Bonnie

I’m not super fond of Sheng Puerh.
I know that’s not something one should admit, but there it is…I’ve said it!
Why? Some are too timid and some too ashy for my taste.
I mentioned this to Lily Duckler and got an “Aha, I know just the sheng’s for you!”, which I hope she’ll enlighten me on at some point. I have an open mind!

Peeking at the flavor profile for the Haixingtang Sheng I was intrigued. It sounded like a Sheng Puerh I might like (skeptical comment but truthful).

Method: Fat Gaiwan, 4 oz water to 5 grams leaf. 1 Rapid rinse.

Chose to follow a 5 second steep, increasing 5 seconds each pour.

Visually: Sparkling clear champaigne gold liquor.

The first taste was so light that I could barely detect anything other than a bit of savory, spinachy something.

Unsatisfied, I gulped a big swig of tea which washed my mouth with the round flavor of vanilla bark. Something very distictly puerh’ish, a bit earthy with heat on the tip of my tongue.

The aroma of steeping tea smelled like spanikopita and vanilla pudding wafting through my kitchen. Sweet and savory!

I filled my cup again, the spinach gone, the texture smooth and refined.

Steep 3 changed to creamy spinach and spicy heat (odd how the spinach flavor came and went). I let the cup cool down, and tasted raisins.

The 4th steep was creamy, smooth and green vegital but not savory.
At the far back sides of my palate, I tasted CLOVE! The flavor was completely isolated from the creamy vegital taste.
Then, the tip of my tongue tingled the way ginger heats the mouth.

Again, I steeped the leaves and poured a glistening cup of Puerh.
I was puzzled about the aroma and flavor of the tea. The vanilla I tasted wasn’t Cookie or Pastry vanilla, but something different.

This was familiar in my taste memory, an experience with the scent and flavor if I could just remember!

Passing the Gaiwan in front of my nose, then sipping the tea…I remembered where I had smelled the scent, then the taste of the vanilla.

Months ago, I went with my granddaughter Schey to the local Hooka Bar! The scent and flavor was something like the vanilla tobacco…grassy, vanilla yet smooth.

Sounds odd, but there it was.

I quite liked this Sheng actually.

My apologies for the static structure of this review which when I began, was interrupted by several phone calls…ugh.

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A new Steepster sent me a note that got me thinking. I’ve assumed that most people know who I am because I’ve been on Steepster for a long time, and so I chatter on with my stories, which makes no sense to newer arrivals.
My apologies.
In an effort to catch up anyone who may need to time-travel to the present…
I’m the OLD LADY of Steepster! Yes,65 and proud of it!
With health issues (migraines and fibromyalgia)…I live a happy, frugal life in Colorado (close to my daughter and her big family of 3 biological, 5 adopted and various foster children!).
My social outlets are a friendly local tea house (Happy Lucky’s), Church, writing on Steepster and a blog. I write about tea and tell stories most of the time in run-on sentences. Often, I’m opinionated but I never mean to offend anyone. I’m a lover of life and and a beginner learning about tea!

After drinking the new Laoshan Green Oolong yesterday and using the spent leaves in my lunch salad (delicious), I had a ‘taste’ for more Laoshan Green Tea and ‘happened’ to have the 2013 Spring Harvest Green. Waddaya know?!

My plan was to brew this tea, then use the leaves (again) in today’s lunch salad. (last night I sauteed leftover Laoshan Green Oolong leaves with fish and butter…so good!)

I saw the $12 cute little glass ‘beeker’ infusers on the Verdant website, I bought one…and I’ve been using it quite often.

Using a little over 1 tsp leaves, I filled the beeker 3/4 full (about 5oz) with 185 degree filtered water. Steep time was 6-8 seconds. (Didn’t cover during steeping per instructions from Verdant)

The flavor was like eating the flesh from the center of fresh, uncooked green beans when you’re sitting with a colander, snapping them in pieces. I always pop a few in my mouth because the flavor is so fresh!
As I sipped the tea, I pictured myself dangling my feet in a pool of water watching dragonflies race by, dust dancing on beams of light. There was a clean smell. Water running over granite rock into the pool, the scent mixed with my sips of fresh beans.

The second steep was thick and coated my mouth as though ate a plate of cooked vegetables (including slightly bitter zucchini). This slightly bitter taste is good!
Wine does this same with tanin in the right amount. It wakes up the taste buds, and suddenly…you’re aware of flavor that’s amazing!

There was a sweetness that I hadn’t tasted on the third steep.
The tea had become smoother, still rich and creamy, but a sweet, subtle,less savory bean taste. Glistening.

Now my head was caving in…felt good…

Spring Harvest Laoshan Green vibrates with awakening life.

Review:
Brewing Method: 4 oz Gaiwan
5 grams leaf
208 degree filtered water, 1 rinse
5-6 sec. each steep increasing by 2 seconds each round
(although 18 steeps can be done at 5-6 seconds, I’ll comment on 5)

Liquor Color: Consistantly very pale yellow-green

Wet Leaf: Vibrant varigated deep greens, small curled leaves which unfurled slowly with each steep. Salty, savory, sweet aroma becoming more spinach scented as it cooled.

I think it’s wiser to give an overall impression. The tasting wasn’t static, so I don’t want to approach it as though it was some sort of school project with an outline.

When nobody is around, I can slurp, spraying the tea to all the tastebuds even the top and way back.

I was at first nervous, which is pretty common with a new tea, nervous with excitment and nervous that I would miss something.
It’s odd that I judge myself that way…but I forge ahead until the tea takes over and my brain stops thinking so much.

Sweet, Summer white corn, lightness…and mountain water.
I began to think about the fresh ‘spring’ that blesses Laoshan Village’s farms. You can taste the freshness in these leaves.

The corn changed to pale green summer squash with butter as it cooled, coating my mouth.
The scent of stargazer lilies in a distant place caught on the thread of a light breeze was barely there, but I was aware of it coming back …like flickering light.

As soon as I thought the tea was clean and fresh, cool as cucumber and edgy, it rose up filling my mouth and nose with an intoxicating, dense aftertaste as though I had been injected with tea, rolled in tea leaves and eaten them!

