Featured & New Tasting Notes
Hmm. I think I need to drink my thermoses in the opposite order to what I drank them today. This tea has had all the heat sucked out of it! (I’m gonna blame the terrible stone topped desk…)
But still, at this temp and in a thermos, it’s a really nutty black tea. I’m enjoying it.
Must caffeinate as much as possible, so honestly even if it wasn’t good I’d still drink it. But it is good so I’m happy to caffeinate and will finish this before moving on to coffee. Because I can smell that someone’s brewed a pot.
Preparation
I keep seeing people drinking up the last of their beloved Butiki blends and that just reminds me that I have a lot of Butiki that needs drinking. A LOT. I mean, it closed about a year ago and I still have copious amounts of their teas in their black paper bags. Not the best storage method but honestly, had I not gone off tea around the same time they shut their doors, I imagine most of it would be long gone by now. As it is, I really should get working on these older teas.
I decided to brew up two cups at the same time because I have to make a shopping list off a meal plan for my brother and I which means I know I’ll be sitting at the kitchen table for a while, sipping at tea and doing some work. I grabbed this and Canal Street Carnival because they were two that I loved a great deal and that both brew at the same temp.
As for this particular cup, it was slightly overleafed as the kettle ran out of water just high of hitting the 16 ozs. I think that may be for the best though as this tea is already a shadow of its former self, without the extra water in there to dilute it more. The once bright lime has died down in both smell and flavor but weirdly that has opened the door for the marshmallow note to take center stage. Although, its not an overly sweet marshmallow flavor but more one that has a sweet cream-like element to it. Now it is a creamy tea first with the nice final note of lime/citrus. I really do miss the brightness, but for the age and storage of this tea, it has held up better than I expected.
Flavors: Citrus, Cream, Hay, Lime
Preparation
Ugh, I have been keeping them in their original bags too, and need to stop hoarding already.
Put them into tins! Even in the bag in a tin. Or a jar. The couple flavoured ones I have left are actually doing quite well.
Some of mine are in tins, but I have so much in smaller quantities that are just chilling in their bags. Like I said, I expected to be through them by now but then I just stopped drinking tea for most of the year.
drink drink drink drink drink drink drink!
I have a whole shoebox full, in their original bags! I am in a very similar situation , because I had stopped drinking tea for quite awhile too. I must stop hoarding…
WOW
Last night was ridiculous. I wish what had happened didn’t, but now that it has I will never purchase Misty Peak tea or include it in an any group buy. Nick will soon find out that his coowner/brother/marketingdirector is really screwing over the company; some of the people he offended are people with connections in the tea world too…
Anyways, this morning I am drinking some matcha from Yunomi and using the coconut milk matcha from yesterday as the cooling agent. I am going to end up throwing this coconut milk matcha away… the taste is so strong that it is going through the tencha taste of 3 scoops of matcha I whisked. That’s pretty crazy!
What’s going on with Misty Peak tea? I’ve bought from them before and liked the puerh.
The coowner took hours out of his day yesterday to comment on Oolongowl, Grill, Cheri, Brian… just, a lot of people, saying that W2T ripped off MP. This isn’t the first time, before it was calling out Crimson Lotus Tea.
Most of the comments have been deleted though…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BASKi97gyUc/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAXfL0ICSmI/
https://www.instagram.com/p/1NNhMiIz2Q/
Going around saying that W2T, YS, and CLT are disrespectful for having sheng made into a ball is just a bit too much for me. To visit my friends Instagram pages and leaves these comments as Phil, who coowns MP, is disrespectful to me. In these circumstances, I am unable to be like Oolongowl who is much wiser than I am; being that she deleted and block Phil who also seems to have others come in as well.
It’s just sad.
It’s really hard to believe that this person things no-one put tea in ball shape before MP. Even if they did, MP has a pretty shady history which they’ve deleted and covered up on here a couple times, but that’s pretty far-fetched.
Also, pretty much anyone can edit wikipedia, it’s hardly a credible source. I wonder who wrote the original wikipedia saying Misty Peaks make it in the first place..
I wonder if he’s the same person as MonkeyKing who was on here making Steepster just horrible for weeks. His comments about the orb are ridiculous!
MonkeyKing had a tasting note saying that Crimson Lotus stole something from Yunnan Sourcing…and another tasting note giving Misty Peaks 100%. So it seems quite possible.
Wow, talk about being an unprofessional and juvenile business owner. smh. I had a feeling MonkeyKing was connected to Misty Peaks, but I also found it shocking that a business owner would stoop quite that low.
He put an ugly comment on my Instagram as well. I deleted the comment and blocked him. Unfriended MP on Facebook too. Will never purchase from them again. And with all the quality puerh there is out there, it’s not a huge loss (for me). He obviously aced the class “How to drive away customers and alienate people” in marketing school.
oh thats sad.
I try to be objective but can someone show me the link the Monkey King posted about YS stealing from them. I would hope it isn’t that obvious but if so I will personally never give them any recommendation on here for how they divided this community with all the insults and remarks.
