Bonnie

Thank you mrmopar for this sample Pu-erh tea

As a former lover of Louisiana style coffee (roasted chicory coffee, brewed and served with hot milk), Pu-erh has become my new morning favorite cuppa.

Before brewing, I was watching some Olympic distance swimming on TV and remembering how I first learned to swim in a water tank on Mine Hill overlooking Silicon Valley (San Jose).
My grandfather was foreman of a mountain that is known as New Almaden Quicksilver Mines (now a State Park) and next to the road to his house (which was the Parson’s home during the early days of California history) was a spring-fed water tank. Grandpa drained and painted the wooden water tank light blue, put 2×4 boards at spots around the top as hand-holds and then let the tank fill back up. This was our swimming hole. ICE COLD SPRING WATER!
(My family lived down a dirt path from Grandpa in what was an old Miner’s house for a little over a year. My brother and I traveled to grade school by jeep, traveling up and down the mountain. http://flic.kr/p/cNHKSo We played in the old ghost town buildings and caves.)
There was nothing better back then… than drinking red kool-aide and swimmin with the toxic mercury fumes from active retorts not far away.

Review:
This sample was a lovely dark brown bark nugget of ripe Pu-erh with a mild and sweet dry smell.

Rinsed once, and a 30 second steep each round.

The wet leaves began as a strong, nutty wheat bread aroma then changed on the second steep to bready leather like bread and boots toasting on the hearth togeather. On the third steep the leaves were sweet smelling, lightly leathery and bready.

The color of the liquor was clear, reddish brown, then very dark coffee and finally dark red brown.

1. When I took a gulp of the red-brown Pu-erh, I already was happy with the wheat bread scent from the wet leaves and the taste didn’t disappoint me. It was very savory, like an unsalted broth that seems salty and led to juiciness. The flavor was nutty sweet toasted pecan, full of energy on my tongue.

2. Wow, did the liquor get dark! There was a definate cedar and wheat taste which stopped just shy of bitter. The mouthfeel was juicy and very smooth. I could feel the energy in the tea like the power in the earth waking up in a soulful amen.

3. I held the tea in my mouth a moment and then drank it down, letting the flavor hit all my tastebuds like a wave. There was a huge flavor of wheatberries, nutty, rich and chewy. My daughter Annalisa grinds wheat for bread in a huge loud machine in her kitchen and is always baking with the granddaughters and taking bread to people. I love the smell of her bread and the wheat. The scent gets into your eyeballs!
I added a little sugar which created a wonderful liquor reminding me of those old fashioned candies you get at historic places made from Horehound and Sassifras. It’s why I make extra and drink Pu-erh cool or cold sometimes later in the day.

So far the Pu-erh’s from mrmopar are so good that I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite. What a problem to have!
This is very drinkable for the smoothness. (I did like the first and third steep onward the best.)

30-40 seconds was way long enough for steeping and I used about
1.5 grams in 4oz boiling water.

Thank you mrmopar for this sample Puerh!

After morning prayers, a favorite way to begin my day is PUERH!
I had a choice of several samples to choose from thanks to my Steepster friend, and this one had a note that said it was a good every day Shu, mellow and thick (which I love).

I rinsed the leaves (chunky dark brown bark) 30 seconds and then for each infusion steeped 30-40 seconds in my PIAO before releasing the tea into a Gaiwan.

The wet leaves took time to break up from the bark stage into a sponge and finally a clump of chocolate brown mulch.

The wet aroma is something I love about Puerh. It’s so organic and sensual. A perfect match for my wild Highland Scot heart.

The smell began as coffee, breadish breakfast aroma then a wet wheat and hay scent on the second steep and finally a sweet pastry steam bath taming down into a grass and hay scent on the final round.

The liquor was clear and ranged from red-brown to coffee color to root beer brown on the last steep.
Each steeping was mildly scented with a savory aroma closer to light mushroom broth than earth and dirt.

Steep one, the flavor was delicate, smooth and nutty with light saltiness and sweet juicy mouthfeel. The flavor was a bit bready with a light mushroom taste.

Steep two was heavier and more savory. Full, rich, with lots of juice and a flavor that was elusive…so I came back again and again…until I found berry in the tea…a dry raspberry taste which as the tea cooled became mellow. A sweet pipe tobacco scent arrived on the finish.

The third steep was the most delicious as is often the case. Sweet and salty, savory and juicy but mild. There was a pleasent tingle on my tongue.

I added a little sweetening and thought how I would love a Thermos of Puerh like this when sitting on a beach. Somewhere like Lake Tahoe with the alpine climate and clear blue lake.

I took some photo’s, you may notice a figure on the bench…me… http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBg47K3

This Puerh is very good…the kind I would keep as an every day Puerh and I’m going to steep the rest as my ICED treat for later!

(Just in case you don’t read the notes below, mrmopar has the icon of the blue Charger so I have a clip of my first car which was a 56 Merc
so cool…with the Beach Boy’s singing… http://youtu.be/DaoMRQsQ-tw )

Hey, I cold brewed this Oolong in the new Steep & Go (why does this name remind me of a Tupperware party gadget?) and it tasted very, very D-liscious!

I jammed a bunch of tea nuggets into a big 1 liter bottle of Dasani and screwed on my purpley/pink filter top (there are 4 colors) and stuck the bottle in the frig.
5 hours later….ZAM! Coconut Oolong Magic!

