Featured & New Tasting Notes
Was craving genmaicha tonight. I thought organizing my tea stash was suppose to make it easier to find thing. If you were me where would you have put genmaicha? Uggg I was doing better when the tea was everywhere. Oh well, will hunt it down another night.
Thanks to MissB and the shared order Black Friday extravaganza, I have a whole tin of this. I still LOVE it, and it is making me happy tonight.
This was my tea of the morning (no incident today, y’all, smooth easy going morning…)
I probably like Darjeeling as much as I do Assam. Some of them are as effective in the morning as any bold Assams.
This is another one I purchase by the tin (when I say by the tin, I mean 100g or more).
I only slightly prefer SF to FF cause they usually hold more of that fruity muscatel taste I like so much. I also love the fresh citrusy astringency this one offers (not bitter) that activates my tastebuds. That feature is usually more present in the FF I own. So this tea makes the Dajeeling worlds collide!
I’ve said in previous note on this tea that it feels like my favourite pair of denim: it hugs me in all the right places. Well nothing has changed.
I’m in love with this tea and always surprised it hasn’t received more reviews.
(See previous note)
Today was a very good day, I was at home with the cats and dog. I watched some old Seinfeld episodes and laugh really hard. «Master of your domain» and «Goerge’s world collides» for those familiar with the show…OMG, a gem.
Laughter is the best therapy. If your a cat lover like I am please don’t hesitate and click this link. If you’re not a cat lover, don’t click cause it will make you hate them even more. I don’t want that!
A special friend sent it to me 2 days ago, and i can’t explain how much it amused me. Still does. Thanks, you know who you are :-)
my cats would never do anything like that ;)
Mine doooo!!!!
Cryptickoi, were you being sarcastic, or are your cars really well behaved, lol, just curious :-)
haha…i’m glad you had no mishaps trying to get to your tea today…
Damn typos, I meant cats, of course your cars are well behaved!
They are all at eye level now…you live and learn!
haha…yes i’m being sarcastic…its their house,they just let me stay here….
luckily my car does behave…
“its their house,they just let me stay here….” That’s pretty much how it is, and mine has me really well trained
I’m with you, we live in their houses, but I like all opinionated living things, so it’s all good!
Hahaha! Good to know you can be tamed after all, Dex!
yeah,mine typically get what they want….
I’ve added this to my shopping list! let the revolution begin!
Haha! Keychange, you are putting much pressure on me, my dear partner in crime!
Thank you for the YouTube link. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. Our cats have done all those things except intentionally turn off the TV :)
And your tasting note on the Darjeeling sounds interesting. I have added it to my shopping list – Thanks!
TeaExplorer, I know, right? I also thanked the person who sent it my way :-)
My cats have turn on/off/change the channel of the tv, more than once, stepping on the remote controL ACCIDENTALLY, I’m hoping, lol…(though after watching this, I’m not quite sure!!!)
This tea is good but can’t be compared to the complexity of the finest spring Darjeeling you’ll ever taste, but I just love how it suits me as a good morning companion:-)
You can say what you will about Tuesday, but one thing’s for sure: it’s not Monday, so at least there’s that.
I slept fitfully last night; waking up for no reason an hour after I’d fallen asleep, and then couldn’t get back to sleep. Then cue the panic about only having a few hours of sleep left before the alarm inevitably ruins your life.
But The queen. She can fix most anything. She was pretty much the reason I managed to wake up and make it to work. I’m running scarily low on my supply of her, though, and need to replenish that “forthwith” as professionals in my world would call it. She’s still the perfect combination of smokey and sweet, bracing but gentle. It occurred to me that as I amass more and more tea, I seem to want each one less and less as it becomes old. Or maybe that’s just the way I am about a lot of things. Like the timolino? well I obviously need four or five of them. Want to start incorporating running into your life? ok, sign up for a marathon! Like hoodies from Lululemon (yes, a phase from a few years ago) then own one in every colour. But Queen has withstood the test of time, at least so far, and I love her for it. It’ll never get old, or so I’m hoping.
A good Tuesday to all of you. As early as tomorrow afternoon, the weekend ahead of us will be closer than the one behind us. Woohoo!
Hahaha, I laughed at the Lulu comment. I have probably 6 of them, which I still wear to and from yoga and such. But I haven’t bought anything from them in over 2 years. They are not the company they once were.
I’m entirely with you on the decline of the quality of clothing at lulu. it’s really too bad. And because of that (and the fact that it’s not really acceptable to wear lulu to work), I haven’t purchased anything from there in a while, either.
I’ve recently abstained from Lulu as well – I used to be huge on their clothing, loved every bit of it. Last thing I bought and probably ever will buy is a pretty flower spring jacket last winter that was on sale. The zipper tends to jam up, and the fabric is very flimsy and thin…it feels like something I would have paid maybe 75% less for than what I did. Definitely not up to par compared to the other Lulu clothes I own.
