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“You know, there just aren’t enough places in the world you can go to have a good healthy primal scream. A moderate barbaric yawp, even. Work—-well, that’s out; that’s causing it. Home, nope....” Read full tasting note
“My Matcha of the Day… I do have five new Matcha that I’ve not yet tried, but, I also have quite a few opened Matcha that I want to use so that I do not have 513 containers of Matcha going at once. ...” Read full tasting note
“white earl grey (thanks darby!) and an herbal citrusy lavender from a company I will not name but am PEACING OUT ON so whatever. if you want to know more I have a massively long tl;dr but it’s...” Read full tasting note
“Banana Mocha Match! Eat your heart out Starbucks! I don’t think I could have over paid for a better flavored matcha! One scoop Banana matcha – one scoop Mocha Matcha – Milk, Ice, Sweet Cream...” Read full tasting note
I have so many little bits and bobs of tea…..and I like to drink it by the pot. You could call it a sample graveyard of sorts. Rather than fill up our database with tons of blends, I decided to create this as a way to track combinations that I like, as well as ones that I don’t.
Feel free to use this ‘tea’ to log your experiments good and bad. This will make some interesting reading for teablenders!
Company description not available.
You know, there just aren’t enough places in the world you can go to have a good healthy primal scream. A moderate barbaric yawp, even. Work—-well, that’s out; that’s causing it. Home, nope. Somebody’s always taking a nap and would bite your head off. Back yard or on the evening constitutional around the neighborhood—wouldn’t advise it; might attract the attention of neighbors and local constabulary. (This burg is teeny. Doesn’t take much to make a stir.)
So there was nothing else to do for one set of jangled, teeth-gritten-down-to-the-nubs nerves except make a cup of tension-taming tulsi. And, needing gratuitious sugar, I got experimental and tossed in a bag of Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride. (Well, the two smelled nice together when I held the CS bag up to the tulsi jar.)
Steeped, not sensational, but the cup didn’t go down the drain, either. As always, the tulsi took a little of the battery acid out of the back of my neck.
I could still use a good safe shriek. (Maybe we should think about building an outdoor tornado shelter after all…)
My Matcha of the Day… I do have five new Matcha that I’ve not yet tried, but, I also have quite a few opened Matcha that I want to use so that I do not have 513 containers of Matcha going at once. So I made myself a deal (or ultimatum) … finish off at least one opened Matcha before opening a new one. This will definitely put a bit of a halt on my Matcha purchasing, since I need to write reviews of new teas to get my gift certificate updated. This will probably ALL change once Read Leaf Tea puts up a new sale of a Matcha I’ve not yet tried. LOL
Anyway… today’s combination of flavors is fig and caramel. I loved the fig, I loved the caramel, so I was interested to see how well they went together. Answer: very well! I prepared this traditionally – that is, not as a latte, but with hot water, whisking in my new chawan – and it tastes really good. The Matcha stands out as the strongest flavor, but that’s alright. I’m drinking Matcha. I want to taste it.
The fig and caramel compliment each other nicely. Sweet, vegetative, and delicious. I love how the caramel goes with the fig, although, I do think I prefer these two flavors separate. Good, but, separately, these were even better. I’m thinking tomorrow, I’ll combine the fig and the boysenberry, and see how that goes.
Sounds delicious yum figs.
Ohhh now now if you don’t open more of the new matcha how ever would you make more mixes, creations, and concoctions?? You MUST open MORE matcha! LOL sorry just aiding and enabling!
Well, the plan is to just use what I have now, try to use up at least 1. I can do that. Just 1? Before I open another?
LOL yeah I think you can – I could – butterscotch because NOTHING else could make that one any better and I would not want it any way but the way it is. So which ONE have you decided to finish off?
LOL well, actually, I think I’ll finish off the Watermelon, which I haven’t actually been drinking. I realize I’m doing it wrong. LOL
Mostly because I can’t imagine watermelon going with anything and tasting any better… maybe the boysenberry. Maybe I’ll try that tomorrow… boysenberry and watermelon. Hmm…
white earl grey (thanks darby!) and an herbal citrusy lavender from a company I will not name but am PEACING OUT ON so whatever. if you want to know more I have a massively long tl;dr but it’s worthwhile I think and I’ll msg you it.
