Emperor's Red

Wow – I totally forgot about my tea steeping since I was on a long call with a student – it must have steeped for 10 minutes!!!! I was expecting a horrible bitter mess (much like the student I was speaking with!), but I got a delicious chocolatey roasty rich Happy Accident!!!! Can this tea do no wrong? :) Sheesh! I am going to steep it for at least 5 minutes from now on (and I want to run out and buy 29038290348902384 lbs of it so I never run out!)!

♥

I am drinking Emperor’s Red in honor of Ashmanra’s mole!

I ate a protein bar with it – no waxworms or earthworms!!!!!

It was really satisfying despite my lack of worms. I think I’ve been very sloppy with my steeping parameters lately, and have been having weak tea! So I measured my leaves carefully, and made sure I did not put in too much water, and ahhhh! There’s my roasty, tangy friend!

If you haven’t seen this cutie yet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackiemania/5850807458/in/photostream

!!!!!!

Gosh I love this tea :) I let it go to five minutes today and boy is it roasty and fruity! I think I was a little too shy with this one. Thanks ashmanra for giving me the idea to be a little gutsier with my steeping parameters!

I am in a slight panic – my 4oz tin is almost gone! Hopefully I can carve out some time for a walk to Premium Steap next week to replenish my stock, and see if they have anything in resembling a decent Yunnan (plus some of that yummy sounding chocolate/mint/rooibos).

Just me ’n my roasty friend here, steeping away the morning, and part of the afternoon! I know it must be boring to read me drinking this same tea all the time, but that is the fact of the matter :)

I took a walk to Premium Steap yesterday to replenish my roasty friend!!!! SO happy to be able to do that you have no idea! I was in a near panic walking to the store – not knowing – since the harvest was so troubled this year – if they would have it! (can you tell I’m rereading David Copperfield and that I totally get a kick out of Mr. Micawber?!!? But I digress!)

Thankfully – the big beautiful silver container was full! Phew! The intoxicating fragrance as the owner scooped the tea almost made me faint! I knew exactly at that moment what today’s morning tea was going to be :)

As usual, it does not disappoint. Smooth, roasty, tangy, heaven.

Hello my roasty, tangy, perfect exactly as-is friend!

♥

Roasty fruity goodness! I was just typing with ashmanra on PM, and mentioned that I think this latest batch is fruitier than the last. A tangy fruity. I don’t know if it’s a new harvest, or just incredibly fresh, but whatever the reason, it’s sure enjoyable!

I baked chocolate chip muffins for the office, and at first I was sad that I didn’t have enough hands to carry in some milk and sugar for an Indian tea, but y’know, Emperor’s Red is one of those all purpose delicious teas that taste good with sweets, food, and is just perfect when you simply want a cup of tea. It can do no wrong in my book!

Under extreme work deadline! My toasty, roasty, tangy friend – #1 ally in helping me Get! Things! Done! Three steeps of deliciousness.

I’m having the “I just had a three day weekend and now I’m back to work” blues. Not only did I need a staunch cup of this, but I added extra leaves to my second steep – something I rarely do. These extra leaves seem to be doing the job, because I now feel vaguely human. Thank you, Emperor! I think I’ll have one more steep!!

I had some of this today, and AGAIN was craving a little more assertiveness. For my second steep I added a half teaspoon of Harney & Sons Hao Ya A and was so pleased with the resulting flavor that I mixed in the rest of the dry leaves from my sample packet into the Emperor’s tin! The Emperor was not happy about this but I have opposable thumbs, and he does not, so I can do what I want!! ;)

Oooooh my roasty delight! Thank you for helping me with my perspective and patience during Registration (count to ten! Take a sip! count to 10! Take a sip!) Unique but friendly. Very easy to love. Very forgiving. I wish you were a person!

I was scooping some of this together to send to Jaime and I just HAD to have it after smelling the wonderful leaves. Delicious, delicious, delicious! I never tire of the roasty tangy unique flavor of this one. MmmmmmMMMMMmmmmmmm!!!!!

