Yours truly has finally gotten around to using my Xi Shi Yixing teapot, like I am actually using it as I type, for some Da Yu Ling oolong. It seems it seasoned up really nicely because not a ton of flavor is being slurrped up by a thirsty teapot. I remember when I first seasoned my Duan Ni elephant pot, the first couple Puerhs I had were a bit bland because that clay was so porous, so I actually ended up seasoning it more than once, just letting it soak in Puerh for HOURS. Next I need to test out how my Second Flush Darjeeling seasoned Duan Ni pot (sans lid) turned out, and get another pot for First Flush, Dan Cong, Silver Needle, Lapsang Souchong, Pouchong…tea is a lifestyle, yo.
So, it is Thursday, meaning it is time to warm up the way back notebook and have a TBT tea review! Specifically we are celebrating the relaunch of 52Teas’ Kickstarter with one of their more uniquely named concoctions. And speaking of Kickstarter, if anyone wants to back the campaign at the $10 level and send me the pouch (specifically of Marshmallow Treat) then I will gladly accept the donation with love :P. Napalm Ferret! That is a name you have to shout, because apparently this tea is fiery and ferret like, because ferrets eat bananas. A blend of Gunpowder green, freeze dried bananas, cinnamon chips, cayenne pepper, and organic flavors, long time readers of this blog know that if there is a tea that is legit spicy I tend to seek it out, even though I not only cannot digest spicy things I also tend to not like spicy foods, but spicy teas are one of those things that I love. I guess in liquid form I can handle it, So the aroma of this tea is really quite sweet, like a banana Popsicle (my personal favorite as a sick kid) along with a tiny hint of a smoke, a sizable kick of cinnamon, and a nose tingling hot burst of cayenne pepper. All in all, this is one weird blend of smells, but not gross, peppery bananas seem to work, as does cinnamon, and smoke…just never had them all at once.
The brewed leaves are all banana Popsicle with a touch of cinnamon and spice, but mostly it is all banana, seriously I need to get some banana Popsicles next time I am at the store, it is one of those fruit flavors that I actually like. The liquid has a lot more smoke and cayenne pepper, it smells hot, my nose is not melting off, but it is certainly making my eyes water!
So, when I tasted this tea, I was in my basement lair entertaining Ben as my guest and a bunch of spiders (because basement) and I was talking about my trepidation with this tea, because I am a weeny with hot things. Getting over my fear after waiting for it to cool to drinking temperature, the beginning of the sip is mild, a blend of sweet banana and a touch of smoke then OMG OMG OMG HOT!!!! I actually wrote in my notebook, and I quote ‘heat, hot, cough, death. Really tasty, but Jebus!’ Ben had a good laugh at my expense after he checked to make sure my coughing was from the cayenne pepper and not triggering an asthma attack (it does that sometimes) but peril aside, I enjoyed this tea, the initial sip’s surprising explosion of cinnamon and cayenne pepper at the midtaste because less surprising so I did not choke each time I drank some, which is something good when drinking tea.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/03/52teas-napalm-ferret-tbt-tea-review.html
