Laura

I decided to get a sandwich and a lemon tart today, and since they still don’t have the full leaf version of the earl grey, I tried this one again. I probably understeeped it again, but that’s okay. I can tell the black tea is much better quality than the “regular or decaf” stuff they serve at most restaurants. Perhaps I should get bergamot oil to put in black tea when the earl greys available aren’t what I like.

Not sure if I mentioned this, but I had an unknown green tea Sunday at Ichiban. How can one get sushi and hibachi without green tea? I keep forgetting that they bring out a whole pot, but I drank almost all of it :)

Tried it again, but I think it steeped too quickly. I added 2 packets of Splenda to try to save it, and it was indeed sweeter, but there was still a bitter aftertaste.

Last night, I was coming back from a concert and getting ready to go to my fiance’s when my neighbors verbally harassed me. They’ve been loud and smoking right outside my door all year, and I’ve asked them several times to smoke farther away. Well, I’d had the last straw, and I broke down at my fiance’s. When I’m stressed, I like sugar, or something else that I like to comfort me. He consoled me, and then without asking, my fiance prepared a cup of this tea with a bit of sugar and he helped me calm down and think things through. The tea with the packet of sugar was just the right amount of sweetness for me—probably a little too sweet for most, but I love sugar—and the blueberry was really comforting. The best cups of tea are the ones prepared with meaning and which really lift your spirits.
Oh, and I talked to the RA on duty today. Hopefully, having Res Life step in won’t aggravate the situation, but at least I’m protected by the system. Meanwhile, I’m arming myself with proof and violated codes.

Put water in the microwave for 3 minutes. Maybe I didn’t leave in the tea bag long enough, but it had sufficient flavor. It’s a nice, pure green tea, I think. It got a little bitter at the bottom, but I let it sit for a while. I’m sitting at the computer, sorting out what I have left to do for the wedding. We got a lot done today, and having a cup of tea is a nice way to unwind :)

Finally resteeped this morning. I need to start putting water in the microwave for longer, because the resteep was definitely weaker. Still good, but not as impressive.

Reminds me of the tropical green from Good Earth (which apparently I never logged… because it isn’t on here), only simpler. It’s absolutely yummy! A nice, bold green flavor without the bitterness from steeping a little longer. The pineapple flavor has a nice presence, and the aftertaste of the tea is a combination of earthy and tangy, I think. I wanted to resteep it, but I left the bag at my fiance’s house. So far, I’m impressed with this company.

(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!

The black tea grew bitter before the cinnamon grew strong enough. Had to add cinnamon in order to get any flavor from it. I wonder if sweetened a little, the cinnamon would be brought out more.

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!

Drinking this as I catch up on my tealogging. I like the not-too-overpowering fruitiness, and it’s even good cold! (I let it cool off before I finished it—oops!)

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.

I love this when I’m in the mood for sugar! I’m a huge fan of berries, and this morning I had some of this tea with my usual blueberry muffin (not much variety at the student center from day to day). I recently discovered Kashi’s Heart to Heart Oat Flakes and Wild Blueberry Clusters, and I’m addicted! I think the two would go well together when I want a ton of fruit in my breakfast, and I can’t wait to try the combination. To some, it may be overkill, but to me, it sounds like heaven :)

I was not about to be snowed in alone, so I stayed with my fiance, and we watched more Star Trek and started sorting the living room. Which kicked up tons of dust, to which I am allergic. Not to mention the fact that he developed sinus problems and a cough, and he has two cats. Inevitably, I now also have a sore throat. Now that I’m back in my dorm (decided to go ahead and brave it, but he had to take my car, since the parking lot isn’t plowed), I have all my tea varieties available. There’s at least a delay tomorrow, so I can sleep in again! Yay! I’m going to be so sluggish getting back into school mode, but at least I feel rested!
Oh, the tea. Licorice isn’t my favorite, but at least it is sweet. This tea does a pretty good job soothing the throat. Too bad it’s so expensive… Due to my cheap, dying laptop’s touchpad working only sporadically, I had to borrow a mouse, which keeps banging into my mug on my cluttered desk. Better sort, I guess.

It’s been a while since I’ve logged anything, but I have had some new teas!
Anyway, I was in a berry sort of mood this morning, so I had this tea with a little Splenda in it. I think it really brings out the fruit flavors.

I tried adding a little milk this time, which in my opinion balanced the flavors better. I think I’ll have it with a bit of milk every time now.

Made some in my travel mug, which I took (empty) with me to the student center, and had refilled with very hot water. The second steep, unfortunately, yielded too bland a tea. I even let the bag just sit in the water. Took it out once in a while to test, but that shouldn’t affect it too much. So note to self: additional steeps are too watered down.
Drinking lots of tea because I have a voice jury in 2.5 hours. Joy.

This was the very last teabag that the cafe at my school had left. They won’t order any more until after break (as if tea goes bad in a month…). I steeped it too long, as always, and ended up with a concentrated overload of tartness. But I can imagine it would be more delicious steeped for a shorter time. Will have to try that next time.

I got this through a gift exchange in my music fraternity (yay SAI!).
I’m on my second steep of the first bag. I can taste the bergamot more the second time around. When I first opened it, it had a curious smell that wasn’t like that of Fruit Loops, unlike all other earl greys I’ve tried. The black is different from any other black I have… earthy and dark, I think, of which I’m not as big a fan. Then again, I’m not well-versed in black, because it’s so strong. I’m interested in trying the double bergamot version for comparison.

Quite a good tea, which I have whenever I go to Bob Evans. It’s a little astringent for my taste, so I tone it down with a little Splenda, which makes it super-yummy for my taste.