Joshua Smith

On the eve of my fist exam, I’m lucky enough to be destressing with a wonderful cup of this tea. It actually came in the mail this afternoon, but I was too busy to actually try it until now.

I opened the foil package and was greeted with a strong freshly cut grass aroma. Using my brew basket and barely-steaming water, I let the leaves steep in my mug for 30 seconds, which is my standard for Japanese greens. The flavor of this tea is really amazing, with a very intense yet sweet grass flavor and a smooth texture that is defying description at the moment. Finally, the aftertaste of the tea has a bit of a metallic feeling which builds over the course of 45 seconds and then slowly fades away. This is a really remarkable Japanese green, and it was well worth the wait.

First of all, I’m back! The hell that was the end of a busy semester is over, and now I actually have time to post about my tea instead of just drinking it quickly to keep me functioning through classes. Anyway, I got this tea in my very first purchase from Verdant Tea about 18 months ago, and the only other thing left from that sample is some Farmers Co-op ‘03 sheng. This was actually one of my favorite tea, which I saved since it was that good. Of course, I haven’t tried it in at least 6 months, so who knows how my preferences have developed.

I put the leaves in my Finum brew basket, and used near-boiling water to steep the leaves for 30 seconds. The aroma is a bit less bright, for lack of a better term, but still remarkably floral. The flavor is really remarkable, initially tasting like a normal floral Taiwanese Oolong, but then the sweetness starts to grow, and reaches an amazing level before slowly fading away over the next minute. The mouthfeel of the tea is extremely smooth, yet at the same time it is also a bit creamy. It actually makes me really sad that I only have enough of this left for two sessions if I stretch it, since I don’t know when I’ll have another orchid Oolong this good again.

No notes yet.

It’s been a really long time since I posted a review, mostly becasue things have been amazingly busy for a semester where I only have 13 credits. Anyways, midterms are over, and I have a few weeksto relax before the next crisis/test/project is due.

I prepared this tea with near-boiling water in a cast-iron teapot, and let it steep for 20 seconds. I’ve actually had this tea before, and I personally feel that it benefits from a slightly longer initial steep, but that’s just a personal opinion. The resulting tea is amazingly sweet, yet it retains the Yunnan linen mouthfeel. I also agre with the Verdant tasting notes that this tea is very remeniscient of grapes, which is a flavor that I normally don’t like yet was absolutely perfect. AFter the sucess of this cup, I’m anxiously await the future developements of this tea.

I prepared the second steep with near boiling water and let the leaves soak for 10 seconds. The result is mostly the same, but with one very improtnat change: The linen mouthfeel is starting to transition into something else, but I’m not quite sure what. the only other thing of note is that the sweetness is a bit more muted than before, but grape flavor is still very distinct. On a sidee note, when I poured the hot water over the leaves this time the entire room was fileld with a delightful aroma of grapes and pines like David wrote on this tea’s page. Considereing that it’s the first thing in quite some time to get past first my headcold and now my mild seasonal allergies, it was truly a wonderful experience.

Music of the Day – Nabucco by Giusseppe Verdi
Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz6GBsJltxE
while the link above isn’t the exact recording I have (Mine is a remastered recording from 1965 with Lamberto Gardelli conducting), it was the best one I could find on Youtube.

I’ve finally used the very last of this tea. It’s been almost a year, shich is rather remarkable, and this tea still tates just as good as it did when I bought it. The bottom of my canister was cleaned out into my cast-iron teapot, and I let it steep for a bit mroe than 15 seconds. The result is a very malty tea with a bit of a linen sensation that David commented on in one of his blog posts, highlighting the tea’s Yunnan pedigree. Another nice quality of this tea is that it is very warming, which is another reason that I decided to drink it today (It’s 40 and raining here in Virginia). Also, this tea is moderately sweet, adn the aftertaste is a bit hard to explain, but it lingers wonderfully on the roof of my mouth for two minutes.

