Bonnie

Like most of the rest of you, I was up late last evening watching CNN and the election results. No matter what you feel about the election results, I have to comment on something I saw on CNN.

Right on the CNN big board where all the names of the famous places in the World are listed, all the Cities like London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Rome, Quito, Toronto was a word I love, FRONTRANGE! WooHoo! The word Frontrange (where I live) Colorado made the big board on CNN! (I just had to get that out!)

You may have noticed some other news about Colorado too. That’s going to be the source of some puns. I’ve already listed John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High on my Facebook and commented on ‘High Tea’. After all, I’m a child of the 60’s and I couldn’t resist the jokes!

Today I scooted off to Happy Lucky’s for strong tea. This one is a favorite. Very dark and gutsy without being malty at all.
I always add half & half and sometimes sugar because this is so robust. I bought an inky black chocolate bar and shared it with the smartly suited young man seated at the tea bar next to me. He had a ponytail like the young Sean Connery. (Bond, James Bond)

He had ordered a pot of Pu-erh.
The chocolate went well with both our tea orders.

Earlier, I shared a citrus mini tuo cha with Sam and told him to poke at it instead of letting it slowly dissolve over several steeps. I had him keep the steep time short (30 seconds).
This was a new method for Sam and he liked how the Pu-erh tasted.

Sam decided to try the same method with the second pot of Pu-erh for his customer. He poked the nuggets with a spoon to break it up, then poured fresh boiling water in the pot.
The young man had never tasted the full flavor of this Pu-erh before and liked it. He had only ever had the lighter first steeping, never the fully released Pu-erh.

Sharing what we learn here on Steepster is lots of fun. (I’m always learning from new people who know far more than I do… and from new experiences.)

Thanks Dhart1214 doe this ELECTION DAY in the USA sample tea!

Since I voted 2 weeks ago already, there’s nothing to do today prior to hunkering down for the results tonight with some Chai and All-American Hot Dogs. I cleaned house just in case my choice for President doesn’t win and I’m glum tomorrow. (Hope that doesn’t happen!)

Everybody in my family is voting for different people and issues. I must have raised my children right because they think for themselves and allow discussion of issues without any character attacks. One is further left, one further right and me, I suppose I’m moderately…not going to tell!

Now that I have a clean house, it’s time for tea!

Dhart1214 sent me a lot of little sample packs from The Persimmon Tree and I’m almost through the bundle.
I was in the MOOD for some Earl. The day is bright and sunny. I’ve had all the windows open, airing out my condo with a fresh Fall breeze.
Now, with a light vanilla candle lit on the kitchen counter, and a cup of Earl Grey, I can sit and relax.

This tea was sweet without adding any additional sweetening. The French Vanilla was tasty and the Bergamot oil fragrant with a pleasing citrus briskness. There wasn’t any acidity, but a smooth, creaminess that made the cup enjoyable.
Some Earl Grey’s don’t hold up to additions very well but this one does. I added half & half and additional sweetening which is the way I like my Earl Grey.

The Persimmon Tree tea’s have been hit and miss. This one is pretty good.

God Bless America!

(For you in other parts of the World, God Bless your Countries! Australia, Canada, England, Italy, China, Japan, India, Croatia, France, Ecuador, Ireland, Denmark…these are the people who follow me I think…)

Thank you to mrmopar, my friend, for this tea sample

Very quietly and slowly I have been enchanted by Pu-erh over the past 9 months. Now, I am in LOVE. It is my favorite tea, especially
Shu (shou) Pu-erh.

For some time, I’ve wanted to talk about why I love it so much and now I’m going to try to share how I feel about it.

Imagine your own private place of wilderness peace.

The Blue Ridge Mountains in the Fall, Yosemite, the Redwoods, Kauai, the Rockies of Canada or Colorado. The Catskills or a Beach. The forests of Denmark and England. A city central park.
That is a beginning place to first reach down to the earth and begin to understand Pu-erh.

Pu-erh requires all of your sensory memory and shares a place with no other tea.

Pu-erh, both Sheng or Shou, is grounded to the earth in a unique way because of how it is processed. Dirt, soil, mushrooms, nuts and berries, spices, cocoa, vanilla and tree bark are common taste and aroma profiles. The scent of bread or leather in the wet leaves.

My own vision when I drink Shu (or Shou) Pu-erh is of the Redwoods in Northern California where much time in my life was spent.
The scent memory of redwoods is a strong one, and the vision of giant trees and dappled light streaming down to the forest floor is something I will always be able to close my eyes and see.

In Paradise California I lived in the forest with huge oak trees and Pine Trees around my house, which called for clearing leaves every Saturday in the Fall. An acre of leaves. Tarps full of leaves. And again more memories of musty, damp and dusty earth.

Working at the Fortino Winery in Morgan Hill, California…I acquired the scent of Old Vines and wet dirt clods after the rains. Empty barrels sour with the scent of oak and wine.
Damp cellars full of cobwebs and dust. Small wineries, big wineries, organic ones, some damp and some dry.

Napa, Sonoma, Calistoga, Murphy’s, Morgan Hill, Saratoga, Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Ynez. Each with a different ecosystem.

All of this has everything to do with how I approach Pu-erh.
My love of the Earth, the way I love food and cooking. It all comes together as how I experience my favorite tea.

On to the review!

Prep:
I began with a 30 second rinse followed by steepings 1-5 at 30 seconds. Steepings 6-7 were 40 seconds. Steeping 8 a minute.
I used a 6oz. purple clay Gaiwan that I use only for Pu-erh.

Color:
The liquor began as Autumn Gold then changed to Golden Rust Red. Very Beautiful and clear.

Taste:
1. Thick and earthy sweet. My mouth felt a numbing sensation then a coolness and flavor of cedar very light at the finish followed by a spiciness.

