Dinosara

Sipdown, 168. Sad to sip this one down, but sipdowns must be had and I can’t be hoarding. Actually there are two teas with one cup left in them that I am, in fact, hoarding, but I can’t bring myself to sip them down yet.

I think the best brewing parameters for this tea (for me) are: 5 pearls, 12oz water, 212°F, 2 minutes. This one was brewed with 4 pearls for three minutes but it could have possibly used even more time. It’s a little thin, but still chocolatey and grainy and delicious. It’s like chocolate museli. I know I’ve used that for a tea before, but I’m not sure if it was this tea or another one! But this one defintiely gives off a chocolate museli vibe. This is a must have tea and eventually it will make it back into my stash.

My stomach is feeling better but not 100%, so I definitely wanted to avoid flavored greens as lately they’ve been turning my stomach a bit. I opened up my sample drawer and these were sitting at the top, and they sounded like a great idea.

This is good, if a bit strong today. With fresh pearls, I used 5 for 12oz and 2 minute steep, but have knocked it to 3 minutes in the past once the pearls have gotten a little old. I though these might fall into that category, but apparently they are still fairly fresh because at 3 minutes this cup is edging on a slight bitterness. Like bittersweet baking chocolate more than dark chocolate. Well, I only have 4 pearls left, so I’ll get to futz around with steep times next time as well.

Last night there were too many margaritas, too much mexican food, and too much ice cream, and now they are all having a war in my stomach. I have heard numerous times that puerh is supposed to be good for upset stomachs, so I decided to give this a go, finally. I’ve had this sample for quite a while now, and must apologize to Teavivre for only now getting around to sampling it. The truth is, I’m still a little afraid of shu puerh. But onward!

I remembered why as soon as the water hit the leaves and I got a kind of slightly seaweedy smell. Just now I am realizing I should have rinsed them once, but I didn’t. Ah well. Fortunately any fishiness has gone away after a full steep, and the liquor is opaque and dark as night. It smells like sawdust, pretty much spot on.

The flavor is amazingly smooth. Not a hint of bitterness or astringency, and a thick, luscious texture. It is, also, lightly sweet. The main part of the flavor is earthy, saw-dusty (though without the feeling of ‘dust’), woody. As far as I can tell, its a very nice example of this type of puerh. Not fishy or off-tasting, just smooth and relatively pleasant. I just am not super into drinking earthy sawdust, heh. It may be settling my stomach (hard to tell), but hopefully so!

Sooo excited about my new variable temp kettle for home! I used it this morning to make my first bowl of matcha in quite a while. One of the reasons I fell out of making matcha at home was the hassle of cooling the water to the right temp… I am one of those people who wants to make sure it is really at just the right temp, so heating it up in my stovetop kettle and letting it cool with a thermometer was dragging me down. But not anymore!

I made this with a touch of sugar but not as a latte. I do think I prefer matcha in latte form… this was pretty good, but I found the rose to be more perfumy than I used to when having it with milk. I also don’t quite find the white matcha to be worth the price bump, and if I was going to get the rose flavor again I would probably go for the green base. Nonetheless this was a tasty morning bowl of matcha.

I have fallen into that mode where I get so focused on drinking samples and having sipdowns that I don’t drink up the teas I have more of, which are usually my favorites. Well this afternoon I decided F that, it’s my birthday, and I’m going to drink some tea I love. A lot of people have been drinking Laoshan Black today so it was already stuck in my head, but I have the option to take it to eleven.

I actually hadn’t yet broken into the 2oz of this that I ordered… I can’t believe I have two whole ounces of this, but of course it is the only two ounces I will ever have. So glad to treat myself to this one today. Soooo smooth and honeyed. Grains, malt, chocolate, and a bit of spice, like a mexican hot chocolate almost. Deeeelish.

I’m going through some of these LPDT samples that I’ve had for a while but never tried so I can decide which ones I will drink the rest of and which ones I will swap and/or put in the TTB (if it ever comes).

