The DJBooth

Ha ha ha so last night had time with my daughter so we went to the mall cause she had dinner and I had not. So we swing in I wanted to see if they still had any of their clearance teas left to I could pick up some more Assam. Unfortunately they did not. So I decided I wanted to give this one a whirl. So while we are waiting my daughter and I are looking around. She remember that she liked the one tea before and she like looking at the books there. So I just over hear a conversation that one the employees is having with a customer about how he heard about tea and what not. He is totally clueless because the salesperson has convinced him to buy a full tea set….yep she is totally working the sale. I was so tempted to say dude lets chat a bit you don’t need that much to make a great cup of tea. Not to mention I found my tea set that I think looks awesome and I break out for company for 14 dollars at one of the Asian markets. I didn’t though cause I know that person is trying to make money just as much as if I were trying book a couple for a wedding. I thought it was pretty funny though. So I get my cup and we go perusing the rest of the mall. So we go check out the Lego store. I’m letting my cup cool a little bit and taking a few sips. I’m chatting with the salesperson about how I had the original Lego pirate ship before it was Pirates of the Caribbean. So as it’s cooling I’m starting to pick out the flavors. A little bit of pineapple here. A little fig and pear there. A hint of sweetness. Then….dag nab it. I said to myself seriously Teavana. Put a little oolong and cinnamon in there and you have the Toasted Nut Brulee. I think I may have to start compiling a list. If you like this tea from Teavana…try it’s herbal counterpart(my apologies for snarkiness). Honest to Pete man the more teas I try. The more I’m starting to ask where’s generating a whole new wonderful mind expanding flavor profile if everything tastes the same. I’m sorry but adding or subtracting one derivative does not constitutes “Tea Blending Genius”. I’m ranting aren’t I. Don’t get me wrong Teavana has some wicked awesome blends and I’m sold…but…yeah. Overall tasty I didn’t get much cocoa though. Just the praline tart.

I’m going to the movies…going to the movies…go…darn it I’m still at work. Thank you Brandy for this one. There is a yummy aroma that wafts from the dry leaf. I see some nice raisin pieces as well. The trouble I’m struggling with in the “chocolate tea” realm is that some of them don’t taste like real chocolate. There is a chocolate essence that is nice but I don’t know if I would say it’s really chocolate. Maybe I’m crazy here. I’m liking this one pretty well though. There’s a nice chocolate flavor but I’m not sure if I’m getting the raisin. This reminds me more of a chocolate oatmeal raisin cookie. Which I like because oatmeal raisin are my favorite! I like it. I continually admire Frank’s creativity. I could keep my nose in the pouch for days :)

My afternoon pick me up. Back in my cupboard thanks to Brandy3392. Ah yes! I remember why I like this one so much. Malty. Bright. I would also say hoppy/floral. Hoppy because the wet leaf smells like wort. If you don’t know what wort is then let us consult Wikipedia “Wort is the liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer or whisky. Wort contains the sugars that will be fermented by the brewing yeast to produce alcohol.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wort So you see this is a beautiful thing when your day is dragging at work. Some might say that wart smells like wet dog or a pet store, but I tend to air on the side that it is a beautiful thing. Cheers!

Another one that I purchased in my latest order from Christmas. Tiramisu happens to be one of my favorite deserts. One of those that I just can’t seem to resist if offered to me. So I was hoping this would remind me of one of my favorite deserts. The dry leaf smell is a little overwhelming kinda in that fake Amaretto type of almond/cherry like sweetness. Not to mention the orange…since when does Tiramisu have orange in it??? Ok here goes nothing. I would agree with previous posts that it’s coffee like in the aroma. I think I used a little bit too much leaf because the flavor is a little too sweet…or orange zesty. As it is cooling down I’m starting to enjoy it a lot more. Some of the chocolate is starting to come out it’s tasting more like one of those chocolate oranges, and a little bit more coffee like. Tiramisu though? Not so much. The flavor profile also becomes familiar to me. Where have I tasted this before. Sip. Wait for it. Sip. Wait for it….Holy crap it’s My Morning Mate. Minus the mate and black tea. No wonder I’m starting to like it. On the other hand though I’m starting to wonder how many teas does Teavana do this with. I like it and I’m glad that when I run out this discontinued number not to worry. I’ll just pick up the full caf version. It is something to put in the pipe to smoke and ponder a bit. How many of their teas have the same flavor profile…just sayin’

At the bottom of the tin. I’m thinking this one might be getting stale. Instead of smooth and malty it’s more bitter and peppery. Still a decent cup. Especially when shared with a friend.