I like this Oolong hot. I like this Oolong cold. I like this Oolong!

(Steep & Go is a Tea Spot product but available many places)

Thank you Roughage for this lovely tea sample!

Oh the people you meet on Steepster!

There should be a place just for the stories!

Roughage lives in the U.K. in a small town. We exchange Personal Messages at times about life in the U.K. and life in the U.S. since both of us live in smallish towns. His wife has a flower shop and sometimes he has to help deliver flowers and traverse the traffic (which he hates) when he’d rather be in his books with the cats laying about and a pot of tea. I can’t blame him there. We’ve discovered we’re both former athletes with aches and pains and both full of lame old codgery jokes and puns.
My conversations with my Canadian neighbors up North are delightful! They seem to drink as much cold brewed and iced tea as U.S. Southerner’s and are generous to a fault about sharing samples.
China, Japan, Denmark, Italy, India, Croatia, Australia and Equador. We are the TEA United Nations.
From San Francisco Amy Oh in the fog to New York and Washington D.C., we few in Colorado, Idaho, Seattle and Texas too…everyone has their own twist of excellent personality. The students and young professionals, mom’s, dad’s, and me…a grandma who lives in my tea cave.
We all belong. We’re like a group of kids who went to Summer Camp and gathered around the campfire for tea. It’s just the best.

Gush, Gush, Gush!

Review:(You thought I’d never get around to this!)

Roughage said that this was one of his favorite tea’s. He steeps it at about 140F which is a pretty low temp. for 2-4 minutes. I did the same and steeped the leaves 3 times.

I wouldn’t call this a grassy tea. The leaves were bright and beautiful nettles when dry, with varied greens. Mostly unbroken leaves. When wet the color was bright green spears and by the third steeping soft pale green. Very pretty.
The wet leaves smelled so wonderful that it was hard to pull away to drink the tea! Because I’m allergic to bean’s (even green beans) the opportunity to taste and smell this exquisite flavor without an allergic reaction was exciting. The aroma was very vegital and salty.

The taste was tender green beans sauteed in unsalted fresh cream butter then finished with a quick splash of lemon juice at the end to brighten up the flavor. The juicy, creamy tea filled my mouth.

The second steep was lighter and dry on the tip of the tongue, still juicy and lemony becoming creamy as the tea cooled. There was less of a pronounced bean flavor but overall this was delicate and an awesome cup.

On the third steep I noticed a little astringency, and just a slight bean taste. The flavor all through three steepings lingered well after the tasting making the experience smooth and enjoyable.

I enjoyed this tea as you can tell from the good mood and comfort it provided! One of the best things that tea does for me is provide an amazingly good cup and a great community to share with!

My adventures at Happy Lucky’s Tea House never end!

Today, before the afternoon rains cut loose from the heavy, swirling, Steven Speilberg cloudy sky, I ducked into my favorite tea house for a pot of tea adventure.
Happy Lucky’s has a large wall with a zillion tins of tea. I haven’t gone through every tin yet, so I usually stand before it with a quizzical look on my face until one of the knowledgeable tea experts comes to stand and stare with me. (They never rush)
After a minute or two, I ask “What’s new?”, or "Do you remember what I haven’t tried?, or like today, “I want an Oolong that would appeal to a black tea lover, what do you recommend?”
This is how I landed on Kali Cha, an Oolong from India that’s a Darjeeling Oolong. The leaves are roasted in a long tunnel roaster then the leaves are rolled. The result is a cocoa smelling small dry leaf.

A large Clay pot was prepared. When ready the basket of wet leaves smelled very strongly like roasted chicken with marijuana in the background. (just saying)
The liquor was harder to smell the aroma because the wet leaves had been so pungent.

I took a slurp of tea.
It was such a different tasting Oolong. Roasty and cocoa, dry all across my tongue without being very astringent and cool like the feeling of mint. I noticed saltiness and fruit but could not tell what kind of fruit it was. My opinion was swinging one way and another….
dry peach…no…raisin…no…dry prune…no.

As the tea began to cool, there was even more mellowness and eventually a little creaminess in my mouth.
I had settled on a flavor of sorts. 90% bittersweet chocolate, black current with raw brown sugar and camphor not in taste but the cool feel ever so slightly.

I decided to take some of this Oolong home for my stash because of the contrast with other types of Oolongs. It would make a good member of my tasting line-up and was appealing to me as a Black tea lover with it’s toasty and complex cocoa personality.

As I skuddled out the door with my little bag of tea…cane in hand, the droplets were plunking on my head and the scent of water and dust on the warm pavement was exciting. I love my town.

Thank you EPI tea for this sample!

This was the best sample I tasted from EPI tea. I’ll tell you why.

The experience was like dancing a Tango with a stranger. Slow, moody and with no emotion showing up front at first.
The flavor was a little malty and dry from the Black Tea, sweet and citrusy. The burgamot and lavender were subtle and slightly astringent at the finish. I liked it. I had no worries. Everything seemed controlled and very mellow.
(This still was in the beginning while the tea was very HOT.)

I added sugar as a tempting tease like a quick wide sweep of a satin shoe. Ah ha!
What returned was a coco malty taste. A candied lavender flower flavor with citrus burgamot. Such restraint was as breathless as a hard cheek to cheek glide across the dance floor. Intriguing.

