2904 Tasting Notes
So on top of a late night, an early morning, and a “normal” Sunday morning teaching gig (ALL the 11-year-old boys coming off spring break—like teaching Great Dane puppies), we had a special kids service project event culminating in a Nerf battle. I was dragging anchor when I shuffled in the door.
I needed a no-brainer treat and this was what my no-brain needed. The lemon is sweet lemon, not tart, and Tazo has nailed the pastry aspect as well. I’ve never used the word “perfect” in the same sentence with “licorice,” ever, and I won’t now, but it actually accents this blend rather than overpowering it. Even better with feet up, eyes closed, and a Pillsbury Soft Baked Confetti cookie in your hand.
OK, I brought this to work not only to enjoy, but to freak out my non-teaist work buddies. (“Here! Smell this!” to the same friend who says Constant Comment smells like “a well-greased old lady.”)
That said, I can’t remember trying (and enjoying) a blend this unusual in a long time. Most of the lapsang blends I’ve sampled over the years are far too strong and smoky; in this case, there’s just enough of a hint to accent the pineapple and peppery spices. Currently sold out at Wise Ape, but I hope to see it resurface so you can try some ;)
This one was fun to try, although I thought I’d done something wrong when the walnut-sized ball didn’t unfurl much, even after I carefully followed time and temp guidelines.
However, it yielded a lovely, satiny, buttery cup. The veggie taste was mild—edamame, maybe.
The cup was good company for me while I rocked in the outdoor glider and read a bit of Eragon. Dragon tea for a dragon book. Not my normal genre, but tackling it at the behest of a very sweet 16-year-old (one of my “grown-up” Sunday kids) who still comes back to see me. He’s a good kid.
My brother loved this series!
I was never a fan, but that is because I grew up on the (much older and I daresay OG) Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. I have all those books, and still re-read them fondly. (I pre-date the “Harry Potter” craze and those were the books that fed my wild bibliophile addictions!)
Mastress Alita: I loved Dragonriders of Pern! Did you ever read The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever?
I have not! I’m a librarian so I’ll try to remember to check if we have it when I get in to work tomorrow.
I am with you guys on Dragonriders of Pern too.
I read Eragon once before, roughly for the same reasons, and at the time, disliked it, though I can’t remember why…maybe because the story does move a little slowly. This time around, other than some minor nicky-picky word choice things, I’m rather enjoying it.
I am sure I read some Anne McCaffrey many, many years ago—enough so that I don’t remember much about the series.
The books about Menolly the Harper are my favorite Anne McCaffery books.
(Back in elementary school, our fourth grade teacher would read poetry to us of a morning, and there was one that started, I meant to do my work today, but a brown bird sang in an apple tree… and ended, what else could I do but laugh and go? Yeah. That’s why I’m outside in the glider savoring First Day of Spring sunshine.)
I am also savoring (or at least I was; cup’s empty now) a really unusual tea that I could learn to love. Normally, I’m not a lapsang fan—I keep a little around for “dare drinks” when I serve tea to my Sunday kids. They call it “bacon tea” and a few ask for more.
However, lapsang is what makes this fruit-darjeeling-herb bonanza unique. It tastes like grilled pineapple, which we love at our house. Just enough smoke to authenticize the other ingredients. Really enjoyable.
Youngest says she would never have made it through higher maths without lapsang. She loved it from a young age. I think it is delicious paired with ice cream! I love that you have dare teas!
Okay, I am going to have to try the ice cream thing. We have some Blue Bunny Wedding Cake in the freezer and I need an excuse anyway!
I’m glad I had one more bag of this under my roof. Last night, I was chilled, numb, and exhausted from several nights of kitty cat deathbed watch (more in a minute). The rooibos base gives some substance to the lemon and ginger—much more satisfying than lighter herbal teas. Looks to be the end of an era—I’m not seeing it in current production.
Kat-rina. Born in 2005, the year of the hurricane. For an indoor cat, 16 is a remarkable old age. For an outdoor cat, it is phenomenal. For a small outside cat about the size of two cinnamon rolls in a semi-rural area, it is heroic. She decided a year or so ago to retire to a warmer climate and chose us as her elder care providers. Truthfully, I didn’t like her much. She was opinionated and cranky, as old ladies tend to be, and did not shed in wisps, but in chunks. However, she became my husband’s emotional support kitty and it broke my heart to see his heart break as she became frail and ill. Despite a spate of wicked weather, she spent her last afternoon in the yard soaking up a rogue sunbeam. We tucked her in a warm, fluffy bed that evening—nothing much left but fur and a heartbeat—and she went to sleep. Not a bad way to go.
I’m sorry you and your husband lost Kat-rina. No matter how long a cat lives, (to me) it is never long enough. You were kind to make her last day so comfortable and she will be waiting for you both on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.
Thanks for the kind words. I grew up on a farm where pets were considered semi-disposable so, even this many years down the road, it’s new to me to let a fur critter dig its claws so deep into your heart.
