tunes&tea

I wasn’t blown away by this tea simply because I’ve not gotten into greens much. Beautifiul gold color and nice floral aroma. The drink was like fresh cut grass-wet grass,very green. There was a crisp water chesnut tone in there with a melon sweetness as well. I think the floral was more smell than taste. The astringency was low, but enough to make it not shine for me. By the third steep it had lost alot and only had simpler oolong notes to remain. Even though less grassy is a plus for me I opted to move on to another oolong so I can crank out another note this morn.

This is the third weekend that I skipped a night’s sleep due to the third shift adjustment to first shift for the weekend. This forty year old body is not digging it.

So I talked to Incindiare earlier and she reminded me of my heavy metal background as a yoot(youth). So I blew the dust off of some old grunge for this tasting. Not metal, but as close as I can get at 5:00am with no sleep.

tune-Alice In Chains=Love,Hate,Love/Nutshell Mad Season=Long Gone Day Pearl Jam=Garden/Release Soundgarden=Gun/4th Of July/ Nirvana unplugged=Where Did You Sleep Last Night

This sample came to me by way of LibeTEAS, thank you so very much for it and the generous amount as well.

I will start by saying use caution if you intend to abbreviate pu’erh as pu .Twice today I stated that “I could do pu everyday”. I need not explain the ramifications of such a statement.

So here I am loving some pu (easy) and I wanna tell ya all about it. The dry leaf smells too sweet for hay but not enough to be called floral. Another sweet plant… After doing a 30 sec rinse I steeped for 1 min to start. Wet the leaves take on a strong aquatic/earthy smell (as wife says “it’s fish,Dave”). I must note that it’s not unpleasant for those not yet exposed to pu’s.

The flavor of this pu is so rich and wonderful and silky smooth. There’s predominantly a leathery sweetness accompanied by mint. I must pause and say here that I’m either gonna have to find a new word or rethink what I’m tasting because this is the third pu I wanna say taste kinda like toothpaste! After cooling more vegeative notes are apparent.

Second steep 2 minutes with a little less water as well. Even after opting for a stronger cup this time to explore the parameters of the drink I can honestly say it’s still smooth and sweet with almost no astringency. I feel a nice buttery richness that maybe I’ve overlooked in past taste notes of teas due to my young palate. What a drink! This may make it on the ‘gotta have it’ list.

I ended up with 4 steepings before I decided to quit drinking tea for the night.

tunes-Bill Withers=Use Me Up,Geuss Who-She’s Come Undone,Harry Nilson-Everbody’s Talking At Me

Even after reading that the person who sent me this tea, thanks AZZ, didn’t like it I gave it a shot anyway. As a sidenote I end up going to Olive Gardens about once a year and 90% of the time I order Chicken Marsala. Since I no longer drink alcohol this is the best indicator I have as what to expect, I drank whites when I did still drink alcohol.
There’s cinnamon to be sure, it reminds me of baked apples loaded with it. Not tasting alot of vino yet, but saw other notes mention it comes later. It’s malty and maybe a touch smokey. Fair amount of body to this drink. For me the only drawback is astringency, which I will have to put a disclaimer in my profile about me being an astringent weenie. Other than that it ain’t bad, though not a potential ‘buyer’ for me.
That’s what this is all about right, finding what fits your taste with samples from tea friends and courteous tea companies so you can buy lots of the ones you love. Tasting notes are great and helpful, but we’re all still different and we have thousands of choices before us.

My many thanks go out to Azz for this sample which came in an incredibly awesome care package, she is ‘the man’,er…uh…you know what I mean. So I steeped this up and my mouth was watering. I mean, who doesn’t like vanilla. Add to that the residual giddiness I still have after opening my package from Azz (there was even a cool little adjustable measuring spoon and a spongy biscuit that I believe to be Mr Bill and teas that convince me she has telepathic powers).
Then the phone rang. ARGH!…and it was important.
So between distracted sips I can tell you I got some vanilla. It tastes buttery and creamy, though mouthfeel(TeaEqualsBliss word) is not creamy- it’s a little astringent. If you’ve read many of my notes I’m picky about astringency so this may not be a factor to many of you. Also, it’s not super dry/bitter or anything like that, just a little dryness on the tongue.
There’s a sweetness on the inside of my cheeks, which is where the lingering sweet aftertaste is as well. I seem to taste a bit of nutmeg coming through. I still can’t get over how much vanilla I taste, I can’t imagine adding sugar to this already sweet drink.
Luckily for me this is one of those cases where I have enough left to do another note later. My appologies that this note is a flop, I am disappointed at getting a phone call and I’m sure it shows.
tunes-Eddie Vedder=*Satellite/Gauranteed/Society/Long Nights
Into The Wild soundtrack *live with a ukulele.His solo work is folky and nice and moody.