Every pore was Laoshan Green Oolong!

There was a morphing from light to bright, thin to full, green to gold. And I loved the changes!

Tea that takes me to unexpected places, turns my head and surprises me is a rarity.

Teasing taste…wait for the punch at the end! The finish is lush, fat and savory.

The 5th steeping was the best at 30 seconds.

My lunch was an Italian chicken salad with lemon, fresh basil, olive oil, chopped spinach, grated parm and the Laoshan Green Oolong tea leaves (no salt). Oh yes, they can be eaten!

This is my favorite of the two new Oolongs!

Bonnie’s comments: OR Tips from Teama…Teagrandmother
I’ve always loved driving along country backroads, buying fresh eggs, fruit and vegetables from local farms.
Back in the 1970’s, I took my children strawberry picking in Watsonville, close to the Pacific Coast, where the fog would come in and mist the berries.
It was fun picking a few berries then popping some in our mouths. We did the same with raspberries and blackberries. We didn’t think about GMO’s or any other bad things on fruit back then! We just had fun!
On our many drives we bought brussel sprouts on the stalk, bags of artichokes, apricots and cherries. The bounty of fruit and produce in Northern California was outstanding.
We moved to Paradise, further North past the Delta rice fields to farms of walnut, pecan, peach, olive and apple groves. Salmon came from the Sacramento River or local lakes.

Half the fun was going home to fixing what we picked up at those farms.
Halved fresh brussel sprouts in olive oil and butter, mixed with garlic and bread crumbs (to make the garlic butter stick to the sprouts) is still a favorite of all the kids!

If you want to learn to ‘taste’, reduce sugar and salt, and eat fresh food! Everything that you eat, becomes relevant to tasting tea.

I’m convinced that my appreciation for tea was born from the appreciation for how things grow. Loving the Earth. It makes sense.

Because Laoshan Village just launched two ‘first ever’ Oolong’s with Verdant Tea, I’ve decided to prepare tea in a style common to that geographic area.

Laoshan Style Tea: (No special equipment required)
Heatproof glass tumbler, 175 degree filtered. Pour water over aprox. 1tsp or so leaves (1/4 inch). Wait until most of the leaves sink to the bottom of the glass, then sip.

Refill the glass with water throughout the day using the same leaves.

The signiture aroma and flavor of chocolate, potato and barley that I love in Laoshan Black Tea is present in this Oolong, with a lighter more delicate and sweeter taste.

One sip and you know, this is tea from Laoshan Village and Mr. He!

Throughout the first tasting, I couldn’t help comparing Laoshan Black Tea with the Laoshan Roasted Oolong while swishing and swirling the golden liquor.
The cocoa brown tea leaves had plumped a full 2 inches high in my glass and left a filmy haze of tea oil. Good leaves!

The tea’s medicial benefits were taking effect with a golden, light warmth elevating my sense of well-being.

I relaxed, sat back on the couch…and passed the tumbler in front of my nose to catch the floral and fruity scent.

More water into my tumbler, and the glass was dark topaz from the cinnabar-brown leaves that filled it.

The flavor was lighter, not as potato-chocolate as the first steep, and spicier. Cinnamon, caramel, citrus.

This particular Oolong is in the flavor profile of Laoshan Black but lighter, sweeter and more floral. I look forward to seasonal changes and roasting experimentation.

Personal Note
I sat today and remembered the first time I drank really great tea and what it was like. How do you explain it?
Everyone knows what a ‘Flash Mob’ is. Well, when I was drinking bagged tea’s and highly flavored tea, it was like a flash mob…all dancers and bands and noise. A fun show!

There comes a part when everything stops and there’s a reveal. The one special moment when everyone points to a single person because that is the point of it all. The show and everything is about that moment…the ‘reveal’!

One layer after another of people is removed…they point to a spot and…‘tah dah’!

For me, my moment, or ‘reveal’ with tea was when I drank my first high quality, unflavored loose leaf tea. I was blown away!

I had no idea that tea could have such a pure, clear voice. Without apology…it changed my tea journey and sent me down a path of discovery.

Now I know how to use equipment and how to pour tea, and like going to Grammar School I’ve learned lots of facts.

Weeks ago when recuperating, I drank copious amounts of fine tea to help heal my tired-from-migraine brain. The tea helped a great deal!

I’ve been thinking about the need to learn to ‘drink tea’ and it’s time to sit still more often and heal in many ways.

Lesson #1
I know very little about tea.

All of us have taste memories that influence our tea tasting…a reference point.

Almost 10 years ago, I worked part-time at Fortino’s Winery in Gilroy, California. I wanted to learn more about my dad’s life growing up in the Napa Valley. He trimmed grapevines as a boy at now famous vineyards in the days when horse and cart still moved between the rows of ripening fruit. My cousin Norma sells her grapes to that same vineyard (Beaulieu Vineyard).

When I traveled around Northern/Central California (Santa Barbara to Eureka and inland to Murphys) I would take an empty case (or two) to fill with wines along the route. (All wineries give discounts to any winery employees from other wineries!)

In some ways, the adventures were a bit like tea tasting.

Many wineries were small barns where I would be standing with the winemaker and nobody else.

The winemaker would pour a more average wine to check my reaction. If I met approval, the better wines would appear and the tasting continued with animated discussion and enjoyment.

We would discuss levels of flavor, what we tasted, the feeling in the mouth. Just as I do with tea.

Now, the first time I tasted Muscat wine was in Murphy’s…up in Calaveras County (Sierra Foothills) where Mark Twain wrote about the ‘jumping frogs’. The area is dotted with excellent wineries and a few have tasting rooms set up on the main street which are restored buildings from the Gold Rush days.

Stevenot Winery had a small brick storefront with bare wide-board floors and plain plank bar at the far end of the room. The high ceiling and tall windows let in muted light. On the bar were several glass vases filled with daffodils (the town plants them down the sides of the roads in the Spring). It was rustic and lovely.

I decided to try their expensive Muscat wine. Don’t know why. (My first Muscat ever.)

It was a revelation. The wine rolled over my palate like warm silk, more floral than raisin. I felt illumined, like a candle had been lit inside my body, not warm but golden. It was wonderful!