My maternal grandmother grew up on a farm in Alsace-Loraine and she had the same attitude; in essence, cats were put on this Earth to catch rodents. Period. I have always preferred cats to people (still do). It seems that during the pandemic, any kind of loss, be it human or fur, hurts more and is felt more deeply.
Sorry for your loss gmathis. While it is sad — it lived a wonderful life, I am sure. I understand the emotional support for your husband, it is sometimes that loss! Not that fluffy ball, but the support it gives, although being cranky and opinionated as you wrote.
Every day, we woke up to what we called her “morning rant.” She meowed not in short sentences, but in entire paragraphs with plenty of throat grrrrs thrown in to punctuate.
Haha, same as our cat. It’s 6th year we have her (from kitty) and still not a super-friendly cat. But I will miss her so much one day.
It always breaks my heart to hear this kind of news. I live alone with an Emotional Support Cat and know full well the impact of a furry little love — even a cranky one. You have my heartfelt condolences.
I’m sorry to hear about your cat (and also, I love the name). It sounds like she had a long and good life.
Sorry to hear of your loss. I have been struggling with one too. I know you had an awesome friend there for sure.
You are such kind people. Thanks for the good words!
I am so sorry. Thank you for blessing her last moments. It is hard to lose them.
Hopefully you have many memories of Kat-rina that make you smile, and that it becomes easier to think of those memories in the coming days.
She was a character!
oh gmathis and your lovely way with words. I’m very sorry you and your husband lost your pal.
Courtesy of Nichole, I sampled a cup of this while watching the live action Mulan (which doesn’t top the cartoon). It does not look like its namesake at all, and yes, I Googled for pictures to be sure. Instead, it was what gets called “fancy-pants oolong” at our house: very light gold and satiny. Her review mentioned peaches and rose; I’d go peaches and honeysuckle.
Taking a few minutes for an afternoon feet-up pondering why Mom, without benefit of Swiffers or microfiber dusters, had a house five times as clean as mine using nothing but old t-shirts and a wring-it-out-by-hand rag mop. (Couldn’t possibly be because she didn’t work 40 hours a week, plus a side gig, and wasn’t tempted to fritter away time online.)
SInce I can’t answer that one to my satisfaction ;) I’ll ponder this tea instead. One good barometer for me is, “Does it steep the same way every time, even with sloppy barbarian treatment?” It does! You smell the pineapple first, but you taste the cherry first, and the lemongrass/green tea combo cleanses your palate between sips.
Same conclusion. Very nice, very springy, and if you promise not to judge my hairy, dusty, baseboards, I’ll make you a cup.
These low maintenance teas are so great to have around!
Ha yep, I spent all morning cleaning, and at a certain point I was just like – close enough!
I was supposed to clean… and instead drank tea curled up with the cat and adult coloring books on the couch all day while marathoning old Castle episodes. Oops.
Mastress Alita – do you watch The Rookie? It’s really satisfying my Castle itch, which is quite obviously mostly because of Nathan Fillion. I would love to rewatch Castle someday, though.
Ah the good old days where we ‘frittered away time’ by conversing in person or on the phone. As for cleaning, I read an article once that said interesting, eclectic people have cluttered houses or work desks. I’ll go with that one.
Yep, Mom conversed (at times extensively) using both of those techniques. She and Dad came from an era where “Let’s go see ____” was a perfectly acceptable Sunday afternoon MO. Drop in company! On the flipside, look at all the interesting and eclectic people I’ve met while frittering on Steepster!
@Kittena: Not yet though, but I’ve been heavily binging crime shows during the dark-inside-times so I just might!
A tea with such a tantalizing title shouldn’t oughtta taste chemically…but I was picking up some kind of metallic tang with this blend straight-up. Wasn’t sweet enough to register as caramel on my taste bud spectrum. Milk helped a little, but not enough for me to seek this out again.
Your results may differ. Other reviewers had very kind things to say.
Nothing I can add to previous reviews—this is mild and pleasant and nicely balanced. Neither the cinnamon nor the apple nor the tea dominates. St. Dalfour tea is getting hard to find in my area, should I decide to restock. U.S. friends, do you see it on the shelves where you are?
I will look! I used to see it at TJ Maxx.
Big Lots used to be my best source. We got a brand new store this month and its tea selection is execrable.
St. Dalfour has discontinued their Gourmet on the Go, which is depressing because the Wild Pink Salmon with Vegetables was the best prepared food item I ever had in my entire life. They have also discontinued their teas (which I have never smapled) according to their website which currently lists only fruid spreads:
https://www.stdalfour.com/
A cupboard staple for me!
It has nearly replaced Vanilla Comoro as my “I need a cookie and comfort” decaf.
hahaha Nerf Battles are great but so is this tea!
The problem with Nerf battles is that you have to bend over and pick up every….single….ammo….round…. When you are no longer 11, that is slightly more challenging.