I was at work when I tried this. Had I read the description I might have waited until I could be more attentive to the infuzion. That said I may have over steeped this just a little. Luckily I have enough for another tasting so I can revise the note if needed.
As is common with pu’erhs dry leaf has a strong earthy smell, this one more aqautic (“fish, Dave…it smells like fish” is the reply my wife gives whenever I use that term for pu’erhs).Also common to pu’erhs is the dark color that quickly comes during infuse. Wet leaf smells like a pu’erh…
then came the difference. This pu’erh is sweet, like honey sweet. I’ve used the description of toothpaste for this flavor before, that hint of mint sweetness.As a sidenote; wife says I need to brush my teeth more when I drink pu’s, yet I say it taste like toothpaste=hows that work…anyway.
Also in the sweetness is a faint tart, like blueberries that are mostly sweet with a little tart. I detect a little toasty note in there too. There’s alot less earth or wood about this one. I would like to think it would be an ideal beginner pu’. My second steep was a tad astringent, but I chalk it up to being at work and poor steep management. Since I will taste it again I will close this one for now and will revisit soon.
tunes at time of writing-Laura Marling Dharohar Project=Anmol Rishtey/Meheri Rachi/To Darkness-Kripa/Devil’s Spoke-Sneh Ko Marg
Mumford&Sons appeares on. If you like Indian music like Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha You’ll love it. If you’ve never tried it I encourage you to do so.

All the hype has came down to this one moment. I just got my expedient package of gracious samples from Stacy at Butiki Teas.‘We was giddy as schoolgirls reading the names of and smelling the selections recieved. The leaves are beautiful and you can see that there was great care taken in the packaging not to damage them. On with te drink.
Dry leaf smells scrumpteous,though I’m running off of memory. You see, my wife whisked the samples from the mailbox and started the tea in a flurry whilest I was waking. I got a quick whiff and then the finished product thrust in my face. That aside I still have a great tasting note to share (great in the sense of the tea, not my writing). Color is a golden brown. Due to just waking I won’t bother mentioning wet smell(nose wasn’t working yet).
First taste I am impressed by just how how creamy this really is. A vanilla flavor almost sweet enough to compare to ice cream, yet still light and airy. Speaking of that there’s a subtle silky dryness with thirst quenching attributes. This tea is a gulper!
It took a few drinks for the melon to come out, but it definitely showed up. The afterflavor is pleasant and leaves you wanting more. As I said in my last note I don’t gravitate toward flavored teas normally, but maybe I will start to branch in that direction.I’m getting ready to start my third steeping. Thanks again Stacy for a wonderful sample that I was glad to write a note on

Thank you Tea Merchant for the hook up on the wave of samples you sent out. I obviously happen to be one of those people who got in on it before time ran out, and I’m glad I did. To be honest I have reservations and I ain’t talking about dinner. Generally I’m a straight up, unadulterated, give it to me as God intended( or mother earth if you prefer, or alah,or krishna,or whatever creator you believe in. I’m not here to discuss doctrine,another time and place maybe)kind of tea drinker. I haven’t strayed off of the oolong, pu’erh, black tea path too much so I have preconcieved notions about what to expect with blends/flavored tea. I missed the mark on this one.
For me added flavor equals bitter (there’s none) and cover up (the oolong is coming through just fine). In fact, I tried to screw this up by eating about a half dozen cookies worth of dough while it was steeping. In turn, I couldn’t taste it due to the tastebud overload with all of the sugar i just had so…I did what any clear thinking wise old tea drinker would do… I threw more fresh tea leaf in with what I had steeped already, microwaved the contents of the pot, and then resteeped it all together and assumed it would work splendidly, luckily for me it did.
Fruity is an understatement (not describing me, the tea you fools!). Not sure if it’s closest to plumbs or something else, but I can say that it’s very pleasant indeed. The oolong is light and smooth. There are floral notes in the flavor but not much in the way of aftertaste. The sweet is kinda here & gone. The friut part kinda reminds me of sugar cereal.
The second steep showed me just a little astringency and even more fruity (I told you already, not me the tea!). I would try to get a third batch goin but it’s getting to be that time. Thanks everyone for your comments yesterday about my wreck. There’s headaches o’ plenty and the great and terrible beaurocratic monster has reared it’s grotesquely ugly head so all prayers and encouragements are genuinely welcome. Thanks all for listening… speaking of listening…
tunes- thank you a bunch Charles Thomas Draper for exposing me to the amazing Townes van Zandt. I listened to Nothin’/Lungs/Mr Mudd & MR Gold/St.John The Gambler to name just a few. There’s a playlist on Youtube with 100 songs. Also, I’ve encouraged several people to list their tasting tune as well, after they complimented this idea. It aint my concept, I got no copyright. I’ld love it if others did likewise, just like Thomas’ suggestion. I want exposed to new stuff.

