Bonnie

Thank you to Bo from the Tea Spot for this big Sample tea!

I’ve lived in Colorado for almost two happy years now. Colorado is also the place where TEA discovered ME. What a loving tea romance that has grown into an everlasting love.
One of the charming things about my State are the many tea houses and tea companies located primarily around Boulder (about 45 minutes from me). And a tea festival at the Dushanbe http://boulderteahouse.com

One place I have yet to visit is The Tea Spot.
Today I recieved some samples from Bo which I am excited to try.
I would normally drink a Yunnan Black Tea in the morning, but by 6PM I was falling asleep on the couch. That would never do! Too early to fall asleep. The green-eyed logo on the package beckoned me…“pick me”! (That was a previous joke from a morning when I had a hard time waking up..but somewhat true again.)

I followed the packet instructions to use boiling water and steep 3-5 minutes. I decided on 4 minutes because I like a hefty cup of tea.
I made a 16oz pot using 2 tsp leaf.

OH NO! NO! The tea was WAY TOO STRONG!
I took a big sip and WOW! The liquor was very strong and bitter like I had soaked some tobacco leaves in with the tea and threw in a bag of cinders. No chocolate or malt. BLEH, MEH!

Something was wrong. I put the blame on myself, threw out the tea and began again. (I could do this, I read.. The Little Engine that Could!)

(Bo, don’t gasp in horror… trust me!)

I began again with only 1 tsp leaf, boiling water and 2.5 minutes on the steep time. The liquor was a nice red brown and much, much milder!
The wet leaves smelled bready and smoky.

You must not oversteep this tea!

The taste was a little malty and not very chocolatey. I say again, that there was really not a cocoa flavor in the tea that I could pick out at all.
This was a very, very smoky tea with tannin that splayed all over the tongue creating a prickly, peppery feel. I tasted a bit of potato like kettle chips.
I tried adding some sweetening and cream which worked well.

So, I wasn’t very impressed with this black tea. It lacked depth and smoothness. The smoke was too powerful. Something was too raw and untamed.

I am however, looking forward to more tastings and appreciate the opportunity to try this tea.

Thank you Roughage for this beautiful Sample (ha) tea!

Today I received a ‘sample’ box from the U.K. with a Postal label that said Royal Mail! Now isn’t that nice. Colorado has no such stamps. Maybe a stamp of an antelope playing on the range (where seldom is heard a discouraging word).

With a stamp like that I couldn’t just rip the box open. I had to put the pinky up and delicately open the parcel. Yikes! Nobody told my new best Steepster friend that a little bit of tea would be just fine (don’t get ideas, he now knows that a wee little bit will be ok to send in the future!).
That box had lots of tea…and all new to me. One tea (a Pu-erh) is used for making Yak Butter Tea! Oh, and Roughage sent me a Chai Butter Tea recipe that I’ll share during the Olympics so I can go all U.K.

Cool!

I chose first this tea for this evening after supper. I had a small alderwood smoked white meat chop and fresh sauteed spinach greens. Simple.
A fruity White Tea would pair well followed by some fresh cherries later in the evening.

There was about an ounce of dry mix in the vacume bag that just looked healthy. Green with white fur jasmine silver needle and lots of fruity bits. Other big green leaves and brown twiggy things. No idea what all is in there. Smells like heaven though.
The steep time was 4-6 min. at 176F (80C)

When ready, the light yellow pour was fruitliy fragrant not floral.
I took a big gulp.
Now this was good jasmine white tea! So smooth and creamy for a white at what I consider was a long steep time.
The fruitiness was mouth-watering. I could taste some of the strawberry and pineapple but no citrus. The blend was harmonious. The addition of fruit softens the jasmine, which can sometimes be overpowering.
And….NO ASTRINGENCY!

This is really, really good! Even jasmine sceptics would like this tea.

Thank you so much Roughage for this beautiful tea! I can’t wait to try all the others! I could have a party during the Olympics with the tea you sent! Come and join in!

Happy Wedding to our Dear Steepster Friend Angrboda!

This is a TEA many of us have tasted (but not all) that is
the sweetest of gifts.
May it linger on and on, filling your lives with memories to grow old on and give you joy and laughter.

Blessings to you both from all of us Steepsters

Thank you Will Work For Tea for this Sample!

My very first experience in a tea store that sold loose leaf tea was Lupicia, in the Valley Fair Mall (HUGE) in San Jose,CA. probabably 4 years ago. The truth is that I never would have entered if my daughter wasn’t into tea. The set-up was cool. There was a very long angled table with round containers inserted in cutout grooves with tins of tea samples all labeled so that you could pick them up, open and sniff them. There must have been hundreds of tea tins.
They smelled so delicious that even I couldn’t resist and bought a Muscat, Cookie and Strawberry Rose Champagne tea with no idea whatsoever on how to brew what I had purchased. (I gave most of the tea to my daughter because brewing tea was a mystery to me). The memory of the shop was my Disneylandish tea introduction.

Every time I see the name Lupicia, I think of the shop at Valley Fair.
When I received this tea sample, I opened the packet (as I had the little tins) and inhaled the scent. The rum wasn’t too strong and I couldn’t make out the raisin smell. I looked at the tea which was very dark chocolate brown (smelled cocoaish to me) and there were golden plump raisins mixed in. Aha! This should be good!

I used a small glass teapot to brew western style about 16oz of tea.

The scent and the flavor of rum was not super strong when I raised my much and took a big sip.(I think DAVIDsTEA Buttered Rum is a lot stronger…which some people like and some don’t)
The raisin flavor was harder to pick out. Unless this was Raisin tea (which is like saying dried grape tea) the flavor was an added enhancer. It was an enhancer but the flavor showed up in a way that I didn’t expect and transformed the tea into something else.

