Bonnie

Thank you Roughage for this Christmas Tea gift sample!

The day after Christmas, I received a package from England with some tea samples and DRUM ROLL….REAL SCOTS SHORTBREAD!!!!! (And this tea)

My eyes rolled back as I swooned over those shortbread cookies, rich and buttery. Roughage told me that he went to his mums in Scotland for New Years and woke up to Bag Pipes being played in the village.

Ah…how perfect. (At least to me!) Of course, I’m picturing Rob Roy standing with a tray of tea at my door…ha ha!

I’ve been loving the Canton Tea Co. tea’s Roughage has sent twice now. Wish we had them available here through a North American Canton Store, because they’re just that good.

Today, when I began to sip this tea…my mind kept getting stuck.
I thought…“Smooth…sweet honey…”
I would stop and begin again. “Smooth, sweet honey and there isn’t maltiness or astringency…it’s mellow.” And I stopped again, resetting my notes.
“No, no…this tea isn’t like that at all. It is but I don’t want to say that, it isn’t a bland tea…I don’t want to use bland words!”

Fruity and floral. Apricot crumble hot from the oven. “Better.”
And honey. Clover honey, drizzled from a spoon into my mouth.
No, hot honey at the bottom of my teacup when I upend the cup and let the liquid slide down like gold. “YES!”

I wanted to drink this tea with a spoon like a dessert.

Suddenly, I knew what the tea tasted like. Honee’s filled candies. The Candies that have real honey inside…oh sooo good. I always loved the milk and honey ones that are creamy like the flavor of this tea.

OK, so I’ve blown the review. I’ve been all over the place from bagpipes in the morning to Honee’s Candy.

Let’s just say that I’d buy this and will look for it. It’s candy store delicious.

Thanks luv

TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT
IT’S MY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY ON STEEPSTER!
TOOTING MY HORN (If you don’t toot your own horn, nobody else will!)

So, why did I choose Cream of Earl Grey by DAVIDsTEA? It was one of my very first loose leaf tea purchases, and I found some in the cabinet.
Time to say adios to this packet, but not without a last cup to remember my journey.

I had never been a life-long tea drinker. I thought that tea was all fuss and pinky fingers up in the air…not for me at all. I liked strong coffee. My coffee came from Community Coffee in Louisiana and a small roaster (Cornucopia) in San Francisco.
While in Vancouver, B.C. at the Metropolis with my granddaughter Schey (Sept. 2011), we stopped in at Teaopia. We had never seen a tea shop like that before so I bought some tea for my daughter and a little Pumpkin tea for me.
My daughter says I found Steepster and I say she found it (seems more likely), but whatever the case…I joined Jan.5,2012, adding my first tea’s to the cupboard. (A couple flavors of Celestial Seasonings and Good Earth bagged tea’s).

Like most of you, I was stunned that anyone followed me, but the encouragement and friendship was genuine and continued month after month.

I soon got the hang of Steepster, learning from more experienced tea drinkers. I picked up the popular brands…especially DAVIDsTEA,
52tea’s and Teavivre (what a great help Teavivre’s samples were to my tea education in the beginning!)

I ordered this Earl Grey, Chocolate Orange Puerh (my first puerh), Oh Canada, Black and White, Check Mate and a few other tea’s as first ventures into loose leaf tea and was hooked. It was cool getting tea from Canada too!

If you told me a year ago that I would be drinking unflavored tea…hahahahaha…or Pu-erh that I would break off a Brick or Beeng…hahahahhaha. I wouldn’t just laugh, I’d scratch my head and say, “Bing who?”
Then, “What’s a Gaiwan?”, “What’s Gongfu?”, “What’s Sheng and Shu?”
Really?!

I’ve been binge tea drinking this weekend! A celebration!

I went to Boulder with granddaughter Schey and began at the fancy, hand-painted Dushanbe Tea House.

Next we went to Ku Cha Tea House and had tea on lovely low tables served with care and attention. The ratio of tea to water was correct. There was a soothing waterfall, Asian art and lush plants creating a restful place for sipping tea. (I ran into Alex Alan for those of you who know him here on Steepster. He looks happy!).

Today, I went to Happy Luckys and brought a 1953 Pu-erh Brick (blend) to share, that the HL guys broke apart for me (a first for Preston), and a sample tasting of a Taiwan Green Tea Powder.

While choreographing the breaking of the brick (careful prying), I drank a delicious hot chocolate matcha with steamed milk!

When I returned home much later, still uncertain about what to review, I finally chose this Earl Grey. It seemed right to go back to the beginning.

This is a tea that I would probably not drink today. I don’t mean this to sound snobbish.
I don’t drink as many flavored tea’s as I used to and this is too stong to me now. It seems that with all the tea tasting the past year, my taste buds are much more sensitive and this is not a tea that is subtle in the least.

I have used this tea in other ways, to infuse flavor into lemon and vanilla pudding. It’s good used that way!

So many people have taken my hands and guided me along, answering questions, never putting me down when I haven’t known what I was talking about. I’ve been naive and childish many times.

Puerh people that I asked questions about what shu and sheng is, Darjeeling people that I had to ask what first flush and second flush meant have infinite patience.

I’ve just scratched the surface…but looking back, I’m amazed that at my older age, I’ve learned so much in a year.
What has happened to me was summed up by my Priest, Fr. Evan, after a visit when we were drinking tea. I had explained my tea journey after the devastation of illness and divorce.

“Bonnie, you’ve changed this past year. I can see that you’re much less afraid of people. You seem to have come alive and are interacting with people in a way that I didn’t see in you before. You are on the right path, so keep doing what you’re doing and write about tea.”

Being on Steepster this year with all of you has been what has brought me alive and I want to thank you.
All the followers, those who comment now and then, those who send the messages in the envelope up top, the swaps and gifts, the Vendors who email me asking how I’m doing.

I want to name names but I won’t. The list is long and all of you are so important to me.

Here are the pictures of my crazy weekend of binge tea drinking (so far)! http://flic.kr/p/dJ7cRu

Off to Boulder today to celebrate Scheys 19th birthday! I kept asking her to invite people,but she wanted to spend the day with me. What a sweet granddaughter! (Good thing she loves tea!) We have plans to stop at several tea houses.
OK…like many of you,I enjoy a strong cup of tea in the morning. I’m driving more than usual,so I made a pot of strong tea (steeped 7minutes) then added cream and splenda. Love the strong brew!Never makes me jittery either.

Off to a great day and photos.

Thank you JC for this Sample Pu-erh Silver Bud Sheng!

For once, I read the notes by Amy Oh and JC first, because I wanted to know how to best prepare this Sheng Pu-erh.
Amy steeped hers 30 seconds and JC 6 seconds so I did some of both to compare the two.

I used my white porcelain Gaiwan, 4gr. leaf to 4oz. water.

After 1 rinse, the first two steepings were quick…and my least favorite. The leaves seem to take a bit of time to bloom.

