ashmanra Send Message

I have been looking forward to trying this tea since I first read about it some time ago. I was reading a novel and Rare Tea Company was mentioned which sent me down the rabbit trail of finding out if they were the actual company mentioned in the work of fiction and they responded with a link about this tea. Their customer service is top notch and I wasn’t even a real customer yet.

I have had a few other teas from the Satemwa estate, all I believe purchased by Superanna from What-Cha. They were all stellar teas.

Opening the tin, I was surprised to see that this is so finely chopped. Leaf color is deepest, darkest brown, like rich dark cocoa. Dry leaf aroma has some heady high nites as well as a deep smokiness. I am not getting chocolate from it.

I am glad I checked the instructions because they recommend that you use 185F water and 1-2 minutes if you will not be adding milk. They also mention that the second steep is best, which is common among oolongs but perhaps less common with black tea to me.

Since it is my first time trying it, I left room to experience and experiment. A bit of the first steep was poured into a cup. I tasted it and was very surprised. It was not at all what I expected. I definitely wasn’t what I think of as a breakfast tea. There was something so familiar teasing at the edge of my brain but it took me a while to get it. Brothy? Almost but not quite there. Something reminding me of purple tea…yes…DARJEELING. Yes, it has much in common with Darjeeling!

The second steep was made and poured in a different cup. Wow. Just wow. They are not kidding that the second steep is better. I immediately combined the steeps and discovered that I love the two steeps blended almost as much as the second steep by itself.

The dry leaf and the steeped tea both transport me to the exciting smell of the A Southern Season flagship store, where the rich scent of tea enveloped you with excitement about what you might find and what you would be taking home with you. It was a pure tea smell, a classic tea smell.

They say to drink this within three months of opening the tin. That won’t be a problem. Now that I have had this at breakfast, I also see on their site that it is considered an afternoon tea, and I can see that. Fortunately I also bought their Emperor’s Breakfast!

I will be sticking my head in the tin for the next three months for mini-aromatherapy sessions.

January Sipdown Prompt – a tea you would love to drink all year

This was a hard prompt, because I want different teas for different moods and days and seasons. But this is a TYPE I would love to have all year ‘round. This is a rhubarb and strawberry black tea.

This was a gift from Superanna. Well, she says it is a gift from Hugo the Lion-heart, her wee foo dog that I am keeping while she is travelling, but I know she at least helped him place the order!

I haven’t had this particular tea in quite a while – years, I guess. Carol is also a strawberry tea and a cupboard staple, and differs in that it is sweeter and has more high notes because of the coconut and vanilla as well as the base they chose.

This tea seems a little duskier, a little darker. It is fruity but the fruit is richer and deeper and perhaps this feels a little more…adult?…than Carol. I would call it a slightly more serious tea. But strawberry teas are so welcome in this house!

In addition to this one, we also had a sample sipdown of the Sencha from derk and drank most of the Dragonwell that derk sent as well. Ashman preferred the Dragonwell – it has always been a favorite of his, and I preferred the Sencha!

So maybe the tea I would prefer to drink all year is – all the tea, and drink it with people that I am glad to have in my life!

We are temporarily empty nesters as daughter who lives here is house- and cat-sitting for Superanna, who is in Japan right now! Yep, woke up to a message that she was fine and they were not in the tsunami area which was a little confusing as I hadn’t heard the news about the earthquake yet. They are in Tokyo, so some distance from it.

December Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a tea you drank at the beginning of 2023

I chose this one to be my last prompt of the year because it fulfilled my first prompt of the year. This is not a sipdown as we stocked up on this and the decaf version before Christmas. The next pot WILL finish this pouch, however, and it will be the second pouch we will have finished in the past six weeks or so.

Ashman loves strawberry teas so I am always on the lookout for one he will enjoy. This fits the bill.

December Sipdown Prompt – a tea bought on vacation

I don’t have any tea bought on a vacation of mine because we haven’t taken a vacation in years, but Superanna always brings tea home for me from her vacations! This was bought on her most recent trip to London.

This tea came in the fancy tapered cylinder shaped tin with a twist on top. It is a green oolong and resteeps well. Smooth and good with food.

December Sipdown Challenge – a genmaicha or hojicha

I have given up caffeine after 3 pm, with only the occasional slip where I have it between 3 and 4. Otherwise there is no sleeping.

A couple of years ago I discovered that I loved ice cream and hot tea. One of my favorite combinations was ice cream and a pot of Lapsang alongside. I was sad to give up my tea and ice cream treat but the discovery of hojicha has given back this pleasure. This hojicha in particular is my go-to for ice cream and tea nights. I mainly use the powdered for lattes and this one for “by the pot” drinking.

Not a sipdown, as derk sent a very generous amount!

Sipdown!

We each had a mug of this with lunch and this afternoon I made a big pot. For the pot I used two sachets and added a big pinch of Queen Catherine since this is a weak, thin base. It was enjoyable with some Fortnum & Mason Florentine Cookies.

I suppose it is possible I would repurchase someday but while the caramel aroma is wonderful and the flavor is good, the base itself is weaker than I want it to be. It is easily remedied by adding a pinch of a good, plain black tea base that you enjoy, though.

Sipdown!

This is a tea that a friend brought to our tea time one day and it was purchased locally at The Fresh Market. It is light and smooth and works well to steep twice and combine the two steeps for a nice big pot of tea that is a little more economical, still showing its berry and floral flavors.When steeping once, those flavors are still at a nice level and are not cloying.

This is one I would repurchase if I needed something in this profile for the cupboard in future as Sipdown progress.

Sipdown

This was a delicious peach and vanilla blend from a tea company that I will miss! I hope they do make a comeback! Their announcement looked as though they might one day.

Sample Sipdown

December Sipdown Challenge – a wellness tea

It doesn’t help my numbers at all since I don’t add samples and swaps to my cupboard, but this has been sitting around for too long and needed to go.

I didn’t have a tummy ache. I just wanted something without caffeine before bed, so I can’t speak for how well it works for stomach issues.

As a taste experience, it was not what I was looking for at that moment. It was extremely earthy, probably from the sage. I didn’t hate it but the flavor wouldn’t make me buy it. If it does wonders for stomach aches, I would definitely drink it when in need.

Please keep in mind that my sample was very old before you judge this tea solely by this note!

December Sipdown Challenge – Dec. 21: Winter Solstice – drink your darkest tea

I tried to keep a theme for this the shortest day of the year today. I did my darkest tea by color, which is this one, and a tea that has rich, dark flavor for breakfast (Pleine Lune), and a tea that brightens my heart…well, it wasn’t the tea itself that does, but rather having a tea party with two little students.

So beginning with this one – next time it will be a sipdown. This was probably the first Teeccino I had and I am pretty sure it was the first one I bought. It steeps up as dark as coffee. We have been having it at night with milk and sugar added, and sometimes with whipped cream and sprinkles on top. I serve it in big glass mugs with a handle. I suppose they are intended for Irish Whiskey? Not sure.

This is dark in color and also has those bass notes going on for flavor. I think Mocha is my very favorite of the Teeccino blends I have tried, but this one is probably running a close second.