I added sweetening and cream. This was a good hot tea but not awesome.

I got distracted and my cup of tea cooled down.
When I went back to to my cup, I noticed the flavor was different than before and tasted just like a Chocolate Chip Cookie!
And it was even like Melting Chocolate Chip Ice Cream when you’re munching on the bits of chocolate!

BUT THIS IS RUM RAISIN! I didn’t get it!

I’m sure I lost my marbles. Someone else has to try this and tell me what they think! Let it cool down and tell me please!

Rum Raisin was better cool! I’m making a Chilled Rum Raisin Latte!

Pre-release Review

Inside my last Verdant order, I received this pre-release Pu’er. That’s all that was on the packet. I shot an e-mail off to David Duckler asking “How do I brew this Sheng Pu’er?”
The answer came:
Gaiwan for 4-6oz water and 1tsp leaf
1 second rinse
3 second steep
add 1 second for each additional steep

I could do that. (Gulp)

Dry:
This is a dark brown compact bark with a bit of sheen.

Color
The color of the liquor remained light golden honey except for the first steeping which was yellow.

Wet Leaf
The wet leaves are the longest, beautiful olive brown leaves I’ve seen… some almost 5 inches long. Their scent began as ocean seaweed and progressed to salty raisin tobacco then a meaty light tobacco. Smoky at all stages.

I was going to begin talking about each steeping 1,2,3 and tell what I tasted. I was having difficulty.

“There shouldn’t be any problem reviewing this tea”, I told myself.
I walked over to the couch, put my feet up and reclined…waiting.

I waited for some time…and trying to be still…waited some more.

I sat thinking about Pu-er’s in general. Why are so many people fearful about them. Yes, it’s true there’s a bit of preparation with Pu-er and you can think too hard about it so that the pleasure’s gone and it becomes a chore. “Do I rinse it?” “How long do I steep this thing?”
“What is Shu, Sheng, raw and cooked, sounds like a menu item?” “What am I supposed to be tasting? Dirt, apples, mushrooms,or honey?” “What makes it awesome or gross in the first place?” I’ve been asked these questions.

No wonder so many people just throw in the towel (or toucha)!

Maybe I was thinking too hard about this particular Pu-er myself.
Pu-er shouldn’t be that difficult it should be pleasurable.

I went back to the kitchen counter more relaxed, took a deep breath and poured boiling water to wash the Pu-er for 1 second, steeped it 3 seconds and poured some to drink.
It smelled smoky and tasted like light corn and moist sweet rice at the front and finish. This was a tea full of juice and body. The flavor was smooth for a young tea. (This wasn’t an earthy flavor so for those who like green tea or white tea this would appeal most to you. Smooth and light.)

When I poured again…this lightly smoke scented tea produced prickly nettles on my tongue tip for a few seconds. Then, the tea became smooth with a more mature mouthfeel than young tea would normally possess. That fact sets this tea apart as a stunner. It doesn’t have the roughness and harsh feel of a young tea. There was a faint gyokuro taste, a richer cup than the first steep.
On the finish the tea began to nag me with a taste memory of something I used to grill but I couldn’t remember what it was.
I began to obsess…standing in my kitchen and looking through my spice cabinet for clues. “I know this flavor…I have it somewhere in my kitchen and it goes with plank grilling salmon,” I said.

I have a container filled with flavored salts (hickory, expresso, ginger, applewood, lavendar, balsamac, hawaiian, and so on)…and I looked through the bin until I found one of them that said Alderwood Salt. I took a tiny taste. Ah! That was the one I was looking for.

I tasted ALDER in this tea. Alder is a sweet wood…close to corn and sticky rice in scent.
I found the sweet wood flavor in the tea delicate, sweet and mild.
There was again some hint of corn on the finish lingering.

I knew there was more for the tea to say. I had a little sample and discovered that I am limited with one or two tastings. This is a Pu’er that is like a good book. I would have to take time and read it over many steepings and many encounters to begin to know what it has to say.

I had relaxed enough to really enjoy this Pu-er, the flavor had became unrestrained and full of life. I am always learning from tea about that need to be present with it.

There are so many different kinds of Pu-er, light and dark ones, earthy and mild. A little rinse and off you go. They are fun to try and share with friends. Good for the body (and you know the rest)…good for the soul. Nothing really to be fearful of trying because as with any tea, they are all different and you will find ones that you love.

This tea will age well. It is already mature beyond it’s years. A young Pu-er with a bright future. Fresh and flirty. A Pu-er inviting me to take my time and not rush the relationship. Light and delicious now, but just wait….

Thank you Will Work For Tea for this Sample!

I know for sure that God is watching over me! I am a dumb woman who almost got herself killed tonight!

After the monsoon thunder and lightning storm this afternoon had finished (I thought), I decided to head 20 miles South go to Vespers at St. Spyridons Greek Orthodox Church.
As I drove closer to Loveland, the sky look ominous. Dark clouds were thickening but nothing was happening. Maybe they would scurry past to the Prairie, I thought.

Somewhere towards the end of the service when the Chanters (and those present) were singing “Lord Have Mercy” in English, Greek, Arabic and Russian…BANG! ALL…you know what…broke loose! We kept singing and at the end scurried to our cars (which were now becoming flooded with a Noah-esque like downpour of rain). I had to wade in ankle deep water to my car.