Second steep, 10 seconds. The big change is the texture, which really dominates the flavor profile now. It’s really ver interesting to feel it this clearly. The tea is also a bit sweeter, but not quite at the same level as Golden Fleece. Regardless, this tea is still a wonderful example of a Yunnan black, and if I remember corectly it will contiunue to be a very interesting tea for several more infuions.

Once more, a sample from the amazing Nepali Tea Traders!

I opened the bag, and it smeels almost exctly like a sencha, but there is something that makes it stand apart that I just can’t quite put my finger on…regardless the aroma is pleasantly grassy and very fresh, both of which suggest a very nice tea. I put this in my teapot, and steeped it with fooler water for 20 second, since I’m not familiar with the tea, and it’s better to be safe than sorry with green tea in general. The result is amazingly sweet, with a hint of grass thrown in to really make it taste authentic. The thing that really stands out is that the smooth texture and slight mineral flavor that I’m geting out of this tea. It’s a very nice addition to what I normally get out of a sencha, and I can’t wait to see what else this tea has to offer.

The much-delayed second infusion was steeded for 15 secodns at a bit of a warmer temperature than the first. The results has a bit more astringency, but still retains all of the sweetness to balance it out, resulting in a vey pleasant cup of tea. There’s an intereesting almost-metalic aftertaste that lingers on the roof of my mouth for over a minute as well, and I’m really pleased by this development. This tea seems to get better and better.

This just came in today, and I was so excited that I just had to make a cup immediately. I threw some in my cast iron teapot, and used lightly-steaming water for a 45-second infusion. The result is interesting: Light sweet floral flavors (how unexpected) and some mild astringency dominate the flavor, creating an interesting contrast in the flavor. On tp of the previously-mentioned characteristics, the flavor is unusually strong, so I would recommend tasting this tea slowly. Honestly, the tea is better than I expected, and I can’t wait to have more!

Second steep, using cooler water and steeped for 15 seconds. The result was very nice, albeit a lot milder in terms of intensity. The only thing that has changed is that is worth noting is that the sweet floral flavor has decreased the least, so the tea is rather sweet now. I feel that the lack of astringency really enhanced the flavor, and I can’t wait to see how it continues to develop.

Another day, another great smaple from NEpali tea. I used a generous helping of leaves in my cast iron tea pot, and used near-boiling water to steep the tea for 15 seconds. The result is interesting, falling somewhere between Darjeelings, Yunnan blacks, and Assams. It has hints of fruity notes like muted Darjeelings, yet it has a bit of Yunnan maltiness (is that even a word?), but not the yunnan texture. It’s actually a bit smoother than an Assam, but the point here is that this tea is similar to many teas, yet has a distinct flavor to make it stand out. Anyway, the smoothness is not quite silky, but still very pleasant, and the aftertaste is a very interesting ligerning smoothness that begins to tingle after a while. I can’t wait to see how it develops.

Well, real life came bursting through my door, and my free time evaporated rather quickly. I didn’t have time to drink more of this tea, and I’m rther disappointed. Hopefully I’ll havce several uninterrupted hours for my next tasting session.

This is my second tea from Nepali Tea Traders, and after the sucess of yesterday’s session, I am very excited to try this Oolong. I used near boiling water for the first infusion, and let it steep for 15 seconds. The resulting tea is the color of lighter caramel, not nearly as dark as the picture, but it still tastes very much like caramel. The mouthfeel of the tea is almost like a yancha, but it’s a little bit silky as well, and the aftertaste is also much like a yancha: Mineral sensation on tongue ad roof of mouth witgh a slight metalic tingle. So far, this is an very pleasant Oolong, and I can’t wait to see what the third steep will taste like.

AFter 3 false starts, here’s my notes on the second infusion. I used cooler water, and let it settp for 10 seocnds. Teh result is silky, not mineral-smooth like the last infusion. Also, the tea is even sweeter, but has become a bit hard to describe. Finally, the aftertaste sees the texture transition from silky in to a mineral/metalic smoothness. Honestly, I was really surprised by this tea, which is always a plus. On top of these things, there are subtle fruity note throughout the taste, a halmark of Himalayan teas in my experience. Kudos to the artisans who made this, they really made something special here.

