79
drank Noël à Vienne by Dammann Frères
1792 tasting notes

My mom always dreamt of going to Vienna, and imagines how wonderful Christmas is over there. The poor thing has rarely done any travelling in her life yet has worked so hard, and I feel like a total jerk for having the privilege of visiting years ago, just after Christmas on top of that. As a consolation, I suggested that we try this tea this morning. Kind of the next best thing? Maybe we’ll go next Christmas and I can be her tour guide. Parenthetically, it just seems like once I moved back from Europe, which was a much shorter stint than expected to begin with, grad school ate up all my time and didn’t allow me to travel, and I’ve spent how long looking for a job, so now that I’m starting one, it’s like, gee, heaven forbid I take any time off to travel over the next how many years because I need to work work work to make money to make up for all the time wasted on academia. Sigh.

Anyway, this isn’t as flavourful as I thought, and I doubt it’s because it is older. All my other DF teas are still fine. The dry leaf is chocolate and apricot. The apricot didn’t really show up to the party in my mug, however. Aww. Maybe a little orange, a warm nutty note, and a touch of chocolate but they’re all rather muddled. It’s just so thin and watered down compared to DF’s other offerings. At least there is no unwanted astringency or fake flavours, which you’d never get with a DF blend, regardless.

Maybe I should try to use more leaf for this one next time. FWIW, I used the traditional 3g per Nordic mug with water that’s been freshly boiled then cooled for a few minutes. That tends to work perfectly with the others.

Evol Ving Ness

Mothers and daughters are so complicated. Really really complicated. Maybe that is just the way it is.

Going to Vienna together—-what a brilliant idea! I wish I had had the opportunity to do that with my mother when I was mature enough and she was healthy enough to appreciate our time together. Something for you both to plan towards. I hope it works out. Does that mean that you are participating in the not-buying-tea-savings- plan? :)

That’s the thing with our world now: time and money. Such a challenge to be lucky enough to have the two together.

As for education, I don’t think it is ever a waste. Even when one is paying paying paying for it forever. It is simply difficult to imagine a decent future without a serious investment in education. Really. However, I understand the yoke around the neck of it all.

Now, is there any tea shopping to plan for in Vienna, or will you both be taking a side trip to Paris to stock up?

OMGsrsly

Hahaha. Sounds like your cynicism kinda matches mine. I like working in the university, and I do believe that everyone should have a chance, but… I’m going to be paying for the rest of my life because I can’t find a job that pays enough for me to actually pay off the loans. MEH. Meh, I say! (That being said, I don’t really regret it. Only a little.)

Fjellrev

Evil, I’m really sorry that things didn’t work out better for you and your mom. I wish you could have had such an opportunity. But of course, if we ever do go to Vienna, a stop in Paris is a must! I stupidly never made it there when I used to live in Europe and now I wished I took advantage of being there to travel more for much cheaper.

Not sure how much Vienna has to offer when it comes to tea, but I’m sure there are interesting tea shops there too.

Education isn’t a waste depending on how you look at it, the context, the type of education, aspects of the experience, etc. Loved my undergrad experience. Totally worth the time and money, but can’t say the same about my grad experience, but then again, it’s due to several factors there. Don’t want to bore you with that story, Evol haha. OMG is right in that I am cynical about the whole thing but anyone who knows the backstory, personally knows the people involved, and saw how I gave up my life for it, etc, 100% understand the cynicism.

I hope something better will come your way job-wise, OMG. Hopefully the temp work will turn into something permanent? Or at least connect you to people who can help you land a position that is both interesting and well-paying.

OMGsrsly

Thank you. :) And I hope your employment situation goes most swimmingly in the new year.

Evol Ving Ness

Thank you. Ah well, life. What to do?

Paris, yes! You must go to Paris. I hope the planning gears are already in motion.

I can totally understand cynicism and bitterness about higher education. Totally, and totally. No need to explain.

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Evol Ving Ness

Mothers and daughters are so complicated. Really really complicated. Maybe that is just the way it is.

Going to Vienna together—-what a brilliant idea! I wish I had had the opportunity to do that with my mother when I was mature enough and she was healthy enough to appreciate our time together. Something for you both to plan towards. I hope it works out. Does that mean that you are participating in the not-buying-tea-savings- plan? :)

That’s the thing with our world now: time and money. Such a challenge to be lucky enough to have the two together.

As for education, I don’t think it is ever a waste. Even when one is paying paying paying for it forever. It is simply difficult to imagine a decent future without a serious investment in education. Really. However, I understand the yoke around the neck of it all.

Now, is there any tea shopping to plan for in Vienna, or will you both be taking a side trip to Paris to stock up?

OMGsrsly

Hahaha. Sounds like your cynicism kinda matches mine. I like working in the university, and I do believe that everyone should have a chance, but… I’m going to be paying for the rest of my life because I can’t find a job that pays enough for me to actually pay off the loans. MEH. Meh, I say! (That being said, I don’t really regret it. Only a little.)

Fjellrev

Evil, I’m really sorry that things didn’t work out better for you and your mom. I wish you could have had such an opportunity. But of course, if we ever do go to Vienna, a stop in Paris is a must! I stupidly never made it there when I used to live in Europe and now I wished I took advantage of being there to travel more for much cheaper.

Not sure how much Vienna has to offer when it comes to tea, but I’m sure there are interesting tea shops there too.

Education isn’t a waste depending on how you look at it, the context, the type of education, aspects of the experience, etc. Loved my undergrad experience. Totally worth the time and money, but can’t say the same about my grad experience, but then again, it’s due to several factors there. Don’t want to bore you with that story, Evol haha. OMG is right in that I am cynical about the whole thing but anyone who knows the backstory, personally knows the people involved, and saw how I gave up my life for it, etc, 100% understand the cynicism.

I hope something better will come your way job-wise, OMG. Hopefully the temp work will turn into something permanent? Or at least connect you to people who can help you land a position that is both interesting and well-paying.

OMGsrsly

Thank you. :) And I hope your employment situation goes most swimmingly in the new year.

Evol Ving Ness

Thank you. Ah well, life. What to do?

Paris, yes! You must go to Paris. I hope the planning gears are already in motion.

I can totally understand cynicism and bitterness about higher education. Totally, and totally. No need to explain.

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