Featured & New Tasting Notes

68

It’s my Steepster birthday! I’ve been hanging around here for a good 3 years now!

I had another hard night at work – our floor is full of such heavy acuity kids right now I feel like I’m running all night long. Luckily I’ve got a night to recuperate before signing on for 2 more. Plus, it is SO COLD outside. Supposed to flurry later tonight/tomorrow morning, even, though it would be better if it didn’t. Georgians simply don’t know what to do with snow or ice.

So I couldn’t just go off to sleep without getting a cup of tea to warm/relax me. I wanted a black tea, no added flavors but strong. This one I got from Stacy’s Black Friday sale, and since I know most of the flavor profiles of these teas separately, I was excited to see what happened when they blended together.

Followed the steep parameters recommended by Stacy, 3 tsp. leaf to 500 ml. water in the Breville.

This brews up a lighter brown color than I usually expect for a breakfast tea. It’s very smooth and doesn’t need any additives, either, which makes it seem even less of a breakfast tea to me.

Interesting…I think this tea has the lighter texture and mouthfeel of the Darjeeling, while maintaining the chocolate/malt/earthiness of the assam and keemun. It’s kind of throwing me for a loop, actually, that it has such a rich flavor without as much of a body to it.

I will say that I went into this very hesitantly knowing the Keemun was in this blend – I was leery of the smoke. This Keemun is really not smoky at all (phew!) and that was the biggest thing I was worried about so this makes me very happy. I do think its more of an afternoon tea than a breakfast tea, and I also think the chocolate/raisin notes come out a LOT more as the tea itself cools.

Pretty good, but not my absolute favorite blend from Butiki. Still, it was great to try it!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Anna

Happy Steepster birthday – to many more!

Uniquity

Hah, I saw this and then checked my Steepster birthday – also three years today! Cheers to us and all the rest!

caile

Happy steepster birthday to you both! :-)

Rosehips

Happy Steepster birthday!

Fjellrev

Yay, happy Steepster birthday to you!

OMGsrsly

Happy steepster-versary! :)

Sil

woot! happy anniversary you two!

Autistic Goblin

Happy Steepster birthday!

JustJames

this tea is better than any cake for a celebration IMO. =0)

JoonSusanna

@Thanks guys!
@ Uniquity – awesome- happy steepster birthday to you too! Steepster twins!

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83
drank Citrus Dream by Butiki Teas
1598 tasting notes

I bought this on Black Friday but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. My bad.

This is really amazing. I was just sipping away at it distractedly while looking for daycares and I was just hit – whammmo! – with a burst of fresh lime. Wow. So refreshing. I can still taste the chamomile and the overall effect is quite soothing. Like floating on a cloud before sleep. Or some such nonsense.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 30 sec
Sil

This one makes me sleep. Lol

Fjellrev

Oh man, I wish I could find a tea that helps me sleep. This sounds like it has potential.

Sil

chamomile makes me sleepy.. i liked the taste of this one as well..my finum brew baskets just didn’t like it

OMGsrsly

Brew chamomile in paper, Sil! Or those plastic mesh tea bags you can find in some Asian markets. I pre-fill and iron mine shut for ease of use. :)

Sil

yeah, i have a metal basket that i use for chamomile heh

Anna

Wait. No. Stop. What happenes to the basket? Does it get all clogged by little dusty chamomile parts?

OMGsrsly

Pretty much, Anna. I also find that a lot of little bits get through, which is why I prefer paper filters for chamomile.

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81
drank Kapha Organic by TeaGschwendner
1500 tasting notes

Had to try this again tonight, for trying to (what seems like) kill JustJames from trying this one out last night. Really, if it was THAT spicy, I’d have given it a warning! Yikes. I feel badly. So today when I parsed some more of this out, I put right on the label: SPICY!

HAD to try it again though after last night. It’s still got a strong kick to it, which is mitigated by some sweetener. I love savory teas though, especially ones that attempt to ramp up your digestive fire and/or nature with zero caffeine. For me, this is only a 4 out of 10 on the spice-o-meter.. I must have a high tolerance or something.

This is more a, “get things moving” kinda tea for me. Meaning – I need to go for a run, or I have to finish a project late at night, or I need to get rid of some lingering junk in my chest or nasal passages. PLEASE though, if you’re sensitive to spices with heat, or have an easily upset tummy, take a pass on this one. :(

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
JustJames

i am ulcer prone =0( but i’me fine with crazy strong chai.

guess i did a ten min steep? maybe a bit more?

