I love the month of May, and today was such a beautiful day. Warm and sunny, and a good day to get a haircut. :)) There are lots of family Birthdays in May too.
My cousin and his twin niece and nephew celebrate on the 5th. We took in four kitties last year born on the 10th (Blackie didn’t make it :(( ). My Mom’s sister’s is the 11th, my special Beagle, Cookie was born on the 12th-she was born on Mother’s Day! My Dad’s is the 13th, his sister’s is the 14th. Then there’s [EH-HEM], Yours Truly, on the 15th. :)) A dear friend of mine is one day younger than me -the 16th. My Grandma’s was the 17th, & I miss her sweet, loving soul. I’m sure there’s a few others as well.
So yes, I love the month of May. Cookie was a black/white Beagle & Cocker mix; although, I didn’t notice much Spaniel in her. Everyone wanted me to call her Oreo, but I refused to think of a brand name every time I called her name. She was such a loving girl, and really special to me! She LOVED WALKS….WE loved walks, and we spent many happy hours together! :)) She always slept in my room with me like Lotis does now. He’s snoring at my feet right now.
It’s always so fun to celebrate my Birthday with Dad, as it was with Cookie. I wanted to remember her today by wearing my black Pittsburgh Steelers hat, a white T-shirt, and drinking a special tea. On with the review my friends.
When I opened the bad I noticed a stunning dark brown and furry (tippy) beige leaf- very tippy, the colors are intertwined. The aroma….SNIFFFF!! MMMMMMM….MMMMMMM…OMG!! That was my first reaction. The dry leaves smelled like a malted milk shake! Seriously….I was sniffing, until at some point I realized I had to stop and drink the tea. :))
I steeped per instructions using 2.5 -3 teaspoons of leaf. When the leaves hit my warmed glass press, the aroma intensified. Definitely malt milkshake aromas. The cup was a medium brown hue. In the cup, I smelled lighter choco-maltiness, with a light brown sugar sweetness (not dark). The wet tea leaves smelled chocolatey, toasty, with a medium (more mild) roasted marshmallow aroma. The cup flavors were malty , with a nice light (yet full mouth feel) chocolate goodness. My tongue and palate were satisfied without being heavy. I really didn’t detect the sweetness I noticed from the wet tea leaves and cup aroma.
After dinner, I added about 2 tsp leaves to the previous leaves and steeped for 5 minutes. The wet tea leaves smelled similar, but with more of a dark brown sugar sweetness. The cup itself was also slightly darker, more malty, with similar sweetness. Then I fell asleep and woke up to a cold cup of tea. :-// Well, it was still really good and malty, with slightly more chocolate flavor. I’m convinced you cannot oversteep this tea, as it was still smooth, mild-yet full flavored, and not bitter at all! :))
I’m glad I cupped this delicious, Pre-Chingming Golden Pekoe on this beautiful day and evening. A perfect tea to remember Cookie, my sweet dog, and all my family and friends-who I love, and celebrate. ’Here’s to us all’, and to the beautiful and special month of May! :))
Cupped & Reviewed: Saturday, May 12, 2012.