The cooling of the tea increased, and with the cooling the bergamot and lavender flavors increased and became very pronounced. The finish was big and juicy citrus.
That finish grabbed me and threw me to the floor in a manner that said “You should have known better than to doubt my power and strength”.

Ah Earl…..I hope we dance again.

http://youtu.be/tqLh6rQqkoA Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez (Tango)

http://youtu.be/y4r8CBY2f74 Guitar….soothing and beautiful Milos K

I took back the iPad last night. Not enough of a computer for what I need. Instead, I got an HP all-in-one with a 20in. screen and no tower. I’m loving it. So, here I’ve been…loading passwords and photos, software from cameras and all that daft business that you must do with new computers.

When you sit doing boring tasks, you must have tea for sanity’s sake!

During a sudden creative spurt of energy this afternoon, I decided to explore steeping Laoshan Apothecary Green in milk, adding honey and creating a delicate, spiced Chai.
I set a pan with an appropriate amount of tea in milk on the stove to slowly come to simmer without scalding. When warm, I added some wildflower honey and fragrant Chai…bending over the pot to catch the aroma for any corrections in flavor. More milk, honey or tea.

That’s when the experimentor side of me took over.

Why not add a little butter like the butter Chai?
I added a pat of butter (not too much)…and took a spoonfull to slurp. Umm, this was good!
Sniff…
Something else was needed though. There was a sweet/savory feel to the tea.
Ah ha! Nutmeg!
I went to my stash of whole nutmeg and grated some fresh (a little bit) into the tea and slurped some up again.
Ummm…this was even better. With a dash of…salt to finish, I strained the tea into a 12oz cup.

There was such a frothy, rich, creamy, sweet and savory tea that all I would have wished for was toast or a mild white grilled cheese sandwich.

I don’t use much butter, but now and then it is a luxury.

I play with food and tea…and have so much fun!

Thank you Roughage for this Sample Tea

Ah Saturday morning, and this morning looks more like Spring than Summer. Another one to throw open my oversized windows and let the sun dappled breeze push aside the white cotton drapery to freshen up my house.
A perfect tea to start the day would be…one that has been chewed on lovingly by crickets. Yes, nice little nibbled edges right before harvest that stress the tea tree into a defense mode which produces a uniquely smooth citrus flavor. The nibbled edges oxodize before picking and my packet showed a dry blend of dark green, golden brown and pale silvery leaves.

Oolong….

2tsp. tea, 200ml water, 195F, 3 infusions at 2 minutes each

The large wet leaves first smelled like carmalized sugar tomatoes then second steep like boston brown bread and last a light sweet tobacco. At each infusion the leaves changed color from olive and rust brown gradually fading to brown ocre.

All three infusions produced an amber brown liquor beginning with a medium dark color and getting lighter with each steeping. The scent was peach and raisin.

1. The first sensation was a bright mouthfeel, thick and peachy with a little roastiness. I was looking for the citrus flavor but couldn’t find it. I was surprised at the lack of any tannin or astringency even when the tea cooled, and at how smooth and rich this tea was to drink.

2. The flavor was much lighter in a wonderful way. Sparkling warmth filled my mouth and the taste of ripe loquat and apricot…fuzzy fruit with a bit of citrus and still without any acidity or bitterness. Very, very smooth. The best, sweetest cup.
I can see why this is prized. As an Oolong, I am reminded of some of the things I love about Black Tea’s. The peachy, yammy, smooth and bready tea’s or those with a bit of citrus that offer comfort and perk up my day. Oolongs usually have floral or an astringent character that identifies them as that category of tea for me. So, maybe I’ve been narrow minded. This Oolong is different and I like it!

3. The final steeping was crisper and dryer in the mouth but still had no astringency. This is a fancy tea. I added a little sugar and enjoyed the end of a beautiful tea sunrise. It was almost as though a huge golden orange sun had come up over the Plains blasting me with full flavor on the first steeping, then gradually mellowing to the second and best cup, and finally the fading last but still sweet third steep.

Roughage and I had a conversation about how an Elk is a Moose in the UK and the definitions in the America’s, we ended up with some nice youtube critters…here you go…(I used Elk and Moose from Colorado)
North American:
http://youtu.be/-6HkU-P81HI ELK in Estes Park an hour from home (common around town)
http://youtu.be/5r0gAWiahig MOOSE (During the fires one came into my complex but I haven’t seen one yet)

http://youtu.be/Av51kZhRHRk European ELK (from ROughage)

Thank you Epi Tea for this sample

One of the things I do like about the design of the pyramid sachets is the large amount of room given for leaf expansion. When I placed the sachet in my cup and poured boiling water over it, I could watch the tea slowly grow and fill the bag along with the pink peppercorns, pieces of cardamom and ginger. For 5 minutes while the tea steeped, I played with a small spoon swirling the bag around in the water…watching the ingredients and smelling the aroma of spices curl up in the air around me.

I took a big sip and made an ick face, squishing up my nose.
The dark brew tasted odd. Somewhere the vanilla, spicey black tea tasted like an old pear was thrown in. Chai is better though when sweet, so I added sweetening but that didn’t help either.
I added milk. Chai with sweetening and milk is traditional I told myself, and if anything would make this taste good…this should do the trick.
In went the milk.

Errr…
It still tasted wierd.
It reminded me of benedryl.

