Shmiracles

goddamn it i can’t believe i just steeped this for 9 min :(

am i right that it would be kinda respectable to dump some out and add water until it’s not bitter? that’s a thing that people do?

…. WAIT WAIT wait. how is it possible that this tea isn’t horribly bitter?!?!?!
i didn’t add water or anything and sure it may not be the best steep of this tea but i swear i am amazed that i can drink it and it’s only slightly more potent than i would like. after 9 minutes!!! how is that even possible?!

this accidental power steep has kinda given me a whole new level of appreciation for this tea. grace under pressure. i’m gonna drink much more of you caramel! cuz now that i’ve seen your inner beauty, i understand you much more.

whoa listen. it has been an AWESOME 24 hours.
last night we had a party at my house and i drank this iced. i also had whisky white iced and made a few others for the future.
then today i had a pretty great marathon. considering how under-trained i am and that it rained even before the race started.
then we went to Carytown Teas and i got a Blood Orange Puerh and a Coconut Oolong and MY GOD Carytown Teas has the best tea ever so i can’t wait to go to sleep just so i can wake up and drink them.

Orange Blossom makes a pretty rad iced tea. i might say that it’s taken me almost a year to enjoy iced tea and this one is the one that helped nudge me into agreement.

so you KNOW i like lapsang blends. i just really like how there is this super distinct tea that you think is so strong and kinda overbearing that it’ll only ever be a lapsang. and then you blend it with other teas and it goes all kinds of other new places!
i like to be surprised by lapsangs.

smaug is still my number one lapsang blend i guess. and also the only tea i’ve ever rated on steepster hah. but this one is special as well.

when i smell it dry, unfortunately it KINDA smells like cough syrup. definitely the berry blastiness is to blame. this tea would probably benefit from trying different kinds of steeping. i used a slightly cooler temperature water and let it steep for only about 2ish min. i don’t remember the last cup being so rose hips and hibiscusy, but that is also the nature of blends sometimes. one scoop can turn out noticeably different than another.
(come to think of it, i might have found a good lapsang iced option. weird i know but i’ll try anything once.)

i might go so far as to make my own blend including the lapsang souchong & almond tea but removing the berry blast and replacing it with orange rinds? marmalade? I’m Brillaint! anyone know how to get in contact with Cara McGee asap??!?!? it’s urgent!

Bring It On Down To Veganville!

little balls of yarn!
http://instagram.com/p/W4rekMoc-w/
yummy yarn.

since the day i received the ‘24 days of tea’ in the mail, i’ve just been grabbing a bag or two of the little sample tins and throwing them in my purse to take to work. at my desk i have my new asian style mug in the color of peppermint, and i just turn my electric kettle on and pull out the tins to see what i have with me.
so when i grabbed this one next and saw it had little peppermint sticks in it i was kinda tickled. (sprinkles add a weird oily coating and grimy residue to my tea, but candy canes are just a flourish!)
it’s an invigorating, slightly sweet, tiny tingle minty tea and PERFECT for noon tea.

why do we love this one so?!?!?!
i mean, there are several of us that drink this every day with enthusiasm. and i don’t understand it really because even with all the affection i have for this tea, when i try to describe it to someone it never really sounds as good as it tastes. but heck, all i can say is that i never thought of myself as a mint or peppermint lover. and i still don’t think of myself as a peppermint lover. but i can honestly drink this everyday with ease and joy.
mysteries are mysterious.

i have this tea for breakfast almost every morning i love it so much. i can’t explain it. i never thought of myself as a peppermint person. not at all. but there is something else going on in this tea. maybe it’s not the candy canes, but the secret part that i like so much.

i can’t believe that, over the past few days, i have deleted 200 blank reviews from my tea log.

i now have a list of 27 teas that i have drank more than once but i did not write a review of. and i’m planning to make some sort of note about them, even if it’s just a word or two (thumbs-up? thumbs-down?), over the next few weeks.
i’ll re-taste them if i’m able, or i’ll just have to recall as much as i can from memory if i have to.
the idea is that i will then know when i have for real tasted 500 teas :)

anyways…
now off to a Pi Party! with tea in hand of course!

this is fine i guess. kinda a dull cup. lacks personality. not awful or anything.

it’s about perspective. i would be excited to drink this if i was a tea no-man’s-land.

every time i’m about to steep this, i think of momo’s review:

“why did they think this was okay to make?”

it has an oily top coat. probably from the candied fruits. or the white chocolate more likely.
it’s not as awful as all that. but really a puerh can be so much better than this.

i try to not be too influenced by the reviews here on steepster. but i also enjoy reading them and taking the opinions into consideration as i sip. so i can’t help but notice how this tea does not have the highest of ratings.

and i can see why cuz it’s not exactly bold or super fruity. the davidstea website describes it as a ‘rich blend’ but it actually doesn’t seem that rich. the Bai Mu Dan is nice and even. but i barely get any peach from the cup. and i’m glad i don’t get stevia either.

i will declare that i like this tea. mostly for it’s relative simplicity. and i may brew it extra strong and drink it chilled at a party we’re having at my house tomorrow.