When I drink any tea that has a muscat flavor, I think of this first muscat wine (and I’m glad it was such a grand one).

My memory formed with this experience.

Review:
Brewed Western Style with more leaf than recommended. (1TB-16oz 3min)

The fragrance of the tea was fat and floral! Some tea’s flirt with your nose, this one fills it with beautiful, sweet candied white muscat perfume!

Don’t know why, but I took a gulp…an improper in public one to gorge my mouth with tea (I normally slurp..which is proper).

The flavor was lightly sweet, pink peppercorn with fresh muscat grape (the stage where they’re white with a pink blush and very small). Right on the finish, I tasted cashew.

It was a bountiful gulp!

Next I properly slurped the tea removing the cup from the vacinity of my face sans the scent. This to allow a separation of the savory from the sweet muscat flavor. (Sometimes, this works.)

I slurped again, bringing the cup close under my nose, inhaling
the sweet floral scent. The taste was more pronounced and the awareness of peppercorn was stronger.

Moving the cup around and playing with slurping and gulping…or changing the size of a cup…can make a difference in how the tea tastes.

This tea is smooth, gentle muscat with a beautiful aroma and one that I recommend.

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The tea’s from Nepali Tea are a pleasure for me to drink and review. I respect their support of the farmers in Nepal that they work with directly and I know the staff personally.

All proceeds from tea sales go to support the farmers.

It has been a long, long, long time since I wrote a review.

I was very sick.

I had chills, pain from migraines and fibromyalgia off and on for 6 weeks ending in a 10 day long continuous spell that made my brain feel like I was having bad dreams on high speed. I probably should have gone to emergency but I sat on the couch for days and days.

During the time I was ill, there were two kinds of strong tea I drank to help with the chills and pain. Ajiri and Laoshan Black.
Bless them both! I drank the tea and held the cups (when hot) to my aching face.

When the attack was over, it took weeks for my speech to make sense, balance to return, to be fully myself again.

So, I’m here on Steepster.

Many of you sent notes of concern and support, wondering where I was. Thank you. Some I answered, and often I didn’t make sense.
I couldn’t write. My Apologies.

It may take me a little time to get in the swing of things again, and I won’t be writing here as much as before. I was spending about 30 hours or more a week just writing on Steepster, and I have to think about being strong.

Now I’m able to taste and appreciate tea once again.

I TURNED 65 LAST WEEK!
So, with some Birthday money, I bought some Yu Lu Yan Cha (I forgot that I had reviewed ths tea months ago from a previous picking).

Review:
I can’t tell you how glad I am to have my tea sense’s back!
For a number of weeks, flavors were bland. I’ve had to relax and let my mind heal itself, being patient and listening for the coolness to arrive, the stillness that is centered and would allow me to ‘sink’ into the tea. It’s no use drinking tea without appreciation unless you’re sick and drinking a healing tea. Then the appreciation comes later.

The Yu Lu Yan I tasted previously is not the same as this Yu Lu Yan. There’s a difference.
Many of us have discussed how from one seasonal harvest to another the flavor of one’s favorite tea can be different. Nature isn’t a factory that can be controlled. Part of the excitment of drinking tea is the anticipation of what the next harvest will bring!

Will the next Laoshan Black be more chocolate or yammy? And how about this Yu Lu Yan Cha?

I’ve been drinking pots and pots…bathing my soul to the core in the luxury of it! A fountain of healing from the inside out, bathing me with light and life.

You may think that I exaggerate. Ha!
If you’d been emptied out, you would understand.

The joy of drinking this elixer as I emerged from my cacoon made me giddy.

I shared a pot of Yu Lu Yan Cha with Joe at Happy Lucky’s a few days ago. He made me laugh!

“Tastes like dunking fries in my chocolate shake, one of my favorite things to do!”

Naturally, everyone else had to taste the tea and agreed (except Sam who is from Cambodia and had never dunked fries in a shake). (I had no idea so many people dunked fries like that!)

What I’m excited about is the potato flavor, which are the best french fries…and chocolate with barely any honey (not too much)! It’s rich, full in my mouth without a grainy texture.

Smooth!

I prefer brewing this tea Western Style with 1-1.5 TB leaf to 20oz. filtered water (always). Steep 3 min. I add half and half and sweeten for a super rich tea that is unbelievable! (This brings out the potato and chocolate flavors best in my opinion)

This is a fantastic tea! Like popping Whoppers, you can’t stop drinking this tea!

Love you guys!

When I’m not feeling very well I drink tea and feel better.

My comfort the past few days has been pots of the very best black tea sipped while watching ‘Call The Midwife’ on Netflix.

If you haven’t seen this British series, test it out. The series is full of compassion and reminds me of how kind life was in the 1950’s when I was young. Neighbors looked out for each other and hope was abundant.

Laoshan Black was my warm hug in a cup.

I never have to wonder what I’m going to get when I brew up a big pot of tea…settling down…warming my hands around the mug and inhaling the vapor. I wait as long as I can before taking the first of many satisfying gulps, unable to resist such rich chocolaty flavor.

I crave dessert when I don’t feel well. Salted dark chocolate, gooey fudge brownies and Laoshan Black Tea by the pot are some of my favorites.

The first two desserts I shouldn’t have, but the third I spend neither thought of guilt nor shame indulging myself repeatedly.

I haven’t been visible on Steepster much over the past few weeks which is odd since most of you know that I love tea, and care about the people in this unique meeting place.

Spring brings dramatic changes to the weather! Thunder and lightning, late snow and the first warm days worthy of stripping off my sweater.

For me, these weather fluctuations are physically painful. The weather triggers migraines and fibromyalgia pain. Sleep is disturbed, my bones ache and through brain fog I have the hardest time making a decent cup of tea.

Today I was lucky!

I woke with usual painful bones at 4AM then fell asleep on the couch at 10:00. The weather had dipped from 67 degrees to 19 degrees in 13 hours. When I rose again, I didn’t have faith that I could make a decent cup of tea but I tried anyway.

Ajiri is strong tea! I’m fond of it in the morning with milk.

For days, I had been over-steeping, under-leafing, screwing up every tea I touched. It had been discouraging. I had gone to my tea-bar a couple of times just to have someone else fix tea for me.

