Bonnie

(I wrote this review a few weeks ago under the wrong heading…oops)

Oh I wanted to write a special story with this tea. I was going to take my time and sit thoughtfully, sipping and thinking and sipping and thinking.
First though, I had to take a final paper to the registration for my car. Then the Post Office to mail a Birthday Card. Then, well of course Happy Lucky’s Tea House was on the way, so I brought in some tea for the guys to try. Imperial Breakfast Summer Blend (Oh they really liked that one!) and Butiki’s Guranse Orange Pekoe (an interesting Nepalese tea), and this Diyi Cornfields Shu (another that everyone went Ooooh over!).
I had the best time sharing.
Sometimes I feel empty drinking tea all by myself. Out of gas…like something isn’t quite right.
Well, in fact it isn’t quite right.
Tea needs to be shared!

My day was hardly over.
My son-in-law Paul came by to install an MDA for my phone service
and my provider had sent the wrong equipment. I ran to the cable store, swapped it out for the correct item and he quickly did the install and left (with a Rootbeer and Reeses Peanut Butter Cup tip!).
My internet didn’t ever work. I had to figure this out (which I did and without me asking, and because the cable company screwed up, I got my current DVR service free for a year! Blessings Happen!)

Now I’m back to making more of this Cornfields Shu.

What has happened to my plans for a beautiful story? Everything got
ruined!

Life happens to us and we go on. What a chuckle.

I have to say that the bright places in my day have outweighed the tense ones. And the tea…well…I’ve had the best time sharing and sipping in hospitality with friends!

Oh this Shu is so different that it makes me want to celebrate and have a party…make snacks for a crowd…something like that!

The first thing I thought of was hot buttered corn on the cob off the grill. Dripping…and salty sweet.

I used my Gaiwan and the steepings are FAST! I was tempted to go past the recommended 5 seconds…but didn’t.
On the first steep the corn flavor and color were light, but on the second steep the liquor was browner and surprised me for such a short swoosh of water.

The aroma reminded me of the County Fair…. corn on the cob and kettle corn tempting me as I walk along trying to stay on my diet!

The flavor was sweet salted corn with a bite on the tip of my tongue and good enery tingling throughout my mouth.
I was interested in what a little raw sugar would do to this sweet corn tea and when I added a little the taste was like the caramel corn I loved at the San Francisco Zoo as a child. There was always fog, chattering black birds in the trees, the call of peacocks and the smell of salt air with the sea next to the Zoo. All my reviews on Steepster could be written about what I observed sitting on the bench at that Zoo and watching the people of San Francisco walk past me when I was a young girl. I was in love with all of them.

On second thought…(Maybe the second runner up would be warm Cracker Jacks with the nuttiness).

At any rate. Who would in their wildest dreams think this could be a SHU? Are you kidding me?

I could take a thermos of this SHU to the Circus, open the lid and everyone around me would think I had buttered popcorn!

This is hardly tea, this is my new snack food!

I’m a new Cornfields Shu Lover! And, this is a special one.

Thank you to Nuvola for this Oolong Black Tea sample!

I was suffering from the beginnings of a migraine today, the nausea felt like vertigo making me dizzy. In my bag was this sample which I had promised to share with Joe at Happy Lucky’s yesterday. I told him about the tea trees being at 9000 ft. in the mountains of Taiwan. What an adventure it would be to taste the tea and discuss the flavor together.

A stop to get a light for my refrigerator and another at the Post Office were challenging. Would I be able to make it to tea? (My car’s outdoor temperature gauge recorded 95 degrees, still hot and dry for September.)

“It’s just nausea, push through it. Caffeine will be good for the migraine anyway,” I told myself. So off I went to my tea pub.

When I arrived today, there was a buzz of people in front of the bar and behind it (including Joe). There was the owner George in his bermuda shorts, fiddling with some tea things…greeting me with a big “Hi Bonnie, how’re ya doin?”

I explained that I had a little migraine and needed caffeine, but that I had brought some Taiwan Oolong Black Tea grown at a high altitude that I wanted to share.

What happened next was Tea Theatre!

A flash of cups, a Gaiwan…six people lined up on barstools and several servers behind the bar as George deftly worked his magic. Pourings, scenting, tastings for everyone…steep after steep, after steep…on and on at least 6-7 times. I lost count.

The interesting thing was that from the beginning, the tea was potent. There was no need to work up to a 3rd or 4th steeping to gain the full flavor of this tea. The taste was assertive as though all the hard work the trees had to go through to produce the leaves at the high altitude was condensed and released like golden pearls. The flavor released easily from the leaves.

Comments flew around me…

“Dark Cherry”, “Malty”, Chocolate", Wonderful lingering flavor", “Rich and complex”.

My own notes were:
I felt a coolness on my tongue (which the others felt on the lingering finish also). There was a nuttiness and flavor somewhat like tutti frutti (brandy, sugar and many kinds of fruit placed in a crock and stirred…an old recipe for preserving fruit). A floral scent from a musky flower.

The color of the tea was honey from beginning to end and very fragrant. The leaves reminded me of smoky, malty Formosa Red (Red Blossom Tea) that I reviewed before (although this came up only when I was reminded of this tea by Joe).

And…my nausea…gone. The caffeine did what it is supposed to do and helped take the effects of the migraine away!