Nice new lunch time ritual: Closeting myself in the spare office with a cup of tea and my knitting. I feel so much better at the end of that hour!

This was a delicious choice to accompany me: roasty, interesting, complex, delicious! If I had a Top Ten Tea list, this one would definitely be on it :)

So I’m drinking my friend the Emperor here, and…gasp. All I can think of is Keemun Mao Feng! The Emperor is certainly a delicious cuppa, and I’m enjoying him immensely, but… but… Keemun Mao Feng just heaps it on! Unforgettable. I’m going to be swooning over it until it comes and lives in my cupboard methinks.

Now that I think of the Emperor as a lighter tea (!!!) I will certainly be enjoying him all summer with much pleasure, but I have to admit he has been knocked off his throne a bit!

I needed something good to go with my breakfast (bonus picture of my breakfast:
http://www.spo.gs/RetroCamera.html?img=cIip It’s a lemon curd muffin with coconut shavings I made with hardly any sugar and…olive oil! You’d never know – they’re very delicious!) and the Emperor came to mind. It can do no wrong, so I was confident it would pair well with this slightly unusual muffin. Yup, super yummy, and will provide all the good roasty flavor and get up and go I need for the last work day of a very intense week!

Yesterday I FINALLY got over to Premium Steap to replenish the supply of my darling Emperor’s Red. Of course I had to have some today! Amazing, as usual. Roasty, fruity, tangy, perfect as-is. Broken record alert: “I could have this every day!”

:)

But seriously. If I wanted to make my life very simple at work, I would have this, Harney’s Golden Monkey, Harney’s Queen Catherine, Harney’s Earl Grey Supreme, Harney’s Hot Cinnamon Spice, Teas Etc Rosy Earl Grey for when I need some froof, and a few random samples for a little variety and I’d be done! I really need to work toward that! :) :) :)

My penultimate teaspoon of leaves! I have to make time to go to the store and get more! Ahh!

Delicious, fruity, lovely, yummy, I could drink it every day tea!!!!

Three steeps of my beloved! Ahhhhh so good to be back to the roasty tangy deliciousness of this tea, and the focused energy it brings. Coffee can a harsh mistress when you are in her company excessively! Tea is so much more calmly invigorating. I am a much happier camper today drinking less coffee, and more tea!

Oooooooh, how I love this tea! Roasty, smooth, and distinctive. I am always surprised by how fast I drink this!!! I usually sip each cup over an hour’s time, and this one always disappears within 15 minutes! Thankfully, I usually get three nice steeps from it. I’m on my second right now – so. good. I think the second steep is my fave because it’s so…chocolatenutbutter? Dark chocolate, health food store very roasty just ground peanut butter tea.

Today I forgot to bring in a spoon to measure my tea…and then I got on a call just as I was pouring my water and couldn’t time the steep…and it’s still excellent :) :) :) Gosh Emperor’s Red, how do you do it?!?!?! :)

Needed my roasty friend this morning – exhausted (from fun :) great dinner party at friend’s house last night, followed by seeing Richard Thompson at an old, beautiful, small theater from the 1930s – good tired :) :) :) Two steeps of the tangy Emperor was just the thing.

Feeling very warmed and comforted by this tea today! It’s rainy, chilly, and MONDAY – boy do I need some roasty :) After reading that ashmanra tried it with a hotter water temp and longer steep, I figured I’d give it a shot! It’s very good – stronger but still very mellow if that makes any sense! Nutty/fruity. I think I will keep it like this for future steeps.

Insanely busy day at work. This roasty, interesting tea is keeping me going. Delicious no matter what temperature I seem to drink it at. Good for at least 4 steeps. Must run!

Hello everyone! I’m going to change the way I do tasting notes, and wanted to let you all know :) I’ve decided I’ve learned enough about my daily tea habits to start logging only when I try a new tea, or when I have something exceptional to say about a tea that I’ve already logged. I’ll still keep my cupboard up to date, and be checking in regularly to see what you are all drinking!