There is an aroma, very faint, that I have smelled before in finer Sheng…a savory scent that reminds me of roasting pecans or artichoke hearts.

The first steepings tasted light and sweet like a refreshing glass of mountain water on a hot day. I pictured a cool lake, granite rock with icy water running over moss.

Steeping three was longer…30 seconds. The tea was casaba melon, citrus and semi-sweet. No astringency…just smooth, delightful flavor.

As I keep steeping the leaves, I preferred the longer steep time. The flavor was intriguing. Savory Umami, citrus, exotic melon, sweetness and smooth mouthfeel.

I didn’t find the tea bitter which JC had mentioned.

I’m fond of Silver Buds…for some reason, this kind of tea reminds me of Lake Tahoe and the many times I would sit on the beach looking at the Lake surrounded by tall Ponderosa Pine trees. The scent of pine needles and the clean clear High Sierra pure mountain air is something you can taste (and never forget).

Found my picture…me on a bench looking at the Lake…
http://flic.kr/p/cNoyZJ http://flic.kr/p/c53H9Y

My big tree came down today and it looked like the first phase of Spring cleaning.

One thing leads to another.

Then the wreath and garland came down from the mantle, the mantle got a good scrubbing…and the Pacific Northwest, Native American Art (which I love) got a cleaning before going back up.

The floor, carpet, side table with mini tree in the dining room were changed back into their former configuration before the Holidays,but with a scrub.

The tea’s I ‘could’ have had today, new tea’s that I got from some kind Steepster friends for Christmas and New Year’s, need my full attention. I’ll devote a day to each one next week (maybe sooner).

Before beginning my tasks this morning, when I rummaged around in my cupboard pushing packets aside looking for a bolt of lightning to strike me with inspiration,…I brilliantly picked this tea for a couple of reasons. It’s tasty (no brainer) and it reminds me of days gone by (sigh).
This tea is very romantic.
I was feeling nostalgic with delightful memories of Christmas’s past.
My Dad’s WWII Navy trunk (called a boot) has stored my best ornaments since 1967 including some from the 1920’s. It’s one of my treasures.

Some of the ornaments were created by my Grandmother (born in 1901) out of walnut halves…made into little beds with a tiny baby sleeping in it.
My mother made Victorian Lace ornaments with empty spools of thread. Red Glass Bells from my mother’s childhood are carefully wrapped in tissue. These are my treasures along with ornaments made by my children and myself which are wrapped and stored carefully in Dad’s old trunk.

Bergamot Rose Laoshan Black Tea has the black tea base that I’ve loved from the first time I sipped it, so rich with chocolate.
The floral, citrus bergamot adds elegance and a slight briskness.

Tea is able to help us pause with our memories if we take the time, and this tea was the perfect choice for me today. Cleaning up from the Holidays, remembering the past.

Thank you JC for this sample tea!

New Year’s Eve mail…samples from JC! I picked this Black Tea for my first tea of the New Year!

JC had reviewed this tea using a Gaiwan and short steeps. I decided to use longer steeps and a finum filter in a glass mug, a more Western Style brewing method with a heavy and rich taste.

When I opened the packet of tea, the scent of the dry leaves was sweet and the leaves were long, medium cocoa brown with golden threads.

My steep time was 3 minutes (JC don’t fall over!). While this may seem long, I used 1TB. tea to 7 oz. water and had no problem.

The flavor was not cocoa or malty like I had expected.
Instead, there was a clean, brisk taste that reminded me of Teavivre’s Bailin Gongfu Black Tea, but better. (As much as I’ve always loved the Teavivre Black tea, it has an aftertaste that’s vegital that I don’t like.)

There’s citrus in the scent and flavor (barely orange) as though this is a lovely Nepalese Black Tea blend. (By this I mean that Black Tea from Nepal often has a fruity flavor, close to Darjeelings which can have a citrus taste).

One of the journey’s I’ve been on (if you can call it that) is trying lots of different Black Tea’s. Strong Irish and Scot’s Black Tea’s, Kenyan and Chinese Black Tea’s from different regions (Yunnan, Taiwan, Laoshan, Etc.), Darjeelings, Assams, Thai Black, Ceylon.
This has been my Winter Project…and works well with drinking
lots of Pu’er punctuated by many sessions with roasty Oolongs.

This Guizhou is one of the best black tea’s I’ve ever tasted!

Next time JC, I’ll try this in a Gaiwan your way and follow your steeping style. This time I was my own wild woman!

I sweetened the tea during the second steeping (many black tea drinkers do this so I had to check it out) Sweet but not diminished. (Same with adding cream.) The flavor stands up to additions. (I hate losing the flavor of tea to milk and sugar!)

Great way to begin tea tasting for the New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thank you Invader Zim for this wonderful tea gift sample!

I saved this ‘Experimental Pressing Sample’ that Invader Zim shared with me from her Tea Club offering for tonight, New Year’s Eve!
(If I saved every tea to drink on special occasions that I’ve received from friends here on Steepster, each day would have to be a Holiday!)

Steepster people are the BEST!

The little cube of pressed Pu’er is beautiful. It looks like a jewel. You really can’t tell from the picture, but there’s a sheen…a brilliance that I’ve never seen before as though delicate silk threads are woven into the leaves.

My instructions were to use half the small square jewel, boiling water…1 rinse and then steep 6-8 seconds in 4 oz. water multiple times.

The aroma after the rinse was different than any Pu’er I’ve had before. It smelled like a light black tea with honey and malt and no aroma of typical earthy Pu’er. This was altogether peculiar.

The liquor was pure bright gold, which sparkled in my glass mug. (It’s worth it to have clear glass to see the color on this tea!)

My first sip was sweet and juicy, more like a light Nepalese Black Tea with a hint of Darjeeling than Pu’er. Brisk and clean, not astringent or dry.
How could this be a Pu-er? I’d never tasted anything like this before. No earthiness! No barn or stable, no mushrooms, cedar, bread or cake. What was this all about?

The second steep revealed raw sugar crystals…the kind I sometimes don’t put into my tea but just pop into my mouth like little candies with their faint taste of molasses. Smooth, clean and lovely tasting.

For the third pour I added a few seconds on the steep time and thought there was a fruity flavor, very faint but there. I couldn’t figure out what it was because every time I went… “That’s the one!”, it was too strong. Not peach, apricot or any other flavor, so…I changed my mind. I concluded that the taste was honey/agave. Mixed together agave reduces the honey taste which is what I imagined tasting this delicate tea.

As I was pouring the 4th steep into my glass, I was mumbling to myself…“What’s the fruit flavor in this tea, something is in there, I know it from somewhere?”

I was turning to sit at the table where I was making my notes…and the answer came to my mind.

“Ripe…yellow Golden Delicious Apple Pulp!” Just like that.