There was sa third infusion, but I had to go out for a whbile, and I accidnetally deleted my notes about it by closing the notepad window. Oops. Anyway, the fourth was cancled due to being so late, and I do need to get up before noon, so I’m going to have to cut this one short. I promise that I’ll have a more substantive review next time I make this tea.

Wow, I can’t believe that I’m the first person to review this tea. I found this company indirectly via Bonnie, since she always has the best stories centered arround Happy Lucky’s Tea house that I decided to check them out. I was on their site, and I saw that they were having an event with Nepali Tea Traders to promote their teas, and I ended up with six sample after checking out the website.

When I opened the bag I was initially very surprised as to how much like a Darjeeling that the tea smelled, with very interesting fruity notes bieiung the main thing that stood out to me. The leaves are of similar coloration to a Darjeeling, but a bit smaller than Darjeelings, and there is a fine golden dust on the leaves similar to Verdnat Tea’s wild-picked Jin Jun Mei.

I brewed the first infusion in a cast-iroin teapot with a generous helping of leaves and near-boiling water. I decided to ignore the directions on the back of the package, and I did a 15-second infusion. The result is a clear golden tea with a smoothness that is not quite creamy enough to be butter, but at the same time it’s not the mineral smoothness of a yancha. The tea is also surprisingly sweet, a bit like raw sugar but more subdued. finally, the aftertaste is a light tingling on the tongue that last for about a minute. All in all, it’s a very nice start for this tea, and I can’t wait to see how it develops.

For the second infusion, I followed some advice from Bonnie and let my water boil and then sit for about six minutes before making the tea. I let the leaves steep for 10 seconds, and then started drinking. The result is a bit fruitier than before, yet still sweet and clear. The smooth texture is also a bit more of a silky smooth as well, which is a delightful surprise, since I figured that it would fade a lot more. All in all, this tea is turning out to be a very interesting experience.

Okay, the third infusino happened last night, but I could not get the website to work, so here it is: I used cooler water again for this infusion, but I let is sit for about 25 seconds while steeping. The result is a very smooth and lightly fruity tea, which was a nice balance between the two previous steeps. It has just the right balance between the sweetness and the complex flavors that have yet to reveal themselves. Unfortunately,I need to stop, or I’ll never fall asleep, but this was a very nice tea, and I’m very glad that I got to try it.

First of all, these past two weeks have been incredibly busy, so I haven’t been posting about the teas that I’ve been drinking. Today I decided that I was going to try this tea. I put a nice ammount in a cast iron teapot, and let it steep for 30 seconds using near-boiling water. Even though I have a bit of a head cold right now, the the roasted aroma of the tea was easy to detect arround the pot.

Anyway, when I first took a sip, was was amazed at the smootht texture of the tea. I’ve found that the first cup of aged Oolongs can be a bit…stale, but this was perfect from the get-go. The initial flavor of the tea is that of a deep, dark roasty flavor, something that I adore, and the middle flavor has a interesting spicy tingling. It’s a bit early to be judging it, since the roasty flavor is dominating the palate right now, but I bet it’s going to be very pleasant later. Finally, the aftertaste lingers forever. I love Wuyis, and this aftertaste is the perfect balance between the roasted flavor and the smooth mineral texture that characterizes these teas, and it’s really a cut above just about everything else I’ve ever had. The only thing that compares was the Big Red Robe that David sold a while back. I went through the pot really quickly, and I’m really anxious to see what the next steeping tastes like.

The second steepign was prepared the same as the first, a little longer than I would have liekd, but I got distra—Oh look, snow! anyway, the falvor has mellowed a bit, yet it retains that smoothness and deep roasty flavor. Teh aftertaste has lightned up, a bit less roasty and a bit more mineral, and the result is pretty much a very pleasant improvement.

