Headache due to storm most of the day. Finally took ibuprofen late at night. Headache is gone now.
Anyways, headache inspired me to have a single cup of black tea last in the afternoon for the caffeine. I chose A&D’s Ceylon since it’s nice and plain. At the last minute, I decided to add some local raw honey which I just got from the farmer’s market since I’ve been enjoying A&D’s Napal with Tupelo honey so much – it’s so comforting. I was hoping for the same effect.
It don’t know if it’s a Tupelo honey in black tea thing. Or if I just luckily hit a magical combination of Napal and Tupelo honey accidentally. I don’t usually put honey in tea. I had just decided to try the Tupelo honey in Napal one day on a fluke and ended up loving it so.
But local honey in Ceylon did not have the same effect. Or even close to it. This was not tea with honey. It was honey with tea. The honey was a bit one noted too.
I had natural peanut butter and plum jam on multi-grain toast and a cup of Ceylon for lunch. A delicious combo. I’m about finished with this cup and will steep one more with these leaves before heading out to run errands later.
Backlogging. Yesterday.
Used in a 1:1 ration with A&D’s Earl Grey. A delicious pair. I did not resteep.
One of the correct black teas to be mixed with A&D’s overly bergamotty EG. Used in my mug this morning. No second steep.
Backlogging. A couple of days ago.
I had an itch, scratchy, swollen throat that day from allergies and the heat. So I made an afternoon cup of Ceylon with honey. Tea with honey always sounds good to me when feeling any allergy-head-type symptoms.
1st steep: 4 min.
I used less honey when the Ceylon this time. A much better match. Still more honeyed tasting but the tea strong up nicely in the background.
2nd steep: 5 min 30 sec. Some fresh leaf.
I have another cup almost immediately after I finish the first one. It’s just as enjoyable.
Early evening, my husband wakes up before he goes on night shift. He asks me to make him some of what I’ve been having. He drinks one steep. So…
3rd steep: 6 min.
I add my husband’s leaf and just a bit of fresh leaf, thinking I’ll get a weak but drinkable cup from it. I don’t add honey this time. Wow, is it strong. There is a strength/roughness on the end of each sip that I’m not sure that I like but think I do. It adds character to this tea. I might try more leaf and/or time next time with the tea and see if I can find this deliberately.
4th steep: 6 min.
Based on the strength of the last steep, I know I can get another steep out of these leaves. I add no new tea. I get a cup of normal strength. I can still taste a bit of the end taste if I look for it.
Slightly sick for the past few day, I’ve had a bit of an upset stomach in addition to the dry, scratchy throat and the runny, sniffy nose. I haven’t wanted to eat much and haven’t had any tea.
Today marks my return to tea. A nice, simple cup of Ceylon. (2nd steep: 5 min. Pinch of fresh leaves.)
Backlogging. Tuesday morning.
I had a cup of plain black tea that morning which I did not resteep. I remembered which one it was until right after I did my tealog for the cold brew Wild Cherry Sencha and went to tealog it. I hadn’t written them down because I only had four teas to backlog and the last two I drank yesterday and today. But I’m fairly sure it was this Ceylon because I don’t remember it being any of the other blacks I regularly rotate through in the mornings.
Backlogging. Morning, three days ago, the day after the previous tealog.
A repeat of the previous morning’s 1:1 ratio of Earl Grey and Ceylon. Just as yummy. Second steep weak.
2nd steep: 7 min.
Backlogging — sometime early this past week.
Woke up in the morning with stuffy, icky allergy and/or starting-to-get-a-cold head. Wants something nice and plain. No resteep.
