Tabby

So many tea fails lately. Today I learned that my glass infuser cannot handle chai spices. It gets clogged.

While I didn’t realize that the infuser was mostly just holding the liquid instead of letting it also flow into the cup, I ended up with extra milk in my saucepan. And I thought it was because the infuser and chai itself took up space in the cup, so naturally there would be some left over that wouldn’t fit. That’s a lot of explanation to say that I ended up with half a cup of INCREDIBLY SPICY chai and no milk to water it down with because I poured it out.

I’m still gonna drink it, though. It buuuuurns, but I think I like it.

This morning I was feeling kinda ill and wanted caffeine, but was not in the mood for plain black tea. So I used a bag of this tea and one of Awake, also by Tazo. I brewed them together for a little shorter than usual, as I felt like I didn’t have quite 2 cups’ worth of water in my to-go cup.

And now I wish I could buy it this way. Black tea is exactly what Passion needed to be truly great. It adds a certain strength and foundation to the herbal blend, keeping it from being too tart or overwhelming. I’m going to make myself a second cup for my second shift this evening. Too bad I’ll be going through these two at twice the rate, though.

Alright, so I had my biggest tea fail ever with this tea yesterday morning.

But I learned a valuable lesson. Milk cannot go in the utiliTea. Nor can half-milk, half-water mixtures. But, as things usually go with me, I learned the hard way. Not two minutes after I put it on to boil, I heard a strange hissing and bubbling. Suddenly foam began pouring out of my kettle and onto everything on the counters like a frothy volcano. Keep in mind that the white fluff was BOILING HOT, thus difficult to clean up.

I panicked and unplugged the kettle, holding it over the sink as it cooled enough to stop erupting. I actually used the remaining liquid and made the chai anyway, and luckily the cleanup didn’t make me late for work.

Made a tall glass of this over ice tonight. It gains a sort of apricot flavor when it’s cold. I’m not really sure how that works, but that’s what I taste. And it’s not a bad thing. Like I’ve said before, this tea works beautifully iced.

Finishing up my last sample from JoysTeaspoon. All three were very good teas.

Same as the cup before, mellow and cinnamony without the cinnamon smacking you in the face. It’s an enjoyable amount of spice. It would be great around Christmas, I think. It has that sort of December feel.

Just finished the last of my sample from JoysTeaspoon. Gonna reuse the bag in a trade with Jeff Van Wie. (He’s going to have a lot of homework to do, haha.) Anyway, I brewed the rest in my triniTea and am drinking it out of a tall mug.

Mellow and mild as the first cup, without a trace of harshness. A delicious, sweet darjeeling with a good muscatel presence. Mmm.

Four teaspoons in like 8 ounces of water with a splash of 2% milk. A little more than a teaspoon of sugar as well, to combat the black tea’s sharp bitterness. This is pale in comparison to the cup of Masala chai I had the other night. But it would make a good standby in lean times.

I got a chance to try this unusual blend at Brickstore Pub, in Decatur.

This is my first experience with the combination of beer and tea, but not my first encounter with tea and alcohol. This brew was unique. It tasted like a smooth and expensive beer, for lack of better words, mixed with the clean taste of juniper. The black tea and chai flavors were in the finish, and the bitterness of tea was there, but mild. The ginger and spices give it a tiny bit of warmth at the end, but you sort of have to feel for it. I would recommend it, and not just for the novelty of it. It was genuinely good, if not a little unfamiliar.

I’ve never met a darjeeling I didn’t like, and this is no exception. It’s a little milder and less “green” tasting than what I’ve been drinking lately, but it’s nice. As usual, the muscatel flavor is strong and lingers in my mouth. No sharpness whatsoever. It’s an all-around standard and good representation of darjeeling tea.

Had to have another cup. One left, I regret to say.

This time I gave it a minute longer to steep and a half a teaspoon more leaf. It’s perfect. Plum tea bliss.

Trying this sample thanks to JoysTeaspoon! Thank you!

This is delightful, especially on such a warm, sunny day. The fruity plum taste is very strong and well-balanced with the black tea ratio. The black tea itself is mellow, and doesn’t sharpen the tea with its bitterness at all. Honestly, this outshines the Adagio Plum I’m always going on about. It’s just so juicy and sweet, and pretty with the bits of dried fruit and flower petals. I love it.

This is going on my Shopping List.

Ok, I caved and opened the bag. But I did the chai a disservice when I left it steeping for at least 15 minutes. I got distracted and didn’t hear the timer go off. Then suddenly, it hit me. The monster I made was very strong and astringent. The ginger is so powerful it makes my mouth tingle. I added a splash of 2% milk, but I think next time I’ll go with the brewing with half water, half milk method instead. Still, it’s very good.

