Terri HarpLady

What I like about Keemun is the smoothness & the natural sweetness of it. It is also gently smokey, not in an ‘in your face’ kind of way though.
One of the teas in the verdant TOMC reserve box this month is a Keemun. I have sampled it, but haven’t written any notes on it, as yet. I’m thinking I need to go through all of my other Keemuns, & then come back to it, for comparison. I want to understand what, if anything, makes it special.

Anyway, this one is nice, although probably not the best Keemun I have had, but still very pleasant.

Just finally getting around to reviewing this, mainly because my son Drew made a pot of it to go with his breakfast & I pilfered a (small/stingy) cup from him. The main flavor is coconut, with black tea in the background & a little vanilla & a hint of apple. He spiked the whole pot with stevia, & it is sweet & pleasant, though maybe not as bold as I would like. Right now the coconut is making me think of suntan lotion a bit… :p

asSAMica!
Whew! I brewed this a little strong this morning, & it is AsSAM!
Bold, Malty, Wine like, & a little on the astringent edge today, WoWza!
Still very drinkable, it is, & it will liven me up for the gig I’m playing today from noon – 4.

I like peppermint…fresh in salads & also in my toothpaste (Nature’s gate Creme de Peppermint), oh, and in my Burt Bees chapstick! It’s my favorite mint, but I’m not so much of a fan of any mint in teas, & when I do have it in teas, I prefer it in iced teas. So I was somewhat skeptical of this tea, which I received as a sample from Stacy in (one of) my recent Butiki order(s).

I really haven’t had much tea today, but I also don’t want anymore caffeine, since it’s getting into the evening now. So here it is.
The flavor is fine, mint & chocolate, with a bit of a creamy texture to it. The quality of the mint is excellent, my sinuses are enjoying it. I didn’t add stevia, but I think if I had the chocolate would be more present. What I don’t like is after the first sip, my throat immediately feels scratchy. I’m not sure why.

I played a wedding over in Illinois today. Tony wanted me to try out his GPS, which I’ve been avoiding. I love technology, but I have gotten lost more than once in IL (it’s so easy), & just wasn’t sure that I could trust the GPS to get me where I was going. Needless to say, it was awesome. When the wedding (which was beautiful except for the baby that screamed the entire time) ended, I checked my starbucks app for a nearby location, entered it’s address into the GPS, & went & got myself a Chai. I also got a new car mug, which I already love! It’s stainless steel on the outside & ceramic on the inside. I love it!
http://www.starbucksstore.com/starbucks-stainless-and-ceramic-tumbler-12-fl-oz/011023718,default,pd.html?cgid=tumblers-and-travel-mugs

When I got home I brewed a cup of this Cha Yen in my new mug, which is basically a coconut chai, more or less. It’s one of the only Teavana teas that I actually like, & is especially nice with stevia & coconut creamer.

No notes yet.

Gotta get ready to leave in a few minutes to play at a wedding over in Collinsville, IL.
I’ve enjoyed this tea, which re-steeps very nicely. I reviewed it a few weeks ago:
http://steepster.com/teas/the-tea-spot/36508-qu-hao-silk

Sadly, it’s a sipdown, but it is on the list for my next tea spot order!

Sipdown!
OK…sample sipdown!
This is an interesting tea, tasty lemon pudding/cake flavored. I’m not a huge fan of rooibos, & I’m not really tasting it, so that’s a plus. I drank a lot of caffeine today, so I’m glad to have something that doesn’t pack a punch. Thanks, Sil, for sending me this sample! :)

I’ve been gazing at the Reserve TOMC box for a few days now. For some reason I seem to always get the box before everyone else, & so I was waiting a few days, to give someone else a chance to be the first to post about these teas. Last night before sleeping, I decided to do a comparison today of this Jin Jun Mei (JJ) to the Wild Picked version (WP) that I also have from Verdant. Every month I struggle with my cynical self (that would be Ms. Theresa) over whether these reserve teas are really so special & worth the price.

