JMKauftheil

I’m hungry, and there’s nothing to eat in the house.
Very few places are open at 1AM, so I’m making tea, to curb my appetite.
This is probably the reason I’m so skinny.

A pleasant potful (consulted the dictionary, that actually IS a word), and it did what I needed it to do – make me not hungry.
So, cheap pu-erh is generally… kind of unpleasant. Weird smell, and the taste doesn’t really make up for it. The ginger and orange peel does a good job of making it more tolerable, though. Though the extra flavors are subtle, they do add a nice touch. I wouldn’t say this is a tea I’d use to impress guests, but for some reason I enjoy making a pot of this for myself.
I’d say, if you get the chance it’s worth a try. Probably one of those teas where you hate it, or you oddly like it.

I’ll probably have another tea tonight… I’m on a weird sleep cycle.
My hours are roughly 6PM – 10AM, and mostly for the sake of productivity as a writer.
For the past three days, I’ve been indulging in a small window of time at Peet’s Coffee and Tea, 5-7AM, when the atmosphere is just… perfect. Trying to get a certain poem written… Ah, as is the life, ya know?
Only real problem with this situation is that my 5:30-6AM “dinners” consist of a scone, a cappuccino, and a cigarette. (Yes, I’m aware of how unhealthy the entire thing is. Don’t need it to be reiterated, thanks.) But at five bucks, it’s hard for me to argue with – especially with my funds quickly waning.

So, enough rambling. I’ll try to get a serious review in soon.

Well, discovered an unopened packet of this the other day, and it turns out the expiration date in February, 2010. So, I’m trying to drink through it quickly.
I’m sure I bought this for some occasion a while ago, and completely forgot about it – oh well.

Brewed it in one of those three-piece cups (cup, infuser, lid), which I rarely use.
Kinda sketched out by the fact that it was kind of…foamy. Regardless, I took my chances with the rabies, and took a sip.
Eh.

Nothing to write home about, and barely something to write Steepster about. The lychee flavor is really mild, and the oolong itself (as to be expected) was rather subpar.
The smell is kind of pleasant. Very understated hints of Lychee, which fortunately don’t bring my mind to the overbearing sweetness and texture of canned lychees…
As I mentioned, not much to say. I wouldn’t suggest going out any buying it, unless you’re planning on making tea for someone who’s crazy about lychee or something.

No notes yet.

Was rather wary about this tea at first, but the employee in the store brewed me a cup, and sold me on it.
While I usually don’t like things flavored, and pu-erh is something I’d usually have straight, it’s a pretty good tea.

Though I’m sure there’s no justification for this, I used this tea to cure a headache. I think it worked. Nice and mellow, and at the very least a good alternative to soda.
I made a pot of it. Glad I did.

Don’t have much to say… in a weird mood.

No notes yet.

Hey, remember me?

Yeah, I’ve been gone a while…
Busy with stuff:
Moving back home, being a new uncle, trying to write enough so I don’t look like a COMPLETE drain while I take a semester off college, taking care of an aged dog, reconnecting with people, seeing an old friend for the first time, co-owning a hookah…
Oh, and my laptop is broken. Need to send it in. Been like that for a while… (on my father’s computer)

So, now I’ve pissed away a lot of money (much of it to a good cause), and I’m connecting with the kid pretty well. “The Kid” being my nephew, not a child of my own. And I’m thinking about some literary career options – wish me luck.

Onto tea!
(a little more life blabbing, though)
When I got home, and finally sat down for tea in my tea room, the first thing I said to myself was,
“It’s too cluttered.”
My sister is moving back home with the kid, and tomorrow (or, rather, today) she’s moving her furniture back home, into the garage. When that’s all taken care of, I’m going to see how much space is left for me to move any extra tables from my tearoom out… blah! The clutteredness (amongst other things, obviously) is keeping me from spending too much time with tea…

So today (getting to the tea tasting, I promise)
I was in Puripan, and they’ve had all their tea sets on sale since the holidays. Finally decided to buy one. So, with the 40% discount, and a $40 gift card, an $80 set ended up costing $12 from my pocket. Woo!