I carefully measured the tea (which I seldom do anymore) into a 20oz pot and steeped 2 minutes (longer than the 1 recommended). Failure wasn’t an option anymore. This needed to be done right!

When I poured the first cup, the flavor was perfect! Strong, brisk and bready. I added evaporated milk and some sweetening to balance the richness.

Of course I’ll get through this physical slump, I’ve had this happen before…but I thought I should say something. You might know someone who goes through this too and could use a little understanding or help fixing a cup of tea.

A couple of people had noticed that I had been absent from Steepster. Writing thoughtful reviews when I’m not well and my bones ache isn’t fair to the tea. This situation will end soon enough.

About this Ajiri tea though…for anyone who isn’t a fan of malty tea’s but has been searching for a strong tea that isn’t bitter and stands up well to milk…this would be a good choice.

I met Annalisa and all 5 boys at Horsetooth Park this afternoon, armed with crackers and hugs.
It was a warm, cloudy day, perfect for playing without the worry of sunburn.
The park has a water play area, a tunnel mountain, various playgrounds for different ages, hiking trails and a dog park with fenced in swimming lake for dogs.

To both 2 year old’s, I’m “Dama” and to everyone else I’m “Grandma”.

After playtime, I took 8 year old Micah for some time alone. It’s important for him to know how special he is to me. His life has been difficult. Being 8 and bipolar, makes you feel different in a way that isn’t always good. He loves coming to my house and being my special boy.
I drove the long way home, stopped by the lower lake and we took a walk talking about fishing and why there were holes in the rocks. Then we went off to Happy Lucky’s for tea.

I brought my new Chai Spice with me. Who brings tea to a tea shop, or Chai Spice? I do!

For some reason, Happy Lucky’s was empty when we arrived and stayed that way. Maybe it was the clouds in the sky…sending streaks of lightening further out on the Prairie that was keeping people away. Whatever the case, Eric…Sam…Micah and I had Happy Lucky’s Tea House to ourselves!

Eric made the Chai in a fancy pot using a malty black tea base, milk and honey for all of us to enjoy.
Micah and I sat at the tea-bar and I poured tea very high above the little teacups from the copper teapot with it’s long curved spout. The 3 ft. stream of tea hit the cups creating froth without spilling a drop! (I’ve done this before) Everyone enjoys seeing me pour Chai!

This Chai was subtle, not too spicy or peppery. I could tell this was a Verdant Chai. Some Chai’s are ‘in your face’. By that I mean, there’s ‘lots’ of clove or cardamom or pepper and sometimes I feel like I’ve had Chai mouthwash!
Verdant Chai’s are gentle. Not weak, but not raw and rough either.
I can’t wait to try the Chai blend with Laoshan Black Tea. I know magic will happen with this Chai blend and Laoshan Black, who knows why…but it will happen. It’s a mystery! Maybe a miracle.

There are recipes so subtle that you might be tempted to rush past without consideration. We have become that kind of society. Rushing on to the huge tastes, the bold flavors. Refinement and restraint is something that I’m learning to appreciate and this blend is more refined.

Micah, my tea-guy friends and I all enjoyed our late afternoon Chai, and I’m looking forward to many more cups and some experimentation.

As Micah began to get over-active, I took him to the bins of tea and we began to go through the samplers, experimenting with the scents of mint and cacao, then lemon and ginger…and on and on until he forgot where he was and became interested in the tea. He calmed down and enjoyed himself again.

My daughter came and picked him up at the shop. Teatime with grandma is a memory I’m creating with my grandchildren. http://flic.kr/p/e8ZT4i

Tea
Mrmopar sent me a few small Tuo cha’s around Christmas (nice of him) so this morning I rinsed one piece for 20 seconds in boiling water, poking it gently with my Puer knife. I used a small pot for brewing tea instead of a Gaiwan.

The steep time was 1 minute because I prefer a strong brew.

Surprisingly, the flavor wasn’t strong but bland. Uninteresting, bland Puer is something I rarely encounter.

Recently, I put together a bin of herbs, spices and berries for adding to tea when I feel like experimenting with flavor.

The list contains:
Elderberry, tulsi and various kinds of mint, goji berries, lavendar, cinnamon bark chips, dry ginger, burdock root, jasmine flowers,
chrysanthemum blossoms, cranberries, orange peel, cassia seeds and cocoa hulls. (Most items cost about $2 an ounce)

I had this blah tasting Puer and I knew that I could do something to improve the flavor with an ingredient from my bin of goodies.
I chose the packet of cocoa hulls and steeped a very small amount in the brew basket with the bland Puer tuo cha.

The addition worked! I created a tasty pot of very Cocoa PU! I added cream and sweetened the cocoa pu to make it even more delicious.

Can’t wait to see what else can be created from this bin of flavor boosters!

Humility:
My daughter called…

“Mom, guess what? We just got a ‘Star Award’ for best Foster Parents and I don’t know what to say? How can I accept the award when I get mad and frustrated at my children and lose it sometimes?”

It didn’t surprise me that she and my son-in-law recieved the award, or that she would say that she didn’t deserve it. People who deserve awards usually don’t realize that what they do is special, or heroic. It’s in their character to go beyond normal.

That same day, she got another call and was informed that they had received ‘Foster Parents of the Year’ for our County.

Now she was complaining again! “How could this be?!”

Blubber, blubber, blubber!

Calmly I explained that life has to have balance. The many nights sitting up with the bi-polar 8 year old who can’t sleep and is bouncing off the walls. The baby on oxygen who was crying. Then I remembered the baby who was thrown out the window and had broken bones, and the many newborns they had nursed off drugs.

The rest is on www.teaandincense.com with a picture…

REVEW 600…time sips by when I’m drinking tea!

If you’ve lost your way and can’t remember where your journey began, drink very good tea and your memory will return.

Tea Tasting 1
I took the first half of my packet of Mr. He’s 1st Picking Laoshan Black to share with my tea shop friends on a quiet Friday afternoon, just a big snowstorm descended on Old Town.
The flurries were heavy outside while I sat at the tea-bar gloating. I had picked the best time and had the Happy Lucky’s all to myself with Joe, Andy, Eric and Preston to sip tea with me behind the bar.

