Carytown Teas

i ran a 50k race on saturday. my legs are still very sore. especially my right leg.
i’m just saying, that’s why i haven’t commented much. sometimes i read your discussions and want to get involved, but i’m just kinda too busy to take a break.
i’m gonna have to start focusing on training more too. which means i won’t really be able to use steepster as much as i want to. which is a bummer.
did i mention that i have 100 tea samples to try?!?!
2 more swaps came in the mail over the past few days.
whew that’s a lot of yummy.

i love lapsang. and carytown teas has consistently great teas.

SIPDOWN!

A lovely orange puerh that was wonderful to drink. Thank you again shmiracles for this one :)

Sipdown, 156.

The only good thing about having a freezing cold, over-air conditioned office is that I get to enjoy hot tea year round. I am having the rest of this sample today, although it’s not quite as enjoyable this time around. Maybe I should have rinsed it (but the first time I didn’t and it was fine). But this time it is way earthier, and tastes a bit like drinking lightly orange-flavored dirt water. Hah. Well, sometimes that’s shu puerh, I guess. Maybe I will try a second steep and see if that one mellows out a bit.

ETA: Second steep much better, and more like the first time I had this tea. Nice sweet blood orange, slight woodiness from the puerh. A pleasant cup.

Sipdown, 161. Yum.

The power of suggestion worked today. I saw someone else’s note about a coconut oolong and decided to have the rest of my sample of this one. I would be fascinated to learn about the source of all of these coconut baozhongs, which seem to be pretty much the same everywhere (with perceived differences possibly based on freshness I would guess). And they are so prevalent! But at least they are all delicious. Yummy creamy, toasted coconut and even a bit of cookie to it. Eventually I’ll have a permanent tin of coconut baozhong in my stash, but more of that stash has to go, first. :)

Yay, another surprise sample from Shmiracles from our last swap. Thanks!

I have been drinking more unflavored puerhs (mostly shengs) as part of the Verdant Reserve club, but it’s been a while since I’ve had a flavored shu. I didn’t rinse this one, because I didn’t think about it.

The brewed tea is dark as the night and it smells very woody and earthy, overlain by a definite blood orange aroma. The flavor is quite nice! The main part of the sip really is the blood orange, both sweet and a hint tart, and then it is supported by this woody background. It’s a pretty simple flavored tea, but sometimes simple is great.

Thank you for this one shmiracles! I’m sad to say that i’m working form home today but not intentionally since we had an issue this morning that pretty much meant i had to stay home and work on issues and not take the time to get to work. As a result, my relaxing work from home and drink lots of tea has not been happening. grrrr

I had this one ages ago but it’s been too busy to write about. As a result i’ve lost a lot of what it tastes like so i’ll hold off on rating it. It smells DIVINE! i am totally digging the dry aroma. In terms of the taste, i don’t recall hating anything about it, so i assume it was good but not spectacular enough to make me sit up and take notice either lol. Better tasting note next time i promise! but it was a tasty morning tea!

This was a surprise sample in my swap from Shmiracles! Thanks for sending it along!

Coconut oolongs, and coconut pouchong/baozongs in particular, are pretty popular, and its one of those things where people always wonder if they are coming from the same source. I think I have actually only tried Golden Moon’s Coconut Pouchong, but I love it so much that I’ve never sought out another. Of course I also haven’t had that one in my stash for forever (and won’t until my stash gets smaller), so I rarely have one. When I opened the pouch for this one it smelled not just like coconut but toasted, baked coconut, and I always associate that smell with coconut macaroons. It also smelled a bit more floral than I remember the GM tea smelling, more like the bao zhong base.

Haha, it just occured to me that Shmiracles sent me the macaron tea from MF, but she also sent me a macaroon tea as well!

Anyway, this is quite a delicious example of this type of tea. Sweet, creamy coconutty but not raw coconut. Toasty coconut, like a cookie, which is really the best kind for me. For tea, I guess, because I love raw coconut to eat, but it sometimes makes me ill in teas. Not this one, it’s all deliciousness all the way. The bao zhong is a bit floral here as well, but not enough to be distracting. Quite lovely, glad to have a sample!

this tea really is 50% blossoms like the picture shows.
smooth jasmine and all the citrus is on the nose but not even slightly tart. almost creamy?!
nicely done little oolong!

the bottom of this tasting note is an over caffeinated note from last night.

i watched the full “Victoria Wood’s Nice Cup of Tea” part 1 and 2 this morning.
the program is very fun and i’m shocked i hadn’t learned about it earlier. it never occurred to me that there would be shows about tea! how exciting!
while watching there was one moment that was totally weird, but during the first episode they showed a grandiose dance performance in china that was about the story of tea, where at the end of the performance they gave the entire audience each a cup of tea. and for some mysterious reason, i started crying.
i mean really?
i was so moved i actually started crying.
i think i’m in too deep. whew!

i like this tea much more this time around! the rind adds a strong pithy flavor to the tea. earthy and pithy and oddly dark in flavor. i don’t know much about what a white puerh should taste like. it is a complicated balance of both delicate and dark flavors. which makes sense. i’m glad i bought this when i did.