So, the tea:
Very pleasant. Marvelous. I used my new set for the first time, and made sure to clean it thoroughly with hot water when I washed the leaves, because the chick at the store gave me the set that was on display. Brewing went very well – I got three solid infusions, and luckily my tea brewing skills haven’t atrophied from disuse. I could have pushed more, I’m sure, but I found myself very content at that time, and seeing as the set, tray and woonsan I was using were all Korean made, and three is a lucky number in Korea (or so I’ve been told by the store’s Korean manager), I decided to let things work out that way.
Good tea, good tea. Glad I bought it, in the long run – Great when I want a nice, elegant tea moment, and I’m not trying to impress anyone, and I don’t need an amazing, expensive tea.

So, if you’ve bothered to read this far, I’ll treat you to a description on the tea set as well!
Very simple set: three cups, a pot, and a decanter. The pot and decanter are both solid cylinders, the latter having no handle – it’s basically just a tall bowl with a lip for pouring. The handle on the pot is a long, smooth round thing, that comes out from a 90 degree angle from the spout, as you find on many Korean and some Japanese infusers. It’s a thick clay material, brown – almost ugly. I prefer the term rough.
I had the choice between this set, and an identical one in a smooth, turqouis ceramic one, with all those tiny cracks that are supposed to absorb the tint of the tea over time. The one I bought it much more dull, and not so smooth… ya know? I bought it because, well, I don’t have anything in my collection like it – everything else is so fine.
Drinking with it… almost felt a bit gritty. Something I’ll get used to with time, I’m sure.

Overall, a good purchase, a good tea time, and hopefully I’ll be writing on here more frequently.

So, this is a drink from my college’s campus, the Freudian Sip. Whether there’s any actual tea in this stuff, I can’t tell ya for certain, but it tastes good and I always order it.
Very sweet and frothy. There are four cafes total on campus, but the one I go to seems to do it best. There’s not much to say about this one – a simple, extremely sweet pleasure, that makes you feel sick if you drink too much.
In any case, happy birthday to me! This latte is my birthday cake.
I get to go home today! For ten days! So excited.
My friend and i are planning on going out tonight, him with a video camera, and I’m going to ask random girls for sex. Let’s see how that adventure pans out!
In any case, it’s worth a CHAI. (Get it? Like “try”! It’s a pun. Because I’m drinking a chai latte.)

Had this on my balcony, because my dormmate went into the main room right before i decided to do tea, and… I don’t like being in the same room as him. Just one of those people where all the small things he does (like eating loudly, how he talks on the phone, the trivial things he tries to talk about) get on my nerves. So, tea on the balcony, in a jacket and beanie.
I figured that since I somehow got two new followers tonight, I might as well post a tea to level it out.

Not much to mention about the first two steeps. The first was kind of bitter, the second more as expected. While I waited for the water to cool, I kept up with the excitement on the new forums (woo!) Yes, I had my laptop outside with me while I did tea.
The third infusion was actually somewhat sweet. I think the water was a bit cooler than usual, and the first two steeps probably softened it up a bit. In any case, a pleasant surprise (much like the updates!)
Probably going to take this tea home with me on friday, so I can show some friends. I miss my teas back home… amongst other things. For now, though, this yellow tea is – in my cupboard ;)
/bad reference to new update.

Followed my Bi Lou Chun with this, after a hearty bike ride to get more purified water (I don’t trust the taps in the dorms, even after a run through my brita, for my finer teas.) It was a rough journey indeed – peddling uphill against a strong wind to get to the convenience store, it was like treading water. Ah, the things I do for a good cup of tea!
Well, it was worth it. I’ve had this tea for about two or three months, and I finally got to open it. While Darjeeling teas are splendid, I’ve always been more enchanted with Yunnan’s offerings. What a wonderful infusion!
The leaves, as the name implies, were abundant with golden tips, and the infusion… golden is the only word I can think of to describe the hue and chroma of my first decanter-full. While I rarely use a gaiwan tea set for a black tea, being prone more to a tetsubin tea press my sister gave me, this is a very exquisite leaf, and I wouldn’t think of brewing it in anything but small proportions. I didn’t count the infusions, but this tea held its own through them all.
It’s perhaps a bit expensive, at $16 for two ounces, but definitely worth it. While you can get 2-4 times as much tea for your dollar at some places, if I had just sixteen bucks, I’d go for this quality over quantity any day, even if I were tea-starved.

Well, this tea is especially exquisite, a first-place competition grade tea. Definitely one of, if not the finest green tea I’ve experienced. While I’m not too much of a green tea enthusiast, as my tastes lay more in the realm of the broad boldness of Oolongs rather than the more piquant flavor of its less oxidized cousin, there’s nothing I don’t adore about this tea. A very full flavor, while remaining light – airy rather than watery, if you get what I’m saying. Not astringent, very mellow, and… well, I have little more to say. It’s one of those teas you don’t just enjoy, you completely embrace it, and it affects you with tea’s intoxication. Simply, Elegance (with the capital ‘E’) in a cup.

