Awkward Soul

Back from jiu jitsu and SOOO freaking hungry! I could probably eat and entire pizza or something right now, must resist!

I haven’t had this tea in awhile but I’m totally cheating it!

Steeped this tea along with a big chunk of vanilla bean pod (leftover pod I scraped awhile ago) and rock sugar. I prefer making this tea as a high powered latte with brown sugar, but I don’t want all those calories tonight.

Super super creamy mouth and lips! However, the flavor is pretty mild from all the vanilla I added. Tastes like i’m drinking liquid cream rather than creme brulee.

Doing my halloween nails. Not going out anywhere interesting besides jiu jitsu class – they said I can come dressed in costume, but not sure if that is safe, lol!

Okay, this tea has been sitting in my cupboard for awhile and barely dented. What I’m tasting could be totally off due to age. ehh, need to drink it!

This oolong is light. Slightly buttery, warm green leafy veg taste. Starting to get astringent as its beginning to dry my mouth.

I received a couple bags of this tea from Rachel Sincere, ty!
I need to do a Harney & Sons order sometime!

STEEPED: Fruity, roasty and creamy sweet smells over light gold tea.

TASTE: Lightly strawberry flavored first, then a blend of vanilla and coconut flavors wave in, over a gentle base of ricey puff green tea. Get a bit of a roasty aftertaste sometimes, other times a naturally sweet strawberry vanilla aftertaste. Overall a light tea.

Second steeping, the strawberry flavor is gone, but the coconut and roasted green is still present and quite tasty.

COMMENTS: Pretty nice tea – great flavor mix and delicious! However, this tea is pretty light. I’d be all over this tea all the time if it was stronger in flavor, but if I’m in the mood for a great light tea, this is good!

Okay, my sister is one of those people who LOVES Disneyland. Like she goes every time she’s in town, sometimes being 2-4 times a year. She always wants me to go, but I bail every time after seeing the $125 price tag. Last time she went she surprised me with a tin of this tea.

DRY: Spicy ginger and peachy sweet smell. Really cute tin btw – very Alice in Wonderland all over it.
STEEPED: Sweet fruity and gingery over dark brown tea.

TASTE: Warm flavored black tea, strongly flavored with apricot with a zing of ginger at the end of sip. The black tea is bordering on bitter.
Sweetened, the apricot comes out more, however this cup got quite bitter as it cooled. I wonder if I over steeped or added too much leaf. I think adding milk would fix this, but not into adding milk today.

WHO SHOULD SNAG THIS TEA: If you like apricot ginger, this is decent and a step above bagged tea. Also you should be a tea peep who likes to sugar and milk their teas. And finally, if you are a Disney fan, probably would love the tin. Heck, I’m not a Disney fan and I love the tin!

COMMENTS: I liked the first cup for the good apricot taste, but wasn’t anything super special. Then the black base got all bitter crazy on me, and it became a pour out. I could see this tea being a decent iced tea.

Ehhhh, overall not for me, but I’m keeping the tin!

MMm blueberries, my favorite fruit! I go crazy with fresh blueberries – eating lots of them! Off season, I love blueberry jam. I’ve been planning to give this matcha a whirl for awhile. Let’s see how it goes:

Blueberry Matcha
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/blueberry-matcha.html
Matcha Quality: Classic Basic Grade
Flavor: Distinctive

Out of the package, the matcha smells blueberry candy – like a huge blueberry sticky lollipop! Over the top sweet blueberry flavoring smell.

Prepared simply as a hot cup of matcha, there is a mix of flavorful earthy matcha with a finish of blueberry taste. However, I kinda find this blueberry sharp and tart, like I’m eating a bunch of blueberry skins packed into a sip.

While I was making this as a latte, I took a sip of the matcha made with a bit of hot water and sugar and it tastes a nicer blueberry flavor, the sweetener hiding that blueberry tartness.
As a latte with soymilk and some sugar, this matcha becomes a nice mix of blueberry and creamy flavors, backed up with the depth of earthy matcha. I think I will at least sweeten this matcha, as I prefer the flavor more.

I find the Distinctive flavoring does a perfect job here – it does taste more blueberry than matcha, but still enough green tea taste to remind you its matcha.

I can’t wait to combine this matcha with my other flavored RLT matchas!

TY to Nature’s Tea Leaf for a sample of this tea for review!

DRY: Fun, tightly rolled green tea balls.
STEEPED: Savory vegetal smell, very light yellow tea.