I can’t think of a better way to have experienced this tea than with this community of tea lovers.

I had a great time with a very lovely rich and flavorful tea!

Thank you Dhart1214 for this sample tea! Again!

#3in the tea taste trio challenge from Dhart1214!

Surely Swiss Chocolate Tea with chocolate chips in it would taste
completely different than Strawberry and Blueberry…I mean come on…it’s CHOCOLATE! I could SEE the big chocolate chips!

The aroma was cocoa (however that was a pretty light scent).

Just like the previous 2 tea’s, the taste was creamy smooth, a little sweet and very lightly cocoa but BITTER! More than BRISK!
WHEW!

Remembering (only a few minutes ago) the sweetening effect, I added a little which tempered the bitterness slightly. Then I added more which helped more. Then some more until the tea was drinkable but sweet.

I ended up with a tea that tasted odd. Not like cocoa but like frosting out of a pre-made container. Betty Crocker artificial Swiss Chocolate Frosting in a can!

These tea’s are not for people who want a tea straight without additions.

There you have it Dhart1214. No, they didn’t all taste the same.
What was the same is…they are SUGAR BANDITS!

Thanks Dhart1214 for this sample tea!

This is Tea #2 in the tea taste off!

The aroma of this tea was the best of the 3 I tasted. Definitely
Strawberry!
But, wah-wah….the flavor was again a sweetish nondescript berry with some creaminess.
“Let me see what happen’s when I sweeten this tea!”, I said to myself.

Just like the Blueberry Pie tea (which so far was similar but more pie crusty tasting) a little sweet didn’t help the flavor much.
So I added a little more and BAM! Strawberry!

Why?

Why should I have to add a ton of sweetening to get a strawberry flavor out of this tea? (Makes no sense to me!)

At least I’ve established that the Blueberry and Strawberry are not identical twins at this point and the Strawberry has inched ahead of the Blueberry in taste points.

Thank you Dhart1214 for this sample tea!

This is #1 of three tea’s to taste on Dhart1214’s challenge

I received 3 tea’s. Blueberry Pie, Strawberry Black and Swiss Chocolate Black with a note that said, “Please try these because they all taste the same to me!”

So today I set up 3 pots to brew with 3 mugs and 3 3×5 cards to jot my notes. I loaded the baskets with tea leaves, poured the water on and set the timers…game on!

This is the first of the 3 reviews:

The scent of the liquor was crusty pie…but not blueberry or any berry for that matter. It smelled yummy, like a bakery.

When I took a sip from my little glass cup, it was pretty bland but creamy, with a slight crust taste and nondescript berry flavor.

I sweetened the tea a very little bit which did not bring out any more berry flavor. Adding more sweetening again, and the berry was stronger. Odd. Who would make a tea that only tastes like the name if you mega sweeten it?

No blueberry here for me but there is a hint of pie and a light berry of some sort.

Thank you to Joe at Happy Lucky’s Tea House for this taste!

Today I went for my regular Sunday Tea. Almost immediately after perching myself on a high barstool, a special bag of tea was whipped out from behind the bar by my grinning tea professional, Joe.

“Here it is, the 1982 Wenshan Baozhong I told you about,” said Joe.
“Heh, chimed in Eric, none of us were born when this was produced.”
(Which made me groan!)
“Really? Thanks!” I said, pretty excited to try a tea that old!

Instead of me bringing a tea for my friends to try, they had a special tea to share with me! An Oolong 30 years old from Taiwan!

Joe made sure that I was presented with the tea in a formal way for viewing at every stage of the process.
First, I looked at the long dark twisty leaves, some with a little green on the edges. I smelled them but they had little fragrance since they were so very old and dry, but they were lovely.

Next the tea was brewed in a Gaiwan and then poured into cups and the leaves placed in front of me so that I could smell the aroma. Whiskey, apple, tobacco, honey.
The fragrance of the wet leaves was unbelievable. Everything about the leaves was a symphony of shifting melodies.

The flavor was so delicate that as soon as I decided on one flavor it was gone and another took it’s place. Again another one was also elusive and gone. The flavor’s were moving around like sheets of silk on a breeze.

Plum, light colored jujube, honeysuckle, apricot, yellow delicious apple, yellow raisin, and always back to a mystery flavor or flavors that I could not figure out at all.

Oh my.

My friends had as much of a laugh at my delight in drinking this special tea as I have when I bring one to them.

This is what hospitality is truly all about!

Thank you Joe! http://flic.kr/p/d8Zvvs (Here’s Joe!)

With a flourish of a teacup, I’m turning my attentions from the Highland Games of yesterday to the Greek Luncheon of today. And why not? One of the biggest joys of my life has been the blending of cultures that we can participate in so freely in North America. It wasn’t always so. When I was a little girl, this would never have happened the way it does today. So Hooray!

I had this Elderberry White waiting for me to try this morning before heading off to St. Spyridon’s. (If I fail to have some caffeine before Church, I’m more likely to get a migraine so White Tea was a good choice!)
I steeped the tea 3 minutes at a suggested temperature of 160F.
The resulting brew was too sour for drinking without sweetening for me. The elderberry added enough tang to support sugar but was just too much for me to enjoy plain.
Sweetened, there is a soft smokiness to the tea, an energy from the white tea and an elderberry flavor that is light and gentle.
As the tea cools there is a little creaminess and dry tanin on the tongue (nothing much though).