Mixed with Oksusucha, as usual, I put this tasting under Mugicha, because I used a larger proportion of it – probably 3-1.
Some people try to find teas that work with meals… While that may work with alcohol, it’s my philosophy that tea should compliment your day, not your dinner.
While the day is relatively young, it’s only 10AM, I’ve been up for about four hours, and this was a nice mugga (as opposed to cuppa) to have on my balcony while playing solitaire and listening to light techno. Had a few cups of coffee with breakfast at a diner I’ve been visiting lately, and I guess I wanted something kind of similar, what with the roasted flavor. Diners are nice places, really. They’re friendly and talkative… and I stand out a bit, usually being the only person younger than 50. And to emphasize that, I have a facial piercing, now XD
( what do you guys think? http://imdead-goaway.deviantart.com/art/A-bit-high-brow-143080726 Got it monday :) )

Anyway, a splendid tea for complimenting those… lethargic moments. The ones where you just sit, think, and if you want, you can even get in tune with your own heart beating. I like waking up really early, having a few hours of solitude, and getting breakfast at the diner – maybe I’ll come across some roses to smell. The sky is blue now, with a nice mix of clouds, and the palm trees add a nice touch (oh, California…) Okusucha and Mugicha, left to freely steep, make a nice undertone for it all.
But, alas, I have class in less than an hour, and I should head down to campus soon so I can copy the homework from someone before the professor arrives.
I’m in a good mood, so I’ll wish splendid sippings to you all. May all the teas you encounter today steep well, and treat your taste buds kindly.

So, I went to the supermarket today with someone I know, because she doesn’t have a car, and she needs someone to push the cart back to the dorms for her. I didn’t have anything better to do anyway. She buys a lot of stuff at once, and I’m more prone to going to the market once or twice a week on bike, and getting small batches of food. So I got an issue of Newsweek, A bunch of bananas, and I noticed this tea, so I grabbed it to.

Initial thought upon sipping this – it tastes like Lipton’s. Perhaps I haven’t had a cup of Lipton’s in a while, but the taste seemed rather similar – better, though. I think what did it for me, is my memories with tea when I was younger, when my mother made it for me when i was sick. It was a bag of Lipton, with sugar and lemon. (A small note – she still drinks it that way, though I’ve tried to open her to good teas.)
So, I checked the ingredients, and – lo and behold: Evaporated Cane Juice, and Lemon Juice. I think it was those two ingredients, mixed in with the fact that this brew has such a light flavor – none of the peculiar, arguably unpleasant, tastes you get when you brew mate yourself. I’m assuming they don’t want to scare away a potential market that can’t handle weird, strong tastes.

In general, I like it. Not something I’d pick up when I was craving mate, but it’s a nice alternative to soda to keep around – well, it would be, if it weren’t five times as expensive. But, maybe for someone that’s an addict to getting grandesupermochafrappacappaccinoextrahotextrafoamwhippedcreamplease coffee at Starbucks or something, this would be a healthier outlet for the money.
It’s a tasty brew, and maybe worth picking up a bottle every time I go to the supermarket – five or ten bucks a week won’t kill me.

So, I tried this with good water now – the Goddess was in better spirits.
Though, admittedly, the liquor had less of a gorgeous hue… maybe there’s some balance in water hardness to be found, when I have the resources to experiment with that.
My first infusion was light… delicate. I think I understeeped it. Or, perhaps, I had the right steep time, but not enough leaf. The flavor just wasn’t strong enough.
The next time, I used a bit hotter water, and purposefully oversteeped it. It came out bitter – perfect. I’ve always been a fan of hard oolong. The first sip always kicks you, and the drink will be harsher, but it’s much… bolder experience.
And, eh, call me a cynic, but I like my oolong bitter for a reason.

I went digging through a collection of tea quotes, Tea Wisdom, to find this one, because I think it gives a good insight into my love of “ruining” darker oolongs. (I usually brew the Green ones properly.)
“There is no single recipe for making good tea, as there are no rules for producing a Titian or Session.” – Kakuzo Okakura
Perhaps I misconstrue that statement, or take it out of context. But those are the words, and I’ll infer them as I will. Oolong, of the four major types, is the only one, as I see it, that can handle harsh astringency. I think there’s a reason for that.