They recommend steeping this one for 5–7 minutes. I can’t imagine! I did not follow that, though I did use their recommended temp. The resulting tea tastes kind of… odd. I can’t really parse it, and I think it’s the fruity floral flavors combined with the dark, roasted oolong. These are not things that go together in my mind, and I wanted this to be a green oolong. I also can’t for the life of me figure out which fruit and flowers are supposed to be in here. It is very confusing. The base is actually not too roasty and pretty nutty, so I feel like it would have been a great candidate for a chocolate/nut based tea. But no, fruity florals. Once I got partway through it started growing on me a bit, so it ended up being a drinkable tea, but definitely not one I would seek out again. Such has been my experience with LPDT… nothing quite amazing, but a lot of decent teas.

Yay, it’s my birthday. Boo, I have to spend all day writing my dissertation chapter. I have been very motivated this week, but today is looking bad.

Well, I better say something about this tea so I can get back to work. It’s a pretty drinkable tea, and I am enjoying it a bit more today than I have in the past. Very strong bergamot, but it avoids getting bitter, at least when hot. This is one of those odd teas that actually tastes worse once it cools a bit. The base is nice, with even a hint of sweetness to it, again, at least while it’s hot. Even while pretty darn warm this one is starting to become more astringent.

Sipdown, 169. Again, sending the rest of this one off in a swap!

So a while ago I had a weird time with some flavored green teas where they gave me an odd savory note. I discovered that it was my kettle that needed cleaning, but I think that was not the whole story. I think there is something about flavored senchas lately that are not sitting quite right with my taste buds. It’s been a while since my incident (and I had a cup of bilochun earlier that was fine), so I know the savory note I’m getting from this one is inherant. Of course, it is a super super mild note compared to my last experience, but it’s still there. I think I am starting to become not a fan of the base of most flavored senchas. Hmm. Anyway, the vanilla on this was light and creamy and pretty nice, it’s just the tea base I don’t find so awesome. I was never that excited by a green vanilla tea, though, so I am happy to send the rest of this one off to another home.

Sipdown, 170. This feels like a milestone! It is as low as I’ve gotten since I started keeping track. I’ve been yoyo-ing around mainly between 180 and 200 for a couple of months now so its nice to see the number actually dropping again (although looking back I started at 264, which was my highest number, so I’m almost down 100 teas). Now that I’m here, no going above 190!

Most of the sipdowns I’ve had recently I haven’t been too sad to see go, but this one is different. Is it my favorite tan yang? No, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious. I was reminded about this one by Angrboda’s tasting note on the tan yang from Teavivre today, and I definitely agree with her that this is kind of a wild child tan yang. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but today it is giving me really lovely chocolate-cinnamon bread notes, which is totally unexpected (where is cinnamon coming from in a tan yang?!) but awesome nonetheless. Glad I had this one around for a while.

Sipdown, 171. Sending the rest of this off in a swap!

First off, argh beaurocracy. I’m glad that NSF decided not to tell me when the annual report for my grant was due, but rather just inform me once it was overdue.

Anyway, this tea. Looking back at my tasting note from last time, I change no opinions. It’s pretty much exactly the same as the last time I had it, which is to day decently tasty, with a nice sweetness that I really enjoy, but also the yunnan is on the musty/earthy/woody side of things and that’s not quite my style. An Earl on a golden-tippier yunnan base would be awesome… oh wait, it was, back when Verdant had their Golden Earl years ago. sigh.

Sipdown, 172. Hot, unsweetened hibiscus? No thanks. But cold, lightly sweetened hibiscus (with some spices and a few other fruits that don’t do a ton in this but are slightly there)? Pretty yummy. I find sweetened hibiscus iced tea so refreshing, and this was a great for that purpose. Mango and/or passion fruit, not so much, but still tasty, and the spices in this add a little something.

Thanks to ToiToi for this sample. I have had this tea before, though it was being resold under a different name by a different company (like many of TeaGschwendner’s teas). I liked it then, but I wondered if I would like it now, so I asked for a sample.