This was my cup today, but in the spirit of my new system, I’ll refrain from saying mmmmmmm roasty and delicious for the 29831982301238 time ;)

Made some corn muffins for breakfast, and this went really well with them. What doesn’t this tea go well with? :) :) :)

I am drinking my final few leaves of my precious! I have been so dreadfully busy that I haven’t even had time to breathe yet alone go to the tea store, but this calls for an emergency! I am going to schedule AN APPOINTMENT ON MY CALENDAR on pay day (Thursday!) so I can go to Premium Steap and get my roasty friend (and ashmanra! I am going to send some to you!!!! and mrawlins2 – I am going to send your package! I am the worst tea friend when I get crazy like this!! I AM SORRY!)!

Anyway – enough of my psychosis! The tea :) Perfection as usual. Roastyfruity. Chocolateyearthy. So easy to drink. Impossible to oversteep. Love, love, love.

EDIT: I posted a pic on my twitter account of how large and beautiful these leaves are after they are steeped! http://twitter.com/#!/jackiemania

Had an enjoyable three steeps of my good friend the Emperor! Always flavorful and satisfying. Never bitter. Seasonless! ♥

Needed my roasty today :) Three invigorating, smooth, and tasty steeps. So sad when my cup is empty! Always looking for more with this one.

In the mood for ROASTY today! A hit with my breakfast of an Odwalla Chocolate Chip Peanut bar – whodathunkit!!?! Must be the bar’s nuts and chocolate complementing the roasted nuts and dark chocolate notes in the tea.

Some of the Emperor and an Everything Bagel! Heaven!

This is a sad, sad day Steepsterites!! I am officially drinking the last of my Emperor’s Red this morning. I really do love this tea. I have been saving the last bit of leaves for awhile and they taste even better than I remember. I will definitely be restocking these sometime, but probably not in the next few weeks as I have a lot of tea right now to get through before buying more. Until then, I will be enjoying my tangy, roasty, cocoa love and enjoying each second of my multiple infusions.

I decided that a day like today called for the Emperor. Unfortunately, I probably only have enough for one more pot of this delicious tea after today. But, I’m determined to enjoy it while it lasts.

This tea is, as always, a true delight. Very much a roasty, chocolate, and tangy tea that is amazingly unique. I would never have imagined that the combination of those flavors could create a tea that was so delicious.

On a side note: I used a bit of this tea yesterday to make tea eggs. I’d never made them before, but I have to say they turned out pretty tasty. There is a definite chocolatey, tangy presence in the eggs that I’m attributing to this tea.

Mmmm….nothing else would do today. I’m trying to cut back on my consumption of milk and sugar in my tea so this is the perfect fit. This tea is amazing sans additions.

I actually just realized that I recently passed my one year Steepster-versary and quite a bit of things have changed in relation to what type of tea I like. I have always like black tea, but I’ve now branched out into the other types as well. I like green oolongs way more than I ever thought possible and I’ve even grown quite fond of rooibos. If you had told me a year ago that one of my favorite teas would be preferred without milk and sugar AND that it was a black tea, I would have laughed you out of the room. However, my taste preferences have changed drastically over the past year and I’ve really enjoyed exploring the world of tea while meeting some amazing people here on Steepster.

It is nice to know where to find people that are as neurotic as you are about tea, of all things!

I’m working my way through several delicious infusions of this tea while finishing up my homework assignments for the week. This tea is doing a wonderful job of keeping me focused and stress-free. Tangy, roasty perfection.

This tea is just what I needed after a very trying and frustrating day. Slowly, the cocoa, roasty, and tangy layers of this tea are peeling away the bad and replacing it with a whole lot of greatness. I should feel more like myself in approximately 1.5 more infusions.

So far, 2 infusions in on this lovely tangy, roasty, and cocoa-ish tea. So perfect for an unexpected snow day!

Oh yea, I am spending time with the Emperor again today. This is just so good and so unexpected. I could seriously drink this each and every day, but I’m afraid I’ll get tired of it. But for now, yum!

