2904 Tasting Notes
Good second steep potential on this one: I tossed in a pinch (maybe 1/4 teaspoon) of fresh leaves in with the used ones, left it sloppily for uh, a while, and I just looked at the tumbler and wondered where it all went :)
Getting something a little sweet and fruity at the end of each sip.
Love me my Assams, and this is a nice one. It’s on the lighter/brighter end of the flavor spectrum. Golden wheat toast instead of pumpernickel. Has a medium weight in the mouth and (though it’s a little early to tell; eyes aren’t fully open yet) a caffeine tug instead of a caffeine roundhouse kick. Two for two on Tea Merchant varieties.
Too tired to be wordy, but couldn’t fail to mention that the second steep on this one is as vanilla-worthy as the first. I think I lost a little of the base flavor this time around, but it is still light, sweet, and pleasant. Well done, Tea Merchant!
Very stout Assam…akin to the kick in the head that comes from waking up and realizing you are the parent of a college freshman. Life moves fast, gang. Choose well.
At any rate, brisk and pungent are good descriptors of this one. I’m a lover of all things stout and malty, but I may have to back off on the leaf or pop in some milk next time.
I live ‘up’ the road from the University and drove by this weekend when moms and dads were there with the kiddies. Soooo funny to see stout dads in shorts looking like tourists in Hawaii trotting about with their arms around the shoulders of 18-19year olds (poor things). What made it all tolerable was that 1. mom and dad have money 2. everyone’s mom and dad looked like they came out of central casting.
Wish I had a bench and popcorn it was so amusing! I loved it! Balding men in shorts with black socks and sneekers with a Colorado State shirt on and camera around their neck…arm around the shoulder of a son or daughter who wants to blend into the pavement with piercings and backpack. Ha Ha Ha!
No university t-shirts, cameras, or socks with sandals here, though I often look like a refugee from Goodwill :)
Bet you don’t. I’m the opposite. I have to edit myself and go older. My granddaughters can borrow my clothes which should tell you something. Yikes. I try not to go too young though.
I’m going back to my second year of college in a few days. My school is too far for my parents to go with work and all, so my mom deals with it by baking me more things than I can possibly eat.
I haven’t figured out what my coping mechanism is yet. (Bonnie, you can be my stylist. The challenge is that you have to make me presentable with what’s already in my closet!)
After an icky Monday, it was a treat to find a box from The Tea Merchant waiting at home! (And props for the nifty little packaging touch—a wax seal on the bundle of samples.) Of the samples I received, this appeared to be the lightest for an after-dinner unwind.
The dry leaves smell wonderful—vanilla potpourri. I aimed for mid-range of the prescribed 3-5 minute steeping time, and was right on target: got a beautiful, blonde-gold cup that has the vanilla sweetness of a golden Oreo or a homemade sugar cookie. The citrus elements are faint accents, not leading themes.
It’s medium-thick on the tongue and … oh, shoot … so much for accurate adjectives. It just smells and tastes great. Fortunately, the sample pack was generous—I can have more!
Dawn (The Simple Leaf) + Belgian Chocolate rooibos (mystery vendor)
I have about 1/3 packet of Dawn left and I am rationing it very parsimoniously. But two lovely, cool mornings in a row (7:45 a.m. and it’s just now hit 60) occasioned a celebration. Since cocoa is the overwhelming profile in these big, luscious leaves, I reasoned that something chocolatey would be compatible and help me stretch last night’s brew basket a little further.
Angrboda recently made the wise observation that cocoa flavor is distinctly different from chocolate flavor. I should have listened. This chance combination doesn’t not work, but it’s like the days when you wear two shades of the same color that don’t quite go and then you worry all day that somebody else will notice.
aha! I do that all the time!!
Great comparison. I wear a lot of black and I’m always noticing when the greeny blacks are not matching the purpley blacks! I am hoping the cat hair covering me partially obscures this!
lol JacquelineM!!!
Nothing bugs me worse (personally, as when I’m wearing it) as two competing shades of navy blue. However, after spending a good chunk of recent months in hand-me-downs and D.A.V. thrift store goods, I have discovered that nobody really looks as closely at my clothes than I do ;)
Forgot I had this. Needed a light after-dinner treat. The fruity mix in this one reminds me so much of cotton candy; still sticky and strong on the tongue after you swallow.
The only downside is that it’s a little temperamental, temperature-wise; I think there’s a two degree sweet spot, and if you miss it, the tea base turns a little bitter. Plunked in some sugar and that took the edge off.
A decidedly mellow drink to wind down with, but hubby’s got me watching a Johnny Cash tribute concert on PBS (Sheryl Crow’s boogeying to “Cry, Cry, Cry”) and I may have to make a fresh cup of something I can tap my toes to…
