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A&D Ceylon won the Battle of the Black Teas today. The Ceylon is complimenting my turkey wheat wrap with red onion, tomato, cumber, spring mix, feta, red pepper white bean spread, and balsamic vinaigrette. Will I win the Battle of Bathroom Cleaning after lunch though?

Bad days are good for tea. Or is it tea is good for bad days. Either way, I knew I’d be having a few cups more than my usual single late evening cup so I went for a rooibos. I steeped this one with less time and less tea than usual. It’s lighter but not by much.

I noticed again that my choice in non-caffeinated teas is limited. But I still have so many tea odds and ends to drink before I order more tea. I have plenty of blacks and greens, which is what I mostly drink. But I’ll need to beef up on rooibos/herbals, whites, and oolongs, both of which I am new to. More tea is in my future. Or rather, new teas are in my future, I should say.

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Napal looked at me this morning and said no more yucky black tea for you today now that you’re feeling more perky. What can I say? He basically told me I had to drink him. Then he went a bit floral on me. He was a most lovely golden brown color today though. 2nd steep: 4 min and a pinch of fresh leaves.

Vanilla Bean is one of the few tea I remember disliking the first time I tried it. I’ve largely left it alone since then. The husband and I were in a massive slump at 5pm this evening so I dragged myself off the couch. Vanilla Bean, being a bagged tea, was an easy black to brew to pick us up a moment when we weren’t looking for a great tasting tea. I tried more milk, a shorter 3 min brewing time, and slightly cooler water, looking to reduce the bitterness and perhaps bring out the vanilla. It was a decent cup but still without much vanilla taste. I’m currently drinking a 2nd steep made with both of the bags. Plenty strong enough for a 3nd steep but still a so-so tea.

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Chrine drank a non-A&D tea and A&D smited her tea. Normally she finds this Lemon Green to be a decent, if not great, cup of tea. Tonight, she did not finish the cup or resteep, which was sad because she was looking forward to having this one tonight as she is nearly out. Perhaps it was not the best pairing with Hunan Chicken and Shitake Beef from Red Orchid.

Two steeps of Ceylon during a slightly stressed out morning makes for a short Tealog and tea drank a little bit warmer than lukewarm but still needed. Steep #2: 5 min.

Steep #2 went into the bath with me while I read the October Believer. It was drank quickly.

Wuyi Oolong, I haven’t had you in awhile and you’ve just been sitting there in your tin on the top shelf of the cupboard, getting bored perhaps. You sounded like you’d go good with a Jonagold apple and natural almond butter for a snack.

When I poured hot water on the leaves, the smell was very strong: roasty, toasty, and grain-like with some dusty and earthy. It reminded me of something but I haven’t been able to place it and I’ve been sniffing at my cup as I drink. The taste is much as I remember and quite nice, although probably not the best paired with this snack.

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Steep #4 occurred while taking my turns on Conquer Club last night. The husband had steep #3 (3 min 45 sec) while he took his turns on CC and drank it rapidly. I must have been more thoughtful cause most of my cup remain when I finished. So it transitioned with me into bed where I finished it while reading The Shipping News. Steep #4 was quite light in color and in taste but still relaxing, warming, and enjoyable right before bed.

Procrastinating tasks with my first steep of Dragonwell went very well. I am now making a new To Do list with my second steep. This is also a light steep with the vegetal coming through a bit more.