Ok, not much new to add except this tea is still going strong at infusion 3. Seriously, a black tea that is perfectly delicious and holds up so well. This tea deserves a 100 if any tea does. To top it off, the texture is still rich, thick, and brothy which is something I’ve rarely found in teas.

Yes, I am once again drinking this. It is just so awesome! I have been drinking other teas lately but haven’t been logging consistently so I promise to start doing that again. But back to this tea: rich, roasty, and chocolatey!

After an extra long day at work (meetings on top of paperwork and deadlines!), this tea is helping me feel like a human again. Everytime I make this I am afraid that my bubble surrounding this tea will burst but I haven’t been let down yet.

this is one syrup-y brew. Tried it w/milk this time and 1/2 tsp of sugar for 16 oz. This definitely cuts down on the “chinese tea” syrup flavor. I am still not sure if I am detecting cocoa notes. But I am defintely picking up some fruity- merlot-y flavors…

this tastes like golden monkey concentrate. In fact, the brewed liquor seems to have a syrupy texture which is odd. I was thinking this was going to be a Dawn replacement and well, it does not have similar cocoa undertones- it is a wonderful black tea.

I had a lovely tea lunch with youngest daughter. Since we were both drinking the same kind of tea today I used the big red pot Sandy sent to us from New Zealand and brewed some Emperor’s Red from JacquelineM! The rich, cocoa aroma will win your heart! We are on the second resteep and it is still so good. I took mine plain and enjoyed all the nuance, but youngest took hers with milk and sugar. It is that kind of tea – you can enjoy it no matter what your tea tastes may be.

We paired it with Genoa salami and Kerrygold Dubliner cheese from Ireland in honor of oldest daughter’s imminent departure for a month in Ireland. Music to accompany the meal – Sandy Denny’s “It Suits Me Well.”

What a lovely day! It began with Sandy’s dog, Sasha, catching our mole at 8 am when I joined youngest daughter in her tent out back where she had camped out in hopes of catching Mr. Mole. Fortunately Sasha obeyed when I screamed, "Leave it! " and we were able to capture the little guy for release later. He is happily hunkered down inside my gardening glove with worms in the fingers (that will definitely have to be washed in HOT water before I wear them again!). I let the mantis join us for tea, but I drew the line at the mole. While he is certainly as cute as the mantis, his little home has more dirt and he smells terrible! Do all moles smell this bad? Oh, she named him “Diggory Delvet.”

It is 75 degrees and sunny. We had a dozen harrowing errands to run so I told the girls we would have a picnic tea when we got home! We chose Emperor’s Red to go with our plate of Danish Wedding cookies.

I have always found it to have chocolate aromas but today when I lifted the cup to my lips I thought, “Wow, there is a fruity note there I hadn’t picked up this strong before. Maybe baked apple?” Then I saw Jacqueline’s post today where she referred to it as fruity as well! It was delicious as always, and like Jacqueline, this was the last of my leaves! We had Sandy on speakerphone to "join " us for tea since she got back to the states yesterday. She said that she had already had to endure the sorrow of seeing the last leaves…we are thinking about starting a support group.

I wasn’t going to log the teas from tea party this week, because we have had them all before, but I just had to go ahead and review Emperor’s Red again because it was especially arresting this week. We had Baker Street by Upton first, and followed with this one. For some reason it tasted unbelievably chocolate-y. It is dark, rich, and smooth. No additions, perfect as is.

Bwa hahahaha! Yes, I said I was out of this, but I saved that last little basket of used leaves to rebrew another day, and today was the day! I had enough to make a 20 oz. pot and drank it all sans additions. Ah! It is definitely weaker, but still has lovely notes. The color is pretty much unchanged from the first steep! Enjoyable.

When a water main breaks and your city is put on “boil water” status for three days what do you do? You make tea! I was disappointed because five minutes of boiling is supposed to make the water a bit flat since so much oxygen is dispersed from it, but my tea was yummy anyway.

