afitting

PG Tips. Again. Seriously. We buy it in boxes that are bigger than my head. Where does it all go? Where has the last year gone? In between the 65+ hour workweeks, the trip across country for my grandfather’s funeral, the new job, the trip across country for my brother’s wedding, there is a steady rhythm of caffeine jolts that keeps everything moving.

That’s PG Tips: not fancy, not delicate, but reliable: quick to steep, able to stand up to an omelet (even an omelet covered in tomatillo salsa) consistently delivering needed energy.

Let’s hear it for the “best supporting actress”, the janitor, the viola player, and PG Tips: all those who make life better from the background.

No notes yet.

I need to get moving. This tea makes a virtue of necessity. Its brisk and fruity with just enough caffeine to start moving. I might be noticing a hint of dairy, or there just might not be enough caffeine.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

This stuff is solid. The flavor is very strong, thick, maybe a bit heavy. The caffeine punch is stronger than the other teas I’ve got in the cupboard. It stands up to milk, sugar, and probably bullets.

A fruity, perhaps even flowery tea, quite brisk and light, very light. In fact its too light in here. That’s not the tea, I’m late for work!

There is a stubbornness in human nature which condemns us to making the same mistakes. Perhaps the least of these is under steeping the Sadaf, again.

I think this is the Lipton of England. On the one hand, its incredibly easy to oversteep and is somewhat bitter. A three minute steep is definitely too long unless you are adding cream and sugar. On the other hand, it delivers the goods: specifically, caffeine. It also has a robust, Assam like flavor that stands up well to heavy breakfast food.

A cup of tea brewed by an idiot, full of scent and smokiness signifying nothing. In this case, the idiot is me and the nothingness is a pot of under-steeped tea.

The lower temperature was an accident rather than an experiment, but somehow it did work out better. I’ve felt like the bergamot oil and the tea are better balanced when the steep time is longer. In this case, it seems a bit less astringent that when the water is boiling.

Its summer in California. The ground is dry, the grass is dead, the flowers are gone, but the fog has yet to burn off. The coastal redwoods are drinking something that probably tastes like… This. Woody, slightly astringent, without (as far as I can tell) any floral or honey notes.

I’m often overwhelmed by the bergamot oil in Earl Grey teas (including Ahmad’s). However, this tea has just enough to brighten the taste. I think it has a sort of Ceylon crispness to it. This is my current favorite breakfast tea. I normally steep for 4 minutes and I think that works better.

First, did I mention the importance of adding cardamom to this tea? Ok good, also it seemed to have a bit more body with a longer steep time. I really should be at work by now but the combination of Sadaf Special Blend and a little Piazzola has put me in a spicy haze that has rendered me incapable of getting anything done (including writing coherent metaphors).

Bland, tepid, dull: my life, my tea. The same two black teas in the morning, the same yard full of weeds, the same job. It was all so exiting a while back. Perhaps this is an existential crisis. Perhaps I need some more tea.

Time seems to move so slowly at work. That may be why my tea oversteeped. Despite its bitterness, it still has a vegetal almost woody taste.

Feeling exhausted by a mediocre existence, I looked for something to help me rise above. Super Irish Breakfast, with its intensely dark liqueur and honeyed scent, seemed just the thing. The flavor is light and with a hint of acidity. So is my mood: I feel more awake now, but I have to get to work.

Just another day in the life.

Unlike the Assam, this tea is changing noticeably (even to me) with steep time. Its now substantially more astringent and slightly honeyed. Its still medium/full bodied and not bitter at all. The more things change, the more I’m late for work. Tune in next time.

Since I can’t seem to get good information on steeps longer than 5 minutes, I’m going to switch teas. At 3:30 the Ten Ren is definitely astringent and smoky, but not bitter at all. I’m not sure if the body is full, but its definitely not light. Either the tea is mellow, or I am. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get myself stressed out and try again.

I think I need a tea cozy. Today’s tea is exactly the same as yesterday’s. (Which isn’t all bad, but this is science darn it!) I suspect that the teapot is cooling down so that the tea stops really steeping. For now I’ll just have to be content with some tasty Assam.

The long weekend is already over. So many things in life pass by so quickly. Pure Indian Zarin Tippy Kalmi is different. Not only does its name go on forever, so does its steepability. At 5 minutes its still going strong. Still lots of honey a little malt and a little astringency. The chocolate on Friday may have been a false positive. We’ll see if it reappears tomorrow.

I’m not going to change my rating for this tea. Its impossible to be remotely objective about it after three days of non-stop gardening. We now have a raised bed (due to invading tree roots) with onions, peppers, cucumbers and an extra tomato plant in it.

If you’re observant, you’ll notice this isn’t the first gardening related post I’ve made about this tea. Its grassy, vegetal and astringent. Imagine drinking a forest of wet trees, and the dirt they’re planted it. Um, next time I’ll try to think of a better metaphor, but in the meantime, try this tea.

Another day, another 30 seconds. The astringency is still not overwhelming and there is still a bit of honey flavor. This tea is so easy-going, its just hard to oversteep. I am noticing a new flavor rising to the surface after longer steeps. Uh, chocolate, is that you, seriously (insert interrobang here).