Featured & New Tasting Notes

88

This tea made it hard to drink and think. Some teas are very easy to drink and review….the flavors are like sitting ducks, just out there waiting to be identified….like a little string of decoys on a lake at gloaming. Some teas….the most INTERESTING teas deny such easy identification to the tongue and make you work for it. This Bi Luo Chun is that kind of tea.
The first thing I noticed was the creamy smoothness of this tea. Well, that’s not a flavor per se, but it was my first impression. Then, as I tried to deconstruct this tea and identify what I was tasting, my brain kept interrupting with “mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm”….ok, there’s some sweet potato note but no skin on the sweet mmmmmmmmmmmmmm potato. I’m getting some light earth mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm notes and they’re really well layered with a mmmmmmmmmmmm grain note and some….some…mmmmmmmmmmolasses……..

This tea is beautifully balanced. The flavors layer with amazing intricacy, like a tapestry from days gone by. Try drinking it with your eyes closed. Bliss.

Flavors: Grain, Molasses, Sweet Potatoes, Wet Earth

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Cameron B.

This is one that I really want to try! I’m sure it will make my brain go “mmmmm” too. :P

mj

LOL I love this note

Bonnie

Good review, drew me in…could taste the tea.if you have Netflix watch Somm. You will crack up at how people training for Master Sommeliers sound like those of us who review tea.

SimpliciTEA

Great review!

TheTeaFairy

Haha! Mmmmm, is the definitely the best descriptor for this one :-)

MzPriss

I love this tea so much. I call it “wee snaily yum” and I’m hoping thre is some in my mailbox tomorrow or so…

mj

LMAO “wee snaily yum”? What does that even mean?

Cameron B.

mj, clearly it’s small and snail-shaped and yummy! Duh! :P

MzPriss

Exactly! The dry leaves looks like weensy golden snails and it tastes just so very fine. I LOVE this tea.

mj

That is the cutest thing I’ve heard all day

MzPriss

I’m a goof :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

I approve of this entire page. :)

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86

Wow, is this what all Keenums taste like? This is really really good. I almost placed my order yesterday thinking that eh, the Keenum sample I got wouldn’t prove order worthy. Boy was I wrong. This was really good. Did I say that already? For me it was a bready sweet taste. There wasn’t a smoke taste like I was expecting. This had me wanting to drink the entire sample pack in one sitting. On the order it goes, and I thought I could weed it down… doh! For those more seasoned keenum drinkers who have had THIS tea, how does it compare? Have I been missing out on another really good type of tea?

MzPriss

Tiff – resistance to WP is futile. And dang! Why haven’t I tried this?

looseTman

“Have I been missing out on another really good type of tea?”
I’m a very big Keemun fan! My most recent Keemun stash order was for 1 kg and it only lasted about 6 months!

TeaTiff

looseTman – What is your description of the defining taste of a keenum?

TeaTiff

1 kg, that is a lot of keenum!

TeaTiff

MzPriss – order is in progress…..

MzPriss

I’m a huge Keemun fan as well. looseTman – what kind was it that you bought so much of?

TeaTiff

Order placed.

looseTman

“Prepare to be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”

MzPriss

Tiff – I wish I had ordered some of this now. But I did a huge one and it’s on it’s way. I’m drinking some North Winds now.

looseTman

TeaTiff & MzPriss: steepster.com/looseTman/posts/166936

mj

@MzPriss: I ordered a sample of this with my order that should arrive on Saturday. I’d be happy to split the sample with you if you’d like to try it.

MzPriss

Oh mj that is so very sweet! I think I probably need a little sample order from WP anyway. But I appreciate the offer very very much.

@looseTman thanks I will check it out

donkeyteaarrrraugh

TeaTiff, you should explore Keemuns. There are some lower grade ones that smell like someone just hit you in the face with a dirt clod, and then are are extraordinarily delicate keemuns that speak of old and sacred places in their complexity. I have reviewed quite a few if you peruse my tealog…. they are one of my favorite teas.

Cheri

I just was saying that I think I need to try this one. I’m not a huge black tea fan, but everyone’s amazing reviews just make me want to taste it. I’ll probably get another sampler pack from WP at some point, and this one will be in it.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Keemun is my comfort tea :)

TheTeaFairy

Lol, teaTiff, now that I’ve read this review, I’m thinking exactly what MzPriss said: Why have I overlooked this one? Not a big deal though, was just thinking about what was going to be my next big reason to place another order. Now I know :-)

TeaTiff

MizPriss if you are not able to secure a sample I can send a long some since this did get included in the order.

looseTman – I actually own a bit of this tea. I had forgotten about it as at the time Keenum wasn’t on my radar. I am going to go back and revisit this one along side the WP.

donkeytiara – I started looking through your log and I had to stop:) They are all sounding so good!

TeaTiff

Cheri – I would actually be interested in learning which black teas you have enjoyed? I have seen from your log that you are mostly oolong and white.

WP – I am very impressed by all the teas I have tried and look forward to the order arriving. This one was a very comforting tea, nothing too fancy that I felt like I had to devote a ton of time, just yummy and relaxing.

TTF – So which teas from WP have you not had yet?

MzPriss

I have a passionate love for good Keemun. But there is plenty of lesser Keemun out there and I’m having to wade through it to get to the good ones. I really like one from The Steeping Room. I have a bunch of samples I need to try.

Cheri

TeaTiff – Yes, you’re right, mostly oolongs, whites and greens. Not a lot of blacks, and those I’ve had are flavored for the most part. I’d like to find blacks I like, but I haven’t yet found anything that really stands out.

looseTman

TeaTiff, I look forward to your comparison especially since I’ve not yet had the pleasure of WP’s Pine Peak Keemun.

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97

I’m having this tea because…the long tentacles always reminded me of black spider legs.

Disclaimer: there will be some spider content in this note.

When I woke up this morning, I saw something staring at me above on the ceiling. It was black and the size of a dollar coin. In my world, this is what I call a big fat one.

So as much as spiders scare me, I can’t hate them cause they are useful and I admire them for their complexity. I think they are beautifully terrifying . And since my inner Buddha refuses to kill stuff, here I am standing on the mattress, Mason jar in one hand, trying to maintain my balance while stretching and reaching as high as I can… It’s not going to work…I mean, I’m 5"6, I’m no basketball player.

So I go quickly in the basement to get the stepladder. When I get back…it’s gone. It’s freakin’ gone people. Where did it go? How will I ever be able to sleep in that room again I ask? It’s going to crawl on me at night, it thinks I tried to kill it. Oh, Karma!

So anyways, that’s why I thought of having my spider tea this morning. That, and because it’s gorgeous and scrumptious.

It smells like waffles, tastes like baked bread, honey, raisins and sweet potato.

It’s also a little boozy and fruity, with a tang of cinnamon in the background.

You can’t mess up this tea…it takes the abuse very well. I oversteep it just like I do with Premium Taiwanese Assam.

So good, no wonder it’s in my pantheon of best black teas ever.

Now back to spider hunt!

mj

Oh god… shudder. I once woke up and there was a spider looking at me from the other pillow. I don’t think I’ve ever flown out of bed so fast! I couldn’t sleep again until I’d washed all my bedding

Sami Kelsh

Oh I HATE when that happens. My place has loads of windows I like to keep open for loads of fresh air, but the side effect is the constant terror of finding a giant spider on the ceiling! :(

MzPriss

I’m laughing into my tea, but I’m laughing WITH you – not at you. I don’t mind spiders. I mind snakes. And scorpions, I really really really mind scorpions. A scorpion bit me in my bed one time. I don’t kill things either but I really wanted that scorpion OUT of my house.

Ubacat

I’d move all the furniture out of that room and vacuum everything! lol

TeaTiff

They say you swallow 8 per year. Okay I couldn’t resist. I have a healthy respect for spiders. They do a good job at what they are here for, but man could they be anymore creepy looking? Spiders don’t bother me nearly as much as other bugs. For the most part it seems like they really just want to leave you alone. On the tea front, this is one of my favorites. I need to enjoy another cup of this in my near future and try not to think of spiders while drinking it.

TheTeaFairy

Mj: that is scary!!!

Sami, don’t you have nets in your windows?

Ok, MzPriss, that is no fun…scorpions and snakes? And how did you ever deal with a scorpion bite? Shivers here. I guess there are perks to be living in Winterland!!

TheTeaFairy

Lol, Ubacat, I don’t think that spider “fits” in my vacuum!!!! (Ok, maybe I exaggerate a little…)

TeaTiff….not funny. Did.not.need.to.know.that.
And yes, the tea is spectacular!

K S

My inner Buddha has found the perfect solution – I scream like a little girl until my warrior wife slays the evil beast. Seriously, I don’t do spider. They can be all useful outdoors. Once they are in the house their only purpose is to return to the dust.

MzPriss

I just snorted some of my tea into my nose @KS that is funny!

The scorpion bite bite HURT. Really hurt. And the way I dealt with the snakes and scorpions is that I moved out of the country and into the city where I haven’t ever seen either one. Although I hear a snake occasionally visits the garden. I haven’t seen it so I don;t have to move again. Yet.

ashmanra

Love it, KS! Superanna, my daughter, isn’t allowed to kill spiders because she and her husband are equally freaked by them so he insists on doing the killing because he is afraid she will miss and it will get away and come back for revenge.

I have always kept a “kitchen spider” as long as it stays in its place. We get moths otherwise. And when we find a spider elsewhere, youngest insists it must be captured and carried outside. We once had to relocate a baby copperhead to keep her happy….

MzPriss

OMGrelocate a baby COPPERHEAD???