That was it! These sweet apples grew outside my bedroom window in California from age 7-20. A dwarf golden tree that spread out branches horizontally and had to be propped up on stakes because there were so many apples. I had eaten my share of sweet, warm fleshed goodness and this Pu-er tasted remarkably like them.
Other apples are tart and may have tart skins but not these apples. Everything is sweet like candy and juicy. The sunshine comes inside to such an extent that you can almost hand-squeeze the apple juice out of them. Nothing in the stores can compare with these lovelies.

(If you’re not familiar with this taste, it’s a bit like the flesh of a sweet Bosc Pear).

To be more certain, I added a few grains of sugar and the tea flavor didn’t turn into caramel. It stayed apple.

This is a unique and absolutely outstanding Pu’er!

Personal Note
The Best Thing to happen to me in many years has been finding the people here on Steepster!
I am amazed at how generous and caring everyone is!
If I were able to do it, I’d rent a resort and fly everyone in for
a vacation where we could all share tea and good food. You are the
best and I couldn’t be more proud or humbled to be a part of such
a place as this.

Thank you to the creators of Steepster!

With Great Affection for All of You, Happy New Year!

http://youtu.be/STqDowSbSTQ Auld Lang Syne on Bagpipes (What can I say, I’m a Scot)

Thank you Ashmanra for this sample tea!

I found this in the sample bin…having lost it’s way…poor dear! I have reviewed this tea before but it was 7 months ago…a tea lifetime!

I have changed (haven’t we all!). Talking to myself (nobody else is here so that’s not a stretch), I was thinking about how we are so plugged in to flavor. We live in a world that over salts and over sugars with artifical flavor enhancers in almost everything we eat and drink…yet we tea drinkers are inspecting our favorite tea beverages for every little nuance of aroma and taste. We seek the best.

I got on a cooking kick today. It was all about spices in my house.
There was a recipe for Vadouvan Indian Spice Blend (onions, garlic and shallots sauteed in spices and baked until dry). http://flic.kr/p/dG1Kvy
Then I made gingerbread with ginger chai in it, layered with toffee in the middle. (I made toffee for Christmas and had small pieces left over in the freezer steeped with Laoshan Black Tea).

My house smelled really good!

While the oven was doing it’s job (I had chopped the onions etc. by hand and ground all the spices with mortar and pestal), I made a pot of this Pu-erh!

Yikes! I had forgotten that this is like having a good cup of coffee in the old days before I discovered tea!

Dark, rich and bready…no bitterness. Smooth.

My mood was not about making notes about how many steepings I could get out of this pu-erh…hah…I wanted to drink mugs full of tea…lots of it with cream and sugar! That’s what I did! Gulps of tea sweet and caramel, creamy…good!

What’s better than this?!

A good cuppa PU, Spicy Smells filling up my house and gingerbread baking in the oven!

Yum! www.janespice.com/recipes/vadouvan-indian-spice-blend

Thank you ‘mystery person’ for this Tuo Cha!

This was the first Tuo Cha that I disasembled completely with my
Pu-erh knife. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Tough critter!
I was trying to be careful to lift off leaf sections so that I’d end up with chunks of Pu’erh instead of dust.

It took about 15 minutes but I finally worked the knife and now have 100 grams of Pu-erh in a tight canister. Phew! (I’m glad I watched a video first about how to break apart Pu-erh)

I rewarded myself with cups and cups of tea.

Because this tea was in hard chunks, I rinsed it twice…then steeped 30 seconds…poking the hard mass with my Pu-erh knife.

My usual method (the way of a lazy woman) is to use a small purple clay Gaiwan that I use only for Pu-erh, a small strainer and a white mug. That’s all.
Steep-Pour and Strain into my mug the tea goes.
Some mornings, I might put several steepings in the mug all together and fill it up. (Not the first time I taste the tea though)

The liquor this time was very dark and sweet smelling like cookies or cake. Even the leaves smelled like baked goods.

When I read the directions on this Pu-erh earlier, it said 1-2 minutes for each steep…I choked…ha ha no way! Not the way I drink it! It’s strong enough at 30 seconds! I used about 4 grams leaf for 4 oz water.

The flavor like the aroma was like sugar cookies. Not the sort with pronounced vanilla, but sweet and smooth without any typical Pu-erh cedar or earthy flavor at all.

Every pour was sweet and delicious, juicy and full bodied.

This is a good Pu-erh! Thank you to my ‘friend’!

I don’t drink many White Tea’s. The few I have are very special.
They seem mystical with an energy that is healing and complex.

I used a Gaiwan to brew this tea. My timing was 20 seconds for the first three steeps then I added 5 seconds for additional steeps.(If you go too long the tea gets bitter )

The liquor began as light pastel yellow gradually becoming deeper gold with each pour.
The scent of the wet leaves was savory becoming milder, and finally having a light vegital aroma.

Artichoke was the first flavor I tasted, savory and delicate like the memory of something eaten earlier in the day that was delightful.
Hidden behind the artichoke flavor was the taste of lilac with a peppery bite.
My mouth was full of an energy that I sometimes feel with a very good tea.

The second pour was less savory and more floral with a cool Pine vapor to it. This type of Pine I associate with wild herbs and sand at my feet, Pacific Coast Fog oozing in through the scruff on a hot Summer day, spritzing and fluffing the wilted branches back to life.

By the third steep, the artichoke and lilac flavors were back… dancing around each other with flirtatious abandon. One was brisk, the other creamy. So very good together that I drank them down with an “ah that was good”!
The pictures in my mind that went with the tea and mental imaginings as I savored the flavor :

My grandmothers house…

The story part is on the blog www.teaandincense.com

When I first tasted this tea it was called Laoshan Green.

This savory Green Tea changed my mind about Green Tea’s because I used to think Green Tea was a bit boring. (Some of you shudder)

I had never tasted a tea as savory or smelled wet leaves that had the aroma of roast chicken before this Laoshan Green Tea!

Today I was running around town…going to the bank, the pharmacy, the grocery… before New Years and more snow flurries.

At 3:30 pm, I had gone through my whole day without any TEA!
I stopped in at my tea shop to drop off some Pu-erh samples to a new shop employee, and found that the ‘guys’ were sampling 4 Oolongs and 4 Black Tea’s from Nepal.
They set all 8 bowls and leaves in front of me to sample. (I love the sweet Darjeeling-like flavors from Nepal) A few will end up on the Tea Wall for sale. (I should have taken a picture, it looked like I was on a tea binge at a BAR!)

When I returned home, cold (25 degrees) and hungry I made some Summer Laoshan Green Tea. (I had enough Black Tea to drown Nepal!)

This was such a savory tea…really a meal in a cup.
I get very creative thinking of how I can transform recipes using this tea. I can’t help myself! I’ve melted butter in some tea and drizzled it over squash. I’ve steeped it in cream. I’ve added a few drops of sesame oil and poured it over chicken.
Drinking the tea always comes first for inspiration of course. Then I cook something with it!