Thanks to Dinosara for sending me this one. So I’m torn on whether I like this one or not. I can taste a little bit of maple and a little bit of pumpkin, but it’s more of those spices that go with the pumpkin. So it’s more like a Christmas/pumpkin spice tea. The black tea base is still a little bit weak for me. It’s decent but I don’t know if would jump at the bit to buy a re-blend of this one. I’m glad to try it though.

Thanks to Tommy for sending this one. Today I’m working on trying to load some new books onto the kiddo’s tag reader. If you are familiar with these…then yes it not going quick. Had my first two cups before we went sled riding yesterday. Thirty second rinse and followed by one minute steeps. I have to admit I’m liking the flatter Tuocha. It’s pretty coo. First steep I was a little bit concerned there was an overwhelmingly fishy aroma emanating from the cup. Not to worry though. After it settled for a bit there’s the deep dark earth like smoothness that I love from the Pu-Erh. This one is quite a treasure. They only cost .35 per tuocha and I’ve gotten 10 good steeps out of one tuocha. I’m on number eleven and it still hasn’t gone full mushroom water. An excellent brew.

No notes yet.

This was my to go tea this morning. A great price so I pulled the trigger. I love the artisan factor being that it is a rosette. With my previous brewing I was in awe watching it fall to the bottom of the cup. Like a blooming green. I think this is a good tea. It reminds me of nice Chinese black. Malty. I don’t know if I get chocolate out of it, but it’s definitely grainy and has that nice baked flavor. Either like bread or potatoes. See Bai Lin Gongfu tasting. I let it sit in my travel mug for the drive to work and did not get bitter. I have to agree though that 40 for the tin is a tad steep…no pun intended. However the post steep rosette does have some cocoa notes wafting up. It’s also fun to freak out my co-workers with the urchin like appeal. Some of you may remember a song from R.E.M that came out ohhhh circa 98 by the name of Lotus. I was a freshman in college and had just started getting involved with the campus radio station. WBWC still has a soft spot in heart. http://youtu.be/vu2jN3d2zzU Haven’t you noticed…I ain’t the lotus. Make it rain :)

I needed a kick in the rear this morning. Ha ha yeah this delivered quite well. For the first time brewing this is could smell the earthiness of the Pu-Erh….excitement! Then that combo of cinnamon, ginger, peppermint, pepper and clove hits like a freight train. The ginger and the peppermint took care of a little stomach funkiness, as I was getting swaps ready to go. I’m not sure why but this tea makes me think of Mardi Gras. I do have a Mardi Gras story…but that is for another tasting. That reminds me of an amazingly beautiful song by Dr. John-Litanie des saints http://youtu.be/E4W7a0zWfqA I added a little turbinado sugar to it. Normally I do not add any sugar to my tea, but not bad. It reminds me a little of pfeffernusse cookies. Hasenfeffer incorporated :)

I actually have Caravan pulled up on rhapsody right now. Songs that are as long if not longer than Iron Butterfly’s In A Gadda Da Vida, and in the similar progressive rock style. I could listen to this all day long but there is news to report. Right now I’m rocking out to L’Auberge Du Sanglier / A Hunting We Shall Go / Pengola / Backwards / A Hunting We Shall Go – Reprise (Medley) from The World Is Yours – The Anthology 1968-1976. They also sound a little like Rush and Yes. This is good music….and good tea. I’ve had this one a while from a swap with Brandy. It is no secret that I love lapsang. The only other Russian Caravan that I have to compare to is Peet’s. This is quite an excellent mix there is the nice smokey undertones of lapsang and what maybe a black Gongfu. Along with the smokey there is that bakey flavor like potatoes, and grain that I have tasted in the Gongfu or maybe Yunnan Golden tips. I can see why A&D teas are rated so highly.

Started off the morning with this one. It was a little bit more like perfume but still pretty good. As an experiment I brewed it with black roasted unmalted barley…used for beer brewing. Yes I’m experimenting with making my own beer tea. Crazy I know.

Wow! This has quite the punch to it. Peppermint. Cinnamon. Licorice and there’s a sweetness that I’m not sure where it’s coming from….but I like it. This reminds me of a decaf version of Teavana’s French Quarter Spice Quartet. However the bottom the cup is tongue numbing cinnamon. It’s decent and I would probably pick it up in the store.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who did not quite enjoy this one. It was given to me when I visited the newly reopened coffee shop in town. Smelled good. Then I added water. It kinda reminds me of the friendship tea that I think all of us despise that you usually get at church Christmas bazaars. I tried to like it but it’s weak in flavor and black tea base. Tastes more like tang with cloves. I try not to be overly critical when given a tea, and tasting tea. I can stand most teas like most coffees even if they are not high quality, but this doesn’t quite reach the bar.