OMGsrsly

James. 10 min would be WAY too long. 5 minutes is about the tolerance I have for tea. I’d gladly eat spicier food, but that’s food…

JustJames

IT SMELLED LIKE DILL!!!!! i thought it needed extra time to evolve. i smelled none of the death my way. no sympathy OMG? not a hint of ‘poor james’?

OMGsrsly

I steeped 5 minutes and half way through my cup my mouth was burning. :D But I was expecting it from your note last night. <3

JustJames

i had no idea a herbal could be so brutal. so mean….. geez. i went and bought tums tonight.

OMGsrsly

Good idea. :)

JustJames

i sense that you are making fun 80\

OMGsrsly

No! That was sincere! Unexpected spice is no fun, like that time I spent all my money on 3/3 star Thai food, and had no choice but to eat it…

JustJames

oh no. oh dear. i would have bought you milk. and patted your back. =o(

OMGsrsly

It was an accident, and thankfully we still had some rice in the house. LOTS of rice, wee little bit of spice. I think that was actually when I moved back here…

MissB

I know next time to give fair warning for this one. So sorry!

JustJames

no, no… i try NOT to read up on blends before i review, and i didn’t smell the pepper in it, lol.

Sil

lol i accidentally steeped with for about 8 mins… it’s great!

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80
drank Blackberry by A.C. Perch's Thehandel
303 tasting notes

Okay, so you know how frustrating it can be if someone keeps calling you the wrong name or constantly mixes you up with your sibling, or something along those lines? Right.

Well, words have feelings, too.

Pallet

This is an image of a pallet: https://bit.ly/3emkvSz

Palette

This is an image of a palette: https://bit.ly/2NuuN7v

Palate

Yes. Mouthfeels.

I bet these three words feel like Amy Adams and Isla Fisher and some other tiny, strawberry blonde actress who gets mixed up with the other two all the time.

On to the tea. This smells vaguely of fruity black tea, but without any specific, discernible fruit character. ‘Random berry’, I’d say. Steeped, the scent continues to be subtle, a subtlety that carries through into the sip.

What I really like about this one, and that I feel I often complain about in other black berry (not blackberry) teas, is that it’s not tart or sour at all. The flavour is simply blackberry (with hints of blueberry, as per usual, as the two flavour profiles are really difficult for me to keep apart in dried/tea form) and a very natural-tasting, smooth one, at that.

I’m not a huge berry tea fan, and this one doesn’t have the complexity I usually go for, but I like it a whole lot nonetheless. It’s just one of those teas, I guess. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that it made me crave scones with berry jam and clotted cream (and the works, really) something crazy and there’s just no way that is happening anytime soon.

Thanks for sharing this, Ang!

[Sample from the EU Travelling Box, autumn 2013.]

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Nxtdoor

Omg. As a chef, I cringe every time someone says palette.

Anna

PAINTMOUF.

Indigobloom

Debra Messing!! :P

JustJames

there are just so many. i was an english major first go round, i am consistently trying to keep my inner editor from becoming a spaghetti monster.

ifjuly

i tell myself it’s sort of poetic when i see palate as palette. like in a synesthesia sort of way. adding more shades of color to your tastebuds/proverbial paintbox. pallet on the other hand, conjures up humorous images, ha.

ifjuly

palette for palate, i should say, to be clearer.

TeaExplorer

Turns out I’m one of those offenders … Just swapped a palette for a palate in my bio … thanks for pointing that out. And a sincere apology to the word palate … I’m sorry honey, that was so insensitive of me. No, I’m not seeing someone named Palette. There’s only you, I swear!

JustJames

LMAO =0D

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Ahhh. It’s been one of those mornings. Had a lot of stupid nightmares last night—of the very stereotypical variety—someone is chasing you or finds you and they want to harm you and you can’t run or scream and then your own unintelligible pre-historic cries wake you up and then you a) are happy to be awake; and b) laugh at the stupid noises you actually just made out loud. Thank heavens for snuggly bed buddies, because there’s nothing quite like being cuddled after a stupid nightmare, especially one that sounds really ridiculous when you try to explain it.
“It was just really scary, ok? just trust me.”
“So who was chasing you again?”
“I don’t even know if I was being chased! there were just these bad people…and they were like everywhere and I couldn’t get away!”
ha.

Sorry. So then I fell back asleep again and fell back into the same stupid nightmare! so dumb. But towards the morning, I slept like a normal person again and it was lovely. Slept in until noon which felt amazing, and then had a breakfast of French toast and this delicious tea. I didn’t put nearly as much sugar in it because it’s fairly sweet on its own, plus I wanted it to be less sweet than the French toast I was eating. It tasted like a deliciously decadent hot blueberry latte, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting more when this runs out. You can even smell and taste the “crumble”, so it isn’t a straight up blueberry tea. Dellaterra knows what it’s doing in the pie/cake/crumble department, straight up, yo.