After totaling my truck and having some aches and pains I’m starting to feel back to normal so maybe I can start getting more tasting notes in.
This is another LiberTeas sample and I’m sure glad she selected it for my sample box. It’s good!
Dry leaf has a nice sweet aroma. I’m starting to fully subcsribe to the thought that my nose is not to be trusted; for the second time in a week I say leaf smells like bubblegum-probably grape.
Add boiling water and that soon changes. Its still fruity, even berry notes, but definitely not grape. Color is a deep red/brown.
First thing I found after sipping was a coppery malt flavor. The sweet vein is undeniable and reminds me of a certain type of syrup. I’m not sure what kind, but can pretty much rule out maple. There’s a little astringency, though not enough to scare me away.
This tea gives me a nice warmth in the back of my throat. Couple that with the third shift that I can’t seem to adjust to and my eyes are getting heavy. I will put this in the;‘will make a new tasting note later’ file so I can pay better attention then. The drink got cold and so did this note, better luck next time. Thank you and goodnight,…your humble servant.

tunes-Bob Weir & Ratdog=Two Djinn/Even So/October Queen/Lucky Enough

Smelling the dry leaf made me think I accidently grabbed the Black Merlot I had last night (I checked and it was not). Theres floral notes, as well as something else, but I don’t wanna pour the contents out again to see what it is and the outside of the bag is heavily scented by another tea so….
I thought I oversteeped this since I forgot to set the timer. Liquor is a very deep red/brown, also making me think I oversteeped. Wet leaf still floral. The flavor is much more mellow than the aroma lead me to believe which made me think I didn’t oversteep afterall. It’s not dull or drab, just mellow with the tiniest bit of astringency. I first thought malty but then backed that off to a wood flavor with a touch of smoke. Though floral it’s not too sweet, but a little. I liked this tea well enough and would visit it again, though not enough to put on my right away purchase list; which I guess I should start since all of the samples that several fine Steepster folk have so graciously shared will eventually run out. There’s so much work to do to make oneself a fanatical obsessed tea drinking addict.
I tried a second steep and it was a hair lighter but also sweeter. Astringency went up a notch too so after this cup I’m done.
tunes-Dave Mathews Band=Christmas Song/Long Black Veil/Gret Street/Big Eyed Fish…all live versions

Thank you so very much, LiberTEAS, for this tea included in the samples I recieved from you.
I didn’t know what to expect, I’ve never had a tea meant to taste like wine. Making a game of it my wife and I smelled the dry leaf without reading what it was. She said blueberries first, then recanted not sure. I said bubblegum. She was much closer obviously(though I shall revisit my choice later).
The wet leaf has a sweet malty aroma. The liquor is e deep red with just a smidge of brown.
I was surprised at how much it remineds me of wine, though it’s been over ten years since I’ve had any of it. The flavor is malty as well, with floral notes. I swear they snuck fermented grapes into this concoction…IT TASTE LIKE WINE.
The bubblegum comes into play in the afterflavor, I think it’s sugar free but I don’t chew much gum so can’t place it.
I’m really impressed with this glass of wi…I mean cuppa tea. Not an everyday drinker, but something to savor late at night just before bed which is befitting because…goodnight.
tune-Amos Lee=Black River/Keep It Loose,Keep It Tight/What’s Been Going On