Third infusion, 45 seconds, near boiling water. The spice has resolved into something a bit like cinnamon, and I’m actually really liking the taste. The tea starts with a smooth yet balanced roasted flavor, and then the cinnamon starts to dance arround the surfaces of my mouth. The amazing thing is that it’s not overpowering like cinnamon tends to be in food. Finally, the aftertaste linger in my mouth with a gentle mineral taste, starting out very mild but strengthening over time. The third steep is usually the best, but this greatly exceeded my expectations. If this is the type of stuff that the One Word guys drink regularly, I envy them.

No notes yet.

I got off to an exceedingly late start on my tea today, first by sleeping in by over an hour, and then I was delayed by some friends and several games of Settler from Cattan. Regardless, I finally arrived home and decided to try out one of the smaples that I recently got from Den’s Tea. Using 180 degree water, I let this tea steep for a minute for the first infusion. The result is a cloudy green tea, as you would expect due to the matcha. Unfortunately my recent head cold is not completely gone, and the lingering stuffiness prevents me from enjoying the aroma. Anyway, the flavor profile is exceptionally sweet, dominating the foretaste and most of the middle. After letting the tea sit in my mouth for a fe seconds, the nutty flavor begins to shine through, and it is also the major flavor of the aftertaste, lingering pleasantly on the roof of my mouth. All in all, it’s a very plesant tea, and I can’t wait to see how the flavor develops.

The second cup was prepared with near-boiling water, and steeped for 15 seconds. The result is much like a traditional genmaicha, with the nutty flavor dominating and a touch of sweetness. The other thing that I’ve started to notice is that that first cup had a lot of caffiene. I am a bit wired right now. That matcha powder really made a bit difference in the caffiene content of the tea, but that is definitely a plus.

WEll, the bad news is that I got a bit distracted by a bunch of friends coming over, including some that I haven’t seen in months, so I had several more cups of tea without logging them. To summarize the experience, the tea is still delightfully nutty, and the warmer water temperatures that I’ve been susing (somewhere between 160 and 200 degrees) has lead to the development of a bit of astringency, but it’s not overpowering. Teh result is a very pleasant cup of tea, and I’m very pleased with how it tured out. I’m seriously considering getting a larger bag of this in the near future.

While this tea appears to be rather dubious, I can assure you that it’s actally the realy deal. My parents tell me that they got it at Wegmans, a fantastic grocery store chain, and that it was in the Organic Food section. Also, I’ve tried this tea when I was at my grandmother’s house (where I couldn’t post a reveiw), but it tastes like the descriptions of Gyokuro, so I’m going to say it’s legit and move on.

Now that that is out of the way, I prepared the first infusion with about 140 degree water, and let it steep for a minute. The result is a very pale green tea, which proably has a pleasant aroma but my current head cold prevents me from experiencing it. The initial flavor of the tea is amazingly sweet, much more so than any other tea I have. The flavor doesn’t really change in the middle, but the aftertaste develops into a pleasant sweet grass that gradually fades into an interesting metalic/minal feeling. Teh really interesting thing is that as this development is taking place, it feels like it is climbing the roof of my mouth, something that is certainly unique…I can’t wait for the next cup.

I prepared the second cup a bit differently, using nearly-boiling water and only letting the leaves steep for about 15 seconds. The result is very nice, with a bit of astringency mixed in with the sweetness from before. Actually, that is the only difference: Every part of the flavor has developed some mild astringency. It’s nice, since it adds a new dimension to the flavor and keeps me interested in the tea.

I actually got this as a sample a while back, but I got too caught up in my work, and didn’t get arround to trying it out. Since I’m officially done with classes for the semester as of now.

Anyway, first cup, 15 seconds. I’m really plased with the tea so far. The creamy smoothness of aged Tieguanyins is soemthing that I really enjoy, and this is a paticularly fine example. Better yet, the tea has some amazing fruity qualities, which transition into an interesting aftertaste that lingers for a good two minutes. It’s hard for me to describe what I’m tasteing, but it is certainly pleaseant. The result is a fantastic tea, perfeect for the cold weather in the D.C. area today.