I know this is a revisit of a tea, something that I’ve reviewed before…but in the middle of a cold Winter night…a luscious green Summer Tea that’s savory like broth hits the spot!

Thank you Roughage for this wonderful tea sample!

I haven’t written in a few days with all the excitement of Christmas.
I must write about it, I am after all a grandmother and it’s in my grandmother disposition to do so.

Christmas Eve:
The Weather Man predicted SNOW! I had finished the last of giftwrapping (some small Skylander Giants for 3 small grandsons), then stopped by the grocery to get sausage for gumbo.
I was already dressed in Black Christmas Velvet, pretty Snow Boots and a Handmade Red Sweater from Sweden with Black Fur Collar.
Granddaughter Schey called to meet for tea before Happy Lucky’s Closed. When I arrived, the Servers were drinking an Oolong that I had gifted them and they treated Schey and I to a pot of tea.

Church was early (4pm).
After the service, we sang Carols…and various members of the choir sang solo’s. A man from Georgia (former U.S.S.R.), someone from Germany. (We sing in English, sometimes Greek, but the tunes of the Church are ancient Byzantine and beautiful)

Driving home, the snow began and continued all night. A rare White Christmas even for this part of the Country. I loved it…exciting even at my age to feel like a child with snow on Christmas!

Christmas: http://flic.kr/p/dEPKHb
I got up at 6AM to make Gumbo…rushing off as soon as I was done to my daughter’s home so that the 8 grandkids could open presents.
Half the kids had the flu! Grandma (ME)…had her flu shot this year!!!

We had a great time, opening gifts and Skyping with my son in San Francisco. I got a Kindle Fire HD so that I can keep up with my Tea Peeps anywhere I go!!! Nice gift!!!

We ate ribs, made lots of noise and bonded the way families should.

One other thing happened this Christmas…something that I have no words to express!

A Steepster sent me a Yixing Teapot (My First One Ever!), another sent me some Stamps so that I could send out samples to people, and I received tea samples, and Scot’s Shortbread and tea samples all the way from England!

If this isn’t enough to make a grown grandma cry…well..I’d have to be the grinch!

I could not believe it! Shock, real shock! The loving care of people who I’ve never met in person…who have no idea what I’m going through right now…and are so nice!

I feel like I got propelled into a movie with Jimmy Stewart…“It’s a Wonderful Life, Bonnie Johnstone!”

You know how thankful I am for all of you who over the past year have slipped me some tea as a surprise. Sometimes I don’t mention much because maybe you can’t do that all the time for everyone.
I know I can’t either.
Much of the tea I have is only a tablespoon of this and that.

A BIG THANK YOU

Reviewing This Tea:
I decided to begin with this new Christmas Gift Tea from Roughage…
and right off, I have to admit my experience with Darjeelings is still pretty limited.
When I read Darjeeling reviews it seems that there are references to muscat, muscat, muscat. I’ve had California muscat desert wines which were very good from Sonoma and Murphy’s.
In season I love eating the pale pink small grapes which are fragile, sticky with natural sugars and super sweet. Delicious and warm in the mouth (like apricots)!
When I started sipping this tea, I forgot all about the muscat references to Darjeelings. I had just eaten a Scots Shortbread cookie…buttery and sweet. (Very rich too)

The tea was clean but not astringent, and reminded me of an Earl Grey without the Bergamot.
The fragrance has a slight musky fruitiness like an empty dry wine barrel with floral which I think is the way I’d like men to smell. (Roughage has just fallen off his chair laughing)
I didn’t find anything acidic about the tea. It’s sweet enough, no nonsense and perfect for concentration. You can begin the day or a meeting with a tea like this one.

Very good Mr. R !

Thank you mrmopar for this fantastic Pu-erh Sample!

I really should read up on Puerh’s before I go off brewing up on my own. Somehow, a purist will probably be horrified at my methods here.

I was enjoying myself, having a great time with this Puerh!

I have a lovely little seasoned purple clay Gaiwan that I use for Puerh. A pick, strainer and cup is all I need for a good session.

Usually I use less leaf than other people because fibromyalgia has made me very sensitive to taste. I make quantity adjustments because of that and use 3 grams of Puerh when others use 5 grams with the same taste results.

Today, I wanted to try a larger amount of leaves. I used 5 grams, which is a huge quantity for me, then did 2 quick washes.
(I poked the hard nugget of Puerh during the first 30 second steeping to break it up a bit.)
The liquor was dark golden brown with a hint of red throughout.

Steepings 30 seconds unless noted otherwise.

1. First steepings are usually not my favorite. They can knock you down with a fuzzy cedar or redwood taste and texture that’s very strong and sometimes bitter.
But this Puerh…HA!
This tea was extremely Smooth, Juicy and Semi-Sweet, with a light cocoa, sugar date flavor! I was pleasantly surprised!

2. The second steep flavor was like Bittersweet Chocolate or a light Pinot Noir. There was no grit or earthy flavor, but a thick mouth feel that made me think of sipping chocolate.
I added a few grains of sugar and the caramel flavor came up with a richness that I had suspected was hiding deep in the thick, smooth tea.

3. As an experiment, I tried a quick immediate steep.
The color was dark, the flavor…a bit dryer and spicy on my tongue like cinnamon and clove. The creaminess wasn’t as strong and the richness was lighter.
There was more of a wood cedar taste than when I steeped the leaves longer. I liked the longer steeping better.

4. Returning to the longer steeps, this time at 40 seconds, the Puerh was spicier.
Cinnamon, clove and allspice. A bright Paso Robles Zinfandel with Sunshine and Ripeness in the bones of the flavor.
This tea was beginning to remind me of…a Chai base, or Sangria.

It’s the Holidays…and I remembered that the person who sent this Puerh to me…who has become a true friend…has at his side the love of his life. She is fond of Chai.

So, I did what anyone other than me would NEVER do with a great Puerh! I made some Puerh Chai in honor of her, hoping that this is something that he’ll try. Here goes…

I made 2 steepings of Puerh, added half and half, then a little sugar and a little honey (I don’t like too much honey because it can overpower the taste of the tea). Stirred it up…and YUM!

Caramel, smooth, spicy, creamy…(Hey mrmopar, you have 5 cakes of this Puerh, so tell me if you make this for your sweetheart!)

This Puerh is great stuff! Probably the smoothest I’ve ever had and the closest to the experience of drinking wine.

Thanks again mrmopar my friend!

Thank you Invader Zim for sharing some of this with me!

I have trouble tasting special tea’s alone. If at all possible, I prefer tasting with other people who appreciate tea as much as I do. I’ll usually taste the tea first, then take the rest for a comparison tasting with other people. It’s fun!

I took some of this sample to share with Joe, Eric, Sam and George while the tea shop was quiet. It had snowed and business slowed down for a few hours. This was perfect timing.

Eric set up a Gaiwan and some small tasting cups, washed the leaves and began pourings. We accomplished 6 steepings with great success.