The lightening and thunder was banging overhead. Somewhat like having my picture taken by the sky…bang…flash…over and over and then…I hit a pocket of water on a 4 lane busy main road and hydroplaned!
The water covered my car and I was blind! I came out of the tunnel of water to a bang flash. I was scared but my brakes were ok. I kept going..inching home.
I had a funny intuitive girl feeling that something else wasn’t right.
My car is a titanium silver Rav4 and not that easy to see at dusk in a rainstorm.
I DROVE 15 MILES WITHOUT MY HEADLIGHTS ON! Freaked me out!
As soon as the bang boom fear, watery feet and hydroplaning terror kicked in…I was a white knuckle, all hands on the steering wheel mess. I am never going out in the rain like that again ever, ever!

I chose this tea for it’s great Russian name Troika! The horse drawn sleigh. Visions of some of my favorite old Russian movies came to mind. The Brothers Karamazov with Yul Brynner and We Live Again from 1935. Wintry days with hot smoky tea. Even though this is Summer, the cool stormy weather seemed right for it.
I used only 6 oz. water to make a strong cup and 1 tsp tea. Brew time was 3.5 minutes.
The flavor was smoky and citrus fruity. Somewhere between an Assam and Orange Pekoe with more smoke though. At first I notice a light bergamot creaminess then as it cools there is astringency.
I wouldn’t call the flavor weak. It’s a pretty hefty brew.
I added sweetening eventually which was good, then cream which was also acceptable (and the cream cut the tannin).

My advice is not to walk away from this cup and let it cool down. It gets way to astringent. Drink it hot and it’s pretty tasty. A good blaster for handwarming while riding in your Troika!

The Lord really did have Mercy on me tonight! http://youtu.be/vyFkPd6fEuI Tchaikovsky (Song of the Cherubim which is a song sung at every Liturgy but not always this particular version by Tchaikovsky)

Thank you Will Work For Tea for this Sample!

I’ve been wanting to try this Sticky Rice Pu-erh for a long time!

I can’t wait…I just can’t wait to blurt out…I love this stuff!
It tastes soooo good!

Now I’ve spoiled everything didn’t I. No need to read further.

Don’t you want to know why I blurted it out? (A few of you just said “No, not really.”)
It’s ok, my feelings won’t be hurt. I’m just an old disabled woman approaching my last breath on this earth! Sniff. (guilt)

Well, now that I’ve stooped so low…let’s get on with it!

The little cute Pu-erh Tuocha seems so harmless…so…‘little bitty cutesy’…until you put some boiling water on the little sucker and it explodes into a MONSTER GREEN floating island!
(Do not use a tea ball for this tuocha). I used a glass PIAO and half expected little fish to come out of the green algae clumpy SEA WORLD at the bottom of the container.

I steeped my pu-erh too long. The color was brassy gold. The flavor…um that was good…a bit bitter with some tannin. I could really taste the sticky rice which was the bomb! I knew that the right steep time would be fantastic tasting. (I finished that first cup of tea…yum!)

I cut the steep time in half but the color of the liquor remained the same. These were some robust leaves…Herculeaves with muscles!

Sipping the sticky rice tea was unbelievably roasty and sweet, like you could chew on your tea and find little pieces of nutmeats or candied things from heaven in a bowl with a spoon. Dessert, coated rice, almost creamy but not quite.
There were many golden cups to come…the liquor was so rich and heavy with flavor that I took my glass mug and put it in the frig for later, just to see how the tea would taste cold.

An old question came to mind…
I’ve asked myself on occasion, would I ever drink a pu-erh with a meal?
Usually, the answer is NO! I like to savor the pu-erh all by itself.

This pu-erh, I would drink to wake up my taste buds before a meal with an appetizer. I might have it with dessert or with a light meal. It expands the way I think about pu-erh’s. My cupboard should have this.

Cold Yes, the cup in the frig was absolutly stunning! Really refreshing!I did sweeten mine a little and loved it that way.

The Monsoon season finally began in the Rockies! Thunder, lightening and rain! Ba Boom!

I didn’t grow up in a place where lightening comes to the ground, so today when I was on Steepster just sitting on my couch looking at my Kindle Fire by my big window a huge bolt came Zip Zing down in the street outside with a Zap Crash that scared me so badly that I bolted and ran into the hall with my cup of tea. If anyone had a camera, I think I could qualify for the cat photo contest that Verdant has going on. A very scared cat cowering in a ball on the floor with big round eyes!

Things did eventually calm down. Drats, I was out of food! Venturing out was brave I think for an ex-California gal. But out I went.

When I grocery shop at Sunflower Natural Market I always meander over to the cold beverage case and look over the chilled tea to see what’s new and what’s local. I found some bottled tea’s that were from Arizona which borders Colorado. They said ‘Unsweetened’ and ‘Brewed in the Bottle’. Hum. No artificial flavors either (mumbling to myself) so I bought one.

I was lazy and picked up a roast chicken with no seasoning. Who does that? No seasoning (I get to do it!). 1 bird = 4 meals for me.

Later, after roasty chicken, I opened up the cold tea and took a long cool blasty drink.
A long cold…unimpressive blasty drink of sour unflavored fruity tea that could be passion fruit I suppose maybe.
The tea smelled more apple, pear and maybe there is passion fruit. Well, to tell the truth it smells like Motts applesauce but tastes very sour.
And tastes like Motts applesauce when you doctor it with sweetening like I did. It was just tooooo sour to drink without sweetening. Yucky!

Here’s the deal. Some fruit you can’t leave in the bottle too long because it gets sour. Unless you temper it with another fruit or sweeten it, bad things happen. Adding black tea didn’t help this fruit. The tannin created a mixture that could take grime off furniture.

Sorry Tia Lilly…this was not a happy unsweetened passion fruit flavor tea experience!

Wah wah :(

Thank you DHart1214 for this Sample tea!