2. The wet leaves had an aroma of vanilla. The flavor was smooth, silky to the point of almost being creamy with a sweet vanilla plantain taste. As this cup cooled there was a light cedar taste.

3. The liquor smelled bready and tasted delicious, sweet, with an energy that was exciting. How can I describe a flavor that’s exciting?
It was like an inner light was turned on. A sustained POP ROCK without the annoying sizzle. Refreshing!
This was silky smooth, mellow, sweet and very good. There was hardly any trace of cedar but more like vanilla cake with a little cinnamon heat at the end.

4. Beautiful, sweet with great energy and no earthiness although you CAN smell the cedar.

5. More energy again and smooth. This was a little warmer tasting, with a spicy cinnamon bread and cedar flavor at the end.

6. and 7. Here’s where I took the steeping to 40 seconds. The liquor was nice and dark! Yum! Still this was a smooth, cinnamon sweet cup of Pu-erh!

8. A longer 1 minute steep with additions for all those lovers of cream and sugar! (I do not care what the purists say about doing this, I care more about getting people to drink Pu-erh!)

This tasted like a very good spicy vanilla latte. I loved it!

Summery
This is a rich and above average Pu-erh. Smooth, silky with lots to give for many rich steepings. There was vanilla, light cedar (not too much) and spice for warmth. Good energy and sweetness without being too sweet with a hint of cinnamon heat.

The earthiness is very, very tame. A great beginner Pu-erh!

Just a quick jot of a note about how this is a great blending herbal. How this fits into my life and soothes my stomach.

I have to take anti-seizure pills in the morning to keep my migraines in check. The pills help somewhat but on an empty stomach, they make me more nauseated.
Most of you know from reading my posts about holiday celebrations that I’m a Greek Orthodox Christian. Sunday mornings Greek Orthodox don’t eat anything (no tea or coffee either) before going to Church but we eat together when the church service is over (nice and friendly way to break the morning fast and get to know each other better).
Every week I used to get very sick and had to leave the service half way through because of nausea migraines.
One day, my Priest noticed and said, that would never do. Rules and customs were never meant for harm but to help people grow spiritually. Of course I could have something to eat and drink with my pills in the morning before Church. (The Bishop said Please eat something too.)
What a relief!
(I know I could have done what I wanted all along, but this is not the path I’ve chosen. Self indulgence is too easy.)

So this morning, I made a nice pot of this herbal blend with a pu-er nugget in it for my stomach and had a piece of toast. That’s all I need to get me through until noon. I’ll be doing great without any queezy feelings and the blend tastes wonderful.

I know I have to stock up on some more soon because this is easily going to be a Winter staple.

Thanks to Janet at sTEAp Shoppe for this sample tea!

This was a new experience for me. I’d never had a flavored Darjeeling before. Every other kind of tea, Oolong, Black, Green, Pu’er flavored and blended but for some reason never a Darjeeling.

Janet didn’t hold back from being creative, and decided to make a lovely Darjeeling Black Tea blend with cardamom, fenugreek and vanilla bean. All Organic.

What I tasted was very similar to a Chai but without any heavy spiciness. The cardamom was mild but the strength increased and warmed the tea as it cooled. The vanilla was smooth and rich, taming the natural tendency of Darjeeling to be astringent.

This tea was good straight with no additions, but with cream and honey it stepped up and was a very good cup of tea.

This year being my first ‘TEA’ Holiday time (I wasn’t even a tea drinker last November or December), I’ve been slowly purchasing favorite tea’s for my family. Now that you can get sample sizes from Verdant, I can get flavors to use as stocking stuffers. Little added goodies in my holiday boxes.
It will be so easy to send tea to California and to my Niece at Cornell University.
But, I just couldn’t help getting something for myself. You know how it is.

I couldn’t resist this Eight Treasures Yabao Winter Blend for ME!
I’m one of those people who loves the Yabao Pu’er!

This morning I brewed 2 pots of tea Western Style with the same leaves (aprox. 24oz). NO Rinse.

The wet leaves for the first pot smelled like roast chicken, and the second pot smelled less meaty and more like juniper berries.

The aroma of the liquor on the first pour was amazing! Lilies and jasmine, so fragrant that the vapor was like incense. I felt like I had stepped into one of the hot houses at Filoli Gardens (one of my favorite places to go in the S.F. Bay Area).
It felt like was close to the gardenias with the steaming scent of orchid and jasmine filling every scent receptor. Almost too much really. This was indeed intense!

I took a sip of tea which was sweet from the Yabao and Elderberry but I couldn’t taste any other flavors.
Being an experimenter, I poured some tea into another glass cup and added some honey which wasn’t very good, then milk in another cup which I didn’t like either and finally a little sweetening which was just OK.
I didn’t feel that I had a very good experience with this tea.
For all the quality ingredients, I wasn’t tasting what I should
have and I knew there had to be some reason for it.

I thought it over step by step.

Spring Water. Maybe my water was the problem because I had used tap water, and maybe I should have rinsed the tea leaves first.

So, I emptied the electric kettle, poured fresh Spring Water in and began again. Rinse, steep and pour.

Aha, this time the flavor was smoother, with Jasmine, Juniper, Yabao a little Lemon and the Tulsi was way off at the finish. (Not a taste but a coolness.)
The Vanilla taste wasn’t there at all. I think the Vanilla added a balance that kept the blend from getting acidic. As the tea cooled you can feel a creamy texture and the Elderberry aroma and flavor appear.

The second pot of tea was like moving out of the hot house onto the
garden path around the reflection pool…a quiet walk through cool gardens with the wafting scent of flowers, citrus and mint.

http://flic.kr/p/dq3Nhd

I learned a lesson that you can’t cut corners with tea! My oops!