I used to adore their headbands and nothing worked better, but the newest one I have is awful and won’t stay on my head. :(
I know. Quality has really gone out the window. even their hoodies used to be so much thicker and more flexible. Now they’ve added all sorts of cheap fabric to the sides. Their clothing is neither as functional or as flattering as it once was. It’s too bad.
Agree with both you ladies, although I do like the scuba hoodie with the ribbing on the sides. I’ve been hard pressed to find other clothes replace the lulu pants I will have to replace soon. So far I’ve found a couple brands – Public Myth and one that I can’t think of the name on right now. All made in Canada. Also, if you need just a plain yoga pant – TNA still makes theirs in Canada as well. Have yet to try the crops, but want to. With all the heat that Lulu has taken recently press wise as well, I cannot continue to support a company with a founder as obtuse as he is.
100!!!! I must try this now!
OM NOM NOM.
I steeped this (possibly) forever. Even having the lid on, it’s down to guzzling temperature. Oops? Oh well. It is DELICIOUS.
Preparation
I am so jealous you get to have this!! I can’t wait for the reblend :)
I got a lot during the summer sale. :) I want more, though. I’m keeping an eye on MissB. Maybe we can all do a big order!
That is definitely a great plan. I only got a sample and when I fell in love I learned I could buy no more :(
I heard she’s doing a black tea version, but I might be wrong. I might need both versions in my life, if it’s a base I like. :)
I just love the Marshmallow leaf but I wouldn’t turn away a black tea version
I feel like my taste buds are broke because this was one WEIRD for me.
It reminds me of vanilla marshmallows. The expensive hand made ones. :)
See, and I got edamame beans. Either my taste buds are broken or I lost my mind.
LOL! For me, the laoshan green is like edamame beans and seaweed. :)
Oh, we can definitely do a large order. ;) It’ll just have to wait until Stacy is back from holidays to discuss the details. I’ll order whatever quantity she needs to reblend it, so that everyone who wants some can enjoy it.
I wish I loved this one too. I bought a bunch months ago and haven’t really been drinking it.
@Chizakura – there are definitely a bunch of people on here who would happily swap for it :)
This was one of the ones I bought from MissB! I’ve heard so much about S&V teas but haven’t made the jump to an order because I was afraid of the shipping costs (which are actually cheaper than listed to Canada if you just email and ask, or phone to place your order!)
Anyway, I was slightly disappointed with this, as I steeped it for 4.5 minutes and it was a little bitter. So perhaps I just need to steep it less. I’ll try it again tomorrow! (I’m not that disappointed. It smells really good and I fell it just needs a little tweaking to pop!)
…I miss tea….
Awww. You couldn’t bring any with you?
Yeah, I was an ignoramus and absorbed the $33+ shipping they threw at me at checkout.
Poor Sil. :(
I know it’s been a while, but maybe if you email them and mention that the catalog says shipping to Canada is $9 there, they would refund the difference? Can’t hurt to ask!
Oh, yes… I found steeping this 2-3 minutes is what works best. I would email them, they’ve been great with me about shipping. Wait… pam at svtea dot com is who I spoke with just the other day.
the hotel i was in had no kettle. the office? no kettle…. my pass? didn’t work so i didn’t want to beg someone to take me out for tea…
Oh, that makes sense! I hope you’re better set up for your next city!
Sil, that’s terrible! :( (And I’m being serious here.)
I’ve been ridiculously busy – lousy timing, since I have samples from the ever-amazing Ysaurella that I want to try and write elaborate tasting notes for, but, alas, no such luck.
Okay, so looking back at the previous notes for this, I’ve really fiddled about with the rating. And it’s seemingly a never-ending story, because I’m going to nudge it back up to 90. I love this tea, and until I find a better pear tea (if ever) I want to keep it around.
The leaf is beautiful, the tea itself is fresh and clean and natural-tasting, and I enjoy it very much.
So much, in fact, that this tasting note will have to cover the four cups I’ve had over the course of the past two days.
Preparation
Love me some juicy pear tea :-)
Pear Spice from Fava Tea is very good as well!
Rachel – that’s a black tea, though, right? And someone should write a tasting note for that one!
Oh i love pear. This i will make sure to include in my next order from LPDT. And their lovely matcha candy of course ;)
Oh, awesome, Dag – I hope you’ll like it. I want to try some more of their teas. The vanilla green could be better, but the Hammam teas, both the green and the rooibos, are excellent.
I love pear so i should really take the dive. I’ve been wanting to try LPDT anyway.
If you do try it, I think playing around a bit with the suggested temp/steeping time is worth it with this one.
For me, 90C/2 min tastes most deliciously pearful, but I’m sure that’s highly individual.
Aaaaah pear tea I haven’t tried! Aaaaaaah
+1 Sil :)
Sil/Ysaurella: I laughed so hard at this.
Anna, yes, it’s a black tea. I am going to have to rectify the tasting note issue soon! :-)
Chain reaction:
Feed the dog.
Attention, kibble escape: reaches for the water bowl.
Vaguely notice, don’t care.