He deleted his profile. Does that mean everything’s gone now?
There should be something somewhere. I would really lose faith in them over this whole mess. There was a lot of division I thought didn’t exist here because of that MK guy.
I couldn’t find him, but there’s not really a very good user-finder function on here, is there? Or am I missing it?
I will be looking around myself.
@mrmopar – Im a bit annoyed about how these last few weeks have been full of negativity on the forums. You can still get his profile cached.
Read the whispering pines review – is that what people are talking about? Idk.
I’m not sure if this is what would link anyone. The cache won’t let you go but so far into the MK. I am just like you Rasseru, there was great division that I didn’t know existed here.
I hope that this site goes back to normal soon… this bullshit is destructive. While I don’t want it to be there, as part of the tea community I feel some responsibility to respond because it is important to me. Right now it is just highly exhausting. Tea should be about enjoying a drink, not a means to money…
It will be ok. From what I can see the people who got divided on here were either trying to A – stick up for us, or B – really kind & non-confrontational wanting to not argue, both of which I like. Im hoping it will settle down again
+1 , I want normal again.
I have no problem with a business being a business, but businesses don’t generally operate like this.
Thanks OMGsrsly for sending me a sample of this Always interested in trying new straight black teas – thank you.
I’m going to be perfectly honest here – the worst thing about this tea is the price. It’s way too expensive for what it is. Sure it’s a nice Taiwan black – it’s mild with just a hint of honey, it’s pretty starchy (potato ish). For this price it should he oozing in honey notes. I have others that I like better that are about half the price.
i haven’t tried it yet but that’s kinda what i figured it would be like..
It’s fine – it’s totally drinkable but at 14.50/50g is should be more than that. I like the Hans Ecological one better and it’s way cheaper. IMHO
Yup. Definitely too expensive for what it is.
Agreed
My best friend came over yesterday and I asked her to pick from my sample stash sent from companies. She pulled out something I haven’t drank for a reason… CEYLON. EWWWW.
Stuff taste so bitter to me. Personal preference for sure. This is the same with Assam. Still waiting to find one of each I like, but it’ll be rough because I have such a sweet tooth that some candy even taste bitter to me at times; this is not a good thing. I read somewhere that sugar is more addictive than cocaine, anyone know this so I don’t have to search the web to find out.
If you wanna hang out you gotta take her out…
Are you a bitter super taster maybe?
Interesting that you like sheng since it can be quite bitter too. Butiki had some very nice Assam teas, I bet you would have liked them.
I haven’t liked any of the Assams from Butiki I’ve tried so far, which is a shame because they sounded so delicious.
The sheng I drink isn’t bitter though. Sheng can be bitter, but I find the ones that are not. I’ve tried all the recommended Assam type teas and I have yet to enjoy one :/
Im trying to think of the teas that I had when I was in Sri Lanka – the one I remember most was a high quality low-grown one from Dimbula, but I’m not sure if it was the fact it was a SFTGFOP1 or that it was from Dimbula or low-grown which made it stand out as nice, but its the one I remember.
Perhaps you are a supertaster:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster
I’m pretty sure I am not since bitterness doesn’t always bother me, but anyway… The SFTGFOP1 I had from The Finest Brew is one of my favorite teas ever.
@liquidproust, i very rarely add sugar to my tea. :) same with milk. may i suggest something? try stevia if you want to add sugar. quite tasty and more healthy for you
Yes LP, is this your tongue? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster#/media/File:Blue_tongue.jpg
Apparently, this particular tea is no longer available. I need to stop hoarding! The packaging says it is the 2013 harvest.
About a year ago, a lady was dropping off her son at my house for a young people’s writers’ group that meets here and decided to come in and visit. Naturally, I offered her tea and she stayed until 1 am!
I got a text a few days ago asking if we could do that again. She asked to bring a young friend as well. While the young folks (age 17 to 23) had their meeting, we drank tea. The young lady had never had anything but Celestial Seasonings and Lipton and such. She said she was adventurous, so we started with pu-erh, but I am reviewing this tea first because it was her favorite.
I am glad this tea was in individual sealed packets, then in a foil pouch, then in a zip top pouch! It has stayed fresh, but I will be diligent to finish it soon.
When I drink tea like this, I wonder why I drink anything else. I just want to buy the really good stuff and keep less around, but have it super fresh. That would be the right thing to do, but we need our daily drinkers and adventure teas as well, I suppose.
This was her favorite of all the teas we drank that night. They remarked on how pale it was. Maybe they expected it not to have much flavor since we had started with a puerh. The young lady loved it and drank cup after cup.
The first sips are sweet and smooth, and as you drink a light creaminess builds and the floral aroma becomes a prominent floral taste and this, too, builds and builds. I did a quick rinse and the first steep was good, but the second was even better. It continued making great tea for several more steeps.
I have four little pouches left and I plan to finish them soon so I can have an excuse to buy the new harvest.
We drank tea from 6:30 pm until 12:30 am! Served with lemon iced cookie bars and cream cheese chocolate chip squares.