tea instead of whisky. because i have a trail marathon to run on saturday. a marathon that i am DRASTICALLY ill prepared for. and also i’m sitting on a tennis ball to try to relieve a muscle strain on the back of my right leg. not a bad strain, but annoying, and 26 miles will make it angry. so hopefully some of this pressure point massage should help? either that or it will bruise my leg up nicely :) hah
i’m wearing a tardis dress for the race.
hopefully it won’t be too rainy.

i should be drinking this out of porcelain shouldn’t i.
yes definitely porcelain.

i love lapsang. and even more i LOVE lapsang blends.
i will treasure my sample of this until the last cup.

this is the first cold brew i ever consciously made as a cold brew.
i usually just end up with half drank cups and occasionally chose to refrigerate them instead of dumping them out.
i will definitely cold brew more of my herbals during the summer.

do you ever feel like all of your rooibos and herbal teas are really just basically the same tea with just one ingredient taken out and another added?
i’m kinda starting to feel that way.

(except for cocomint cream. you are a unique snowflake to me.)

okay, you have no idea how long i have had this sample and have been avoiding drinking it. not only am i not really a chai fan. but i really hate the design of the little sample tea sachet package. i went to art school —snob! and in my opinion it’s super ugly.

basically i had very low expectations for this tea.

so, um, i don’t hate this tea. let’s leave it there are call it a rooibos victory.

Breaker by Low
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY8OUjxzBhs

this tea is nice. smooth and pumpkin-esque. i definitely taste the nutmeg and cinnamon. it’s a cute flavor? i know that’s a strange descriptor. but i don’t feel very moved by this tea. not sure why. i just find it very nice is all.

i am doing everything in my power to NOT register for the Pike’s Peak Marathon in Colorado.
“Starting … at 6,300 feet and gaining about 7,750 feet before reaching the finish line or turnaround point at around 14,050 feet, the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon will redefine what you call running. In fact, many runners spend a great deal of time walking.”
why would i even consider this if i don’t even like running on hills?
please god help me.
(yes i have googled things like “Pike’s Peak death”, “Pike’s Peak dangerous” and “Pike’s Peak horrible”)

so yes, i mentioned yesterday that i had a tea log organization project going on. and last night i deleted over 150 tea logs that had no notes. i’m sure there are more to delete too. but before i can, i have about 30 teas that i need to drink again and write proper notes for first. …….. i know who am i kidding?! i don’t write proper notes or reviews!! i mean seriously, looking through my log last night, my reviews range mostly from posting someone else’s poetry, to nerding out on tv or fan fic, to complaining about the weather, and then maybe saying the tea has coconut in it. ….my most verbose reviews are really just me flirting with the fictional character the tea is named after.

i’m so glad the rest of you properly review tea so i can learn from you! …. and also so i can then be lazy about it and constantly indulge my flights of fancy!

i’ve been really into oolongs lately. but was putting off re-trying this tea. something about the orange scent was so strong i’d always think “but where’s the oolong” and put it back on the shelf. but after it’s been brewed it’s not so bam-in-your-face. to me, it IS however more orange than caramel and creme . in fact i can tell the creme is there but i think the caramel has left the building with this cup.

i like it but i’m probably not going to buy this again. i have about two more cups left to decide.

a song by The XX has been in my head for days

Crystalised
You’ve applied the pressure
To have me crystallized
And you’ve got the faith
That I could bring paradise

I’ll forgive and forget
Before I’m paralyzed
Do I have to keep up the pace
To keep you satisfied

Glaciers have melted to the sea
(Things have gotten closer to the sun)
I wish the tide would take me over
(And I’ve done things in small doses)
I’ve been down onto my knees
(So don’t think that I’m pushing you away)
And you just keep on getting closer
(When you’re the one that I’ve kept closest)
Go slow

i love when i open pandora and it just knows that i wanna hear The Smiths.
i love being able to walk to work and still be on time.
i love that it’s 50 degrees out and i have a midday errand to run.

Morrissey, i know you are a maybe-racist, but you are also endearingly nicknamed a “prophet for the fourth sex” and i think you would like this maple sugar tea. please have some with me. it’s dark and sweet and just a little bitter. and i’m pretty sure it’s vegan. (Bring It On Down To Veganville!)

it’s probably a little bitter cuz i over steeped it a tad. or over leafed it? it was one of those scenarios where you have just enough tea left for either 1 cup and a mini cup. or 2 weak cups, or 1 strong cup. like a scoop and a smidgen of leaf left. (probably should have saved it for a random blendo cup oh well)

Tea Guys teas are nothing like David’s Tea teas. the scent of the teas are often so strong it almost hurts, and the flavor is always very tea forward. here i smell the maple very strong, but mostly taste the strong black base first. this is a good thing! no fluff or mirrors or artificalness. just maple maple maple and tea tea tea.

now let’s dance.