Eric was Gaiwan Master that evening…pouring for all of us.

We were a loud chorus of tea slurpers, spraying the liquid up and around the inside of our mouths to insure a contact to every tastebud.

Andy (who is the main tea blender and manager of the shop) was the first to comment on how much the tea reminded him of sweet, malty Brewery grains (reminder that this is a Brewery town and within walking distance of the teahouse are many breweries such as New Belgium, Odell, Equinox, Fort Collins, FunkWerks, Pateros, Coopersmiths).

These young men became very animated, curious about the flavor of the tea and the malty, grainy quality that smelled like their other favorite beverage besides tea and a dessert pastry.

I was not paying close attention to what Preston was doing with the Gaiwan, so I missed his comment that he was going to steep the tea leaves longer.

He steeped them a full 2.5 minutes! Espresso strength!!

Wow! I had no idea until I took a sip and… my eyebrows stood on end!

The flavor was fantastic! Everyone liked it!

A condensed, huge, BITE of tea packed with fruit, grain, sweet malt and caramel that lingered on and on as though I had popped a truffle in my mouth and let it melt!

Eric commented that in all his years of drinking tea, going from Black Tea to Green, then Puerh, it’s ‘Hand Crafted Black Tea’ that’s bringing him back to his first love.

I went home, intending to write a review, and got a bad cold!
I’ve been absent for the past week or so…sick, sick sick! I don’t write reviews when I can’t taste tea.

Now that I’m well, I’ve had a chance to think about Mr. He’s Tea.
One thing that I love about regular Laoshan Black is drinking it Western Style and not Gongfu (not using a Gaiwan). So, I asked myself, what if this 1st picking was better Western Style also?

Tea Tasting 2
Using the rest of my packet of tea, I prepared a small pot for Western Style Brewing.

(Laoshan Black Leaves are long and wiry,the 1st picking are almost like rolled oolong, curled up tight and smell peppery-savory)

As much as I enjoyed the previous Gaiwan preparation with my friends, I have to say that the teapot brew tasted better.
Laoshan Black is more chocolate and grainy tasting than Mr. He’s 1st Picking, which was also smoother with caramel. This tea tasted similar to Golden Fleece.

In my 600 reviews here on Steepster I’ve learned from all the people here (including the many tea vendors who so lovingly teach about their tea’s).

I could probably give up tea easier than I could give up the people I’ve met here on Steepser, and that’s the truth!

Thank you!

Thank you Teajo Teas for this generous Sample!

With open arms I’m enjoying the first Spring arrival of high mountain rain.
Next to my desk as I was looking outside the window the very bottom of the Rocky Mountain’s settled their jagged bones and smoothed out to a gradually descending plain.

I am in love with the drama of Frontrange weather! The romantic in me wants to pair the right tea with what’s happening in the atmosphere.

Black Manas arrived in the mail right on time for my imaginings.

With black and billowing clouds rolling overhead, I prepared a pot of tea and a 3.5 minute steep (I am a dark brew lover).

Taking my tea-tray to the largest window, I sat watching the sky. Tea is part of what is outside after all, more than what is in my heated, electronic filled house.

When I poured, the tea was very dark. I expected a strong and malty flavor, but was pleasantly surprised with a light, sweet and brisk taste that wasn’t very malty. Huh?

“What’s this?”, I asked myself. Had I assumed from the reviews that this was going to be a malty tea like so many other’s? This wasn’t the case.
For me, the tea was barely malty and had a clean citrus essense with delicious rose and butter cookie flavor.

The tea was strong, full bodied… yet gentle and smooth.

Sweetened and with cream…Superb!

As much as I love very strong Kenyan Tea when I need my jolt of caffeine, I really like the floral background in this tea very much!

For strong black tea lovers like me who want smooth superior flavor, this has it all!

For a rainy day, nothing could beat a tea like this one!

All eyes have been on ROME for the past few weeks and especially today!

I’ve enjoyed seeing the place that I’ve been to and wish to return on TV. It’s my dream to take my granddaughters to Rome (and Greece if I could). Unless there’s a miracle this won’t happen, but I hope they get to go one day.

I wrote about my adventure on my blog www.teaandincense.com with a link to a song by il volo and a few pictures by me.

I like the message of the new Pope. Blessed are the Poor! Remember the Poor!

Even though I am not Catholic, and you may not be Catholic either, I love to hear all words of Mercy. I am reminded and inspired to be better than I am.

My tea today reminded me of the goodness of the smallest of things, in the little leaves that we enjoy as tea.

This tea in particular gave me head to toe warming, like a broom had swept out an interior chill.

I shivered.

Have you ever lifted your cup of tea, taken a sip and shivered with delight?

I am a dark chocolate junkie, a salted chocolate lover.
This tea provided effortless imaginations of salted butterscotch with my beloved dark chocolate.

In my delighted fanciful imaginations, I wanted a buttery, flaky cheese croissant paired with the richness of my tea. I craved the flavors blending together.

Tea for memories, for memorable days…and then again…reminding me that such small things are gloriously important and wondrous…even when they don’t look like much. A small leaf, a dry and plain thing.

What person looks so plain and poor, observed as debris yet has such glorious importance when kindness and attention is given.

It makes me shiver.

photo’s http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEmFABA

Il Volo (Young singers from Rome) http://youtu.be/vFyaa5AB2sA

(My blog link was down but is working again.)

Thank you mrmopar for this pu-erh sample!

Yikes! What a hardened packet of pu-erh nibs! I had to SOAK the little devils for a bit to soften them enough to break apart, all the while letting no color from the nibs leech into the water.

As I said, “Hard!”

Once they were pliable, color began to swirl rapidly in my glass pot and timing began.

A minute later, I pulled my basket and took a sip of the dark coffee brown liquor.

The flavor was savory mushrooms, sweet and salty. When I moved my head back from the cup, I smelled vanilla tobacco as the scent of the mushrooms mixed with vanilla wafer.

Late in the tasting, the feel of spice tingled my tongue the way cinnamon feels.

I wasn’t expecting this much complexity out of the work I put in breaking up the nibs. They were pretty ugly and the liquor was uninteresting to look at.

