Vanilla Assam

I just drank two cups of this tea as fast as I could make them! There is something about me and vanilla tea – I just can’t seem to get enough! I baked black bottom cupcakes (chocolate cupcake with the top third a sort of cheesecake, and mini chocolate chips to decorate), and brought some into work (the rest are for a Tupperware party I am going to tonight. Everyone that I mention it to says “They still HAVE Tupperware parties!?!?” and I am here to say, yes, they do, and my niece is having one. I think the “2010” part is that it’s being held in a bar (!).

Anyway! The combination of these cupcakes and the Vanilla Assam is great! The tea tastes really caramel-y (perhaps the mixing of the malty Assam and vanilla with the rich chocolate and cheesecake?) and very decadent. Tupperware parties at bars, blackbottom cupcakes and vanilla tea at 10am – what can I say – I am a wild, wild woman.

I am completely, utterly, and delightfully shocked how good this tea is without any cream and just a half teaspoon of sugar! My coworkers brought in sweets for my birthday today (awwwwwww!) and I wanted to drink this tea with them, but didn’t have any milk! So, I said “Oh throw caution to the wind! You are now aged enough to be considered an eccentric old bat – do something wacky!!!”

I lowered the temperature and steep time and voilà! Delicious, vanilla tinged, excellent with pastry breakfast tea. Yay! I think this eccentric old bat time of life suits me!

Let the eating, I mean grading, begin!!

I knew we were going to have delicious sweet things, so I brought a little tin of this in, along with some half and half. I walked in with my cookies, but another coworker already had CINNAMON BUNS out!!! Good, sticky, walnut topped cinnamon buns from a little neighborhood bakery. YES!

I quickly put my kettle on and gosh, this tea is REALLY good with cinnamon buns. The natural vanilla and good tea is something special, but does not complete with the cinnamon bun. Pure indulgent synergy is going on :) Yum, yum, yum. I’m soooo glad I took this in today.

Oh my goodness! It’s actually under 80 degrees today! Also, when I went grocery shopping, there was Halloween candy in the store. This means Fall is going to come soon, right?!

In tribute to the signs of my favorite season’s approach, I wore my hair down today :) and I am having some Vanilla Assam. I love Vanilla and Assam all year around, but I find it best when there is a chill in the air. The heavysweetsmoky is really hitting the spot today, and making me very excited and happy!

I made brownies yesterday to contribute to yesterday’s dinner – tried a new recipe because I was out of baking chocolate (!!!):

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Best-Cocoa-Brownies-108346

changes: used 1 stick butter instead of 1& 1/4, 1 cup sugar instead of 1& 1/4, and sprinkled coconut and mini chocolate chips on top to make “chocolate coconut easter egg brownies” They were rich and very chocolate coconut easter egg!

Anyway! I set two aside for tonight’s dessert. That hint of good vanilla flavor with the full bodied Assam complimented the dense chocolate brownie so well. This vanilla tea went particularly well because it’s not the creamy kind which would compete with the dessert.

I had one of these brownies with coffee last night and it was just not the same. The coffee stomps on the dessert, but the tea dances with the dessert!

I used a bowl that has cup demarcations to measure out my water for a pot of this tea because my measuring cup was otherwise engaged in making Russian Tea Cakes (and my extra measuring cup smashed to bits about two weeks ago – SUCH a butterfingers!).

When I went to pour the brewed tea, each cup was barely half full! I guess this was not the worst way to find out that this bowl’s marks are COMPLETELY off (imagine if I measured the liquids for baking in it!!). The resulting pot of tea was quite, quite strong! I put some extra milk into it, but it served to make it lukewarm, too milky, yet still too strong.

I want to throw these bowls through the window! but I will use them as prep bowls (especially since they were a gift from my sis in law)!

The Russian Tea Cakes were fantastic though :)

Yesterday, I made a key lime style pie (I say style because I used regular limes, and made the crust out of pretzels that I put in the food processor instead of graham crackers – it was great!!). I was at a loss as to what tea to serve with it, until I thought of this Vanilla Assam! It was an excellent pairing. The earthy vanilla bean and pod taste was an interesting and delicious counterpoint to the citrusy sweet dessert. A+!

The slightly cooler weather had me craving this one! Good tea and amazing vanilla bean flavor. I love that slightly…smoky? earthy? flavor that comes from steeping the pod along with the vanilla bean.