Um breakfast tea! I love my breakfast tea!

Not being a morning person ever in my life, I need help crawling out of my beloved bed. I begin by inching towards the light at the far end of a foreboading tunnel.
My dear father ‘Bill’ used to throw open my bedroom door and do his best WWII bugle call “Time to get up Bonnie”! This would elicit evil words from my innocent mouth that I could never remember when fully awake, but were surely worthy of going to confession. Mom (Pat) would ‘rush’ (poor darling had painful rheumatoid arthritis from age 35) down the hall, “Bill, you know how she is…you can’t wake her up like that!” But dad never learned. He didn’t know that it was painful to be startled awake. I TAKE TIME! (Sure do miss them now and they sure loved each other!)

My morning tea gives me time to pull off those remaining shadowy cobwebs.

The Tea Spot packaging was perfect for a non-morning person. It looked like a big green eye on a white package screaming “Pick Me!”…so I did…since I could see it above all others.
There was a word I could make out…Breakfast…ok. I’m obedient. And a phrase…“boost your mojo!”
Mojo? Where did I put my Mojo? (I think I left it somewhere next to “I’m sexy and I know it!”)

I used a clean Finum filter and steeped this tea 4 minutes.
The scent was light, sweet and fragrant along the line of an Orange Pekoe.

I took a sip and the blend was quite mild without much smoke but having a bit of fruit, a hint of tannin (hardly any really) and medium body. Later I could feel the mojo…as though the caffeine was revving an engine in the background ready to varoom…race ahead through my day.

What black tea was used for this blend? Assam, pekoe,ceylon for sure…what else? Still…I would have thought with so much black tea variety (4 black tea’s are in this blend) there would be more smoke or fruit. Peach, yam, orange pekoe…something deeper.
The caffeine part would be good for someone who likes a kick in the backside like me though. I keep a few high voltage tea’s around for migraine control.

This was a good mid-range morning tea.

Thank you Will Work For Tea for this Sample!

Ah ha! Desert! Roasted Chestnuts? Nah!
As for me Mon Cheri, I do not want roasted chestnuts! I want
macaroons…yes…chestnut macaroons creamy and crunchy.
Have you had them? Rich and perfectly decadent?

There is a glass door not far from my home…‘French Pastry Shop’…it says in fancy black filigree letters. So small a shop, with only 1 large cooled bakery case filled with the most exquisite macarons (French spelling). My favorite ones are Chaud Les Marron Macaron. Lightest cocoa brown…delicate. Only one placed gently in a small paper bag and I’ve scored!
“Where can I go in a hurry?”, I ask myself? There must be a perfect spot in the park to savor this precious treasure.

Can tea be like this?

In the evening, when dinner is a memory…something sweet will add the perfect final touch to my day.
I chose a memory of meandering to the French Pastry Shop for my secret desert as an aid to selecting this tea. Then the enhancement of adding sweetening and a bit of cream (which I think is a must no matter what you say)… just because, how could I not do this?
This is a rich desert tea! If I could get away with sprinkles of chocolate I would do that too! Very satisfying for my sweet craving!

Living a little. Enjoying life.

Good News Mi Lan Dancong Black is now available on the Verdant Website

Pre-release Preview Review Thank you David Duckler for this Sample

Last week I received my order of Laoshan White Tea…so happy to open the Verdant box. There was a note from David Duckler and 2 pouches of samples with handwritten labels that both said ‘Pre-release Preview’ and the name of the tea!
I’ve waited days to try the first tea. No distractions. I wanted to do a proper job of being quiet and still. Sometimes I tell a story with a tea review. A vision will come easily. Today, I had many visions of moonless phosphorescent lagoons and tropical flora. An Island lived on and others traveled to. The visions were many and mine alone. I don’t know why.
The flavors and tastes I am able to share with more ease.

Here are the directions:
4 tsp. tea leaves, 4oz. boiling water
rinse 1 second
steep 3 seconds and add 1 second for each additional steeping
(I followed this method for 3 steepings then switched to Geoffrey’s method of 6 oz water and 8 seconds on the 4th steeping)

The wet leaves smelled initially roasty and vegital, then more and more like tobacco.

The color of the liquor began as a light gold then changed and remained vibrant golden ocre and clear.

Steepings:
Flavor discriptions:

1. Shock! Is this a Black tea or a Dragonwell?
The first taste was such a surprise of sweet, succulent juiciness.
I was caught up in a rush, cream and floral smashing at full force then zoom…all the way to roasted pork loin with crispy skin and the scent of sugared stone fruit at the bottom of my cup. Wow! That was fast! Like the first Star Wars hyperspeed to warp speed…then jump to Lightspeed!

Pause

2. I experienced a little tannin and bitterness for a split second up front. Then, it was all gone. A sweetness swooshed around me like a golden cape of perfect burre blanc sauce with salted yellow plantain. Thick, sweet… ending with freshly sliced mango dripping with fruit sugar. Impossible! This was so tropical for a black tea!

I had to stop and catch my breath!

3. The tea smelled like risotto with a hint of saffron. This was the best flavor. There was no bitterness and the tannin was way back on the tongue. Sweet, honey, creamy with the mango lighty coupled with D’anjou pear. Um um um lick your lips good!

4. Following Geoffrey’s (Business Manager at Verdant) sensibility, I steeped the leaves a little longer to see what would happen.
Ok…
This was the first time I could absolutely tell this was truly a black tea. (I thought there was a mystery involved earlier. A cloak was disguising this Black Dancong.)
Now I remembered some black teas from Napal. Those lavish border blacks that have fruity lightness and are deeply rich that I adore.
The sugar noted in earlier steepings had become wildflower honey and there was a new nutty, salty, pecan flavor in the background that was so light and delicious. The previous fruit and a new floral softness was playfully dancing in my cup as if they had always been present together.