I just have no idea how to quit, but I am sure not going in there Friday. I also do not give a single cookie about burning a bridge, because in my future profession a reference from a company a step above a shady used car dealership won’t help me :)
so yeah never buying their teas again but I’ll drink what I have because I only have ones that aren’t terrible. A customer actually came up with this and I was so excited by it I wanted to make it for her but of course that wasn’t allowed, god that entire model is STUPID. But thankfully I was doing nothing important as she was leaving with her cup so I was able to ask her how it was, and so I had to try it myself since she gave it a thumbs up.
It is good though. I just don’t like how the herbal is so moist all these pieces stick together. Not too fond though of white tea for an EG, it’s kind of bland. It really needs a black tea.
I would just write a simple letter stating that you formally resign as of insert date here. Life is too short to suffer through a crappy job, especially when there are other options.
In addition I have my own history with the-company-that-will-not-be-named and have never regretted quitting. ;)
Oh good job! You don’t need those lameos.
Blegh, that sucks :(
I am sad because you were so excited about it. I’m sorry that it didn’t end up being all that it could have been, but hey, upward and onward, eh? =)
Aw mandamo, I would love to hear your msg! Definitely onwards and upwards – you are a gem!
So I have been on Steepster very regularly for the last few months and the last thing I remembered was you interviewing, waiting and possibly getting the job and I thought she’s going to be very disappointed one day. Then I saw on a thread earlier today you mentioning you’re very brief stint, so I went looking through your tasting notes, hundreds of them, to find this. Cheers to you! Sorry you have to go through this first hand to realize how bad they actually are. I wasn’t nearly as into tea as you were when I started working there, so am glad for the intro to loose leaf. But ummm message please? I’m way too curious.
that should read I have not been on Steepster very regularly ;)
Banana Mocha Match!
Eat your heart out Starbucks!
I don’t think I could have over paid for a better flavored matcha!
One scoop Banana matcha – one scoop Mocha Matcha – Milk, Ice, Sweet Cream Creamer. OMGOODNESS!
woa. that sounds like a crazy good milkshake.
Yes, that sounds yummy!
now that sounds amazing! Every time I read a review I say to myself… “that is the next one I need to buy” but then I read another review and… OI!!
Indigobloom: Right? Me too! =) I really want a banana hazelnut chocolate matcha milkshake. And a banana chocolate peanut butter one, too.
omg I want a honey matcha so I can make honey banana pb matcha!!!
too bad the term “nutella” is copyrighted!
This is my way to pare down the sample stash. I just hate to waste good tea and this kind of makes it an adventure. These are the ends of samples I have tasted or teas on their way out (as I do have seemingly endless samples, but often not enough for a pot of tea…)
Today the blend is of two black teas from Upton. It is about a 1:1 ratio of Imperial Golden Needles (ZP99) and Tippy Golden Needles (ZP77). Both teas are no longer in stock, nor does it look like they will be returning as the product information for them is no longer on site. I do recall that the first one of them was a higher priced tea ($6/oz), and the other was in the low to mid range (just over $2/oz).
I steeped this up by my usual method. There might be more tea in the pot than I usually use. What resulted was an incredible pot of tea. It is malty with notes of cocoa and honey, and it is thick and very enjoyable. I guess the takeaway from this is that it is not a bad idea to perk up the more basic loose tea offerings with a little something special. It becomes a good way to balance out the cost and taste of premium teas. I do recall comparing the two of these in the Spring, and deciding the more expensive version was lost on me at the time. Mmmmm. Thoroughly enjoyable! I would blend them again if I could.
It seems a lot of the black teas that I had dreamed of Upton are out of commission now, sadly. Can’t wait to see what they bring in next, though!
I agree! I am waiting with anticipation!
This is a FANTASTIC and EXCITING idea!!! :)
Feel free to use this category… I don’t need ownership! I just wanted a way to not clog up the database.
Indeed, a good idea.
I’m on a use-up-scraps jag at the moment; now I want to go home and play “what goes with what.”
When I get to the bottom, I like to use whats left to brew up a gallon of iced tea.
Surprise Stacy Sample!
I’m not sure how much she’d want me to give away but I feel compelled to write tasting notes when I try things. This one is a delicious green coloured blend that i am quite enjoying tonight. I am missing out on the chocolate side of it, but i can imagine how this would taste with the chocolate blending in with the tea. Yeah…i’ll be on the look out for this one. 78/100 Stacy – since it’s a work in progress :)
(hopefully that’s abstract enough of a tasting note lol)
Hmm, a chocolate-flavored green? Intriguing!
