3225 Tasting Notes

Last year, my hubby gave me the bamboo tea tray from this company for Christmas. This year, I received two of their tea sets to use with it.

I must say this set is more beautiful in person than in the pictures, and I loved it in the pictures! The finish is so smooth, the color a bone white, and the lines and contours are captivating. Furthermore, it is perfect for making my oolong and white teas. Since it is ceramic I can use it with more than one kind of tea, while my Yixing set will be reserved for oolong. I absolutely love it, and can not say enough about their great customer service and how much time they took helping my hubby choose pieces of teaware and puer tea, acting as if it was their greatest privilege and joy to do so. They are truly tea lovers.

I hope this works! Here is a link to the set, which is showing as sold out right now.
http://purepuer.com/puer_tea/do/product/taiwan%20ceramic/Oval%20Bone%20White%20Tea%20Set

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My oldest daughter bought me this tea for Christmas, along with Charlotte Au Chocolat. There were three samples in the box as well. I am not sure if they were ordered or are compliments of Dammann Freres. The bottom line…this tea was worth waiting for. It is smooth and delicious, refined and artfully blended.

The dry leaves are beautiful with the blue flower petals and poppies. The aroma is so nice. This is magnificent tea. It must be for me to break down and make a cup at two in the morning…

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Hooray! Sampling lots of Christmas tea today. When I opened the pouch the first thing I noticed was that the dry leaves smell sweet and mildly fruity. It is earthy but not fishy at all. I have never smelled a quite like this before, but I have also never had anything with osmanthus.

The steeped tea is also mild and earthy and there is a nice mineral taste. This is very good, it is reminding a lot more of the puer from Teavivre and not at all of the puer from Southern Season. My oldest daughter, who just started drinking green tea for its benefits even though she doesn’t care for tea, likes this pretty well and is on her second cup. O.O. She hates black tea.

I have made s second steep. I will post how well it held up when we finish this pot. Delicious! Many thanks to my wonderful hubby who ordered this for me!

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Now that we are afraid to go to our Chinese buffet because they started using MSG and gave hubby a horrible migraine, I decided to try to make some of our favorite things at home. Tonight I made Chinese green beans with ginger and garlic, and faux lomein. Don’t ask. Okay, it was Ramen noodles but I made my own sauce and added lots of water chestnuts because I LOVE them.

I wanted a good, authentic green tea for after my meal, and as I went through my box of samples from Teavivre I found this! Ad I am so glad I did!

The dry leaves were soft and fluffy like Zhen Qu Super China Black, an excellent tea. I didn’t read the directions and steeped for three minutes since I was not brewing gong fu style. It is very good.
Even exceeding the recommended limit as much as I did, this was smooth and there was no bitterness.

I am astounded at K S’ description of Cheerios on the front of the sip. Absolutely! Nail on the head! And so forth. :) A lovely grain flavor at the beginning, and instead of picking up floral, I am getting light buttery taste. Another great tea from Teavivre. Thank you, Angel and Teavivre!

K S

Now I’m wishing I had brought this home with me this long weekend because I am really craving it. We had Chinese buffet for lunch – no MSG’s! I had spring rolls for the first time. How have I missed these things all these years?

ashmanra

We love love love spring rolls! The buffet really close to us had a sign that promised no MSG but they closed, and the other one had never bothered us in years and years and suddenly we both had a reaction. I love vegetable lomein, sesame chicken, green beans…on and on! And the neat part is that my son’s Asian girlfriend came over tonight and I gave her some of my green beans and she said they tasted almost exactly like her moms!

I know I will be making this tea again. I just read that they usually serve the tea after the meal in China, and that is pretty much what I did tonight. This was really good tea. It has got to be the green version of Zhen Qu. Maybe I can send some of that your way when I restock. I am out!

gmathis

…and what’s wrong with ramen? :) Your version sounds pretty tasty to me!

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drank Golden Monkey by Harney & Sons
3225 tasting notes

This was the final tea for tea party yesterday. I can’t wait to open the new tin and see how the newer harvest compares to this one!

Jacqueline requested pics of the dingo and pups. I hope I did this right!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24998856@N06/6555735065/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24998856@N06/6555735753/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24998856@N06/6555736171/in/photostream/

Ellyn

thoose dogs are so cute! They are so lucky to be in your home :)

ashmanra

Thank you! My daughters are thrilled, and the doggie seems very happy. I don’t think she had been in a house before, because it wasn’t until the second day that she figured out the magic that is the kitchen.

Ellyn

I agree that if she didn’t know the wonderous land of the Kitchen she likely was not in a house before — my doggie knows the minute I start cooking to run over!