At that moment, all of it came together. The swirl of all three previous tastings and this final one ended with clarity…. of settling down.

I have never experienced a Black Tea like this one. It was like an oolong, a darjeeling or dragonwell and then not. Then again a Black Tea!

Some tea’s are exquisitly Beautiful! Full of private visions!
Some Sparkle!

This Mi Lan Dancong is one of those special tea’s filled with Radiance.

Third Review.

This is one of the Teavivre tea’s that I decided to purchase in bulk for daily use. Why?

Originally this pu-erh wasn’t even part of the sample program that many of us have enjoyed receiving from Teavivre.
During the sample mailings I noticed that there was this one lonely
pu-erh with no reviews so I asked Angel if I could have some so that a review could go up on Steepster.
She sent me the sample and..I ended up liking this tea.

But what made me purchase it for daily use? I looked for four things flavor, quality, the company and cost.

I have more expensive pu-erhs than this one, jewels that have exceptional flavor which I drink on special occasions and some just once a week.
My daily pu-erhs tend to fit a flavor profile that I don’t get tired of. This is of good quality from a company that I love doing business with and at a price I can afford. (I am living on a fixed income!)

The tea is a little bit salty and bready which is something I find appealing. The earthiness is not too strong and there is great richness and body that stands up to sweetening and milk if I want a morning latte.

( Please, Rinse the dry leaves 20 seconds)
I recommend Western Style brewing because the Brew takes a good amount of tea leaves (3-4 teaspoons per 8oz) and a short (1-2 minute) Steep.
I have done this method over and over successfully with a rich and dark liquor each time.
I wouldn’t suggest using a gaiwan unless you were cutting the leaf to a minimal amount for 4oz.

Resteeping produces great results!
The price is very good $9.90 for 100 grams.

Thank you ME for buying this tea!

I broke down and paid for Teavivre tea! Hee Hee!
So I have to thank myself for doing the right thing and buying one of my top 5 Black tea’s of all time (Truely this and Verdant’s Laoshan Black are #1 and #2 but I’m not telling in which order)!

My tea cupboard is awesome! Filled with bins of tea from the great to the wanna be great’s. I’ve become emotionally attached to some tea (hate to say this, but I’m a tea hoarder when it comes to some tea..you’d better not touch some of them…I’ll jump all over your…)
to the point that letting them go is almost out of the question. Sinful!

Writing reviews about some of the lesser quality tea’s can get to drag me down. UH! Burn out!

After awhile…I run..to my jewels, those beautiful special tea’s I can always count on for relief. Oh yes! Great tasting tea again! My precious! (I couldn’t resist!)
I am saved!

Today, I needed saving from the bad tea blues. My Bailin Gongfu Black could save anyone from the blues. It’s the best of Black Malty, Cocoa, Rich and Smooth, Bready, Golden Goodness!!!!!

Slurp, Gulp, Sweet or with Cream! Exceptional!

I Love, Love, LOVE THIS TEA

Thank you DHart1214 for this tea sample!

This is my very first tea from The Tea Spot. I know they have a shop in Boulder,(for goodness sakes that’s the headquarters of the company) but with so many shops to choose from in that tea wealthy town…I have yet to get around to it.
I chose Bolder Breakfast this morning for DUH obvious reasons. And, the tease of chocolate with pu’erh was begging me for a review. Please little package of tea from Boulder, Colorado…(I thought) don’t make me lose face and look like an idiot in the tea community! This State has awesome beer, great tea houses, but can’t we please have some decent Colorado blended tea (I’m leaving Celestial Seasonings out of this)?!

I brewed my 8oz in a mug with a finum filter for 4 minutes.

The scent was delicious with cocoa steaming a promising cuppa tea.

The first sip was Very mild. I could taste cocoa, no pu-erh, and a very mild black tea. Nothing but mild, non-assertive and middle of the road tea flavor. Even a bit sour probably due to the flavoring.

I didn’t like it.

I added sweetening and cream. The additions helped the tea but the black tea base is so bleh that I didn’t enjoy the tea. Probably people who are sensitive to strong flavor would like this tea. I can’t imagine why though. And the sourness. And lack of pu-erh flavor. Oh no! Yucky!

I would never choose to buy this tea. Thumbs Down!

Appreciate that Dhart1214 sent me some of her The Tea Spot teas for me to try!

Thank you Stacy for this tea Sample

What a pleasure to have overlooked a Butiki tea sample. How on earth did that ever happen? I look forward to every little bag.
Whatever the reason, it’s been found at the right time.

Today I don’t feel good. I’m sure this will pass soon enough.
My weekend was great so I can reflect a good time with my granddaughter Schey! (I forget that I have disabilities and do more than I should at times, especially when the weather is hot. I live in a fantasy world and think I’m in my 40’s!)(or younger!)

First we went to Church Sunday morning and then stopped by the H.L. (Happy Luckys) tea shop for a pot of Puerh. This was Scheys first Puerh! I have to say the experience was like ‘Steepster Live’! We were at the bar, the shop was quiet and the servers had been tasting samples I brought in the day before. I was hearing verbal reviews. Schey was giving me her review of the Pu-erh (LOVED IT!), and I was in heaven!

I drank more tea later when I arrived back home…and then…I couldn’t sleep till 2 am! I’m trying to set up a blog. No zzzzzzzzz’s

I felt ill this morning at 7 am….burned out and not good at all.

I saw this little packet from Butiki. Hum.
What was a Guranse? Another one of those high caffeine tea’s that Stacy has?
(I had no idea!)