Dexter sent more of this my way – a good validation that i DO still want this on my wishlist to buy eventually. This is still creamy and deliciously smooth, with no earthiness to it. over the course of multiple steepings this changes to a fruitier sort of tea – jam/fig notes and then eventually there are some slight vanilla notes, but not too strong. This is a great puerh. Thanks Dexter!
I need to stop buying pu’erh (massive amounts in my cupboard)
I need to remember how much I LOVE Mandala pu’erh.
I need to remember how much “other stuff” I have.
I really should not buy any for a year or so and then just go back to Mandala. I think I would be a happier pu’erh drinker if I did that…..
Happy that you still love this one. :)
I’m with you on that one. in terms of a single vendor with offerings i like, mandala is there for me in puerh land. there are a few bellyrub ;) that i love as well as a few YS but both those are always so overwhelming for me.
I’m not buying any puerh this year…just working on the cupboard (unless it’s a flavoured tea, since that’s a different beast even for puerh)
Oh for sure there are good ones out there from other sources, but it’s a process finding them. I find I LOVE most from Mandala and like the rest – haven’t had anything that I really disliked. Buying from there has much better odds of loving them than other sources.
Yes – flavored tea is a different animal – doesn’t count the same as straight tea. (and I find I’m moving back towards the flavored stuff – how weird is that…)
I should buy some of this. Not a fan of earthiness.
maybe stick to sheng then krstinalee?
Dexter, I’m really starting to side with you wrt shou. Although I’ve liked what I’ve tried from Crimson Lotus as well, Mandala has been consistently to my taste… recently, at least. :)
I am with you Dex, mine is way out there! Control….
Hi Steepster,
Happy New Year! Did anyone get tea for Christmas? I did not, as I was vacationing in India with my boyfriend and his family. We went to Dehli, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Agra and Varanasi. It was an epic trip and pretty fun, though India was very chaotic and busy, even more so because a lot of people were traveling within the country on vacation. I put a bunch of photos on Instagram under the name TeaBrat.
I did not see any tea plantations, I wasn’t in the right section of the country for that. I didn’t even see a lot of tea shops or tea bars which kind of surprised me. Everyone does drink chai, though it is usually made with milk and very sweet. I’m having a cup of this Lupicia blend because it’s one of the only chais I have. I got it last year in the grab bag sale! I really need to drink this down. As far as chai blends it is kind of “ok” I usually prefer more ginger and cardamom in my tea. I guess I’ll try to drink this down soon.
Back in San Francisco, the weather has been totally dreary and I am still recovering from some 30 odd hours of traveling and not sleeping. Had a really bad bout with stomach issues and then a cold after that. Jet Lag really sucks! It was definitely an adventure though.
Preparation
Happy new year and welcome back!
so jealous of your adventure!
Welcome back, and that must have been an amazing experience!
Happy New year; welcome back! I did get some tea for Christmas (almost all individual ingredients to make my own herbal tea blends). I got 6/8 teas I got in this gorgeous box: http://www.internationalhouseoftea.com/collections/tea-gifts/products/wooden-tea-chest-6
Sounds like a great trip!
Epic! And yes, tea for Christmas! YAY! My kids are now so converted that they ASK for tea for Christmas, so I also gave a lot of tea, too!
Tea for everyone!!! :)
These have been airing out for a while now. At one point I opened most of my plastic baggies of shou so they could breathe a little, and I think it’s really paid off.
I know I had this before, because I had a broken crumbly mess in the baggie. This time I took a whole tuo and I’m steeping it in the usual kyusu. ~145ml water fit for the first couple steepings, though I’m sure that will drop as the leaves absorb water and take more space.
This is super tasty! There’s a tiny, almost non-mentionable bit of musty/fermentation flavour. It’s a bit woody, but not like I’m gnawing on a piece of hardwood. A little spice and some dried fruits. Maybe some vanillin, like how old books smell.
Yum.
this makes me wish i could spend time with my larger sizes of puerh…but i need to get some of these samples taken care of heh
Haha. Well, I have two of these left. So it’s taking me closer to a sipdown. :) I might hoard this one for a while, though. It’s super tasty and I know that many of my other bits and bobs aren’t going to be as tasty as this.
hehe these i’m all out of but special dark has been calling my name
OMG. I still have one tiny sample of Special Dark. UGH so good. That one is definitely being saved. :)
i have uh…. like a bunch lol
Yeah, so does Dex. :) But I never managed to try this before they sold out. I thought I had, but I hadn’t…
I just used up 2 litres of water on this (one rinse) and it’s not even fully opened. Time to refill the kettle…
Wishlist tea from dexter holy we are being productive today. Tree down, house being dusted, vaccumed, floors washed etc while i work on release testing and copying all our CD’s over to digital. woot woot!