This was a smooth and soft cup even with the hint of smoke. A good cup before heading off to Church and my Greek Luncheon with the good people from St. Spyridon’s (although there won’t be any roast lamb or dancing at this one…too bad!)…I should bring some tea!

Have a wonderful day everyone!
http://youtu.be/M84us5Wvy2U (If you ever get to travel to a Greek Island, Santorini is wonderful…I was there 4 years ago.)

Slàinte!•[ slanj’-uh; often shortened to slanj ] (To your) Health!

I’ve been away for a couple of days at the Scottish Games in Estes Park, CO with my beloved daughter Annalisa and we had a great time!

Thank you to ashmanra for this tea sample!

The mountain air was refreshing the last few days. 70’s in the daytime and high 40’s at night with a drizzle late yesterday afternoon for a short time. I watched mist rise in wisps above the 14,000 ft mountain peaks, sweeping higher and higher like silken threads forming into clouds by force of nature.

How could I observe such beauty and stand.

When I hear the bagpipes play in such a setting as this, I feel as though all the breath inside of me goes out with the piper into the instrument and the cry goes forth…“Here we are, mere humans in the middle of this beauty and we give all our strength in this breath as a gift.”

Yes, I’m a sentimental Scot! I had my dram of whiskey too with the Clan Cameron Men looking fine in their Kilts!

On to today’s tea!

I was getting a bit sleepy this afternoon so I made a pot of tea. I followed the instructions for brewing temp. and time, then took a little sip. WOW, this was a STRONG cup of tea! I wasn’t expecting such an extremely potent brew!
Not only was the tea dark and strong, but it was on the bitter side.
“What’s this?”
“Maybe this is one of those tea’s very particularly suited to milk and/or sugar,” I said to myself.
Not wasting time, I added some milk and found the tea much more palatable. Then I added sweetening, then more and more until it was exactly to my liking. (This tea took more additions that any other tea in my memory).

The flavor was malty with a little raisin taste, and brisk. With no additions the tea is bitter like a strong espresso.
The wet leaves had the aroma of cinnamon bark (not sweet cinnamon) with a hint of vanilla.

I liked the heaviness of the brew for a morning cuppa. You could really go to town with any type of additions and not overdo it.

When the tea cools down, the malty flavor mellows and becomes more cocoa. You can leave your cup, let it cool, then come back and there is the cocoa taste you may have wanted in the beginning.

A h-uile la sona dhuibh
’s gun la idir dona dhuibh! May all your days be happy ones!

http://youtu.be/lVd_0-SXGBs

I’m surprised that this is the first tasting note on this Butiki
Organic Ceylon Green Tea

I was rustling through the latest order from Stacy for my morning tea and wanted a good cup before packing for an overnight with my daughter up in Estes Park.
A green tea for breakfast? I don’t drink green tea for breakfast, unless…it’s a Ceylon Green Tea. There’s something about the Ceylon Green’s that are almost like a darjeeling. It’s as if the tea bushes have intertwined the flavor of green and black tea’s.

I prepared a small 8oz pot for tea and steeped the leaves 2 minutes.
The leaves and liquor have none of the vegital aroma that I associate with most green tea’s. In fact, the aroma was very, faint. I almost thought I hadn’t steeped the tea properly, but when I reenacted the steeping, the outcome was the same.

The liquor was clear, very golden and beautiful.

When I took a sip of tea, I was surprised at the light flavor.
There was a smoothness to the tea but hardly a whisper of flavor.
I had to concentrate, finding the faint salad green, celery taste which were sweet and fresh.

As the tea cooled, there was an increase in the thickness of the mouthfeel. I added some raw sugar which was a very nice addition.

This morning tea was one that I would recommend especially for those who don’t care much for grassy green vegital tea’s. This was subtle and smooth. Very gentle.

I won’t be writing on Steepster until Saturday.
Today, my daughter Annalisa and I are off to the Highland Games and a Tattoo (all the Piper’s marching together) tonight at 7200 ft. surrounded by towering 14,000 ft mountain peaks. We’ll both cry. The bagpipes are wild and special to us, a reminder of persecution and survival. The fiddle and pipes are played at family events (mostly funerals now). Old Scot’s songs are passed from generation to generation and we Bless the Tartan’s on St. Andrews Day.

I’m bringing along tea of course. There’s a mountain river next to our condo and I’m going to sit there with my tea and soak in the beauty of the Colorado Highlands. (I’ll take pictures)

Have a bonny day!

http://youtu.be/P5P1M5qwBwo Not the best youtube but you get the idea of the pipers playing Amazing Grace
I’ve probably posted this before…Estes Park http://youtu.be/xWlwZA2PnxA (an hour away from my home it’s a great vacation destination for hikers and wildlife lovers).

Thank you Dhart1214 for this sample tea

La la la la la….

What does one do when one does not care for a tea? One has to look for something that is good about the tea like a detective!

I’ll become… Miss Marple …The BBC Detective!

Miss Marple is in the kitchen with her pot of tea, flowery rose china cup (totally not me) which she takes on a tray (along with cream and castor sugar) to a table by the garden window.