Right before David Duckler jetted off to China, gathering more tea for Verdant and to see old friends, he added this new Alchemy Blend. It seems that this kind of herbal blend is what you might find in Chinese tea stalls this time of year when people begin needing a remedy to boost their immune system.
I’ve been well so far this year, but my poor daughter and her 8 children have been on a merry-go-round of flu and colds. As soon as one child gets better, another one gets sick. (I keep my hand sanitizer in my pocket and had a flu shot!)

When I saw this blend, I bought a packet for me and one for her.

Another thing that really intrigued me was what I read about how you could customize this blend by adding your own tea to it.
You could add Black Tea, Green Tea or Pu’er and create a custom flavor blend you like. I knew what I was going to blend first for as my favorite. I just had to give this a try!

Today my herbal blend arrived! Off to the business of experimenting!

UNO
First I made a straight brew. You can’t tell by sniffing the dry tea how it’s going to taste so don’t be put off by the strong smell.

The actual liquor was soft and slightly sweet with a light lemon ginger taste. (Very light on both) Even the sage was light tasting and added a pleasing warmth that I liked.
I was thinking about how and when I would drink this blend. Before bedtime and if I wasn’t feeling well. I’d brew it longer though if I had a cold, and add honey. Aha! Honey was missing!

I added some clover honey and it was meant to be! The blend was outstanding! The sage, ginger and lemon tasted lovely with the honey and were soothing in all the ways you want an herbal to be. Fabulous!

DOS
For the next test, I made a whole POT of tea+blend with a teaspoon of Laoshan Black and a small little nugget of Pu’er.

OH SHUT UP!

For those of you who love the Emperial Breakfast Summer Blend…just imagine a slight ginger and lemon added and BAM! WOW! This was so good! I can’t imagine this being any better!

TRES
I mixed up a little Laoshan Green (probably too little green tea) and got a spicy reaction that was unexpected and a camphor sensation. I’ll have to try that one again.

The best, awesome taste for me was the Black Tea and Pu’er but you could really experiment and see what you like the best!

Quatro
That’s up to you!

UNO, DOS, UNO DOS TRES QUATRO…. http://youtu.be/QAvaJ0o_-9o

I LOVE this idea. My kind of BLEND to KEEP on hand all WINTER!

Thanks Stacy for this tea sample

I’ve come to the realization that I am a person who loves the flavors associated with Autumn.
I love to oven roast Apples and Root Vegetables.
Caramelized Brussel Sprouts in garlic butter, tossed in seasoned bread crumbs.
Short ribs slow cooked in wheat beer (New Belgium) with caramelized onions, beef broth and buckwheat honey.
RIBS! My family has RIBS for our Christmas Feast!

Somewhere mixed up in all these thoughts of favorite foods and feasting I can see a preference for roasty flavors.

I evidently associate flavor and family. Well being with a log on the hearth, a cup of a warm beverage, and lots of cooking going on in the kitchen.
And noise. Lots of talking and noise. Scrabble games, Boggle and Football.

At this time a year ago, I was still mug deep in coffee living my one dimensional life. Every 4 months a box of coffee came from my coffee club in New Orleans and I was thrilled. I had 3 kinds of coffee. WOW! (This makes me laugh!)
I used to think of tea as a flowery drink, a sweet thing in a flowery cup. I had no idea how varied and complex tea was.

Now I know better and I’m learning that Oolongs are much more complex and varied than I assumed at first.

Lately I’ve discovered Roasty Oolongs like this one that I’ve been drinking today. Not just a little roasty either, but VERY ROASTY!

When I saw the dark color of the leaves, I knew I was in for a treat.
I had tasted another Oolong recently called Strong Fire that had a cinder taste and I liked it. I was hoping for a similar experience.

The liquor brewed to a clear Rootbeer color and had an amber honey scent.
The flavor was sweet and woody. It was clear that the leaves had been roasted many times because you could taste the roasting and a cinder flavor that was like ancient trees.
I imagined myself in a log cabin around a very small stove after a storm sipping on this tea. The scent of oak and cedar wood from the woodbox and me shuddering off the dampness. A pan of onions, potatoes and bacon sizzling on the stove.

The sweetness of this tea was extraordinary. There’s woody sweetness that you might get from chewing on sugar cane.
The sooty fire roasted flavor is what I loved the best.

So wild.

Thinking back, I remember melting some butter in a little of the previous Fire Oolong, making a sauce to drizzle over some yams.
Experimentation pays off. This Oolong would be good the same way.

If you like savory roasty flavors, this would be your kind of tea.
It’s not full of flowers or delicate nuance. This isn’t smoky either. Roasty.

Delicious!

This is an excerpt from my blog that also has a picture of this tea and a story with review at www.teaandincense.com

I received a gift box of Pu-erh from a kind and generous friend, I was so overwhelmed that the first person I told was a fellow Pu-erh lover Eric, who works at Happy Lucky’s. I shot him a quick note on Google+ and we arranged to bring my treasure by HL on Friday.

When Friday arrived, Eric was laughing at the amount of Pu-erh I had received! I told him to pick out anything for us to taste and his face lit up.

“I’ve never had a Tangerine Pu-erh,” he said. “Me either, I replied, and there’s three in the box, take your pick!”

I hopped up onto a bar stool to watch the opening of the plastic wrapped dry tangerine. (You couldn’t actually see with all the wrapping and the labels).

First, he opened the larger of the tangerines which had some mold on the fruit skin. We didn’t know what to do about this. Would we get sick if we drank the tea inside?

Eric went to the computer and shot a note out for our tea club members who might shed light on the safety of drinking the tea and then we made a decision to wrap it up and try another one of the tangerines just to be safe. (Later we found out that unless it was extensive and close to the Pu-erh it was probably OK).

We were determined!

