K S

This smells wonderfully grain-like when dry and amazingly cocoa when brewed. This is an exceptional Yunnan. My lengthy review can be found here:
http://theeverdayteablog.blogspot.com/2012/11/zen-tea-phoenix-pearl.html

Had this late last night to help knock me out. It worked – until 3:00. Should have made another cup!

For those who have expressed concern. My job interview was short and not so sweet. The owners told him to hire kids out of school so they don’t have to pay them much. So I am still searching.

This is such an interesting tea. Today it tastes like a Chinese green tea with light milk chocolate notes. Yum!

My 500th tasting note!

AND I have a job interview Monday!

Happy Turkey Day America, and blessings to the rest of you.

Sip down. I had more than I really needed for steeping one mug at a time but not enough for two. I always feel a little uncomfortable using more than necessary. Even though I did not pay for this (thank you TeaVivre) I feel like I am being wasteful. I use what I need and steep until the leaves have given their all. Oh well, in the press it goes. I have not, so far at least, been a big fan of Assams. Ceylon black tea is ok. Chinese black tea I have loved almost every one I’ve tried. Those I haven’t loved I liked a lot. This one I could drink every day. It is really a fine tea. Malty, sweet, fruity. Just plain good.

My first ever Celestial Seasonings courtesy of gmathis. Thanks. I had no idea what was in this when I brewed it this morning. It smells like pumpkin spice cake. It is very sweet. Now that I know there is Stevia in it, the sweetness makes sense. I can’t decide about the taste. It is something like pumpkin spice cake dipped in milk. It reminds me of a rooibos blend. It doesn’t taste like black tea to me. The spices are a different and interesting take on a classic.

CHAroma said this rates between Lipton and Twinings. That pretty much nails it. It is a nice slightly fruity enjoyable cup. Not bitter. No astringency. Not a bad bagged tea really, in fact I rather liked it.

I wanted something I hadn’t sipped in a while. This one jumped out of the drawer shouting drink me, drink me! Took a scoop and the fragrance of the dry leaf in the press is so good. Cocoa, grain, malt, honey! The sip is smooth. If you avoid Keemun because you think it will be smoky, think again. This just a delicious delight. All the scents are in the taste along with a bit of fruitiness. TeaVivre consistently delivers quality teas and this is an exquisite example. Very high on the yummo scale.

Began my day with the cold brew I started last night. This is the 4th steep and the color was still dark and rich. Cold brewing seems to have tamed the earthy aroma of the cup. It also produced an even smoother cup. I will definitely try this with other puerhs after this experience.

I saw this one reviewed yesterday by Indigobloom and thought I’d just pull it out of storage and see if I still love it. I did not do a rinse; instead I thought I would just do a light first cup. I tried to pour this while the brew was medium red. As I poured I became aware it’s a lot like meat on the grill. You have to remove it before it is done. By the time I finished pouring it was Assam dark. Not black and inky but darker than intended.

I needn’t have worried. Though the smell is kind of eeww, the taste is the great leather and lace I remember. A lot of you preferred the non-rose toucha. Not me. You don’t really taste the rose so much as it removes the throat bite that is in the non-rose. This is just velvety smooth goodness.

On the third mug, I let it steep a few undetermined minutes. The color was so cool. It was between grape juice and blood. A cup suitable for Vampire communion?

For the fourth mug I am going to cold brew it over night – just out of curiosity. Anyway still loving this.

What I appreciate most about this toucha is you don’t have to get all analytical with it. Yes, I do enjoy a tea full of subtleties where you have to work at deciphering all the intricate details in each steep. Sometimes though, like when I am on Steepster at 3:00 AM because I haven’t been able to sleep all night for several weeks, I just want a good smooth cup of full out flavor. When I need a tea that takes little effort to prepare or enjoy, this one rocks it. TeaVivre, have I said thank you lately?

I begin the sip with out additives. While hot, like yesterday’s oolong, the flavor starts very light. Then, I think butter, no wait; it’s more complex than that. As a child I would do stupid things, like put my tongue on the aluminum window frame. I know, I know. Anyway, the sensation I get when tasting this is like the aluminum frame but with butter. Actually this is way better than it sounds. As it cools, the aluminum disappears and is replaced by a more traditional green oolong floral flavor. The aftertaste is lightly floral and not as noticeable as the previous samples from Tea From Taiwan. A nice cup.