I have enough of the WP for about one more session, stored in a tin, but I also have a foil sample packet from awhile back. I decided to use the sample because I felt it would have the freshest taste. I followed the parameters given for each tea, which are not exactly the same, but close enough. These are the only teas I’ve had so far today, & in my tea journal, I took extensive notes all morning long, comparing each individual aspect of the teas, side by side, but rather than bore you with all those details, I’m gonna attempt to narrow it down.
Appearance: JJ = compact dense strands of black & Mahogany, WP =
Fluffier strands of Gold, beige, grey, & black. The look is similar, but by weight, the JJ looks like less tea due to it’s density.
Dry Aroma: ohhh, malt & honey! They both smell awesome, but admittedly, the JJ has a little something more, as if new smelling cells are waking up in my sinuses.
Warmed Aroma: Both smell like fresh bread with butter, but JJ has a sweeter smell, of a fruity honey.
Wet leaf aroma: Similar, with a ‘thick’ quality, WP has a peppery aroma.
Rinse: of course, I sampled the rinse water! Who could resist? To me they were both like unsweetened chocolate water, with the WP a little less pronounced.
Formula: JJ 4G + 4oz Gaiwan (rinse) X 5 sec, adding 2 to each steep.
WP 4G + 4oz Gaiwan (rinse) X 3 sec for 3 steeps, adding 3 to each steep

Throughout all steepings both teas were a beautiful orange brown, with the WP being a slightly browner & cloudier color, with more sediment in the bottom of the cup. Both teas had a lovely malt, butter, & honey flavor, & thick linen feel, with the biggest difference being that the WP gradually became more peppery with a slight bitterness, & JJ also had a fuller flavor all along, even though the color remained lighter, & it also had a sweet potato essence to it.

I love them both! I can see that JJ is a little more refined, but they are both delicious!

Hmmm…not sure how I feel about this one…I think I asked Sil for a sample simply because I’m a Christopher Walken fan, LOL. So while I was drinking it, I watched “The Continental”
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/the-continental/n10786/
:)
Then I also watched the ‘more cowbell’ skit from SNL too. God, I love that skit! LMAO!
The tea? It’s not bad. Not something I’d purchase, but interesting enough to enjoy. Thanks Sil!
It’s gonna need more cowbell!

I’ve been working at my desk all morning, answering phone calls & emails, booking gigs, etc. There is still a ton to do, always…

So it’s my lunch break, & I was trying to decide on a tea. Some part of my conscience keeps saying I should drink more green or white, or whatever, but really I just want another cup of black tea. Why not this?

Smokey teas are not my passion, but while drinking a cup of Keemun awhile back, I realized I do like a little smoke, as long as it doesn’t get to crazy! Also, drinking this tea, which is substantial through & through, not just a cup of smokiness, is making me want to BBQ something, or maybe use this tea as a marinade for something…

Thank you Sil!
Wow, this is a cup of TEA!
The flavor is deep ASSAM, with a bold & bitter edge that is satisfying for me right now. What I like about this tea is it has a strong base note, a substantial middle, & the top is also bright. It also re-steeps nicely! Hazzah!

No notes yet.

I had a cup of this with breakfast this morning. I’ve reviewed it several times, so there really isn’t much to say. Kind of an ‘even’ tasting blend, a little smokey, a little bright, mostly kind of in the middle flavorwise, if that makes sense.

This is the 2nd time I’ve drank this tea.
Dry, it has an earthy, mushroomy aroma.
The first time I used a formula of 5T + 4oz Gaiwan (rinse) & then steeps of 10, 20, 30 secs, etc.
This time I realized there were actual instructions on the package, suggesting 1T + 8oz X 15sec (then 30, 45, etc)
It was nice, smooth, but a little weak for my tastes.

I’ve probably been drinking too many xingyang Shu’s, following their guidelines of more tea & longer steeps. Maybe I’ll try this one like that the next time.

I wanted some sheng, & this one was up next, so there it is.
4G + 4oz Gaiwan (rinse) x 4 – 6 sec
The flavor of this sheng is still very green, like newly mown hay, but also slightly sweet like clover, and there is a brazzy edge, especially at the beginning, but it cleared my fuzzy head nicely, & I feel a nice lively energy throughout. That’s why I wanted sheng! :)

Working my way through the TOMC box, this one is from January.
Initially, I didn’t like this tea. Everyone else loved it, & I was like, “This is my next to least favorite from Verdant, only superseded by Earl of Anxi”. I guess the problem was that I tried to steep it like Laoshan black, & that was a big mistake! This is a black tea, but it needs to be handled with kid gloves, it’s very sensitive. I’m feeling sensitive today, so maybe we make a good pair this afternoon?
5G + 4 oz Gaiwan (quick rinse) X 4 – 6 sec steepings
I drank the rinse water. It tastes like french bread with butter, kind of like the formosan I just drank. Very mildly malty/yeasty.
1 – This is nice. I taste malt, butter, honey, & an essence of chocolate creeping in.
2 & 3 – More of the above, plus a little more roasty, & a nice tongue thickening sensation.
I have tons of things I should be doing…it’s still too wet to garden, so I’m off the hook there. I have several gigs coming up that require specific pieces, most notably a church gig (the only way they can get me to church is to pay me to come play). For that one, I’m working on Bernstein’s Chichester Psalm 2, which is choir, piano, & harp. It’s not a particularly difficult piece, but still takes time to figure out how I fit in. That’s one of the reasons I love youtube!! I can listen to it while I look over the music to find my place!
4 – nice tongue tingle, a little bit of a wuyi rock kind of thing coming into it.
5 – then 6 – this has been a nice session. I’ve been sipping, listening to that piece, looking through the music. I guess I’d better go sit at my Harp & try it out! I’m making this sound like a drudgery, LOL, but I love playing my harp, & doing so has the ability to elevate my mood better than anything else. My other mood elevators are: Tea, Food (preparing, thinking about, eating, & sharing), & gardening (which is really part of the food category anyway!).