People can be like tea. Not much to look at and uninteresting on the surface. Some are very hard and take time to get to know! If time is taken, and if we can look past that initial hardness they can be the most interesting, unique and memorable people of our lives.

Like always, tea is an awesome teacher.

UH OH! 00

I was cleaning the linen closet and smelled smoke. Following my super nose like a hound-dog, I went outside and there was a huge plume of smoke up where the big fires were last Summer that lasted a month.
It’s only MARCH!

Some people have been evacuated, but we’re hoping for the first rains to arrive tomorrow (without lightening).

The smell of smoke…ugh!

I needed to go out and meet my family for dinner, so I picked Ajiri to give me the jolt I needed to face the smoke and get moving.

This is that one tea you want when you have to study late at night or when you have to drive a long distance. It will keep you running.

I’m not affected by caffeine for very long. The deep straightforward black tea flavor is what really appeals to me.

Thank you Janet for this sample of your new tea creation!

Everybody knows that I’m a Puerh Nerd and proud of it!
A Puerh Nerd is a Tea Nerd that smells like dirt! (That’s a joke!)

It was another Georgeous Morning on the Frontrange today! Birds singing and traffic reports to beware of SUN GLARE (which I think is amusing since my home in California wasn’t as close to the sun as living in the Rocky Mountains!).

Cinnamon Swirl Bread sounded like a festive and fresh beginning to my day.
Right when I was setting up my teapot, I almost missed the first ingredient ‘2008 loose Puerh’, thinking the tea had a black tea base. (Good thing I read the label more carefully!)

Janet ‘only’ uses organic, fair-trade ingredients, listing them on the package. The label explained timing, how to do multiple steeps and suggested 5 (or more) making this a great tea value.

Could the flavor really deliver though? I’ve tried so many blended Puerh’s that get it wrong!

A lot of thought went into the ingredients. I was confident that the puerh, cocoa nibs and cinnamon would do well through multiple steeping, but the black tea was also hearty and didn’t become weak through 40 ounces of testing.

Taste:
Janet created a delicious cinnamon bakery bread tea, no doubt about it!

The cinnamon isn’t sour or overdone! The tea doesn’t taste like chai or cinnamon tea, it’s what it says…bread! KUDO’s!

(I added some more sweetener and milk to make my tea even richer but you wouldn’t have to…)

Would order this tea? Absolutely! It’s one that I’d play around with even, adding a little ginger now and then, or orange. It’s what I do.

The body is smooth, rich and substantial because of the puerh.

Ah that word came up didn’t it, Puerh! What about that?

If you’re a puerh lover and want a punch of puerh flavor, forget it. You can’t really taste the puerh. It’s lending body and richness to this blend. It’s one of those wheat-bread puerh’s.

Anyone fearful of puerh, who might have pulled back from trying this blend anticipating an earthy or fishy taste is safe!

You can’t taste the Puerh, but you get all the health benefits!

This tea is a winner from sTEApShoppe!

I’ve tried to be open about my tea journey. I am still a beginner, and one tea that has intimidated me is Sheng Pu’er.

Why?

I look at a package of Sheng and feel like I’ve been called into the Principals office! (Some people feel this way about ALL Pu’er!)

Because I’m such a chicken, I took a sample of this to share with Joe on Tuesday because nobody would be at the tea shop in the morning. He loves Sheng! (And he would do all the serving)

Steep 1 and 2 were 10-15 seconds long.

The leaves smelled musty like damp concrete.

Steep one tasted thick and salty like whipped butter. I felt a cooling sensation in my mouth but Joe didn’t. (We hurried on)

The second steep was “black-teaish’ (not proper English but I’m quoting) and sweet vanilla-nut. We felt nut oil instead of butter that was a blend of brazil nut and cashew, adding sweetness and some creamy body.

Joe over-steeped the third round at 20 seconds…yuck! This one smelled very sweet like paste, and was super astringent…blech!

Steeps 4-5 were Savory…like dark meat chicken and potato skin. The sweetness and fattiness were gone.
(This was still tasty tea, but the 3rd long pour stripped some of the flavor out.)

We stopped at this point, one of my better experiences with Sheng Puer!

So many prior Shengs have been young, smoky (and somewhat harsh!).
Master Han’s Sheng had body with complex flavor, creamy texture and black-tea quality. I liked it!

The only way to get over being afraid of tea, is to drink it.

Thanks to Claire for this Sample Tea!

It’s a beautiful Spring-like morning…one of those throw open the window beginnings that lift the spirit. I rummaged past my boots and the ever-ready close-toe shoes of Winter to find ‘SANDALS’!

It’s inspiring to make tea in a Gaiwan on such a day.

I’ve become obsessed with warming my Gaiwan with boiling water, dumping the water out…then putting the tea leaves in to sit with the lid on for a minute.

What comes from this one step of preparation is tea seduction. It is what leads to wanting the tea so much that you can hardly contain yourself.

The next step was actual steeping which was short.

When I smelled the scent of the leaves they were fruity and sweet, but soon changed to the aroma of light curry. Going back to check the scent later, I could still smell the curry resting in the leaves.

The flavor was roasted freestone peach with the tang of guava membrillo. (Another way to discribe it would be the taste of peach leather and plum if you’re not familiar with membrillo?)
Sweet and tangy, luscious and smooth with a dripping honey quality to it.

Ah, the color in my glass cup. I had almost forgotten.
Polished brass flickering in candle-light. It reminded me of looking into a stream on a bright Summer day with the sun reflecting back glints and sparkles of gold.

This was a worthy tea, a Big Red Robe without the cinder taste that some dark roasts have. No burned flavor or smoke, just smooth stone-fruit and juice.

Joe at Happy Lucky’s and I shared 2 small pieces of this exquisite tea placed in a little white gaiwan.
The small pieces were the size of the tip of my little finger and amazingly fragrant.

We leaned towards the vessel, eyes lit with a glow that you see in the eyes of children when they’re about to blow out the candles on their birthday cake.

POOF! Our small gaiwan was ready to pour tea in a flash.

The first sip unfurled like a flower at the back of my throat, spicy and sweet. Lingering….