The first pour is a nose scrunching audible, “Really, oh no! Something has to be done about this!” (The black thick tea was so strong and bitter it could have disintegrated a discarded murder weapon!)
“I’ll add some cream and castor sugar. Surely that will make this tea drinkable.” But alas, the tea was still sour and without a chocolate, coconut flavor at all.
“Drat it all! Whatever is the matter with this tea? Has it been meddled with?” Looking into the cup for a bit, you could see the process of deduction…the sleuth at work.
“I’ll dilute the tea!”
This proved to be the best answer to drinkability but just barely.

Miss Marple’s deduction was as follows:

Either there was something that went terribly wrong with the Puerh base which made the tea have an odd taste. Or,the flavoring went berserk taking on a persona that has nothing to do with coconut or cocoa. (It could also be a sinister plot.)

The case had to go into the file of unsolved mysteries!

I like a good mystery, and I’ll assume that I am the only one that had an off packet of this tea and leave it at that.

This week’s trip to my Tea Pub was one where I order a
pot of tea (I’m always looking for a new tea to try and write about)
and then pull out a packet of one of my own treasured tea’s
for my tea server friends to try. (These employees are super mega educated about tea!)
I ordered this Darjeeling and sat at the tall bar watching several
of my friendly servers take the last of my sample packet of Summer Tieguanyin and gradually pour all 18 steepings.

It’s funny to watch the whole tea serving and drinking from a bar stool. The Gaiwan was ready and the pouring began.
Eyes rolled around and primordial sounds arose as my friends enjoyed
the exceptional Oolong tea. It was amusing (I know I laughed).

My tea was more interesting and delicious than I expected also.
Harvested after the monsoon season, this darjeeling is a ‘no flush’…because it’s at the very end of picking. It has no muscat flavor, no astringency or acidity.
For an hour or so, my tea friends and I chattered on about what was making this tea so sweet? We ended up talking about beer, then grains and grain sugars and the closest flavor to what we were tasting in the tea was Grape Nuts.
Yes Grape Nuts cereal, which has a barley sugar that tastes good. (One other person said there was some kind of stone fruit but we could never decide on that. INCONCLUSIVE!)

I drank a whole pot of tea. Then I asked for a refill.
(Looking for stone fruit)
An odd thing happened with the second pot.
The leaves smelled soapy. Not bad soap, not Irish Spring. More like the musky warm soap scent left on a man’s skin, very light and pleasant.
(Well OK then, who just woke up?!)

The tea didn’t taste like soap but like Bergamot. Strange.
As the tea cooled, the soapy scent and Bergamot flavor drifted away as if they were never there at all.

I am such a fortunate person to have a place like this to go and have a good time, taste tea and share the tea I have. What a blessing. Without this place, I would have far less contact with people face to face. This is why I hope the tea culture in North America grows. For the tea we all love…sure, but for more places like my tea pub (Happy Lucky’s and in Boulder Ku Cha) to exist for hospitality.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBX1Mjf Finally found a picture of the place!

Thank you Dhart1214 for the big tea sample!

We all love Dragon Pearls (well most of us do)!

Even the few who don’t prefer black tea have to admit they’re pretty to look at.
All chocolate colored with golden strands rolled shape of a malted Whopper. (I popped one in my mouth once just to taste the malty leaves)

I’ve collected interesting shaped tea’s for when my young grandchildren come to visit. I have pillows of green tea, cigar shapes and pagoda’s. Tea’s with berries that plump up. AND, this
type of tea with their round shape which looks best in it’s jar like candy and scoop some into a glass pot for brewing.

Everyone loves a cocoa malty tea with some sugar and cream. It may as well be hot chocolate, but it’s better (and easier) to make.
Another infusion and there’s more in a hurry.

I had this tea by myself this morning.
The most cocoa of the Pearls I’ve tried has been Teavivre, but my local shop here in Fort Collins is so close to that standard that I’ll probably buy from them.
The Praise Tea Company Black Pearls are a extremely light cocoa.
I liked the maltiness and smooth richness of this tea, however. There was a baked bread comforting warmth to it.

Sometimes it’s hard to separate malt from cocoa so I carefully made a whole pot of tea, drinking it plain, then sweetening it, then adding cream and then going back to plain again.
I looked for the cocoa and just didn’t hardly, barely find it. (There was a potato chip aftertaste that I noticed after awhile)

I like this tea though. I am a fan of malty, homemade bread goodness in the morning. It’s all yummy to me.

Thank you Ashmanra for this lovely sample tea!

Cranberry and Almond flavors it says in the Harney & Son’s notes.
Fall is coming. In fact, this is the LAST DAY OF SUMMER!

Am I the only one who packed up the tank tops, shorts and white jeans this weekend? It’s a frigid 84 degrees out ;) so I thought I’d get ready for the cold weather with a splendid Fall tea.

Since this was my morning wake-up tea, I added cream and sweetening.
Some flavored tea’s speak to me. “Add a little something, Bonnie, you know you want to.” And I can’t resist.
(There are tea’s that I never add anything to ever, ever, ever!)

I liked the cranberry flavor which was just like chewing on the plump dry cranberry’s that I used to get from Trader Joe’s. Tart and sweet. The almond didn’t taste like almond in a distinct way. I couldn’t tell it was there as a nutty flavor, but it carried the cranberry along by giving depth to the tea so that it didn’t taste too fruity or thin. What I’m trying to say poorly is, the almond gave a cranberry chewy granola flavor to the tea. There.