I think I need some Sheng…sigh…

This is another sample from Sil. Thanks!

Opening the baggie, it smells kind of fruity.
I measured out a heaping tsp & steeped for 3 minutes (after drinking I read the instructions, lol…suppose to be 2 tsp (1 sec rinse) X 2min steep…oops!).
The resulting tea was delicious anyway. It reminds me of french bread, with butter spread over it. It’s very smooth, a little malty, sweet even. There is a bit of an ‘ocean’ taste to it, nothing overly objectionable, but noticeable.
The resteep was very mild.

I served this tea to one of my students this morning, drinking a small cup for myself as well. Measuring it out, the yellow flowers are unruly, doing everything they can to fill the teaspoon, so I have to take them out of the bag first, then measure out the tea, then break off a clump of flowers & add it to the steeping basket. This tea has suck a clean & fresh aroma, & although it isn’t a favorite, my student loved it! She is a love of light teas such as this, so I gave her the rest of the bag. She was delighted! I claim a sipdown! Now I only have 282 teas in my cupboard! :)

I am a grumpus today.
I had insomnia until 3am, mostly due to allergies. I forgot to drink my Nettles for a few days, & my allergies came back yesterday with wild abandon. Gotta get back to brewing my ‘medicine’, cuz I hate feeling irritated from head to toe, & that is exactly what allergies do to me. It’s a whole body experience, not just sinuses.

So this was my first cup this morning. I steeped, & resteeped, & crawled into a hot tub of bubbles with both cups of tea. I realized once I started sipping that I wasn’t really in the mood for something this strong, but I drank it anyway. This is a bold brew, this is what Irish Breakfast is suppose to be (although I find most of them to be lacking). There is a very bright fruitiness to it, & it’s malty. I probably over t’d it a little, because it seemed especially brash this morning, but that also might be due to my over-sensitive allergy riddled cells screaming, “too much stimulation!!” about basically everything.

Sil, you are now my best friend!
This tea is SO AWESOME!
I opened the package, & the smell is AWESOME!!!
It smells like butterscotch chips. It smells like cake, & a creamy frosting. It smells wonderful!
I steeped it, & I love it. My son Drew walked into the room & said, “What is that awesome smell?” I allowed him to sample 1 tsp of my cup of tea, & he said, “We MUST get more of this.”
He’s right!

So this afternoon I reached into my Verdant TOMC box. I have the box arranged with dividers, so I can work my way through each month. After I sample them, I move them to the back of the box. I’m back to January again, & that means Yu Lu Yan Cha, Anxi Fo Shou, & Chai Spice. Last time I tried the Chai Spice with the Yu Lu. This time I’m having it with the Anxi. It’s a very tasty & complex blend, & the Fo Shou is so awesome on its own, so deeply satisfying. The resulting cup was rich & spicy & substantial, almost like a chocolate chai!

In spite of the weather, my cherry tree is blooming & today was the day for my annual invocation! I bought myself an order of sushi, came home & steeped a cup of spring cherry green, & enjoyed my little snack out in the yard under the cherry tree, admiring her blossoms. After my snack, I laid hands on her trunk, calling upon the Earth, the sun, the wind, & the rains to support her. Then I called out to all creatures within earshot, welcoming them to nest in her branches, to savor the cherries when they are ripe, & then reminded them that I also love cherries, so please leave the lower branches for me. :)

I’ve enjoyed this tea for a number of years, & it is especially nice during this season, when the cherries are blooming. I’ll have more than one picnic under that tree, & this is the tea of choice for those occasions.

Its a drizzly dreary cool & damp day in St. Louis. It’s also my day off from harp students, & both of my son’s days off from college, so I had these great plans to garden, with the 2 of them as my yard monkeys, but alas, it rained all night & most of the morning, so it was not to be.
Instead we had breakfast together, & I spent the morning in my PJs, answering emails & phone calls, booking gigs, etc.

There were errands to run, & I wanted something sweet & spicy, & this tea fits the bill!