I’ve been sipping on this one for the better part of the afternoon – puerhs are great for busy house weekends i think because if you forget about what you’re drinking, just make another steep lol this is a really nice, smooth puerh. more to the woody side of things than earthy, sort of like hiking in the woods in vancouver ;) really enjoyed my time with this, and may have to put it on my wishlist, though i suppose it’ll likely sell out before i can get to it.
note: was able to do a significant number of steepings with my little sample from dexter – 10+ before it ran out of steam
Awesome! I has many days off but unfortunately wasn’t productive in the way of cleaning- only productive knitting and reading wise, lol.
it’s technically a day off but i’m working all weekend from home. so goo excuse to get shit done…though i’d rather be reading :)
I’m glad you liked it! :-)
Wait. Dex AND I sent you this one?! I though Dex had a different CL Bulang… unless her Steepster cupboard wasn’t updated.
mmmm lemme go check this was a dex one for sure and nothing was a duplicate in my cupboard
i have no shou from you from CL…just sheng
The ball is Planet Jingmai. I thought I also sent you a silver baggie with this one though… I’ve never had the 2012 unless they were sampling it at the tea festival.
nope nothing in my puerh sample in silver from you. :)
I’m not imagining things. It’s in the current box for you. :P
Dunno – I sent the one on her wishlist – I just ordered a couple of samples when I pot my yixing pot.
Was thinking about drinking Planet Jingmai next but it might have to wait for tomorrow. The little gold one from W2T is smaller and will be more appropriate for tonight.
Happy you liked this one…. :)
Planet Jingmai seems to last forever. The W2T one has been inexpertly hacked apart by moi.
I’m not going to treat it with too much care – just going to toss it into a small pot and see what happens. I’m doing better with sheng lately with less leaf and hotter water – will see how that does with this one.
jingmai is on my list for tomorrow…since it’s not in a bag and i keep forgetting what it is lol
The productiveness of yours is very impressive. Very impressive.
Sipdown (135)!
Thanks Kittenna! I love the idea of flavoured Houjicha; the base just works with so many different kinds of flavours…
I don’t know why, but I brewed this one Gong Fu style in a gaiwan. I think it really boiled down to a matter of convenience; I had all of my Gong Fu supplies upstairs already so I just, you know, went with it. Maybe making this particular tea in that style was a little unconventional, but it sure was tasty!
This had a super strong roasty flavour, as Houjicha often does. I don’t know if I’ve ever tried a Houjicha blend from either Frank or Anne? I know I was really interested in the Lemon Bar Houjicha, but I never got around the trying it. This is the perfect level of roastiness, though! Mmm! I don’t think the pumpkin flavouring is super obvious, it’s more of a subtle pumpkin and cinnamon flavour in the finish. I don’t know if I’d prefer a blatant flavouring or something more subtle like this one?
The flavour fades quickly after two gong fu style infusions; maybe if it was stronger initially the flavour wouldn’t wane so quickly. However, I know that this wasn’t the best way to brew this one initially, so there’s that. And the base does hold up REALLY well after the flavour does fade. So it’s not like it wasn’t enjoyable, anyway.
Conclusion: Yum! I can’t wait to try the other flavoured Houjicha, probably Western style, from Kittenna in the near future.
totally trying to keep pace with you on sipdowns this weekend for fun :)
Good luck, I have all weekend off ;)
i’m working a release all weekend :)
So, Yunomi sell both a roasted lemongrass herbal and a houjicha-lemongrass blend, which I think sound promising. I’m not big on flavored tea, but I did put these both on my purchase list for this year.
It looks like it’s just the one ingredient — lemongrass — and not a host of chemicals attempting to approach the flavor of lemongrass.
Lemon and Houjicha sounds like a good pairing, for sure – though lemongrass in particular is one of my least favourite ingredients used in any tea blend – herbal or otherwise. I’d be much more interested in a houjicha blend that incorporated lemon zest, even though the flavour would likely be more subtle.
Ah, so they wouldn’t work for you then. What about verbena? Lemon zest would be good in a tea…
Hmm, lemongrass and the roastiness of this base sounds promising, even though I am not a big fan of lemongrass.
Because Sil is a GOON, she sent this back to me.
So I finished it. No eggnog, so there’s just some cream with the tea.
I prefer it as an eggnog latte. Yep.
But now it’s done and I don’t need to worry about it anymore. :P
hahahahahaha i winned
It just means I wasn’t able to try a new tea today… :`(
(That’s me shedding a tear of sadness, BTW. :P )
i’m on release this weekend.. go go puerh drinking!
Oooooo, that’s exciting for your tea drinking!
yeah even today was pretty productive…down to 137 ish
Whoa.
Can I send you more tea? So you can drink it for me? :)
lolz not until i get more sipped up! switched to wine for the evening, so that may be as far as i get lol
I’m at like… 290. :P
And so begins the Pu’erh journey…
Over Christmas, one of the presents I got was $75 towards whatever I wanted on Camellia Sinensis (‘cause my family knows it’s one of my favourite tea companies, and they’re Canadian so no shitty exchange rates) and I fully took advantage of that to buy several different kinds of Pu’erh to further explore this complex and interesting tea type. And, on Tuesday that tea arrived! Actually, a lot of tea arrived – I received my orders from Red Leaf Tea, Teaware House, and Camellia Sinensis all in the same day! Well, I immediately had to try something so I brewed up one of the mini bricks in my new gaiwan from Teaware House!