Hell! tonight was shot becuzzzz…..

JacquelineM got me started with this awesome vid! (THANKS!)
Morrissey talks tea with Victoria Wood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSqp73xSvbg
and then i went here
Doctor Who’s Matt Smith Talks Tea – Victoria Wood’s Nice Cup of Tea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu4E92Joeig
and then naturally here
Mark Ruffalo acts out a fan’s dream conversation – The Graham Norton Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GwRis0CZhQ
and then i naturally progressed to the Martin Freeman episode of Who Do You Think You Are. and on and on.
you know.
internet binge.

Last cup of the day. This is the third tea that I purchased at Carytown Teas. I was a little hesitant about this tea since it has rose hips in it, and for some reason I always associate those with hibiscus. But I like the rose petals, lavender, raisins and dried berries that are in this tea. And I’ve been liking rooibos more, so I figured I would try it. The dry leaves smell like rooibos and sweet berries; and the tea’s aroma is fruity. This tea is a lot more mellow than I was expecting – there is a subdued fruity flavor with a lavender finish. I’m getting a light floral and berry aftertaste with a hint of rooibos, but not too bad. I added sweetener and a little milk and the tea is very good with both, especially for a cup right before bed. I’ve literally drank my whole cup in just a few minutes while trying to figure out the flavors in this tea – there’s a lot going on! It’s not my favorite, but it’s different in a good way from what I was expecting from this tea.

-Dry blend has red rooibos with pieces of dried fruits and lavender and rose petals.
-Dry blend smells like rooibos and sweet berries. Tea liquor aroma is fruity.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium reddish orange color.
-Mellow fruity flavor with a lavender finish. Light floral and berry aftertaste with a hint of rooibos.
-Best with sweetener. Milk optional.
-Good tea. Sweet and fruity with a hint of lavender. A good bedtime tea.

seeing Duncan Trussell @ Strange Matter. Comedy and Tea! I win Tuesday.

i opened this timolino to let it start to cool down, and as i finished the previous cup of another tea all I could smell was warm vibrant coconut.
i’m SO GLAD i bought this. i stood there at the counter hemming and hawing about whether i should spend the money. but once i get the tea home i’m always glad i have it and don’t think a bit about the money.

i’ll write more notes later. probably tomorrow when i drink it again. i just have too much to get done today is all.
i’ll obviously have to compare it to the davidstea version once i get time to taste that one.

So this one seems almost the same as Mistie’s Blend, except this one doesn’t have hazelnut in it. I think the fiancee voted for this one, and that’s why I purchased two blends that are so similar. This one does include rose petals in it, as listed, so I am pretty happy about that. The smell, like Mistie’s Blend, is of strong, rich cocoa. The tea itself smells like warm milk chocolate with a florally hint of rose. The flavor is malty and chocolatey with a light rose finish. The chocolate flavor is strong, but the black tea is still nice and malty. The rose just gives it enough of a floral note without being overwhelming. I really like this tea. As with Mistie’s Blend, the tea is a little thin, but it’s not too bad. And Chocolate Lovers seems pretty true to it’s description and ingredients, yay!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs with pink, white and yellow rose petals.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of rich cocoa. Tea liquor aroma is of milk chocolate with a hint of rose.
-Tea liquor is a clear golden brown color.
-Malty chocolate flavor with a very light rose finish.
-Best with the smallest amount of milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Silky chocolate flavor with a floral note.

We were our of town this past weekend at a soccer tournament. Saturday was nice and sunny, but Sunday was absolutely freezing and rainy. It was pretty miserable sitting on the sidelines watching the games. But I’m sure the girls who were playing were really cold and wet, so I didn’t complain too much. I was glad that we took our little 16 oz. Bodum electric kettle and some sample teas so that we could make some teas in the room to take to the games and then also to have a cup at night.

We went up early on Friday to spend the day in Richmond and went to the Carytown area to have lunch and visit Carytown Teas. Overall, I wasn’t super impressed with the store. I took a list of teas that I had found on their website to try, and when I got there and realized that a lot of their teas are Harney’s that they just resell. That cut my list down a lot, since I already have a lot of Harney’s and would just rather buy from them. The shop was really cluttered, there was literally stuff all over and it was all jumbled and didn’t really make me want to browse around a lot. My fiancee asked to use the restroom and he told me later that there were actually teas being stored in the bathroom! They were in clear plastic bags on the floor, but still . . .