Come on Fall! We’re ready for the display of color!

This is my 400th Review on Steepster!!!

First I want to thank Verdant for this sample that came with my last order. I saved it for this 400th review. (You like the red?!)

This tea is from the Fugian County of Anxi.

From the moment I snipped open the foil packet of tea, I knew I was going to be taken along on a fragrant journey. The tea leaves had a strong floral aroma that reminded me of having pancakes with berries and powdered sugar in a garden filled with flowers.

I chose a tasting bowl and cup set so that I could do small infusions. (My goal was to do the whole 18 rounds of Steepings!)

All through the rounds the color of the liquor changed very little. It was a pale yellow-green and faded slightly towards steep 16.
The fragrance of the leaves were very floral with a slight vegital tone in the beginning which began to reverse as the steepings continued. There was always a good floral scent.

So, how did this tea taste?

I’ve been sitting for hours thinking about this tea and the 16 steepings that I poured (all of which I will gladly repeat again).

I want to write about the flavor but the experience was more than a straight up flavor review with a list of steepings.

As I began the first few tastings, (which were the most floral) I was distracted, as is the case most times, by the newness of the tea. I ask myself, “What is this flavor here, is it juicy, creamy or astringent?”
It takes a few rounds before my brain and my mouth catch up to each other and I begin to hear the tea speaking. At that point, I have to step out of the way. The mind chatter has to calm down.

When I became quiet inside, I was able to enjoy the tea more, and remembered a time sitting on the beach in Half Moon Bay just listening to the waves crash on the beach. I always stopped to buy flowers from the growers along Highway 1. That area is known for flowers running all over the hills next to the Pacific Ocean. Star and Asian Lilies, Tulips and Mums. I bought flowers from that area at the Farmers Market every Friday by my job in Foster City.

This tea reminded me of those fragrant oceanside flowers rolled out like a carpet in the warm sunshine but cooled by the mist from the sea.
The same area was a growers haven for green beans and Asian vegetables. So, there it was. The flowers and sweet vegetables swirled together harmoniously like the flavor of the tea.

One more thing I must mention.

There was the most delightful creaminess, which I thought at first was butter because it was so thick. Then I changed my mind and said it was thick fresh cream. (I smacked my lips!)
The feeling isn’t the one you have after eating an ice cream, but the one you have after the first bite of a cooked pudding when it coats your mouth.

The tasting notes on the Verdant website are much more detailed than mine. Worth reading. Mine are simpler today.

I’m feeling a wee bit nostalgic. Eight months have gone by and I’ve made so many friends on Steepster. If you are like me, the little personal messages and encouragements that go on in the comments and behind the reviews are what floats this boat. This is all about tea and more isn’t it!

THANK YOU

Thank you Stacy for this juicy tea sample!

I can understand why Stacy stocks this tea so that she has plenty on hand for herself! It’s really good tea!

This morning, when I saw the words ‘Black Tea’ on the sample packet, I casually picked it up thinking, "OK, a nice Black Tea for my morning kick in Le derrière ".

The leaves were long and beautiful. Chocolate brown twisty fingers.
With such dark leaves the liquor was lighter than I expected,
very clear and fragrant, with a scent like apricots and honey.

Before tasting my tea I went to the freezer and took out a few of my prized dried California Apricots (the plump ones that are hard to get ) and cut them up to gather the aroma. ‘Sniff’
The scent was the same as the tea!

I took a sip and the black tea was honey apricot without any maltiness. The mouth feel was rich and full even though you would have imagined at first that the tea was light as a feather.
The smoothness hides the slightest tingle of astringency as the tea cools. There is plenty of juiciness and sweetness, but it’s really all about the golden apricot honey which is hypnotic and swishes you away.

Being raised in Northern California, Apricots were plentiful and never cold packed like the kind you find in the stores today.
My mom (Pat) canned them, grandma (Lolita) made jam, and I picked them off trees to eat fresh, made desserts, and froze them for my kids as popsicles.

Before Silicon Valley was ‘Silicon Valley’ it was agricultural and had orchards and Canneries. Sunkist, Del Monte, S&W, Hunts, Libby’s, and Marianni’s all were there, and in the Summer the teens from my High School worked cutting ‘Cots’.
(Yes, there were no McDonald’s jobs because in the earlier 1960’s there were almost NO fast food restaurants!)
You cut ‘Cots’ (apricots) and got blisters on your hands for minimum wage, and were glad for it! If you were frugal, you might earn enough in a Summer to buy a $100-$200 used car!

Years later, (1980’s) across from the Apple Computer World Headquarters in Cupertino, I noticed an acre of huge drying flats of apricots laying in the sun at Marianni’s Cannery. The old and the new were side by side (and now gone).
A last remnant of what was once a lush valley of 100,000 that had been replaced with concrete and a population of over a million people.

Some have never tasted an apricot fresh off the tree when the sun has ripened it with a blush of red on the skin. The sweetness at just the right moment is juicy and bursting with life.
Try to stop at a stand where they are fresh if you can.