What amazed me first was the scent of the wet leaves. The aroma almost knocked me off the high bar stool I was sitting on!
Man-o-man this was some strong but delicious scented tea!

Floral, a little savory, orchid, honey. It had little scent droplets with wings that fly way up into your sinus’s and explode like pop rocks! Honest!

I told the tea guys that if I pass out, put the wet leaves under my nose. I’ll revive!

The flavor of the tea was milder than the aroma. Hallelujah!
It had a sweet, juicy floral bouquet with a slight roasted finish. (You can see the light roasting on the edges of the leaves)

There’s orchid…and honeysuckle fading in and out…changing, elusive.
Every steeping was like scarves being pulled off a belly dancer one by one as she weaves and turns mystically around and around dancing to the music… with her eyes enticing you to follow her, hands and feet moving with grace.

An exotic floral taste, one that doesn’t give up after two or three steepings.

Everyone was impressed. Quality tea.

I have some more tea left to drink alone.
Really good tea is something I like to taste several times and savor.

Thank you Invador Zim!

I just wrote a story on my blog called Christmas Eve Call. It’s about a call I got from the Police Department one Christmas Eve.
My children were small and a waitress where I had breakfast had remembered my name when she was attacked in her home…
THERE IS MORE www.teaandincense.com

The last of my shopping is done! I found the ‘Mister Potato Head’ and the ‘Stuffed Puffy Gorilla’ for the two little bitty 2 year old grandsons. (Don’t worry, the potato head is for preschoolers!)

It’s interesting to have 2 year old boys with completely different needs. One (Hayden) is zooming ahead in his development and one (Owen) is slower.
Owen has Williams Syndrome. He likes soft and cuddly textures so the 3 foot tall gorilla will make him really happy!

Earlier today I took 8 year old Micah and 10 year old Donovan out for tea. We always have fun together! They met all my favorite servers at Happy Luckys, and ate scones. http://flic.kr/p/dDij7X

At one point, I held up my cup…and the boys held up theirs also.
I said, “Let’s make a toast. What would you like to toast Micah?”
“PIZZA!”,he said without any hesitation.
I couldn’t stop laughing! Of course he would like to toast pizza. He had no idea what a toast was! (I’m such a dorky Grandma)

We walked around town looking in all the store windows. The rock store, the dog cookie store, the Christmas decor store. Fun!

I dropped the boys off…came home and sortly began nodding off on the couch.
You know what I’m talking about. You turn on CNN and snooze!
It was pitiful!

I woke up amused at being an old lady napping on the couch, and decided to make a pot of tea.

There’s a plastic shoebox of Butiki Tea’s in my Cupboard. I pulled the box down, and remembered that I had some Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips in the freezer. What could I do with them?

Some tea companies mix mini chocolate chips into their tea blends so why couldn’t I mix in some of my own with Almond Indulgence Tea?

This idea sounded good to me and worth trying. It’s Christmas after all and Stacy wouldn’t mind!

I got the ingredients ready and popped some chocolate morsels into the basket with the tea to steep.

While waiting, I thought about what a wonderful person Stacy at Butiki Tea’s is. I can count on one hand the vendors that are really special, going beyond people I buy tea from, becoming people I care about.
Now and then, getting an email from Stacy asking how I’m feeling is something I never expected from the owner of a tea company. Stacy was one of the people long ago who welcomed me (and many of you) into the world of tea.

Thanks Stacy!

The tea was ready!

The taste was yummy (of course it was!) but not as chocolaty as I wanted so I plopped in some more chocolate chips, a little milk and stirred the whole thing together.
Yep, even Santa would be proud to drink this with his cookies on Christmas Eve! Creamy, almondy and chocolaty.

Oh boy! I’m awake now!

http://flic.kr/p/dDijjk OK…this is Preston, another server at Happy Luckys, single…24 and really nice! Merry Christmas I-Bloom and friends!

This was a nice little sample that came with the chocolate sampler last month. Thank you!

Many of us are looking out the windows at SNOW today. I’m loving it!

Snow arrived a few days ago in the Rocky’s and the next is coming Christmas Eve. It’s half way melted already leaving just enough to look pretty.

Granddaughter Schey came over last night and we went to the monthly Downtown Free ‘Food Walk’.
We were bundled up in boots and warm coats http://flic.kr/p/dD4h7t, walking first into the ‘Welsh Rabbit’ for Cheese Tasting (naturally smoked Wisconson Gouda and English Chedder). http://flic.kr/p/dD9EoU
When we left the cheese shop there was a man with a tray of hot cinnamon waffles from ‘The Waffle Lab’ on the street corner handing out free big waffle sections. http://flic.kr/p/dD9Eef YUM! Hot cinnamon waffles while walking down the street!
We wound up at the end of our ‘Food Walk’ at ‘Happy Lucky’s Tea House’ where Joe was giving samples of flavored, pressed grape oil paired with tea. (my favorite was Russian Caravan Tea paired with Habanaro Chili Oil).

Schey and I finally sat at the bar and ordered a pot of holiday tea and a cookie to share…(which Sam paid for before leaving for the day. His ’on-the-house gift to us).

Today, I’m picking up grandsons Micah and Donovan for a trip back to the tea shop for TEA WITH GRANDMA! A wonderful thing to do right before Christmas! The boys love going out for tea!

To get in the mood, I decided to drink this flavored tea. (I know, a shock!) I don’t dislike flavored tea’s, I’ve gotten more selective I guess.
I appreciate that Della Terra has samplers where you can try lots of different tea’s at a reasonable price. There were some of the chocolate sampler tea’s (like the Chocolate Puerh) that I was pretty fond of.

The Raspberry Truffle was full of flavor. Chocolate, raspberry…all very rich and strong. You know what the tea is all about. FLAVOR!

When you read the ingredients on the package, it says chocolate flavoring and raspberry flavoring. You can taste them.
Some of the other Della Terra tea’s use natural ingredients for flavor and I like that more.
To tame the sourness of the artificial flavoring, I added half and half which helped a great deal. Then I sweetened my tea.

I don’t think this will disappoint anyone who wants a dessert tea. The flavor is exactly what is in the name. You can’t taste any tea but you taste lots of flavoring.

This is the first of the Chocolate tea series that I can REALLY taste the chocolate…very strongly. The play of both flavors (chocolate and raspberry) works.

Not a thumbs down or a thumbs up cuppa tea.

Thank you mrmopar for this puerh sample tuo cha!

The Tea
This morning, I popped this mini into my purple clay gaiwan, that’s only used for puerh. It was a new tuo cha and I enjoy drinking these when I’ve got a busy day ahead.

As always, I did a rinse, then because the tuo cha was pretty hard I did another quick rinse. I poked the lump of hard leaves a bit after pouring on more boiling water and waited a little more than 30 seconds. (I like to help the steeping along in the beginning)

The wet leaves smelled more like an old book store or library than most. Leather, a little musty and a bit of dirt. Good smells though.