Dog notices.
Dog eats kibbles, keeps the extra juicy one for dessert.
Dog has a choice: drink the water (it’s full), but not that patient and thirsty.
Dog goes for what seems to be the obvious choice: spills the water all over the kitchen and eats kibble.
Dog now satisfied.
Water everywhere, slippery, I fall once. Soaked PJ’s, bruised tooshie.
Haven’t had a decent cup of tea yet.
Take a break and read some Steepster notes.
Get inspired by this tea, decide to fix myslef a pot.
Tin is out of reach.
Pull out the mini bench from under the counter.
Stretching, on the tip of my toes.
Tin is really at an awkwardly high place…
Oh-oh…feel a bench slip coming. Water…spill not cleaned properly.
Damn kibble.
Major dangerous off balance feeling…tin is grabbed at last second…
I go flying… I mean, FLYING folks.
Stainless steel stove drawer ends my fall.
Ouch.
Assam tea tin: checked! Still firmly held in one hand.
I know tea dedication when I see it.
Tea is good right now…was it worth it? Let me think about that…
ETA : in this disarray, I forgot to describe the tea, sorry!
It provides such a beautifully rich malty smooth assam cup, a tad astringent just the way I like. It’s on the fruity side this one. Very good quality, at such a decent price once again. Zen tea is so affordable, perfect place if you are starting a straight tea journey, you can buy many samples for very cheap. I buy this one by the tin, time to replace it!
My! what an ordeal! Now stay in one place, for heaven’s sake!
LOL (sorry!). Hope you’re OK! :-)
Keychange, i’m standing still!!!
Caile, «LOL» to say the least! Too bad there wasn’t a camera on me, i would have posted it here. I’m ok thanks :-)
i’m glad you’re okay…
When I loose kibble, or cereal. .heh, really anything that lands on the floor for that matter. . .Ive learned my lesson to tend to it immediately. I have four dogs who always show up, but I bark a really loud “HEY!” at them, so I can get to the dropped items first. However, I have managed to slip on my one dog’s drool a few times. Usually I have to put him outside while i prepare food (he never drools except at food time and its a LOT of drool. yuck!!). But sometimes he thinks its food time when its not, and I don’t notice, until I slip on it. :)
Thanks Cryptickoi, just a little sore!
Caile, yay for preserving the tea at any cost, right? Paraplegic, but tea fortunate!!
Shelly, i have only one dog and he’s a neat freak and so obedient! i’m very surprised he did this!
Wow, guess you have to be organized with 4 dogs in the house! (I have a few cats also). But as much as I love him, I don’t think I could handle another dog. ( maybe the fact that he’s the size of a giraffe has something to do with that lol)
I have cats too. Its a zoo, I need to be in control. haha. My dogs are all spaniels 12-20lb. As for giraffe dogs, I don’t think I could afford to feed more than one of those regardless of what my patience can handle :D
Omg.. lol.. I’m sorry! Well, I’m glad you’re ok and the tea is safe. :)
Ouch, I hope you are not feeling too sore. So, now that you have had time to think, was the tea worth it? :)
Well roughage, I’ve consulted the tooshie, and all is find, was totally worth it. Not the tea’s fault. Must reevaluate my storage abilities, why such a favourite was kept so out of reach to begin with?
I’m so glad you’re ok!
Ouch! Glad you are OK & that your tasty tea was spared as well.
I’m so sorry for your day!
Thanks guys, I’m ok, really, thank god the rest of my day was better :-)
:(( Boooo glad you are ok, be careful, sometimes the hurts show up the next day. Relax and drink some tea.
Thanks Dex, i will :-)
I typically don’t have flavoured tea with breakfast, preferring instead to save them for later on in the day. But blueberry things seem appropriate at breakfast anytime, and so I chose this one to accompany my croissant. I think I messed up by accidentally adding too much sugar; I should have remembered that this tea is already pre-sweetened. even still, it felt like drinking a cup of fresh blueberry juice, with a bit of creaminess present to remind me i was drinking tea and not actually juice.
I’m exhausted because it’s Monday, so that’s all this tasting note is bound to say. I steeped for six minutes, and think I like the relatively strong cup it yields. Can’t taste much of the base until the tea cools slightly though, but when I do taste it, I’m happy it’s there.
Such an innocent tasting tea.
A good Monday to all of steepster! and someone please find me a country that celebrates three-day weekends.
And good Monday to you as well!
Thank you! :) so far I can’t complain..much. There’s always the waking up early part.
Good monday, keychange! Hmmm, a country with three day week end…worth a search, but…that would make Tuesdays awful, and I usually like tuesday, it’s a quiet little day, it usually minds its own business, wouldn’t want to mess with that…
Hmmm, tea fairy, that’s a fairly accurate description of Tuesdays indeed. Still though, let’s find us this three day weekend country and see how it goes, shall we? think of an extra day to laze around drinking tea.