This youtube is somewhat bizzare, shows a 1955 film of Silicon Valley agriculture (a silent movie with soundtrack). Makes me want to cry because it’s gone! I lived for 12 years across from a Prune orchard and vineyard which are part of a freeway now. http://youtu.be/-PacfbdTIms

This tea for me was one reminder of my childhood and I want pass this kind of flavor memory forward like my family did with me.
One of the reasons that I love the organic farms and buying local!

Thanks Stacy! (I know Stacy tastes PEACHES but I taste APRICOT)

Thank you Dhart1214 for this sample tea!

For some readers this will bring back memories, for some…‘Guys’ maybe not unless you were dragged along with mom and a sister as a kid or are a dad who enjoys these times with a daughter.

It’s ‘Back to school shopping time’ for 17 year old Megan!
And of course who do they call? GRANDMA! (I’m so proud!)

I am the Queen of shopping for the family. I know how to get the best deals. It’s a holiday weekend which means ‘sale’ so I went online and checked the store I wanted to go to and found 15% off on top of what’s on sale in the store. (50% becomes 65%, 70% becomes 85% and so on).

Off we went in my Grandma minivan to Macy’s.

My daughter Annalisa, Megan and I scooped up a huge pile of clothes from the sale racks, then grabbed the largest dressing room.

What happens when we women get together is always the same.

We started getting goofy and laughing.
Then I began laughing till I wheezed.
Then they laughed at me, and from that point on everything was funny.
Pretty soon Megan was laughing and calling ‘Grandma", while I was crying and wheezing, “Stop”, and my daughter couldn’t speak at all because she was on the floor doubled over giggling at both of us.

We exhausted ourselves with this nonsense.

We are a family of Laughing women!
In the car with the other two teenage girls it’s even worse.
At home and at Church…we can’t stop laughing and carrying on.

It’s wonderful!

I chose the Black-n-Blue tea for my nightcap because it just struck my fancy.
Most times I like blackberry tea because it reminds me of making jam and berry picking with my children when they were little.

After steeping the leaves in my Finum basket, I sweetened the tea and took a sip.
The tea tasted like a hot blackberry turnover.
There was a nice bakery flavor that I liked, with a jam quality that wasn’t too sweet like candy but was natural but not tart.
There was an aftertaste that reminded me of peach. It’s a full, round mouth-feel that gives the tea that crust buttery pastry flavor.

This was a good and tasty tea.
Perfect after laughs with the women who have my whole heart. These shopping trips are going to create some good memories don’t you think so too?!

Thank you Dhart 1214 for this Sample Tea!

Last night I was getting ready to meet up with my daughter’s big van for the 50 mile trek to St. Luke in Erie for Vesper’s with Bishop Basil. (It’s the eve of the beginning of the New Year on the Orthodox liturgical calendar which is celebrated with the Vespers and a picnic today.)
It can be a long drive with lots of grandkids bumping along calling requests from the back of the van to the front (although last night there were only 2 toddlers, 2 little boys, 2 teenagers and 2 mom/grandma’s).
I planned well, brewing a double tall insulated mug of this Chocolate Delight Tea. It would be my grandmother medicinal that could calm my nerves come what may. I would be prepared to sit in my seat and sip away, off in my own tea world while havoc reigned behind me.
For five minutes or so I tried to have a civil conversation with my daughter about how little sleep she was getting with the 18 month waking up at 3am ready to play.
Soon, a little voice over my left ear kept saying
“Is it pretty my precious?”, and other creepy phrases like that.
“Oh, I remarked, The Hobbit?” Ah yes.
The rest of the journey was quiet on my part, with little voices over my left ear and a big mug of tea to sip.

The tea was…PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE!

I picked the right tea for the right occasion. (Pat on back)
There had been no fooling around when I brewed the tea.
I didn’t taste the hot tea when I ran out the door…but I had sweetened it, steeped it a little long and added cream.
I’m so glad that I added both because it was soooo goood!
The chocolate flavor wasn’t sour or fake tasting but rich and deep like a chocolate Sacher Torte.
The barley adds a warm fullness to the tea and the apples are something I usually don’t like, but here I think they add sweetness without being detected as apple flavor. The cocoa flakes and beans…no complaints! Ha! The more the merrier!
(I especially love the barley in the tea…such a good move!)

I couldn’t resist giving my daughter a sip (and I’m a germ-a-phobe…I don’t share cups!!!) and she said she would buy this tea too because of the barley with the chocolate!

Very nice.

Thanks Ashmanra for this sample tea!

My experience with Harney & Son’s Tea is almost ‘0’. I think the only one I’ve had is Paris and that’s it. (Maybe one other that was a teabag…can’t remember.)

When Ashmanra wanted to send me some tea in exchange for the Lapsang Souchong (and some other tea’s) I was sending her, I took advantage of the Harney’s in her cupboard. “Now’s my chance!”, I said to myself!

In the beginning (tea bible), I drank lots of flavored tea’s, mostly from Davids and a few other brands. That was so much fun even though I had to wait for the shipments to arrive from Canada.
Then, I looked at the top of the Tea list on Steepster and noticed several companies that were repeatedly mentioned for quality and began trying them out. Pretty soon, I had more unflavored tea than flavored. What a switch!

This morning, instead of a Black tea or Assam or Pu-erh to charge me for the day, I picked up a flavored tea (something I haven’t done for awhile).

I was kind of excited about trying Tower of London, which seemed like having dessert for breakfast!