For the first time ever, I’m not going to rate a tea. I know other people like this tea and I can’t tell you why, but the flavor hit me like the taste of medicine. It could be a personal thing.

After drinking the tea I could feel a little heat from the pepper and it was just the right amount. Very well placed.

Here’s a new product that I picked up at Happy Lucky’s for $6.95 but also saw at the Boulder Tea Festival. It was Best New Product at the world tea expo this year and invented by The Tea Spot (also from Boulder). I ran into Bo at the Festival and he gave me a little brochure about this invention which comes in 4 colors.

I love this! Here’s how it works.

The infuser top screws onto Dasani, Evian and Volvic water bottles (probably others also). Then you put your tea leaves into the bottle and screw the top on. Put the bottle in the frig or take it with you and you’re all set to drink the brew out of the sipper top with no fear of leaves getting in the way or clogging. (There’s a 3 inch filter rod that extends down into the bottle keeping your tea leaf free.)

Genius! Easy!
Dishwasher safe too!

What a great invention! I would have put a photo of the invention but the item on the Tea Spot website could not be copied to fit into the Steepster format.

I was introduced to Shan Shui Teas at the Boulder Tea Festival when I took an Oolong class given by Brian Wright, Importer of the tea’s for this company.
I was delighted to share one of the many tasting tables with Chadao (another Steepster that I met) and 3 other tea lovers.
Each table had a large thermos of boiling water, a Gaiwan, pitcher, discard water pot, and each person had a small aroma cup and tasting cup..
I was offered the Gaiwan to serve (being the oldest) but declined (being the klutz).
Chadao served, then the others through 5 different types of Oolong with three to four steepings of each tea. ( 20 little servings of tea )

This was absolute HEAVEN! I had SUCH A GOOD TIME! There is little else that makes me happy…than picking out the scent and flavor in tea and food. I love it. (Usually noone is around when I go tea crazy!)

The Foshou 2011 Winter Oolong, was my favorite of the tastings.
By the time we arrived at this tasting I was a bit tea high!
There was an old lady at the next table who tried to shush me. I ignored her. She should have been at a book review at the library!

The Tasting
The dry scent was smoky. Wet, the leaves smelled like sticky rice and something else that I didn’t share outloud just yet.

We all were comfortable about sharing what we smelled and tasted by this time. It seemed that all eyes and ears turned to me for opinions on what nuances I was coming up with at each round. Writing on Steepster creates a habit of having opinions I’d say.

When the tea was poured into my aroma cup and I upended the liquid into the tasting cup…I put my nose into it and smelled the tea scent.
I blurted out “POT!” (which I’m sure Old Fart lady heard…sigh…) and everyone at the table shook their heads In unison agreeing that it was exactly the scent of the tea.
I quickly followed with “Well, I lived in the 60’s”…and then…“Oh the scent just changed to sweet pipe tobacco.” (Which it had in the most delicious golden hued way.)
The sweet pipe tobacco scent stayed within the aroma cup throughout the remaining steepings with some muscat grape addition later on.

The flavor of the tea was toasty but light and the liquor pale yellow beige. It began with sticky rice then on the second infusion bosc pear which was faintly sweet..
The third steeping was golden toast colored with a muscat grape flavor and subtle cool hint of mint. There was never any astringency even when the tea cooled down. The mouthfeel was light and smooth, elegant and complex.

The many levels of scent and flavor reminded me so much of a wine I tasted once in Paso Robles. I stood at an oak bar in the winery with the vineyard owner/winemaker and took a drink of a wine that hit my tastbuds with such force that the flavor morphed over and over like tumbling down a flight of stairs…and it shocked me.
The winemaker stood watching my face and smiled. “You know enough”, he said, “You understand.”

That’s what I want. I want to have the ability to catch the clues, to understand.
He was wrong about knowing enough though. That will never happen. I wouldn’t want it to. There would be no fun in discovery which is the delight that I was able to experience in sharing the tasting of this tea with others at the table last weekend.

Thank you Epi Tea for this sample!

This was my first morning cup, and perfect to pretend that I’m not in the highlands of the American Western Rocky Mountains…but somewhere in Ireland in the high hills between that fair land and Scotland.
It’s a cooler morning today than usual. This will soon pass, and another of the record breaking over 90 degree days (now around 30 straight) will heat up only to be broken in the late afternoon by purple clouds…large and ominous, hanging over the high range ready to burst with torrents of rain.

Irish Tea it should be I had determined.

It did seem odd to have a sachet with no string. Am I old fashioned? Should I be concerned that I could possibly save a string making machine or a tree by the elimination of the teabag string? Am I lazy wanting a string instead of fishing out the teabag with my spoon, fingers or a pen?

No matter.

The brew time was long enough to walk away for 5 minutes and fix my tea tray with milk and sugar for a proper sit down.
I tasted the red-brown brew which was slightly astringent and smoky. There was no maltiness but the overall black taste with the smoke was hardy. The addition of sugar and cream was comforting, this being the type of tea that I would most likely drink in colder weather in the morning with toast and jam.

This is not an outstanding knock your socks off tea but the kind that we all look to for reliability in our cupboards. The good standard morning cup.

Something about this 4th member of the Alchemy Blend Tasting Sample Kit makes me want to start cooking Thai food and watch a subtitled Asian movie or get up and belly dance with a scarf around my hips.