Well I think I’ve come to a compromise: let’s keep on hating mondays, cause hey, we already do, and find a three day week end country that offers friday-Saturday-sunday as a week en bundle, how’s that keychange?
I think that’s an excellent idea. And if we don’t find a country that offers this, we’ll just make one of our own!
Yay, that’s the spirit! You and I should be politicians and run the country then, see how well we negotiate? Our leaders should come on a field trip to visit Steepster and get an idea on how it’s done, what do you think?
I was just about to suggest we experiment with a co-career in politics. Given all the options and variations at steepster, I think it’s a groundbreaking way to experiment with one’s political prowess (sp?), and so we should pretty much just start recruiting government officials to learn of our skills immediately.
Lol, aren’t we the clever ones :-)
Tea of my heart, you are so tasty.
I love this. The jasmine and frankincense are amazing together. The super floral oolong is just amazing with it. I definitely get how people can say oolongs can taste like lilacs – no doubt that is enhanced by the jasmine. I keep thinking I should drink what I have, but then I never do because the idea that I need to wait and save it for something special overpowers. Hah. That’s ridiculous.
So I’m enjoying it now. I hope the incense is easier to get out of the glass steeper than it is the metal ones…
Preparation
Going on my shopping list :)
Haha. Definitely a good one if you like floral. :)
I’m glad you’re in love with this one haha.
Crowkettle gave me some in the initial meetup we had in Victoria, and I also ordered more. I can totally see this as a love-it-or-hate-it tea. :)
I should note that this is a well-aged sample, too!
note the “…if you like floral…” bleeeeeeeeechhhhhh haha
Florals yummm! I do love this one.
Florals, yeeeeeeeeeeesssss, lol
LOL! Sil, you are in the minority here. :)
Omgsrsly, It’s ok, she is uniquely awesome :-)
First cup of tea in MY HOUSE! We moved into OUR HOUSE! yesterday and I had a cup of this with my mother while the menfolk did all the schlepping. Our task was mostly to unpack what could be unpacked (really just the kitchen and the bathroom), heat lunch in the oven (a rooty lasagna), keep the cats calm and generally stay out from underfoot. OUR HOUSE! is all-over chaos with chaos on at the moment. Boxes and stuff everywhere, but we have the internet and our computers up and running, so chaos is not likely to be going down very quickly. Emptied the rest out of our old place today and cleaned it, so we’re both quite tired. Am now having some ice cream, before we’ll be going to bed for our second night in OUR HOUSE!
At least tomorrow we can go to work and relax. ;)
That is awesome. Congratulations on moving into… YOUR HOUSE!
Exciting, but exhausting, Congrats on your new house, have fun making it into your new home!
Congratulations. Now you can host tea parties in your own home! :)
Woop! Congrats!
Yay! Congratulations :)
Too awesome!
Welcome home!
Gratz dearie! Sounds wonderful!
Awesome! Enjoy these moments :)
Woo! :) Congratulations on your house. :)
Yay, congrats!
Congratulations! Enjoy every bit of the experience!
Congratulations on your house!
wow, congrats!
airport tea! thank you teafairy for making this delicious blend! have to go! be back soon lol
I told Sil yesterday that I would experience the mystic powers of the Tiger this morning as my breakfast tea. This is all thanks to her and the generous sample she sent my way after I told her how curious I was to try this legend of a tea. Now I just found out she ran out herself, sad face…that goes to show her generosity and willingness to share. Thank you so much Sil!
I understand all the hype around this tea now.
A true rough on the edges lumberjack would not shy away from this tea. But it’s also good for us Canadian women, remember, we do like ourselves a strong cup in the morning! In general, I don’t want too finicky and complicated early in the morning, I want a hard worker that takes its job seriously, aiming to please ME!!!
It’s a rich bold and malty cup. But there’s zero bitterness to it, mellow and sweet, yet, strong and powerful.
Even as it cooled down, it remained as smooth as a baby’s derriere ;-)
On the list it goes, it will make a perfect everyday kick me in the petuli Assam!
So glad you liked it! Well worth the price if you can pick it up when A&D does free shipping to canada. Also the tin is just darling! :)
I’ve been really happy with A & D’s damn fine teas, this one especially!
I am such a fan of Andrews & Dunham in general, I can’t tell you how much my fingers are itching to hop over to their web site and order some of this. But I fear the slippery slope of tea ordering justification. Sigh.
Thanks Sil for letting me know about the free shipping I’ll keep a look for it, as you know, I’m in no rush to order :-)
Terri, this is my first A & D ever… I like the humour behind the brand, will sure place an order eventually!
Morgana, boy do I know about finger itch, I have it on all 10 fingers!!!!
they have a new tea as well that is pretty good. I also like their smokey tea but the quantitity would take me forever to get through.. I keep meaning to email them to see if i can custom make a 3 pack and include the new tea instead of the EG
Crap. I DID IT!
Hahaha! Morgana, that was funny!
But i must resist, i’m on a «pseudo» hiatus, you should never post comments like that. Ever.