I just got this as a smaple in the mail yesterday, and I was excited to try it out. I prepared the first cup with near-boiling water, and let the tea steep for 15 seconds. The resutl is a very nice Tie guan yin, with a very smooth floral taste, and a very interesting aftertaste. I’m not an expert on spices, so I can’t say if the after taste really is saffron like David wrote on the website. REgardless of what it really taste like, it is a very delightful flavor which lingers for several minutes on the roof of my mouth. There is also a hint of sweet grass in the tea, but it’s mostly getting overwhelmed right now. It will probably develope more later on.

The second cup was steeped for 10 seconds. The flavor was much smoother, and it was also much gentler, with the falvor taking a few seconds to build before reaching it’s full strength. The aftertaste is mostly unaffected, which is rather nice, and the tea is now a pleasant balance between floral and fruity, with hints of grass to round out the flavor. It is certainly developing well, and I have high hopes for it’s continued development.

Third cup, 15 seconds. This is a greally balanced cup of tea, where the grass is beginning to dominate the falvor, and the floral notes have become the new undertones. Like many Oolongs, this third cup balances the various flavors very well. Also, the aftertatse is definitely a spice, but again, I’m not an expert, so I can only assoume that it’s safforn.

Fourth cup, 20 seconds. As I expected, this is where the tea starts to weaken and fade away. The flavor of grass still dominates, yet the floral taste is very weak now, and the fruit I could taste earlier has also faded a lot. Regardless, the aftertaste continues to be a major factor, starting out very mild, growing for a good 30-45 seconds, and then lingering for two minutes. While I’m sad that the real fun parts of this tea are gone, it’s still very nice. The fact that the aftertatse lasts so long is really a testament to the quality of this tea.

Also, as a quick aside, I found the second-craziest tea-related thing (after the tea fertilized by panda poo): http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/product.php?id_product=527

5kg…That’s enough tea for years of drinking…

I got this with my Black Friday shipment, and I finally had time to try it out today.

I opened the smaple bag, and I could already tell that it was going to be good. IT had a very satisfying roasted smell, reminding me a bit of vanilla which, while a bit weird, is actually lovely. The flavor of the tea wsa just perfect: It is an amazing example of a Wuyi yancha. The delightful sweet-yet-roasted vanilla of the aroma is also a major part of the flavor, with a nice smooth mouthfeel that transitions into the characteristic yancha mineal aftertaste. It’s a bit early to be talking about the subtler flavors, since they are fairly indistinct, but this tea has a lot of promise for development. Oh yeah, I steepd this for 15 seconds.

The second cup was steeped for about 10 seconds, but was actually less interesting than I expected. I thoguht that the flavors would develop a bit faster, but this was pretty much the same as the first cup, except it was smoother. Actually, smoother isn;t the right word, it’s more like it’s a more refined taste, but the point is that it hasn’t developed as much as I expected. The tea still is very complex, so I’m not too disappointed, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Third cup, 15 seconds. This is it, the legendary third cup, the one that is usually the best. It lives up to the hype. The flavor has made a small yet importnat transition from smooth to creamy, yet still makes the transition into mineral-smooth for the aftertaste. The vanilla is tempered by the beginings of spice, and something sweet as well. Right now, this tea has acheived perfect balance. Of course, I’m not realy sure where the flavor will go next, since this is just so much different than my other Shui Xian, which leaves me very excited to see what comes next.

Music of the Day – Cello Sonata in A minor by Edvard Grieg, performed by Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky.

Link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z72yOcLmOOE

Whenever Argerich and Maisky play together, you can always expect an expressive and riveting performance, and thisvideo doesn’t disappoint.