Now I add my Splenda. Oh, wow! Definitely add sweetener to this if you don’t object to the practice. This has come alive. It’s alive! It’s alive! Now the flavor is much fuller. It is lightly nutty and floral, but the main difference is a very prominent spiciness. On one sip I think this reminds me of apple crisp. On the next, I believe it is nutmeg. Whatever, it is just good. The aftertaste is also stronger and more joyous, though not nearly as long lasting as many oolongs. This is now a really good cup. At this point, I grabbed a brownie from the break room. The flavors blended like they were meant to be together. Awesome.

I begin this tasting without additives and the disclaimer that I normally add Splenda to my hot teas, although I almost never sweeten my iced teas. While hot, the best I can describe this is to compare it to a swell effect on a guitar. Once the strings are strummed the sound starts tiny and swells in volume until it fills the room. Being unaccustomed to unsweetened tea this starts very light, almost watery and swells to a crescendo in the floral aftertaste. The breath is left cool and fresh. The taste of this first cup is similar to a tiguanyin but lighter.

Adding Splenda brings out nutty or plant notes that change to a light coppery taste only momentarily before fading into the floral aftertaste. I can’t say whether this is better with or without sweetener. It is neither. It is just different. It does turn lightly buttery as it cools. Maybe it would have done that anyway had I waited. The cooler it gets the more I like it. Room temperature it develops a sort of cinnamon note.

Sample provided by Tea From Taiwan.

I sipped this without additives and it is the single most buttery almost popcorn flavored tea I have tried to date. Really exceptional. By mid sip it blooms with a short floral blast. It literally comes out of nowhere. Just as it almost reaches a point where it would concern me it just disappears, fading into something akin to the smell of a geranium plant mixed with the taste of dandelion. The aftertaste is lingering green oolong and floral. Ok, the more I sip the more I am sensing a spice flavor. I believe it is nutmeg or something that I associate with squash pie. What a ride!

I added sweetener so see how it would respond. I must say this is the exception to the rule as far as my tastes go. It actually tastes so delicious without the additives that I wish I hadn’t tampered with it. Trust me, that seldom happens. I love my Splenda but not with the first cup of this wonderful tea.

Almost forgot – sample provided by Tea From Taiwan. Thanks!

I just thought this was a sip down yesterday. The leaf was still calling my name this morning so I had no choice but to obey. I believe the 4th and 5th cups this morning were better than the first 3 yesterday. What a delicious black tea.

One of those days when I open the drawer and rifle through the dozens of sample packets and toss them aside one by one. No, not that one. Had that one recently. Eh, not wanting to steep that many times today. Oh wait, what did I put in this tin? Well hello! I forgot I had this one. What a really nice black tea. No bitterness. Just wonderful flavor. Cup two was even better than one. The only negative thing I can say is this is a sip down. Tunes: The 5678’s I’m Blue, Klaatu – Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft, Joey Ramone – It’s a Wonderful World

ETS adds orange to their bergamot and it gives it a unique flavor. Not like Lady Grey as it has lemon I think. It is just different. This I have had long enough the bergamot has mellowed a lot. That is a good thing as the white tea is really shining through. A good choice. Tunes: Blackfoot – Train, Train, Blue Cheer – Summertime Blues, Billy Thorpe – Children of the Sun.

A blend of white, green, and bergamot. The bergamot is pretty non-existent except as possibly the very faintest citrus note. However the white and green mix is really nice. Tunes: Black Sabbath – War Pigs, Paranoid, Iron Man.

My second favorite from Zenjala – the first being White Monkey. This one smells so wonderfully smoky. Just a year ago I was whining about half this amount of smoke. This is so good. Right now I am dunking peanut butter cookies stuffed with M&M’s. I would be jealous if I were you. An excellent combination by the way. Pronounced Boo-hee this is apparently a mistranslation of Wuyi. Once an expensive highly prized tea that fell into disrepute after being tossed into the Boston harbor, paving the way for Starbuck’s to make a killing selling overpriced coffee. Tunes: CCR – Bad Moon Rising, Barry McGuire – Eve of Destruction.