I’m sorry, TF. I can assure you it won’t happen with anything other than A&D. Although…. I keep hearing the word Samovar in my brain. (Sticking fingers in ears and humming loudly.)
Lalalala, lalalalalaa, lala, lalalalala….
Really lurking at the adventure pack…
" this is my first A & D ever… " Hmmmm interesting – add that to the proife – will see what I can do about that…
Hooo, Dexter, the profiler…you make me smile, I like that :-)
Mini tuocha, please help a fairy in needs of relief! I ate too much. When I do, puerh always comes to rescue. I don’t know how it can be so soothing, but it just is. I don’t have digestion problems at all. Usually. But…from time to time, things happen.
Oh, I was a bad, bad, fairy tonight, yes I was…
If you’ve been reading my notes for a while, you know I’m some kind of a health freak. Proud Vitamix owner for many years, name any fruit/veggie combination, I have had it. I don’t care much for sugar, eat lots of fish, love quinoa and leafy greens.
Having said that, I do like me some piece of meat every now and then, and I have been known for eating anything dark chocolate in excess…
But I have another flaw…( wine doesn’t count, it’s a fruit portion, Roughage said it, and he’s very smart and knowlegable) It’s a big flaw…to this day, a secret one. I’m willing to share with you Steepster friends, but husssssh, please keep it quiet: I’m a sucker for boxed KD mac & cheese. I know, I know, its no good…but I like it. There. It’s out.
Today being a migraine day (all gone now, thanks to a friend who kept my mind busy in the right way!), I needed something to indulge for dinner. After a lot of consideration, I’ve decided to open THE cupboard, the one locked under a secret code and pulled out an «in case of emergency» KD box.
I crushed some Herbes de Provence and parmesan cheese to make it «gourmet» (yes, there is such a thing as Gourmet KD in my kitchen!) and put the dish under broil for a few minutes. Needless to say, I ate the whole thing. No veggies. Just 100% pure carbs. I’m full. Burp. (Oops!!!)
Thanks mini Tuocha for supporting me.
Steepster fellows, please don’t judge me…
(See previous note)
Oh god. This is too funny. I laughed at the Mac & cheese first. Then at the herbs de Provence on it. Not having grown up in North America I don’t get the Mac & cheese. But My common law spouse is born and raised Canadian. I tried making gourmet Mac n cheese from scratch and don’t you know it, it ain’t as good as the boxed shit. I guess unless it’s glowing orange it just don’t cut it.
Haha way to be making it super gourmet.
Nxdoor, I think KF is engraved in us North Americans, it’s in our DNA, lol!
Fjellrev, it’s still crap, but I’d rather have gourmet crap than just plain crap, don’t you agree?
You’re right about that! I never thought about sprucing up KD like that.
OMG, just noticed I wrote KF instead of KD, lol! Corrected, must be my dyslexia, KF as in Kraft probably?
I pimp my food all the time, it’s my creative side :-)
I love my vitamix,it gets used every morning…everyone has a weakness…haha
Aw, thanks cryptickoi, glad to know I’m not the only one enjoying my green morning juice! Isn’t it a life changer? How long have you been using yours?
LOL Oh no! Not boxed KD! I’m not judging, I swear I’m not judging… lol I’m not much better myself lately.. I’m a fellow health freak currently on a massive comfort food binge… I really want to eat more veggies, I really do, it’s just that my hands are doing what they want and not picking them out of the fridge lately!
Kamyria, don’t be too hard on yourself, we all need some comfort binging. Fruits and veggies will still be there when your hands return,haha!
I’ve only had mine for about 6mos. but I’ve been doing protein/superfood smoothies every morning for 3 years I guess…
LOL! Same dirty secret here, but with Penzey’s Sunny Paris or Ruth Ann’s Muskegon Avenue spices added! The gooier it is, the better it tastes. Al dente, of course!
I’m sort of a health nut too…I really wish there were a lot more organic choices when it came to teas…
Ashmanra, listen to us, who are we kidding? gourmet al dente KD really? lol, as if it’s some kind of delicatessen. Oh well, I guess it is to us! Thanks for also sharing your secret! (Now gotta look for those spice blends!)
Closet KD lover as well. I like garlic sausage, onion, and tomato added. Al dente? sorry nope – over cooked and mushy for me. KD isn’t real pasta. LOL
now I’m thinking dark chocolate with berries and ripe pu…mmm…
Another KD lover here! Only time I got tired of it was when I ate a lot of it as a first year student lol, now I’m back to loving it :) dill, garlic/garlic powder, salt and pepper for me on it, in various combinations of the 4. :)
Cryptickoi, me too for 3 years, but luckily, I started with the Vitamix. Wow, it must have made a huge difference for you, after 2.5 years with a regular blender! It’s a leap of faith financially but it is worth every penny. I don’t always add protein powder (the vegetal kind) cause most of the time I add whole almonds, hemp and chia seeds, and greek yogurt. So delicious!
yeah,regular blenders suck…haha
OMG, people, I think we all came out at the same time, lol, Dexter, leave the closet open!!!
