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Just finishing off the last of this. It’s a bit more astringent than I like, because I vagued out when it was steeping and forgot to set the timer – steeping time given below is a total estimate! – but it’s still pretty damned good. I can’t really justify buying more right at the moment, but I’m really tempted!

There are some teas that I enjoy all year round, and then there are others that speak more of a particular season. A cold snap hit today, and put me in the mood for something warm and sweet and comforting – this tea, which I haven’t had since the beginning of summer.

I’d almost forgotten how much I like this tea. “Creamy” isn’t something that I usually want to associate with oolong, but it’s definitely an accurate description of this blend and it works really well here. It’s sweet and warm in a way that puts me in mind of something just out of the oven – maybe an almond croissant? I even like the way the dry leaves look, with their little bits of colour here and there.

I was in the mood to finish off the day with an oolong, and there was just a little bit of this one left, so it got the nod.

I think the alishan from teas.com.au might just pip this one at the post, but it’s still a bloody good cup of tea. I like the contradiction of the smoothness of the second steeping partnered with the hint of astringency lurking at the edges of this tea.

I found this lurking in the wrong place when I was digging my way through my teas yesterday – which would explain why I haven’t had it in a while.

A champagne tea seemed appropriate since it was my birthday, so I brewed it up…

This is such a distinctive tea. I’ve never had another quite like it: minty and yet not your usual mint tea at all. I love the hint of an almost spicy tingle that it leaves on your lips and it’s just an all round really fun tea. Whee!

Ahhhh, now that’s more like it!

I’m finally feeling well enough to be adventurous with tea again, so this is the first new tea I’ve tried for a while.

The liquor is a typical sort of sencha colour, maybe a little more yellowish than usual. The aroma of the dry leaves is strongly vegetal, and really put me in the mood for that distinctive sencha taste. Sadly, the brewed tea really didn’t quite deliver. I’m used to delicate teas, but this one wasn’t just delicate; it was dull. While the taste wasn’t at all astringent it also didn’t have a lot of sweetness or personality. Once it had cooled, there was a little more sharpness to it. All in all, really not a memorable tea. I liked the last sencha I tried – Ariake, also from Lupicia – a lot more.

Damn. I really wanted to like this more. I might go and dig out something else to drink to finish the evening on a less disappointed note.

When I’m as unwell as I have been for the past couple of weeks, I retreat to my comfort teas. This is the one I’ve been retreating to most often.

Visiting another comfort tea to help get over a week of painkillers and ick. This one starts with a great, peachy aroma, and then follows through with the taste. Time for some more…

The weather in February usually makes me unwell, and this week has been one of those weeks, so I’ve been visiting this old friend. It always makes me feel a little better.

My OH got me some great pull-out wooden boxes and re-organised the tea cupboard for me. It works really well and looks really good. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise until I went looking for it the other day that the small packet of this tea had ended up under one of the boxes. Eek! Not only one of my favourite teas, but also one of the most expensive.

Fortunately, it seems to have survived this potentially crushing experience safely. I celebrated by brewing up a pot of it.

There isn’t much to say about this tea that I haven’t already said. One of my top favourite teas that stands out way ahead of almost all the others, and always has a place in my cupboard (so long as that place is not under a box.)