Christina / BooksandTea

My standard response to spiders is to scream like a girl and get either my mom or husband to kill it for me. This sometimes is difficult, as it seems in my house that the shower is the preferred lurking spot for our spiders. Once, last month, when I was sick, I was just so tired and pissed off that I left the spider on the shower curtain while I was washing up – better than tracking a frenetic trail of suds throughout the house!

Frolic

Thank you for the spider warning. As curious as I am to your response to this tea I’ve avoided reading your review and all comments to avoid being traumatized this early in the morning ;)

KiwiDelight

I’m arachnophobic. I have so many stories that I wrote an essay about my phobia. I think what I currently hate about spiders the most is that there are species that eat birds and/or bats. Number one: I love birds and bats. Number two: those spiders are monstrously biiiiiig ;^;

mj

@ Christina, I actually let a spider live in my shower for a while as long as he kept a respectful distance. I live at “garden level” which is a nice way to say halfway underground, so bugs are a problem for sure. My spider shower seems to have moved on though. As long as they’re not in my bedroom, I’m ok with them.
@KiwiDelight: I love bats too! I tried to convince my parents to build a bat house in their backyard to help the brown bats, which are being decimated by this fungal infection. They live in Florida, so I told them that the bats would help with the mosquitos, but they wouldn’t go for it :-(

ohfancythat

Well, that’s terrifying. shudder

KiwiDelight

@mj Oh no those poor bats! I didn’t know Florida had the fungal problem also. Maybe if you told them bats don’t harm humans, even animals :(

K S

I love bats. Awesome creatures. Snakes, I respect, but I’m not afraid of them. Spiders, I know its irrational and I don’t care. One day my wife came flying up out of the basement to grab a ball bat and the bug spray. As she ran by she yelled, “Don’t go down there!” Apparently there was a big hairy one nearly the size of a tarantula on the wall. She knew had I gone down there we would be moving – immediately.

mj

@KiwiDelight, yes because my parents live in the panhandle of Florida. I don’t think they have the fungus problem in Southern Florida. I did tell them that the bats won’t hurt anything but bugs, but they still declined. It’s ok, I’ve already had a discussion with my boyfriend and he’s agreed that when we A. move in together and B. have a yard, that I can keep a beehive and have a bat house :-)

Mandy

I have severe arachnophobia. Like one time this little ant sizes one was web stringing it’s way down towards me and I was so paralyzed by fear and I was yelling at my boyfriend to get and he couldn’t see it and I started crying. He finally found it and I just couldn’t stop crying.

I’ve also made him pull over on the side of the road while I had a panic attack in the street in the middle of the night because I saw one crawl across the window and he couldn’t find it. I sat in the backseat knees up rocking and crying until we got where we were going.

I used to tape my mouth shut every night when I was a little girl because my mom thought it was a good idea to tell me that you eat an average of 8 a year.
I skipped school one day when I was in middle school because I saw one by the front door and it ran away before I could spray it to death so ran into the bathroom, shoved a towel along the bottom of the door and sat on the counter until my little sister found it and killed it.
Even the idea if a spider can set me off. One time I was sitting on the couch with my now ex, and thought it would be funny to stop and stare sort of freaked out at my neck like there was somethig there. So of course I freaked out, jumped up ad clawed at my neck. As of course started crying. I couldn’t stop even when he said nothing was there. It took almost an hour for the adrenaline to wear off so I could stop crying.

I’m not the type of person to cry, in fact the only times in the last year that my boyfriend has seen me cry have been spider related. I would love nothing more than to get over my fear but even thinking about going through the therapy makes my heart race.

Also I will never be able to drink this tea since you made that comparison.

KiwiDelight

KS The great thing about having a family or living with someone is that you can make them take the spider away.

mj Sounds like a great plan, having both a bat house and a bee hive! Wonderful. Bee keeping sounds difficult, but if I could ever get around to it I might just do it. Save the bees!

Mandy My arachnophobia is not so intense is yours, but I also cringe at the thought of therapy. Not ready for that immerision stuff. Have you ever considered exploring how you came be phobic? I blame TV. (no, really, Jumanji and James and the Giant Peach partially have something to do with it). This kind of understanding helps me cope, in such a way the phobia isn’t as so mysterious anymore.

Man we really hijacked this thread….darn spiders.

Mandy

Kiwi it started out because my mom. My uncle had but a dead black widow in her bed when they were kids and when she freaked out he was like oh they die after the bite you. So she was always afraid of them which rubbed off on me. She’s gotten more immune to them and I’ve gotten more afraid of them when I started into my teenage years. Before I used be afraid but would kill it and be fine. Now if I can stay calm enough to kill it it’s a miracle. Speaking of I really need to get some hair spray. That’s my weapon of choice for them demons. Completely drench them until they curl up and die. It’s quite effective actually. The hairspray is sticky so once you start spraying it gets stuck and cant go running off in a corner. Not that I’ve been brave enough for that in a while, usually it’s my boyfriend I make do it now. Haha

TheTeaFairy

Oh my!! Had no idea that my spider ordeal of this morning would stir so much emotion!!!!

I’m so sorry for those who are arachnophobic…I guess my disclaimer didn’t work…oops.

KS your comment was so hilarious, I now have a mental image of Strong and fearless Wife Warrior and scared little KS screaming like a little girl behind her. Thank you that was priceless!

KiwiDelight

Mandy That’s……..a really cruel prank. It’s gotten worse for me too. Occasionally, I vacuum the cellar spiders that reside in my bedroom. I’ve been seeing them all my life, so I’m very used to them unless they come too close (they keep their distance in the corners. Sometimes I’m merciful and leave them be, but if they persist living here once I vacuumed their webs away, bye bye…That’s as far as I get with dealing with spiders and I still feel bad >_<

Yeah, I guess we all felt like sharing. Solidarity.

mj

Save the bees indeed! We depend on them for a lot of our food production

Mandy

TheTeaFairy Sorry for taking over your note, haha. Your disclaimer did work, but I want to get over my fears, and words are much safer than pictures or the real thing. When I was looking up treatment options, they said that for patients whose fears are too strong, or are impossible to treat with immersion, that allowing themselves to think about the fear is the first step. So reading through is my way of treating it in a way.

Kiwi Yep, she was a little girl and he was a young boy so he thought it was funny, and she got a fear of spiders. My old house had them in the bathroom all the time, and if they were in there, so long as I wasnt showering when I saw it, it wasn’t so bad, because I knew I had my trusty weapons near by. Even when my phobia got worse, the safest place to experience one was the bathroom.

Then we moved to a new house in the middle of the woods, and with the sharp increase of the bigger ones, my phobia reached the crying uncontrollably level. Moving off to college was such a relief because I some how lucked out and didn’t see any for almost a year.

Then moving off campus and to a less pest controlled area, the sudden shock of spiders again shocked my system. So even when I see the littlest of spiders,and even when I tell myself its teeny tiny, it can’t hurt me, I’m being irrational, I still panic.

KiwiDelight

Middle of the woods….nope. Unless the house is well insulated. I take it when you move out you’ll be living in the suburbs or a city? I bet you had a lot daddy longs legs, which love the woods for some reason. I hate those too, even they aren’t spiders. Tiny spiders are fine for me (I actually think they’re kind of cute…), mostly because, I think, I have never seen anyone freak out about them, as opposed to the larger spiders. Anything bigger than nickel triggers me (unless it’s cellar spiders).

Mandy

I don’t know if Florida woods are different but I actually haven’t seen a daddy long legs in years. I know that I wasn’t afraid of them before but idk if that’s changed. And middle of the woods might be a little of an overstatement. They’re “woods” within a town. ~5-6 minute drive down a dirt road, into woods. But still completely surrounded by trees. I’ve lived in Orlando the past 2 years though so yes city haha.
I don’t know what a cellar spider is and I feel like I don’t want to know haha. I used to be fine with wittle baby spiders before but I swear in the last 5 years or so it’s like my body disobeys me when 8 leggeds are around. I say calmly kill it and my body interprets it as curl up in a ball and cry. There must be some kind of miscommunication or something haha.

Butiki Teas

Hahaaha. I do the same thing with spiders. I catch them in a cup and slide some cardboard under them. Once I get outside though, I tilt the cup and run. I would like to think that the spider knew you were trying to help him outside and left on his own.

TheTeaFairy

Lol, stacy let’s hope you’re right, but so far so good, it hasn’t visited my bed…yet!!

Happy to see I’M not the only one trying to save them…(I totally run also once I release them outside, haha!)

Butiki Teas

See, he did leave. The last spider I caught was a jumping spider. Super aggressive little guy. I ran so fast back inside and left the cup out until the morning.

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90
drank Yu Lu Yan Cha Black by Verdant Tea
15006 tasting notes

Pulled this one out as well as i wanted something with a little more punch to it. I neglected to thank Courtney for this one the last time i had it, so double thanks! She sent this one my way when she decided the smokey notes in this were too much. So it’s MINE! MINE! ALL MINE! haha good times. I don’t recall this having smokey notes the very first time i had it, but not that they’re there, this makes this even tastier…for one of us :)

boychik

Lucky! This tea is great. Terri shared it with me and I’m going to reorder.

Terri HarpLady

I don’t know what happened with this tea! I really didn’t care for it initially, and it was definitely NOT smokey. And now it is. I don’t get it, but I prefer it this way, so I’m not complaining.

boychik

I like it smoky as well. Makes it more interesting.

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85

Happy Canada Day!

I started this morning with a taste test of three A&D tea samples that the most excellent Cavocorax sent me :)

They’re having a free shipping sale today so I knew the time had come to make my decision. I didn’t want to go spend crazy at $20 a pop (and over 4 oz each!!) so I just chose 2 teas to purchase.