Had no clue there were so many KD lovers here :-)
Miss Lena, sounds delicious!
Dexter sausages for real??? Not judging, but, you know…
LOL garlic sausage isn’t the same as breakfast sausage, but yes I KNOW. It’s ok, ham works well too….
It’s hard not to love mac and cheese. It’s such a pure comfort food. And the Kraft version is sort of the gold standard. I’m so glad my kids have graduated from mac and cheese every other night or so as it keeps me out of trouble! I like the gussied up versions too, though I can do without the breadcrumbs that seem to be de rigueur for the gourmet types. I have to confess that we like Annie’s shells also, though I try to limit myself to just a taste!
Morgana, yes I can imagine how being exposed to it every other night is a bad, bad thing for mom, lol! Not much of a breadcrumbs fan either…
Mmm all this KD talk is making me want to make some..too bad we don’t have any in the house at the moment! Popcorn it is :)
You get my seal of approval, MissLena!
I love browning some butter in a pan and adding the cheese sauce mixed with a bit of milk to cook and melt it before adding the noodles back. That’s how I ‘gourmet it up’!
OMGsrsly, welcome to our KD outing then, sounds great :-)
We saw an episode of Diners Driveins and Dives where they made a fancy smancy mac & cheese with a ton of different cheeses. We went to the trouble of finding them all and trying it. Ehh. We are back to the good stuff made with Velveeta instead of water is in that pouch and throw in some hot dogs. I can almost hear my arteries snapping shut.
Yes bad for the arteries, but so good for the soul :-) KS, doesn’t it feel good to embrace this decadent habit of ours?
I got a case of Annie’s gluten free. So tempting to go home and make it, but I’m off grains until the end of the month! This is the first time I’ve actually been tempted. KD is miracle comfort food for sure. :)
semi sipdown! finished up my bag from august this morning so now i just have the ounce left from my december order :) I might have to pick up a few more ounces if i make a verdant order this month, just to keep a decent sized stock of this in the house :) Such a good cup to wake up with in the morning!
This was so good. I’m so exhausted but I made buttloads of money this week, and once I can cut my commute down from 80 minutes I’ll be much happier.
Things are good.
So is this tea.
You gettin a car? :)
Yay for money!
Joy of public transit in the GTA. It used to take me 60-90 main to get home to from one if my jobs. Luckily I went to the end of the route on most of the buses, because we were often so tired at the end of shifts that it wasn’t uncommon for people to have accidents in the parking lot.
Glad things are otherwise going really well!
I’m going to get practice on my bf’s standard. Stupid stickshift.
Yyz- yuck. That sounds really awful, but it is nice having a bus that goes to the end – then you can nod off or watch TV on a tablet or something. Right now I’m terrified I’ll miss my stop.
Generally that’s what happened:). I know what you mean about the stops though especially now with slush covered buses whose windows you can barely see out of. Good luck with the standard!
Yay for money squared!
Oh, these were the saddest leftovers – just tea dust, really, enough for one cup, barely. And forgotten in a plastic bag since some time in October, no less. Insanely, it smells great, and tastes quite acceptable. Still my favourite strawberry.
Thankfully, I restocked when I was in Santa Clara, but I clearly don’t need to open that one for a while.
[Purchased at Lupicia in Honolulu, December 2012.]
[Polished off in Rome, January 2014.]
Preparation
Aww, too bad ordering from them isn’t a lot easier. This just means you’ll have to go back to Honolulu! Or California. Or hell, jet off to Japan.
I love how you think, my dear. However, they now ship to most of Europe from the French website. Only a selection, but many of my favourites are available. LETHAL.
You partially win.
(Off the record: plotting and scheming hard to make Hawaii happen for Christmas again this year.)
I made a decision this morning to get back to working my way through my TOMC teas from Verdant. Being the obsessive compulsive that I am, I joined both TOMC & TOMCR, & although I’ve sampled pretty much all of them, I also still have most of them, in 3 Verdant mailing boxes, with dividers labeled by month, etc (done during one of my rare but intense Left Brain Moments when Ms. Theresa was in control)
This is one of the teas from last January’s TOMC.
I guess the fact that I still have some of this is testament to my addictive nature & tendency to hoard tea, right? You don’t really want to know how much of this tea I bought when it was available, but I’m probably the reason it went out of stock, LOL.
I’m down to the dregs of it now.
I love it so much! I’ll miss it when it’s gone. This is the most chocolaty nuanced tea I’ve ever had. It’s been described as German chocolate cake, complete with caramely frosting, coconut, etc. And it is!
I think I’d better go to an NA meeting…
I’m honored to get to try such a rare and unusual tea. In 1991 I was 10 years old, heh. It’s funny to think that this tea has been around that long!
This tastes unlike any other oolong I’ve experienced. It is creamy, dark/toasty and almost nutty, yet still sweet! Luckily though this is delicious, I doubt it is something I’ll be craving and wishing I could afford to buy again real soon. (Unlike the other expensive Butiki I splurged on, Japanese Puerh! SUPER TASTY! WILL BE RESTOCKING!)