I decided to break this one out this morning for a little something different. The mix of lapsang, assam, and osmanthus flowers do a nice job to start the day. I am still uncertain how the flowers affect the flavor here, but still a good morning kick start.

Thanks to Dinosara for this one. The black tea base in this is really good. I was enjoying it quite a bit. There is a faint taste of ginger and I couldn’t taste the peach at all. So it’s not bad but it could use a little bit more.

This one was in a recent purchase for me. I wasn’t sure about it because other straight up Assams were a bit like drinking spaghetti sauce. However….this one was fabulous. Mellow. Malty. Had a nice kick to start the morning before a 3 hour drive to work. I don’t get it. A little snow in Northeast Ohio and people forget how to drive. C’est la vie.

This sample came to me courtesy of taite. The dry leaf aroma is invigorating!! Like fresh squeezed OJ. The jasmine flowers intrigued me. I have never had a tea with the actual flowers in it. The liquor is a pale yellow with a faint citrus aroma. I would compare the aroma to warm Orange Crush or Squirt. Initially the jasmine stands out. As it is cooling down though I’m tasting some nice citrus notes. I can see though how this tea might throw some people off. I’m thinking rather than the jasmine some vanilla would be killer in this. Almost like drinking a creamcicle. The second half of the pot has darkened a little bit. I have noticed this with greens lately too. Pale at first then a little more yellow. Theres a little more citrus coming out too. Almost like absolute citron, which may have been the goal in creating this tea. Or the flavor could be comparable to the scent of hand sanitizer. Either way I can tell this is one of those teas you like or you don’t. It’s pretty good but I’m not sure if I would buy a whole package of it. I am liking the chance some DAVIDs selections to my palette.

Very good indeed on a rainy afternoon in the city that rocks!

I guess you would say I’m double fisting Teavivre style this morning. I enjoy jasmine teas quite a bit. They are not everyday teas for me but there is a comfort that jasmine brings to me. It reminds me so much of summer and going on vacation. Dragon pearls fascinate me as well…as do other artisan teas. Yes Hollywood has corrupted me because every time I hear pearl I think Pirates of the Caribbean. If you saw my previous post about pirates and drinking tea. Arrr! I think there is a beauty in watching the pearls open up like watching a Ti Kuan Yin open up. I really like this version of pearls because the jasmine is a little more subtle and not overpowering. This would be a great after dinner or afternoon tea. Thus continuing my high esteem for Teavivre.

I can’t believe I have forgotten to review this one. Many thanks to Angel for this sample.This is my morning pot. I don’t have to be in to work till the afternoon so I’m relaxing a little bit and enjoying this tea steeped in the perfect teamaker that I saved 10 dollars on Ebay with. Is it bad that I am starting to compare other teas up to the standard of Teavivre? This one is excellent a nice caramel liquor. I would say this is more of a mellow brew. It’s not as peppery as a Keemun. It kind of reminds me of baked potatoes. Growing up our church had chicken barbecues and when it was done everyone who worked ate. There always used to be the Styrofoam cooler with the baked potatoes. I used to grab one, they were made with a little butter in the foil, peel the foil and eat it straight like an apple. That’s the way to enjoy baked potatoes. This tea is excellent! I am really starting to fully enjoy good black teas.

It’s kinda like green tea without the tea. There is a roasty flavor to this that I really like. I may have already said this but it is hard not to eat this tea. I eat half popped kernals of popcorn that don’t quite pop all the way. Like cooking some teas happen by accident take a left over…a grain…a flower steep it and there you go :-)

An afternoon french press with a co-worker. Made it a little bit on the industrial strength side. Bright. Malty. Maybe a tad bitter. This time it has a bit of a metallic tinge to it. I’m starting to notice the difference between the broken leaf in this one and the whole leaf that you get with the high grown from Teavana. This one is not as smooth and it’s hitting the tummy a little funny. Yeah have to drop this one a little.

This was my firestarter this morning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxU9zm7t8Cg I slept though my alarm so I had to reach for sumpthin’ with a kick. I am really liking Assam. It’s got a nice boost and lovely maltiness. Not to mention Prodigy is good to pumped. I’ve started getting back into the swing of working out and hitting the gym. I hadn’t realized how inactive I have become till now. I find anytime Prodigy tickles my eardrums I work a little bit harder…a good kick in the assam if you will. The supply of this one is starting to dwindle. So I may have to reorder or explore some other CTC. This also reminds me of a song I used to play on my radio show in college by the Channel Surfers-C.T.C http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgWBMtPdMCI quite the groovy little bit. Ah Tea and good music slaying the Buttdragons together.