I thought originally that I wanted to buy this tea, but ultimately I went with the Red Tailed Hawk which I found really flavourful and different from other teas that I own, (I have no darjeelings at this point) and the Tiger Assam, which makes for an EXCELLENT breakfast tea with milk in it. I know I will get good use out of that one.

This Spring Keemun tea is tasty, bright and fresh, but when I drank it side by side with the other two, it wasn’t QUITE as flavourful, plus there’s the quantity (less tea for the same price). So it didn’t make the cut! Maybe someday I will regret not buying it, but for now I am excited to get my other two in the mail.

I did enjoy this though, and was very happy to sample!

So glad I got to try these first! Or else I wouldn’t have known what to get.

Thanks again, Cavo!!

Nxtdoor

Holy shit, free shipping? Thank you!

ohfancythat

Yeah, to Canada :)
(I just had to check that you were in fact Canadian so that you wouldn’t be disappointed, haha)

boychik

So you getting only two? I think 3 tins is a better value. My other faves are Mt Grey and Caravan. I got a second new tin of Caravan which says a lot. I was drinking it for breakfast almost daily.

Nxtdoor

I have yet to try any, so now the question is do I take advantage and buy sight unseen and possibly get burned? :) I know, I know, people will take it off my hands. But you know, the budget…

Terri HarpLady

I always get them in groups of 3 :)

OMGsrsly

I just bought one. :) I have so many teas that getting something other than Tiger Assam felt foolish.

ohfancythat

Ok, so originally I was thinking I would order the Spring Keemun so the 3 pack for $48 was not an option. Then I changed my mind about the Spring but totally forgot about the deal! I ordered Red Tailed Hawk and Tiger Assam and that was it. Then realized my error so they let me add on Mount Grey for an extra $8.

Huzzah!! Hooray for Canada!

boychik

Now I feel much better;). Mt Grey is a nice EG even though not that many ppl on Steepster like bergamot.

ohfancythat

I love EG’s :)

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100

This was my 3 am middle of the night tea and I’m having it again at 6 with a little break for morning Special Dark (mmmmm) ritual. I was going to switch it up it, but it’s hard to mess with perfection so…

This is from my stash of the “old” vanilla, and while I do love the “new” vanilla just bit a more, I have to say that in the unlikely event you can let your stash of GO lounge around for a while, it just gets better and better – even more vanilla fudge flavor. Just so smooth and lovely.

mj

Oh, MzPriss, I don’t know how you do it. I would DIE with only that much sleep. But this is an excellent tea for the middle of the night….the morning….the afternoon lol

TheTeaFairy

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this one yet…I love the new vanilla too! ( 3am? We are creatures of the night…)

MzPriss

@mj – I don’t know how I do it either, but I’ve been doing it so long, it is just how it is – but hey! at least I have good tea to do it with

@TFI can’t believe you haven’t reviewed it either!!! and yeah 3 am – we really are creatures of the night. I get some books read that way though :)

TheTeaFairy

Yep, thank god for tea and books! Lol, I went to bed at 5 and it looks like I’m up now! Oh well, at least I don’t have to go to work, so no complaints here. And I,m like you, been going on for so long, I’m used to it!

mj

It’s impressive! My brain does not work if I get less than 7 hours of sleep, which makes lab activities pretty difficult….plus it makes me pretty cranky. I guess I’m just a big baby when it comes to sleep haha

MzPriss

You know, for the most part, I love my life pretty well. I am fortunate to have a job that while extremely intense and stressful, I love it, I’m good at it and I work with really great people, I live in a place I love, have sweet little house with a HUGE yard and a great garden and I’m really lucky with my the friends I have – but seriously – not being able to sleep reallyreallyrealyrealyreally SUCKS it and I envy those of you that can. I would give up a significant amount of things to be able to sleep.

TeaTiff

I had a serious struggle with insomnia for about a year. It is an awful feeling and I sympathize with you MzPriss. All you want to do is sleep and your body/mind will not let you. My husband could fall asleep in 2 mins once his head hit the pillow so he never understood. I hope you are able to find ways to get as much rest as you can.

MzPriss

Awww thank you. It’s been going on for years and I manage it, but I’m really envious of people who can sleep. And having GO in the middle of the night and a good book helps :)

mj

@MzPriss, are you reading anything good lately?

Terri HarpLady

I have been a Creature of the Night for most of my life. When I was 6 I was prone to wander in the middle of the night. It started with wandering around my house (mom was a very heavy sleeper & dad was in the navy). I’m hypersensitive to a lot of things, including sounds, so I loved (& still love)the silence, plus everything looks so amazingly different in the dark, there is a soothing quality to a lack of color. My wanderings took me into my back yard, then into my front yard. All around the neighborhood. I laid in the damp grass, looking at the stars. I became life long friends with the moon. It came to a screeching halt when my friend Jill spent the night & we went for a full moon stroll in our PJs. We played on the school playground, walked all over the place, then some lady asked us why we were out at night.
“She was spending the night & got scared, so I’m walking her home” I replied (creativity has it’s perks…including the ability to make stuff up, just like that!).
She kept driving around the block, so I slipped into stealth mode & we went into my next door neighbor’s backyard, thinking we gave her the slip. When she was gone, we silently crept back into my house, & tried to go to sleep.
Next thing you know, the doorbell rang, then Mom’s voice, “Terri…”
Busted! That lady had called the cops!

Terri HarpLady

I go through periods of late nights activities, & if I start to do anything, especially of a creative nature, after 10pm, I’ll be up til 3:00. But I have noticed as I’m getting older that I require at least an average of 7.5 hours of sleep. I can get by on 6 for a few nights, 3 occasionally, but my body really needs the rest.

TheTeaFairy

Oh terri, we have so much in common…I’ve been that little girl too…still am I think. You were right, you do have some fairy blood! LOVE your story, thanks for sharing :-)

MzPriss

OMG this kind of freaks me out that we all have this in common. I used to do what my vraother called “waking the house”. She had an old house with creaky floors. I believed that I knew where all the creaks were and that she didn’t hear me when I did all my roaming. Although she thought I stayed IN the house and just walked around – I always always went outside and walked around her neighborhood. It was a small town and I would walk around, climb up into the big oak trees, play in the park and I spent hours upon hours upon hours looking up at the moon.

MzPriss

I have no idea what a “vraother” is. That was supposed to be grandmother. I hate doing this from my phone :)

MzPriss

@mj – I’m reading a yoga book right now called “The Subtle Body” and I’m also working my way through that tea shop mystery series. The Indigo tea shop one. I do ’t think her writing is all that great and she gets a few tea things wrong – like the being stores in glass jars – but they pass the time OK. What are you reading?

TheTeaFairy

Ok…this is freaky. My story is at my grand parent’s farm. Acres and acres of land. I’d go bare footed also in my nightgown with the dogs and climb the the apple trees. I’d just stay stay there and look at the moon.

You gals, your stories are amazing :-)

(And I can’t get passed vraother, I’m snorting out loud!!! )

MzPriss

Yeah – bless my heart, I’m laughing too.

Terri HarpLady

Seriously? You girls are the only people I’ve ever known that did this besides me! Unless you want to count adults with Alzheimer…

MzPriss

My vraother (I decided to embrace vraother) wanted my mom to take me to the doctor because she was worried that I “walked the house” all night long and thought I was sleep walking and might hurt myself. I was totally awake and I like outside at night. When we lived in the country, my hub and used to take futon mattress out onto our top floor deck and sleep out there if the Mosquitos weren’t too bad.

TheTeaFairy

My own vraother would sometimes join me :-) no wonder I,m an insomniac, I got encouragement!

Awww, the futon thing is adorable…

I go sleep outside in the Gazebo all the time…especially when it rains.

MzPriss

LOL I sleep on my back screen porch when it rains. It just never rains here enough anymore :(

MzPriss

And I LOVE that your vraother did it with you! That is awesome!!!

mj

I never night-wandered, probably because my parents put a healthy fear of being abducted/and or murdered into me (you can’t blame them; they both worked in law enforcement and saw a lot of terrible things). I did, however, like to go out and swim in the pool late at night, but my mom or grandma was usually with me. I got away with NOTHING lol and even when I thought I got away with something, I found out years later that my mom knew and just let it slide.
MzPriss, I’ll have to check that tea shop series out! I just finished the second book of The Kingkiller Chronicles by Rothfuss. It was ok, but not great. I needed a stand in for game of thrones and it’s kind of like that.

Terri HarpLady

My mom started giving me a nightly ‘hot toddy’ of warm milk with a bit of brandy in it, to get me to go to sleep. Of course, this is before they realized that alcoholism is genetic, hahaha.
Pretty soon I was coming to let her know I was ‘ready for my hot toddy’, & she realized maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. When the brandy bottle ran dry, that was the end of hot toddies…

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83

The afternoon cuppa….

I don’t think I’ve ever had a dark roast houijcha before so I was looking forward to trying this. It’s pretty yummy! It definitely has a roasted flavor that is reminiscent of coffee, but there’s also a fruity, sort of cherry flavor about it and something creamy that would best be described as caramel. Normally houijcha is nothing for me to get super excited over, but this was a delicious sample. Glad I was able to try it…

Flavors: Caramel, Cherry, Coffee

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Cameron B.

That sounds fantastic! You are a terrible influence on my wallet! XD

TeaBrat

Steepster is dangerous! :D

Cameron B.

The shipping on that sampler is so high! QQ But I noticed that YunomiUS has all of their teas and their shipping is better so I may just order from there.

TeaBrat

good to know – yes the shipping was kind of pricey since it came from Japan. :/

Dexter

Steepster is very dangerous – this is something I would really like, so of course I’m looking at the web site….