While this is definately NOT a Chai…this Apothocary Green IS a cleaver marriage of vegital buttery bean, sweet mint and feisty cardamom and coriander.
It is important to follow the steeping instuctions. When the brewing says 45 seconds…that’s exactly what should be done. This is potent and if left untended the spices and mint could overpower the green tea which would be shameful. As a 45 second steep there is so much flavor that my mouth was fully alive with pops of cool mint, buttery vegetal green bean and a slight spicy finish on the first steep.
As the tea cooled, the spiciness from the cardamom increased and there was a bite of heat with the cool mint.
The second steep was simular to the first but smoother and spicier with less green vegital taste.
My creative side took over….dancing around in the kitchen!

I steeped the 3rd time in MILK! Wow this was so good! Like mint tea and spicy risotto! Buttery, fragrant…so delicious…so I added ice and that was fabulous too!

I’m going to play with this tea some more. There is something about the flavors that makes me want to be creative.
I would love to see what other people come up with. Infusions with rice maybe? Sauces?

Love these blends!

Thank you mrmopar for this Puerh sample

When I open a box of samples and inside there is all Puerh’s…it’s Christmas in July in Colorado! Wha a treat!
This has never happened before! I am so thankful to mrmopar who must have read enough of my reviews to know that I would be appreciative (which of course I am!).

I’ve been talking to myself about Pu-erh’s lately.
“Self, I said, What do I need to know about Pu-erh and what is just going to make me crazy.”
Here’s what’s important and what’s not for me as a Puerh lover.
1. I am not a collector or a tea professional.
2. Tea companies receive lots of tea samples and only release a small amount for sale. They should have sorted out what’s best for the consumer. (Companies with a direct relationship with their source are my favorites)
3. I buy tea, I drink tea, I write and look for the good in tea.

My job is to find companies that I can trust to bring me the best quality tea experience for the money that I have to spend.
Long lecture I know…but for a reason this time.
I will be reviewing 9 puerh’s from mrmopar over the next week and I have no idea what the year of release and numbers mean. I will drink and write about the tea. It’s all I know how to do.

I was instructed to Rinse this Ripe Shu 20 seconds and Steep 30 seconds.
(Measured 1.5g dark brown bark in a 4oz gaiwan)

Wet Scent:
This was one of the most interesting wet Puerh’s I’ve SNIFFED. (Now that’s the non-snobby way to put it)
1. I do not lie when I say that on the first rinse the wet bark smelled like mulch and chocolate chip cookies. Oh yes!
2. Second steep the scent went to espresso, sage and mild leather.
3. Herbacious
4. Puerh bakery bread, comfy light and warm.

1. Steeped 30 seconds as instructed:
Lovely light amber liquor with a light Puerh earthy sweet scent.

The taste was dry and tarte but not sour. I noticed a cooling late in the sip like camphor. As the cup cooled the classic earthy Puerh richness, sweet and cloaklike bubbled up in a juicy finish. All was light and teasing.

2. Steeped at 30 seconds and the liquor became a quite dark amber.

As soon as the Puerh touched my tongue I could feel the tingle of spice and the furry thickness that I sometimes feel with Puerhs. Something like the bark of a Redwood tree which is pourous and fuzzy. There was a flavor that filled my mouth all tangy like quince paste (membrillo) and lingered on with a tingling sensation and peppery heat.

I put my head back for a moment and thought about the Mission District in San Francisco where I would go to buy long rectangular blocks of Membrillo in regular quince or orange flavor (orange was my favorite). I would serve this almost jell like fruit paste (sounds wierder than it is) cut into 3in x 1/2in rod shapes and stack them with mild white cheese (also cut into rods) in a cross hatch pattern and serve them as dessert at the end of a meal with espresso and chocolates (I was a coffee drinker back then). (Very Latin American treat for the end of a meal). I digress again… (Oh, my kids used to love seeing the pig tails, snouts and heads in the butcher shops in the Mission. Sheeps heads too. Cool kid gross stuff. And the stuff in Chinatown…hanging ducks and black eggs…more cool stuff for kids!)

3. I went off instructions to Steep 1 minute!
This was a pretty dark honey amber coffee brown liquor.
The shot of liquid in my mouth was pure energy first and then a taste just shy of bitter, like the bitterness in coffee beans. An awakening for the taste buds.
The next flavor was cedar, then dryness and after that something astonishing happened.
What should not happen, did happen.
The Puerh became silky smooth and like a wave that hit a wall..reversed coming back forward… spreading the silkiness to the front of my mouth all the way to my lips. I swear it did this! I don’t know what to say?

4. Steeped on a going for broke 3 minute ride!
Nice dark amber colored liquor, earthy scent, sweet and mild.

This should be a Dead Mans Brew. I was thinking that going for broke would be daring and bold.
When I took a big drink, the energy was in the liquor but the tea was surprisingly smooth, sweet and juicy.
This was an elegant sophisticated Puerh that completely caught me off guard. It bore little resemblance to what I was drinking earlier.
The journey through the previous steepings to this one had been like being on a train and stopping at various platforms until arriving at the final destination. A new Country opened up with a vision of it’s own.
Everything about this place took me to my memories of walks at Point Lobos in the Springtime along the Monterey Coast just South of Carmel. Sea Otters playing in the small bay, Cypress Trees all twisty trunked with horizontal branches pointing every which way. The smell of the meadow with new flowers and wild sage. Sea salt, Ponderosa Pine, Redwood and Sand.
Why would a Puerh take me to this place that should be better suited for a Sheng or Dragonwell? Good question!
The sense of a certain place in the memories of a scent, sound or colors….a particular feeling of peace… not just the taste of a particular tea can evoke the connection which is what happened here with me. http://youtu.be/mLtPHZOLKBc

This is a young Puerh from what I gather and is supposed to get better with aging. Oh My!
I think it’s pretty outstanding right now! I understand how aging works and I never could let a good bottle of wine last for more than a year.