Smelling the dry leaf of this tea I thought it to be quite a bit less earthy or aquatic as other pu’erhs I’ve tried. The piece I recieved from Pu’erhshop was more compact than other pu’erhs as well. After rinsing I saw that the color was a strong yellow with a little green. The wet smell sweet. First taste also revealed a very sweet and minty flavor that actually subdued much of the warm earthy flavor that became more prevalent after a few steeps. The earth tone that was present came out more a sandelwood; leather mixed with cedar but less acidic. There was a hint of creaminess and little astringency to speak of, this however increased with cooling of the drink. Afterflavor is very pleasant and minty.
Second steep; astringency has backed off again allowing me to further enjoy the sweeter notes. The complexity has increased in that the warm earth feel tried to push it’s way forward, but the sweet wouldn’t yeild. Now I’m starting to taste the more common woodiness, say of acorns. The astringency rises with time as before, but the minty afterflavor helps to compensate for one who shys from dry drinks. Generally speaking I like this pu’erh, especially since there are no exaggerated complaints of ‘fish smell’ from the peanut gallery in my home. It’s not as good as some of the pu’erhs in my sampler, but I’m starting to see a gravitation toward pu’s.
Note; after a few more steeps the more common wet earth/aqautic flavor showed up,not that it’s a bad thing.

Quick note; in a hurry. upon smelling this tea I thought it would taste like Christmas ham-clove and cinnamon. I was relieved to find it did not, though both spices were apparent. I’m not a clove fan so I didn’t make it far, though my wife that doesn’t write notes loved it. Moderate astringency (wife didn’t agree) and dry is no good to me either. This is something I may have to work on so as not to miss out on other notable intricacies present in drier teas. Pleasant afterflavor, should work nicely to clear the palate of an oily meal. Not bad, just not a clove person.
tunes playing-America=Tin Man/Ventura Highway/Sister Golden Hair Surprise

Thank you LiberTEAS for this sample. I feel poorly for the immaturity I displayed in my last note so I will instead say that if you’ve not purchased a sampler from LiberTEAS you should, when her schedule loosens up enough for her to make some more. If you have any reservations about it put them aside; there are numerous types of quality teas and you really get a lot of bang for your tea dollar.

I’m realizing that my nose isn’t my most discerning of parts (although physically one of the more prominent). Smelling the dry leaves stumped me so I cheated = I peaked at other notes. I have to use TeaEqualBliss’ description of licorice,just a hint. There’s a kinda hot cinnamon thing there too.
There are pieces and stems to the leaves, but that makes sense since they are so long and curled slightly. It makes for a fluffy sack of tea that crushes easily. I don’t have much to say about the unfurling. The liquor a light gold.
Really alot going on in this cuppa. A hint of that licorice, with a sweet heavier than grass flavor. I geuss I will agree with both LiberTEAS and K S in the use of hay in my description (see what I get for cheating,not an original thought one). The aftertaste is where I see the very sweet licorice tone the most. It’s astringency is low, but it’s flavor kinda bold, even after several infusions.
That’s it,…I like it!
tunes=William Elliott Whitmore-Old Devils/Digging My Grave/Dry/Red Buds
Folky with an edge.Throaty gravely voice.

I just got a box in the mail. The box came from LiberTEAS. For those of you who don’t know she puts awesome samplers together that she sells on her website. More importantly ,for those of you who don’t know she only had one left and is too busy to make more for a little while and I got the last one. It’s sweet.

Nahnahnabooboo!
Enough with the immaturity. I now have to give a proper tasting note on Steenbergs Milky Oolong. I haven’t had this tea for 3-4 weeks. I wrote a note off memory just because it was my first favorite tea. I got a little more from LiberTEAS ( thank you sooo much! ) and so now can write a note as I sip, properly.
Dry leaf smell is fruity and floral, my mind jumps to-DESSERT.Leaves are slow to unfurl and the fruity notes start to intensify once infused. Liquor is a pale golden color. The first drink you can’t help but notice the sweet fruity taste, for me it’s something between strawberries and blueberries. It’s literally hard to believe this flavor comes naturally with no additives. There’s really no astringency and my mouth actually waters while I drink this magical oolong. I tap my feet through 4 more steepings, increasing the time 15 seconds each one, it’s still a testament of amazing deliciousity. This would be a good tea for someone who typically sweetens to go ‘oh naturale’. Before ending this note I must also thank Pureleaf for suggesting I drop my temp from boiling to 190 degrees thereby encouraging the full potential of flavor to be released. I was happy with it before, yet when making this change there was a distinct increase in it’s sweetness.
Tapping my foot to Silly Wizard-a celtic/gaelic band from the 70’s&80’s. The set was Fisherman’s Song/Isla Waters/Parish Of Dunkeld/Twa Brithers.