Jennkay

I love Obubu hojichas, and I got all of mine from Yunomi. They seem to have frequent sales/shipping deals

TeaBrat

Looks like Yunomi has some good stuff! I’d be tempted to order but I’m swimming in Japanese teas right now :)

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92

This is a mysterious looking little wiry black tea. Quite magical when steeped! Rich and satisfying and complex enough to keep my interest. Chocolatey, malty, and fruity sweet!

Great stuff. I’m going to hoard the rest of the sample boychik sent me. Thanks!!

Edited to state that I’m REALLY loving the lingering aftertaste of this tea….mmmmm!

boychik

I love YS blacks. Great quality and price. Happy to share ;)

Terri HarpLady

I have to chime in on YS teas! This is one of the teas I recently shared with the BBBBox. I bought it because the name was similar to Verdant’s Anxi Fo Shou black, & although they aren’t really similar, this is an interesting & tasty tea in its own right!

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drank Golden Monkey by Golden Moon Tea
1040 tasting notes

Drank the last of this at work today. This is a solid Yunnan style black tea. It’s rich, with a hint of chocolate, some nutty goodness, a little sweet, and maybe just a hint of stone fruit hanging around in the background. I really like it, but considering how hard it is to get Golden Moon teas into Canada, I don’t think I will be re ordering it. There are other black teas out there that are just as good, but don’t have a 30.00 (something) shipping charge attached to it.

TheTeaFairy

Oh my, $30?? Did not know that…this is way too much!

Dexter

I didn’t pay that – I had it “muled” to me, but yes their shipping is insane….

TheTeaFairy

Aaah, yes, ai remember that…lol, now I know why the mule was a necessity :-O

ashmanra

Lol! A tea mule! This gives me a happy!

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90
drank Golden Monkey by Harney & Sons
3986 tasting notes

Good morning Steepster! Okay, so it’s almost noon, but this is my first cup of tea so too bad! :D This is out of the pile of Harney samples that I realized I still haven’t tried. I can be such a slacker… I wanted a straight black and this was the first one I saw, so voila! I think the name describes this tea very well, the leaves are small and curly, half golden and half dark brown. I can totally imagine these being the coat of some adorable curly-haired monkey. Okay, that doesn’t make much sense but too bad! The smell is unlike any other tea I’ve had so far. It’s extremely strong malt and almost savory, but there’s definitely a hint of honey in there too. It definitely piqued my interest. Kind of followed the average parameters on here and steeped for 4 minutes at about 200 degrees.

It’s interesting, as soon as I took the lid off of my brewing basket, I definitely smelled a strong fruit note. However, when I took the basket out and sniffed the tea, it wasn’t there. I discovered that it was coming from the leaves, which I thought was interesting. The brew itself smells strongly of crusty bread with a small bit of cocoa and maybe some honey. Oh my goodness! This tea is just like eating that dark wheat bread that steakhouses serve you with honey butter! I was floored by how spot-on it is. Needless to say, it has a very strong bready flavor, specifically dark wheat bread. There’s also a strong malt taste, which makes perfect sense as the yeast in the bread! And then a touch of cocoa just to make it a tad rich. I got a sesame seed note at one point, but it wasn’t something I picked up on during every sip. The aftertaste is all malt. I know honey is a very common descriptor for this one, but I didn’t really get that. There was definitely some sweetness but I guess I associated that either with the dark bread or cocoa notes. Sweetener might have brought that out more but I wouldn’t dare with this tea!

I think Golden Monkey may have been one of the five free TeaVivre samples I chose, and now I really hope it was because I would love to try another version of this tea! So yummy and satisfying.

Flavors: Bread, Cocoa, Malt

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Cameron B.

Sorry guys, I didn’t realize how long this was when I was writing it. XD

TheTeaFairy

Haha, like the little curly haired monkeys, great review :-)

ohfancythat

I LOVED this tea!!

Cameron B.

TheTeaFairy, I googled to see if there was such a thing and this is what I got…

http://shannongrissom.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Patriciasm1-445×550.jpg

…dying…

Cameron B.

whatshesaid, it’s so good! Sold out at H&S but I’m crossing my fingers that I ordered a sample from TeaVivre… :P

TheTeaFairy

Awwww! Want!!!!’

ohfancythat

Sold out! Wow. Not surprising though, considering how delicious it is. Someday it will be mine!

MzPriss

@TheTeaFairy – it JUST so happens that your fellow teacret thingie has enough to share with you…

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96

Ok. It’s 2:30am.

Do I want more tea? Pfff, of course I do.

I want Bi Luo Chun Yunnan Black. I can have it if I want to. I still have a little bit left and I’m expecting more soon.

Cause ya know…I’m kind of addicted to a certain tea co. that makes delicious tea.

(That’s his fault, the Tea Whiz of the Woods).

So it all started the day I bought WP BLCYB. I like this type of tea, I have supplies from other brands.

So now, BLC from WP, why should I make YOU my BLC of choice, the one and only, the absolute best I’m now going to keep in stock and make me say farewell to the others?

I’m already addicted to several other little friends of yours. Ailaoshan Black, Golden Orchid, Port, and now Elderwood… You should know that technicaly , I don’t really need you…

…But, but… I WANT you!!! You taste so good, damn it!

I see myself writing the following, and I quote «This is like having candy».

Uh??? But, I don’t like candies all that much…so what does it mean?

It means that this tea is MUCH better than candy…that’s all.

There. That was my review.

If you really want to know how it tastes like, see previous notes ;-)

MzPriss

3:40 am here. I was hoarding my last little bit of this. But I have more coming, so I"m having this as middle of the night tea as well in solidarity. It’s sooo good

Sil

I haven’t yet placed an order with or tried many of Brendan’s teas….I really need to not order tea after the house things we need to replace… You are making it had to resist!

Terri HarpLady

Are you sure you girls aren’t musicians?? Hahaha
Hard to believe, but I actually went to bed before midnight for once!

Terri HarpLady

Sil, I was thinking of ordering samples, & sharing them with you :)
I gotta have something to put in your next box!

MzPriss

Not musciains (well I’M not anyway) we just don’t sleep much. @Sil – WP is pretty excellent and once you get started – it’s a slippery slippery slope…

Sil

Terri – I’m pretty sure you have about 300 teas that you could put in the box LOL We overspent by picking up the couch and chair this month so i’ve got to be good and try to save money until we get back. I was thinking of trying to not buy any tea in July…which in a way is the suck because it’s my birthday month lol

TheTeaFairy

MzPriss, your 3:40 was already 4:40 here, I was getting my beauty rest, at last…otherwise, I would have been your tea-body of the night (or early morning?)

Sil…ORDER!!!!!! JUST DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!!! :-)

I’m a musician wannabe, I know it’s in my genes, but it’s been hiding for a loooong time…doest that count Terri?

I agree MzPriss….SLIPPERY!!! I keep falling :-)
MzPriss

We’re falling together. It’s hard to mind it though when we get to drink such great tea

Whispering Pines Tea Company

I swear, I don’t pay these two! :-P

TheTeaFairy

MzPriss, you’re right, I was never this happy to spend my money :-) plus it’s making me decide on stuff in my stash I realize I just don’t want anymore…why have that if I can have this???

TheTeaFairy

Haha! That last comment of mine does sound like an infomercial…sorry about that!

AND NO, WE DON’T GET PAID TO HAVE THIS AWESOME TEA EVERYDAY AND TRY TO TELL THE WORLD ABOUT IT !!!!

Sil

haha Brendon – the few that i’ve had from you via swaps have been nice. Now i just have to wait for a sale or something so that i can take money from my “clothes fund” to place an order lol

ohfancythat

Brenden – maybe you should start paying them commission, hehehe
They’ve sold me on several teas so far!!!

Terri HarpLady

Sil, if you can’t order in July I’ll just send you an extra awesome birthday present box. You’ll be drooling over it, looking around suspiciously, & whispering, “My precious…”

Tommy Toadman

You should pay them! lol
Awesome good tea, i want some now :)

MzPriss

WHAT THETEAFAIRY SAID!

@Sil – I would send a birthday box to Canada…

MzPriss

And also, like TTF – I find myself getting rid of tea that I don’t LOVE as much as the things I LOVE

Whispering Pines Tea Company

A sale? Hmm…well, Sil, you might find it useful to know that I offer the 15% off coupon code “sip-inspiration” to all first-time customers :)

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drank Sansia Black by Butiki Teas
424 tasting notes

Another sample from Stephanie – thanks! The name always makes me think of Game of Thrones, and I can’t seem to shake that.

I liked this, It wasn’t quite as “leafhoppery” as another one I had in the past. It was called Xi Ming or Mi Xing or something like. I can’t remember and can’t find it. That one was a bit more honeyed, but I still enjoyed this and got three steeps out of it. I rarely steep blacks more than twice.

Stephanie

Hmm, I don’t think it was the sansia…I only had a 1 cup sample of that one.hmm I wonder what it really was.

Marzipan

That might explain why I didn’t get the leafhopper flavor. That’s definitely the label on the bag though.

Stephanie

Weird!!! Take a pic for me? Maybe I can figure it out

Marzipan

OK next time I go upstairs.

christeana1

IM Sorry if this is a silly question..but leaf hoppery?

Marzipan

There are teas where they let leaf hoppers bite the leaves, because when the leaves heal up they have a super amazing honey flavor to them.

christeana1

Oh..That does sound good! Maybe ill have to look more into that. Thanks!

Marzipan

Found it on the Butiki site:
Mi Xian Black
Our Mi Xian Black tea is sourced from Ali Shan region in Taiwan. This exquisite premium grade tea utilizes the Chin Xin varietal and is pesticide free. Mi Xian Black is a relatively new style of black tea and is very rare. Similar to our Gui Fei Oolong, leafhoppers are allowed to bite the leaves in order initiate the plant’s healing process which produces a honey-like aroma. Juicy peach and honey notes mingle and linger. Some lychee and mild citrus notes can also be detected. This smooth and mellow tea is sweet with a creamy mouth-feel. Temporarily out of stock.

christeana1

Aww..Thanks Marzipan! Butiki is becoming a fast favorite of mine. Ill have to check it out when it is back in stock. Im already planning another order;).