With a good deal of blind faith and trust that whatever was in the packet would be good because it came from Butiki, I followed the only information on the label and used boiling water then steeped for 3 minutes.

What a shock when I tasted the tea!

“Wow, this is good!” I said.

(I think in my foggy brain that I half expected an unflavored Guayusa.)

This tea was light and sweet with the essence of Freestore Peach and Assam. BUT, without being as dark or malty as an Assam. WAH?…A totally different kind of Black Tea than I’m used to!

To compare this tea to a Darjeeling would be a mistake also. There was no acidity or tannin, just smooth and juicy light and fruity tea. (Sounds like a jingle)

I let my cup cool. Sipping again and again…trying to reach deep into the soul of this tea. Always the floral sugary peach(could there be a vanilla cream with the peach I am still not committed to that idea as yet)vibrated in my mouth.

Guranse has my attention! At no time have I tasted a light Black Tea like this one. I have 4 Black Tea’s from 2 companies that are my favorites and all 4 are FULL BODIED! Very rich and unmistakably distict! My… BONNIE’S TOP BLACK TEA LIST!

This little tea slid in under the radar and slapped me awake!
I love the subtle beauty of this drippy, succulent, peachy liquor!

High Praises Stacy!!! You will hear from me!

Later that same evening…
Tonight I steeped this tea again nice and strong, cut an apple into cubes, heated the apple in the microwave and then poured the tea over the apples to infuse them for a bit. Later, I drained some of the liquid off, added a pat of butter and some brown sugar crystals and popped the apples into the oven next to a breast of chicken that was cooking in a mixture of brewed Butiki Tangerine Creamsicle Guayusa, and bacon. (Yes I’ll have some spinach greens too at the end).
Don’t know how this will turn out…going to check on it now…
Oh Wow! The Chicken is really good! Um…I think I’m going to have the apples alongside the chicken because they’re soft and mild. The apples in this tea is mild (no spice added).
Perfect with the cream citrus poultry.

If I had company over I’d turn the juices into a beautiful glaze and chiffonade some basil and mint over the top. This would be so good with rice. (no apples though) And add artichokes or asparagas.

Bye

Yoo Hoo! Canned Tea!

How low can you go? (get it, CAN…ha ha)

Granddaughter Schey came over and we wandered over to Old Town for
a light dinner at the ‘WAFFLE LAB’.
Oh yes boys and girls, Fort Collins boasts a wonderous black box of a food truck that has the best waffles on the planet! AND, it’s in the parking lot smack dab next to one of the many Breweries our town is know for. (What’s not to like about this scene so far.)

Now Schey is 18 and can’t go to Pub’s unless, she’s sitting outside with Grandma eating WAFFLES! This was lot’s of fun for her. Some young women in platform heels going to a bachelorette party came by for waffles. Lots of good looking young men came by for waffles. A great people watching venue to be sure!

I ordered a chedder, mozzerella, smoked ham with fresh basil maple waffle sandwich. Oh ouch it was soooo good! (no tomatoes, allergic)

Then with it a Super Sized 23.5oz. Green (has Black tea too) naturally Mango Flavored, Pure Cane Juice, Honey and Ginseng TEA. CHILLED! In a CAN!

Uh huh! CAN, CAN, CAN!

Right about then, (as we sat down at the outdoor covered Brewery and Waffle Lab shared lounge) music came on and it was party time. People at the nearby tables were friendly, we met some neighbors…chatted and laughed. This was the best small town Saturday Night magic.

My can of tea was refreshing and light. Yes, I was skeptical about the ginseng and cane juice. Would this be one of those too sweet drinks? Absolutely not! The natural favor was soft and the sweetening just right and not too sugary. The blend of green with black tea gave body to the blend without bitterness.
In all, a very nice CAN of tea!

Perfect with my Waffle Lab dinner.

(Here’s a piece of trivia…Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland is
modeled after College Avenue, Fort Collins…in Old Town.)

Iced Zhu Rong Yunnan Black!

I seldom review a tea 3 times! But, because Verdant Tea has created a buzz about cold brewing and icing various tea’s, I thought I’d experiment with one that they suggested.

A long, long time ago. When there were no laptops and no wi-fi! (Yes children, no Facebook or Twitter!) There was Chocolate Soda.
I can’t remember who made the stuff, but it was dark chocolate soda and I liked it.
It was a sad day when it disappeared. I couldn’t even go have coffee or hic’ Tazo hic’ because Starbucks didn’t exist either!

Not until now could my cool Chocolate craving be satisfied.
Here and now, I come to that chocolaty goodness in a cold beverage without it containing milk!
I do not like milky things when it’s hot! No chocolate milk, no hot chocolate.
Even if I have a gelato I’m looking for water right away because I don’t like the milky residue. It makes me thirstier.

What I prepared today was a pot of tea western style and then I continued with 4 steepings. I poured the tea over ice, quickly transfered the tea again before the ice melted into a covered pitcher and then into the frig. it went. That’s all I did!

Hours went by and it was time for the cold tea reveal!

I think the best way I like to enjoy this tea is to pour it into a fancy water goblet. The color sparkles like golden Russian Amber!

When I brought the glass close to my nose…oh the aroma of baked potato chips and cocoa was as full as rising steam.

I Swirled the Tea with my hand cupped over the top and then sniffed again as I would with a glass of wine! Slightly Smoky, Cocoa Honey!

There was no more time to wait. I wanted a sip of this glittering liquor.

With cool tea you can let a good amount swish and roll around, then back… taking your time before finishing the sip.
The coolness is noticed first as you would imagine, and then bittersweet chocolate, smoky orange honey and potato chips in an altogether impossible way. Something elegant rushes like stones skipping on a pond through your mouth. Yes, like skipping stones. So much rich, smooth, cool flavor.
My chocolate craving that has been going on for years (I ain’t tellin) had been satisfied.