As the description listed this pu’erh is quite smooth. The dry leaf has a pleasant aroma that is devoid of any earthy,aqautic,or vegetive notes. Instead I find it to be floral and sweet. The liquor is the wine like red, with a touch of brown,that I’ve found common with all of the pu’erhs I’ve tasted. It’s flavor has an earthy sweetness about it, with the sweet lingering notably in my palate. I detect a hint of something minty, though I’m not sure what, maybe spearmint. This will be the second time in a week that I’ve denoted a toothpaste- minty fresh kind of flavor. The drink is refreshing with not enough astringency to make mention of. This could be an ideal pu’erh to replace any bad experience someone could’ve had with pu’erhs in the past.I’m really enjoying this one, and I’m on my fourth steeping at the time of the writing. Thanks Puerhshop.com!Great cuppa!

tunes=Mumford and Sons(yes more Mumford)-White Blank Page/Thistle and Weeds/
Dust Bowl Dance/After the Storm/I Gave You All/Liar.

I came back to this tea because the first time I made it the water was too hot and I was sure I ruined it. Luckily I believed this to be the case and made a smidge with the small bit that was still in the corner of the sample bag. I ended up getting half a cup and was glad I did. The astringency that was overpowering in my first cup is hardly present. The lemon tone of the tea is in proportion overall. I assume the sweetness of the chun mee is intermingling with the citrus to trick my mouth into thinking that it’s more lemon than it actually is. There’s a nice balance here and even though I don’t gravitate toward greens I thought well enough of this drink.

I’ll start by saying that this note will be somewhat limited in that,so far,I’ve only had a few black teas and am not well versed in them. I liked the roasted smell of the dry leaves, though I have nothing to compare it to. The leaves didn’t quite double in size after unfurling. the wet leaves smelled alot sweeter than I expected. Color was a more red than brown with a hint of gold. With the first drink I noticed a bold woodsy/leathery flavor, heading towards, but not entirely to, malty. Smooth with a pronounced smoke establishing itself within a few sips. The other thing that emerged was sweetness that I didn’t detect initially, and yet a hint of sour as well. There was alot going on in this drink, it seemed to be pulling me in two different directions, if that makes sense. I don’t feel I’ve done this tea justice and would like to log it again after I’ve gained more experience with black teas, but it was a sample that has retired from my cupboard so it will have to wait until I come across it again (as I’m sure there is a fair possibility). In general, a good cuppa that I would suggest to anyone, especially those who are partial toward black teas.

I just tore into this wonderful little drink a moment age.Dry leaf smell made me hungry. I’m not proficient in cooking spices to recognise what it was; a sweet minty smell. Red brown color. Wet leaves didn’t unfurl much,stemmy with pieces.First drink caught me off gaurd, so smooth yet rich. The maltiness, which reminded me of red wine, stood out.A wisp of smoke was present along woth a minty sweet/sour I felt in my outer jaws.Full body yet light and airy. I went ahead and steeped a second time and was glad I did. It may have lost too much for some of the more experienced drinkers, but you will hear no complaints from me. The malt eroded away to even sweeter notes. Something else about this drink; it’s very thirst quenching-no astringency. I have to agree with a post I saw (spoiler) from TeaEqualsBliss where she said it was ‘juicey’. Thanks Pureleaf for this one. I only wish I had enough to drink it all day. That’s OK, it’s going on my wish list. Yummy for my tummy.
Tune-Chris Cornell/Can’t Change Me(french),Two Drink Minimum,When I’m Down
If you,ve not heard his solo stuff and are a fan treat yourself. He spans several genres you may not predict.

Just got samples from Puerhshop and I’m so excited!For a greenhorn like myself to see the tiny cakes,balls,and the tightly packed pieces from larger cakes is absolutely unreal.I feel like a big timer right now!I must write this note quickly before the delusion wears off. Dry leaf smell is definitely aqautic,reminds me of a fishtank after it’s been emptied.Wettened something woodsy is added.Color is a deep red brown-almost looks like wood stain.The first taste is smooth and bold,still woodsy but add earthy as well.The sweetness has caught me by surprise.I hate to say this and risk being misleading,but I’m reminded of caramel popcorn,Caramel popcorn ribbons wrapped in cedar.It’s not a powerful sweet,but it’s there. The aqautic portion of this equation is limited to what the nose detects on the way to my mouth.Between the slight dryness and the cedar tone I’m wanting to say that it’s heading toward malty rather than the mossy I expected.It’s quite delicious,even now that I’m on my 5th steeping.Strength of the aftertaste doesn’t match the drink,it’s there but seems like it should be greater.I really love that sweet ribbon I mentioned and it’s present in the aftertaste as well. I would definitely suggest this.If my novice palate can appreciate this pu’erh then I fear no displeasurable experiences for the general drinker. Tunes;Jamie Cullum-Gran Tarino/Twenty Something/Wind Cries Mary