Thank you for this lovely Puerh mrmopar!

Thank you hannaspring for this sample tea

I love the Olympics! I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion that I had dreams of being an Olympian myself. My brother and I spent many years (beginning at 4th grade) as swimmers in talent rich Santa Clara Valley. When I turned 15 and was not a champion, I switched sports to track and trained for the next 14 years in discus and then shot putt. Yes, mama was a power lifter, strong woman! During the time of Bruce Jenner, and many other track stars, the best throwers in the World were all training with me. It was a fantastic experience! (I eventually had a knee injury that side lined me for good).
The biggest honor was meeting Jessie Owen just at a private session for athletes. We had lunch together and talked one-on-one. He wrote me a little note which I treasure.

So, last night I was cheering on the all the athletes. I know what the years of hard work are all about.
I chose a nice chamomile tea sample to drink because I didn’t want any caffeine and I have no chamomile tea of my own at all! It’s not something I’m really familiar with outside of a blend. It was high time that I try it.
The yellow brew was fragrant and sweet, reminding me of playing in the fields when I was young and then drinking sweet cream soda. The two together wrapped in a hot drink.

Very good and soothing. Fr. Evan told me that all the people in Greece drink this tea all the time and serve it to the children, putting in some honey and lemon. I’ll have to try that too.

Thank you hannaspring, I’ll have to get some more chamomile tea now that I know it’s so tasty!

Go U.S.A. Go Canada and Go wherever Steepsters are from! Go Olympians!

Thank you to cha dao (Now known as Alex_Allen) for this gift of tea!

I met Alex at the Rocky Mt. Tea Festival on Saturday!
He’s a very handsome and charming fellow!
(I know he’d hate me saying that but he can get back at me now that he knows how talkative and annoying I am in person!).

Alex walked right on up to me at the end of my Cooking with Tea class (which had 5 courses and was yum-o) and said “Are you Bonnie?” And he handed me this tea gift. (Here you’re supposed to say “Awe, wasn’t that nice.”)
Well, I had a tea gift for him too…so we were being true to our Steepster selves and didn’t shame all of you our online friends.

We took an Oolong class together. I’ll talk about that when I do an Oolong tea review.

So, this was quite a big gift! Alex has no idea that before leaving Boulder, I stopped at Peppercorn (kitchen goods) and bought two 6oz tumblers just to prepare this tea (wanted it to be special).

Tea Time
The dry leaves were very pretty as though someone had pressed prescious blades of tea in the pages of an enormous book between waxed paper.
Vibrant greens in varigated shades, most unbroken, two leaves and often a pale bud.
When I stuck my nose into the bag there was a salty buttered spinach smell. Made me hungry.

The first 2 minute steep was so pretty. The green leaves glistening and swirling in my glass. Pale yellow green color and slightly sweet bean scented.
If you could catch the color and drink it…this would be what I tasted. The lightest bean and a vaporous sweetness.
No astringency or dryness at all.

For the second steep the leaves became larger and turned green with yellow.
I played lazily with the leaves, swirling them around, up and down until I was ready to strain them into the second tumbler.
I could have gone longer I’m sure… because this tea doesn’t become astringent.

At the sipping, I was pleased at the sweetness. There was a floral scent that was not present before. At first I thought of vanilla and jasmine but then changed my mind and thought of more of honeysuckle. (You have to consider these things for awhile)
Even though the tea was juicy and sweeter than before, there was a dryness under the tongue yet still no bitterness or astringenty on the finish.
The light sweet bean flavor was the only vegital taste. The mouthfeel not thin but also not buttery.
I wanted to see what would happen when the tea cooled.

After a few minutes, while the tea was still warm, I took a sip and discovered that the tea had become very silky. I thought there might be a transition to buttery as I’ve experienced before but this was very smooth, not thick at all and delightfully silky!

I can see why Alex loves this tea! It’s very forgiving if you mess up the steep time. Silky smooth when cooled and not astringent. Lightly fragrant and sweet.

Thank you Alex…it was a pleasure to meet you!

Cool Summer Mountain Morning

This weekend was the Boulder Tea Festival which I’ll write about in more detail as I review the tea’s that I tasted, the brilliant sights, sounds and people I met.

Boulder sits at the foot of a granite rock mountain (which explains the name of the town). In Summer during late afternoon, dark clouds form over the mountains, then thunder and lightning echo’s through the canyons bouncing off the rocky hills. Crackles and crashing followed by short downpours of rain or sprinkles. Noone bothers about it in this picturesque town.

Yesterday we had a good bit of rain…enough to make the sky dark blue grey and the Rocky Mountains look shrouded in mist.

This morning the air has been cooled enough to open all the windows and freshen up what is usually too warm by 10am. I have missed writing on Steepster and reviewing tea while I was sick last week. The rain has rinsed the dust away (maybe I’m like a piece of aged Puer.. and needed a rinse!).