Now, I don’t think I’ve ever had Jingmai before – and someone here on Steepster (who definitely knows more about Pu’erh than I do) told me it’s odd to see a Jingmai shou so I had weird/low expectations brewing this one up. I really, really enjoyed it though! I only did six infusions because it was after two in the morning and I was already starting to feel tea buzzed on top of just plain exhausted so I decided it was in my best interest to cut the session early and just go to bed before I was too wired/slap happy to sleep properly.
This was really smooth with a rich, thick mouthfeel and a sort of softness to it. Every sip was really round, and pleasant – I don’t know why I expected more ‘bite’ or astringency to this, but I didn’t find it nor did I really miss it. I could really ‘feel’ the tea on the roof of my mouth and middle/surface of my tongue.
The flavour was also delightful; it was much sweeter than I think I’ve experienced with a lot of pu’erh! Right from the start of the infusions this had really consistent notes of honey, molasses, earth, and a dark fruitiness. That fruitiness later became more intense and picked up a more distinct fig/date flavour as well as a dark cherry-like note in the last few infusions. I also found this had an almost ‘oat’ like flavour as well. Quaker sells a ‘Honey Oatmeal’ (or something close to that) flavour and that in particular is a little like what I thought this was tasting like. The last few infusions were definitely more woody, as well.
This was so tasty! And to be perfectly honest, I’m just so incredibly psyched for my next session with this one because it was so lovely! It just makes me all the more excited to try the rest of the different Pu’erh I picked up from Camellia Sinensis…
YAY! So glad your journey started out with a bang!
Sounds delicious!
I’ve never bought from them because I always thought the prices looked insanely expensive, and then just now I realized they weren’t automatically converting things to USD based on my IP address. What-cha does do that, but I’d have automatically noticed from the pound sign if they didn’t. With the dollar sign… I bet they’d get more US business if they did the automatic conversions. I didn’t notice I could change it myself until just now, and I’ve known of this company for a few years.
And OMG, they are selling that Breville for half of what I’ve seen it go for in the US… Hm…
BTW, I hope wages there aren’t as stagnant as they are here, and have gone up to accommodate the dollar’s loss of value. That’s been an extreme and quick decline. I can’t imagine.
My union has processed a 0.045% raise for Jan 1. Super exciting, eh?
Ugh, I’m sorry to hear that. Wow… Unions were strong when I was in Montreal, even the graduate student union I was in (these barely exist in the US).
Honestly, I was jealous of the labor practices there — they were so much better, much higher graduate student pay and minimum wage. It was 2007.
Honestly it depends on the institution, if a union was able to form, who was included in the union, and what the union was able to negotiate. UBC is my shining example here on the West Coast, but BCIT is pretty close as well. :)
noms! sipdown weekend go! sad to see this go but it’s from a CANADIAN company AND they’re here in toronto…sooo i can get more anytime :)
I say this too but I find I am usually quicker to order tea than I am to go to Queen to get more Tealish lol
hahaha same…but given the state of the dollar, here’s hoping.
But Tealish is near-ish the JAMMY JAM store!
You can also get a bunch of Tealish teas from Chapters/Indigo.
Yay for a Canadian company! I have never had any Tealish, but I will certainly check them out. Canadian companies will be getting more of my business with the crappy dollar. :) what other companies should I check out?
Camellia Sinensis!
christina – yeah chatpers, but larger sizes. If i make the trip i can get 50g :)
tigress – we can report back after the toronto tea festival as well if there are new companies worth checking out heh
Thanks OMG and Sil! I will also check out chapters!!!
Chapters still carries some H&S! Tea bags, not loose, but it’s sometimes nice to be able to just pick it up instead of ordering.
Sil: When I last went to the Tealish store on Queen West, they still made me by a minimum of 50g, even if it was loose-leaf. Did they do smaller amounts before?
Tigress_al: There’s also Wymm Tea if you want to try pu’erh, Murchie’s if you want some robust black blends, and Algonguin Tea Company if you want some unusual, Canadian-grown herbals.
@christina – no I was being unclear. Chapters is usually 100g. Thé store lets me get 50g
Heads up, people. The last time I passed by Tealish on Queen, it was boarded up and gone. It is now on Ronces. 367 Ronces.
yeah they were moving in september or something. but i had forgotten, so thanks haha
Of course, you’ll probably want to get down to 75 before you venture over there, but at your pace, that’ll probably happen by mid-February or so. :)
lol hardly…i figure it’ll take me until at least july…
I need to pick up the pace myself. And that’s without the trip to Paris.
After much debate and talking with Ben, both of us have decided that I need a sun-lamp, because my SAD is just awful. Each winter I turn into this pitiful, miserable, pain filled lump…clearly I am actually a plant, though not a coniferous, alas. I used to think I had SAD during the summer as well as winter and I would just deal with it, but thinking things through I tend to just feel grumpy and uncomfortable in summer because I loathe the heat, it is just me being a big baby, but in winter I just get kinda catatonic, one step away from hibernating. Next step is to research a good sun lamp, any SAD people out there with suggestions?