Heh while i love seeing/hearing about what stacy’s up to..there’s another part of me that hates it because it means more tea for me AND having to wait…and wait…and wait…
This one you can talk about. Its almost done. :) I’m really liking how its coming out.
Alphakitty-It’s a marshmallow leaf and peppermint leaf tisane with chocolate flavoring & chocolate pieces. Sort of a late night dessert.
That sounds divine! Does marshmallow leaf taste like marshmallow root?
MARSHMALLOW PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE oh my god my brain just exploded with joy. And I have just enough saved up for an order soon~
Mercuryhime-Hmmmm, I’m not sure. I’ve never tried marshmallow root before.
Alphakitty-It only has a vague marshmallow flavor, the leaf is more sweet than anything. You did just give me an idea to try out though.
Stacy – i figured this one was ok to talk about but i need practice being secretive lol wouldn’t want to spill the beans when i shouldn’t…plus this totally makes things more fun in a way haha
Sil-Hahaha, definitely more fun. Hmmmm, you just gave me a fun idea for a contest for the next blend I come up with.
ok but only if i can win another contest grin
No more winning for you missy. :P So, what do you think of this contest idea? A 50 questions game. You get to ask me any yes or no question in a discussion thread about a mystery blend and I will answer back. The first person to guess all ingredients in the blend wins the blend. Does that sound fun? I like games. It would be really hard for me not to talk about a new blend though.
Ohman….sounds like fun ;)
Sounds great! (the tea, and the contest idea!)
Sweet, now I just need to come up with some ideas for a new tea. Hmmm, I might have to add some strange ingredients.
Ack, I want this blend!!! I need more tisanes in my cupboard.
And that game sounds like fun!
I always loved 21 questions. Let’s go! :P
I want this blend too! I love chocolate and mint together. Thats my favorite flavor combination in a dessert. :-)
Hahaha, it is 20 questions. Don’t know why I was think 50. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_Questions.
i was wondering what crack you guys were smoking…i just figured you were giving yourselves a much needed edge in the game :)
Hahaha.
Things that wound up in my 12 oz cup this morning:
3/4 tsp Darjeeling Sungma Summer (Adagio)
3/4 tsp Ceylon Sonata (Adagio)
1/2 tsp Tulsi Signature (LaJava)
1/2 tsp fennel & anise seed
I didn’t have enough Summer Sungma for an 8 oz cup, so I needed to get creative. I brewed at 200 and steeped for 3 minutes, and maybe wish just a little that I had gone a little shorter. Something in here got mildly astringent. Maybe even just a smidge bitter, but I mostly notice the drying feel on my tongue.
The anise adds a sweet licorice-like flavor that pairs all right with the base combination and fennel. The fennel itself is sweet and a little savory. The tulsi adds a little bit of cooling mouthfeel, but also contributes to the savory feeling of the cup. It becomes more prominent as the cup cools. Sugar and milk/creamer probably would have benefited this cup too, but it was fine without any add-ins as well.
Rating: 78/100
Also, I’m on dogsitting duty so here’s Tango:
http://imgur.com/338ECNg
Tango is pretty!
Sometimes darjeeling tea prefers a bit less than 200 degrees which may have caused the bitter. Or, a shorter steep…but…figures the temp.
She’s kind of a diva. But I love dogsitting the greyhounds, they’re awesome :)
This one has been okay at the 200-205 point before, and seemed to mellow after the cup got cold (I’m notorious for walking away from the last sip or two and then they get cold), but it was an angry hot cup this morning.
Aww, love Tango, so cute!
DOCTOR WHO SERIES – JACKIE TYLER
Comforting and protective, she’ll give you a hug while simultaneously kicking someone’s ass for you.
A combination of chamomile, orange, rosehip and rosepetals, this tea is sweet and light and just a little bit tart. The chamomile lends it a bit of honey flavor at the front of the sip, and it finishes with the rosehip and orange.
Really, really good. Much better than expected. I’ve had an idea for this forever, and never had the ingredients to make it happen. I kind of feel as though I should be logging these as separate teas, since the ingredients are more or less finalized… but oh well. When I get around to doing the label artwork.
Just a little tart… I see what you did there.
AH THAT WASN’T EVEN INTENTIONAL BUT IT’S PERFECT.