Cool, sweet, buttery jasmine and fresh rain.

Smooth and rich in my mouth…every steep drenched with sweet floral juice as though I had squeezed citrus.

The aroma was curious. Yellow delicious apple? Pineapple Mango?
Possibly a combination of both with the floral jasmine.

Mind wandering:
On very warm Summer evenings, I used to like to walk around the neighborhood right before sunset. I’d listen to the sounds of dogs barking and people making noises. Lawn mowers would turn off and mothers would be calling children in to dinner.
The air was warm enough to lift the scent of jasmine as I passed by the many scrubs common to my city. I loved that aroma and would breathe in deeply….ah! It gave me the same feeling of comfort as pulling the covers up over me on a Saturday morning and going back to sleep.

Jasmine has always smelled like PIE!

If those 2 small braided pieces of jasmine tasted so splendid, what would 4 pieces taste like?! I can’t imagine, but another time…I’ll try, and I’ll be back with more notes!

tea, tea, tea, tea, tea LAOSHAN BLACK tea, tea, tea, tea, tea.

There’s a list of tea’s that I could be satisfied with having and be happy with them for the rest of my life. (There are just over 15 I’ve been tinkering with.)

Laoshan Black would be in my top 5. It’s a staple in my diet.

Have you looked at the Verdant website alchemy blends?
Three have Laoshan Black in them. This is one of the reasons this tea is a staple in my cupboard…BLENDABILITY!

My local tea shop has herbs and spices at reasonable prices ranging from $1-$2 an ounce (and Eric always makes sure I have the freshest).
I received my new Laoshan Black in the mail yesterday on the way to tea, and thought I’d buy some of these interesting additions for adding to tea. I’ve been mixing elderberries, ginger, chysanthemum, fennel, jasmine, burduck root, cassia to pu’er on occasion, whipping up tasty brews to satisfy my creative nature (this seems to work best with milder pu-er).

A big pinch of Laoshan Black added into Ginger Sage Winter Spa Blend is delicious (one of my favorites)!
My cocoa hull pu’er (called choco pu) with a pinch of Laoshan Black is amazingly rich.

This morning, I made a big pot of tea which I drank Naked. Laoshan Black and nothing added to it!.
It was an especially sensual tea drinking experience! (The guttural tea noises you can make when nobody is around!) A-hum!
You know what I’m talking about…come on, don’t pretend you don’t!

How could I have forgotten the cocoa goodness? Had it been so long since my last cup of Laoshan Black tea?

The new batch has to be even richer and creamier than before.
DD (David Duckler) is up to something, I know he is! That grainy texture mentioned by many people in earlier reviews was missing.
Maybe it was just Me? (Hope not!) But this was richer and creamier than I remembered.

No, this isn’t a hyped review of a tea. This isn’t an undeserved review.

It is as good as hundreds of people say. Even…Better!

Thank you Janet for this sample tea!

I had this for my morning tea, propped my feet up next to my tea tray with my Kindle Fire so that I could check Steepster, make notes and sip. Ahhhhh!

Can I get an AMEN to lazy Winter mornings!!!

My tray was fitted with everything that I could think of to taste this tea with. Half & Half, sweetener, Almond Vanilla Milk and Clover Honey.

First, as I ALWAYS DO, I drink my tea without anything in it…NAKED (the tea)!
This was a good naked tea! It’s mild enough with a light raisin or current flavor.

I added Sweetener and it brought out a grape-raisin taste. Next, I added Half & Half which still was kind of grapy.

I was looking for a raisin bread flavor…HUM? How could I make that happen?

The next cup was Honey and Almond Vanilla Milk.
YIKES! No…no…no…not ok! (This did not taste good. Yucky. Not for me…no!) The honey with the grape tasted sour. Blech!

Backing away from that cup of tea slowly…

I tried Sugar, Almond Vanilla Milk in the tea…AND IT WAS…GOOD! (Hooray!)
There was the bakey raisen bread flavor that I had wanted.

Sometimes, I don’t taste the grape in Darjeelings but here, in this tea, I did.

A good rule is to never be afraid to play around with black tea’s especially. Try different milks and sweeten them or not as you wish. Prepare the tea in a pot and try using a gaiwan now and then. It’s surprising how different methods will change your experience.

The one thing that I never do is use strong honey (like wildflower) unless the tea is chai or ginger with lots of spice. Strong honey overpowers the taste of tea. (This isn’t just my opinion)

Set your clocks tonight!

There was supposed to be almost a blizzard today…but it whistled on by, preferring to thump tumbleweeds on the Plains with howling wind and pelting snow.

I bundled up in layers, called Schey to meet me at Happy Lucky’s at 2PM for tea, and selected several new tea’s for my green tea pouch. Without that pouch and a “What did you bring us today Bonnie?” the visit wouldn’t be complete.

Five people were in and out behind the tea-bar when I arrived (including the owner, George).
Joe picked a group favorite (this Tieguanyin) and brought out complete aroma sets, a gaiwan and small fairness pitcher.

The Oolong Symphony Began. 170 degrees and short steeps.

At first the tea was delicate, a blend of linen…squash blossom and cucumber flesh. I commented that the taste was subtle in the beginning, then stalled like a wave gathering more water before unfurling on the sand.

The second steep was very floral without being old and tired, thickening on the finish. There was a feel of unsalted butter (so said Joe and I). The aroma was so heavy with orchids and honey, it pulled me deep down into the cup and I was lost.

One steep was vanilla cream scented and another orchids and jasmine.

The color, floral aroma and flavor were the same as we approached the 6th steeping.

One of the things that Eric mentioned was the size of the leaves and the amount of flavor. “Someone has taken very good care of these leaves to get them to give this kind of flavor for this long. This is very good Tieguanyin.” (Eric is the scientist, one of the people I’ve dissected tea’s and ingredients with. He’s also a West Coast Bay Area person like me).

We’ve had Tieguanyin (Oolongs in general) discussions about how the climate on the Frontrange is PERFECT for aging. It’s DRY and Oolongs like DRY storage.

George drifted over to the gaiwan and made a round for everyone. As the owner, he’s tasted LOTS of tea, and his eyebrows tweeked up like the Rocky Mountains. He was impressed at the look of the leaves after many steeps.

