gmathis

I got them curriculum writin’ blues
Those low-down curriculum writin’ blues
I done been editorially corrected
And I feel lower than my shoes.
I gotta rewrite five activites
Gotta rewrite them before next week
Got them freelance writin’ blues
Too tired to think or type or speak

OK, enough of that and a mild expression of awe to any of you poor kind people who made it this far in the tasting note without scrolling right on to somebody else :)

Life happens and so do copy changes, But I made a cup of cookie sweetness to keep me from spiraling into chocolate-gnarfing self-pity. This is good. Leave the bag in the cup and it gets better.

Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense. Proverbs 15:32. I’m becoming more sensible by the minute ;)

Until I get the body clock re-set to match the time clock, it’s going to take full-strength unleaded, morning and late afternoon, to keep me functional. This one does it well. Didn’t bother with milk to dilute, just the straight strong stuff. Getting a little bit of a raisiny, figgy, date-y flavor along with the whap-you-in-the-face this morning.

Even though this is one of the more plausible decaf teas I’ve tried recently, there’s just a hole in its middle where the kick belongs.

I oversteeped, not deliberately, but even with a bitter-er bite because of that, the lovely unadulterated black tea personality isn’t there.

Sigh. Oh well, off-kilter tea for an off-kilter day. (Time change, out of sorts, cloudy, cold, complications…you know, just a Monday. Glad today’s troubles are light and momentary.)

Lemon additives, in my opinion, are generally really, really right or really, really wrong.

Hedley’s got this one right in a nice little bagged tea. Instead of being tart or bitter, the lemon just freshens and brightens the rooibos.

Nice little picker-upper without the caffeine.

Liking this one more and more as I continue to play with it.

With half-and-half and a drop of maple syrup this morning. Breakfast!

I have a work friend who (mostly to get my goat) tells me that all my favorite black breakfast teas “just taste like Lipton.” She doesn’t acknowledge all those lovely, subtle, blend and plantation differences that make tea tasting a joy.

But to be totally honest, I have a similar blind spot when it comes to green teas. Unless there is something remarkably different or unique about one or t’other, many of them taste, well…green. (With the exception of those that are cereally or hay-y. Love those.)

This nice little China Moon is one of those. A good green tea that’s balanced in the middle of the just-barely-there ……… overcooked green bean spectrum. Green. Nice. And that’s all I got to say about that.

Wowie kazowie! Don’t let the lack of color keep you from trying this. It’s translucent at first; darkens to pale blonde when you leave the cup in the bag. But close your eyes, think of friendly hedgehogs and moonbeams, click your heels together three times, and …there it is! CS has the sugar cookie taste and scent down cold.

A winner on lots of levels. No-cal, guilt-free, no-caffeine, and a Cheapster Steepster at that. And readily available in our little armpit-of-the-Midwest retail outlets.What more could I ask?

Too lazy to get up and do anything about it this cup, but I think this would be wonderful with a little milk or half-and-half.

Just a note of further confirmation that this one just works. This time, I was short on both water for a full pot and on time, and it still steeped richly enough for a lovely wake-up, since the woodpecker in my golden maple tree is too timid to do it: tip….tip….tiptip…uh, sorry to bother you, tip…

After my matcha muddle (see previous review) I needed something to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. This was perfect. Soft, sweet. smooth. Vanilla silk.

http://www.goodyoung.com.tw/tc/p3-product-detail.asp?PKey=aBWUaB34aBMXaB31 There it is. I can’t get the picture to load.

Now, matcha experts, don’t laugh at my complete “fail.” (Okay, laugh all you want.)

So…after all the matcha love, I decide it’s time to broaden my horizons a little. This inexpensive matcha sports the same label so as my favorite summer love strawberry black tea. So it can’t be bad, right?

I have no proper matcha equipment. Rummaged around the kitchen for an oversized soup mug and (whisk…whisk…whisk…uhh….) a chopstick. Because I don’t read Taiwanese characters, I had no idea about proportions, so I measured out my favorite perfect teaspoonful. And stirred. It looked like liquefied green spackle and tasted like eau de asparagus.

Blech. Straight down the drain.

Too much powder? Advice?

Ineptly yours,

Me

Of course I needed this tonight. Hopefully it’ll keep me out of the minature Hershey bars intended for our miniature and eerie visitors. This tisane tastes spookily like Apple Jacks. Wish they made a black tea version.

Shoulda added milk. Was pleasantly light and sharpish when it was first-steep fresh; as it mellowed it put on a significant amount of those unnecessary lumpy bodybuilder muscles.

But I’m not complaining! It’ll keep my eyes wide open; much needed this morning.

Ashmanra tucked a couple bags of this in a recent goodie bag. Was great for an early exit this morning (had to go balloon a friend’s birthday desk).

For a bagged tea from Budapest (like I’ve had all kinds of opportunitites to compare them :) it’s a fair morning tea. Has lighter, sharper notes like a Ceylon instead of a deeper heavier assam. Little milk…good stuff.

