812 Tasting Notes
05/01/2013
giant tea tasting party!
first i ran 6 miles in the graveyard with Regina and then we drank:
Tardis Blend
Red Velvet Cake
Banana Dream Pie
Guy of Gisborn
Cookie Dough
Santa’s Secret
Buttered Rum
then Audrey came over and i gave her tea samples to take home and we tasted these:
Bilbo Brew
Troika
Bouquet of Flowers
Movie Night
Smaug
Kusmi Caramel
Kusmi Anastazia
and then as i waited for the pizza order to arrive my boything and i drank:
Jane Austen Mafia
oh my this one is a bit strange, in a good way. i almost smell a little alcohol on the nose?
it intrigues me!
and that means it’s going to keep me interested.
watching vintage sherlock.
getting into bed early for an early run tomorrow.
happy warm tea night.
i know it’s weird but there is something about the dried fruit part of this tea that i don’t like. or maybe it’s just the whole tea that i don’t like.
but i think i DO like green rooibos because the three lemon green rooibos i have is one of my favorites. i guess i’d just rather eat my dried mango and papaya on the side.
2014-01-03
funny! i had this tea basically one year ago! and i’m trying it for a second time today due to a harney free sample. which is probably what my last taste was too.
but now i am an older and wiser tea drinker. and i just added this tea to my virtual shopping list. i’m not a huge green tea drinker, but i could see this one as a really good and steady spring and summer tea. i enjoy all the elements and flavors in it very much. they are all in line with my tastes.
2013-01-04
oooooo i did this crazy thing where i basically used warm water and half as much water and then let it steep a real long time. and i like it. the scent it very rich and alluring. vanilla and lemongrass first, coconut second. and really, not much ginger at all.
i wanna take a bath in it.
HOBBITY GOODNESS!
the scent of this tea really let loose as i began to steep it. first it had a sweet tone that hadn’t been there before. then a cinnamon kick started to rise from the cup as the sweet tones slightly dissipated.
i only steeped this for 2.5 min, but i did steep it with water that was probably definitely too hot (because i am at work and distracted and only think of these details after the fact)
now don’t get me wrong, it is still DEFINITELY an irish breakfast tea first and foremost. i guess i look at several of the adagio fandom teas as just really good staple teas to have in my collection. nothing too fancy. but with a little something warm and special added. it’s that little flourish that brings each it’s own personality.
a tea for the hobbiTEAest of hobbits.
i will say that even though i steeped this hard (so the taste is too astringent), the scent of the tea has a unique charm that is kinda tickling me as i sit at my desk. cuddly.
(i’m definitely gonna do a more gentle steep of this tomorrow morning for breakfast.)
This is definitely one of the teas that’s on my “Will buy when I can justify paying $20+ for shipping”. I’m really curious to see how sweet potato works in a tea!
i’m gonna try to make my own private blend of this! why the hell not :)
i’ll let you know how it goes …
OMG DUDES Cara’s hobbity-type-beings-but-not-hobbits-especially-not-hobbits-from-that-book teas are back and they are ALL wearing sunglasses!
they are incognito!! cuz they aren’t Hobbits or Dwarves shhh nope.
also they have black censoring tape to take care of some editing. and the names of the teas have changed into ridiculous & simple caricatures. and the whole thing is just a little bit angsty and a ton playful and super great. amazeballs. awesomesauce. boomerangs.
i completely love it so much i wanna puke.
Really? This hilarious and awesome! Hahahah
well i think i steeped this too long. i’ll need to shorten it below 4 min and see what happens.
it could just be a matter of perception and inflated expectations.
this tea is rated the highest of the fandom adagio blends, and i seriously love a few of the other blends i’ve ordered, so i figured this one must be delicious. i’m such a practical type of person that i forget how much others might be influenced by cross promotion. so maybe after this cup my expectations will be tempered.
do any of you like to read memoirs?
i especially like to read memoirs about depressed or abused or mentally ill girls. is that wrong to admit? well, it’s true. Unbearable Lightness, The Glass Castle, Wasted, Anais Nin’s Unexpurgated Journals, and every single version of Sylvia Plath’s journals that have been released. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but the point is i keep searching for more but i think i’ve read all the really good ones? i’ll keep looking and let you know what i find. i might have to broaden my focus to include men and drug addiction stories.
i do see these books as my equivalent to a trashy romance novel. sensationalized and dramatic and easy to read. but if i’m in a reading funk, one of these books always helps get my reading flow started again. or it works as a balance against the heavy and dense writing of the political non-fiction i’m usually chiseling away at.
this pekoe is boring.
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls was incredible! I really enjoy memoirs, too, usually about people who inspire me, as long as the writing is not too self indulgent; good editing can make a world of difference, I think. I would love to recommend one of my favorites: My Path Leads to Tibet by Sabriye Tenberken. Seems as though most people have never heard of her, and she is this amazing, strong visually impaired woman who helped children who are visually impaired in Tibet.
Another inspiring memoir I read not too long ago 90 Days by, oh, gosh I can’t remember the author’s name…it is about being in recovery, and it was one of those can’t put down books.
I hope your next cup of tea is as exciting and compelling as your favorite memoirs!
edit: 90 Days by Bill Clegg!
