3240 Tasting Notes

drank Decaf Muscat by Lupicia
3240 tasting notes

Tea three – journey four through the May prompt.

I bought this when Lupicia had their sale a few weeks ago. We are trying to avoid caffeine in the evenings and I wanted more options.

This was very good and very grape-y. I was truly hoping it would be as awesome as Jingle Bells but it isn’t. If I had never had Jingle Bells this would probably be a gushing review. And it is a good tea. How could I expect it to be nearly the same when Jingle Bells has the sparkling white wine flavor?

I am happy to have it for night time! And I bet it will be awesome iced. It deserves a high rating.

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drank Eleven by Cuppa Geek
3240 tasting notes

Tea number two on my fourth journey through the prompts. Will I complete the fourth round? That’s a lot of tea to drink! Now on to this geeky tea!

This is a sip down. I had both Eleven and Mornin’ Waffles – same blend different name. It is very VERY sweet. Too sweet for me most of the time, but Ashman loves sweets and didn’t complain. Odd thing is that he hates maple syrup and this smells and tastes strongly of it and didn’t object – didn’t seem to notice!

We had it hot and I also made two carafes cold and sweet for him.

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I am making a fourth pass through the May prompts! I might not get to everything but it will be fun to try.

I did not think of this one at first as a cupboard staple because I really keep it on hand for Ashman. We often drink it on weekends for breakfast and it seems to be his favorite black tea that he likes without milk or sugar. I haven’t figured out what it is that makes him dislike certain black teas plain, because there have been strong teas that he was fine with and smoother teas (to me) that he said needed sugar. Maybe one day I will figure it out.

It is a shame I drink this so often and so mindlessly (with weekend breakfast food) that I forget to slow down and appreciate it. A while back I did remedy that by having a gongfu session with it so it could really shine without competition.

It is great with food, though, because it is malty and a little brisk without being astringent. When the food is gone, it is smooth enough to keep sipping the last of the pot while chatting.

I have reordered this every few months since early 2020, so I think that makes it a cupboard staple, and not one likely to go away soon.

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drank Spiced Fall Evenings by Cuppa Geek
3240 tasting notes

This is my final tea for the third pass through the May sipdown prompts. This is one of the saddest sipdowns ever. This was our “chilly evening sipping on the patio” tea.

So. Much.Flavor. Look at all those ingredients. It doesn’t begin to reveal just how tasty this was. And what a resteeper! This pouch is now empty, but I did make a lot at once and put a quart in the fridge.

The rest was enjoyed hot tonight on the patio with a piece of buttermilk pie topped with nutmeg.

Best evening tea I have ever run into.

Welp, I guess I will do another run through the May prompts! I am on a roll.

derk

Your name twin in my life makes a milk pie for Thanksgiving. I’ve never seen one outside the farmstead.

gmathis

Is there leftover pie today? I’ll be over …

ashmanra

As a matter of fact, I made two pies just in case you wanted to hop on over! We have a whole pie left.

ashmanra

derk: When I had chickens, we did refer to our little suburban home as the farm! I think I am a farm girl at heart, though I don’t know if I could take the hard work a farm entails anymore. Come have pie, pick up gmathis on your way in!

gmathis

You want farm? You got it! New longhorn calves in the field across the street! (Oh, how grateful the mamas must be that the horns come later!)

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drank Nostalgia by Czar Nikolas II
3240 tasting notes

A tea that reminds me of myself…because I have been nostalgic since childhood. Fall was bittersweet to me even as a little child. I loved school, and all that back to school entailed – the smell of new pencils, opening new books for the first time and paging through them, blank notebooks full of possibilities.

The tea is also nostalgic for me because we had a lot of blackcurrant when we visited Ireland and it was a pretty magical time. This was a gift from Youngest, so again…nostalgic.

Delicious hot or cold, sweet or unsweet. It is a good black tea base and the black currant flavor is spot on.

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drank Holiday Chai by Stash Tea
3240 tasting notes

Third tea soda for May prompts!

This is the tea I most often make into a syrup for making tea soda. It is a little bit like a root beer/cream soda mix. I make it strong and sweet and then add a dollop of the syrup to some chilled Perrier.