I didn’t even taste the tea without sweetening it first. Bah! I know what I like!
My first taste was creamy smooth and a bit like an Earl Grey, somewhat reminiscent of Paris with a splash of vanilla. The flavor was like French Pastry and I liked it.
I carefully added some cream which gave the tea an even more intense pastry aire.

What a lovely way to begin the day with the end of Summer just ahead. We’ll soon be putting away our whites and pastels until next year.
I had my light, sweet dessert tea along with a baguette, butter and some berries in a bowl. All perfect for beginning my day with a smile!

Thanks mrmopar for this Pu-erh sample

It was late afternoon and one of those cloudy warm days where you know there will soon be drops of rain falling.
I was busy doing bills and received my first phone call on the newly installed phone line from the local emergency callback service, informing me that trucks will be spraying for West Nile on my street tonight. Really? We haven’t had rain in ever so long. West Nile?! (In about 8 weeks those critters will freeze to death!)
My second call was an invite to a political luncheon at the home of a local candidate. For free. (Well, in my case they’re not getting any money anyway because I have none).

Oh I do love life in Smallville!
End of Summer is celebrated with an all dog,all human swim at Central Park Lake. (Pretty neat!)

The railroad tracks that run parallel with the main street carries two LONG trains each day that halt traffic straight through downtown. (I’m talking about trains with over 100 cars on them and all you can do is sit in traffic and wait.)

The good people of Fort Collins decided to make use of those train tracks and redesigned the roadway around them, closing the streets downtown (causing a huge detour) for the past few months so that a Trolly Train will be able to run back and forth the whole length of Fort Collins during NON-COMMERCIAL-TRAIN hours. (this is beginning to look more and more like Disneyland. First,the Main Street was modeled after our town and now we’re getting this little train going back and forth…?!)

My oh my?! I needed a Pu-erh latte today!
(Sorry mrmopar, no disrespecting of the Pu!)

30 second steeping of this Pu-erh is plenty of time for a rich dark broth. I drank a 4oz first steep to test the sweetness and salt(which was perfect for my plan).

The second and third steeps I poured together for a big mug of dark
pu-erh which was earthy with no nasty flavor. This was nice and smooth. Like I said, perfect for my plan!

I added CREAM (not milk) and Sweetening and I became “Happy Bonnie”!

I don’t keep ice cream and cake and all those sorts of dangerous to my figure goodies in my house…ha…and I don’t need to with all the tea I’ve accumulated!
But, when I want the richness that comes close to a candy bar, my favorite Black chocolaty tea’s, a sensuous Chai, or caramel Pu-erh Latte satisfies my dessert craving! This did the trick!
http://youtu.be/KlmU6fXSwfk If you like trains, here it is.
My old friend is conductor on this old trolly that runs from town to Central Park…watch it fly! http://youtu.be/gEl2ZDuZQy8

This is the second time I’ve had this tea from Butiki only the last time it was a Sample and now I own 2 whole ounces all to myself!

I remember the first time being so surprised the first time at how good the flavor was that I even cooked some apples in this tea…so yummy!

I made a full pot for my morning sit down with Steepster!
The news today in Fort Collins is almost right out my window.
The President is speaking at the University today at the other end of my street ( W Elizabeth is interrupted by the University then on the other side E Elizabeth continues on). The parking for the event is at the Stadium with shuttles going down my street…right past my house. I’m not going anywhere!!! I have a ticket but I’m staying away from the crowds because it’s HOT! Besides, I’ve seen Presidents and lived in Washington, D.C. so let the young people go!

I’m sittin’ and sippin’ my Guranse! Boy is this tea GOOD!
It reminds me of those old fashioned sassafras candy cane sticks
you can get at old fashioned candy stores. If it was a bit more tangy I would say horehound. The color is brilliant mahogany.
So syrupy sweet and yummy!

I’ve been invited to Happy Lucky’s at 5pm to taste a Green Tea Cake by a baker lady who is on Steepster! I’ll give a report tomorrow!

Everyone have a happy day…I’m so glad to have you all as my friends!

Thanks to Dhart1214 for this sweet sample tea!

Happy new old car to me!

Well, I sold my baby, my Silver Rav4 and now, I have a new, old,
Grandma car! Hooray for me, sigh! (I really am grateful though)
Don’t you think the best way to celebrate would be with some White Bubbly Berry Tea?!

I am now driving an older Mini-Van. It’s in perfect condition with new tires and low mileage (116,000) for a (gulp) 1995.
The poor grandma who owned it has MS. Her name is…Bonnie. No lie! Not a rattle or scratch on the car. (Weird her name is Bonnie,huh)

So, here I am driving an old lady car and learning again that the things I have don’t matter. (The turn indicators go click, click which my granddaughters like…they think it’s retro! Heck, I’m retro!)

BUT, THE TEA I DRINK DOES MATTER! HUH! (Got that right!)

I’m celebrating with a sweet bubbly berry tea and I like it!
The wet leaves smelled like raspberry green peas and I giggled.
How cool? I wondered what the tea would taste like.
I would have slurped down a sweet pea raspberry tea, but the sweet pea wasn’t there. Arh.
Instead, there was a soft, floral raspberry flavor which made my mouth tingle. The tea was smooth with fire around the edges of my tongue and sweet enough not to need a thing added to it.