TASTE:
First steeping – light, savory and buttery. Tastes like I should be drinking this with lunch or dinner not breakfast.
Second steeping – brighter, little sweet pea like. Still savory tasting.
Third Steeping – I think this tea is getting darker. The sweetness of the second steeping is gone, moreso a stronger first steeping.

COMMENTS: Nice, simple green that isn’t grassy or very sweet – moreso a good savory type that would pair well with dinner. Good bang for you buck with this tea – I bet I could keep on resteeping, but I’m bored after 3 small pots and want something new.

Matcha Salt! I asked my sis to grab a can for me before she visited me from Victoria, BC. I do lots of cooking, so I thought this would be cool to try.

Price wise, pretty good. $4.50 for sea salt is pretty good (I’m not sure why, but sea salt here in the US is more than Canada, but kosher salt is cheaper and easier to find here than in Canada).

The tin is very tea tin looking, but you twist the lid to line up a hole on the lid for pouring the salt. Do not use this hole unless you want lots of salt! It pours out so fast and gives you lots of salt! I’d take a pinch out of the can and be gentle with it as it’s pretty salty.

Taste wise, there is a hint of grassyness in this salt. I paired it with stir fried kale which was pretty tasty. I added it to rare roast beef sandwiches which added a bit of grass to it. I found I liked this salt paired with vegetables more. I haven’t tried this with fish or chicken yet.

Ehhhh, I’m not not sure how to rate this salt. Curious? Like to cook? Be a good conversation piece at the table for sure.

I believe this tea comes from Rachel Sincere, ty!

MOAR Marshmallow Monday while I knit socks!

DRY: smells like… kids toothpaste? Those marshmallow roots look like mushrooms to me.

STEEPED: Beautiful golden tea, smells sweet, minty and crisp.

TASTE: Sweet blast of mint, fluffy sweet marshmallow and crisp savory green tea. It’s like minty rice crispy treats. Sometimes it tastes like cream soda. Then the sweetness, fluff and mint creeps out. Weird mouth sensation too, like numbing my mouth. The mint is not overpowering and at a perfect level.

COMMENTS: Now beating myself up for not trying this tea sooner. Of course, it’s been reblended a few times, I’ve seen it instock while I did other 52 tea purchases and now sold out. Sigh. I was mildly interested in this tea from the marshmallow taste as well as the reviews, but the mint was scaring me off – how can you make mint more original? But graveyard mist totally school’d me.

Now I’m really going to press for a subscription with 52 Teas for my birthday or christmas!

Marshmallow Monday?

DRY: mmm! This tea smells just like brownies! Very close to smore brownies I make! http://joythebaker.com/2009/04/smores-brownies/#
Lots of bits in this tea – need to do a good bag shuffle to ensure you get all the little bits!

STEEPED: Light brown tea, smells chocolate liquor like and roasty. The marshmallows dissolved too!

TASTE: Perky bold black tea up front. Graham flavor pops up clearly to me. Chocolate and toasty flavors swings in some sips. Marshmallow sweet aftertaste. The black tea is kinda bitter to me – maybe a shorter steep or lower temp might help out there.
Sweetened, the chocolate comes out more and the black tea tastes quite roasty. Slightly cooled, the sip tastes just like smores on some sips – best flavor!

COMMENTS: Hmmm, I love this tea but some parts I dislike – not sure if I’m liking the black tea used here or maybe I need do adjust the steeping times. However, this one has to be the best black tea/smorey marshmallow tea I’ve tried so far.

I’m planning to drinking marshmallow teas today! Marshmallow Monday? Woot woot!

DRY: Super cinnamony sweet, smokey edge. Lots of marshmallows!

STEEPED: Those marshmallows all dissolved, oooh yeah! The light brown tea smells of spice, sweet, and kinda chocolatey.

TASTE: Light black roasty tea. Hint of cinnamon, and light marshmallow sweetness. The tea and flavorings are really light and kinda watery.

COMMENTS: I can see others liking this tea for the subtle flavor, but this is just too watery for me to really get into it. If it wasn’t watery this would be really good!

I haven’t had this tea in awhile – something appealed tonight about having a “coffee” or “stay awake” type tea, but it not keeping me awake!

This time I got the 5 minute steep and the flavor is much stronger but still light. The rooibos, despite being a rooibos disliker, works well with the coffee flavor, along with a really nice creamyness that sits on the tongue a bit. I didn’t get the creamy taste with the faster steep, I was totally missing out! Also picking up a good caramel taste on some sips.

Totally need to do a latte next time!

Was out late Halloween partying last night. My Husband was Dresden (he’s geeky and cute) and I was a gothic lolita doll with a petticoat that made my butt impossible to get through doorways and sit down. Ate too much candy and my sweet tooth is still going, hoping this Salted Caramel tea will hit the spot!