The answer is yes. Om nom mango. This is really very delicious. I don’t remember it being this fruity, but it is a lovely mango flavor that I like perhaps even better than the mango black tea from thepuriTea. Plus those lovely florals… rose and jasmine just work well together with mango. This is a green/black blend, but picking a middling temp worked out well and I was rewarded with a smooth cup that still had some body. Pleasantly surprised by how much I still like this one.

Sipdown, 173. I got samples of this from I think multiple people (who were not fans of jasmine and trying to get rid of it I think), though I can’t remember from whom. Sorry, swap parterners, and thanks for the samples. I powered through two sample packets of this that I’ve had for a while by cold steeping one then doing a couple successive cups of the second packet. Single day sipdown, woot.

Either hot or cold, this was kind of meh. Cold it was a touch too strong, particularly in the green tea part. Hot, it was flat and uninteresting. The jasmine was marginally there, but it mostly tasted like a boring green tea. I see now that I’m not the only one that has felt this way. This was drinkable, but I wouldn’t have another cup of it. Even part way through the second cup I was over it.

Sipdown, 174. I got tired of this one fairly quickly today. I think in some cases teas with actual nuts in them sit with me poorly; I enjoy them initially while drinking but after a full cup my stomach starts to feel off. Maybe it’s the nut oils coming out or something. I do love a nut flavored tea, but I think it has to be all flavoring and no nuts for me. Oh well.

Backlog from this morning. I am trying to be good and write my dissertation chapters today instead of procrastinating on Steepster so I am drinking teas that are not new to me so I don’t feel like I have to review them right now.

This one is pretty good but I am less enamored with it this time around. It’s mango-y and the base tea is smooth and tasty, but for some reason it was not that impressive. Still, it’s probably the best straight mango black tea I’ve had. I think what I am not sure of now is whether I need a mango black tea in my cupboard or not. Not sure if I will restock this one; I have one more cup left so I’ll have to see how that one goes before making a decision.

Sipdown, 175. My second gongfu session of the day.

I decided to have this one because it was definitely only one more serving’s worth. I was actually a bit unsure of whether I really was in the mood for a sheng, but once I took the first steep I was pretty happy with my choice. This kind of reminds me of the smell of a creek in a woods; damp rock and earth, combined with the scent of the trees. I am starting to enjoy these types of teas more and more; who knows, maybe one day I will grow to really really love them. This was a very satisfying afternoon tea session.

Sipdown, 176. I am steeping this one gongfu today, and ended up using two of the sample packs (10g total) in my 6oz teapot. More than I usually would, but it’s more in line with what Teavivre calls for in their online instructions. We shall see!

After a couple of steeps the leaves are already bursting out of my tea pot. Probably should have stuck with my usual amount, haha. With very short steeps initially (4-12 seconds) the tea is both kind of weak in flavor while also edging on over-vegetal bitterness. I am so far preferring this one western style, but maybe I would enjoy it more not quite so overstuffed with leaf. I have sometimes run into this, that it seems like the Chinese like to really pack their teapots and gaiwans with tea, more so than what tastes good to me. Differing tastes for sure!

Sipdown, 177. This sachet came with my last Lupicia order; a duplicate from this month’s newsletter, but at least it was a decent one.

I needed a palate cleanser, and even though I don’t love this tea it is pretty enjoyable. Definitely on the strawberry candy side of things, but the flavor is light enough that it isn’t cloying. A pleasant tea to have with waffles this morning/afternoon.

Sipdown, 178. Thanks to yssah for the sample. This is the last of the LIT samples that yssah sent me.

This smell pretty innocuous dry; mostly like bergamot. I couldn’t tell if it was black, green, or a black/green blend, but the leaf was pretty dark so I went with just boiling water. That may have been a rather sizeable mistake. The smell of the brewed tea was, quite frankly, horrible. I can’t even describe how, although there were some weird floral notes and perhaps a bit of smoke. I took a sip anyway to try; amazingly it wasn’t actually bitter but that smell was too much for me. Not sure what yssah meant about “interesting” in her tasting note, but I’ve had jasmine earl greys before and the didn’t combine like this. Not rating this one because of the off steep temp for the leaf, but I am not sure that that’s responsible for everything here.