What Difference Does It Make?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7MN5aJBQVs
All men have secrets and here is mine
So let it be known
For we have been through hell and high tide
I can surely rely on you …
And yet you start to recoil
Heavy words are so lightly thrown
But still I’d leap in front of a flying bullet for you

So, what difference does it make ?
So, what difference does it make ?
It makes none
But now you have gone
And you must be looking very old tonight

this time i brewed this and actually drank it :)

this tea is delightful. basically it tastes like pineapple water, or like the pineapple coconut water i buy but minus the coconut? i don’t really taste any peach or appley notes, but maybe they’ll come out next cup. it’s light and breezy and not too sweet and not too sour. this will be a summer mid day tea i’m sure. one vote for yum!

this morning i had the iced version (leftovers from the previous night), and again i was reminded that i’m not really an iced tea person. i end up feeling like all the flavors go hollow and are missing that spring in their step. i will continue to try chilling my tea as the seasons change and check if i still feel the same. i’m sure eventually it will click.

came home from work, skipped the gym, and organized my tea a little instead. nothing big. just putting some new bags in tins and labeling them. having a small part left over of ‘exotica’ and trying to cold brew for the first time. sorting some small amounts to take to work with me for future use. and brewing up a few herbal tumblers to drink for the night.

this is one of the teas i need to finish up. it’s not a very spring type of tea. and i like it enough. and turmeric is good for you. and we all know carytown teas has a REALLY GREAT track record. but basically i’ve had enough of this tea for now. mostly a lemongrass and turmeric blend. it’s good. i’d TOTALLY buy it again.

A post from 10 months ago that i put under the wrong tea!::::
ICED! actually a lovely iced tea. for sure! who would’ve thought! (I’m experimenting with all of my teas. whether they seem iced friendly or not.) i’m not brewing them traditionally either. i just brew it like a normal tea, 4 cups at a time, and then let it cool and put it in the fridge. then if it’s really hot out i can use a few ice cubes, or i can also just have it in a normal glass without ice. this tea was better when i watered it down a little with some ice. it brought the turmeric zing and made the ginger taste a little sweeter.

i brewed this at 10am and just rested the lid on top of my timolino. and now it’s still too hot to drink.
not complaining!! maybe i should buy stock in timolino. or go work for the company. or get a timolino tattoo.

this tea is F-ing awesome.
it has a wonderful teeny tiny amount of sweetness.
so glad I got it.

(i was a dance major in high school and college. for perspective, i was so serious at the time that i almost went to Julliard.)
last weekend i took my first dance class in over 15 years.
it was mentally hard cuz i’m not used to memorizing combinations and i was very anxious, but it was also surprisingly doable physically.
during the class i was stressed and being hard on myself but i knew i was gonna have to experience my baggage in order to get through it and do it. hello dance baggage. whomp whomp.
but it wasn’t nearly as haunting as i thought it was going to be. and i feel so excited for the next class.
it was a Horton style class. and i hope to go for months and months to come.

wow i really should drink more of this.
i really like my two bold green blends from Davids (this and African Mint) but they tend to always be put second in line to my other teas. i can’t explain why. but maybe today’s sips will be the wind of change.
i spontaneously went out for some beers last night so having green balancing teas like this are obviously a good idea today. lemony and fresh. i bet this will also be a good iced tea. and even though i tend to prefer my teas hot, this one still has spring written on it’s leaves.

holy crap strawberry!
the smell is almost too too sweet!
i bet this will be an amazing summer tea. which is not really what i was expecting at all, but i sure am kinda thrilled by it.
but more importantly…. LOOK!!!
http://instagram.com/p/WurPoDIc1x/

and bonus! the samples Davids sent me are Copabanana, Pom Tango, and Coconut Oolong! yay the exact new samples i need :) i will try all the teaz!

the first time i had this tea i was so surprised and delighted that it smelled so much like Apricot**, the baby in Strawberry Shortcake cartoons.
but i made some last night and then sipped it but didn’t drink most of it. so this morning i dumped it out and made a fresh mug before work, and even now i’m not jazzed or anything about drinking it. i guess i’m just not in the mood for this tea as much as i thought i was? (the weather is going to be 60 today! and it was a wacky blizzardy type weather just 4 days ago)

I KNOW i should have saved last night’s cup and iced it. i bet this is a great great summer iced tea!

it’s a bold happy apricot jam sort of scent and the black base mixes with it in a very friendly way.

**Apricot
Apricot is a little white-haired baby with an unusual vocabulary of oversized words. Apricot and her pet bunny Hopsalot lived in Big Apple City, down the hall from Lemon Meringue and T.N. Honey, and like them, she re-located to Strawberryland at the conclusion of Strawberry Shortcake’s visit.

jasmine is nice once in a while. i’m not a fangirl about it or anything.
i bet when my sister moves in she’ll help me drink this down, which is good.

sample pouch brewed in my timolino.
nom nom nom
gonna leave work a little early today.
yay yay yay

i’m really into oolongs this week. mostly inspired by everyone’s coconut oolong love explosion.

what other Davids Tea oolongs are you favorites? i think i might place an order of just oolongs?
i have vanilla orchid, quangzhou milk, and this citron already.

i like having my citrusy teas in the morning. so this one is perfect perfect perfect.
in my green timolino walking across the bridge on my way to work. it’s windy here but the sun is out.

watching West of Memphis. in my robe.
second to last cup of this tea left.
quality time with my kindle is next.