When I sipped my first taste of the dark red brown brew, the liquor was dense like a paint stain, but light and smooth with some faint sweetness.
I expected a cedar flavor which wasn’t present in the tea. No woodsy or earthy flavor, just a mellow…even light American coffee smoothness. Unexpected but nice.

I filled my cup again and again, still holding the same flavor each time without change. A good little tuo cha…thanks mrmopar!

Soapbox
I went to Steepster to begin writing a review about this tea.
When I pulled up the review from the previous evening, something bad had happened.

My review had a comment from someone I didn’t know. He said I was a liar here on Steepster, and that I had an agenda which was to promote only certain tea companies.
It also said that I hide behind my glasses, that I don’t tell the truth about anything. It even misquoted my blog story about the Children’s Shelter Christmas, and said that I beat my children. He said he would like to press charges against me. (The kids were beaten by their parents, not by me!) There was much more!

I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

Several Steepster people saw what was happening, as the attack suddenly went live… and came to my defense, Bless them.

At first I was shocked. Then, I realized that the person had to have planned this for some time. They knew things about me.
A troll or someone with an agenda was out to slam me. But Why?
I chose not to engage with any anger.

So sad for them really. What sadness to carry that kind of poison inside towards others.

You who have known me for the past year have seen me go from Celestial Seasonings Tea, to Davids Tea’s and Kally, Butiki,
Steap Shoppe, Teavivre, Whispering Pines and Verdant to name some of the more common ones. (I’ve left out lots of puer from different sources).

Like you, I drink the tea I like. That’s it.

Some of you love Davids Tea or 52 tea’s or Harney & Son’s. You love what you love. I applaud you for that freedom to choose and I enjoy your reviews. Sometimes, I get to try those favorites of yours in a tea swap!

The comments of the troll disappeared off my reviews. POOF, GONE!
So, I removed my comments also. Why confuse people I thought.

I think this issue isn’t done with. It will probably return.

Other people are going to get slammed or insulted by these trolls now and then so here is what you need to know.

They are not who we are.

We are a kind community and one that is free.

We write our own reviews based on our own opinions and I for one am not for sale, and I can’t be intimidated. I am not afraid of drinking tea and writing honestly what I think. I choose the companies that I buy my tea from.

mrmopar, Indigobloom (who saw what happened) and JC who saw too,
and all the most kind people I’ve ever encountered…and I’m not going to run for the hills in fear.

(Stepping off my soapbox now..) Kumbaya! (Well I do have a sense of humor too!)

With 4 inches of ‘New Snow’, I hunkered down yesterday, enjoying TV, and drinking a mini tuo cha and some Lapsang. I didn’t write a review, I just watched the snow. http://youtu.be/25mLJSC1oUQ Ray Charles ‘Winter Wonderland’

Today, my Winter Wonderland was safer to venture out into. Roads and sidewalks had been cleared, the sun was out and shining. It was cold, but at 3:00 PM it was 40 degrees.
Off I went with a Christmas Card for my favorite tea professionals at Happy Lucky’s Tea House.
Burr! It was beautiful but cold in the shadows, with the wind blowing frigid air off the pockets of icy snow. I had forgotten to walk on the sunny side of the street to keep warm!

Eric, Sam, Andy and Diane were working at Happy Lucky’s today and Owner George had a chat with me too. I often bring a sample of some tea to share, and today was no exception.
Eric set up a Gaiwan and cups for everyone, we had several steepings of my tea and discussed the flavor and sometime later, I ordered tea.

I was having a hard time deciding what to drink. After a fragrant and floral tasting, what would I drink? It should be something completely different!

At the end of the tea bar, was a large pot of hot Chai in a dispenser that keeps it hot and has an automatic blending arm that goes around and around, keeping the milk moving. A small sign invites customers to try a sample of Chai, or you can pick a mug and have a full cup.

Most of the Chai’s have ingredients that I’m allergic to. Rooibos is the one that’s the worse for me.
I wasn’t aware that there was a Black Chai on the tea menu that was Rooibos free!
Today, for some reason, I asked Eric if there was a Chai without ingredients that I’m allergic to. He said yes, India 500 Mile Chai!
Great news! I love Chai in the Winter!

Then he asked how I wanted my Chai prepared?
“Indian Style, traditional with whole milk, and honey,” I said.

He went to the espresso machine and ‘steam scalded’ my milk without frothing it, steeped the black Chai (which had no black pepper in it) then added a moderate amount of local honey.

Eric said, “Real Indian Chai should be made with scalded milk so always ask for it to be made this way.”

I took a sip and noticed how mellow the Chai was. Not too spicy and not bland either. Just a nice medium Chai, round and balanced.

Some of my own stock of Chai’s at home knock your socks off with cinnamon, cardamon, clove or chocolate and orange. I like the spicy Chai’s…but sometimes, I want a Chai like this one. I want to taste the milk and honey without having the spices nip at my my tongue.

I’ll have this again and again when I stop at my favorite tea house.

The rest of the Chai was poured into a large cup to go (I had already had a chocolate matcha latte…it’s a long story, but caffeine helps migraines for people like me who are temperature sensitive) and off I went.

I set my tea-to-go cup on the roof of my car, went to the end of the block with my camera, and took a few pictures of Old Town at night. http://flic.kr/p/dCU6ry

What a great way to spend time on a cold evening!

PS…you will see notes below from someone who does not know me
and began ranting…a troll that I’m going to ignore. He posted the
same information on another review of mine. Poor guy. I just feel sorry for him. OK he removed his comments so I’ll remove mine.

http://youtu.be/_NLCbqP6HjE Oh Yes,, Let it snow!!!!

I’m so excited, like a little kid! It’s finally snowing! Big huge flakes of snow (not snowkles!). 3-6 inches tonight (which will melt by Thursday or Friday) and then…the Weather Lady said the next snow is expected CHRISTMAS EVE! It’s my childhood Christmas dream!

You have to understand. Growing up in Northern California and watching all the programs about Santa and Christmas with snow.
I probably asked (begged) God a time or two for a miracle. Oh He heard me alright, but waited for me to need snow. Waited for me to be a child in an old woman’s body. Now, I appreciate the wonder of it all even more because I’ve waited so long!

I plugged in my Christmas Tree and opened the curtains so that everyone driving home in the snow could see my lights as they come down Elizabeth Street.
Then I plugged in the little tree on my tea table (it has an antique mirror behind it) and opened the side curtains in the dining room for people driving into Saddle Ridge to see.

Festivity, lights, sparkle and delight! Snow!

Next, I made a big pot of Ginger Sage Winter Sage Spa Blend Tea with 1 tsp. Laoshan Black added, and a few chunks of 04 Yanxin Reserve Shu Nuggets.(I find that this is a perfect combo…somewhat like the Imperial Summer Breakfast Blend but more savory, spicy).

