69 Tasting Notes
(Full leaf version)
I decided I’d give this another shot. I once thought it too dark, though this time I steeped it for just a bit, enough to get the flavor without being overpowering, and I kind of like it. The way I made it would probably be too weak for most people, but I’m used to sweet savory things. I still prefer Earl Grey, though.
I tried the bagged version of this at the Daily Grind with half and half and a packet of Splenda. Such a rich flavor! I love all the spices they used, though the bag didn’t identify all of them. I loved it so much, I decided to take the bag back with me.
While stirring a sugar/Splenda mix into the resteep, I knocked over the whole cup, and half of the tea ended up on the floor, the other half seeping under my laptop. Within seconds, it froze. I wiped everything up, turned the laptop off, unplugged it, took out the battery, tilted it in a few directions, and let it sit on the side that got the worst of the spill.
Five hours later, it froze booting, so I went to Wal-Mart and looked for some canned air. It wasn’t in the cleaning section, so I went to the computer section and had a hard time finding it. It was on the bottom shelf hiding next to other stuff. So I sprayed it and waited about an hour, then it took 10+ minutes to do a self-diagnostic that didn’t even fix anything, but it was fine after a restart. I went crazy being laptop-less for 7 hours.
Oh, and when I tried resteeping it, I’d heated about 2 cups of water, so I used the other cup once I’d cleaned everything up. It was so weak, it tasted more like tea-flavored water. All that for nothing! But the first steep was heaven.
The one I like is the loose leaf version in the “eco-friendly” bag. The cafe at the student center couldn’t get this variety in the loose leaf, and I was really disappointed. The regular version is flat, a little bitter, and has less bergamot. I hope we get the loose leaf back!
It was milder in flavor than I thought it would be. I even put honey in, like someone recommended, to bring out the blueberry flavor, but I just couldn’t taste much. It was good, but I just was hoping for more blueberry. Granted, I also had blueberry oatmeal and a blueberry muffin with breakfast…
Another one from our host’s selection.
This one makes me think of a white version of Republic of Tea’s Pomegranate Green. The pomegranate has substance, but it’s not so strong that it overpowers the white tea. It’s nice and simple when I’m in the mood for fruit. It’s very good, but I think I still prefer blueberry with my white tea.
Now we’re in Tennessee, and our host has a bunch of teas. I was excited when I saw this one! It’s just as good as before—delicious white with a hint of blueberry. It smells very fruity, and I just love the flavor combination. This probably would be great with a blueberry muffin!
Forgot to log this!
A little over a week ago, some of us traveled 3 hours to go to a collegiate chapter conference of VMEA. Needless to say, we left pretty early to get there by 8-9ish. They had a little continental breakfast there, and I saw a few Revolution teas in the basket, and having liked what I’ve had of them so far, I thought I’d try this one. I oversteeped it the first time, but before it had gotten to that point, I was in love. It wasn’t too overpowering in tea or bergamot, with the added bonus of a hint of lavender. Definitely a good balance for me, a fan of mild to medium strength teas. Probably my favorite Earl Grey so far. Will have to compare it next to Twinings again and reevaluate.
So my choir is on tour, currently in Columbia, SC, and yesterday we went out to DiPrato’s and had sandwiches. I saw this tea on their rack (Novus was the brand they carry, apparently… never had heard of it before) and just had to get it. Needless to day, I’ve found a new favorite. It’s delicate, but reasonably strong flavor. I steeped it 4 times before I could part with it! I can’t remember the exact taste (I’m not good at isolating flavors), but all I know is that this one really fits me. I practically swooned at the first sip! Definitely need to try more white varieties, when I can afford them.