Lala

I had a dream the other night where someone was keeping me hostage. Then I escaped with the help of someone else, then that person held me hostage. I kept escaping over and over again. (Not sure what that means). The worst part is I knew I was dreaming but couldn’t seem to wake up. Haha.

keychange

Those dreams are awful! LOL

Anna

I had the hollow teeth/teeth falling out dream – it’s usually a final stages of grief dream for me, which seems about right.

I love that half-awake stage where you can control the dream; I get that a lot. It’s really liberating, like directing your own interactive action film.

keychange

I don’t have those dreams nearly enough, although they would have with them a redeeming quality, that’s for sure.
Also, I’m sorry that you’re grieving, whatever the reason. Regardless of how much a loss can make sense on an intellectual level (we all die/people move on/whatever), our hearts are often so much slower to grapple with it and make sense of something that feels so unbelievably heartbreaking. I can only promise you that it won’t always hurt this badly.

Nxtdoor

My recurring nightmare is that of water. I’m swimming in the ocean (sometimes I’m in a boat but usually at the beach swimming) and then a terrifying Tsunami-like wave forms out of nowhere and crashes over my head. I go under but wake up just before I get swept out to sea or drown. Pretty awful.

Anna

Oh, they definitely do – there’s always this moment when something absolutely horrifying is about to happen to me in the dream, and right then I come awake just enough to take control. The look of surprise on the faces of whatever spectres are dream-haunting me never fails to delight.

And thanks – but I have no problem with grief. Like you say – it’s a logical process. Grief makes sense. Besides, to me, feeling is being alive.

keychange

It’s a logical process, but I dare say you’re better at it than I am! :).

keychange

nxtdoor, that sounds absolutely terrifying!

Indigobloom

I had strange dreams too. Don’t recall much but I remember watching someone fall to their death :(

ifjuly

Nxtdoor, I have a recurring nightmare that’s similar if not identical—I’m on a beach and having a great time and then suddenly there’s a sea change (heh) to the whole mood and abruptly the lighting changes and there’s no more crowd of laughing happy folks, the tide starts to ominously come in fast and suddenly there’s a monstrously huge tsunami in the distance and I’m trying desperately to climb up the sand dunes to safety but it keeps eroding and I try and try and can’t get to the top and the wave engulfs me. It’s one of my least favorite nightmares, blugh. Sorry you have an awful one. :(

JustJames

i have a history with night terrors, but a few years back i had one where the cat curled up on my feet, the dog on my knees, another cat, few more dogs…. i was feeling very squished but loved! but i couldn’t move except for my head. suddenly a dark figure was coming towards me with a needle aimed at my forehead. NOT OKAY! it was one of those huge ones.

anyway, in my struggles to twist my head away i managed to crack my head into my partner’s and give myself a concussion? sigh. i had this giant lump. i looked like a unicorn.

keychange

What a nightmarish thread!! ha

keychange

LOL JustJames, I bet you can laugh at it now, but man…a concussion! At least you had enough strength to have a real-life reaction

Anna

Now I will always picture JustJames as a unicorn.

ifjuly

oh man. first i was all “aw cuddly” then terrorface then lol.

keychange

james is rather unicorn like, actually! a bit magical in his writing. Lots of deep feelings. I can see it!

JustJames

it was so bad. i was crazy bruised.

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90
drank Vanilla Black by Rishi Tea
390 tasting notes

ONCE upon a time i had a very bad experience with a rishi chocolate chai. some of you may remember…. i was distinctly cross. quick recap: no chocolate, impossible methodology for a disabled person to follow through with, wound up all over my kitchen, my wife wound up cleaning it up and i was ticked!

i took a day. was still cross. took another…. still cross because i resented my stress relieving practice getting in my face about having this illness. by hook or by crook i decided i’d waited long enough and called rishi HQ.