The creaminess is so distinctive and hard to describe! I really can’t think of anything to compare it to…but it has a very well rounded flavor overall.
Youngster!
32 doesn’t feel super young, but I guess it doesn’t feel old, either :)
Agreed on both points! I am in the over the hill gang.. well alsmost. I always say you are as young as you think you are, so I am only about 25.
I wasn’t even born in 1991…
Well you are just a baby then, hehe ;)
This 1991 and 2003 reserve four season =my favourite aged oolong!
ha ha same here Roswell Strange :D
If my daughter were to review this, she would say, “Oh, wowwwww!”
I steeped it for a long time and then added a tsp of milk to make it extra creamy like an orange chocolate.
“Oh, wowwww!”, indeed!
i love that kid. she makes me happy. I’ll be sad when this one is gone.
Awww. Who says she’ll be gone? What if we just stay in Toronto FOREVER? :O /0\
But maybe? I’ve got a really great job, and J is more likely to get work as an economist over here!
But we like you both over here on this coast too! :)
HEY! you have lots of ppl…. everyone over here has abaaaaaandoned me…
Aww! Poor Sil.
Awwww. :O
Maybe if J gets some fancy analyst job making mega bucks we can buy a cabin north of here to escape to on the weekends and you guys can come visit for board games and tea, and IDK?
That cabin is what’s making me think long-term ON might not be so bad. :| And the bear will be older by then so board games WILL be feasible again!
We should have you guys up to our place up north….well Ian’s dad lives there but it’s amazing, even in winter!
Green as spring itself
Most beautiful cup of Jade
There is only one
Perfect top of foam
Sometimes it works out that way
Glad it did today
Random snowflakes fall
Sitting by my kumquat tree
Sipping dreams of spring
“This is the only Matcha in my collection. I detest flavored matchas & consider them to be a blasphemous travesty, a desecration of perfection.” from Terri Harplady’s Tea as Spiritual Experience.
Note to Sil – I love you anyway,you heathen! hahaha
To each their own.
DYING WITH ENVY…I have yet to find ANY matcha I like. I have a strong stomach, takes a lot to upset it. Yet, a tiny little bit of matcha, and I feel instant pain. Plus I don’t understand what’s so fantastic about the taste. As you said, to each their own :-)
I bet this is amazing I just can’t justify $30 an ounce :(
My Fairy friend, I can only drink Matcha & other greens with or after food. Any other time you can forget it, so I relate.
Steph, I got mine on sale last year, 2 for one. I keep it in the freezer. I only drink it about once a month, so it has lasted almost forever!
Terri – i think of my flavoured matcha as flavouring. not matcha. if that’s any consolation :)
:) Enjoy!
Terri: how I earth did I miss a two for one sale on this??? I surely would have bought it. Bought a bunch for Christmas gifts with a small discount, though.
Wow, two for one would be an awesome deal! :) Let us know if you ever see that again.
It was shortly after I joined steepster, a year ago in the fall. I think it was 2 for one…or buy one get the 2nd half price…something like that.
Flavoured matcha is coffin and flavouring. It doesn’t really count as matcha because I love Flavoured matcha and not so much the real stuff.
So I’m still incredibly exhausted. Perhaps too exhausted to continue to feel irritable, which might actually be a good thing.
This tea is so incredibly comforting. I find it’s a tea that I seem to be able to enjoy regardless of how it’s been steeped or prepared. I suspect I might be getting sick, because I can feel a tell tale scratch in my throat and I generally feel miserable, although those feelings often don’t actually develop into any sickness, which is good in many ways but also annoying, because I’d rather just get sick proper and get it over with.
I wish I had another Timolino full of this tea. I want to go to bed.
Aww, I hope you feel better soon!
Thanks so much, caile! I’m sure this is temporary.
I know exactly what you mean Keychange! I’m going through something similar myself at the moment but rather than a scratch in my throat is a cough building in my chest that just won’t come out. (And this tea sounds lovely!)
Isn’t it so annoying? let’s just get sick and have it be dealt with, you know? I hope you feel better (or get sick and get it overwith) soon! and yes, this tea is lovely.
I almost had a blueberry tea myself this morning, but decided that I wasn’t in the mood for something berry-y after all. Maybe I was just getting waves from you.
I hope you’re feeling better soon, though (and that bed comes quickly).
Thanks! and maybe give that blueberry tea a go one of these days-so much comfort in a cup!
Feel better :-)
Thanks. I think I just really need sleep.
Crappy :( Feel better soon!
Thank you. You are all so thoughtful.
Have a good sleep and feel better soon!
Thanks! sleep is only a few hours away from me now. so close!
Pistachio is my favourite nut; I think I’ve cooked and served and eaten it in every way possible, but this is the first pistachio tea I try. Random fact: the Swedish word for ‘pistachio’ is one of the most commonly misspelled words in the Swedish language.