I added some sweetening to it anyway.
I spent the whole morning getting a smog check, and at the Larimer County Building doing the car registrations.
If you don’t think I needed something sweet after that, then you probably haven’t done this task in awhile!

I loved kicking back with my sweet bubbly berry tea! I’ll enjoy this again and again! (She sent me an ounce…goodie!!!)

Thank you so much for the White Berry Bubbly!

Am I the only person who never saw this funny/cute Japanese/Thai Tea commercial with the little dad and son worms? http://youtu.be/TgPmaNMReKQ

Thank you Stacy for this Sample!

I’ve received my new tea’s from Butiki (dance, dance, dance)!

As always, Stacy lovingly places just the right little packets of samples in my order (and will in yours also).
It never fails to make me smile with excitement when I discover what she has tucked in my box as my free samples!

I have tasted the previous Butiki Assam, but this is a newer one…
a Premium Taiwanese Assam.

My experience with Assam’s has been average.
The one’s I’ve tasted have been of medium body, slightly smoky and a little malty. Good breakfast Assam’s that can hold up to milk in the morning and have mild astringency. Not overly complex tea’s.

What now?
Stacy is always hunting down the best tea’s she can find. Like a sly fox, she scours the tea markets improving the line-up of tea’s she carries, always looking for unique flavors and blends. This is one of the things I love about her and Butiki Tea!

Flavor

Well, this was not like any Assam I’d ever tasted before!
There was a yam, potato flavor right away though not a lot (if any) malt.
I didn’t pick up any smokiness and the astringency didn’t even arrive until the tea was quite cool.

Speaking of cool…
The spicy heat in this tea was followed by a characteristic that I associate with Taiwanese Tea’s…that menthol/minty cool feeling in the mouth.
This was such a great mouth-feel (if you’ve never experienced it before) but subtle.
I was looking for a raisin chocolate taste (which I found), and along the way got distracted by how soft the finish was.
Like a mist the tea evaporated at the end. All the flavors seemed to be up front with a spice-cool shift in the center and then poof, gone.

This was before I added anything to my tea!
You can’t imagine how sweet and nectar-like my tea was when I added
just a little sweetening. (Stacy would say “Add a little natural raw sugar crystals to bring out the flavor”)

Very tasty and delicious for breakfast or anytime!

Lovely Assam!

NEW HARVEST! ZHU RONG!

Thank you Verdant for this sample of the latest Zhu Rong!

I had some of the first season Zhu Rong left in my cupboard, so I was excited to compare the New Harvest with what I already had side by side.

2 small Gaiwans, 2 glass cups and I was ready.

The scent of the dry leaf was different right off. The newer leaves were sweeter smelling. Wet and dry, the color on the first release was brown, and on the new harvest brownish-green.

The wet leaves smelled different also. The new release tea aroma was perfumy, spicy and cocoa molasses smelling.
I was scratching my head. What was that floral perfumey aroma floating around every time I enhaled? Coriander seed? Hibiscus flowers?
The first Zhu Rong had a definite molasses chocolate scent with an after aroma of sweet tomato. (The newer version had no tomato scent.)

The color for the New Harvest Zhu Rong was darker golden caramel.

Taste!
What’s not to love about the original Zhu Rong?
I love it and bought myself a hefty amount to enjoy!
That rich bitter-sweet chocolate molasses, cinnamon, yammy goodness was so irrisistable (and still is).

The New Harvest isn’t ‘better’ than the previous version but ‘different’.
(You can’t have the same exact flavor from a different harvest anyway!)
This tea is spicier with a bite on the tongue that is a teaser!
Such a creamy, dark chocolate and a smooth tea with that floral scent still puzzling me. Some molasses and spice moves about in the shadows, popping out now and then with a ‘ha gotcha’ splash of flavor. So many layers of flavor to sit and enjoy!

Somehow, I felt as though I was at a fancy European Chocolate Shop with the first Zhu Rong and then for the second Zhu Rong had traveled to the Middle East with glittering flavors from Exotic Spice Markets. There was even a fountain with fragrant flowers releasing their aroma circling around my head. This is what was so hypnotic!

New Harvest Zhu Rong is EXCITING! Even richer and more complex than the original! (I was going to say SEXY! instead of EXCITING! But I didn’t did I!)

Here’s some music, grab a scarf and dance!
http://youtu.be/Gff_5BA4QYM Sting
http://youtu.be/Hc3Jxx6dbJo

It seems that I’m going to be the first one to review this tea!
(An earthquake and rattle of chains!)

Ha! Not to worry! I liked this tea!

Here’s why!

Right up front Whispering Pines comes out and says “There’s a hint of Lapsang Souchong in this cozy cabin fire Black Tea!” and that’s exactly what you get.
More like a Woodsman with the skill and restraint of a Fairy Godmother’s Wand… dusted this tea with Lapsang Souchong, I’m thinking.

The flavor was pretty smooth and mild, even bright like a light Assam at first. Not bakery bread or malty tasting and not the slightest bit astringent.

I added sweetening and later cream. To my taste, the sweetening was best and went with the smokiness which had become stronger as the tea cooled.

By far, this was my favorite of the Whispering Pines Black Tea blends and would be easy to drink through the coming Fall and Winter months especially with a little toast and jam to go along with the smoky brew!