ME: may i speak with a manager please.
Service rep: may i ask what this is regarding?
me: i have a serious gripe about one of your products and as a rule i prefer to dish out temper on management who are paid to take it.

silence. tick. tick. tock.

service rep: i think i know the person who can best assist you, sir, one moment please.

i broke it down for the manager fairly, i think. the good and the bad. she was truly appalled at how much trouble had come from the recommended method, and further distressed that there was genuinely no chocolate to be seen or tasted in my tea (once she determined i wasn’t looking for refined chocolate and was accustomed to cacao nibs). this woman really listened, genuinely. and while i saved her name somewhere in microsoft word, it’s eluding at this exact moment, she is worth her weight in gold to rishi.

the manager sent me two huge bags of tea in apology; their original chai (which we problem solved a method that would work for me… see? gold=weight) and she picked up on one of my favourite aspects of their failed chocolate chai: huge chunks of vanilla bean and millions of vanilla seeds. the manager inquired as to whether i might like to try their vanilla black.

this tea is as purist as butiki’s lychee oolong. very simple and exactly what it says. fat chunks of vanilla bean and black tea. simple. very purist, absolutely lovely.

smooth black base, warm, strong, genuine vanilla presence. the vanilla lends an air of sweetness so not much is needed in terms of sweetener. a dot of cream turns it into the undoing of starbucks everywhere! lol.

very nice. quite lovely. i plan to experiment with a hot steep and then a cold overnight. i have no doubt it will be brilliant.

rishi… you are forgiven. don’t ever let that customer service manager go— she represents your interests well.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec
Sil

That’s awesome. :) this sounds delicious too haha

caile

That is really great!!

keychange

Good for you for following up as you did, and good for them for responding so amazingly well! adding this to my to-try list.

JustJames

i’m always impressed if a company can pull it out of the fire… i was so mad! and by the end of the conversation i just wasn’t. that takes a particular skill set, because i was ready to walk away and never look back.

Indigobloom

Makes me wanna buy from them now! customer service = awesome marketing :D

JustJames

agreed. and the mammoth bags of tea they sent me! wow! alot of companies don’t get that their customers are an equal if not greater investment to their product. rishi appears to get that.

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85

MMMMmmmmmm this is a great tea. Thanks Sil
I’ve been drinking this for most of the evening, and it’s really nice. Nice gentle strawberry. Nice black base – is that a hint of malty chocolate way in the back from the base – maybe, or it’s wishful thinking – either way I like this.
It’s not fake in your face flavors, it’s just nice and subtle but no question it’s strawberry. I really like this with a hint of sweetener and a dash of milk. It makes me happy.

OMGsrsly

Yours is the third or fourth positive review I’ve seen, so I’m adding this to my (distant future) shopping list! :)

Dexter

It’s different that what you would expect from Davids or Della, more natural somehow, more subtle, but yet oooozes strawberry. I really like it. If I saw it, I would buy more. :))

OMGsrsly

Excellent… :)

Sil

It’s quite nice. If I had more I’d send some your way but it’s been parcelled out. Heh

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88

I’m drinking this today basically because cats are jerks. Mine woke me up 5 times this morning by meowing in the hallway. Every time I came out she ran into our room for purrs and cuddles, and then an hour later she was at it again.

So I picked this tea. I bet Tigers are jerks too.

Kaylee

My cat’s a jerk too. I finally caved and bought an electric mat to put in front of my bedroom door. I feel terribly guilty about it, but it worked miracles overnight. I hear tell there are air blasters which have about the same effect.

Dexter

LOL They may be jerks but we love them anyway…

Terri HarpLady

We have 2 cats, & by ‘we’ I mean Leif & Ari. Gizmo, Leif’s cat, is fairly innocuous. Squishy, on the other hand, likes to do things to intentionally piss me off. I do not allow cats in my bedroom, ever, because I can’t stand to have cat hair on me, & for some reason cats always want to piss on my pillow. I guess they want to mark my room as their territory (none of the current cats have ever actually done that, but previous ones have). So neither of our cats have ever been in my room, although Squishy tries, regularly, to get in there. Not ever gonna happen!

TeaLady441

Terri – that sounds like quite the challenge. Are they boy cats? I’ve never had to worry about her peeing, thankfully!

And she is totally allowed in our room – we even sleep with the door open (so the cat and the toddler can both wander in), but the cat mist be playing hard to get or something as she cries outside for attention. (Stupid cat – just come in and cuddle! )

TeaLady441

I love those names, by the way.
My cat is Mika, aka Meeks, or Mika Mikerson the Third if she’s bring particularly royal.

Ana

Your cat sounds like my cat. I don’t think I’ve heard anything more true than ‘All cats are jerks’.

Stephanie

adorable little jerks! :)

Kaylee

Terri – If it makes you feel any better I had a cat pee on my feet while I was sleeping once. I was sleeping over at a friend’s house. The cat made it clear that I was not welcome to invade his space.

Stephanie – His cuteness is the only reason my cat hasn’t been kicked out on his furry behind a dozen times over. Also the fact that he’s an awesome cuddler.