It is time to delve into the pile of notebooks from long ago, filled with tea notes of yore! Today we are looking at Monk’s Mead by SerendipiTea, a blend of Apple, Apple Flavor, Chamomile, Mango, Mango Flavor, and Rosehips, all organic and natural! This tea is supposed to evoke the taste of mead, and I have never had mead, the closest I have had is Oenomel, or Grecian Honeyed Wine, so I cannot say how close this tea gets to its goal. The aroma is pretty great, blending dried apples, honey, and the straw and vaguely fresh apple aroma of chamomile. At the very finish is a slightly citrus sour note from the rosehips, though that fades really quickly.
You know one of the things I kinda hate about chamomile? It gets sooooo stuck into the fine mesh of the steeping basket, meaning it is a real pain to clean, other than that I love the stuff. The aroma is primarily chamomile, blending straw, pollen, strawflowers, and a touch of apples. I pick up a gentle note of mango at the finish, but mostly this is all chamomile all the time. The liquid is a blend of mango and apple with a slightly sour note and a finish of pollen and strawflowers.
The first thing I noticed about this tea is the utter lack of anything but chamomile, the front taste is all chamomile all the time, with strong notes of pollen and wildflowers fading to apples. That apple note builds from a distant apple memory to a full on baked apple, with extra sweetness from the mango. At the finish there is a note of honey, with a slightly sour citrus note, it lingers for a while, making me salivate from the sourness. This is not a bad tea, it did not wow me overly much, but I found it pleasant, I think I would have liked it a lot more if it lacked the rosehips, since for me this tea shined most when it was very sweet.
For blog and (crappy old) photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/01/serenditpitea-monks-mead-tbt-tea-review.html
Yep, mine broke when I moved, and now I need one too. It really helped me with energy during the winter.
Anyway, I don’t know whether or not they will, but I’m currently trying to convince my health insurance to cover it.
That is actually a really good point, I should check with them to see if they will cover it since supposedly my insurance is really good (cough cough it is selective with how good it actually is)
Yeah, I think this differs a lot between insurance companies and states. I’m thinking mine was covered when I got it in a different state, but it seems to be more complicated where I live now. Basically, my family doctor hadn’t ever heard of one being prescribed here, so I had to find a psychiatrist who is willing to prescribe it and blah blah blah… It’s been a big pain.
But I think I got it pretty easily when I lived in Pennsylvania.
Ugh, that sounds immensely frustrating. It is always ‘fun’ getting doctors to work with you, especially when you have a previous setup going with a different doctor. Good luck!
More reason for me to move back home to Pennsylvania!
Thanks. I hope it works out for you too! The funny thing is, I currently have better healthcare than I did then. But my healthcare plan was designed for graduate students, who apparently tended to get depressed in the winter on a regular basis. So they were very used to approving these things.
I got one at Costco. And it’s actually pretty nice! I don’t use it every day, because the day after a sunny day I don’t need it so much… but I do use it. http://www.amazon.com/Verilux-VT15WW1-HappyLight-Liberty-Energy/dp/B00EUF67DU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452224749&sr=8-3&keywords=verilux+happylight
Wow, that’’s the lowest price I’ve ever seen for one of those. Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely do this if I can’t get it covered (I finally got an avatar).
I, uhh, got mine at Costco for $40CAD. hides So you see I couldn’t really pass it up even though it’s not a necessity for me.
Oh very awesome! I shall have to check my local Costco, I need an excuse to get an industrial size jar of kalamata olives again
I haven’t had one in a few years myself, but for the past 7 years I lived in the South and didn’t really need it. It gets dark much earlier where I live now, and I’ve seen a lot less of the sun. I’m checking the American Costco — it’s still a good price for these even if it’s a better price in Canada.
This is the one I had, and it was about this price before. Or at least it’s a newer version of the one I had:
It was fine while I had it but I would not get it again… The only thing that broke was the lightbulb, which would have cost $78 to replace so I just got rid of it. And I think I can find something that works just as well for less than $78 in total.
OK. This time I’m going to be a bit more systematic about what I noticed about this tea.
It’s got tippy leaves that smell earthy in the packet, and not smoky, though there is keemun in this. The steeped tea is a clear, reddish chestnut color, and has a malty, sweet aroma. I recall it being smoother the first time I tried it. Today I’m getting a bit of assam throat grab, but not enough to be bothersome. There’s some astringency in the sip, but the aftertaste is more cooling than drying.
I am working on a project to clean up my home office and right now it seems sort of insurmountable, though I’ve definitely made progress. Good thing I’m binge watching Veronica Mars, so I have something to do when I can’t take the organizing any more.
I love Veronica Mars!! A great choice to pass the time. Alas, it is no longer on Canadian Netflix :(
Me too! Is it on Canadian Amazon Prime?
I’m not sure though I do believe it’s on Shomi if you have that
The movie is on Netflix though
I’m getting it on Amazon Prime in the US.