This Xingyang Silk Road Spice is my third packet in the Alchemy Blend Starter Kit. The ingredients are 2008 Xingyang Shu Nuggets (good for my stomach), Organic Spearmint and Peppermint, Fennel and Cinnamon…all favorites of mine!

Not having any fear of a good dark brew, I decided to steep the leaves 3 minutes…and then…I forgot what I was doing…and remembered at about 6 minutes….eek!
Was this a disaster?!
Nooooo!
The wet leaves smelled so minty…the cup of almost black/brown tea was mint/cinnamon scented and tasted rich, warm and mellow with a natural sweetness from the Puer and cinnamon.

My mouth felt cool from the mint and warm from the fennel and cinnamon at the same time. I could breathe in and out smiling at the duel effect.
I sat for a moment, enjoying the air coming through the open window so clean and fresh from the rain the previous evening. Being still and letting myself think about the taste led me to remembering some of the Greek food I like to eat and the YiaYia’s (also spelled Ya-Ya for Greek Grandma) at Church who lovingly prepare dishes passed down from one generation to the other. Dishes often made with mint and cinnamon (and other things…hum).

I got bold.

I went to the frig and picked up a lemon and cut off a piece of zest (peel), then went into the cupboard for some honey.
I wanted to create a cup of Greek Tea!

I steeped my tea 3 minutes again (not 6), sweetening a little bit with honey and dropped a piece of zest in the cup. Yes, this was good! Opa!
I went and made some up for a cold brew.

The silky smoothness and warm, cool feel of this tea is so fine and soothing for the stomach. Impressive!

My love of these Alchemy Blends keeps growing and growing!

This is the second of my selections from the Alchemy Blends Tasting Kit. (Oh I do love all the tasty Alchemy Blends that I’ve had so far!)

When I opened the packet of tea I was amazed at the beauty of the rose petals. I buy rose buds at my spice shop for culinary use but they are never as vibrant as these.
I poured a bit of tea into a white porcelain tasting cup to see the blend of dark Laoshan Black tea, pale orange peel and bright rose flowers which looked like potpouri. The scent of bergamot, rose, chocolate and citrus… was ethereal.

I was having my morning tea so I made a large pot…steeped it 3 minutes. (I resteeped 2 more times with super results)

Laoshan Black is so rich and chocolaty, a beautiful tea that goes beyond malty or bready to a deep richness that is full and round. There is complexity that comes from the He family knowing their small farm and the soil.

The addition of rose petals, bergamot and citrus to Laoshan Black is daring! This is not an Earl Grey Tea and does not pretend to be. It takes guts to add anything to such an athletic Black Tea as this one.
This was already a fastastic tea that takes you to the top of chocolate heights…where you think there couldn’t be any possiblity of more goodness…adds the tease of rose, a whisper of bergamot then a flicker of citrus at the finish.
When I drink regular Laoshan Black, it leaves a thick chocolate, malty finish in my mouth.
This Alchemy Blend leaves a bergamot, citrus, rose and cocoa finish each one like flavor droplets that I taste individually. Delightful.

This is subtle and enjoyable. The next time though, I’ll prepare this in a glass gaiwan or other glass vessel because it is so beautiful and sexy. I think this would be a good dessert tea with some chocolate and berries or a mild cheese.

I’m Back! Hi my Friends!

I’ve been very, very sick the past few days with a violent allergic reaction to a handful of dried peas.
This was something like being seasick and having the flu and a migraine all at the same time.
Today is the first time I’ve been able to eat anything or drink tea.
Hooray for Tea!
Very carefully, I chose a tea that was not flavored with anything that would make me turn green since I’m still a little queezy.
A good malty tea with warm chocolate and caramel tone would go down well and Puer would be good for my stomach also.
I’ve had the past version of the Breakfast Blend as a sample, but not the Imperial Breakfast Summer Blend. I had ordered the tasting set of Alchemy Blends which arrived today (great timing).

This afternoon, I prepared a 24oz pot of tea. I was so ready, you have no idea how much I had missed tea for 2 days. I chose Western Style brewing so that I could continue with multiple steepings for soothing my stomach throughout the afternoon and to rehydrate myself.

Steep time 1min. Color of liquor light golden honey brown.

The tea was malty and naturally cocoa cinnamon with good body. The richness was what I wanted…a real tea hug. I can’t explain it better than that. I love this tea flavor. Malty, caramelly, cocoa rich tea makes me do a bad, bad thing.
I have an addiction!
When I run into a very good malty tea, I go to my secret stash of ginger cookies and take a few…
and slowly break off pieces of cookie and eat it crumb by sweet spicy crumb while drinking the malty cocoa, creamy tea.
I can’t explain the sensual goodness…the delight in this combination…of unsweetened tea…that blends in the mouth with the sweet of the ginger cookie somehow enhancing the flavor of the tea. Oh My Goodness! Absolutely sensational!

So, yes…ok…I went for it and had the cookies and tea and I came alive again! (Here I should insert organ music like in the Phantom of the Opera…She’s Alive!)…The tea was…Delicious!

I’ve conversed with a few people lately about what Puer would be good for evey day use and this is one tea that I recommend because the Puer is mixed with other tea’s as a blend. This is such a delicious tea, a perfect way to begin the day and a wonderful tea to have as an afternoon stress reducer.

