Damn Fine Holiday Blend

We’re out of coffee beans, so I wanted at choose a tea with some muscle to get me kinda, sorta going today. I chose this one because, it is the holiday time now!! Eee!

Anyway – since this is the THIRD holiday season I’m enjoying this tea, it has lost a bit of its snowflake glitter :( Those cranberry notes are no longer singing. It’s still a good cuppa, but the lesson I’ve been learning this year – that I need to have less tea so that I can drink them all in their prime – is sticking like a pine needle into my side! Ouch!

I think I’ll now enjoy this as more of an afternoonish blend. Yes, with holiday cookies :) What do you all do with teas that are not what they once were? Make iced tea? Blend with something else? Donate to the compost pile?

I did pretty well this year, but 2013 must be the year I get down to 30 teas!!! Pinkyswear!

I got the cranberry notes back today! My measuring cup was in the dishwasher, so I sort of eyeballed the water amount. It must have been a bit low because I had less than my usual amount of tea, but it had a wonderful strength and flavor! Now I know to use a little extra tea with this one.

I’ve been on Winter Break, living la vida loca (which for me means drinking black tea at 7, sometimes 8 pm and staying up late watching movies!!! Wild, I tell you). This has been my go-to, especially since the party usually includes holiday cookies. It is flavorful and bold enough still to stand up to my favorite monster chocolate chips (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-big-fat-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie/) without tasting weak (like many of my otherwise favorites have when paired) or competing with the flavor of the cookie (like my flavored teas do). Classic, epitome of black tea flavor!

P.S. – I’m reading a diary of WWII called Few Eggs and No Oranges by Vere Hodgson – an account of everyday life by an everyday Londoner. Tea figures prominently! People were rationed to 2oz tea per person per week in the period I’m reading about right now (early 1940s) (!!!) and they really DO make a pot of tea each time life throws something they need to cope with at them, and they always feel strengthened by their cup of tea! She notes that when something particularly awful happened, the person would need 5 or 7 cups of tea to be a bit restored! It’s so interesting to read the huge roll our favorite little leaf played in the daily life of the British at this time.

http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/books/few-eggs-and-no-oranges/ if interested!

Made a staunch cup of this one today! I was heavy on the leaf, and I think my scoops had to be heavy on the Yunnan! Tangy, tarry, and thick tasting. No cranberry notes today! Delicious nevertheless. So warming and fortifying.

Mmmm! This was even better than I remembered! Sweet and fruity (ah, now I recall that I thought it tasted of cranberries! It does!) but a wonderful depth. A perfect cold weather tea. I am warmed to the bones after a cup of this with a little milk and sugar! Fantastic!

(It was an A&D weekend! Yesterday was Thomas Sampson as our afternoon tea.)

I’m really glad to have this in my cupboard as the holiday season approaches. I remember thinking last year, when I got it after the holidays were over, that it was an excellent tea to have as we anticipate Thanksgiving all the way through the New Year. Now I can enjoy it for a nice long span (well, as long as it lasts being limited edition!).

This is such an awesome tea – in fact, it’s Damn Fine! I steeped it this morning in my Kati cup and when I took off the lid, I could smell the caramel notes!

Awesomely delicious! Here is my full-length review of the tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2010/12/21/damn-fine-holiday-blend-from-damn-fine-tea/

And I decided to bump up the rating just a bit, because I really like this more each time I try it.

I reached for this as my first cuppa this morning. I woke up incredibly early this morning – I just couldn’t sleep. Bums me out because it is the holiday break, which means I don’t need to get up early to get the little one off to school… oh well.

At least I have something nice and warming to turn to! I love this tea. Strong, malty, slightly smoked, with a nice fruit quality in there too. Very wonderful flavor to this tea.

I awoke today to find that the order I placed from Kyotofu was on my doorstep, so I decided to brew some of this tea to enjoy with some yummy matcha baked goods.

The tea is delicious – as always!