In the bag, this smells like fairly generic nut tea; it could be a walnut, or a hazelnut – either way, it’s definitely pleasantly nutty. Steeped, it retains much of the same scent, but it turns rounder and smoother.
Flavour wise, this tastes a little too roasty, or smoky, to be a plain pistachio to me. Roasted pistachio, maybe? I miss the ‘green’, fat flavour of the nuts in questions – pistachios are so characteristic. In terms of the ice cream, well, I should admit I dip into the pistachio gelato pretty frequently when I’m here in Rome, so my assessment might not be fair; either way, I don’t really get a creamy feel.
The tea definitely has a pleasant, mellow smoothness to it, and the base tea is as lovely as ever with Butiki – it’s just not quite what I’m looking for.
[From my Butiki order to Santa Clara, October 2013.]
Preparation
I’m sorry you haven’t had too much luck with Butiki, but am also glad you’re trying them.
Oh, I think it’s been a purely positive experience exploring their teas – I’ve found three I think I’d like to keep in my cupboard, which feels like a pretty good haul. I think the main issue has been that I tried flavours that I would typically like from companies like Lupicia, and their flavour profile just fits me better. But some of the Butiki teas that I just requested/was given as samples appealed to me far more than I thought they would.
I myself did not fall in love with this one, which is rare considering the massive number of teas from butiki I’m madly en amour with! But it’s a very popular one, I’m part of the minority I believe…
Oh, you know, exceptions that prove the rule, and all that. I think I might not really be a nut tea nut, you know.
Except for a few exceptions, I am not much of a nut tea nut myself, but i am however a nut nut person, but it doesn’t mean i’m not a nut, ya know? Lol!
Oh, you’re quite clearly a nut. ;P
This one confuses me – I like my flavoured rooibos well enough, but this is like drinking straight-up rooibos. It smells like rooibos in the bag, it smells like rooibos in the cup, and it tastes like rooibos in the cup. Any hint of anything else, mango or otherwise, is simply absent. I can’t really add anything else – it’s just rooibos.
Again, this might be a case of me not picking up Butiki’s more subtle flavourings, or just that I’ve taken my sweet time trying this tea. I keep everything in air-tight containers, but you never know – mangoes can be so devious.
(Insert link to working ‘Self-defense against fruit’ Monty Python clip here.)
[From my Butiki order to Santa Clara, October 2013.]
Preparation
Bah, I’m feeling a bit conflicted about this tea. It does taste delicious, like a combination of random fruits that I can’t seem to separate, although that isn’t entirely accurate as it’s fairly obvious which fruits are not a part of this blend: strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and other typically sweet fruits.
No, this tastes fine. But it doesn’t blow me away, and I find that there’s something a bit hollow about it—kind of like a trailer that gets you all excited to see a movie, only it showcases all the good things about the movie and you’re left disappointed. I enjoy this momentarily as I sip, but it doesn’t leave an impression, either on my mouth or in my memory, and there’s barely an aftertaste to speak of.
So I’ll be willing to share what I have left, and there’s nothing even remotely offensive about this tea-I just don’t think I’ll be reordering it, although my tastes have been known to change. I may also have been a bit too heavy-handed with the cream, which may have served to mute some of the flavours, although I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the fruits in this tea to begin with, so perhaps muting the flavours was my secret purpose. Anyway, decent tea, but it definitely lives in the shadow of Parris, hot cinnamon spice, The Queen, etc.
I have yet to try The Queen, waiting for the next Harney Sale to do so.
Oh my gosh, the queen was life-changing for me.
Nothing wrong with finding a tea good but not great. (And now I’m curious as to what this The Queen is. I might have to get some at some point….)
It’s queen Catherine from Harney & sons! My favourite straight black tea ever.
Maybe in summertime you can try it as slightly sweetened iced tea if you have any left by then. Paris is also good that way though! :-)
I will really have to try queen catherine next time I order!
It really is good as a sweet iced tea!
I’ll keep that in mind if I ever get around to icing my tea :)
This sounds interesting for sure. Did it satisfy your genmaicha craving despite not being a genmaicha? Or are you still searching for your genmaicha?
It’s not genmaicha, but it’s nutty, roasty sort of like that. I did not continue looking for the genmaicha. I found this and thought – close enough. If I could sort my virtual cupboard by “type” of tea, I would find it. Too lazy to scroll through all my tea, I KNOW I have an unopened package from Verdant that I could find if I went looking, but I think I have an opened package or sample too. Don’t really know what I am looking for so it makes finding the package difficult. If I saw it in my virtual cupboard that would help job the memory. Tomorrow is another day.
I can imagine searching through over 300 teas must make things difficult, especially when you are not sure what you are looking for.
Heh. I just found my Moose Tracks after weeks of having lost it… it fell down in my cupboard behind a bunch of other things.
Yay you found your Moose Tracks – it was just hiding from you.
Sometimes, it’s better NOT to find a tea than finding it at an unreachable place…just saying.