Marzipan

When I searched on the page, there were four leafhopper teas – so there are some others.

Stephanie

Weird, you sure that came from me?! WTF LOL
Maybe it came with your Red Queen?

Marzipan

Oh I bet you are right!

Butiki Teas

Yep, I sent out a sample of this with the Red Queen Cupcake prizes.

Also, the sweetness in this one really depends on how long it is steeped. It will be maltier and less sweet if steeped long with a lot of tea and really sweet with shorter steepings. I’ve gotten this one to be sweeter than the Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black.

We sell the following leafhopper teas:

Sansia Black
Taiwanese Wild Mountain
Oriental Beauty
1994 Aged Bai Hao
Gui Fei
Mi Xian Black (out of stock)

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91

Om nom nom.

With a tsp of sweetened condensed milk today, to make it more like maple ice cream. Only hot, and in tea form. So not really like ice cream at all.

:)

Flavors: Maple

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 18 OZ / 532 ML
VariaTEA

Oh OMGsrsly, you always, always have the tastiest editions. This sounds amazing!

Cameron B.

Like those little leaf-shaped soft maple candies! Mmmm…

OMGsrsly

Soft maple candies? I’ve only seen hard lead-shaped maple candies. What have I been missing out on?! :)

OMGsrsly

Lead-shaped. Umm. Leaf-shaped, I mean.

Cameron B.

http://www.vermontpuremaple.com/buy_maple_candy.htm

It’s basically maple and sugar, lol. It’s kind of a fudge consistency. Yum yum yum!

OMGsrsly

OMG. I have some of the hard candies near the bottom of that page. But it looks like they either don’t ship to Canada, or I have to email them to find out about the cost. I really dislike having to email orders in, because even if shipping is $$$ I feel guilty about not ordering after I’ve bothered them.

OMGsrsly

I couldn’t resist, so I emailed them. If shipping is $$$, I will have to find a Canadian source. :)

Cameron B.

I just googled to find a source, I haven’t tried them from that company specifically. I would say if the shipping is high, try finding another site that sells them. :)

OMGsrsly

I figured, but they look legit and I don’t think the prices are too high as-is. :)

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100

This morning, I’m having a kid’s breakfast. I’m hungry cause instead of eating dinner last night, I got drunk…Tea drunk that is. With giggles and all the fun that comes with it.

So I’m making “oeuf dans le trou”. (Egg in a hole???) Don’t know if other people have that dish in the world, but I’m guessing yes cause I found this pic:

https://jillcastle.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/img_5046.jpg

That’s exactly how I do mine, with a thick whole grain slice of bread and a big omega-3 egg.

When we were kids, It was a fiesta when my mom cooked them…

I dip the little bred circle from the hole in my egg yolk. So much yum, so much fun!

And what best tea to pair with it than by beloved Ailaoshan Black?

The sweet salted caramel notes chase away the eggy aftertaste in my mount, it’s almost like having eggs with maple syrup.

Then on it’s own it’s like having a little dessert. Malt with dark chocolate, sweet dried fruits…
I’ve written it all in previous notes.

This tea hugs me in the morning, and I can only hug back :-)

MzPriss

Yes eggs in a hole! I had so much fun with the tea and giggles last night and there was some dinner skipping here as well. I was HUNGRY and I had avocado toast with a few pecan halves and some pu-er concoction and steeping a cup of this awesome tea right now.

ohfancythat

My mom always made egg in a hole for us as kids, to this day no one makes them quite the same! I try to avoid wheat these days but once in awhile I just can’t resist an ‘egg in the hole’ as a treat. My favorite part was always eating the little square of bread fried up in butter beside the egg in a hole!

Bonnie

Enjoy! More tea after Church!

MzPriss

@whatshesaid – I saw a recipe the other day for an egg in the hole without bread! They used a rings of bell pepper and cooked the egg inside – let me see if I can find it and I will link you. Not the same of course but it sounded good to me

mj

I’m very jealous of your breakfast :-). I only have enough leaf for one more cup of this one so I must hoard it until I place a WP order!

Cheri

Now that’s what I’m craving for breakfast and there are neither eggs nor bread in the house. (I should go grocery shopping.)

Terri HarpLady

We always called it egg in a basket. I loved it, my kids loved it. I miss it, & yes, there are many gluten free variations that are fun, but of course, never the same…sigh…it’s that little circle of toast!

ohfancythat

I agree Terri, It’s all about the little tiny circle (or in my case, usually a square) of toast from the “hole”!

MzPriss, I think I’ve had that before, tasty but definitely no buttery bread replacement :)

Terri HarpLady

I always served it with extra pan toasted triangles too :)

TheTeaFairy

Haha! I’ m overwhelmed with you answers you guys, thought it was local dish or something, this is great! And yes, the little tiny grilled circle IS the best :-)

MzPriss, avocado toast is like a guilty pleasure…without the guilt! I also love toast and coconut butter with crunchy chia seeds on top. Weird but so good! And that pu’erh concoction of yours well…for some strange reason, I can clearly envision what you are having ;-)

Terri HarpLady

Inspired by this post, I made a savory almond flour pancake, topped it with sauteed greens & eggs, & made 3 cute little circle pancakes to represent the circle toast. :)

TheTeaFairy

Aww, terri this sounds so great and yummy! How cute, little mini round pancake :-)

MzPriss

@TeaFairy – for some strange reason I bet you can even taste it :)

@Terri – that sounds awesome

MzPriss

At my sweet little co-op market, they have the best thing now!! I just freshly ground my own CHOCOLATE ALMOND BUTTER!!! Chunks of almonds and chocky chips so so good!

TheTeaFairy

Hehehe, as a matter of fact… I can!!!

TheTeaFairy

Oh, I make my own peanut and almond butter. Never thought of adding chocolate to the almonds. Oh, that would turn like a some kind of crunchy Nutella, without the excessive load of sugar!!! Will try it this week for sure, thanks!

MzPriss

It is kind of like that with a higher nut to chocolate ratio. Very very good!

TheTeaFairy

MzPriss, then this will be dessert today, drizzled with honey on ripe bananas!

MzPriss

OH! I have a banana! I’m going to warm it up a little so it will drizzle and do the same

TheTeaFairy

Ok, let me know how it tastes like, I’ll have mine later…Lol, My review threads always end up talking about eating, I’m such a foodie!!

MzPriss

I am too. I’m cooking right now – just made some cauliflower rice sald (not rice – just cauliflower buzzed in the cusisinart) and stir frying veggies for some lentil curry

MzPriss

salad not said

TheTeaFairy

Hey, we do seem to have similar culinary tastes! Love the versatility of cauliflower so much, I make some sick fake mash potatoes with nutritional yeast…I’ve served that to people who actually like it more now than real mashed potatoes!!

MzPriss

I make those too. And have you made the pizza crust with it yet?

TheTeaFairy

Noooo! Ok, will you pm me recipe when you have a chance? Pleeeeazzzze?

MzPriss

I totally will. I’ll go find it now and send it to you PM

MzPriss

OK – the banana deal: I used my cast iron skillet and wee bit of butter and sliced my banana length-wise and did a little stove-top grill of the banana until caramelized and brown in spots. Warmed the chocky-almond butter for 15 seconds and then drizzled over the banana. Yes – you want it.

Lariel of Lórien

I like to freeze my bananas and then put them in the blender.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Caramelized bananas with chocolate syrup are the most simple and decadent dessert on the planet. Just sayin’. <3

Bonnie

I have allergies to some foods so I collect recipes on Pinterest. Anyone else? Bet Terri does!

MzPriss

*Lariel – easy banana ice cream!

@ Bonnie – I bet Terri does too. I don’t Pinterest – I just bookmark everything. Although I lost a lot of things when the harddrive on my macbook fried a little while back

@Brenden – I’m way picky about chocolate syrup though. I haven’t found one I love that doesn’t have some kind of crap in it. Do you know of one?

TheTeaFairy

Yes I do!!! Just melt 80% dark chocolate yourself, the best!!!!

MzPriss

You don’t have to add anything to it to make it stay syrupy? Doesn’t it harden on the food – or LOL do you just eat it up before that happens?

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Was about to say the same thing, Fairy-awesome-one!

I have a tiny skillet that I use for melting chocolate :) haha

TheTeaFairy

Haha! Chocolate awesomeness!! No I add NOTHING!!! Unless you serve it on something frozen, it’s ok. And as you mentioned, i just eat it too fast for it to have time to cool down ;-)

MzPriss

Well it just so happens that I have some 80% chocolate :D

TheTeaFairy

Well well, how bout that? Sounds like we are having the same dessert tonight ;-)

Oh and Brenden, I too own a tiny weeny little skillet for my chocolate. I don’t put anything else in it cause I don’t want ANY taste transfer. It’s so darn cute:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14536236312/in/photostream/

MzPriss

it IS cute!

apt

i had microwaved hot dogs for breakfast

TheTeaFairy

Hahaha! It’s all good apt, we are health freaks, we’re the scary ones ;-)
(I also did have my days of microwave mornings once upon a time, but I was more of a pizza gal!)

TheTeaFairy

Ooh ya, me like the petite size :-) that would be perrrrfect!
But then again, I’m a pots and pans fanatic…If I had a gigantic kitchen, I’d probably own every kitchen gadgets and appliances on the market!

Lariel of Lórien

A chocolate skillet? How does that work?