DRY: Looks like all the fun bits of this tea settled onto the bottom of my package! Smells salty, caramelly toffee!

STEEPED: Bold, coffee like, but toffee sweet aroma. Little bit of film on the top of the tea and black debris on the bottom that my Steeper didn’t pick up.

TASTE: Strong, deep, bold black tea taste. Small caramel aftertaste. I get faint salt taste end of sip. Not astringent, but bitterness starting to emerge. Not picking up the coconut.
Sweetened, the caramel comes out a bit more.

COMMENTS: Hmmm, I was hoping this would taste like how it smells, but not enough caramel, salt or creamyness for me to fully enjoy this tea, but I am a flavor freak. The black tea is rich, so I think a coffee drinker would enjoy this tea.

Brutal Brazilian Jiu jitsu class tonight (every Friday is the hard class), probably going to be more brutal as I skipped the last 3 classes because of sore neck and headaches, probably from BJJ on Monday. I’m feeling a little lazy and stiff today, so decided to go make a big tumbler of Acai Matcha before class.

I’m checking my tea shelf and couldn’t find my tin of this matcha. I got so angry and was all “Where the hell is it? This is my favorite one!” and phew, found it buried under other matchas.

So I guess this is my favorite RLT matcha. Sorry Eggnog, Pistachio, Tiramisu.

Another TY to Nature’s Tea Leaf for a sample of this tea!

DRY: tight chunky lumps of oolong, smells grassy and kinda sweet.
STEEPED: Golden tea, smells floraly veg.

TASTE: light floral sweetness sweeps through, kinda buttery, naturally slightly sweet and a veggie bite. Full of flavor, no bitterness of astringency. I could sense if this was oversteeped astringency would peek through.

COMMENTS: Not bad, I am enjoying the full flavor of this oolong. OIBO is a good earthy veggie oolong. I feel kinda picky, but I prefer my oolongs a little sweeter or more floral, so this doesn’t wow me, but still a decent cup of tea.

Another tea sample my family brought me from Canada! I can’t wait to try this one as this looks up my alley.

DRY: Strong cinnamon scent. Huge chunks of chocolate, very rustic looking tea. The chocolate tasted good too.

STEEPED: Cinnamony and chocolate smell, weird film on the top of the light brown tea. Little murky and debris floating in this tea that my Steeper didn’t catch.

TASTE: Warm cinnamony, deep earthy black tea, slight creamyness from coconut or vanilla. The main flavor of this tea is cinnamon though.
Sweetened, I think the chocolate flavor comes out a bit more.

Oddly, my last cup from my tea pot was REALLY weak! Huh? I’m thinking all the weird floating debris carried the flavors.

COMMENTS: I disliked Dr. Chocolate/Spiced Carob – SN is very similar but lacks the stuff I disliked about Dr. SC – cardamon /waves fist! However, yeah, kinda weak flavor. Kinda close to Cocoa Canela, but not as spicy! I’d say this tea is the least spicy of the 3.

Not bad, I’m sure there are plenty of peeps who would like this tea, it’s very fall like, warm cinnamon and chocolate. I’m thinking it needs nuts for another layer of flavoring as it’s too close to Dr Spice Chocolate Carob and Cocoa Canela vibe.

Drinking this while I watch some Baka and Test episodes. I gotta say S&CM is a great tea to watch anime with – cute, lemony, fluffy.

I love my Steeper – I use this thing ALL the time! Little mess pouring the tea, the leaves are kept nicely for when I want to resteep and pretty well balanced so it doesn’t fall over or anything.

I love it so much, I crocheted 2 cozies for it and posted the pattern on my blog to share with others – ZOMG CROCHET STEEPER TEA COZY http://awkwardsoul.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/davidstea-steeper-cozy-crochet-free-pattern/

My only complaint is taking this thing apart. Maybe I’m scared I’m gonna break it and I’m screwed for having good tea until a new one comes in the mail. Putting the filter back in can be a pain. What I found works really well for cleaning is rubbing baking soda in to remove all the tea stains.

I have the 18oz and totally want the 36oz. One day.

Post weight lifting smoothie!

Sugar Destroyer matcha + soymilk + soy protein powder + 2 Kale leaves = BLECK! Creamy chunky leaf bleck!

I should of added some almond butter (thats a delicious kale smoothie right there), but I think I’m punishing myself for being out of exercise the last few days.

EDIT: this is the longest smoothie drinking session ever! I swear I’m chewing more of it. The sugar destroyer matcha I cannot taste, but I can feel it perking me up. Ugggg kale teeth!

