hit the spot, I find it’s kind of finnicky with water temperature.

Terri HarpLady 2013-02-23 17:53:36 -0500

When I first saw the names, I was thinking of Black Pearl, like the big pearls of yummy black tea that you can get at teavana, mandala, teavivre, etc. Part of me was expecting something like that in the taste. Anyway, I didn’t dislike it, just probably not something I’ll buy. But, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed sampling it & I am grateful for the trade! What are your suggestions on brewing? I have enough for another cup :D

Alphakitty 2013-02-23 18:26:03 -0500

I think this one is best in a gaiwan, it tends to be better the shorter the steep. Western, I go with 190 for 2 minutes!

Terri HarpLady 2013-02-23 23:21:35 -0500

how long in gaiwan, 4 -6 secs per steep?

Alphakitty 2013-02-23 23:40:29 -0500

I usually do slightly longer steeps (10sec) but whatever you normally do would probably be best for your palate!

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Bio

I’m so excited to have found this community! I’m a self-employed Harpist (acoustic & electric – Originals, Classical, Rock, Jazz, etc) & Singer/Songwriter. My days & nights revolve around teaching at home, playing gigs, gardening,& fixing awesome food to eat. My schedule is different everyday, but I just go with the flow, & I sip a lot of tea!

My love of Tea began with Herbals back in the 70’s. One of my favorites was a licorice blend from House of Hezekiah, an old tea shop in Kansas City. There was also a tea with mint, rose petals, chamomile, etc called Nuclear Casual Tea.
In the 80’s I gave up caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, (& a few illicit substances…), and brewed medicinal blends & tinctures to support 4 pregnancies (all children born at home). In the 90’s my love affair with green teas began when I discovered ‘The Republic of Tea’. Their beautiful teas & packaging inspired my original song, “TeaMind”, from my CD “Zen Breakfast”. If you’d like to hear the song for free, drop by my website.

In general, I drink my teas straight, but occasionally I add a pinch of Stevia & maybe some coconut or almond milk (I’m allergic to dairy, gluten, & various other things & avoid most sweets.)

I’ve explored a variety of teas:
Whites tend to be a little bland…sorry
Oolongs are wonderful, especially Orchid & Peach! (I love anything with Peaches)
Roobios – I’m not a fan in general
Puehr – a fairly new direction for me
I’m not a huge fan of flavored teas, unless that flavor is peaches or chocolate, but I do make exceptions, & I’ll try just about anything.

And Black Tea, Oh how I love thee!!
I am on a quest for the most wonderful breakfast cup! I will find you, my Love!