Made a strong cup today with about four teaspoons of leaf. I added sugar and 2% milk after a long steep and enjoyed it in my new glass mug.

I’m mostly trying to get through it now because I have an unopened bag of Arbor Teas’ Masala Chai sitting in my cupboard begging me to open it, thanks to Kaliska. Although I like this chai blend, the Arbor Teas one is superior.

I think the black tea/spices ratio is just a little off. When I measure it out into my infuser, sometimes I get a scoop that is almost entirely spices and only a little actual black tea leaf, even when I give the container a good shake.

Another from Kaliska! ^^

The first thing I noticed about this tea, once brewed, was the scent. It smelled toasted! Or baked. There was definitely heat involved, or so the smell leads me to believe, but it isn’t exactly smoky. The liquor is very dark, and there is a tang of bitterness, but it’s satisfying. It isn’t very astringent, as one might expect from such a strong, dark tea. This would be a great tea to wake up to. It reminds me of dark wood and fall.

I think I’m going to have to pursue more Assam teas…

I’ve been brewing this up strong and sweet, then leaving it in the fridge in a Mason jar. It’s so refreshing iced. I really like to keep it on hand like this, as my current generic sweet tea for whenever. Though it isn’t a very generic tea, itself. It’s like drinking a good black tea mixed with cranberry juice.

My bad! I meant to write this last night , but I got distracted. I got this as a sample from JoysTeaspoon. Thanks so much!

The scent of this tea is very enticing and warm. It smells like the cinnamon in it is going to be overwhelming, but it isn’t. It’s actually quite mellow, as the taste of the black tea base is actually stronger. I like it very much, especially with a little shot of caramel syrup.

I have a brand new tin thanks to Kaliska!

Made a big pot of this in my triniTea and enjoyed having it back. Fruity, tart, and warming. A wonderful tea for a cold wet night like tonight. It’s getting a longer steep time on the next batch.

Came on to note that this tea is great iced, and that I will probably be drinking a lot of it this summer. It took forever just to get to this point, however. Does anybody know where this crippling lag is coming from? ::nudges Steepster::

Having another big cup after sleeping in. Smooth and lightly floral, but still rich. This is going to be my staple tea once I run out of Plum, I think. It’s so unbelievably inexpensive, but so good at the same time. I seriously paid like $3 for six ounces. It’s like a dream.

I love the random bright green leaves I find in this blend.

Made a tall glass last night with minimal sugar. I’m slowly trying to break myself of my lifetime habit of over-sweetening my tea. I know in some cases it compromises the tea’s flavor instead of enhancing it. Also, I’ve noticed the more active, serious Steepsterites I watch all seem to forgo sweeteners. Their comments on a tea’s natural sweetness makes me curious to see what I’ve been missing.

Anyway, this was tasty as usual.

Gave this a good long steep this morning while I was getting ready for work. Let me tell you, I did it up RIGHT.

I used about six teaspoons in my 16 oz. ingenuiTea, which made it a little scary to look at, but after milk and sugar, it was delicious. I was so happy to have it in a to-go cup on my way to work, zooming down Ponce De Leon with A Place To Bury Strangers blasting. Screw spending $4 on a cup from Starbucks, especially when I can make it better than they do. <3

Backlogging from last night — made another two cups of this tea as I went along with my evening. I’m not the least bit tired of it, even after chain-drinking it. The second pot was made with less leaf, since the first cup was very sharp. (3 and a half teaspoons per batch was too much. 2 and a third was perfect.) This improved it greatly.

Hello, new love! I’ve really enjoyed darjeelings in the past, but I feel like I’ve stumbled upon a very good one.

The flavor is unique from other black teas I’ve tried in both scent and taste. The muscatel is not entirely up front, but it’s definitely there and interesting. Like muscadine grapes almost. It remains on my tongue when I exhale after taking a sip. There’s something floral in it as well, something that makes me think of spring. I imagine delicate leaves on a newly sprouted plant when I taste it. Very woodsy.

This is by no means a mellow tea, though. It is a little on the sharp side, but I like that. I look forward to many mornings started with a tall mug of this.

Backlogging from a few nights ago. I tried to make this extra strong, but it didn’t work out for some reason. I added a splash of milk and it made it sort of bland… the milk kills the chocolate flavor instead of making it better. So I was basically stuck drinking milky black tea with a hint of mint. Not as good as it sounds.

It wasn’t the tea’s fault, however, it was my bad preparation. Should have used more leaf.