Hee hee, I caught that, too! I can’t believe it wasn’t intentional!
Loove Doctor Who. I love a lot of British tv shows in general come to think of it…
Hehe, I’m a fan as well. It was funny, I was watching The Producers yesterday, and it took me a bit to recognize Capt. Jack Harkness in there. Boy can sing!
My godson has an Imperial gunner costume from Star Wars (son is a Samd Trooper and building an ESB Stormtrooper costume – they are both in the 501st) but he just started cosplaying as the Ninth Doctor (Eccleston) and looks pretty decently like him! Middle daughter just got the thinkgeek Adipose for her b-day. We love the Doctor! I got started way back in the Tom Baker reruns.
Loving tea and being a nerd really seems to go hand-in-hand. :)
It’s impossible not to love Doctor Who :D My favourite season is the fourth with David Tennant (10th doctor) and Catherine Tate (Donna Noble)
American Doctor Who fans and Steepsterites! My brain may have just melted…
In a good way…
well North American anyway… as I am in Canada. Doctor Who rules!
In sad news, Mary Tamm, who played Romana I opposite Tom Baker, has passed away.
Growing up in Australia in the 80s and 90s there was a huge amount of British content on tv. My first tv memories are re-runs of Peter davidson’s 5th doctor and (weirdly) Operation Desert Storm.
I only started watching in January or February, but I think it’s impossible not to get hooked… I don’t have a favorite Doctor, though. I love them all! (Although Eccleston, being the first, always has a special place in my heart.)
And one of my favorite Barrowman songs ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jv010KRU4Q ;)
Dr who is awesome! I’ve totally gotten a bunch of my friends hooked on the show. BBC programming really makes me happy – so many great shows that I wish more Canadians knew about
I’ve honestly stopped watching/listening to anything outside of BBC… mainly because I don’t watch much TV anyway, but still :)
For a episode which demonstrates the power of tea in the Whoniverse, check out 2005’s The Christmas Invasion, David Tennant’s regeneration episode.
YES.
There was also a moment when I was watching some episode from S2, I think, don’t remember which one specifically, but Jackie went “Alright, loves, here’s some tea,” just as my tea timer dinged!
Awesome! I love drinking tea while watching Who, and having a cookie, as I have a Tardis cookie jar, and lid even makes the noise when you move it!
cool! thanks for sharing that link :D I’m watching Torchwood right now on Netflix Canada. I wish they would post the newer Doctor Who stuff.
I’ve discovered the best iced tea in the world.
One part Steep City Tea’s Coconut Grove + one part Butiki’s Cantaloupe & Cream.
PERFECTION! The cantaloupe and coconut are perfect together, complemented by both cream and a soft hint of rose. I actually made this by mistake—I had half a cup of each in my fridge from past cold brews that I just hadn’t got around to finishing, and they were so similar in color that I mistook them for the same tea and poured them together. Thankfully the result is pure, delicious magic.
Again with the lost tasting notes! Ugh, second time today.
1 sachet of Earl Grey Mallows, 1 sachet of Pomegranate Rose, both Impra Tea
I had a quite a greasy dinner tonight, plus a big beer, so now I’m feeling a bit bleh. Not good since I wanted to get some work done tonight. I thought some tea would help (though I don’t honestly think I’ll be getting anything done! :P)
Because these teas don’t seem eager to oversteep I thought I would try them both at the same time in the same amount of water. I like berry-bergamot blends and rose-bergamot blends, so I definitely like the idea of a berry(ish fruit)-rose-bergamot blend. It turned out pretty well… the bright bergamot cuts through some of the sweetness of the pomegranate. I wish there was more rose, of course. With double the leaf this tea is finally showing signs of being too strong for my tastes as the cup cools, but it’s not too bad.
Minivan in the Roses parking lot late at night. Lost my voice for three days after. But it felt goooood.
Feel better, dear <3
ashmanra has it right. The car is good for singing, praying, and primal screams… sometimes all three on the same trip.
karaoke? just pretend you’re singing badly :)
Marry a farmer. Then you always have a couple thousand acres in the middle of nowhere to scream. That’s my solution,anyhow:-)
Train tracks nearby? A la Sally Bowles in the Cabaret film?
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/cabaret?before=1333570899
:)
You are all so helpful! I believe I will just bookmark the Cabaret clip and play as needed! :)