I’m back! (Not in the horror movie sense of the phrase) ; )

second review…

My first review on this Puerh was just after I joined Steepster 5 months ago. Seems like ages in tea months! I’ve been a ‘tea person’ such a short time. I scored this tea pretty high and this was probabaly one of my first unflavored puerh’s.
What do I think of this Puerh now?
I did a quick rinse of the leaves…(know to do that now) then steeped 3 minutes.
Today I’m pretty sick with nausea from what has turned into an allergic reaction to some food (don’t know what) so tea is something that’s good for the stomach! I picked this puerh to help me feel better.
The flavor was mild and bready without bitterness. I was surprised at how dark the brew was after just 3 minutes and thought that it wasn’t bad for a morning cup with cream and sugar as a coffee subsitute. I added a little sweetening only and thought it was a good wheat bread tasting puerh with a little mushroom flavor. Not really complex but friendly.

Doorbell….granddaughter bringing 7-up for my tummy…mixing well with some ginger tea in the frig!

Second tasting…thanks to Fong Mong Tea!

I have a new iPad…woo hoo! Bound to happen that I’d come home to Apple. My first computer was a Mac. I lived in Cupertino (Home of Apple) and worked off and on in Apple offices (not uncommon in Silicon Valley). After 4.5 years with a HP Laptop I’ve seen the light.
Yes, I have to pay for it over time…but it had to be done soon. My computer was whimpering, letting me know that a fatal crash was imminent.
My tea drinking is more like work today. I hate that!!!
In the middle of transfering ‘stuff’ from the HP to an external hard drive (for my iPad), setting up all the things I need on the iPad, erasing my personal ‘Stuff’ from my Kindle Fire to give to my granddaughter :) my tea review is going to sound aweful!

Sorry Fong Mong Tea!

Why didn’t I choose a crappy tea on a mentally challenging day? After all, my abilities are slow…really slow!
On stressful or busy days, everyone needs good tea!
Crappy tea fails to make you feel better.
Bad tea never stops you cold in your tracks and reminds you to take a second and reflect…
“Uh huh…I can do this task…I am drinking a very floral tea with a cool mint undertone that is wonderful. This is a tea I remember liking before…sweet and fruity.”
This is what I did.
I drank a really good tea on a stressful day! I drank several small steepings and smiled at the sweet floral flavor.

Then I went on with some clarity to finish more of my iPad setup.
I’m a step closer to a blog.

Thank you hannaspring for this tea Sample!

I have migraine with nausea. This happens pretty frequently and I might only be sick part of the day and then the migraine will go away.
While I’m feeling sea sick…caffeine is helpful…but I don’t want to fuss with pots and tea leaves or timing when the room is spinning.
Hail the tea bag!
I can’t screw up a tea bag, miss the measurement…break the pot…or spill the leaves on the floor!
I just poured the hot water in my big mug, tossed the teabag in and went to sit down on my couch (sunglasses on and curtains closed to block the light).
I guesstimated 3 minutes, took out came the teabag and my fragrant cup of tea was ready.
The tea wasn’t too bergamoty or too creamy. Simply a pretty mid level Earl Grey with a little orangey aftertaste. I could taste the teabag paper but I’d rather in the tea than sour, bitterness or astringency.

This bagged tea isn’t too bad. Middle of the road flavor but very welcome when I don’t have the will to prepare tea without passing out!
(Maybe having some more teabags like this around is a good idea!)

I bought a new toy today!

You may have seen these new Yixing tumblers (little portible thermos) in some of the chain tea stores (for more money).
I picked mine up for $16.95 at Happy Lucky’s today with a free fill of my favorite Puer to break it in.

Here’s how it works:
The interior is Yixing clay (perfect for Puer or Oolong dedicated use). Mine will be for Puer only ;)…so to begin seasoning, some nice Shu was put inside, then boiling water and the top was screwed on.
When the timer (3 min.) went off…the stainless strainer basket was placed on top of the tumbler and I sipped my tea from the edge (like a cool looking tall chocolate glass).
The outside of the Tumbler is coated with Teflon which protects my hands from heat and helps keep the interior hot. When the tea was gone, I just added more water and drank another 8oz of tea. Very handy.

I have something to add….

This is sharp looking…very cool and sleek!

It’s easy to use!

It’s inexpensive and I love this Yixing Tumbler!!!

(I also bought a screw on top for water bottles that has a built in filter for when you cold brew tea. YES, it fits on those nice big water bottles (2liter) so you can filter and drink out of them…and it costs $6) The World is listening to the tea community!

Second tasting note.

The first tasting of this Black Tea had been memorable and I do really love this type of tea. Coming back a second time is always a good idea. As I read reviews I notice that sometimes a person goes bleh the first time and yum the second and visa versa. Just like first impressions with people, you should give second chances.
I liked this tea the first time I tasted it very much. Today is another day…so here’s my second opinion:

The tea tasted malty and full of cocoa flavor as before, but this time there was something new that I hadn’t noticed during my first review.
Licorice.
Maybe the chocolatey cocoa and mint combined to create licorice…I have no way of knowing…but there was a definate licorice flavor in the tea that was dark and raisen like. This time I did feel a peppery astringency at the front of my tongue only.
I added cream and sweetened my cup as I do when the tea is very dark and rich, full of cocoa malt. This was my morning tea after all.

I didn’t enjoy the second tasting as much as the first time, but still think this is a high quality black tea.