The next tangerine is the one pictured. A Gold Horse grade 5 (that refers to the size of the leaves). http://flic.kr/p/dphcWo

Thank-you to Whispering Pines for this Pu’erh sample!

Sunday afternoon I was ready for my second session on a live Google+ video chat with my new ‘teageek’ group. Our discussion was set for a Liu An Basket-aged heicha tea (which I had never heard of before).

One by one members joined in from Canada, Australia, Seattle, California, New York, Oregon and Eric (Happy Luckys) and I in Colorado. (There are others in other locations who come and go). It’s so much fun!

The reason I’ve been mentioning this group is that so many people have said, "I wish I had a place like Happy Lucky’s to go and drink tea!

“Bonnie is so fortunate to have a tea pub in her town!”

True, True.

So why couldn’t a few Steepsters get together now and then to drink tea on a google+ video chat?
It’s so easy to do! Pick a common tea, discuss it and enjoy each other’s company! Think about it!

Back to this tea!

I didn’t have one of the basket tea’s to taste for the meeting so I began about an hour earlier with some Imperial Shou to get myself in
a proper fine state of mind.

I had been reading about several methods that two very different
experts use to prepare Pu-erh . One is more geared to hospitality and ritual, going to great lengths to preserve multiple steeping’s over a long time period.
The second method is faster, poking the leaves during steeping to release more flavor, and keeping the steep time at about 30 seconds.

I chose the second method.

I used a 4oz. Gaiwan and I understand that this Pu-erh is from the Menghai factory.

1. The wet leaves had the scent of sweet leather, mushrooms and vanilla and the liquor was golden brown.
This first cup tasted smooth and sweet with no earthiness. There was a little cedar flavor but not much. I felt a mulch, fuzz texture and sensed that this was going to be a special tea.

2. I picked at the Toucha while it was steeping then poured the tea through a strainer. The wet leaves smelled like black cherry,
and liquor looked like very dark drippings from a pot-roast.

I was stunned at how exquisite the taste was. The mouth-feel was smooth and silky like a placid lake. The flavor was close to a pot of creamy bitter hardly sweet chocolate still warm on a spoon, being licked off and melting in my mouth.

There was a very light cedar flavor at the finish but not much.

It was the silkiness that impressed me so much.

3. The leaves were now completely disintegrated from the little Tuocha and they looked black, holding a light leather aroma.
The liquor was still deep espresso brown.

I can’t remember ever tasting a Pu-erh that tasted like CAKE but this one did! How? I dunno! This was good! How interesting and continuing to be very smooth!

(I noticed that the water had been a little cooler, and maybe it had been a factor. I don’t know.) This was so delicious that I was impressed. Most Toucha’s are just not this complex!

Because of the cake taste, I added a little sweetening to the last of my cup which made the tea very caramel, creme brulee tasting.
A nice little dessert flavor.

I went one more steep, still finding the leaves full bodied, rich and smooth. Filling my cup again, which I took to my desk for my ‘teageek’ discussion group.

My vote on this Pu-erh is a big thumbs up! Whispering Pines picked up a fine quality Toucha!

Thanks to Janet at sTEAp Shoppe for this tea sample!

This review is part of #2 Virtual Tea Tasting. What a great idea!

I’ve been chatting a bit with Janet, getting to know her better and she’s a really nice person! We Steepsters are blessed with tea vendors who don’t just care about making a living with tea, they want us to really have a great experience with their companies too!

The Storm-Sandy
I sat down today flipping between the Weather Channel and CNN, watching the development of Hurricane Sandy. Like a grandma Hen, I’m worried about all my Steepster friends in the South and East who are going to be in the path of this monster system. If I could manage it, I’d scoop everyone of you up and bring you to my house for the duration, feed you and serve you tea.

I have not forgotten the kind words when the hills were ablaze during the High Park Fires here in Colorado this Summer, the comfort when I was hunkered down with a cloud of smoke like fog outside.

Now, it’s my turn and I will keep you in my prayers also!

The Tea!
The dry tea smelled roasty, reminding me of coffee and chicory with a little sweet caramel.
The wet leaves had the aroma of a cocoa-raisin energy bar.

The base flavor tasted ‘green’. Maybe it was the fenugreek but I’m not convinced. The tea wasn’t malty or strong like I had expected.

Plain (no cream or sweetening) there was a light cocoa flavor and caramel scent more than taste. A bit disappointing.

I was certain that what the tea called for was sweetening and milk to bring out the true flavors. I added sweetening first, which brought out the caramel right away, then milk which brought out the cocoa taste just a little.
(I wouldn’t recommend drinking this without sweetening it at the least.)

There was an aftertaste of raisin…not sure why.

The only thing that I would love to taste more of is ‘chocolate’.
A little more of the nibs would be fantastic or a maltier tea.
(I didn’t feel that the base tea was contributing enough depth to the blend.)

Knowing the sTEAp Shoppe this will be part of their continuing commitment to bring quality natural ingredients and good taste to tea drinkers like us.

I was out and about, running errands and stopped in at Happy Luckys to meet up with tea guru Eric (who works at Happy Lucky’s) to taste some Pu-erh that I received from a Steepster friend. That review will be on my blog in a few days and is remarkable!

When we finished our Puerh tasting, I still wanted some tea! Our little delicate cups of gentle Shu were wonderful but now it was time to pour the big lady serious tea and get down and dirty.

I was sitting at the bar.
I wanted a pot of Lucky Tea House’s finest black tea. Now.
Sam looked at Eric and said under his breath, “How about the Kenyan Ajiri?…no, no, it’s too strong…well…maybe she would like it, she likes strong tea. What do you think?”
“Hum, Eric laughed, maaaybe, OK.”

Then they turned to me.
“Let’s do it guys, I’m that kind of gal, wild and crazy! Set it up!” I said.

First, Sam brought me a tin of the super-small black leaves
(they looked more like poppy seeds) which smelled salty and savory.