My Black Friday order just came in, nad I’m very excited to finally taste this tea. When I opened the bag, I was greeted by a pleasant aroma of a well-roated blak tea. It’s actually not as strong as I thought it would be, but I’m no expert on roasting. The leaves themselves are a lot like the Zhu Rong balck tea, small and curly. I was a bit generous with the ammount of leaves that I used, and I used near-boiling water to steep them for 15 seconds. The resulting tea smells like chocolate, yet is actually surprisingly light colored and clear. The finitial taste is a very smooth and clear chocolate flavor, which fades rather quickly into a lingering sweet aftertaste. Teh aftertaste lasts for at least two minutes, but I’m not good at restraining myself for much more than that, so who knows how long it actually lasts.

Second cup, 10 second steep. The tea is already beginning to trasition, and a malty flavor has begun to assert itself, contrasting nicely with the chocolate flavor that was then main flavor. The aftertaste also greatly changed, having become less sweet and also fading after about 45 seconds. These developments were interesting, and I can’t wait to see how they continue for the next cup.

Third cup, 15 seconds. The tea continues to change, but it went in a bit of an unexpected direction. First of all, the chocolate is mostly gone from the flavor profile, and the tea actually sweetened a bit since the previous cup. Also, there is bit of somthing akin to really really weak citrus begining to make itself known, which is a bit confusing. Also, the malt flavor is getting very muddled, and I’m not sure where that is going either. So far, this tea has been very different than I expected, which is actually really nice. It’s fun to have a tea that keeps you guessing.

Music of the Day – Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, performed by the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, the University Chorus and Alumni Chorus, and the Pacific Boychoir.
Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEllLECo4OM

No notes yet.

First of all, yes, I’m alive. I’ve been amazingly busy recently, with professors really ;piling on the work as the semester draws to a close. But today I have a bit of time, so I’m doing a review as quickly as possible. I’m still multitasking, doing my Abstract Algebra homework while writing the beginning of this review.

I was really generous with the ammount of leaf I used today becasue I caved and bought a lot of stuff from the Verdant Tea Cyber Monday sale and I need to do some stash busting. Anyway, I let the first cup steep for a bit more than 20 seconds, which resultedin tea that was a nice amber color, and which had a pleasant earthy aroma. Unlike some shu, where the aroma can be overpowering, this tea is just the right ammount to enhance the experience. The teaste is earthy, yet still surprisingly sweet. Also, lets not forget the thirst-quenching and the cooling sensations that this tea has to offer, which give it that extra uniqueness to make this tea really stand out.

Second cup, steeped for 15 seconds. I usually only let the second cup steep for 10 seconds, but I felt a bit adventurous today. The result is much earthier than the first cup, but still delightfully clear and juicy. The mineral sensation that David mentions in the tea’s description is also more obvious during this steep, rounding off the expereince with a pleasant smooth aftertaste that migrates to the hard palate. Once again, this tea delivers an amazing experience.

Third cup, also 15 seconds. This was a very complex cup of tea, as I seem to have caught it during the middle of the big transition from the bolder flavors of the early steepings to the smooth, cool, sparkling sensations that coem atthe end. The spakling feeling is starting to assert itself, and the mineralish aftertaste has faded significantly. Also, the flavor is clearer, like the musty old flavors have been washed away. It’s very interesting, and I’m savoring it as much as I can.

It’s the weekend! I don’t have classes tomorrow, and my last class today went well, since the professor forgot that she was supposed to make a quiz for today, os we got out early! And better yet, I turn 21 this Saturday! Life is good…

Anyway, the first infusion was steeped for 15 seconds, and I was generous with the ammount of leaves that I used, so the result was sweet, yet deep and complex. The hibiscus wasn’t that strong today, but the sweetness of the hibiscus helped to balance out the dark choclate, making it much more pleasant. All in all, a very nice cup of tea.

SEcond cup, 10 second steep. This was interesting. The first thing that I noticed was that a nice lingering smooth aftertaste had developed. IT’s somewhere between creamy and mineralish smooth, and that about as precise as I can get. The hibiscus flavor is a bit more prominent now, which adds some nice floral falvor to the tea, but the chocolate still dominates the foretaste. Other than that, not all that much has changed.

P.S. – It’s rather late, so I don;t know if I’ll get too many cups out of this before I have to go to bed. Sorry.

