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Summer Blend 2013 (As opposed to notes from 2012)

I’ve been waiting for the Imperial Breakfast Blend to return for a long time! My addiction was such, that I resorted to creating my own concoction by mixing Laoshan Black Tea and Ginger Sage Winter Spa Blend then adding a few (hoarded) Yanxin’s Reserve Shu Pu’er Nuggets. This was quite delicious but still, not the same as the Imperial Blend.

Last week I entertained my niece and sister-in-law from California. This is their first visit to my home since I became a tea nerd and I AGRESSIVELY forced them to experience ALL of types of tea’s and methods of brewing. THEY HAD NO IDEA (like most people outside of our world) WHAT WE TEA NERDS ARE UP TO! (Poor things!)

(We actually had fun!)

One morning, I set the kettle to boil and prepared a tray with everything needed for a pot of Breakfast Blend. (I hadn’t tried the 2013 blend since it arrived earlier in the week from Verdant)

I explained that when I am reviewing tea, I always taste without adding anything, slurp the tea to spray the flavor on my taste buds. Later on in the tasting, I add some sugar (or Splenda) and milk because I know people do this so I try it out too.

The 2013 blend is sweet from the fruity oolong. I was surprised at how little chocolate or pu’er released on the first steep (not that I disapprove of oolong but I’m an avowed pu’er lover as most people know). I was a little disappointed because the blend seemed thin and one-note.

Pu-er blooms. I knew better than to think that this was the pu-er I was tasting.

There are always hidden surprises with blended tea’s. If you pour one steeping and stop there, it may be that you’ve stopped just short of the big reveal and such a shame it would be.

I poured more water and steep two was a revelation.

Shimmering glints of cinnamon melting into liquid pools of melted pu’er and Zhu Rong reminded me of peaches dipped into pots of dark chocolate fondue. The texture was thicker and richer with the fruit blended into the other tea’s and not the dominating player.

The more you steep this blend, the more there is to like.

I have a habit of steeping pu’er a long time when I want to add milk to it. If you want a strong brew to add sugar and milk or cream to, this holds up very well. Steeping a long time (3-5 minutes) on the 2nd or 3rd steep forward, works! I actually prefer mine strong!

I chose this for my morning tea again today. It’s raining on the Frontrange. You would think that Fall had arrived overnight and a drizzle with tea this comforting couldn’t be more perfect.

Steeping on the second steep 4 minutes, adding sweetening and cream in a mug…ah…yes…

maybe a nap later.

When you live in a semi-arid zone at high altitude, rain is precious. My phone bleeps out flash-flood warnings because the rain comes down so fast and hard as though a pitcher has been upturned in the heavens…and then it’s over. Quickly.
The rare drizzle day with light rain is cause for celebration with tea. Through the year from September until June (10 months) there isn’t any rain (usually only July has monsoons).

Sitting with what the earth gives in rain and tea is cause for gratitude and joy. I know the hand that holds these energies.