Killing off this tea right now – phew 50g is hard to get through! Though happy I finished off an older tea!

I used to think this was a very chocolately tea, but thinking back to Della Terra’s Dubbele Chocolade and The Persimmon Tree’s Coconut Cacao, this isn’t as chocolatey or as well executed.

I like the coconut smooth finish. The chocolate adds also a nice smoothness, but the black tea has stepped into bitter zone adding a funky taste. The funky taste is also the coconut, tasting more of the cheap fake kind of coconut.

Thinking back from being new to teas (when I got this) to now, I’m totally spoiled, lol!

TY Nature’s Tea Leaf for a sample of this!

DRY: Black tea – almost rosy floral smell with light raisin. (me and smelling raisins in black tea).

STEEPED: Woodsy brown tea, smells slightly raisiny again. I forgot to set my timer, so I think I steeped this for 2.5 minutes to 3.5 minutes.

TASTE: Earthy black tea, with smokey taste up front. Little bit of cocoa malt taste. Small hit of raisiny taste. No bitterness or astringency.

COMMENTS: The smokey malt flavor is interesting, however I think I prefer a sweeter more floral black tea. Still a good cup!

Drinking this tea again (because it is so tasty) while I felt some crocheting I did for a pattern I made up.

I forgot last times I felted I drank something harder, with alcohol, as felting by hand takes time. Bleh. Then my pattern idea apparently needs work. Back to re crochet it.

PBCCH I made as a hot latte with soymilk and a little agave. Very smooth, peanut buttery and chocolately!

Drinking a big pot of this while I crochet my current pattern idea while watching Korean cooking shows on youbtube. Uggg, I hope it turns out, it’s a bit of a gamble as it’s a felting project and I’ve never done a felting pattern before.

Very nice, strawberry, guava, hint of ginger over white tea. The ginger is very gentle here.

When I saw pics of Red Velvet cakes coming out years ago I attempted to make it, and turned out badly. Too vinegary once, not red at all a few times (wrong food colouring) or messed up texture (wrong food colouring screwing up the liquid content). I’m more of a cookie and pie baker, not a cake baker!

DRY: Smells like cake! Lots of red sprinkles and, white bits and chocolate chips.

STEEPED: Light reddy brown black tea. Smells like cake batter. I thought it would come out more red. Bit of a clear film on top of my cup.

TASTE: Smooth, battery cake taste – rich cake, vanilla buttery with chocolate flavor. Quite sweet without adding any sweetener, Crap!
I sweetened what was left in the pot without tasting, and it’s pretty sweet and spot on toothy sweet cake. The black tea is subtle here, adding some depth. No bitterness or astringency. Do not sweeten this without tasting first!

COMMENTS: If you love Red Velvet Cake, give this a shot. Me? it’s really impressively tastes like cake, which is pretty cool – it be a fun tea to show people new to fun flavored teas. However, RVC is really chocolate cake with red colouring, ya know? I do think this is better than DT’s “Chocolate Cake” as it tastes closer to cake.

Oh crap. I’m scared to see my Steeper, I remember Chocolate cake made a gross mess in my Steeper from the sprinkles, this tea might be the same.

Ugg crappy day. Standing in lines at the Immigration office. Headachey and sore neck from jiu jitsu.

This is my first honeybush tea off 52 teas for me to buy, I’ve mostly bought blacks and greens and got rooibos/honeybush off trades.

STEEPED: Deep brown colour with smells of crumbly chocolate and peanuts. Mmmm. Bit of dark debris at the bottom of my cup that my Steeper didn’t pick up. I went 2tsp of PBCCH for an big cup of tea.

TASTE: HOLY CRAP

Okay okay. This tea tastes like a peanut butter cup but not as sweet. I get the smooth peanut taste with a hint of chocolate edging around the peanut flavor. The cheesecake twang is so there. The peanut sweet flavoring sticks to my mouth for a moment after each sip. The chocolate tastes kinda cookie like sometimes. Is it the honeybush doing that cookie taste?

Sweetened, HOLY COW!

Even more peanut buttery cup taste, smooth and cookie like. Cheesecake twang floats in and out. I think I like unsweetened more, but sweetened is good too.

COMMENTS: Wow, very very good! I’m kinda sad as I want an unlimited supply of this tea.

I actually ordered 1 more bag of this right now, despite logical thinking that 1 pouch should last me awhile. But there was only 2 left in stock. Whatever, it’s MIIINEEEEE! MINE! I’ve been looking for a great caffeine free tea, and this is it! I’m gonna make another cup.