I’m obsessed with the genre too, and have read most of the ones you mentioned, but I still need to get my hands on The Glass Castle. Have you read The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller?
Serenity, i just sent a sample of 90 Days to my kindle and i bought My Path Leads to Tibet immediately because i trust my fellow tea drinkers greatly and the ebook was only $3.59. thank you thank you!!
SoftRev, i have read The Quiet Room yes. i liked it, and find myself referencing it in conversations still.
Definitely get your hands on Glass Castle. you won’t regret it. (if you have an ereader i could probably send it to you)
How was Unbearable Lightness? I’ve been contemplating picking it up.
I think I will re-read Glass Castle, now I’m remembering it…that scene with the mom with the candy bar— I can’t get over it…
So hoping you will enjoy My Path, Shmiracles, please let me know!
Looking up The Quiet Room right now…
Courtney, that was the very first e-book i ever read and i have to admit that when i started to browse it, it was just out of curiosity. i wasn’t planning on actually reading it.
but it is so well written that i immediately read the entire book!! basically if the subject matter doesn’t have any issues for you i highly recommend it. it’s a very well written and truly sincere telling of an experience. (it’s really hard to not sound cliche when describing memoirs sometimes aint it)
I have The Glass Castle at home but haven’t quite got to it yet. I also read that ‘genre’ though I focus more on mental illness and don’t do well with anything involving abuse. Most people think it’s really strange to enjoy reading the experiences of people with mental illness, but c’est la vie. There was one called Involuntary Madness where the woman (journalist?) checked herself into a few different types of institution with the same symptoms to see the different treatments offered that was really interesting. On a very different memoir note, I am reading The Fry Chronicles and it is fantastic, Stephen Fry is a wonderfully fanciful writer.
I don’t usually have a lot of time to read anymore with school. It’s all textbook reading but I think I will pick that one up. I love Portia de Rossi and I have no issues with the subject matter I find it interesting as well actually. Thanks for the recommendation :)
Uniquity, i send myself the sample of ‘Voluntary Madness: Lost and Found in the Mental Healthcare System’ thanks for the recommendation!
i love all these possibilities you guys are giving me :)
bummer the stephen fry book isn’t an e-book yet, but i’ll keep my eyes peeled. also, how can anyone not love stephen fry!!
Unbearable Lightness was pretty fantastic. She did an amazing job at explaining her ‘logic’ and actually making it seem like it made sense. It felt very honest to me.
I do have an ereader and would love it if you could send me a copy if it’s not too much trouble. I’ll pm you my email address. Thanks!
Funny that you mention Voluntary Madness, I’m reading Self Made Man by the same author right now, where she lives as a man for a year in different settings. Interesting stuff. I like ‘investigative journalism’ type books too, Nickeled and Dimed is another good one.
I didn’t realize I like investigative journalism until you pointed it out – though mostly I have been confined to AJ Jacobs. Will be sure to look up the ones you mentioned!
Stephen Fry is wonderful, I agree! I can’t wait to read his newest book. Wow, Voluntary Madness looks very absorbing.
Omg. I know I’m late to this party but yay, books!!! Path Leads to Tibet sounds delicious. Thank you, I shall be checking that out. Fist pump for the glass castle!
i freakin love the smell of this tea dry.
i know a bunch of ppl don’t agree but i think i might really like cardamom in my tea.
but … i’m not sure i really like white teas.
interestingly without thinking, i brought 3 white teas and 1 black with me to work today.
the almond and vanilla and cardamom all come through in this cup. subtle, but they are definitely there.
i listened to the Tea Rage podcast as i rode my bike to work today. He talked about the Tea Cellar in DC which i will now plan to visit soon. he also shared this quote:
“I am so fond of tea that I could write a whole dissertation on its virtues. It comforts and enlivens without the risks attendant on spirituous liquors. Gentle herb! Let the florid grape yield to thee. Thy soft influence is a more safe inspirer of social joy.”
― James Boswell
Yay for tea tasting parties! I had one on Thursday with my friend too :D we also swapped a few and I am excited to try them!
Party! Sounds like a blast!
Thats a LOT of tea! :)
Wow! All this tea? Sounds more like tea marathon! :-)
Woaaah. That sounds amazing.
That is so much tea!! They all sound so good too!
Wow, that’s impressive!
to explain in more detail, i usually get out 3 teapots, two glass gongfus that hold about 8oz each, and one forlife teapot that holds 14oz. then i let the guest start to choose!
i line up 4 sets of cups and we start to brew!
pour water for one pot, time it, pour between the cups, begin brewing the next tea, as we sample the first, smelling some more teas, drink half a cup and add raw milk to the last half to see how it changes, about 4 oz of each tea, tea after tea.
i gave Regina 2 types of tea to take home, and my sister maybe 6 or 7.
i buy gold foil bags from carytown teas and use them to share samples with friends. not the cheapest solution at 45cents each but still very affordable and i like sending people home with quality, knowing the tea won’t go wrong before they drink it because it’s protected.
(i think i got my friend hooked and we are gonna do it again this coming weekend! YAY!)
I wanna go to your place for this amazing tea party!!
This is a serious tea party with all of those teas! :)