Well Steepster seems to be back up so I can backlog this one. Sipdown, 179.

This is an old sample but it also has been heat-sealed in an airtight foil-lined pouch so I don’t feel like it would have degraded that much. I have to say that the smell of the leaf was less sweet jasmine and more bitter jasmine, like what happens if you cold steep a jasmine tea too long. Sometimes I just want to bury my nose in the dry leaf of a jasmine tea and be enveloped in the aroma; this was not one of those teas.

However upon steeping it really mellowed out. The jasmine was obviously the main event here but it was soft and slightly sweet. I think this tea made me realize that silver needles are not my favorite vehicle for jasmines; I think I prefer pearls or even just a fresh jasmine green. It’s those hayish, brothy notes really; at times this almost seemed savory, which is kind of odd in a jasmine.

All of that makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy it, but I did. I had steeped up half the sample pouch, drank it, and then said heck with it I am going to steep up the second half and have another cup. It was pleasant and tasty, and it was a nice accompaniment to the afternoon.

Sipdown, 180. Steepster, you are killing me with this nonsense today. Load the f-ing pages!

I think this sample is old and has suffered from storage in a ziploc bag. It’s really not that flavorful anymore. The cold brew I did the other day was much more successful, which leads me to think that perhaps my using old teas for cold brews is pretty much the only good use for them these days. This is slightly creamy and slightly lemony but not much else. Ah well, it’s something I run into a lot going through my old blends.

Sipdown, 181.

Man, I have never suffered from seasonal allergies until I moved here. Which is so weird because I grew up not too far away, so I should be immune to these plants. I’m going to blame the non-native sakura cherry trees planted around here; I discovered an allergy to cherry blossoms last year around this time in Beijing, and I certainly didn’t grow up with those. Guess I should never live in DC.

I steeped this at a slightly cooler temp than last time because I had a touch of astringency then. I think that took care of it. This tea really has a pretty unique flavor, and while squash seems to be part of it I’m not sure it really captures the whole thing. But it’s also hard to put my finger on what is going on here. I guess it is kind of like a squash with butter and honey. Ooh, maybe delicata squash? With the skin on of course, so you get more of those vegetal notes. Pretty interesting tea!

Another Lupicia from my recent order. I love their Chestnut Green but it has been out of stock for forever. When I saw this one on sale I went ahead and grabbed it on the strength of the Chestnut Green.

To me the dry leaf smells like thick, rich molasses and grains. Nutty, yeah, but mostly like molasses. Steeped, the nuttiness really comes out. It suddenly smells like Christmas in NYC to me, with the roasted chestnuts on the street corners. Um, yum. This is Christmas in NYC to me. It tastes just like roasted chestnuts, so if you like those this is a tea for you. Nutty, roasty, and the essence of warm. Kind of odd to be drinking on a spring day, but delicious nonetheless. I often don’t go for roasty, toasty teas, but there is something about this one that really works for me. I think it’s the whole experience. It’s not just roasted, slightly smoky tea, it’s roasted, slightly smoky chestnuts, and that’s something I can get behind. There’s no sweetness to the main sip but after a minute or so I am left with a slightly sweet taste in my mouth.

I can’t see craving this much during the summer but come fall and winter I think it will definitely see a lot of action. Now put your chestnut green back in stock, Lupicia!

I really need some more herbals and non-caffeinated blends. I have drank myself down to one Teavana blend that I want to drink, a few medicinal staples, and a slew of hibiscus-based fruit blends that I am not interested in drinking hot. Well, it will be summer soon and I won’t want to drink hot tea in the evenings at home.

This is one of those hibiscus blends, but it benefits from having lemongrass and ginger in the mix as well. Still, it’s tartly fruity (though less tart than it could be) and not quite what I wanted tonight. Ah well.