This is a wonderful tea that to which JacquelineM introduced me. It has the aroma you would get if you made a plate of Pepperidge Farm dark chocolate cookies and some of the chocolate melted on your hands. I supposed that is what they call unsweetened cocoa notes. It was wonderful with my Everything Bagel, sans additions. I usually add milk and sugar to my breakfast tea “just because” but I had this one without because that is how I normally drink it in the afternoons with my cookies. Ah. Nice start to the day.

I decided it was safe to make a whole pot of this today since my new tea should be here tomorrow! I gave some of this to my tea padawan and told her it was good plain or she could add sugar. (For the non-Star Wars fans out there, a padawan is like an apprentice and is wholly unrelated to the gaiwan or chawan.) She sipped and mmmm’ed, and said, “This IS good plain! It doesn’t need anything….” We had it with Rich tea biscuits. Lovely tea…

This was exquisite today with our creme de menthe brownies! I am so grateful to JacquelineM for introducing me to this tea, and keeping me supplied with it! I think this was my favorite at tea party today!

Tea party day! Today we had Belgian Cream Puffs and Pirouettes, Ginger Lemon Cremes, and Rich tea biscuits with four teas. The first one was Emperor’s Red and it was delicious! It has a rich, full, cocoa-y aroma and wonderful body with no astringency. It goes with EVERYTHING – savory, sweet, or just a cuppa. It tastes great sans additions or with milk and sugar. (We take it sans!) We keep track of the teas we try and special desserts in a little book. Our tea party guest said, “We’ve had this one before. It needs to have a star beside it in the book!” This is one tea you should always have on hand.

Thank you thank you thank you to JacquelineM for this tea! We made this today for “tiny tea time” and when I announced what was in the grown-ups’ teapot the mom cooed, “Oooo, we’ve had that one before!” I drank it sans additions and every drop was wonderful! I had my daughter save the leaves so we can resteep and have some more.

Thank you to JacquelineM for this tea! I didn’t realize I hadn’t added it to my cupboard until I sign on to add a tasting note.

Hubby and I split a toasted Everything Bagel with cream cheese for lunch today, and this was my lovely, lovely, chocolately roasty tea to go with! I drank the whole pot by myself, and fixed a pot of Marco Polo for hubby (I am adding a tasting note from him for that tea) since that is his new favorite. Merry Christmas to all the Steepsterites!

Yummy! This was the first tea party tea today, and was very well-liked. So smooth, chocolate-y aroma, and honey notes. Delicious just as it is!

This was the first tea served for the Wednesday tea party, and the favorite. There were lots of low, moany groany noises as it was sipped – it was a hit! The description does not do it justice – this tea smells the most chocolate-y of any I have had, and it so wonderfully smooth. It has a great range of flavors, mostly low notes if I understand how they rank that sort of thing. Sometimes chocolate-y drink doesn’t go well with chocolate-y food, but today this went very well with our cookies. Good, strong, and relaxing, like a shoulder rub from a big, strong man with big hands – and I should know. Hubby is 6’4" and his hand spans my whole back. That is what this tea is. It is THAT GOOD. The tea party guests agreed it was the more flavorful of the two unflavored teas today, the other tea being Keemun Hao Ya A by A Southern Season which is far milder than the one by Harney and Sons.

Overslept this morning and needed a really good pot of tea. Youngest daughter and I made a little bowl of cheese cubes and brewed a pot of this. Aaaaaaah! This is even better than I remembered. Last time it was a little on the weak side for me, so I increased my steep time to 4 minutes. Again, the aroma of cocoa was AMAZING! This is probably the most chocolately smelling tea I have had, excluding those that have chocolate flavor added. This time I also detect what I thought was a light vegetal note, perhaps what the company is describing as fruity. It is just a hint of what I taste strongly in Ruby #18. Very complex, very smooth, very, very satisfying. Thank you, again. Jacqueline! I had been wanting to try a Red Robe style tea for some time…..

Drinking Golden Snail has had me thinking about Emperor’s Red! I hadn’t had any in a while and wanted some today. Yes, it is just as good as ever. It is a milder tea than Golden Snail, but still roasty toasty delicious!

This tea grabs you, and doesn’t let go. It has a robust, unique flavor.