What sets this apart and makes this different that any other?

The aroma is complex and lingering.
It’s a warm day in May, and just before the morning becomes humid…I’ve gone into the garden to pick flowers for my table.
There’s a fence with honeysuckle. Sweet jasmine, lily of the valley and orchids in the garden. White cotton sheets are drying on the clothesline, flapping in the wind.

The aroma lingers. That was the first thing I noticed.

The flavor grabs attention in a subtle way.
Buttered squash blossom, diced peeled and seeded cucumber, clover honey with the scent of all the garden flowers and linen.

The flavor moves so slowly through the mouth, informing the brain with a ‘seven-second delay’ that “An event has taken place, tastebuds wake up”!

This is the point, that the tea is sneeky! It doesn’t behave the way you are expecting a Tieguanyin to behave.

This is NOT a Boring OOLONG!

And, the flavor goes on forever!

Aha! I found a crouching foil sample in the corner of my ‘to be reviewed’ organizor. You can run, but you can’t hide from me for long.

I jumped onto the Rocky Mountain Roller-Coaster at 66 degrees yesterday and am holding on…WHEEEEE as the dip is about to hit with a snow-storm tonight. DOWN we’ll plunge with 5-6 inches of snow and then WHEEEEE back up to the 60’s most of next week!

What do you do on this wild ride? Make soup and drink tea! (Uh and watch a good movie!)

So, a long time ago before I knew from Gaiwan’s and such, I always made tea in a teapot with a brew basket ‘Western Style’. I was happy.
About 6 months ago, I began to brew more black tea’s in my Gaiwan and was shocked at how different the flavor was compared to the teapot method.
Since that time, I’ve been revisiting those same tea’s I tasted before to brew the ‘new’ way with greater enjoyment in most cases.

Zhu Rhong was a tea that I had tasted ‘Western Style’.

After fixing some Thai coconut curry fish soup for today and tomorrow, I made tea.

As soon as I poured the tea through my small strainer into the porcelain pitcher, I bent over to smell the leaves and the leaves
mocked me with a scent so potently delicious that I turned my head and sneezed!

Bugger!

Wow, are there words to describe the scent of these leaves?!

Chocolate covered dry fruit dipped in honey and oozing (or melting in the sun). I can’t think of anything other than this and it’s a lame attempt at the aroma.

I picked up the pitcher and poured the tea into my cup. There was a sheen, a coating of tea on the pitcher that was silky when I touched it.

The silkiness was in my mouth all the way through the swallowing of the tea, not butter but the way an emolliant feels on your skin when it’s dry…soothing and light, gliding easily.

If the Zhu Rhong was music, it would be Gershwin or Brubeck, rich and full with unexpected notes of flavor. Classic.

Zhu Rhong is the DARK CHOCOLATE LOVER"S TEA! That’s where I reside.
I love Laoshan Black and all the other fabulous Black Tea’s, but Zhu Rhong is in my top 10 list because of the dark bittersweet edge.

I hope this returns, but if not…the adventure in tea is always exciting.

Last night my granddaughter Megan (who I’ve mentioned before many times as a young composer) conducted an original piece of music (she did the arrangement also). The original was 1840 Irish song (A Nation Once Again) by Thomas Davis ( a protest song before the days of the IRA) and Megan used his words. Here’s the link if you want to see it performed… http://youtu.be/6wAv_p3eP_o

Thank you Claire for this sample Pu’er!

Claire sent me a nice sample of this Mandala Tuocha (for anybody who hasn’t anyone to ask how to pronounce tea words it’s two-oh-cha). The tea was black/brown like bakers chocolate and pretty darn hard but not dusty smelling.

My ritual is the same each time I prepare Pu’er.
4oz. Gaiwan, S.S.filter, fairness pitcher (or small 4oz. cup if I’m alone), filtered boiling water and pick.

Because this was a hard Pu’er I rinsed it twice, taking the rinse water and washing my hands in the liquor, also washing around my face to make sure there was no scent of anything other than the tea.

Pet Peeve which most can/will ignore-
Don’t brush your teeth, put on perfumes, lip gloss or eat strong food before writing reviews. People do it, and I can’t understand how you can drink a mint tea, eat curry and write about a delicate oolong or 5 different types of tea right after each other…Pumpkin, Chai and Oolong? Tastebuds get confused.

I’m less rigid about steeping Pu’er and timing than most people.
Something in me wants to let the tea tell me what to do as I go along and adjust to the voice I hear.

My usual practice with a Shou is to steep 20-30 seconds and see what happens, then change timing if needed.

The liquor was the color of rootbeer and sparkling clear throughout.

1. At 25 seconds, the feel was slightly dry and light with the flavor of pecan and cedar. Not well developed.

2. I added 5 seconds and the tea was creamy but still light. there was slightly sweet raisin nut bread and cedar on the finish.

3. 5 more seconds and the creaminess was almost gone. The tea was refreshing and lite but without much flavor.

4. I added 5 seconds again which increased astringency and cedar on the finish.

5. 1 minute. The Pu’er was lighter than I had anticipated through all but the first two steeps. I thought that increasing the time to a minute might deepen the flavor, but it didn’t change very much.
There was a creamy texture and a mild current or raisin taste and slight cedar finish, which had been there before. This was smooth and delightful but again, very easy and light.

What was this Pu’er teaching through these steepings?

I thought about this for awhile.

It’s more common for me to drink Shou Pu’er that’s heavy with cedar flavor and often too sweet. Other Pu’er’s have a tang that can really tweek your taste buds. It’s something of an acquired taste that I like, but not everyone else might like tea quite as strong as I do.

I’d call this 2005 Xiaguan Crane an ‘intro to cedar Pu’er’, because it’s extremely light, mellow, creamy and gently sweet. There isn’t a whole cedar tree in the mouth to scare a person away!

I have a little left that I’ll share with Eric at the tea shop and steep much longer. I’m wondering how a longer steep in the beginning will taste.

Let the Pu’er guide the journey!

BTW, my newest addition to my blog is a memory of a trip to Ancash, Peru years ago in the Andes. www.teaandincense.com