Then, the wet leaves which were smaller than coffee grinds were presented with a very malty, rich aroma.

Last the dark brown liquor which was very strong tasting, and I liked it! It wasn’t smoky or malty but tasted solid and a bit fruity. I sipped for awhile.

I then added some cream (I was told the tea was too strong to drink plain but found it to be smooth enough for me).
After drinking a full mug of tea, I ordered a ginger cookie to eat along with my tea. The taste of these two together was out of this world! I’m a bit of a ginger cookie, black tea lover. An addiction as a treat!

A great piece of information!
100% of the profits from the tea sales of AJIRI goes to pay for uniforms and books for orphans in Western Kenya! What a great way to
enjoy tea and help others!

Check out www.ajirifoundation.com

Asante sana (thank you very much!) http://flic.kr/p/dphd5h

Another hidden DAVIDsTEA in the tea bin that I needed to drink up or shut the door. I loved this tea when I got it. The coconut and chocolate were so delicious. Now, 9 months later, what would I think of it?

I woke up to 3 inches of new snow outside and a forecast of 60 for Sunday and back to the high 70’s next week. This is typical of the weather here. Keep the boots and flip flops handy! Make your hot tea and Chai when it’s cold then switch to the cold brews when it heats up. I get weather whip-lash! (but the variety is thrilling)

I have a growing collection of Pu-erh that I’m taking to show Eric at Happy Lucky’s today. He’s a more knowledgeable person about such things and can help me sort out what I have. For me, this is FUN!
As much fun as shopping at the Mall ‘USED’ to be for me.
(I can’t believe that I just said that).

Back to this morning’s tea, which needed to be a tea other than a Pu-erh which I’ll have later, I remembered how much I liked the coconut flavor and chamomile blended with the black and white tea base. It’s an interesting combination. Most people either loved it or hated it when I read reviews before. I was one who was a lover.

I taste the coconut, which I like, not much chocolate though,
which was the same as before. Now, the ‘not much chocolate’ has a sourness that comes from the artificial flavoring which I don’t like.
If this ‘flavoring’ was corrected with natural cocoa nibs or hulls this would be a much more delicious tea.

The use of natural flavors costs more, but the result is so much better tasting that I wish DT would set an example and convert more of their tea’s (like this one).
I don’t buy from DT often and I know they have/had some unflavored tea’s now and in the past that were/are very good. I hope the demand for natural flavors increases!

I’d almost forgotten about this old DAVIDsTEA herbal blend. It’s an old tea friend that tastes really good.

I don’t think DT has carried it for some time. It has Hawthorne berries, eleuthero root, linden, ginkgo, nettle leaves and rosehips. You steep it for 4-7 minutes and wind up with a sweet berry-like tea that has other taste nuances I have a hard time figuring out.

I have no idea how to describe this tea other than… light berry cream with light rose flavor and ground nutmeat. Something close to that. Light and tasty. Oh bother!

I wish this was still available. Caffeine free and delicious isn’t easy to come by now, is it?!

Earlier today I reviewed a Ginger Chai, one of the bottled concentrates by Third Street Tea out of Boulder, Colorado.
For dinner tonight, I decided to use the Chai in my stir fry
along with some soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic.
When my sliced chicken was ready, all nice and caramelized in the Chai sauce, I made a slurry of water, more chai and cornstarch and added this to the pan to thicken into a sauce with the meat.
The whole dish served over rice was a success.
No, more than that, it was super good! The sauce was perfect!
One thing I like about this particular brand is that it’s not overly sweetened and the concentrate is nice and strong. Good for making Chai and good for experimenting in recipes. If you want to try Chai this way, look for a low sugar concentrate or unsweetened.

I can replace the liquid in deserts with Chai and add some to squash soup.

Lots of options.

This is what I do with my cold snowy evenings!

Let it snow let it snow let it snow!

All the people in California, Washington and Oregon who were dripping wet a few days ago from horrid rain storms, Thank you! It turned into pretty white flakes of Snow when it hit the Rocky Mountains!

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store to stock up on good stuff for watching snow from the warmth of my couch. I put gas in the car, went to Sprouts (grocery store), then Happy Lucky’s for a blend of Keemun/Assam Tea with a side of ginger cookie. Hurrying home to unload and I was off again to ‘Open House’ at the grandson’s Charter School.
When I arrived at the ‘Open House’, my little guys were dressed as Greek and Roman citizens, ready to display their knowledge of art, architecture,WEAPONS and literature to grandma Bonnie.

When the event was over and we walked outside of the building, it had begun to snow lightly. I was thrilled. As I drove home in the dark, I was careful on the icy roads. I couldn’t wait for morning and the first look out the window. What would I see?

This morning…
There was only about an inch of snow on the ground, with steady light flakes falling.
I found my warm robe and fluffy socks, pulled this Spicy Ginger Chai from the frig and put 8oz of 2% milk on the stove to slowly warm.
Part way through warming, I added 4oz Third St. Chai and 1TB honey.

(I had learned from previous experiments with the vanilla flavor Third St. Chai that a 50% Chai to 50% milk ratio wasn’t to my taste. I liked about 1/4-1/3 Chai to milk better.)

When heated, the flavor was wonderfully spicy with a bite but not bitter. It was very fresh and gingery! I loved it!

One thing I’ve discovered about this brand is the versatility of liquid Chai. I can add it to other tea’s so easily, or to sauces if I want to. One day, I made a tea that was a little weak and I added a little of this mix and perked up the flavor. I’ve added a little to a stir fry base and it gave a sudden zing to chicken cooked with sesame oil and a little soy sauce.
I have some squash soup and I’m going to add a little to the soup at lunch!