Whispering Pines Tea Company

:-) I need to get it…Since I’ve condensed my kitchen I realized I’m sort of missing some vital items. I’ve got two cast iron pans, a stainless steel crockpot, and a tiny skillet. I’m a huge fan of Frieling, too, which helps me trust that it’ll be a good investment :)

MzPriss

I’m sorry to tell y’all what I am eating right now

mj

TheTeaFairy your chocolate skillet is adorable!

TheTeaFairy

@WP: Yep, that’s the kind of pan you’ll have for a long time:-) better pay a little more once than keep buying every two years…

@Lariel, it’s not really a chocolate pan, it’s just very tiny and I like to melt my chocolate in it cause I can do just a little bit at a time :-)

@MzPriss: Well Bon Appétit then ma’am!!

MzPriss

fig & mascarpone gelato from this italian guy’s shop where he hand makes it

MzPriss

@TeaFairy – if it would get there from here I would totally send you some so we could share :)

TheTeaFairy

I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that but now I have to hate you….
;-)

Terri HarpLady

This post just keeps getting better & better :)
I want fried bananas, drizzled lightly with maple & maybe some coconut milk on top,& toasted coconut flakes.Yeah…I want that.
For dinner I’m having brats (nitrate & other BS free), a cultured dill from last summer, homegrown asparagus & cukes, & sweet potato french fries fries.
Tomorrow I’m planning to make a batch of cauliflower tabouli. I haven’t had tabouli for a long time & cauliflower makes a pretty good sub for bulgur too. I have all the other ingredients in my garden: parsley, mint, cukes, sungold cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic.
Foodie? Damn right!

MzPriss

Yeah you might have to. A friend just brought it over

TheTeaFairy

Ok, now I can’t hate you no more ;-) I’m going to your house, bye cats, bye dog…

MzPriss

it’s amazing

MzPriss

You can bring them. Although my dogs don’t understand cats

MzPriss

Oh man Terri that dinner sounds awesome.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

My dog thinks all cats are puppies, and so he acts like a daddy dog and goes to snuggle them and keep them warm, but they just smack him in the face and he gets confused…lol

TheTeaFairy

It’s ok…the intention counts, I’ll always remember you offered to share with me:-) enjoy for the both of us!!

Terri, if I was living near you, I’d find an excuse every day to drop by around dinner time, and just pretend I need something. And then you would say, «hey fairy, I was just about to have the most fabulous dinner and dessert, would you like to join? » ;-)

MzPriss

I wish to have that tabouli please ma’am

MzPriss

You know you’d get great tea @ Terri’s too

TheTeaFairy

I love cats and dogs stories, your dog sounds adorable!! …brenden this is how “friendly” things are here :-)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/12530016644/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/12529529795/in/photostream/

MzPriss

I am overcome by the cuteness

mj

That dog is GORGEOUS!

TheTeaFairy

That’s Dexter, pretending he doesn’t want to make a snack out of Happy…

MzPriss

They’re snuggled!

Terri HarpLady

I love those pics! I used to have a great dane (Ellie Mae), & when my cat Opal had a litter of 5 kittens, they were HER kittens. She mothered them all the time, they were her babies.

Terri HarpLady

If my kids ever move out, I seriously want to do the bed & breakfast thing, so you can all come visit me :)

TheTeaFairy

Awww for the dog, yay for the B&B. can I reserve now????

TheTeaFairy

Prana is just gorgious. Sigh. i want another dog…there’s nothing like puppy love :-)

Terri HarpLady

TF, it might still be a year or 2, but of course! :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Dexter and Happy are totally adorbs too! :)

TheTeaFairy

Terri, i can wait, i’ll be totally worth it ;-)

Thanks Brenden, they are my babies :-)

Bonnie

You guys have spiked your tea, I’m positive. Have you seen Brendens kombucha (or kumbaya whatever)…It’s fermenting into hippie wine (b4 you were born). (Sorry Brenden, it looks like fruity sangria with soggy granola on top. Most of them do not just yours). Need a party somewhere. A cruise! (Keep saying that)

TheTeaFairy

Haha! bonnie I did look at breden’s kombucha, my aunt use to make her own, that’s how I know it…he almost convinced me to try and make my own, lol!

A party with you bonnie? Anytime, let’s have one now, you know how much I’ve missed you :-)

Lariel of Lórien

What is this cukes of which you speak? And also, you guys are making me want to garden.

TheTeaFairy

Lol, we do sound like weirdos don’t we? Lariel, kombucha is fermented tea. It looks gross and slimy but it tastes pretty good and has a lot of health virtues. Brenden had a link on how to make your own on WP website but I can’t find it anymore…

Lariel of Lórien

I know what kombucha is, I’ve had it a few times. I was wondering what ‘cukes’ are slang for. That’s not really a word we use in California.

TheTeaFairy

Oh sorry, I didn’t notice “cukes” and this thread is wayyy tooo long for me to trace it now!

TheTeaFairy

Ah, cucumbers!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Not to mention, you can make kombucha wine with champagne yeast ;)

Terri HarpLady

Cukes = cucumbers
I grow a lot of them, then I put them into a salt brine for 2 – 4 weeks to make old fashion dill pickles wth lots of garlic & dill.

TheTeaFairy

Ok, bookmarked this time! I can now imagine all kinds of drinks and cocktails with champagne Kumbucha ;-)

TheTeaFairy

And of course there will be some on the table when I go visit St-Louis and stop at Terri’s B&B!!

Terri HarpLady

hell yeah! We’re still eating them from last summer, & I’ve started making the new ones, so there will always be more! Along with home made cultured (and very much alive!) sauerkraut, kimchi, dilly beans, & whatever else I add to my bubbling laboratory :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Mmm I bookmarked that one. Sounds yummy :)

Lariel of Lórien

Cukes sounds like an odd word, though I’ve only liked cucumbers if they’re in tahini sauce.

Terri HarpLady

Mmmmm, tahini sauce! Picturing all the ingredients…yup, I could make some of that too!

TheTeaFairy

Lol, this thread as a life of its own now ;-O

TheTeaFairy

I meant “has” silly typo

Terri HarpLady

Just one more reason to love Steepster, and tea, cuz otherwise none of us would have met in the virtual world :)

MzPriss

Exactly! Can I come to your B&B when TF does?? There won’t be much sleeping but there will be lots of middle of the night tea…

TheTeaFairy

…and giggles :-)

MzPriss

Extreme giggles!

TheTeaFairy

You know what they say…if you visualize it enough, you will make it happen :-) see? the giggle part already happened :-)

MzPriss

Well I do keep a travel bag packed…

TheTeaFairy

Lol, I don’t travel much…but I guess it doesn’t hurt to be ready ;-)

Terri HarpLady

YES!
I think once my kids all move out, we should have a mini tea convention/slumber party (with no actual sleeping) at my house, to celebrate the grand opening of my bed & breakfast/Tea House.

MzPriss

So Terri, you know in New Orelans they all the Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs? I think we should name your B&B The Singing Harp Social Aid and Pleasure Club when we move in visit :)

TheTeaFairy

Aww, love the name! (And I saw what you did MzPriss) I totally vote for moving i !! In exchange, I’ll change the beds and do laundry for free. Oh, and I can cook for your guests awesome dishes with foods from your magic garden!!

MzPriss innocent face * what? I will help too. I don’t mind bed making and dish doing or lawn mowing. AND as an extra special incentive – I will refrain from singing! You cannot beat that deal
Terri HarpLady

LOL, I can certainly use the help!
BTW, I think this may be the longest tea posting comments thingy ever! :)

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90

Thanks to Mz P. for sending some of this my way!

I can see why people like this tea… it smells very chocolate-y in the bag and when you steep it up it’s so nice and rich. It definitely tastes like chocolate too! Is it a flavored tea or is it natural? I see it has vanilla in it which would explain the almost creamy quality it has. Anyway I’m glad I got to try this one! It’s good with soymilk and it’s also good plain.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
MzPriss

It’s natural and it’s magic :)

TeaBrat

And yummy!

MzPriss

Indeed. My very favorite blend.

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5
drank Lotus Green Tea by Tealux
390 tasting notes

NOPE! musty spearmint mixed with….. something. absolutely not. there is creative license and then there is just gross. }=0(

dammit, i paid for this too! at least it was just a small one.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML
TheTeaFairy

Lol, I so agree, that one was so gross, I threw it out. But a friend bought me a lotus tea when she was in Asia, and it’s really good. It’s a floral tea with sweet vanilla earthy notes, very pretty. Tealux’s version just tasted like soap!

JustJames

the word ‘appalling’ comes to mind. vanilla dn earth were nowhere near this. yuck! this one goes to my wisteria!

Dexter

When Tealux gets flavors right, they can be very good – but they also get them VERY wrong. Sorry you wasted money James, but life is too short – dump it and move on.

TheTeaFairy

Yes, purge.

JustJames

agreed and agreed…. good bye! wait, i suspend the ‘good’…… ‘bye!’

looseTman

Another nominee for the “Hall of Shame”

Whispering Pines Tea Company

And I’m over here sulking in the corner because I liked this one…haha

Whispering Pines Tea Company

I got mine from Art of Tea though, and I’d assume they are the same since they have the same exact description. Haha

TheTeaFairy

LooseTman, I fully support and vote for its entry to the Hall of Shame. Brenden could always buy a ticket and go there if he ever feels the urge of drinking it again!!