We’ve been watching it again, too, with a friend who never saw it all.
I never saw it before because it originally started running between the birth of no. 1 and no. 2, and I didn’t watch a lot of TV then that wasn’t baby shows. Mostly because I was too tired to stay awake. ;-) It’s quite addictive.
Brought this one to work today.
It’s not bad, but it’s not really great, either. And I will note that I’m having it hot and unsweetened. It’s maybe blueberry, it’s thick because of the hibiscus. But the tea itself is almost insipid.
Oh well.
Edit: There’s sage in this?! I honestly couldn’t tell.
The name is a little scary. ;-)
I’d rather just have blueberry wine in my thermos, TBH. :D
I went up North once and bought really good blueberry ice wine and raspberry ice wine and then I took it back to Montreal with me, on the plane, in my suitcase. It exploded. I was sad. My clothes were sad (and purple). And I had no wine to help forget my sadness. That`s what the name makes me think of so this is not a happy tea. Also, blueberry ice wine is delicious but I don`t know how I feel about Blueberry Merlot
Blueberry Merlot is the cheapest of the cheap wines I’ve ever had in the States. It was a generic red sweetened flavoured wine for under $5 for the bottle. Hahaha.
That is really really sad, actually. Wow. The loss of the wine. The clothes. THe WINE. :(
Took 6 serving scoops of matcha and whisked the hell out of it. A little chalky, but I need to wake up!!!
Here’s to something new, maybe silly, but still enjoyable.
6 scoops?! i use a quarter of a teaspoon :D lmao
That much would make me feel a little sick in the morning… on an empty stomach anyway. I did have 3 scoops this morning though and I thought that was way-out-there craziness!
Yikes. Like a triple espresso
Whoa, that would make me very sick…
Coolest shou pu! The ginseng is to be understood as cooling, not the licorice ginseng tea taste.
This ripe pu’er starts rich, earthy, nutty and sweet. No funk, bitter or dryness so it is really easy to drink. With each steeping the cooling sensation takes over. It’s not camphor in flavor, so it’s not minty per say, but the sensation of the aftertaste leaves your mouth feeling cold.
Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/2005-denong-ginseng-scent-shou-puer-from-bana-tea-company-tea-review/
Preparation
ew. ok so i don’t love darjeelings much in the first place…but this, with the added flavouring is just ick. it’s got a nice aroma brewed, but taste wise this just isn’t for me, even brewed at a very low temp. it’s got a weird almost bitterness to it that makes for a rather jarring taste experience. Happy to try new teas but this one is NOT for me either. Sorry MissB/omgsrsly!
First flush, right? I always find them pretty tricky, Ive never had one that really wows me
Or rather, I probably dont know how to brew them correctly
i treat most darjeelings like green teas…this one is just…not a nice blend lol
Yeah, it was weird. Glad I got to try it though. I think I prefer specific floral green darjeelings, not flavoured ones…
Ha sorry if I came across in any way patronising, I was talking about my failure to get first flush up to my standards of chinese & Taiwanese. I’m going to get very anal with the temperatures to try to see what I can get. In fact im going to try now
rasseru – didn’t come across that way at all :)
Happy birthday to me! I’m celebrating by only drinking teas I love. This was one of my favorite Butikis (I miss you, Stacy!). The flavor is starting to fade so I overleaf to compensate. It’s still creamy, sweet, pumpkiny goodness. I have one cup’s worth after this, but I feel like it’s time to make some sipdown progress on these teas while they’re still tasty.
Also, I haven’t posted in a while so Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a joyous holiday season and wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous year.
Well, I’m still alive. I was so sick over Christmas, with proper fully-signed-up flu. I had 10 days off work, which I’d been looking forward to all year, and I spent most of them either in bed or staggering around the house like a zombie looking for tissues and more medicine. I think I only drank one “proper” tea – this, which I took with me in my timolino on the one day I did feel well enough to venture out. It was a very sorry state of affairs. Now I’m back at work (of course I’d be well enough in time, because that’s how it works), not feeling very rested, but at least I can make up for some lost time in tea terms.
I started the morning with another cup of this one. My pouch is actually from the year before last (2014), but it hadn’t been opened before December this year so it was still fine. I’m really enjoying this one as a Christmas Cake tea. It’s got strong dried fruit flavours, a touch of nutmeg spiciness, and a good dose of vanilla to sweeten things up and add a deliciously creamy overtone. I adore the snowflake sprinkles even though they stick fast to the bottom of my infuser, and the glitter adds a little festive sparkle too. The pine needles are an inspired touch – this really is the best of Christmas in a cup. All the better for those of us who feel like they didn’t really have a Christmas this year, I guess! Maybe next year.
Preparation
I’m glad you’re feeling better. The flu is the worst and its timing is always impeccable… for messing up fun plans.
That sounds awful. I’m glad that you’re on the mend. (Impeccable timing regarding your holiday, huh?)
Glad you are feeling better!
Glad you’re better!
Yum. But it’s gone now.
That’s OK. I enjoyed it, and might revisit in the future if the CAD ever recovers against the USD.