On a related note, has anyone seen My Cat From Hell? I think it’s a TLC show, but it’s also on Netflix now.

Anna

This might be the most entertaining comment thread ever. More evil cat stories, pleeeaseeeeehh.

Ana

A good book is ‘How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You’.

Also my cat peed on my mom’s duffel bag that she lent me. It probably smelled like her dog and so my cat was marking his territory. Another time though he got mad that I took away his food (he overeats sometimes) and peed where his food goes.

sherapop

Cats rule; dogs drool.

Sil

pops in to look at the cat conversation..leaves before she offends people :)

Anna

Sil, does that mean you’re a CAT?!

Sil

cats and i agree to not get along. my dad used to tease the neighbourhood…uh NM lol so yeah… cats and i. we don’t mix. except for the one cat that followed me up the mountain that one time…

Terri HarpLady

Once upon a time I had a friend named Suz who raised silver persians. She really wanted to give me one of her kittens, which were very expensive. I told her no thanks because I wear black to gigs all the time & the silver fur would show on my clothes. The truth is, I didn’t want a cat. She had farmed one of her cats out for stud service, & a gal who raised black smoke persians owed her a pick of the litter. Next thing you know, Suz gives me a black smoke kitten for my birthday, who I named Opal. I didn’t really want a cat, but what do you say? “Thank You”. Opal was beautiful & dumb as a post. Except she was smart enough to figure out how to get out the doggy door before I had a chance to have her spayed. End of part I

Terri HarpLady

Part II
Opal had a litter of kittens, & we found homes for 4 of them, but Leif begged to keep Gizmo, so we did. Opal disappeared.
Ari’s cat Squishy is a cat she got for her son, but then she moved into an apartment that didn’t allow cats, so squishy moved in with me. Now Ari & Ky live at home too, & so really, I guess he’s Ky’s cat.

Terri HarpLady

Part III
Gizmo is a boy. Squishy is a girl. I don’t hate cats. I’m just not into them. They tend to irritate me, I can feel their hair touching me. The cats I have now don’t pee on my things, but in the past I’ve had cats that did. I’m a dog lover, especially big dogs. I don’t have a dog right now, but I love dogs. They are awesome.

OMGsrsly

My cat keeps head butting me off my pillow at night… He hooks his paws over the bed rail things, and heaves. And his name is Princess Shadow. He came with Shadow, and I added the Princess! :)

Anna

Gizmo is a great name. (I love Gremlins. I would totally have a Mogwai for a pet.)

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82
drank Ruby Black by American Tea Room
1040 tasting notes

This is my tea of choice for work today. Thanks Sil for sending this my way.
I’ve decided that Taiwan blacks aren’t normally my favorite. I usually find them too mild and slightly astringent. Not this one. This works for me. As always I’m not really sure what it is that I like about it, but it doesn’t have much/anything that I don’t like. It’s just a nice smooth, flavorful, black tea. I’ve enjoyed my time with it at work today

Sil

it’s bad when i have zero recollection of what i sent you haha. i just tossed random things into the box until it was full, of things i thought you might want to try haha

Dexter

LOL It’s a great box, with lots of interesting things in it. I’m currently putting together second swap packages for a couple of people, and am not sure what I sent the first time. I really need to start keeping a log. :))

Terri HarpLady

I keep a tea journal, with confessions regarding the ridiculous amount of money I spend on tea, lists of what I sent to whom & what I received, lists of teas I want to buy, LOL, & an occasional actual tea log, mainly for gongfu steepings, or the first time I try a tea.

Terri HarpLady

admittedly, I’m not always consistent…

Dexter

But….but…..I like living in denial regarding the ridiculous amount of money I spend on tea.

mrmopar

We all are !!!

Sil

i originally had a list of things i’d sent people but then there are a couple people like dexter/terri…that i pretty much just take things from my cupboard randomly and go “OOOOHHHHH yeah this one! OOOOHHHH ya ya that one!” and then it’s sometimes over the course of a few weeks…so i’m shocked i haven’t added in the same tea twice yet lol

Terri HarpLady

Someday when I’m gone, my kids will be cleaning my house out & reading my various journals, & they’ll find boxes of puer cakes in various locations, shelves of tea canisters, crocks filled with samples, who knows what else, LOL. Then they will realize what a wack-job I really am.

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10
drank Mamma Mia by DAVIDsTEA
303 tasting notes

The more I sample David’s Tea products, the weirder their overall profile seems to me; they’re very much like Teavana in that way. It’s basically a concept/execution issue, as the ideas are often excellent, but the end results can range from unfathomably poor, I mean really, truly what were you thinking poor, to quite tasty. But for me, it never really gets beyond that ‘quite tasty, but…’ with either Teavana or DT.