Today, I sat like a lump on the couch in my robe with my fluffy socks and a big mug of real Ginger Chai, sipping and looking out my patio window at the snow. In my mind, I wanted it to snow some more and I wanted to play in it. I’ll always be a kid at heart, but I’ll have to be content to play with my tea and enjoy the view!

Announcement
The wheels are in motion for the adoption of one of the Foster toddlers! Court was yesterday and the decision was made that makes this possible! We are all thrilled! He has really bonded with my son-in-law, my daughter and especially grandson Micah.
I couldn’t be happier for him and for us! When it’s legal to do so I’ll post a picture! He’s SOOOO cute!

It’s been a loooog time since I drank this tea!

I stood at my kitchen counter just standing…looking at my electric kettle. What to drink this morning? Shrug.

I had a big day ahead, off to the Justice Center to talk to a Pro Bono Lawyer about a Trust. Faxing a legal paper to the ex in California, groceries and Open House at the grandson’s school. A busy day for Grandma. (Tomorrow it’s supposed to snow…get it done today Bonnie!)

Tea, Tea, Tea. What will it be?

I opened all the drawers in my to be reviewed container and each time it was nah, no, uh uh.
I went to the BIG CUPBOARD with my BIG STASH of favorite tea’s and larger, non-sample sized tea’s. Verdant, Butiki, Happy Lucky’s, Kally, Teavivre, Menghai Puerh, UK, and…up on the top shelf…
DAVIDsTEA!

Wow, how long had it been since I picked a flavored DAVIDsTEA?

These were my fav’s 9 months ago. I waited for the packages to arrive from Canada…raving about the peppermint or chocolate flavors. It seems like such a long time ago!

I picked Love Tea #7. Yes! I needed some love to start my day!

I made a whole little pot of tea, sat on the sofa with the Today Show as company and sipped my way down memory lane.

It was like going back to Disneyland as an adult. Fun to do but not as great as the first time when it was new. When I was less exposed to other tea’s it was the bomb. Now, I can taste things that I don’t prefer…but I’m willing to ignore just because it’s an old memory
that I don’t want to mess with. I prefer natural flavors more now.

This is still tasty.

Thank you Mrmopar for this Puerh Sample I’m backlogging for a reason.
Here is the beginning of the review of this tea, but the rest of the review can be found on my new blog www.teaandincense.com so please take a look!

Any corrections or suggestions, let me know. I’m a rookie! The music is my granddaughter Megan’s that she wrote when she was 16.

I chose this 2010 High Mountain Charm Pu Erh because of soft earthy floral quality, and smoothness. I was looking for the best tea to pair with my trip to the Scottish Games in Estes Park, Colorado.

Pu Erh is a wild tea in my opinion, and there is nothing tame about a Shu! Something about Shu says Men in Kilts, Pipers, Whiskey, Laughter…and friendship all around (at least it says that to me)!
On the ‘Cameron’ side of my family, joking and golf, singing and laughter (always more golf), bagpipes, the fiddle and dancing are who we were. (We still try to live up to the old ways.)
Grandpa Charlie made bathtub beer during prohibition in San Francisco. His Uncles and Great Grandpa Duncan would drink beer and Whiskey. Jack would play the fiddle, Alan the pipes, Duncan told jokes in Gaelic and all sang loudly half the night. My mother (only about 6) would sit hiding under the dining table listening with glee, laughing with them and understanding not a word.

Thank you mrmopar for this Pu-erh sample

With Steepster down, I had time to reflect on some things that have been on my mind.

My writing has been slushy. You know…when I try to write and for whatever reason I just don’t sound like myself. I haven’t been able to figure out what’s wrong.

Sunday, I was invited to be in a Google+ live video tea group with people in various parts of the World. I was the least tea educated person, the dumb one in the group but ready to learn. Most of the others spoke Chinese, owned tea companies etc. As we discussed the tea of the week, I became sicker and sicker and almost had to sign off early. Something was wrong with me.

The rest of that day I had a terrible migraine that felt like the flu.
Monday came and Steepster was down. I had the flu-like symptoms still hanging on, coming and going with body aches and nausea.
What had caused my illness?
Light!
When I was on the chat Sunday I was sitting by a window with the curtains closed. However, there was still enough bright light outside that even though I was wearing my dark glasses, the light made me sick! Isn’t that crazy?

Why am I telling this story?

I was thinking last night about this time of year and writing about tea. I remembered that in the Winter when the barometer changes setting off my migraines almost every few days, I write more from the heart.
I see clearly, listen better, appreciate my time with tea in a deeper way. Life is more precious.

Could this be why I haven’t been myself? Did I need this malady to write better?

Embracing what is ahead with all it’s difficulties far outweighs the pain. My experience in the quiet places where there is true beauty, is why I began my journey with tea in the first place.

There’s no place to hide from difficulties in this life, it’s how we use what we go through or have gone through that matters.

I’m glad to return to the place of struggle even though I’m sure to complain now and then.

Tea Review

Timing and prep.
Gaiwan 4oz. 30 sec. rinse and 30 sec. steeps.

Wet leaf scent changes! Here’s what I like to do.
First, I put my nose over the rising steam and breathe it in and out, deeply.
Next, I put my nose closer and almost hyper-ventilate, then back away and come closer again.
Finally, I pass the leaves side to side at a distance of about
7 inches to catch a lighter scent.
I smell the leaf aroma hot, warm and cold.

These particular leaves smelled like Nilla Vanilla Wafers and Camphor then later like light Leather, Bread and Earth, then Light Leather and a Sweetness which is where it remained.

Taste
The first steeping was salty and tasted like a Trisket Crackers, not sweet but smooth. The finish had a little sour black current flavor.

The second steeping was strong, dark like coffee and tasted like cedar, rasins and velvety 90% chocolate. I was so intrigued by the idea of the chocolate that I sweetened the end of the tasting which didn’t mask the flavors but removed the bitterness almost entirely.