Thanks Brenden for sharing this crucial information… Mental note: NEVER BUY ART OF TEA LOTUS TEA!!!!
;-)

JustJames

brenden…. i haven’t chucked mine yet…… i can ship it to you. heh heh. we could do a tea swap! lol

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Eh, it’s not something I would repurchase, but I did like it! :P

I’d be down for a tea swap except for the fact that I only have 2 more teas to finish and then I’m going to be starting my “tiny tea” collection, where I never buy more than an ounce, only buy the most amazing stuff I can find, and only have 16 spots available at any given time…though I might make that 8 instead :)

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90

Oolong rocks my world. Especially TGY. But I’m critical when it comes to it cause I have tried many and lots of them just taste generic to me. Not bad, but nothing overly special. Since I now have a well garnished selection of my favourites that I keep at all time, I don’t seek them as much as I used to, I’m pretty satisfied with what I have.

When I read that Whispering Pines were roasting their own TGI, it got me really curious to try the first batch.

I’m having it in the gaiwan.

This is not heavily roasted, but just enough to bring out those sweet caramel notes.
And boy, are they present. I get dark caramel, sweet corn and light mineral notes. At the first steep, the wet leaves smell like slightly burnt kernels and roasted coffee.

Another thing that really got me to try it was the “caramelized bananas” mentioned in the description. I mean come on. Pretty hard to resist that one.

And you know what? Don’t underestimate the power of suggestion cause it really worked, I definitely got that, but wouldn’t have come up with it on my own!

It looses some of its “roastiness” at the fourth steep, that’s when peachy fruity notes and a nice floral mouthfeel emerge. As it cools, I get a light camphor minty finish, and it really lingers.

Me like.

All I’m really saying is this TGY lot no. 1 is wicked good. More please.

mj

Since joining Steepster, I am discovering that I’m a total oolong lover! I thought I was mainly into black teas, but oolongs are just. so. good.

TheTeaFairy

Mj, what I like most about oolong, is its flavour spectrum. It is amazing what you get from a high mountain green to an aged roasted one, and everything in between!

Ost

Oolong is the bomb! :D

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Woot! So glad you liked it! :D I’m absolutely in love with TGY :)

TheTeaFairy

I didn’t like it Brenden…I looooved it ;-)

Can’t July first be on 28th instead, just this year so I can place my order NOW?
Pleeeezzze????

MzPriss

Right??

Skulleigh

That does it, I am planning on an “Oolong Tour” when I get off my buying fast in September. I really love milk oolong and I had a Dong Ding that I really liked, as well as the Rare Orchid one from a Steepster box. I will have to comb through your oolong reviews and get some ideas :)

TheTeaFairy

Yeah MzPriss, Girl Power in the house again, Don’t you feel pressured Brenden?

Skulleigh, i don’t always review all my tea, let me PM you a list instead, will be easier for you :-)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Well maybe if you and MzPriss checked your inbox you’d realize that I work much better under pressure ;) hehehe

TheTeaFairy

(You are such a bad boy Mr. Tea Mixologist)

Skulleigh

Thank you! A list would be great!

TheTeaFairy

Looking into it for you then :-)

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drank Spicy Pear by Joy's Teaspoon
1040 tasting notes

I received my Joy’s Teaspoon order today. I placed that order because of this tea. I LOVE this – it’s easily my favorite pear tea.
Anyone who knows me understands that I NEVER drink new order teas as soon as I get them. I have teas here that I received months ago that I haven’t tried. This one I ripped right open and made a cup (also put some into the fridge to cold steep).
Yep this is still wonderful. Beginning to regret ordering ONLY 4oz….
(Thank you so much ifjuly for introducing me to this FANTASTIC tea).

TheTeaFairy

So happy you are enjoying it, and we all know that a good pear tea is hard to find! The fact that you ripped it open speaks volume :-)

Dexter

Once my life get under control, I’ll send you some of this and the others that I got. Smell really good!!!

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What tea goes good with BBQ for lunch?
Lapsang Souchong, of course!
This one is very nice, in that it has the smokey quality, but is not over done. I know from experience that a little maple can really bring out the caramelized sugar flavor of this, but I elected to drink it straight, & it was just so tasty with my lunch.

Skulleigh

Oo, I was thinking of bringing BBQ home for dinner, maybe I’ll try some LS with it! Thanks for the idea.

Stephanie

smokeypalooza!

Skulleigh

I’ll have to try it another night – hubs wasn’t up for BBQ tonight, his tummy was feeling a bit puny, poor thing.

I really need to pick up some maple syrup to try in tea as well, I see people mention it a lot, but I’ve never tried it.

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87

Mmm, this is delicious! Tastes like a Darjeeling to me so there must be some in there. It’s slightly nutty slightly fruity, very tasty.

I brewed it at 94 degrees for 3 min. Perfect. I am adding it to my wishlist.

Yum!

Thank you for the sample Cavocorax!! :)

TeaLady441

Glad you enjoyed it! And I’m pretty sure it was a darjeeling too!

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80

SSTTB: Pick #20

Last one of the night. I’ve enjoyed exploring the Pu’Erh in The Box; they’re blends I wouldn’t have picked for myself otherwise, but I enjoyed them all quite a bit! More so than I anticipated, anyway.

This one kind of surprised me; I totally didn’t realize there was Tulsi in this when I was making it – and then, when I was tasting something really funny and kinda odd when I started sipping at it I had to go look up the ingredients. Yup; that weird taste was totally basil. And, now knowing that’s what I’m tasting I like it. It was much weirder when I didn’t know what it was.

The cinnamon was definitely strong and I’m not usually a huge cinnamon person but the Tulsi totally helped temper it for me so that it wasn’t just cinnamon or too much cinnamon. And yeah, this is actually sweet like the name suggests/promises so that worked in its favor too. Actually, I think my biggest dissappointment was that the Pu’Erh base was pretty light/covered up by all the other stuff! I wanted more of the earthyness of it!

Man, I really want to keep playing with this one! I liked it a lot! So I guess my question for OMGsrsly is: would you be terribly upset if I kept the rest of this one for myself?

OMGsrsly

Go for it. :) I think I have some, and it’s on my Verdant order list anyways!

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100

Tea of the night.

This tea is a lullaby…

It’s comforting, soothing, enveloping, warming, reassuring.

This tea feels like the rain…

It’s calming, cleansing, refreshing, quenching, rejuvenating.

Fresh Michigan pine needles, paired with jasmine green. Brilliant.

Pure and crystalline, this infusion renders a light floral breeze and an almost indescribable fresh evergreen taste. It just sits there on your tongue long after you’ve swallowed. It might be a little more piney and resinous than the previous time I had it, which is fine by me, I love that taste! But it remains very delicate and sophisticated.

I had only a sample before, but now that I have a brand new supply, we’ll be spending a lot more time together…This is a unique handcrafted product, and I’m pleased to say it now has a place of choice in my cupboard.

gmathis

Oh, my…what a calming review! I think I need you to come read me a bedtime story :)

Stephanie

I need to try this!

TeaLady441

I’m jealous! I’ve been dying to try this but when it was restocked I didn’t know about it until it was too late. It’s on my wishlist so hopefully nexttime!

inranger

Same here Cavocorax, I just placed my first WP order and it was the one tea I wanted that was out of stock. :( Yes, next time.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

The needles for this tea are harvested on the first of each month, and the amount of it available is based on how much I can sustainably harvest…There should be about a pound available on the first of the month :)

TheTeaFairy

Gmathis, wouldn’t that be fun ;-) it’s hard for me to relax at night and this tea did the trick yesterday, it has a very claming effect, just made me feel so good.

Cavocorax and inranger, I sure hope you get the chance to try it eventually :-)

Brenden, the first of the month is maked in RED on my calendar!!

bizbee1

oh I was just thinking about how I had been trying to find a good jasmine before I got side tracked with travel (and some truly awful tea experiences). I MUST try this one! I often drink green jasmine until nearly bed time. this would be better.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

bizbee, the base of this tea is our River Rain green tea, which I LOVE for before bed. It’s a blend of mao jian and jasmine yin hao teas from China. :)

bizbee1

well Whispering Pines as soon as you get more in I’ll be “there” I have a whole relationship with bears theme in my life, raising funds for the fortress of the bear is Sitka AK and avoiding bears during my AK swims (I was recently told this year’s proposed route ends near some bears that like to swim out to fishing boats) sleeping bears are a good thing!
So is pine for remembering the bears when I am amongst the palm trees working!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

:) Bears rock! It’s too bad the Legend of the Sleeping Bear is not a happy one :(

TheTeaFairy

Bizbee1, that sounds amazing!!!

(Brenden, If the bear dies in the end, I don’t want to know!!)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Well, it IS just a legend… http://www.nps.gov/slbe/historyculture/stories.htm

But yes, there are dying bears involved :(

bizbee1

well to counteract the sadness here is a happy place for orphaned baby bears (htough it has little to do with tea unless we make a tea and use it as a fundraiser). The family that runs the fortress have dedicated their lives to these bears but they give a lot in return! http://www.fortressofthebear.org/

TheTeaFairy

Arrgh!!! I knew i shouldn’t have read the legend…it takes two words to make me cry: cub and death. What a sad story…but I’m sure the dunes created in their memories are beautiful…

Bizbee1, thanks for posting this, it warms my heart to hear about such amazing people :-)

TheTeaFairy

Awww! You’ve got it all my friend…it’s gorgeous.

And Mario Batali? And cherries, my favourite fruits in the world???