Enjoying this one. It’s my favorite sort of fruit tea: sweet-fruity instead of tart-fruity. Enough of a bass line in the black tea to boomp you out the door.

I currently have no unadulterated maple syrup under my roof, but when I get some, I’m thinking this would make a wonderful “pancake breakfast.”

This was another “it just smelled good” treat from my husband’s unscheduled trip through the Savoy shop. And does it ever! Very sweet and tropical—I can see why it reeled him in.

Enjoying my first cup right now, and I think it’s one of the sweetest flavored green teas I’ve ever tried. Reminds me a lot of candied fruitcake fruit, which I love and eat straight out of the tub. Leans significantly to the cherry side.

I’m thinking a little additional sugar and this would be a really nice dessert alternative or a nice pairing with my mom’s apple cake. (Hey, Mom…would you feel up to baking…?)

Low temp and short steep (175, less than 3 minutes).

Top o’the (chilly) morning to you. Not quite enough for two cups, more than I needed for one, so I used it all, steeped double strength and spiked it with plenty of milk. Classic Assam to get your toes tapping.

…and if that doesn’t work, how about this little Celtic ditty-do? (It’s Carman, so I’m dating myself here—loved him in 1982, love him now :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WjMDRgpKvo

My first taste test did not do this justice—was fighting a sore mouth at the time so everything had an Orajel whang to it.

I’m realizing just how nice this one truly is. A really nice balance between plum blossom floral and “plumb” fruity! A nice, heavy velvety texture, too—has enough presence you know you’ve had it. Impresses instead of insinuates.

Belated and repeated thanks to The Tea Merchant for a lovely afternoon diversion. (Wonder how many more diversions I can find to delay what I’m really supposed to be working on!)

1 part Chocolate Cream Truffle (Savoy Tea Co) + 2 parts chamomile = my own chamomile curiosity brew

…which confirmed my hypothesis that chamomile is stout enough to stand up to a stronger flavor. The two paired nicely and I think I could have backed off the chamomile a little to make it more even-steven. Wish I had a really good chocolate decaf to blend it with instead of a black tea, didn’t help the sleep routine a bit, but it was a fun and tasty experiment.

Been looking forward to Saturday simply because I can enjoy this slowly, not on the morning run. Didn’t much watch steep time; just plopped in a generous amount of leaf and let it go. Just as deep-cocoa and dark-fruity as before.

Yay! Another tea I get to label “forgiving.” Put it in … whatever … it’s going to be great. Breakfast tea friends, this is a gotta-try.

Eh, nothing new to say about this one; deep, tasty and autumnal. Happy Friday to you all.

This was a pass-along from Nicole; a really pleasant rooibos with a bit of chocolate and almond in the background. I should have tried it straight first to get a better read on the base flavors, but the half-and-half was calling my name. Made a nice, creamy after-dinner treat on a chilly evening.

Nearing the end of the sample pack. This one, throughout my sampling experience, has been consistently good, and wishy-washy as I am, I don’t think I need to revise any adjectives after multiple cups. Spicy wood grain personality still holds. Still haven’t tried it with milk…I’d hate to mask its key characteristic.

As bleary as I am this morning, probably could’ve used something a little stronger, but this is a good tasty basic if you like Yunnans.

It’s been a good long while since I had a tea that (with apologies to GeoffreyNorman) made elephants dance and planets align. But I do believe I saw a morning star scootch a little to the left when I had my first sip of this one ;)

As usual, I went a little past the recommended steeping time; likely closer to five minutes than four. In doing so, we coaxed out a lovely, rich, thick dark cocoa-powder flavor with rich autumn fruit in the background. This is what burgundy should taste like (the color, not the wine).

My only regret is that I’m headed to work and can’t make a whole pot. Nature’s Tea Leaf, you made my morning!

Wow—my first Dragon Pearls (with thanks to Nature’s Tea Leaf)!
Wouldn’t you just love to sit and watch how these little leafy gems
are rolled? They look like little pea-sized balls of yarn. Gorgeous! I couldn’t wait to see what unraveled.

For my first taste test, I stuck to the prescribed quantity and
temperature parameters (1 tsp/8 oz at 175), and I meant to stick to
the 1 minute steep time as advised. But the cup was so pale, and the
first sip reminded me of nothing but faintly tinted water, so I bucked protocol and bounced the balls back in for another 45 seconds.

And I’m glad I did. Now we’ve got a delicate cup o’leaf with a touch of gentle, grainy (taste, not texture) sweetness. Holds up nicely to a second steep as well.

I guess I just don’t have a delicate or dainty bone in my body; too
many years of drinking boorish black teas that bonk you over the
head…so my apologies if I steeped a little too long or too harshly.
But in doing so, I coaxed out a subtle and pleasant flavor that I
think would appeal to green tea beginners. (I still consider myself a novice.)