Steeping three was lighter with a salty/savory cedar flavor becoming peppery at the end and astringent. I was distracted by my own awareness of well-being. My nausea was gone and I was feeling such a great sense of gratitude for what this Pu-erh was giving to me.

Ah the forth steeping and beyond. This is where I believe the Pu-erh was at home. Lighter, sweeter with a cinnamon spicy taste and less cedar. There was so much light and smoothness here without having lost body.
At one point I added sweetening to see what would happen for those who sweeten Pu-erh and found that the flavor didn’t change
(some Pu-erh’s take on a floral or caramel taste with sweetening) but remained spicy.

A solid, recommended Pu-erh!

Personal Notes about Pu-erh:
I’ve found Pu-erh to be a faithful friend. Since my Migraines and Fibromyalgia both have chosen to attack my core more than anywhere else on my body, my stomach area is often twisted with nausea and pain. My back hurts and bones ache.
When I drink Pu-erh, the nausea and pain are greatly reduced without an upset stomach. Pretty wonderful benefit for me wouldn’t you agree!

Thank you sTEAp Shoppe for this sample for Virtual tea tasting #2!

Yesterday I received the samples to review for the second Virtual tea tasting scheduled for Oct.28th. I’m all for tea companies getting feedback from consumers on what we think about the tea blends they create. We want great tea and I think all of us want tea companies to be successful.

Both the tea’s I have are CHOCOLATE! (It was a no brainer for me!)
One was sTEAp Shoppe’s choice and one was mine.

This morning I brewed up a small pot of the Chocolate Chai before heading out to the downtown Farmers Market.

The suggest steep time of 3-4 minutes wasn’t long enough. The tea was way too weak for Chai. I added 2 minutes which was the correct Chai strength without adding any bitterness.

The flavor was spicy from cinnamon and fruity from the Oolong tea base. I looked for the chocolate taste but never could find it because of the dominant fruit and spice from fennel, cardamom and ginger (with the cinnamon). I couldn’t detect nutmeg until the tea cooled. It might not be necessary, not sure. The ginger was handled beautifully.

Adding honey was delicious, and blended with the spices in the way you want most from Chai. Adding cream wasn’t as successful. My feeling on the milk was that the Chai would have been better steeped in milk and honey instead of water if you wanted a traditional Chai.

Getting back to the lack of chocolate flavor, either there needs to be more cocoa nibs or possible a blend of malty Black Tea with the Oolong.

This is my opinion.

If the word chocolate had been removed, I’d say this is a nice spicy Chai. Very balanced and not too peppery.

Increase the steeping time though!

I began my adventures with Chocolate Orange ‘flavored’ Pu-erh
about 9 months ago and fell in love.
It appealed to the ex-coffee addict in me. I had no idea that
there was a vast world of PU waiting for me to discover.

What I started with on my journey was the equivalent of a
Wine Cooler before my discovery of Fine Wines.
Without that ‘Wine Cooler’ though, I never would have developed
a taste and desire for what was under all the flavoring.
I’m indebted to the companies who introduce Pu-erh to people
like me who might otherwise might have passed it by.

I’ve been away from those first flavored Pu-erh’s for a long time, preferring straight leaf and natural blends from several tea vendors who do a really good job mixing Pu-erh with mint, cocoa hulls, other types of tea, roots, vanilla or spices. They are fantastic!

When I saw the Tropical White Pu-erh from Kally, it was too different (weird) to pass up. I hadn’t heard of a Tropical White Tea Pu-erh before and I was almost certain that I wouldn’t like it.

Tropical Pu-erh? Seriously?

Since it was a warm morning ‘Tropical’ sounded appropriate.
I steeped the leaves 3 minutes and made a small pot full of tea.
The liquor was dark and fragrant with a floral, fruity scent.

The flavor was sweet and smooth, like a golden delicious
caramel apple. (Golden delicious apples have a floral,
sweet scent and flavor that is unlike other apples.)
The caramel was light with no earthiness at all.
The tea had body without astringency or bitterness.

I kept thinking about the golden floral caramel apples.
There was a dwarf Yellow Delicious Tree outside my bedroom window growing up. It grew horizontally like a vine, held up by numerous stakes… filled with dozens of yellow apples ripe for pies, applesauce or added in my lunchbox.
Years ago, when I entered a Johnny Appleseed Pie Contest, these
are the apples I used to win first place. They melt in your mouth.

I added sugar and cream to my Pu-erh because I had a feeling that it was meant as a morning tea or dessert tea. It seemed right to do so.

I was waiting for bitterness, the one thing that I can’t
stand in flavored Pu-erh’s, but this didn’t happen.
I’m glad really. Kally Tea didn’t go too far with the flavoring
but kept this blend light and bright.

One good flavored Pu-erh and definately different than the rest!

Thank you DHart1214 for this tea sample!

DHart1214 sent me a bunch of little Persimmon Tree samples in little individual servings with a logo seal on them all neat and ready to go. Thanks!

This fruit tea was one of the only packets without caffeine, a good pick for the evening (watching the Project Runway Finale!).

I noticed the first ingredient was hibiscus flowers, then lemongrass and rose hip shells. I don’t mind hibiscus like some other people, but with the other two, I was worried that the sour factor was going to be way up in the high pucker upper range.

With blind faith, my pot of tea was brewed and ready 5 minutes later.

Fortunately, the tea tasted good.
It wasn’t too sour or bitter, but was certainly a tea for drinking with sweetening. If this was a lighter tea maybe you could drink it straight, but this had a heavier fruit liquor and needed sweetening to bring all the fruit flavor to full ripeness.

When sweetened, you could taste the strawberry and cherry as well as the tang from hibiscus and lemongrass. The blend worked well.