This is actually a revision.
I feel I have to write a note on this tea. It’s the first loose leaf purchase I made and it turned out to be a great stab in the dark. I must admit that cost helped drive my decision and for under $10 I wasn’t very apprehensive about it. As it turns out it is a staple around our house. Daily is there an afternoon pot of either this, or another similar Asian grocery tea, once all are in from work/school.
Dry leaf is sweet and nutty; which I will explain why I’m sure it’s nutty in a minute. Leaves aren’t necessarily quick to unfurl, mostly larger leaves with some pieces. Wet leaves are sweet smelling yet I can’t place what it reminds me of. Color is exactly the red/brown as of the picture on the can.
At first sip there is a nuttiness to the flavor (still not telling why yet). A smooth drink with no astringency. I can drink this one from my Stanley thermos a couple hours after infusing and it is still tasty.
I will often steep this 5-6 times only bringing the steep time up a tad for the last 3 steeps. I will now admit the ignorance I maintained about multiple steepings when I first started. I would lay my leaves on paper towels and re-use them 2,3,maybe 4 days in a row. I didn’t know any better and didn’t suffer any displeasure either. So if times are hard, know that you can REALLY stretch your tea dollar when needed.
So now let me finish the story (if you haven’t opted out due to sheer boredom due to my rambling). My wife is coming along on the no sugar thing with some teas, this one she still uses a spoonful. I had just poured us each a large mug when she pointed out I had to go to my job. I poured the remainder of the pot in my thermos along with what I THOUGHT was my cup and dashed (ahhh you see where it’s going).Once on the road I poured a small cup for myself and when I threw back a swig of the tea,rather than my face contorting in horror as would happen if accidently taking a drink of sweetened coffee,a look of stupified (which comes very naturally) wonder appeared instead.
Somehow I had just drank peanut butter toast…a childhood favorite. The one spoon of sugar from ny wifes cup mixed through 6cups of this oolong was a creamy peanutty surprise.Dare I say I may have to use this formula again.
For those of you who hung on for the ending bravo to you, not that your lives are any further blessed or there was any enlightenment to be gained.

Though I try this tea with a hint of sugar from time to time I still don’t seem to get the same effect that I did on this occasion. I think I still prefer this one without sweetening. Just wanted to revisit this drink since it is so commonly drank at our house.

tunes-Bobby Hebb/Sunny;Leon Russell/Tight Rope;The Stranglers/Golden Brown;The Who/Eminence Front/Reign On Me;Looking Glass/Brandy;Bobbie Gentry/Ode To Billie Joe

I had a pot on the go and so I took notes that I will try to decipher now.Golden color.Nice big leaves.First taste was malty and I thought I detected a hint of root,though not earthy.Licorice maybe.By the third cup a creaminess started to show up and the maltiness toned down to a light cedar taste.I’m gonna try to keep my tastings written while drink is in hand,this wasn’t my ideal note.

Just came across my empty :( sample bag of this tea.I drank it just before joining Steepster and so had not started logging my experiences yet, a thorough note will have to wait on a full purchase to be made soon.That said,all I really want to say is that this stuff is delicious with floral and fruity notes.This came with my first share pack from Pureleaf(thank you so much)My wife did not realize that I wanted atleast a cup from every sample contained so she made a pot…and used it all.I came home several hours later and went ahead and steeped it a few more times.I really look forward to that first infuse that I missed out on that time,but it was really good despite being 6 hours out from initial infuse.

Just got off work and must have put a tad too much water in the press.It’s not got markings for various cups,it’s either full or empty.3rd shift is brutal if you’re not used to it.I’m gonna sleep and try this one again later.

Though we’re closer to the next Christmas season than the one this tea was sold in I just recieved a sample from Pureleaf a bit ago and here’s what I found. The color is a deep red/brown.It’s flavor woody,specifically oak to me.As for it being a black it seems pretty mild and smooth.I could easily wake to this cup.It’s afterflavor is an exact duplicate of the drink,just toned down a bit.The wet leaf smell is leathery.Now that I said that I guess I detect that same characteristic in the flavor,just not on the surface.Overall not bad,but not one to brag on either.

Tune:Dave Mathews and Tim Reynolds-Eh Hee