JacquelineM

I almost fell on the floor. They are all so beautiful – mama and babies and (I’m thinking) Gracie!!!

ashmanra

Aw, thank you! We have snuggled them a lot tonight, they will all be very well socialized by the time they are eligible for adoption.

ashmanra

Oh, and you are right! That is Gracie getting the doggie sugar! I tried to post the nc and it didn’t seem to work so I was wondering how you saw her, I didn’t know you could see all the pictures! This is my first time posting links like that. Remember how you had to post the mole photo for me, Jacqueline? :) Aren’t you proud of me for figuring it out! LOL!

Dinosara

Aww, so adorable!

JacquelineM

I am proud :) I am technologically challenged too, so I know just how confusing it all is! I drive my coworkers and husband crazy – I just LOOK at the printer and it goes wackadoodle. I must have a strange electromagnetic force!!

Also, here is a photo of one of the finch babies: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackiemania/6559644645/in/photostream

ashmanra

EEEE! So exciting! What kind of finches are they? When I was a teen a good friend raised zebra finches, and since then I have seen so many beautiful kinds! I used to work for a real estate company and two guys who rented a house in the historic district turned a pantry with a French door into an aviary! With potted trees and everything! I have wanted one ever since! :)

JacquelineM

The are zebra finches! The beak should turn orange when they are mature enough to live without their parents. The males should get the side orange patches by then too. Right now they all look grey.

My coworker wants to build an aviary! I keep looking around my house for a spot ;)

ashmanra

The local nursing homes put them in what is basically a tall, wide curio cabinet with long branches propped side to side. Not a bad substitute! You are going to love them. They are so pretty!

JacquelineM

Sorry to inundate you – but here is a video too!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/0Christy1#g/u

ashmanra

So sweet! And I had to turn the sound off because little Lucy started barking furiously when she heard the tweets! Oh my! She didn’t make a single sound for two days, then barked at a passerby, and doesn’t bark when guests come in the front door, yet a birdie tweet means she has to defend the perimeter at great decibels!

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drank Wild Wuyi Black by Harney & Sons
3225 tasting notes

This was our first tea at tea party yesterday. It was a great companion to the heartier, more savory snacks we served. It is dark and rich enough to stand up to it! As soon as I began to pour, my guest said that she knew it was going to be a good tea just by the beautiful color. LOL! It was so good, in fact, that I am going to make another pot right now!

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drank Fruits d'Alsace by Harney & Sons
3225 tasting notes

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drank Fruits d'Alsace by Harney & Sons
3225 tasting notes

This was a tea party tea yesterday. My guest liked it very much, and I think it is a good tea, very much like Tower of London, a little less similar to Paris. As it cools, I don’t enjoy it as much because it begins to taste a little soapy to me, but while hot it is very fruity and good.

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drank Wuyi Cassia by Harney & Sons
3225 tasting notes

I went to the no kill shelter to deliver some donations of dog food, and came home with an American Dingo and her three puppies to foster. This on top of two gatherings at my house today and tonight, and another tomorrow. I am still in my jammies and the onions made me cry til I couldn’t see. It is time for a cuppa by the tree!

This is so much spicier than I remembered! I definitely have the toasted flavor, almost burnt toast but not in a bad way, but in addition to the spicy hint of cinnamon I feel like I am getting black pepper today. Maybe I am just extra aware of the toasty notes. Delicious, satisfying, very different, and much needed. No additions, not to oolong….ever!

ashmanra

Hmmm, not black pepper. Maybe seriously toasted walnuts!

mpierce87

Ooh, I love American Dingoes! They are so cute as puppies!

JacquelineM

Awwwwwwwwwww. I hope to hear about them and their antics. Kind heart! <3

ashmanra

The pups were less than 24 hours old when we brought them home, they are so cute! There is a fat little white one with a brown spot who has already been named Samwise Gamgee by my girls. He is the fat hobbit who nurses the most!

JacquelineM

We must have Hobbits on the brain! My coworker’s finches just had babies and I am going to adopt two! If they are two boys I’m going to name them Merry and Pippin! Two girls Charlotte and Emily (Bronte). I would like a same sex pair so no more babies will come!

They sound so precious, and have the best foster mom imaginable! :)

ashmanra

Aw, I love those birdie names! Perfect! Have you seen the Hobbit trailer yet? Looks awesome! :)

JacquelineM

Yes! I burst into tears about half way through!

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Profile

Bio

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about fourteen years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs.

We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey.

My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

Location

North Carolina

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