I had this as a little treat before my afternoon students arrived. Yummy! And best of all, it kept me from reaching for the can of Coke…

I may go for four times through the May prompts…I think I can make it!

Skysamurai

O_O wait. Tea syrup? How?!

ashmanra

Make extra extra strong tea and add sugar as if you were making simple syrup! One of my favorites is lavender but we do quite a few different ones.

ashmanra

Simple syrup ratio is usually at least 1/1, so one cup sugar for every cup water. This is being diluted, but if you want even less sugar you can cut it down to a half cup sugar to one cup water and still have a good syrup.

Skysamurai

Ah!!! Thats awesome!!!! I’ve made mint but never considered tea. OH im so excited to try that!!

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drank Birthday Cake by Cuppa Geek
3240 tasting notes

A sad sipdown. May prompt – a tea flavored like a favorite baked good.

So rich and caramel, smells like Birthday Cake Oreos but doesn’t taste like them. Tastes like rich, delicious cake but has a strong, resteepable base that makes it also pair well with sweets, something not all flavored teas can do well. Elegant tasting.

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drank Decaf Carol by Lupicia
3240 tasting notes

Third time for a strawberry tea and this time it is the decaf version of Carol. I love black tea or Lapsang with ice cream so we had this tonight with those little Korean waffle ice cream fish. Yummy!

I think I may try to go through the May prompts four times with all this headway!

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I can’t believe I never added this to my cupboard because today it is a sipdown. I am using this as my tea with lemon flavor on the third time through May sipdown prompts.

I generally dislike red rooibos but I enjoy green, and it is a great base for flavorings and gives me more caffeine free options for evening.

This tea is equally orange and lemon, or maybe a little more orange leaning, but the citrus is soft and not tart. I prefer it as an iced sweet tea to beat the muggy summer heat.

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drank Winter Spice by Twinings
3240 tasting notes

I hurt my back a few days ago, probably by sleeping funny. Maybe that is why I am craving tea for the last few days, to get that bit of comfort.

During the winter I steeped this in hot apple juice for a sort of mulled apple cider. Today I wanted a quick and easy late lunch so I just made it in water.

It is a decent tea but it is nothing compared to Cuppageek’s evening blends like Baked Apple Pie and Spiced Fall Evenings. But it made a nice cuppa to go with a quesadilla.

I did the easy quesadilla where you just put some cheese, fold the sides in and fold the bottom up. Instead of putting it in the oven, in a panini press, or in a pan, I put it in a sandwich cage in my toaster. See how quick and easy?

And if you haven’t tried putting a smidge of Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce in your quesadilla, I highly recommend it. If I am not going for quick and easy, I put sautéed onions and chicken tossed with bbq sauce, but as I said, I am going for quick and easy today!

Shae

That quesadilla sounds amazing – I never would have thought to do a BBQ chicken version. I hope your back feels better so soon!

ashmanra

Shae: Thank you! The idea wasn’t original! A restaurant here many years ago sold what they called Southwest Quesadillas. They were delicious and we started making them at home – cheaper than dining out! And really easy to make. We serve them with a mix of salsa and sour cream or homemade yogurt, but I think they may have also offered ranch as a dip for them. I love the Sweet Baby Ray’s in them and sometimes put just a little extra on the side.

When I don’t have any chicken or just want a quick lunch, a quesadilla or even cheese sandwich with a little BBQ sauce hits the spot.

Rosehips

I hate it when I injure something while I’m sleeping. I hope you feel better soon.
And the quesadilla sounds amazing!

Mastress Alita

I’m a stomach sleeper and simply can’t sleep any other way, and wake with horrible back pain every morning!

mrmopar

Hope you feel better soon!

ashmanra

Thank you, mrmopar!

ashmanra

Thank you, Rosehips!

Masters Alita – I hope you find a solution for your back! Sleeping on my stomach makes my back utterly seize up now. Years ago, I slept comfortably that way.

Kelmishka

Hope your back feels better soon!

ashmanra

Thanks, Kelmishka! I am throwing ibuprofen at it now, and being careful to sit a little, walk a little!

Michelle

Someone told me of a trick to change your sleep habits, to sew tennis balls on a tshirt for how you don’t want to sleep and that will train your body to avoid the position on the tennis balls, for example on your back.

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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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