I really love this tea. You can read my full-length review of it here:

http://sororiteasisters.com/2010/12/21/damn-fine-holiday-blend-from-damn-fine-tea/

Backlog: This was my first cup of the day today. Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2010/12/21/damn-fine-holiday-blend-from-damn-fine-tea/

I’m sick and feel awful. But my experience with this the other day was so tasty, I’ve been wanting it again. This time, I’ll man up and do the full four minute suggested steep.

Looking at and smelling the wet leaf I’m convinced there must be Darjeeling in there. Which must be what attributes to the brightness of the tea. But based on my first experience with this tea, I’m also pretty sure there is some Yunnan in there, which perhaps keeps the Darjeeling from taking on a sharp endnote.

This time I can taste Darjeeling – I’m guessing the longer steep time let it pop out over the other tea in the blend – but there’s still some other note that’s balancing the brightness of the Darjeeling. At three minutes that note seemed easily identifiable as Yunnan but at four minutes it is less so. It’s just a slight textured presence that adds a little sweetness and a bit heavier taste.

At three minutes this seemed like a milder Tiger. At four minutes, it’s like a whole ’nother tea. Both teas are pretty good. I probably prefer the Yunnan-dominated three minute steep but I tend to gravitate towards more of a Chinese black taste profile. I do like the fact that this tea is so changeable.

Brought this with me to visit my family in California. Two pots of it with everyone this morning, and it was perfect. Perfect for the holiday, perfect with a little milk and sugar. Yum!

Had a big cup of this on my way out the door this morning with some sweetner and real cream. Oh! Bliss! It’s so good. I love this tea so much…

(And I keep stalking the A&D store hoping there’s another damn fine tea to buy… sigh)

BLEND: 2/3 Damn FIne Holiday Blend, 1/3 Damn Fine Captain Assam

1 heaping TB tea for 500mL water, bare.

The Captain mellows the Holiday Blend’s sharpness without overpowering it, resulting in a heavier, creamier cuppa. And quite the dose of caffeine, I might add. Will experiment later with different ratios. I also want to introduce the Captain to some Keemun, but I gotta find some Keemun first.

2 TB for 600mL pot, bare, steeped 8 minutes on a warming plate.

Okay, the only reason I’m logging about Damn Fine Holiday Blend AGAIN is because I keep experimenting with it and want to share. This time I made a small pot and steeped it on the mug-warmer playe I keep on my desk these days. Highly recommend one for your small pots.

Normally I use 1 TB for 500mL, but today tried adding “one for the pot.” Then carefully poured some of this ambrosia into a small china cup.

Yep, right thing to do.

Slightly heavier body, no bitterness, dark copper liquor, bright Ceylon (?) notes, assertive Assam malt. Winey Keemun (?) in the aftertaste. Faintest whiff of Darjeeling, I think.

Every batch of HB I’ve made has been slightly different. Very glad I ordered another tin, because this one is 3/4 gone.

Thank you, Steepsterites, for alerting me to A&D.

1 rounded TB for 500mL water, drunk bare.

Mmmm … getting something crisp, sunny and earthy all at once in the foretaste … Darjeeling? Nepal? Mineral notes, too, but that may be my tap water.

Hahahaha — ‘Cup of Brown Joy’ just came up in my iTunes playlist. ‘You could say I’m mad for tea, or just say I’m mad.’

Overall, once more, delicious and sparkling. Cheering. Tends slightly to bitterness, which makes me wonder if something more delicate in the blend mightn’t be happier with water just off the boil. Must try that next.

5 tsp for 1100mL water, strong (3-minute steep) black tea setting with basket cycle in the Breville. Drunk bare. Rating: 100.

Yeah, I found a few extra pennies and scarfed up some more HB. Today it’s mostly chewy Yunnan and winey Keemun, creamy heft and faint smoke. One of my favourite blends EVER.

I also promised an empty tin to a young Star Wars fan I know. But I’ve got to drink the tea first. Win-win.