This tea, albeit double-bagged, had taken over most of the swap box when it reached me – not in a permanent way, it just needed some airing out, but the fact remains: this is a very strongly scented tea. It’s also a hot mess in every possible way. Every sip offers a new flavour combination, every whiff makes you flinch in confusion and sensory overload. This tea makes no sense.

However, I really like when things make sense, so the scenario I would like to propose is the following:

It’s a quiet day at the tea factory, all quotas are met, Dario the Junior Tea Blender is just messing about, playing little drum solos on the ingredient tins.

BUT ALAS!

OH NO!

FLORP!

The unfathomable has happened. The shelf containing the jars for hibiscus, apple, raisins, rooibos, candied pineapple, candied papaya, orange peel, coconut chips, rosehips, elderberry, mallow blossoms, peach, almonds and cinnamon COLLAPSED from Dario’s musical pounding. David the Senior Tea Blender is NOT going to like this.

Dario must make haste to sort this out before David returns! He secures the shelf, returns the tins, and is in the process of scooping the fragrant mess on the workbench into an empty jar, when…

David the Senior Tea Blender enters the room! All hope is lost!

Mamma mia! Dario exclaims, freezing in place.

Cocking an eyebrow, David the Senior Tea Blender leans over the offending tin. His skeptical expression turns to one of delight as he roars, ‘Dario! This is brilliant! You even got the name just right!’

(As usual, thanks for sharing, whoever put this in!)

[Sample from the EU Travelling Box, autumn 2013.]

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
keychange

I laughed out loud at work!

K S

As a general rule I avoid teas with more than three ingredients. Very seldom do I break this rule as when I do I usually regret it.

caile

haha That’s great!

JustJames

david’s teas, although they have one or two i like, i generally consider to be a sort of ‘tea daycare’, because nothing gets left out. that’s grand for kids, crap for tea. especially when you’re taking about coloured sprinkles and whatnot. just MY opinion.

mrs.stenhouse12

Lol this is the best team story ever! Thank you for making my Friday :)

keychange

Aw now, David’s definitely has a few gems!

TeaLady441

Lol. Thank you for that.
And I’m less impressed with Davids than I was originally, but teas like North African Mint and Movie Night make me happy. I always buy samples now.

Anna

Aw, keychange, of course they do! No pouting!

And yeah, Cavocorax, there are a few I really want to try – Movie Night is number one on that list; I’m obsessed with anything popcorn.

Terri HarpLady

Love the story!
I’m with KS on David’s tea. I’ve actually only ever tried a few of them, & they weren’t for me.

JustJames

i like the vanilla orchid, and i likED the blueberry jam, but i can’t do stevia, and i like to add my own sweetener. call me picky, lol.

mrs.stenhouse12

*oops I mean tea story haha not team, I also enjoy a few DavidsTeas, but I definitely won’t try Mamma Mia now LOL

TeaExplorer

I absolutely love your tea reviews … they make my day! Keep up the great work :)

cteresa

“hibiscus, apple, raisins, rooibos, candied pineapple, candied papaya, orange peel, coconut chips, rosehips, elderberry, mallow blossoms, peach, almonds and cinnamon”

goodness. That is a lot of stuff indeed.

I am not biased against a lot of stuff, sometimes a lot of stuff is perfection itself and unlikely ingredients can work. But this ingredient list, well, it would take a genius to make it work.

TheKesser

lol I love this review too! I had to read it to my husband. He laughed too. I haven’t tried this tea yet, but man, that sounds like a lot of ingredients. I could see how that would definitely confuse anyone.

Ysaurella

yes a lot of ingredients the only probs is …where is the tea in DT ? I never found it…

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100

Noël à Venise!

I liked the DF advent calendar but I felt that all the other teas were a bit samey after a while. Orange, chocolate, cloves, or caramel. This one technically is toffee but all I get is buttery vanilla and meyer lemon – quite a difference to the other teas in the box. It was the only one from the calendar that I considered a must order. (which just meant I got to order some new to me teas and hope for the best – so, silver linings!)

I’m not sure what it is about this tea, but it feels specifically designed for my palate. I was that girl who sucked on lemon wedges just because and I like vanilla and cream anything over chocolate, any day.

I was nervous about the transition from tea bag to loose leaf, though. Mostly I was worried about the teaspoon/gram amount. I solved this by weighing one of their sachets (2.4 grams) and just weighing out the dry leaf in a strainer. I don’t know why I was so nervous, I think it was because I’d had such a perfect first experience and didn’t know how subsequent ones would measure up.