So, I said I’d drink it, and I did.
Not much to say though.
I enjoyed it, I really did, and it took me places. I moved the table in our living room – I needed a fresh spot to do tea, even if that meant just 5 feet away. I didn’t realize, until I got up to boil the water and looked out our glass balcony door, that it was light outside. It was weird, because I thought, for some odd reason, it would still be at least a deep blue.
I really like this yellow tea. It’s a shame they don’t produce more of it. Nice, soothing… I think I said this last time, but it has the best of both worlds, green and white. A fine tea, a fine morning. And on to some TKY.

Sweet lady Jasmine, with her pale smile, treated me well again tonight.
I’m thinking about moving into some Yellow tea in a moment, but this one was enjoyable in the mean time. Still can’t get over the scent – that alone might push me to buy a tin’s worth, and to keep an eye out for the same product from other brands.

A small note – the leaves are chewier and a bit less enjoyable than that of the Yellow tea. Comparing in my head those leaves to these, I can notice the quality differences. These leaves are just a bit more coarse, less refined. They’re not bad, necessarily – in my inexpert opinion, I’d put them at a 7 or, at a push, 8 out of 10.

I called my parents today. My mother wants me to post more things on facebook, because, strange as it is, that’s her way of making sure I’m alive and well. I told her, if she really wants to, she could check me out on here, because I post here more than on facebook. (I’m not much one for the trivialities of my generation…) When I told my parents what this site is, they laughed at me.
sigh Jasmine doesn’t laugh at me, no matter how lame I am. And onto Yellow tea!
…At 5:15 in the morning.

I don’t think I’ll have too much to say.
Drank this for breakfast. Yes, I got out of bed at 4:30 in the afternoon. Shush.

I made a sort of… I dunno, fort? alcove? tea room? I used the space under my desk, which is by the corner of the room, and I created a forth wall with the back of a chair, and a jacket. I wanted to be cut off from reality for a bit, and enjoy tea in peace. I used to do that kind of thing when I was kid, build forts… maybe I drink tea as an excuse to do the same thing as a young adult?

When I looked through my tea cupboard, this seemed like the only tea that wouldn’t bother my stomach – I have an oddly weak stomach when I wake up, and that lasts for an hour or two. The tea was good to me today, and I appreciate it.
It did me the favor of a pleasant tea time, so I did it the favor of a less scrutinizing tasting. When you’re not looking for an amazingly high quality leaf, this tea is pretty nice. I like it. None of a darker oolong’s harshness, and none of a superb tea’s temperament. Glad I bought the two ounces. I don’t get in the moods for these two often, but when I do… this will be a nice thing to have around.

Better than I expected – I’ll give you that, Adagio, I’ll give you that.
I’m glad to see they didn’t totally skimp out of quality for the leaves. l can’t really gauge the quality, because I don’t think I’ve ever tried an amazingly superb white, but it was definitely better than the Peony I had earlier.
A smooth, mellow flavor. Went down very easy, and lacked the nastiness one often finds in cheap flavored/scented teas. While I can’t give the taste paragraphs of praise, I don’t have anything negative to say about it.
I love the scent. I’m rarely too excited by Jasmine scent, but this is just a gorgeous smell. I keep smelling my gaiwan lid… Wonderful. Like soap, or shampoo, or how you’d want your house to smell. Maybe I should use the spent leaves as a qausi-cologne. Would that bring in chicks?

Well, well, not disappointed. I got a sample tin of this (only because the five bucks would bring me to exactly $50, and grant me free shipping), so perhaps I’ll buy a 2 or 4 ouncer of this for treating guests. It’s pretty inexpensive, and a good sampler for people who want to ease their way into the world of white tea. And the scent alone… Ah!

Well, I wasn’t a fan of this before, but this brewing has softened my opinion a bit. I made it in a gaiwan while playing around on the computer. Oddly enough, after over two years of tea exploration, this is my first time picking up White Peony… It’s okay.
Though I don’t have a means of comparison to other Peonies, I trust Puripan’s selection, so I’ll use this as a base for a general idea of what White Peony tastes like until I get some more experience. It’s… okay. As far as white teas go, it’s better than many I’ve had, but it still gets blown out of the water by a good Silver Needle.
There were a lot of stray bits of leaves, so I had to use one of those little circular mesh strainers (is there a name for them?) while pouring it from gaiwan to decanter. In the vessel, the leaves didn’t seem to sink much, even after three infusions. This made rather obvious the presence of stems in this leaf. I guess the Imperial Method of picking wasn’t used…
Nice color, though. Okay, it looked a BIT like urine, but it was still a nice color. A bright, clean and clear, dark-yellow.
It tasted better as I brewed it – maybe that just because of successively better jobs at infusing. But, at the very least, it help up fine through three infusions, and that’s good. Perhaps I’m getting used to the white tea taste that turns a lot of people off. Maybe I’ll make some Silver Needle tonight… do I have any? I have Jasmine Silver Needle from Adagio… I guess that’ll do.