I ended up purchasing 3 teas. Mistie’s Blend was the only one that I really wanted to try from there. It smells heavenly, like very rich cocoa. There is a nice hot chocolate aroma while the tea is steeping. The ingredients list rose buds and hazelnuts, but there are only ordinary black tea leaves in the blend. I’m not going to lie – I was a little sad, since I love rose flavor and if it’s listed on the ingredients I kind of am expecting it to be in there when I open up the bag. Maybe I am just being too picky? The flavor is malty and chocolatey with a little hazelnut finish. There is a nice cocoa aftertaste that lingers. Sadly, I can’t taste any rose in the blend whatsoever. The tea is a little thin also, but not terribly so. This is a nice tea and it really does taste like a tea version of hot chocolate, but if I could find another tea with rose added in I would probably purchase that one.

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of rich cocoa. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and nuts with just a hint of cocoa.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark brown color.
-Malty chocolate flavor with a small hazelnut finish. Lingering cocoa aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Thin hazelnut and hot cocoa taste. No rose flavor noticeable.

came home from work, skipped the gym, and organized my tea a little instead. nothing big. just putting some new bags in tins and labeling them. having a small part left over of ‘exotica’ and trying to cold brew for the first time. sorting some small amounts to take to work with me for future use. and brewing up a few herbal tumblers to drink for the night.

this is one of the teas i need to finish up. it’s not a very spring type of tea. and i like it enough. and turmeric is good for you. and we all know carytown teas has a REALLY GREAT track record. but basically i’ve had enough of this tea for now. mostly a lemongrass and turmeric blend. it’s good. i’d TOTALLY buy it again.

A post from 10 months ago that i put under the wrong tea!::::
ICED! actually a lovely iced tea. for sure! who would’ve thought! (I’m experimenting with all of my teas. whether they seem iced friendly or not.) i’m not brewing them traditionally either. i just brew it like a normal tea, 4 cups at a time, and then let it cool and put it in the fridge. then if it’s really hot out i can use a few ice cubes, or i can also just have it in a normal glass without ice. this tea was better when i watered it down a little with some ice. it brought the turmeric zing and made the ginger taste a little sweeter.

What an interesting and beautiful tea. Cute little mandarin orange peels stuffed with beautiful white puerh tea.

I gave my leaves a rinse before brewing. I steeped it for a minute which I see was a bit long according to the directions here (no internet at home to check). Each sip brought different notes to light. My first sip tasted mostly like a white tea with a hint of orange at the end. By my last sip, I was tasting notes of honey and citrus. I can’t wait to try the brewing instructions suggested above and see what comes from that :)

Thanks, sissy, for sending me this!!

so good!
with apple pie and hobbit talk and discussion of things to do and see while i’m in paris.
then i went to the gym and ran/walked over 17 miles as i read some super fun hobbit fanfic.

the tea was brewed perfectly. i mean i’m not a lavender person at all, and my sister accuses me of actually not liking earl grey (i argue that i don’t buy it cuz it’s everywhere though i do certainly like it!) but the tea was so perfectly balanced. i have to say that carytown teas seems to always consistently have the best best teas. i feel lucky that it is in my city every time i go there and buy a new tea.

I’ve made a few pots of this in the past week, and every time I’m surprised by how much I enjoy the grassy rice cake flavor. Big thanks to my sis for discovering the name of this style of tea.

I was hoping for something more, but this is pretty much just a pleasant Earl Grey.

Just finished the 2 oz. I bought to try this out. I started having just a cup in the evening, but this week I began brewing a pot before bedtime as they suggested. I’m not sure if it has helped me sleep, though.

I like the flavor of chamomile, which was my bedtime tisane before I tried this. This blend has a certain tang that took some getting used to. I think it might be fennel. Anyway, it’s not bad, but I think I’ll go back to plain old chamomile.

I’ve tried different temps and times but this tea still doesn’t do it for me. I think I’ll pass it on to a friend. She might have better luck.

No notes yet.

i haven’t been around much. i guess i just don’t have a ton to say about tea at the moment.
also marathon training has picked up in miles and requires more of my free time.
but don’t worry, i’m still obsessed with tea!

proof! look what i just bought!
special Mandarin White Puerh http://instagram.com/p/VXJqSQIc_3/

i had a dentist appt and then stopped in to Carytown Teas to get one cup to drink. and the next thing i knew i’d spent almost $25 dollars. but that mandarin puerh so beautiful!!!

also the blood orange puerh was very very nice! (though maybe a hint of chocolate couldn’t hurt.)

My favorite tea, particularly in the winter. I love cinnamon flavored things, and this is a perfect blend of the sweet and hot cinnamon flavors. I add a little honey to punch it up, but it doesn’t need it.