It’s like I’ve forgotten Tea Lessons 101: loose leaf is always better.

Dry leaf – still sweet/tart lemon with a heavy cream undertone. The boyfriend, who rolled his eyes at me having to go outside the country to support my tea habit, did grudgingly admit it smelled good – a pastry tart, was his description. To me it’s also strongly reminiscent of Earl Grey Cream, but lemon and not bergamot.

The taste is just as perfect as I remember, too – great without additives, warm and comforting but not super heavy since the lemon is such a bright counterpoint. It is just fantastic, and the fact that I was able to replicate the experience is what is nudging it up to the 100.

Welcome home, Noël à Venise. You will always be a staple in my cupboard.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
yyz

I’m so glad you found one you loved out of the experience! What else did you pick up?

Anna

Those eyerolls? They’re eyerolls of LOVE.

Sil

seriously..what else what else!

caile

Sounds perfect.

greenteafairy

This sounds wonderful!

JoonSusanna

I ended up going with this (which is now out of stock according to Dammann… WAH!), Figue Fraîche, and their Moroccan mint since it uses the traditional nana mint. The smallest amt. you can buy is 100 g. so with that in mind I only went with teas I was sure I would like. I’ve had all of them now though so I’ll be putting up notes in a minute!

yyz

It’s still available at cadeau- deco-vendome and the other place I listed. I’m glad you got yours though!

JoonSusanna

@yyz – thanks, I saw that, and it appears to have been restocked at DF’s website as well. This is good, because I had a slight throat-clutching panic stricken moment that this would be a seasonal offering only. Glad that’s not the case!

yyz

I hate that! Especially as this tea really has a year round flavour.

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This is admittedly not going to be so much a specific tasting note as an exclamation about this whole deal and my surprise at it.

sunshine5150 helpfully mentioned Teabox (formerly darjeelingteaxpress) was having a half off sale on most of their big sampler kits about a week ago. I was really not in the mood to order more tea given my Black Friday sales hangover (har) but I looove me some darjeeling, this is the time of year I crave it most, and when I saw what the darj kit entailed my eyes figuratively popped out of my sockets—over 70 (75 actually, as they threw in 3 extra freebie samples) 10g samples, with a bajillion different estates and styles and seasons represented (I did a breakdown and you get the survey experience of first, second, and/or autumn flushes—and sometimes extra grades of each—for a number of estates/regions, among them Jungpana, Giddahapar, Goomtee, Thurbo, Margaret’s Hope, Avongrove, Sourenee, and Himalayan, along with stuff from Namring, Castleton, Puttabong, Arya, etc., some unusual twists on darjeeling in the form of green teas, whites, oolongs, blends represenative of each flush period, and unusual extra grades or especially muscatel stuff), for $56 with shipping included. Ain’t a pittance granted, but for what you get, the size and scope of the thing, if you’re a darjeeling lover it’s pretty irresistable (I worked it out and it’s like less than 15 cents a cup and less than $2.16 per ounce, which for samples as opposed to bulk ordering is very good).

I had trepidation thinking maybe the reason it was such a good deal is the teas, especially first flush ones, are old/stale, and maybe they skimp on quality and packaging, but no. Arrived in well under a week via FedEx and I am very impressed with the sample packaging—the bags block light completely, not just on one side, are resealable, and include lots of info individually labeled about steep time, date, source, etc. All of the teas I’ve tried so far at random (3 or 4 today) have been from 2013. And I realize I’m some kind of underleafer sometimes (it never feels like it though…I use an accurate measuring teaspoon and round the top of it to start) but I’m getting 4 solid cups (sometimes with a bit leftover even) of tea every time. Awesome!

With SO MANY darjs to try with similar but not quite exactly the same details (I’ve done this kind of “by estate and season survey” sample thing before with other spots, Upton comes to mind, manually) it gets really overwhelming, and since it’s constantly changing a while back I just decided to roll with it and enjoy darj samples each year without worrying too much about specifics, you know, a sort of “just going along for the ride” attitude. That said, so far these Teabox samples are much, much better than Upton’s were—better packaging, fresher, better tasting. And cheaper, man! Steepster makes my life better all the time, I tell ya.

BTW, I painstakingly added all 75 Teabox teas from this package to the DB this afternoon (yes I am that OCD), but I can’t for the life of me find URLs for the tea images that play nice with Steepster’s pic grabber. If anyone knows how to add those pics, let me know or feel free of course to add the images…sad without pictures!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
JustJames

wow! well the new ones will keep you busy!

