Fujian Baroque

I have a little of this one left. 12 yo DS wanted iced tea today, and he requested it be black tea and plain (none of that fruity frou frou). It is so cute because he is always wanting to taste my tea anymore. He does prefer iced tea, though. It won’t be long until I can win him over to the dark side. He likes coffee, too.

This one is really good iced!

Fiestaware Disc pitcher (about 50 oz), 9 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Allowed to cool to room temp and then slightly sweetened and poured over ice.

I needed a cup of this for comparison to what I am trying later today. This one is smooth and sweet enough that I am able to bump the amount I sweeten it way down. (Someday, I am hoping I won’t need the sweet as much.) I have a sample of Emporer’s Red from the lovely JacquelineM. to compare…..and I am thinking she is the Emporer Red dealer in disguise….to get us all hooked and then…. I am sure there will not be a comparison, but it is the only similar region black I have in my cupboard for reference.

My morning tea since I am out of English Breakfast (I know!) Right now I am on the second steep at 5 minutes.

Good and easy. I did have this a few days ago, and way overbrewed. Not a good situation because it got very bitter. This is a good basic tea, just watch the steep time.

Still loving this one, and I keep bumping up the rating….it was a great pick me up late in the afternoon, as I was dragging from the weekend.
Second steep at 5 minutes. Just as good as the first.

I am starting to think this one might edge out Golden Monkey as my favorite black. I seeem to prefer the slightly deeper flavor. I know it really should not be that way due to price (Aren’t we supposed to like the more expensive ones better? ;) ), but how often does it happen that your favorite costs less? I think I will just enjoy it…as I will my Golden Monkey. Bliss. x2

Edited to add….the second steep was as good as the first….boiling water, 5 minutes.

A tiny bit of this was hiding in the back of my cupboard – it’s a couple years old, but with some extra leaf and care in prep (preheating my mug, which I rarely bother with) it still quite good! Has all the chocolatey rich spice notes I like. After having Rishi’s China Breakfast for so long, it kind of tastes like a wannabe…

Really sad that this one is almost gone :( I was planning to make my next major order form Harney, so I’ll have to see if they have any Fujian black teas…

Tried this one without milk this morning, and bumping the rating a little because it’s way better than I expected (or remembered) plain. Lots of complexity, sweetness, yes cocoa and spice, but also some floral notes I wasn’t expecting. (There is black tea, too, if you’re wondering). I used boiling water, but poured it into a room temp mug for steeping, so actual temp was more like 200˚F – I really think hotter water can ruin this one. Still, at $8/4oz, I’d call this a steal – I’ll certainly be buying more at some point.

So I kept track of the temperature of my water throughout steeping today, and discovered that I haven’t been steeping my teas in boiling water, ever. Even warming the pot with boiling water only got the starting temperature up to 205°F (though admittedly, I’m only filling my little Bee House teapot halfway – I know that’s a nono). Without warming it’s more like 195.

Anyway, the slightly higher temp today made for a notable darker tea, but I’m not sure I like the change – there’s less chocolate and spice, more of just a “black tea” flavor, but the aftertaste is a lot more fragrant and lingering. Will keep playing with this a bit.

I switched back to tea this morning in the hopes that it will help me tackle the enormous sewing pile in my room. I picked the Fujian Baroque because it has long been a favorite of mine. Today I noted a smokiness accompanying the cocoa flavor I’m used to. Maybe I’ve set it too close to my Lapsang?

I’ve been drinking so much coffee lately I figured it was time to switch back to tea for a bit. This one is an old favorite and has the body (and chocolatey goodness!) to stand up to all the coffee. Drank it along side home made banana oatmeal brulee. Yum!

This is really becoming a comfort tea of mine.

I love this tea. The more I drink it the more I pick out delightful milk chocolate notes. Maybe hints of cardamon.