I’ve had similar tea’s that were successful when hibiscus and berry flavors were blended together.

Story
This isn’t a story, more of a grandma ‘brag’.
When 2 of my grandsons were adopted two years ago (they are brothers), they were thrilled that my daughter was going to Home School them. They ‘wanted’ their new mom to teach them. I remember Donovan (age 7) with tears telling my daughter, “I want the first words I learn to read to be from you.” It was so sweet. So they joined the other 4 kids and were taught by mom.

As time progressed here in Colorado, all the kids have done better emotionally. One by one several of the older teenagers have gone to local Charter Schools (excellent ones).

This year, all three boys began public Charter School with great excitement and gusto. They are Lovin school!

First Report Cards came today! All the boys got multiple A’s, some B’s and one C. All got A’s in Math and Science.
I’m sooo proud of them. These boys came from the worse situations and still are battling early childhood trauma. The youngest is bipolar. They are jewels!

I’m proud of my daughter for preparing them for this day!

Brag!

Thanks DHart1214 for this tea sample!

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned WHY I write about being ‘OLD’. Maybe I have and I’ve forgotten which is something I chuckle about to myself. My short term memory just isn’t what it used to be.

I write about what ‘OLD’ is like so you’ll know what your parents, grandparents and your own future might be like one day. Nobody seems to want to talk about ‘OLD’. It’s not a dirty word!

If I want to drink caffeine and stay up late I can, sleeping in without worrying about being late for work. It’s great!

I don’t have much money but I look forward to the little things in life like being with family, the next cup of tea, a trip to my Tea Pub, free events in Old Town and at Church. I love my daily routine spending time with my Steepster friends.

Towards the end of the month my funds get tight right before my monthly Social Security Disability Check.
Before it arrives my pantry begins to look a little bare. This is when I become creative.

If you read last evening’s tea review about the pumpkin risotto pancakes, that was one recipe born from of running out of breakfast cereal. I got creative and made enough pancakes to last for a few days.
Today, I’ll make soup for lunches. On my patio Kale is ready to pick from one of my long planters again, another way I’ve added to my on-hand diet this year.

Life is good.

This morning, I decided to make some bread before having tea. This didn’t take long and I topped the bread with Sea Salt and Greek Dry Herbs.

As soon as the bread was cool enough, I sliced it, buttered a piece and ate it. Um, good.

I made a small pot of Immortal Nectar loose Puerh, rinsing it off lightly, then steeping about 1.5 minutes.
The fragrance was sweet and the liquor fairly dark brown.

I wouldn’t call the flavor earthy by my Puerh standards, but it was sweet, savory and smooth more like a good coffee. Maybe an Italian Roast. This was really tasty.

Another slice of warm bread and I couldn’t help treat the Puerh like a cup of morning coffee. In went cream and sugar which was perfectly delicious, rich but still robust.

I’d definitly drink this as a coffee substitute. If you are squeamish about Puerh’s, this is tame. Not too earthy, no mushroom or cedar flavor and not fishy at all.

What a lovely start to my day! I have so much to be thankful for.

Tonight I made some pancakes with leftover pumpkin risotto. If this sounds odd to you, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW GREAT THIS TASTES!

The risotto was creamy, nutty, sweet and spicy from seasonings and butter that I pared half and half with buttermilk pancake mix and a dash of Vietnamese Cinnamon. So good!
A little bacon and Maple Syrup and dinner was on!
(I love pancakes on a cool evening once in awhile)

What tea would compliment my pancakes?

I remembered the Strong Fire Tieguanyin that I picked up recently, with a haunting deep honey flavor, almost tasting like a peach liquor. I could imagine the woodiness I had tasted with the dash of cinnamon I added and how delicious the combined flavors would be.

It was easy to steep a small pot of tea to set on my dinner tray but hard to wait two minutes before beginning to devour the pancakes.

The savory-sweet, cinnamon-wood, bacon-butter and cakey-risotto flavors rocked! All my taste-buds thanked me.

What a fine tea to keep drinking with many meals over the cool months ahead.

By the way, I’m testing out http://www.teaandincense.com if you’d like to give me any feedback. thanks.

Thanks Stacy for this tea sample

The night was soooo windy! Down the mountains came the winds with howling hoots and bellows.
I tossed and turned feeling the effect of the weather change. It was as if I was at Sea, with waves and wind rising and falling, which set off a minor nausea migraine.

Morning brought more wind. All day the bright gold leaves will be torn from the trees, flying down the street like shimmering rain.

Strong tea is good for nausea migraines.

I found this Keemun tucked in the ‘to be reviewed’ drawer and knew this was the choice for beginning my day. With the way I was feeling
I was NOT in the mood for setting up an elaborate tasting session that was going to take a long time. I wanted my tea fast.

My experience with Keemun’s isn’t very deep. I’ve had some from Teavivre, another from Butiki and one from Happy Lucky’s. That’s about the extent of it.
I’m gradually beginning to realize that Keemun Tea’s are varied and worth exploring more. Every one I’ve tried has been vastly different than the last.

When I tasted this Keemun it was smoky, quite like a pine smoked Lapsang Souchong (but not nearly as strong). This was unexpected.

I had played with adding LS to a little Black Tea on occasion and this is close to what this tea tasted like to me.
There was some astringency up front in a pleasant way, a tangy bit of malt smoothing out at the finish.
I grew up across from an Italian Plum (prune) orchard and to tell the truth, the smoke was strong and I didn’t taste any plum.
I wasn’t too interested in this Keemun even with cream and sugar.

My favorite Keemun to date is Congou Keemun also from Butiki Teas.

I can’t go out on deck today, have to stay indoors deep in the bowels of the ship. I’ll get knocked into the ocean if I venture out, dizzy from the wind. Migraines behave strangely.

In any case, the tea did make me feel better…I’m not seasick!