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Me: Do you want to do yoga?
Hubby: Do yoga or have tea?
Me: Well, both are good for us. Do you want to do yoga or have tea?
Hubby: I’ll have tea.
Me: Okay. What kind?
Hubby: Ummm, platypus picked!
Me: You are not going to believe this, but I don’t have any platypus picked. So you know what that means.
Hubby: You need to buy more tea!

Lol! Welcome to tasting note number 1,000! If I were commemorating the tasting note by myself, I would drink Queen Catherine symbolically, as she has seen me through much, but since hubby is joining me I will have one that is a favorite of his as well! That is something to celebrate, too, because not so long ago he would not have touched a green tea. This note marks a lot of changes in tastes, likes, and habits. Here’s to the next thousand cups together!

I have already had a lot of black tea today, so when youngest said she was making tea and asked if I wanted some I initially said no, thank you. But awarding that kettle made the Pavlovian reaction as expected and I started hunting for something. Since I did lots of black tea, I chose this green.

This is a novelty tea, so I was afraid it would be pretty bad last time I had it. But it is really drinkable, even if not the finest example of green or of jasmine. It is a cute tin, a pretty standard green base, and a decent if sometimes mildly soapy jasmine.

Ah, now I am back to this one as I am wont to drink my tea – plain. This has all the notes you expect to find in a Fujian black tea, but softer. A little roasty, the barest suggestion of smoke, a little nutty. I think for anyone who likes a Keemun for breakfast but they are wanting an afternoon tea or a soft and gentle wake up, this would be a good choice.

This is the final pot from my sample that I bought from Harney and Sons. I just saw the note where SimplyJenW mixed hers with Rose Scented and I am kicking myself for not trying it that way. I love their Rose tea mixed in with Queen Catherine and with Palm Court and I bet it would be delicious in this, also! I agree with Jen, I must always have Rose Scented on hand as a mix in!

I guess this is a tasting note as much about a style of serving tea as it is about the tea itself.

I read a review of East Frisian, which led me to look at some links (you know how that goes) and one article that I have been unable to find since mentioned that in East Frisia, one serves the tea by putting rock sugar in the cup, pouring the tea over, and lowering a spoon of cream into the cup without ever stirring at any point. This is called the “cloud in the tea.”

I am out of East Frisian so I chose Panyang Congou to try this. This is mostly for fun, since I really like to drink all my teas plain with the exception of a strong, astringent tea.

We have no German rock sugar, a problem I plan to remedy soon, so I used sugar cubes instead. Now, I may have gone a little overboard on the cream. Instead of buying regular cream, I went to the fancy-pants grocery and bought English Double Devon Cream.

The first sips did not feel like I was drinking tea at all! My cloud of cream kept drifting to the side and I was getting a mouthful of the rich dairy. This was yummy, but a little odd since my body was expecting tea!

This is not a way that I think I would prefer to drink my tea, especially with all the added calories in this, but if I get invited to a traditional German tea time, I know I will be able to participate without fear!

The Panyang Congou held up well throughout, and the next cups I drink out of this pot of tea will be in my usual manner – plain and unadulterated. The rest of the cream will be used for strawberries, blueberries, and cherries!

I am still in ecstasies over this tea! I shared several steeps with hubby tonight. Everyone’s tastes are so different. Hubby says he still prefers the Ripened Aged Puerh Mini Tuo Cha from Teavivre, while this one is positively transporting me! I am eager to get my son’s opinion when he comes home this weekend. I hope I can sleep – this is an awful lot of tea at bedtime! O.O

I just shared steeps two and three of this with hubby. We are using my glass gong fu teapot tonight. This is really good, very civil oolong. No strong toastiness accosting you, just a mild reminder of the heat once applied to the leaves and the beautiful berry and fruit scent it defends itself with when the leaf hoppers attack! This is so going on my next order. I think hubby agrees, and I have a friend whom I know is going to ask for some as well!

This is a sample shared by Liberteas. Thank you!

I believe this is my first ever Oriental Beauty. If this is indicative of others, then I have really been missing out, because this is FANTASTIC! The roasty taste I normally associate with oolongs is much more muted here, and this is FRUITY! I gave it the longer steep time, so there is a little bit of astringency, just a tiny drying and maybe a slight tart berry flavor with the stone fruit taste. Doggone it! I am going to have to place another big Teavivre order! Oh well, I was ordering tea for a friend anyway!

Thank you, Liberteas! I love it!

My friend wanted to try more oolongs as she mostly drinks black tea and puerh. This is the one she chose from my stash.

The plum is very strong in this, and is reminding me of black currant flavor. We liked it pretty well, but drinking it hot, it really is all about the tart fruity flavor and not about the oolong base. I thought it was just pleading to be iced, so I added a teaspoon of sugar, stirred, and poured the rest into a glass over ice. A-ha! Now it has found its raison d’être! This is how I will be enjoying the rest of this tea!

I saved this sample from Teavivre so I could share it with a friend who loves puerh.

Oh my goodness. I think this may be my favorite puerh to date. I didn’t know anything could unseat their Ripened Aged Mini TuoCha, but I think it just happened.

The first sip of tea transported me to a cathedral built of stout wooden beams that have been polished lovingly with Murphy’s Oil Soap. There is the scent of clean wood mixed with a sense of antiquity here. And after the sip my mouth is cool and tingling! The warmth of the dark puerh flavor transforms into sunshine in the mouth!

Because we were conversing, I didn’t get to give this all the attention I could have, but I have enough to drink again, and again, so I can try to be even more detailed. This is indeed a puerh fit for an emperor in my book. Definitely ordering this one.

Thank you, Teavivre and Angel!

My friend who loves black tea and puerh came over for lunch today. I made Vegetarian Tower, which is whatever veggies you have on hand, steamed, stacked on toasted English muffins, with Brie melted over. I served this as our first of three teas.

When I asked my friend if she liked grapefruit she made a face but agreed to try the tea anyway. The surprise for her was that she liked it a lot. The surprise for me was that when paired with food, this tea changed a lot. I felt like I was drinking a cup of green tea while someone was sitting very very close to me peeling a juicy orange that was spraying a fine mist of fresh juice in my face. Oh my goodness! Now this might have to go on our next Lupicia order!