I was craving Ceylon tea, because I didn’t bring any with me. So, I bought a half-pound at this store, because they seemed to know tea, and, regardless, Ceylon is Ceylon. I can drink the mediocre stuff if I’m really craving it.
This tea turned out to be terrible. The leaves bits are tiny, practically what you’d stuff into a teabag. Every time I brewed this, it came out unpleasantly bitter. That has nothing to do with steep time – I tasted it as it steeped, and it was bitter from the start, and the rest of the flavor gradually seeped in. Water temperature also seemed to play a minor role in the astringency.
So, I figured, because I have most of it left, I might as well try icing it. So, I put a spoonful or two in a strainer, in a cup of water, and left that in the fridge for like 4 hours. It’s great – compared to the hot brew.
As a cold brew, it’s not bad. Not superb. Not something I’d crave. Weak body, and still even a little bitter, but maybe i brewed it too long.
At the very least, it’s drinkable, which is more than can be said about the hot-brew version of this.
What’s the lesson here? Don’t get Sri Lankan tea from a good Chinese shop. Leave it to the more generalized tea stores. Hmmm…. Maybe someday I’ll discover a Sri Lankan tea shop… how cool would that be???!!!

Did a light drinking of this puppy. Trying to keep myself up, and I wanted a tea to settle my stomach, which is still a bit a blahhh from the Jack D’s. Strong stuff. I skipped my 8AM class this morning. Gonna crash on the couch after this review.

So, I made it in a gaiwan. Didn’t bother with a cup, just drank straight from the vessel. A pretty simple time – just had my gaiwan, a small draining tray, and a woonsan (Korean tea cooling bowl). I guess that’s somewhat elaborate, actually… For me, I guess it’s really a middle ground for me, seeing as I usually either go all out Gong Fu, or I just drop leaves in the cup, and drink my tea that way.
On that note, quickly, and the one before it, I saw the cup I used last night to make the crappy TKY. I didn’t clean it out. The leaves are in there, all unfurled… It looked gross, and made me feel gross. I love the look of open tea leaves, but knowing how bad they taste… and just how bad they look.. They look bad. Ew.

Onto the tea – It’s good this way. I think I preferred it more when I was actually steeping it for specific amounts of time, and paying more attention to water temp. The tea from the bottom of each infusion, though, was really strong and unpleasant – but I guess that’s to be expected. I think this manner of drinking suits oolongs best… i love oversteeped oolong.

I’m rambling. I want Chinese food, really bad. I’ll get some after my nap.

Tea left my mouth kind of dry. It’s not a special tea, but it’s worth brewing properly. Nice smell on the lid of my gaiwan. The brewed leaves aren’t absolutely gorgeous, but oh well.
Tea time has passed. It’s couch nap time.

I’m probably embarrassing myself here, but I’m a bit intoxicated.
If not for the backspace button, this would be a VERY incoherent review.
At that point where my typing sucks, but I can correct it.
Jack Daniels!

This tea must REALLY suck, because I find it sucky even when drunk.
What does that tell you?
Yeah, bad tea.
End o’ story.

Hmmm
Steepster should have a way to address mixtures of multiple teas simultaneously.
This is a mix of Puripan’s Mugicha, and their Oksusucha (Corn). I never bother straining this tea – I just leave the kernels in the cup. No real worry about it oversteeping.
Things are tending to go awry today, so I felt I needed a reliable tea that wouldn’t turn on me. This brew was loyal as always, and so I’ll do it the favor of a good review.