The Laoshan Black, Puer and Herbal Blend together is so rich, full and robust. (You can add Honey or Milk without weakening the tea.)

Your mood will be elevated, it will make you feel warm all over and relaxed. It’s so delicious…one of my favorites for Winter!

If you’ve looked at the ingredients and thought…“Well, not now,” or if you drank some without adding Honey or Black Tea to it or a little Puer nugget…give it a try. (Plain isn’t nearly as tasty in my opinion, as it is with Honey!)

Happy Snow!

Backlog Sunday 12-16-2012

Yesterday, there was a scheduled celebration at St. Spyridon’s in Loveland for the feast day of our parish. Metropolitan Isaiah (Bishop of Denver which also covers 12 States) was coming…
and then…

Sandyhill…and the killings!

I woke up early. Granddaughter Schey wanted to go to church with me and spent the night on the couch.

I quietly went to the kitchen and made a large pot of Laoshan Black Tea. This was serious tea for a serious time. The Best! A tea that’s good for contemplation and caffeine (both needed today)!
With a large pot and 2 glass mugs on my tray I set the tray on the coffee table bench and whispered Schey… to wake her up.

The tea was a perfect start to our day. (The only thing we would have for the next 6 hours)
Cocoa chocolate, potato….the best rich full bodied tea ever.
We were focused and this tea is focused too. I’ve loved Laoshan Black for so long that it was comforting to drink before going forward with my day.

When we walked into St. Spyridons, the first thing I saw was an Icon of Jesus with many children, a candle and note…
‘In Memory of those Killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School’.

It is comforting to smell incense, to have candles and flowers, hushed tones and chanting at such times.

It struck me that here in Colorado, the Bishop has had to comfort people since the Columbine massacre, and the Aurora shootings and now…to speak about Sandy Hook. His sermon was not just a bunch or empty words.

At the end of the Liturgy, there was a ‘Service for the Departed’ for those at Sandy Hook. This is the beginning of a ‘40 Day Memorial’ in our tradition. A vigil of remembrance.

All over the United States, others were remembering and thinking about what happened in many different ways. This is what my community does and has done.

Watching the President name the names of the Children and Educators made us as a Nation weep. Blessed are those who mourn…

I had a conversation with my 11 year old grandson about what happened…he’s the one who was directing the conversation.
We talked about how to be sure you’re safe and not be afraid.

I told him (without going into detail) about being jumped by a stranger and having that stranger try to kill me. I was afraid!
I stayed afraid until I began to believe that I have so many
days given to me.
Nobody can take them from me or add to them except me!(By that I mean that if I smoke or do things harmful to my body, I can shorten my life).

He seemed to be thinking it all over and thinking about how many good people there were at the Sandy Hook school…helpers…too. The helpers are hero’s!

I’ve rambled…but I had things I wanted to say. I wanted to share what the experience in my corner of Colorado has been.

http://flic.kr/p/dBLy6z (service for the departed)

Backlog:

Friday: After the horrible news hit CNN, I had places to go like most people. First the Post Office and then other errands around town before stopping off to watch my grandson Ian in his school play. He had landed the starring roll in ‘A Christmas Carol’. Ian was Scrooge!

At Happy Lucky’s I ordered something ‘children would like’, a tea that a mom or dad or grandma would share with a 6 or 7 year old.
(I was thinking about the little ones killed in the Connecticut shooting, and contemplating that event.)

Peppermint Pat-Tea was my tea choice. It has mint and cocoa hulls with chamomile which makes a tea that is very yummy. However, tea server JOE told me that when you add another half measure of cocoa hulls and let the tea steep longer (7-9 minutes) it’s ‘super’ chocolaty.

I had server JOE fix me a pot of his ‘special blend’ and then I had some blended to take home for sharing with my grandchildren over the Holidays.
I like to sweeten and add a little milk to this cocoa minty tea. It’s almost like cool-mint hot chocolate! Creamy, warming without the need for artificial flavors to give a ‘Welcome to Winter’ taste that I look for when my mood needs a pick-up.
It’s hard to believe that this is an herbal blend! The cocoa hulls have a little kick…but otherwise you are warm and relaxed by the chamomile.

I left the shop with my tea for home, just as the sun set and the thousands of white lights in the trees downtown turned on. It was COLD! A few more stops and I was still too early for the play.
I stopped again, this time at ‘cough…’ Starbucks…and locked my keys in the car for the first time in my life.

UGH!

(Shortening the story) Daughter picked me up, saw play (Ian was great), called Insurance which sent towing to open my door…no charge, went home.

When I FINALLY got home, I didn’t want to be on my computer. I watched the news and drank more tea. I prayed and went to bed.

At my age, I’ve had news of many tragedies. A President, his brother and Dr. King killed by gunmen, Wars and more Wars from Korea and Vietnam on. Killings from Jim Jones, the Manson Murders to Columbine and Aurora now this latest horror. I thought of all those we don’t hear about. Children in Syria being killed…the children who are starving in many parts of the world, the missing children here in the U.S.

I’ve thought about this. Sadness, depression and Sadness again.

Long ago, I decided that the evil in the World is not going to steal my joy!
If you’ve ever had a pet dog, you know how they’re in the moment. They hug, jump…wanting attention and love. They give so much affection. In a way, (without the licking and jumping…ha) we need to be like that. In the ‘now’…hugging, oblivious to everything else but the joy of life and love.

Modeling this kind of love can change the people around us.

Ah…

I’m here again with my dear friends.

I love you guys!

It’s difficult to come behind Paul and his Pulitzer Prize winning review… such a lovely write-up of this fine tea, but I’ll do a little follow-up.

Paul was so right…the leaves are beautiful.

Sometimes, I look at the leaves and marvel. Long and twisted, blackish/brown with a light smoky scent. I mean it, light smoke.

I love Lapsang. I’ve sent out so much China Lapsang Souchong from my local tea shop (Happy Lucky’s) that many of you have tasted it and know what I’m talking about. It’s been all over the United States, Canada and the U.K. (I even sent some to..gulp…David Duckler!)
I have some nerve don’t I!

My favorite Lapsang has been my favorite because it’s smoky and sweet. I use Lapsang Souchong mainly to COOK with! (David Duckler used what I sent him for a fish rub which is something that I do ground together with Urfa Chili, Peppercorns and Sea Salt)

Master Bi’s Lapsang is NOT for cooking (unless I win the lottery and go to China and buy up all of Master Bi’s stock)! This tea is for DRINKING!

When I was drinking the tea, the flavor wasn’t harsh or flat, but smooth…velvety smooth with a gentle sweetness that’s in a different league than any Lapsang I’ve had… ever.

The Smokiness is like the aftertaste of great bacon or bbq…not the firepit smoke in your face. No smoke knocks you down!

Here’s the part that got my ‘eyes wide open’…I could still taste the ‘tea’ under the smoke. Yes, a raisin, floral, bakery goodness that was present, wafting around in the aroma and taste.
Such complexity is not there in Lapsangs most of the time (IF EVER)!