OOPS! I must say that I sweetened the tea a ‘little bit’ but not much.

I also cold brewed some Laoshan Chai STRONG and used Ginger Syrup with it then Chilled the beauty…oh yes! This I would use with a liquor like Rum.

Tasty, cool. CHOCOLATE!

300th Review

I really thought hard about what to do with my 300th review. It should be special. Memorable at least to me. What tea would I choose?

I received tea in the mail today.

Still, I couldn’t decide.

Tick…tick…tick…

Stalling, I stopped by Happy Lucky’s Tea House after mailing 5 packages of tea off to Steepsters, and all my buddies were at the bar. I was greeted warmly as always.

My purse was jammed with gifts…a Butiki Good Morning Sunshine Guayusa, Verdant Laoshan White, Xingyang 1998 Golden Leaf Puer for Andy from Verdant, Butiki Blue Nettle Green Tea, all samples for my friends to try. Even the owner popped in for a taste. A gaiwan and little gonfu pot flashed into action.
I sat smiling and drank Lapsang Souchong, watching with glee as my Happy Lucky’s tea shop friends enjoyed their tasting.

Which brings me to the point of my 300th review.

My tea journey is about community. I have never tried to write a certain number of reviews per day, or crank out reviews to beat a record. It’s all about YOU really.
My relationship with you on Steepster…and my family, my community, my past, the environment, the whole World and God!
That sounds deep and you know I get funny, silly, crazy even.(That’s my celebratory side. Joyful abandon! The love of life.)

How can tea do this?

It’s like a mirror. Reflective. When you take a moment to stop…to be quiet in life and to be present in the moment…amazing things can happen inside. Amazing and healing things can happen.

I want to thank Happy Lucky’s Tea House for being friendly to me at a time in my life when I have had no other friends.
For accepting me at their tea bar as I am.
For picking up my cane when it falls.
For always smiling at me when I walk in the door.
For accepting my small gifts of tea.
Thank you so much! (sniffle)

Review:
Lion and Lamb is a Lapsang Souchong with a tender side. This is a blended smoky tea for those who just can’t hang with the full strength China Lapsang Souchong. There’s a bit of orange peel and a large amount of the best freeze dried Jasmine I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s just like Jasmine popcorn (which I said in my first review).
The first thing I do before brewing is pick out a few flowers for myself and crunch away. (so tasty and puffy light)
After 4 minutes, the pour is light and smoky without being overdone. You can taste a hint of roastiness from the Jasmine somewhere along the line of corn.
I like to have my smoked tea sweet, so I added a little bit and enjoyed my cup even more. ScottTeaMan likes this blend. He has no idea that I just picked some up as a gift for him. Surprise Scott! Happy 300th from me to you!

My review makes sense now doesn’t it. I brought my 300th home to where I am right now.

Here’s hoping that everyone can find a place like the one I have right
here in Fort Collins that welcomes you as a friend and serves you a good cup of tea!

http://youtu.be/bnvGwpO3bms My Town

I’ve been bagging samples to send off to people all day. I really mean it, ALL DAY.
For a person (me) who has no ability to multi-task (my brain misfire issue), bagging, labeling, making notes and keeping a list of who’s been sent what tea takes triple time. The only easy part is sweeping tea debris off the wood floors.

At about 5pm, I was beginning to nod off to sleep on the couch. Garumph! That would never do! “When was the last time I had some tea today?”, I asked myself. “Too long, too long ol girl.” So I rummaged around for a lonely tea that I’d been ignoring (feeling tea guilt).

Oh yes, the Green Tropical. I almost forgot about this little plastic bag. It certainly looks like it came from a spice store all green see through as though it’s filled with Rosemary or Greek Oregano. Hum. The tea had not impressed me the first go around at all.

I was very careful to steep the leaves 3 minutes. The flavor is flat at high heat…those who drink this tea comment on how much better it is cool or chilled. So I waited.

There is a strange astringency…not like a bite at the finish that lingers, but a stinging on the whole surface of the tongue. I don’t see the point since the tea is so faintly flavored. There’s hardly any pineapple to speak of. No strawberry. Almost nothing to hang onto.
The best thing this tea has going for it is a nice floral/fruity scent when dry…like a room freshener.

As a tea, not that interesting.

Really a boring, boring tea. But the caffeine will keep me awake! ;)

Second review

Tucked in a familiar silver package, the 3/4 full remains of my Mengku Palace Ripened Golden Buds Pu-erh had been urging me to come and enjoy the gift of goodness I remembered once again.
Others have been writing reviews lately and I was tempted…pushed the thought away…but the urge kept coming back. I wait for the right time for certain tea’s. And for Puerh’s especially.

I can safely say that I pick a tea to drink according to my mood.
I’m unable to review certain kinds of tea without a very clear and centered mind.
It’s the difference between reading The Cat in the Hat (which is cute and charming) and a novel like The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (one of my favorites) only here we’re talking about tea.

(Half of you just walked away making that twirly motion next to your head indicating CRAZY!) I don’t care!

Review:
My steep time was 2 minutes in a glass pot Western Style. (I wanted lots of tea!)
The color of the liquor was dark Chocolate fudge brown and smelled like expensive Italian leather shoes. New ones. A very nice smell indeed.