1 TB for 500mL, bare.

Ahhhhh, last TB of Holiday Blend, and the tin now sits on my desk holding my favourite pens. How does ‘Farewell, HB’ taste? Like the hug of a dear friend whose warm heart and lively conversation make me understand contentment. Yes, it’s that good. This morning I get mostly brightness and Keemun wine with a top note of honey-Yunnan. At least, I think that’s what I’m tasting. Perhaps I’m just a windbag. But never mind me. This is a brilliant blend. Get some while you can, before Andrews and Dunham start flogging single estate leaves trod on by milk-fed elephants.

1 rounded TB for 500mL water, drunk bare.

Teatime! Elevenses!

Sipping this beautiful brew after a quick, um, breakfast of slightly stale toffee loaf chopped up and soaked in coffee-flavoured yogurt. Puurrrrrr …

But the tea, the tea! Mineral and slightly smoky this morning with a rich Yunnan finish. I love how this blend subtly varies so much. Mad hot, refreshing, especially after an insanely rich morning of capucinno, hot chocolate and the above-mentioned alleged breakfast.

Some Assam (?) depth as I sip further down the cup. Peace.

I find the recommended four-minute steep to be perfect. HB can get bitter if steeped longer.

COMBO: 2/3 TB A&D Damn Fiine Holiday Blend plus 1/3 TB of Stash’s Kopili Assam for 500mL water, drunk bare.

Woke up craving Holiday Blend. And Assam. Ai. Have just ordered more HB and some Captain Assam. Is there opium in the Holiday Blend, or what? Woke. Up. Craving. It.

The addition of the Kopili Assam smooths out the brightness /sharpness (slightly smoky sharpness) of Holiday Blend, adds some depth, sweetens the whole brew a bit, and gives it a heavier body. I like the combo, but Holiday Blend is also damn fine on its own. Can’t wait to introduce HB to Captain Assam.

Now, back to Holiday Blend on its own. Sigh. Bliss. TEA!

1 TB for 500mL water, drunk bare, steeped 4 minutes in a covered mug. water just off the boil.

I’ve already made several notes on the Damn Fine Holiday blend. Today I just want to add that, as it cools, fruity notes come out. Second fruity surprise today, and most welcome.

Second infusion note.

1TB for 500mL water. First steep: four minutes. Second steep: a good eight minutes, easily, as I got distracted by laundry.

Only slight less sharp that the first infusion. No bitterness, which surprises me as the first infusion can get better past the four-minute mark. Not quite as much depth this time, but the differences are subtle. A bit more Yunnan pepper-mineral coming through.

Wow. What a cup of tea.

2 scant TB for a 600mL pot, drunk bare.

A most resilient tea. This time I nearly ruint it — really, too much leaf for the pot, but even though the brew got slightly bitter, it’s still great. Also brighter and more assertive, in a cheery way, like a noisy and well-loved friend announcing herself as she swings open the door. I had planned to make this tasting note a warning not to use too much leaf, but I’m really liking what I made here.

Mineral notes are also more pronounced, but, as I’ve noted elsewhere, mineral notes may come from my tap water, which in turn comes from a lake.

Uber-ultra-NOM! I spent the whole day yesterday steeping this and just looooved it. TG

On a side note I had fun typing “Holiday Tea Damn” to look this tea up on Steepster. Yes, I have no life ;)

Just brewed up a mug of this and am about to watch Home Alone on ABC Family! :-)

I tried using blackstrap molasses as a sweetener in this, and the tea is strong enough to stand up to it! Hmm I wonder how molasses would be in the gingerbread chai I still haven’t opened…?

So much to do, so little time and energy! Gifts to wrap, packages to mail, house to clean… Here’s hoping this damn fine tea lights a fire in me to get my damn fine holiday preparations in gear!

Used a real teaspoon not my “perfect teaspoon” and it came out lighter, which is good for me. But, I brain-cramped and steeped it for 5 min, which is a minute too long. There’s a touch of bitterness. Honey & milk helped but I will give it 4 next time!

(I really need to start low-balling my tea timer to take into acct the time it takes me to set the timer, and more importantly the times it takes me to register it’s beeping, get off the couch and mosey into the kitchen, and remove the basket. Most of the tea I drink is fairly forgiving, but for the strong blacks, I need to be more careful!)

very much in need of caffeine this damn fine Sunday morning…

I"M BACK!!!!!!!!