Oh David Duckler, if you can get this as an item for regular ordering…it’s the BEST LAPSANG I’ve ever tasted!

(As an experiment for those who love Lapsang’s, I added some milk and the flavor wasn’t diminished at all. Still spectacular!)

Update
Further steepings are amazing!!! The roasty oolong flavor with a slight smokiness is the best of the best taste! This is not like anything you can imagine when you think of a Lapsang. Please, don’t just stop at the first steep!

I just wrote a story on my blog if anyone is interested: www.teaandincense.com

Here’s an excerpt:
Our first Christmas…living in the forest community of Paradise…we went on an adventure to cut down a tree together. We bundled up nice and warm and piled into my car.
Christmas carols were blasting from my tape deck and I had a big thermos of hot cider to share. The tree farm was decked out with lights and decorations… welcoming the 6 of us to cut down any tree for $10. (they had Christmas music playing too and a fire pit for warming hands and eating free cookies)

We took our time… going from tree to tree. Which one would it be? Too tall? Too short, too bare or too fat?! Our tree had to be perfect! We all had to agree! For these girls, Christmas wasn’t always a happy time. Someone was often drunk or high or missing at home (if there was a home at all). Some were beaten at holidays.

Finally, the nod was given and we drank some cider to seal the deal. The tree was tied to the top of the car and off we went to decorate our tree!

When we got home, someone had come by with a note that they wanted to give us a tree. I had to make a quick call of thanks and head them off. How nice of them though!

The next day, when I returned from work…the girls were all excited!

“Mom, look what’s in the kitchen…come and see…!”

12-12-12 Whoopie! My youngest turned 40 today! Good Grief!

None of you have gotten to that place in your own lives, (you’re still young) but let me tell you…it’s odd, sitting in a French Restaurant, having a Birthday lunch of Crepes Breton with a woman you gave birth to long ago who’s 40 years old! Yikes! Kinda Strange!

So, I’m supposed to say all kinds of wonderful things about that, and about her. (I do that all the time, say wonderful things I mean here on Steepster!) It’s true.! 8 kids, she’s written 2 books that have been published, bakes bread…blah blah blah. Good stuff!

What I want to say is, that when I write about my great and caring daughter (and my son Aaron too), I’m the one who’s been on the receiving end of a miracle. They aren’t great people because of me.

I wasn’t always the best mother.

Sure I fed, clothed, housed my children and loved them…but I had a lack of self esteem and depression. I was a single mom and dated some guys that I should have stayed clear of. I was an emotionally needy, confused young mom. Not the person you think of here on Steepster.

I never did drugs, alcohol or beat my children, but sometimes they parented me, sad to say.

Do they blame me now? No.

My daughter has always said, “Mom…your mother had low self esteem so you caught it from her.”
Always, compassion. Always, an open heart. Annalisa- 12-12-12.

The Tea
I received this tea packet from David Duckler around my Birthday last May and saved it for a special occasion. He said this is the favorite tea of Wei Wei!

I prepared the tea in my Gaiwan.
Rinsed the emerald green Tie Guan Yin leaves quickly two times.

The perfume from the wet leaves was one of those rare experiences.
Powdery, sweet, very floral…carnation and orchid with honeysuckle
but not funeral flowers…not nauseating floral overload.

This was the best floral scent in the World! Love and life smells like this! It was breathtaking! If you were walking on the outskirts of heaven barefoot, the scent that would rise up would be this scent…I’m certain.

I took a sip of tea and the aroma was so wrapped up in the flavor that they were the same. Floral, incense, sweet and smooth with a little buttery mouth-feel.

No astringency, no dryness. No acidity or vegital flavor.
Pure ‘Garden of the Gods’!

Incredible Tea! Hot, warm, cold…the same. Gorgeous.

Oh Mr. Duckler…if you could get more of this tea for Verdant?!

Thank you David for this tea which has made this 40th Birthday celebration of my daughter Annalisa even more memorable.

Here’s a picture I took on the way home today of some Snow Geese on the frozen part of a small lake in Central Park. THOUSANDS come through here every year!!!
http://flic.kr/p/dAyPdB

This morning, I was drinking Verdant’s Earl of Anxi Tea…The one that has Frankincense in it.
As I was drinking my tea, tasting the tea leaves…sweet and juicy, smooth with a light citrus from the goji berry and orange…then the floral jasmine and oolong.
In the next moment I was transported by the frankincense…the exotic and spiritual. I am used to the scent of incense in Church. To drink in the scent is different though. Something like the difference between hearing about prayer and praying. The scent and the taste are different but the same, only the experience of drinking the incense is intense. Holy somehow.

I sat sipping my tea with the evocative ancient, fragrant taste. I was thinking about my son and how much I love him and how glad I am that he cares for others, especially the poor. For me, as his mother, this truly is a blessing. This morning the tea and the memories were an offering, a prayer of thanksgiving.

---

I wrote a story on my blog about my son Aaron and Christmas
called Uncle Aarons Santa Sack. It’s a nice story. I’ll begin it here:

I’ve written stories about my grandchildren and my daughter because I see them more often and they live close to me here in Colorado.
However, I haven’t written much about my firstborn…my son Aaron.

Aaron and I are alike in many ways. Creative, artistic, stubborn, smart and funny. We’re both tall, and have the same small eyes and Highland Scot’s nose (not small). Boggle is our game (or any word game), and old movies!
Aaron is smarter than I am though. He has ADD ADHD and life has been very challenging for him. He has been brave, never giving up and is successfully running his own small business.

One Christmas, when all of us were still living in Northern California, Uncle Aaron arrived on Christmas Day at sister Annalisa’s cabin home which was in the Redwood’s. I was already there, along with my brother Steve, his wife Kathy and my Nieces.

It was a big crowd! My daughters cabin was small and we had at least 20 people jammed inside for dinner.

Before opening presents, we ate!

First, big platters of ribs were passed around! Anna’s homemade french bread, potato salad and greens, all sorts of side dishes…and more ribs. There were those children who always put olives on all their finger tips. Everyone was noisy, laughing and happy.

Rolls of paper towels were passed around for cleaning BBQ sauce from faces and fingers. Groans and smiles at dessert cakes and pies.

The living and dining room had been converted into a combined eating area with several long tables. When dinner was finished, the chairs were removed and formed into a circle to view the children (who were seated on the carpet) opening gifts and for settling with coffee, tea and beer. (The children had already opened family gifts in the morning, so this was an opening of gifts from grandma and went quickly!)

When the children were done with the gifts and were about ready to go off and play…Uncle Aaron got up from his spot on the couch, put toddler Micah down and said, “Not so fast!”

“What do you mean?” his sister asked.

“We’re not done with the gifts yet, I have something else to do. Wait right here!” he said.

www.teaandincense.com

There’s a picture there with the sack too.