Rooibos Peach Bloom

My 100th note! Yay!

I’ve been struck by a touch of insomnia. After deciding I wanted something warm to drink I ended up rooting through my pantry because nothing sounded good. In the back, hidden under all of my caffeine laden teas was this little gem. I mixed it with a touch of honeybush, and I ended up with a cup of peaches and cream yumminess. It was comforting and relaxing, exactly what I needed. I like this more than I remember. Don’t know if it’s because I mixed it with the honeybush or if I’m starting to like rooibos, but this was a really tasty drink.

Breaking my three day string of Alpine Berry as my reading-in-bed cup, I had Peach Bloom last night. It was good – light and peachy – but weaker than I remember it being the last time I had it even though I steep it long enough. I may go back to Alpine Berry tonight. I read a couple more chapters of Beautiful Creatures last night. The plot is feeling rushed along. I’m not really getting into the book.

It seems like all my non-caffeinated nighttime teas are either fruity, chamomile, minty, or a blend of the last two. I’ve been mostly in the mood for the fruity ones. I wish I had more baking flavors teas for nighttime consumption. Things like vanilla, chocolate, caramel, honey, spicy, or otherwise reminiscent of dessert.

Now my most exciting tea news! Yesterday I found out that I won the Maeda-en 2010 Shin-cha Giveaway. I was so excited. I had never won a tea contest before. Then today I found out that I won the LeafSpa Steepster Select comment contest. Double the excitement. I must be lucky this week. I’ve been having a really shitty week this week so it totally made my day both times. Thanks Maeda-en, LeafSpa, and Steepster!

Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please. An uncupboarding is about to occur. A rare event occurring only every few days on Steepster, it is much anticipated by persons lacking space and drastically wanting more teas. A partial portion can sometimes remain and a small amount, weak tea, or blend can happen simultaneously with the uncupboading. Today’s upcupboarding coincided with a blending.

Approximately, 1/2 tsp of Peach Bloom was steeped with 1 tsp of Caribbean Sencha based on the notion of compatibility of their scents. This blend was steeped according to the Caribbean Sencha parameters. The first steep was primarily Peach Bloom. The second steep the Caribbean Sencha was predominate with hints of the Peach Bloom. Both were good. The second steep may have been enjoyed more than the first. No third steep occurred.

2nd steep: 3 min 30 sec.

I made a bit of a Teavana rooibos discovery last night.

Teavana used to have a tent at the farmer’s market. They’d have tea samples made to try and they’d bring a bunch of different 1oz loose tea samples which they sold for only $1 no matter what the tea was. I’d buy pretty much anything that sounded good and I didn’t already have. I ended up with quite a few greens, mostly flavored, and rooibos, red and green. I drank up most of them, but still have a few left and some odds and ends. Then I found Steepster and more teas and got away from drinking those.

Lately I’ve been having a cup of tea in bed each night while reading before going to sleep. Cycling through my non-caffeine options, I pulled what I had left of the Teavana rooiboses out. I’ve been liking the Peach Bloom a bit better than I remember it being but I’ve also thought it was pretty weak. I figured it was just because it was older tea. It was still quite flavorful and drinkable.

Last night, I pulled out a different Teavana rooibos, thinking about trying something different, which was in a bigger container that I’d affixed that Teavana label to. The Peach Bloom was in a small gladware salad dressing sized container sans original labeling. I noticed the other rooibos called for 1.5 tsp. I’ve been using 1 tsp of the Peach Bloom. Teavana rooibos epiphany!

So Peach Bloom steeped with 1/2 tsp more Peach Bloom equals stronger, peachier, and more roobos-y.

The bad news is that now that I’ve figured this out, I don’t have enough Peach Bloom left for another serving. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the remainder of it. It was too much to add to this cup but not enough to make even a half a cup. I don’t want to throw it out. I do want to un-cupboard this tea. I am guessing I should blend it with something. I’m not quite sure what. I’m thinking maybe a tropical green tea.

Now back to more good luck. Malomorgan’s lucky year appears to have indeed rubbed off on mine, or at least on my tea luck. Cause I won Frank’s email contest. I’ve wanted to win one since I signed up for the newsletter and started entering. I’ve wanted to try more 52 Teas since I got the Strawberry Matcha, which is SO good. I’ve been telling myself that I’m just waiting for the next blend that I have to have. I think I’ve just been trying to keep myself from doing something crazy like ordering all three white tea blends. Cause, you know, if I were just ordering one, I might have to get the other two. I’ve been telling myself I could order one white tea blend when I got the next had to have blend. I would need to pick one. I’m leaning, of course, towards the Black Current White Tea, which I think is going to be my free pouch. I’ve also been eying the Razberry Green and the Shari’s Apricot Spice as well as the white blends. I’m a bit afraid that if I really like the Black Current White, I’ll have to get those two and the rest of the white. Then the husband will think I’m crazy cause I’ll just have gotten all this tea in the mail. I don’t know how ya’ll who order lots of tea explain it to the husbands/wives.

Winning all this yummy free tea has really made my month. (It’s been a really blah month.) I don’t know what I’ll do if I continue to win more tea, except be really happy and drink lots of tea. =)

Backlogging. Two nights ago.
This was the tisane I wanted to drink the previous night. A tasty peach taste with a tail of green rooibos. Lighter in flavor, this tisane could stand to be steep an additional minute next time. I had misremembered that rooibos could take multiple steeps. The 2nd steep was water with a hint of peach rooibos. Perhaps it was red rooibos that took two steeps or perhaps no rooibos.

Bad days are good for tea. Or is it tea is good for bad days. Either way, I knew I’d be having a few cups more than my usual single late evening cup so I went for a rooibos. I steeped this one with less time and less tea than usual. It’s lighter but not by much.

I noticed again that my choice in non-caffeinated teas is limited. But I still have so many tea odds and ends to drink before I order more tea. I have plenty of blacks and greens, which is what I mostly drink. But I’ll need to beef up on rooibos/herbals, whites, and oolongs, both of which I am new to. More tea is in my future. Or rather, new teas are in my future, I should say.

Backlogging. Late Thursday night before bed.
Steep extra long to squeeze as much flavor out as possible since I found this tisane doesn’t take a resteep. Seemed weak at first, but after cooler just slightly, there was the taste. I am finding myself wishing I didn’t have only three to four cups left worth of leaf now that I have rediscovered this tisane from the back of my cupboard. It makes for a good before bed cup.