I poured myself a cup and took the first long sip, rolling the liquid around in my mouth blissfully. The juicy, mild Puerh had the essence of gentle air after a hard rain. I imagined myself in North Ferriby, U.K with an umbrella in my hand…standing on a corner… waiting at a bus stop with the smell of rain, wet paving stones and fresh moss. I could see the Humber Bridge Span in the distance through the misty drizzle.
It’s a warm enough day though.
The tea smells and tastes like plumped up, wet tea buds and the aftertaste is Thai grilled chicken.

I wouldn’t mind taking this cup into an ancient musty library at Nottingham University hurrying past old stone and polished creaky wood, my body would enter and find a lone soft chair and plop down, limp like a discarded marionette.

Tea and a place can come together as a singular vision. A story and a novel,fragrance and a flavor stirred up at the right moment.

I’m glad that I waited for this tea. It’s a good lesson for me to trust my own instincts about where I am on the tea path. I have so much to learn.

(This review is for Steepster Roughage from the U.K.)

No notes yet.

Thank you Steepsters for being such wonderful uplifting Tea Friends

Dessert! It’s all about Dessert! Tonight I celebrate you all!

Don’t you love our shared little secret…the sweet lovely tea secret that we can pour in our cups and drink down without guilt! Cake tea, honey tea, cookies, strawberries and cream, spice and CHOCOLATE! There’s that almond biscotti flavor that lifted me up and carried me all the way to Italy…to Lake Como. The Russian Tea with cherry jam, and the Pineapple Oolongs and Coconut cream pie…making me get my hula on. Mercy!
Lupicia had this sweet little Puer…Cinnamon Cookie…laced with black tea, elderberry and cinnamon…perfect for a dessert treat tonight.
It tastes like a cookie. No kidding! I love the earthy flavor of puer…but in this case, I’m not missing it at all. (I really wouldn’t like an earthy cinnamon cookie. No, no, no.)

If something is this good… I think of ways to take it further.

I had a Blackberry Cabernet Matinee Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Bar in the freezer.
Uh oh! I went and got it out, unwrapped the silky bar and broke off a chunk.
I ate a little bit of chocolate,took a sip of cookie tea…another bit of chocolate, another sip of tea. Uh! Don’t interupt me! A little bit of chocolate, a sip of cookie tea. (flavor blending silky and rich.Sinfully wonderful…superb!) Remember, I’m only doing this for all of you! ;)

Truthfully, you all bring me such joy. Applaud yourselves! Thank you for all the uplifting comments lately during the fires in Colorado!

I regularly go to my tea pub, Happy Lucky’s Tea House, to chat with the staff, customers and share information about tea. Everyone who works at the shop is very educated about tea and they care about their customers!
Usually, I enter the shop, sit at the bar and ask “Hey, what’s new?” Other times I pick some tea from the ‘tea wall’ that I’ve never tried before. I bring tea samples from my cupboard for these special people to share as a sign of friendship now and then. It’s really a cool place!

Today, I started asking questions about Jasmine Tea’s and Silver Needle. Since the new Jasmine Silver Needle was not in stock yet, I was shown the China Green Jasmine Pearls…and the scent was captivating. I decided to try the tea…my first Jasmine Pearls ever.

Sam prepared a glass pot with the pearls and at 3 minutes poured the golden liquor into my glass teacup.
The cup was very fragrant with Jasmine. I commented to Andy that there was a scent of new rubber ducky in the floral scent. “Huh?”, he said.
He poured himself a little and agreed…“Yep, I can see how you would say that.” (How do we come up with these things I wondered! Rubber Ducky?!)
I drank some more…the tea was strong and as it cooled…strong and astringent. I commented to Andy and Sam that it was not to my liking as much as Jasmine Silver Needle Tea.
Andy said he liked the pearls at a 2 minute steep instead of 3 minutes so he brought out a Gaiwan and steeped pearls at 2 minutes for me. (I never asked for this attention to detail…it’s just how considerate these tea professionals are)
Now the tea was very pale. The flavor was much more delicate and not astringent. Oh, I really preferred the 2 minute steeping so much more!
It would have been such a shame to miss out on this tea and probably never drink it again just because I had tasted it at a stronger, more concentrated steeping than I like. Sam prefers 3 minutes. Someone else might like it at 3 minutes. I prefer 2 minute steeping.

The tea was juicy and delicious.

This was a good lesson. If a tea is a little meh. Steep it longer, or shorter. Check the temperature. Give the tea a chance to speak to you.
Don’t be afraid to experiment until you find your comfort level.

I’m a fortunate person to have such a great tea shop to go to. (The owner is a great guy too and all the other tea experts that serve there!) Thanks Happy Luckys!

Last of this Pu-erh from Ian (and by the way where is our friend IAN?)

It’s been months since I reviewed this Pu-erh…and a lot of Pu-erh has been DRUNK by me. Or should I say has been DRUNKEN. That’s better. I’ve been drinking Pu-erhs for months since then and enjoying myself.I’ve had lots more experience with and can tell a real difference between review 1 and what I am tasting in this review.
This flavor is not horribly bad. There is a nose and taste to the
Pu-erh that resembles bean sprouts and is dusty tasting. I did a rinse of the leaves so that’s not an issue. You’d almost swear that someone threw in a small handful of potting soil because the sour earthiness is present but not in the usual warm and inviting way. I wish the flavor was more caramel or salty rich flavored but it’s not. The mushroom taste that I detected the first time around, well…it got lost in the dustiness. I looked in the cup and it’s cloudy. Not that great a Pu-erh.
No bells and whistles. Ah.

This is good confirmation that my taste must be improving. (Now Amy Oh had better not make a comment about me being a tea snob…I’ll get sensitive!)
We all become transformed after a time by the access to the fantastic variety of wondrous tea’s. It’s bound to happen that we change and appreciate quality tea…and that our palate developes.

Onward and upward!