Rabs Send Message

I must admit that for the entire first cup I gave this tea the ole hairy eyeball. There’s a lot going on and I just didn’t know how to even begin to write a note about it. I always think that I like the idea of lavender, but in reality I always wrinkle my nose at lavender toiletries. And there’s rooibos. Rooibos and I aren’t the best of friends. I waver between thinking “medicinal” and “ooh — flowery meadow.” It walked a very fine line between floral and potpourri (both the dry and steeped leaves fell on the potpourri side of things). Near the end of the first cup I practically had half of my face shoved into the mug trying to get more aroma as I drank. There’s this great little “oh hai — I’m blueberry” trying to come through. It smells like a meadow full of wildflowers. And rooibos.
::hairy eyeball::

Okay, so this is only my second Georgia Tea Company sample (thank you Daniel Mann!), but I’m thinking that there may be a trend here: the second steeps are faaabulouuusss. I added a minute to the steep time and I think I spent most of that steep with my eyes closed. It was like I was drinking a late spring meadow. ::sigh:: Part of the reason I love Lapsang Souchongs is because I feel like a fire breathing monster while I drink them. Well, this tea took me to an alternate universe where I’m a flower breathing monster. I’m actually attempting a third steep (maintained 6 minutes). It’s definitely more watery, but still yummy. I really would love to try this cold brewed. This may be the first time I’ve split my personal ratings: first steep NE, second steep TG.

Warning: I’m on a bit of a tea high so I might start waxing poetic. You have been warned.

I came home from a stressful day at the library to find two packages in my mailbox. One was my Teafrog samples/JOEmo traveler, and the other was this box of samples from the very generous Daniel Mann. When I popped open the Georgia Tea Company box I was hit with the wonderful aroma of teas. ::sigh:: Immediately I grabbed the Lapsang Souchong since I know that I will judge Georgia Tea Company first and foremost on their LS. They fail this one and it’s an upward battle for me to like any of their other wares. Harsh, but true.

I think that the only other LS that has come close to having this large amount of smokiness with their dry leaves is Adagio. I got excited. The cup has a wonderful aroma and stays true to its smokiness. First sip. My brain does the “Dur-hur” which is the beginning stages of a teagasm. I throw up some shields to make sure that my obvious tea high doesn’t color my judgement.

Halfway through the cup I realize that this isn’t the most complex LS that I’ve had, but there’s something different about it. It’s like this tea is aggressive in its “yeah, I’m a smoky black tea — you gotta problem with that?” The aspect that I’m missing is the sweet undercurrents that I get with good LSes. I finish my cup and the most amazing thing happens: a sweetness comes out of nowhere and just dazzles the back of my mouth. I must try the second steep immediately!

Oh yes, the second steep (added 1 minute). Shields drop and I just grovel in the yumminess. It’s still this smoky black tea, but the sweetness is dancing all over my mouth. It’s like a piney sweetness and utterly new to me with LSes. It’s not that typical LS sweet base. It’s like this tea is teasing my tastebuds with sweetness. There’s a hint of dryness at the back of my throat, but it’s not unpleasant. Oh yes, I love this tea. TG

I’d label this LS as a forest fire. And on the “kitty cat sound scale for LSes”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHZm52nvBB4
Yup, I’d pretty much say that the entire video about covers it (with an emphasis on the Cougar’s noises and the Serval’s nummy sounds).

On a somewhat unrelated note: we’re having our first or second Tornado Watch of the season and I had a flashback to childhood. I was probably 6 or 7 and the sirens were going off so I grabbed all my beloved stuffed animals and piled them under our coffeetable in the basement so that they’d be safe. Well, I’m sitting here and thinking about what I’d do if the sirens were to go off and I think that I’d grab as many of my teas and teaware as possible and put them in a safe spot.

ETA: 200th Tasting Note — woot!

♫ The best part of wakin’ up — is Sherlock Holmes in mah cup!♫

I had the last of my sample this morning :( But it’s on the “I should invest in more of this the next time I order from [insert name of tea company]” list. NE with benefits.

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act IV scene 5

Or, if there were a sympathy in choice,
War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it,
Making it momentany as a sound,
Swift as a shadow, short as any dream,
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,
That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth;
And ere a man hath power to say “Behold!”
The jaws of darkness do devour it up:
So quick bright things come to confusion.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act I scene 1

I am so pleased to have finally tried my first Kusmi tea! This was a tea sachet — which Kusmi’s sachets are pretty cool in and of themselves. The empty tea packet had a really pleasant floral/bergamotty smell.

Oh, but the cup. The cup is a bit of a letdown. It was a weak somewhat papery earl grey with a lime tang. It’s not a very memorable tea. It was neither offensive nor memorable (wait, didn’t I just say that?). Trying to come up with a Shakespearean equivalent was what kept me from posting a note all day, but I think that I’ve finally come up with it.

This is the stage set for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s a beautiful, flowery facade: an illusion of a fairy-forest made from muslin, wood, and paint amongst other things. It’s a nice tea, but I tend to enjoy more depth. M

I chose to finish off my sample of this tea this morning so that I could compare it with the Colonille I had last night. Oh yes, they are both yummy-nummy. I think that the Colonille has a simple elegance about it. This one is more in-your-face with lots of stuff going on, but it still works. I would think of this more as a desert tea than the Colonille.

Before I tossed the sample packet I noticed that there’s actually some green tea and almonds in the mix (there’s coconut too, but I think those are for the visual appeal). I can’t tell if the slight almond aspect is the power of suggestion or not, but I’m liking it. There is a creaminess here that wasn’t in the Colonille.

What it boils down to (tea-hee!) is that I will definitely be purchasing more of either one of these teas. JacquelineM is spot-on with her assertion that vanilla teas are so very wonderfully different and not boring at all. When I visit new virtual tea shops the first thing I check is their Lapsang Souchongs, Caravans, and oolongs. I think that I shall be adding Vanilla to that list. (bumping up the rating from 80) NE

Warm fuzzies inna cup!

After the exciting contest put together by Daniel Mann, Morgana and I decided to both try the Colonille. Can I tell you how cool it is to have a tea buddy thousands of miles away? Yeah, it’s pretty cool. My sample of this tea comes courtesy of the wonderful JacquelineM a.k.a. my fairy tea sister! Okay, onto the tea: the first few sips the vanilla seemed to be all coy and hiding in the background — teasing the back of my throat with its presence. As the cup began to cool the vanilla gained strength and was just nummy. It’s one of those “sink into your chair” type of teas. Aaaaah…

I think that it’s a lot more subtle than the Tea Guys’ French Vanilla — which I’ll have to try again tomorrow to compare more accurately. Thank you so very much JacquelineM! TG

Ahhh…I’ve been holding off on finishing this sample that Doulton sent me. I thought it’d be nice to drink it right after a plain Keemun to get a better picture of their differences. I’m further impressed with this one’s subtle floral aspects. The second steep is definitely its best. TG