I missed you all!

I have a few backlogs – just to get them off my desk – but I won’t be back logging everything from the last few weeks as I don’t want to spam your dashboard! LOL :)

What did I miss?

This I am backlogging as my first 3 cups for today – I only have one serving left…it will be missed

I started my day with two cups of this and it was better than I remember so I am adding a few more points on my rating :)

Drinking this again this morning. It snowed last night, a lot, and I knew I had to trudge into work eventually and I could think of no better companion than this.

There is a richness to it, a slight almost spice, though there is no spice, there is a strong black flavor without bitterness or astringency, and a hint of smoke (and you know I love my smoky teas) not enough to turn anyone off of it, followed by the slightest hint of sweetness just the right amount to get me through the snow.

Brewed the same as before, 1 heaping scoop, hot, four minutes, no additives. I think this would be wonderful with a second steep or some additives (I am thinking half and half or some light cream) would really take this to the next level.

As the holidays have mostly left us and we are welcoming significantly warmer temperatures, and longer and sunnier days here in NJ, I thought I would take a stroll back with this tea.

This is still wonderful! Brewed hot, four minutes, no additives. There is the same lovely flavor I remember – richness, almost-spice, tea flavor, smokey sweet. Absolutely delicious.

As a side note, I came on here to rate a pile of teas I got and tried this weekend. Unfortunately, it looks like none of them (or the first three I checked for) are not on here yet. I will rectify this this afternoon. Until then, enjoy!

SIPDOWN!

Thanks to LiberTEAS for generously sharing this one with me. It’s been in my cupboard for a loooooooong time. I held on to it because I couldn’t bear parting with it. But what’s the use of tea if you don’t drink it? I’m super sad to see this one go finally. :( See my other note.

You give some away, you get much more in return……

This is the end of my sample of this tea from Batrachoid. I found it in the bottom of my sample bin (which is really three shoebox sized plastic bins) while doing some kind of Spring cleaning (really, let’s be honest that it is more of a Spring ‘shuffling things around’ than actual cleaning!) Some of these samples were purchased, and some were from swaps. If I tried one every day from now until the end of the year, I am not sure I could get through all of them. I think we might call my next sample-palooza A Sample (or three…) A Day Keeps the Stash at Bay, unless you out there can think of something better. How about Climb Sample Mountain……

The mixture of the generosity of my Steepster friends and my obsession with trying just a few more teas has me buried in samples and a few new ones to try. I think I even have a few more samples and certainly some new teas in transit as I type this. Really, it is getting out of hand. I did finally start purchasing most teas in smaller amounts which seems to help a little. I really have to get a handle on my tea. I am to the point where I have to categorize….ones I will finish as iced tea, ones that will be replaced when gone, ones that will be good blenders for my Franken-Breakfast tin, ones that are packaged for travel, etc……. and then the mountain of samples.

Here I sit with this awesome cuppa. I do so appreciate the sharing of this particular tea as it is not available any longer. One day I will probably buy something from this company due to their meticulous attention to detail and awesome packaging. But, it is not this day…… I must press on to be a more efficient and responsible tea drinker and purchaser. It is hard to think of it going to waste, and if I give it away, I end up with more than I started. (You guys are wonderfully generous. Our community here always restores my faith in humanity. I raise this awesome cuppa to you!) :D

Usual mug method.

Tried with cream/sugar. I don’t like how the sugar enhances the tanginess. I’ll stick with this one straight up.

This morning, I reached for this tin. I opened it up and saw that there was only some leaves left for one more steeping. I guess my husband really guzzled this up! Delicious! It was a dreary day today, and I was especially tired, so this helped me a little. This tea is so good, and I’m sad to see it go.

I can’t resist tea! Today we went to eat at our favorite kaiten sushi restaurant for lunch and had some green tea (I presume it is genmaicha). On our way back home, it started to snow a little bit. As soon as I got settled in, I decided to heat up some water and make some tea that will warm me up inside.