Whispering Pines Tea Company

This will be available for purchase in an hour and a half!!! :D That’s 2pm EST, right here: whisperingpinestea.com/the-sleeping-bear-blend.html

bizbee1

ok I want to get some for me and some for a care package going out to a friend so I’ll waaiitt :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Very limited quantity…so be ready! :D

Whispering Pines Tea Company

@Fairy, yes…the best cherries you could ever imagine. I can’t even eat cherries from anywhere else :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Also, I’m having my first cup of this harvest now. It’s AMAZING. I changed my processing slightly on the pine, so now there’s much more pine flavor and a light roasty hint in the background. Also, new jasmine in it, which is WAY better than the old one. I keep saying this, but I don’t think I can make this tea any better!

inranger

Have my order in :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Yay! :) Congrats, and thank you :)

TeaLady441

Oh, I’m SO tempted to grab this, but I just got my WP order in a few days ago, and don’t want to pay $12 shipping for 2 oz of tea. :P Guess I’ll have to wait until it’s restocked later on. Is it always the 1st of the month that you bring it in? I can plan a future order based on that!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Cavocorax, I’ll message you :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

And yes, to answer your question, I harvest on the first of each month. Usually there’s about 10 ounces available, but I’m trying to make that a pound in the future.

I could do a special harvest for anyone that wants 4 ounces or more though :)

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drank Sansia Black by Butiki Teas
60 tasting notes

Today has been a weird day. Last night I got home really late. I decided I wanted to unwind and watch a little tv before I went to bed but instead I ended up falling asleep very quickly on the couch. I was so exhausted that I woke up around 8am still on the couch with the tv on. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve done that. I felt very disoriented when I woke up and I’m still not feeling quite so normal. This week has been a trip. At least once a year I go raw for a few weeks. I started eating raw food on Monday. Unfortunately, the first day of being raw is horrible. I was so unproductive because I had a bad headache, was very mentally fuzzy, felt pretty weak, and was hungry all the time. By Tuesday I was feeling a little better but still about half productive. Wednesday, I finally felt better and was able to catch up with work. Now I’m feeling pretty good. In a couple of days I will have that raw food energy. Each time I go raw, it gets easier and I have fewer bad days before the good days start. The first time I went raw, I was miserable and extremely hungry for the first week and it wasn’t until the end of the second week that the energy kicked in. Every day I allow one cheat by having one cup of tea. This tea was my cheat today.

I’m sure this tea is even more amazing since it’s the only warm thing I consume. I love this! Honey and caramel are the main notes. It is very sweet and a little malty. I can also taste vanilla, floral, bread, peppercorn, and plum notes. There is also just a touch of chocolate. It is so very delicious! This tea, our Red Queen Cupcake (strawberry, chocolate, espresso, vanilla) tea, and Taste of India (strong breakfast blend that incorporates Assam, Darjaeeling, and Nilgiri teas) will be up on our website by tomorrow.

This is an interesting tea. While it does have some similarities in flavor to the Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black it also has some of its own uniqueness. It comes from Sansia, Taiwan. That region produces predominantly green tea, so this is a bit unique. Also, a local varietal is used Ching-xin Ganzai. The leaves of this tea are also insect bitten, so it does have that honey sweetness. Such a delicious tea!

Marzipan

I couldn’t do any diet that kept me from tea. twitch

mj

You can’t have tea if you’re eating raw?!?! Oh, the humanity!

Also, I want to try this tea :-)

Butiki Teas

Marzipan-I could use it though. I was drinking way too much tea. This is a nice break.

Butiki Teas

mj-Well, I could have a white tea that was sundried and steeped cold. I could drink that all day without cheating. This tea is really delicious!

Stephanie

Is this the “new Taiwanese” tea sample I got but haven’t tried yet? Woo! Hope the rest of your Raw Time goes well :)

Butiki Teas

Stephanie-Indeed it is! Thanks, I’m adjusting quite nicely now and I just got some raw nut cheeze in the mail (that must sound gross but it is amazing) and some raw chocolate torte (pretty awesome since it uses the only kind of sugar that I can have without getting sick.

Stephanie

That sounds pretty tasty to me! Can you make smoothies? I’ve put raw rolled oats in mine for texture/whole grains before and it was pretty good!

Butiki Teas

Hmmm, I will have to see if raw rolled oats are truly raw because that sounds awesome. I do make almond mylk by letting raw almonds soak in water for 8 hours. If I’m feeling frisky, I add some vanilla bean and blend the almonds in after they have soaked. I could do some ice, almond mylk, and fruit. That would be good. One thing I’ve done is cardamom, papaya, and almond mylk. That is awesome.

Butiki Teas

If anyone wonders what I eat, here is a link to my instagram: http://instagram.com/butikiteas. There are only 4 raw foods on there but I will be adding more throughout the raw adventure.

TheTeaFairy

Hope that raw energy kicks in really soon ;-)

Last month, I did 30 days of “semi raw” if you will, mostly in the form of green smoothies, vegetal proteins, seeds and nuts…after a few days, I was so energized. I also do that every year!

But I do have my tea, can’t give that up even for just a month! You’ve got a lot of will power my dear!

And the tea just sounds great!

Butiki Teas

TheTeaFairy-I can tell, it will kick in soon. That’s pretty awesome that you do mostly raw for a month every year! Well, I feel like I can live with just one tea a day. It’s my special reward. No way would I be able to completely give up tea for a month. Not a chance. The tea is wonderful!

Stephanie

Those food pics are gorgeous and all look so tasty! I see shredded green papaya? One of my faves!

Hey BTW canvas get there ok?

Butiki Teas

No green papaya. There was mango though. Mmmm! Thanks!

The canvas has not arrived. I was starting to think about checking the tracking number.

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100

So…Steepster people. MzPriss and I have been chosen to preview this new creation before its official debut. Yesterday, I received the precious sample and drank it right away.

Beware, I have a lot to say, sorry for the long review, just couldn’t make it a short one!

I will not pretend I have the English skills to describe this tea the way Brenden did so masterfully in his own beautiful “Tolkien-esque” way…

But after reading it, I can tell you that I get what this brand new concoction is all about.

See, I live in a mountainous forestial environment.

Some days, I feel like Alice in Wonderland.

I get inspired by my forest every day….walking by a tall and majestic oak tree, bouncing on spongy velvety mossy grounds, getting intoxicated by the pungent and resinous scent of evergreens, listening to the chant of dazzling birds, secretly meeting with wonderful critters, having mystic encounters with strange and never seen before mushrooms, floating my way through ponds and wetlands, following the curves of sinuous rivers…

Beautiful nature canvases, begging for respect and attention. To experience it all, it is only required to look, smell and listen.

That will be my approach with this tea…

The look:

Stunning. Dark ebony curls and golden ribbons, they intertwine like enamoured lovers. Tea can be such a beautiful thing…Here’s a pic:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14514171475/lightbox/

The smell:

Enticing. But not as overly vanilla as I expected. It took me a while to figure out what the dry scent reminded me of…I finally did put my finger on it. I have a Vietnamese Lotus scented tea, and I compared it. Lotus blossoms! In tea, they have a natural floral vanilla scent to them. It’sa very distinctive fragrance, a little earthy and mossy.

Once brewed, the aroma took over the kitchen. Pics right here…but sorry, no 3D olfactory effects!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14534509223/lightbox/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14491254566/lightbox/

The listen:

That’s the tasting part. This tea embodies someone’s love and respect for his surroundings. That “speaks” to me so I tried to be attentive to fully grasp all its subtleties. To tell you the truth, all I felt like doing when I drank it was to close my eyes, relax and enjoy instead of taking notes…and that’s totally what I did, at least for the first steep. (Lazy reviewer!!)

I initially thought this was going to be Golden Orchid on steroids!!! But it’s quite the opposite. It’s more subdued. In fact, it doesn’t even seem like any vanilla was added to the blend. It feels as if the leaves came from a mysterious and unknown vanilla tea tree variety, an old tree that would have been watered with vanilla scented water for centuries. That’s how natural this is, Camellia Sinensis in all its glory!

I am biased and partial. I already love the two base teas creating this little marvel: Ailaoshan Black and Imperial Grade Dian Hong . How could I NOT like this?

The union of the two create some amazing notes. The first steep was like liquid silk in my mouth, all vanilla and smooth salted caramel. I also got that lotus note.

The other steeps brought more complexity. The mix of the two black teas produced some kind of chocolaty dried cherry notes, so yum. I didn’t get Morels per say as in the description (my favourite mushroom BTW) but a damp yeasty earthiness might be my own perception on the “mushroom” notes. I also got woody and piney notes in the later steeps.

This tea is very potent, I was skeptical that it could yield as many brews as Brenden suggested. But I respected the Master’s instructions and it worked. 5 good steeps and not one weak cup! Well actually, that’s not true. It did get a little weak the first time around. But the sample was big enough for me to have it twice. The second time around, I used less water and it worked better for me. So when I get this baby home, I’ll be using 1 tbsp per cup instead of the recommended 1/2 tbsp. having said that, do try it the way it is meant to be, I’m a heavy steeper :-)

In conclusion, believe the hype people, Brenden is the Tea Whiz of the Woods!

Thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity to try this new beloved blend of yours :-)

MzPriss

I have greatly enjoyed sharing this with you my friend – what fun!! And I agree with you, I will use more than the half tablespoon, but I’m a notorious “heaper” This would also make a great middle of the night tea :)

TheTeaFairy

Me too! It was a lot of fun… And yes, don’t we know about our middle of the night tea ;-)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

:) This is such a wonderful review :) Love the pictures!

boychik

This tea sounds so special. I have to get some.

TheTeaFairy

The tea was inspiring Brenden!

Boychik, yes, it’s another special one worth trying :-)

SarsyPie

This sounds lovely. There’s no way I can resist trying it when it’s available. :)

TheTeaFairy

Yes, can’t wait!

Nicole

Sounds amazing!

mj

I don’t know why you apologize for your english. It’s excellent! This was a beautiful review :-)

TheTeaFairy

Thanks mj…writing in English just doesn’t come as naturally to me, so I have to put much more effort into it, but I like it :-)

mrmopar

Wonderful tasting note. Much more eloquent than any of my ramblings.

Tommy Toadman

Do believe the Hype!!! Brenden Makes Great Teas!
This was a great review!!

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