Went to vote this morning. I think this was the longest I have ever had to stand in line to vote. At one point my wife says, “I think you are going to be late for work.” To which, I sarcastically replied, “What are they going to do fire me?…. O wait they already did.” She sighed and quietly replied, “Really.” A few moments later I noticed the lady in front of us started acting antsy. She turned, looked at me, and said, “I can’t afford to lose my job.” Then she stepped out of line and quickly left the building. I stepped forward, thinking to myself, “Me too.” Sigh.

Different subject. Like gmathis I am also struggling with daylight savings time. I am waking up at 3:30. I don’t have to be up until 6:00, but I can’t go back to sleep. I am decaffing it in the evenings and it doesn’t seem to be helping. So I grabbed old reliable in an attempt to stay awake this morning.

I drink a lot of cheap teas. Some are better than others. I also get to drink a lot of above average stuff, thanks to Steepster. Some of it is a bit pricey. This one falls into the cheapster Steepster end at about a buck and half and ounce. This is where I go when I just need a good comfort sip. Not overly complex, just tasty. I highly recommend Ahmad to any one looking for a better than average cheap tea.

I am KS and I approve this tasting note.

Yep, its decaf and its a tea bag. I still like it. This morning I grabbed a bag and poked it into a glass bottle, filled with water, put the lid on and put it in the fridge. This afternoon the result was pretty tasty. Cold brewed this doesn’t taste a lot different than brewed. Maybe a little mellower. Mostly this just took no effort to prepare. Yeah, lazy me.

Denny’s just opened in town. So we abandoned our usual Saturday breakfast spot to try the new place. It was ok. Not sure how two $4 breakfasts turns in to almost $15 by adding a cup of coffee and a cup of tea, oh, and some toast. Still seems like too much. Maybe it is because I paid $1.80 for one cup with no offer of refills, and it was a horrible cup of hot tea. I drink this iced at Mom and Dad’s and it is passable. Hot it tasted fishy and just not good. Looking forward to my usual Mother Parkers hot tea next week at Steak ’N Shake.

Back in my heavy tea bag use days, I drank mostly flavored Ceylon or Assam blends. I never really cared much for straight black tea. I still find most breakfast teas to be beige. They have bite. They leave you with bad breath. I usually don’t remember what they taste like. I did really like the Paisley breakfast tea – it was a good different.

I find I really like Chinese black teas. I generally use the same descriptors – cocoa or chocolate, malt, grain, maybe a little smoke. Yet the combinations are different so they all taste different.

This is a lapsang souchong tea. Before I tried it the first time I thought LS always meant BBQ like highly smoked leaf. Nope. This one is not smoky. The wet leaf smells like cocoa toast. The sip is one of the richest malt, grain combination I have tried. It feels thick. No bitterness. No astringency. Kind of like golden monkey but darker. This is what breakfast teas should taste like. The aftertaste is nice too :)

6 pearls and boiling water for two minutes. This makes a lot of leaf whose aroma to me is burnt caramel. This is better than I remember. I think it suffered from over blown expectations. From my perspective, I don’t get the chocolate notes of Bailin Gongfu. I don’t get the richness of Dian Hong Golden Tip, or the robust taste of Golden Monkey. I expected it to be all those things combined. What tea could live up to that? What I do get today is a bit of roasted bite up front that quickly dissolves into a lovely light sweet cup that does have enough cocoa notes to make me think brownies. It has a wonderful aftertaste. The aroma of the wet leaf in the press calls for many resteeps. This is a nice tea that is better than I remember. – Interesting update. I went to lunch leaving a half filled mug on my desk. It was room temperature when I returned. This is excellent cooled down. There is a level of smoke that rises up and fills in all the holes in the flavor. A worthy cup.

My note was eaten. I picked a sample of this up today at Empire Tea Services. I could not find it on their website. This should use a decaf tea. It is a great evening tea. It is not a big bold cup. It starts light milk chocolate. Next I get light peppermint – yum. The aftertaste is vanilla and black tea. I can’t single out the rooibos or fruits. A nice mellow cup

32 years ago today I met a hot chick at a party our floor threw in the dorm. Honest, I knew I was going to marry her the moment we met. Forgetting we shouldn’t spend the money we went out today and ended up at Max & Ermas for lunch today. Any one know how to make their Tortilla soup? Love that stuff. We also stopped by Empire Tea Services and wifey picked up a decaf something, not sure what, I will review later. Oh yeah, this tea was cold and unsweet and cooled my throat from the soup.