Damn Fine Holiday Blend was just right. I love this tea either straight or with some additives. Today called for some lactose-free milk and brown sugar. I love the tinge of smokiness and the nutty taste this exudes. With the milk and sugar, I almost felt like I was biting into a cookie. This is so delicious. I love this tea. I see the bottom of the tin. A part of me feels a strange sense of accomplishment since I have a ton of teas waiting to be opened and tried, and another part of me feels sad since I’ll miss this tea.

With Andrew & Dunham’s other tea tins, I just clean with a slightly damp paper towel and wipe dry. I feel like this may need more cleaning since its a larger tin. I am not sure what I would put in it too. :) Anyhow, I’m having a good day! woo!!

Friday morning, I need the caffeine but don’t want to put the overly strong caffeine of moka pot coffee into my still feeling overly full tummy. So I reach for this for a less stronger punch. Two steeps.

Breakfast was oatmeal with blackberries, raspberries, and honey, and this tea. For some reason, I can make this tea well in a 12oz mug but it comes out weak in a 10oz one. lol

This morning I steeped this one as my wake up cup for a change from A&D’s R29 Ceylon of the past two mornings. It was rich and flavorful and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

2nd steep: 8 mins 30 secs
With breakfast of over easy eggs with siracha and multigrain toast with butter and strawberry conserves.

Yes, I have a cold in the middle of August. Wtf is up with that?

So yesterday morning I wanted a cup of black tea and honey. But I’d finished all my black teas that I knew went well with honey. Time to try something new. I had originally thought to try the R29 Ceylon. Indeed, I had opened the cupboard to grab it but was pulled to make this again even though I thought it would not taste right with honey. Boy was I ever wrong. This was so good and soothing with honey and carrying all the yummy characteristics of my last time having it, just muted a bit by the sweetness.

Backlogging. 3 days ago. Monday morning.

I remember that I wanted something strong to wake me up and this is what I picked. And that it was good and did the job suitably well. I steeped it a second time. But that’s all I remember.

Backlogging. 12 days ago. Tuesday morning.

Two steeps made exactly the same ways as last time. I got this one down pat for me and it’s becoming a morning favorite.

2nd steep: 20+ mins

Up next, The Flavor Experiment.

Backlogging. 14 days ago. Saturday morning.

A rich first cup of the day. An on purpose extra long second steep mimicking my accidental extra long second steep of DFT R29 ceylon yielded again a much more enjoyable cup than my traditional second steep times.

2nd steep: 20+ mins

Backlogging. 13 days ago. Friday morning.

Quickly consumed a cup to wake me up before I had to get ready to leave. What’s notable about this session is that I steeped a second cup to drink post shower then completely forgot about it and was sad to have to abandon it. =(

2nd steep: 8 mins 30 sec

Backlogging. 2 days ago. Thursday morning.

A bit more leaf and a bit longer steeping time did the trick. The strength is now more to my taste. I’m having trouble identifying any notes in this taste other than stronger and good. Maybe I was just too not awake yet. I’ll have to peruse others’ tealogs when I post mine and see if anything sparks my memory.

Backlogging. 8 days ago. Saturday morning.

The February Backlog: From the 1st to today.

First cup of the day. Two steeps.

Backlogging. 4 days ago. Wednesday morning.

A nice strong first cup of the day. Put a bit of raspberry sugar in the second steep. Kind of made it taste a bit like soap.

2nd steep: 20+ mins.

Backlogging. 4 days ago. Monday morning.

Had to see if I could replicate yesterday’s delicious experience. I could. Omg this tea is so much better now.

Backlogging. 5 days ago. Sunday morning.

I tried even a bit more leaf that morning and it was so much better. I could taste a stronger tea now and notes of things, like richness, chewiness, and a hint of smoke.

Backlogging. 3 days ago. Wednesday morning.

My cup came out weaker tasting than I wanted but it provided the caffeine that I needed. Maybe I need to increase the amount of leaf and steeping time by a bit.

Backlogging. 3 days ago. Tuesday morning.

On a whim, I added even more leaf than the last time and omg so so good. This is it. I actually really like this tea now and can’t wait to try it again like this.