First of all, sorry that I haven’t updated in a while. First, there were two weeks of midterm exams (they went very well, but it was a stressful two weeks), followed by that week where all my professors said “Okay, since exams are done, that means we can give you tons of work!” Finally, this past week was messed up by post-tropical cyclone Sandy, and everything went to hell. Anyway, I needed something warm and comforting, and this tea was perfect for the job.

The first steeping is delightfully complex and creamy, with the buttery mouth-feel working in harmony with the subtle spice and floral flavors and the caramel undertones to create a tea that is pretty much perfect. I was just drinking my other aged tie guan yin the other day, and it truly pales in comparision to the complexity of this tea. The aftertaste is also beyond compare, as it tingles delightfully on the roof of my mouth with a mineralish/metalic feeling. It also lasts for a good three minutes, at which point I could no longer resist this tea, and all took another sip.

The second cup was very similar to the first, but the taste was more…refined, for lack of a better term. The mouth-feel was still creamy, but not as overtly as it was before, the the fruit ans spice flavors were a bit more subdued, but it was still a well-balanced and interesting cup of tea. Luckily, the aftertaste has not weakened at all, and it’s length has not been decreased, so I’m very pleased with how the tea developed. It will be intersting to see what it’s like once the leaves are fully open.

The third cup was steeped for 15 seconds. The mouthfeel is no longer buttery or creamy, yet still retains a smoothness that is a bit hard to place. The tea has also lost the floral flavorstha I saw earlier, and is becoming a much “warmer” tea becasue of it. The caramel flavor is still strong, but there is something that counteracts the sweetness as well. Not sure what it is yet, and I’ll certainly be looking to see what it turns into during my next cup. All in all, the development is still ongoing, and the results actually preserve the complexity of the tea.

Well, as you can see, I didn’t actually get arround to drinking that next cup, as some friends came over and I ended up in a serious card game with them, and before I knew it midnight was upon me. I couldn’t have more tea, or I wouldn’t fall asleep early enough. Sorry about that.

Music of the Day – Requiem by Verdi, conducted by Semyon Bychkov

Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i-p659VMCc

This is a fantastic version, with very operatic soloists. Considereing that the piece is written by the master of Opera, it makes a lot of sense to perform it this way. It’s some really powerful music, and I hope that you guys enjoy it.

No notes yet.

It’s been a while since I had this tea, so I figured that I could do a quick not about it. Today is actually a day for work, since I have several midterms this coming week, and I need to manage my remaining time this weekend carefully.

Anyway, the first cup was prepared with boiled water (I read an interesting guide on how to make tea the Russian way recently, and they made a great distinction between water that had at some point been boiled and “raw” water. It was really interesting, see link at the bottom.), and was let to steep for 15 seconds. The result was very pleasant, with that amazing juicy quality that I love so much. I don’t really “taste” sandalwood, but it’s certainly an importnat part of the aroma of the tea and one of its unique characterisics. Also, I just love how naturally sweet the tea is! I didn’t realize how much I missed this tea until I tried it, so I’ll probably try to drink it more often.

Right, I got really busy with the studying (there was a lot of material to review for Abstract Algebra…), so I didn’t actually take nots on the other steeps, other than I messed up a lot and oversteeped every single one of them. I’m actually impressed, that is extremely unusual for me. Regardless, it was very delicious, and remained sweet the entire time, and I actually remember tasting the snadlewood after one of the steeps. Sure, I’ve never licked sandalwood, but that was the best description of the taste that was present. All in all, it was a sucessful session, alveit high;y unusual.

Music of the Day – Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin, conducted by Bernstein while playing the piano!

Link – http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0DD4766829A4B9A8

This is actually a playlist, since the piece was broken up into two videos. Regardless, Bernstein does a great job, and the piece really comes alive under his expert guidance.

Russian Tea – http://home.fazekas.hu/~nagydani/rth/Russian-tea-HOWTO-v2.html

An interesting guide to tea made in the traditinoal Russian manner. I’m going to have to experiment with this at some point…