As the corn and barley are both roasted, this tea bears a great resemblance to coffee. I can’t really say how it compares to finer coffees, but it’s sure better than the stuff we have in the campus dining hall. It definitely lacks the ickiness of coffee (I say, perhaps, with an underdeveloped tongue towards coffee), and it won’t leave your breath stinking, or your teeth yellow!
I can’t really say how this tea takes milk, cream, or sugar… I drink my coffee black, and I take my tea straight. (usually.) Maybe I’ll experiment someday, and come back to you on that.
The corn here gives a subtle, sweet base, while the barley brings in bitter complexity. I like having these two herbals separately, but they work best as a team – they bring out the best in each other, underneath the umbrella of roasted flavor. It’s good to keep the ingredients unmixed before brewing, of course, so you can tip the ratio of sweet to bitter to your mood – today calls for extra barley.
It makes an agreeable background cup, when you’re just relaxing at the computer, or you’re thinking and you need a pleasant drink that won’t distract you. Perhaps the only thing that wouldn’t pull an avid coffee drinker from their usual drink, would be the complete lack of caffeine in this. I tried mixing some mate in once, but… It’s too much work, and while it’s drinkable, it’s not as good. Maybe I’ll experiment with a base of black tea…

If you’re interested in this tea, you don’t need Puripan. From what I hear (and have yet to experiment with), any Korean market has roasted corn in barely, often in bulk. Also, if you’re visiting a Korean restaurant, there’s a good chance this mix, or one of the two parts, is the tea they’ll be serving. Keep an eye out – it’s a good drink.
Also a side note – it’s good iced, too. It’s a water substitute, apparently. Very refreshing, hot, iced, or room temperature. It’s the Rooibos of Korea!

So, I slept in late today – somehow my alarm didn’t wake me. Got up around noon – strike that, 12 exactly, I checked the time. I was an hour late for my class, so I didn’t bother going.
After wasting some time online, I felt like tea, and I thought about the unopened two ounces of Competition grade (3rd place) TKY in the tea cupboard.
So, the Iron Goddess and I sat down for a conversation, of the Gong Fu persuasion. She was a little touchy – I think the water was bad. I didn’t realize I had bought purified water that was “enhanced with minerals”. Left a bit of a sour taste in mouth.

Wonderful tea, though. The instant I added the water, her fragrances were apparent. If I may so compare the leaves and liquor to the goddess’ eyes, as I feel, poetically, not only effective but necessary – the darkness of the roast made of the tight-rolled leaves intense, black pupils, and the round iris in my decanter was the most gorgeous liquid amber I’ve seen.

ahem Purple prose aside, I think I initially approached this tea in the wrong frame of mind. I’ve been taking in finer Formosan teas for a while now, so I believe I’ve conditioned my tongue towards greener oolongs. I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed a TKY – the cheap one I had the other day doesn’t count.
So, upon drinking this, I noticed the lack of smooth after-nuance, and forgot to appreciate the boldness of darker oolongs. After an infusion or two, I started using hotter water, and bracing myself for the kick. Much better.
But still, I think my bad water left the tea with something to desire. I’ll go out tonight and by some clean water, and try her again.
Aside from that detail, the quality of this tea was undeniable. I can tell that simply by the feeling it gave me. I found myself floating a little in reminiscence of the beginning of my tea exploration. Back when tea was little more than a choice from Peet’s selection of oolongs (all of three teas), steeped indefinitely in a white beehouse teapot, and then served through a sake set from a San Francisco flea market. But I digress.

Being as Merciful as she is, the Iron Goddess let me finish off with a nice brew or two before I had to bike off to Sociology. I need to get back into darker oolongs – definitely a must for next time I visit China town. I used to be an addict to the kick of dark oolong! What’s become of me? Sheesh.

An old favorite. Very good for the cold weather, and I brewed this tonight for the first time in months. A bit of milk, a few spoonfuls of sugar, and this tea tastes like a gourmet hot chocolate. I recommend over-steeping it a little, to get the right amount of bitterness, and a good complexity.

Brewed this in my tetsubin-style tea press, in celebration of the cold weather. It wasn’t until I was taking my first sip that I realized I was missing an ingredient – sugar. Of course, there’s none of that in the dorm at all. Maybe I’ll buy some later.

I know I’ve mixed this with Lupicia’s vanilla black tea in the past, but I’ve forgotten how that tasted. I think I also mixed it with Teavana’s Matevana… could be wrong though. It’s been a while. Maybe when I go home, I’ll get some matevana (they still sell it, right?) to mix with this.

Another random question for the night: Are there any known tea allergies? Like, anything about the liquor or spent leaves that becomes airborne? My roommate is having sinus problems, and he’s trying to figure out what’s causing it. He says they usually come when he goes in the kitchen, which is where I brew my tea, and where I trash my used leaves.