What was the cause of the deflation? Was it the collapse of the Euro and the fact that the USD got closer than it’s been in the past to that?
Er, inflation, I mean.
I’m just curious because during my year in Montreal (about 9 years ago), the difference was only about 10 or 12 cents, and I was astounded when I looked it up recently. Hadn’t realized things had changed that much.
There are a few things that play into it, but it kind of boils down to being because of the collapse of oil prices.
I have no idea.
Yeah, I just looked it up and found the oil answer.
Does it have to do with the Keystone Pipeline?
Okay, it looks like it has more to do with Canada’s economy being more dependent on oil exports. I hadn’t realized that.
Facebook is telling me: “Canadian Dollar: Value of National Currency Decreases Following Decline in US Stock Market”
That is as much as I know.
USD should fall in that case, though, and it’s gone up in value against other international currencies (which I had not realized until just now). Has something to do with OPEC loosening quotas and the fall of oil prices.
And apparently the US economy is less dependent on oil exports than a lot of other countries.
Yeah, the price of oil dropped dramatically and the CAD followed it. Oil isn’t actually as big a part of our economy as some politicians would have you believe, but the oil we do sell (especially the stuff extracted from the tar sands) is more expensive to produce than the stuff that just comes out of the ground in other places, so the price drop hits our industry particularly hard. I think the idea is that OPEC is deliberately setting the price of oil low, so that the smaller/more expensive operations like those in Canada will go out of business, and then once they’ve eliminated a good bunch of the competition they’ll hike the prices up again.
Totally feel your pain.
About the dollar and cross-border tea shopping.
I think the sad state of the Canadian dollar might also have something to do with the sad state of manufacturing in this country as well.
Sipdown no. 5 of 2016 (no. 226 total).
We drank this one in quantity during the BF’s evil grippe as well. He found it sufficiently gentle and sufficiently hot that it had medicinal value for him. Because it was being drunk in quantity, I mostly prepared it Western style, and I have to say that although I could discern a flavor some of the time, it was pretty much too subtle for me most of the time.
In the gaiwan, which I just tried again with the last little bit, I get more flavor. There’s a sweetness and a grassy/hay-like flavor. With a little bit of wood and something slightly (and oddly) marine-like as well.
I like the idea of white teas, and I think they look pretty, but I am not sure they are for me. I’ve had some really good flavored ones, but the plain ones often either have an eau de dead plant thing going on, or are just so subtle I’m not sure I’m tasting the tea to its full potential.
Perhaps I should have someone who knows how to make a good cup of white tea make one for me. My kids always say the bread and butter tastes better when I spread it than when they do.
3g 3mins 175-180f?
maybe even more, 185f/80c would be fine
I used 5g for 1 min at 175 and then for 1.5 min at 180 this time per *yyz*’s advice on steeping silver needle.
I always wonder if theres a scientific approach to less leaf & more time vs Less time & more leaf.
I might have to experiment with an excel graph handy one day
There probably is. If I’m not getting a lot of flavor out of something, I usually bump the leaf up instead of increasing the time first. If that doesn’t solve it, I keep the greater amount of leaf and bump up the time (except with greens, where I’m always worried I’m going to end up with bitterness if I go for more than a minute and a half).
I just did your way, and it is very similar to my way. Its still very much in the nose and subtle in the mouth. Reminds me of a white wine that has been really chilled where the flavour is less prominent the colder it gets.
I dont get the ‘eau de dead plant’ thing, I get dry wine, flowers, soft headfeel, maybe even citrus & bananas. But very much needing to sniff it while drinking
oh and sweetness, a bit of sugar or maybe caramel
I would try doubling the time to see if that helps. You can steep white tea at this temp for a while
The dead plant is more with white peony than with silver needle. Haven’t had it with silver needle.
Ah ok, i get you now :)
Not that you’ve had bad white teas by any means, but for me, pretty much the only ones that don’t taste like water to me are from Shang. I could send you some samples if you wanted.
Nicole, that’s a lovely offer but I have many more to try and I’ll be disowned if I allow more tea in the house. :-)
I’m not a huge white tea (or green or green oolong for that matter) fan. Then I discovered moonlight which led me to aged whites….. moonlight and aged whites are “light” but really flavorful – yeah I like them. If you are wanting to like white tea, I would take a look into them. Shang has a really good aged white brick…. just saying…(Nicole has recommended a good one).
Once you’re allowed more tea in the house of course….
Mariage Freres says… 5 g / 200 ml – 85°C – 15 min. It actually does work for some silver needle. Might be worth a try?
Thanks! Will try the steeping tips with the next silver needle and will keep the recommendations on file for 2018 when I come out of lockdown. lol
Is the shang silver needle really that good? I am down to my last 10g, and wanted to by a decent amount of fresh spring flush when it comes around in a few months
Hope the caffeine is helping the migraine.
Ehhhhh, sorta. Now I’m having the problem of all the painkillers upsetting my tummy. Oh well.
Yes, blame the stupid desk – stone table thing….