Dexter

Wow that sounds like a great deal. Have fun trying and comparing all those darjs.

Dexter

Sunshine added a picture for this one. Not sure how she got the four way split photo. I can get the single images to load by using the photo URLs…

Anna

What a great purchase, ifjuly… and I love that you added all the teas. My OCD would like to offer your OCD its compliments.

NofarS

Thanks for the tip!

keychange

You’re awesome! so jealous over here.

caile

Wow, that’s great!

greenteafairy

This sounds awesome! Definitely adding Teabox to my list of vendors to order from in the future.

ifjuly

hahaha Anna, a tip of the hat from my OCD to yours. :b

y’all so nice. It’s going to be a lot of fun to spend all of this winter visiting all of darjeeling through time and space in teacups. If you love darjeeling but are still not a crazy expert and want to survey it thoroughly, I recommend! And thanks guys for your nice comments.

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1
drank Karkadé by Pompadour
303 tasting notes

Oh, holy horror.

So my friend K is a sweetheart in every possible way. We were talking about tea at some point in December and she said she had this amazing tea I had to try, which, in fact, was Italian. And I was delighted, because hey – some Italian looseleaf company I had yet to hear of, awesome.

And then she brought me a bag of this.

I obviously felt like the biggest tea snob, but it was like someone telling you you had to taste the most delicious meat dish on earth, and then they drop an unskinned, smelly polecat in your lap.

So.

Hibiscus tea.

Bagged hibiscus tea.

All accompanied by this ‘Oh, this is the best thing ever!’ bounciness. It was hilarious.

But of course I decided to try it! K is awesome, if she loved it, it couldn’t be all that bad, I figured.

First of all, this is the most potent tea dye I have ever seen. I don’t know if I’ll dare look in the mirror after my first sip, for I fear my teeth will turn a deep crimson. This tea bag bleeds in the most unsavoury way possible. I swear I could paint a wall with it.

Steeped, it smells of… absolutely nothing. But it’s very, very red.

Oh man.

This is the worst tea I have had in my life. It tastes like sour blood. There’s this vile, metallic tone to it, which is disturbingly meaty, and the sourness is completely out of hand.

I am laughing so hard right now, but I have to take one more sip for science.

Okay.

Yes, still equally bad, if not worse – it tastes like sour, juiceleaky meat wrapped in paper.

What have I learned from this?

a) Tea snobbery can save lives.

b) I love my friends, maybe especially when they’re trying to kill me.

[Assassination attempt by K, Rome 2013.]

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Sil

lmao awesome

Anna

FOR SCIENCE.

JustJames

this is called taking one for the team. tea team. =0)

caile

lol!!!

K S

The very first legitimate argument I have ever read in defense of tea snobbery and so very funny.

gmathis

Thank you for the laugh. I needed that this evening!

cteresa

Poor you. Oh Poor you. The bad taste in tea good people can have is truly astounding.

There is some italian tea (italian blend, not italian grown, though should let you know there is for example portuguese grown tea which is quite good). I never bought it, but some metal, grey containers, cylindrical? There was a chai mix with star anise I wondered about. I have seen those for sale around, always wondered if they were any good.

cteresa

nevermind, google is our friend, found the tea brand name – Blend teas

http://www.blendweb.it/IT/default.aspx

are they any good?

Anna

Oh, cteresa, I missed your comment completely last time around, but we already exchanged messages about Blend – they’re not responding to e-mails about retail locations, but I’ll keep my eyes open.

cteresa

LOL, funny that I can find it more easily in Lisbon than you in Rome!

Anna

It’s SO Italian.

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79

I am drinking this because I was up until 4 to watch the new Sherlock ep (the only chance I had) and now my eyes are heavy all day and I need this to help wake me up. I added milk and maple agave as a treat.

I’m rewatching the Empty Hearse right now because I missed some of the dialogue and that’s a shame because the entire episode was brilliant.

Just brilliant. I am fan-girling SO HARD!!!

Ana

It’s hard to pick up on, but one of the theories on Anderson’s wall is the Tardis one where the Doctor saved Sherlock. :D

TeaLady441

That’s great. I’ll have to pause it there and take a closer look!

Mercuryhime

I need to rewatch it too. It was overwhelming. It’s way glitzier and Sherlock seems much different. I loved every second though!
When they announced that the next episode would be on Sunday at the end of the episode I shook my husband by his lapels and squeed with manic glee. I hope he doesn’t think I’m crazy now…

oddree

I am planning a rewatch already too – sooooo much going on! I’m already sending new episode related fics to my kindle :)

TeaLady441

Oh, i haven’t even looked for fics yet. I didn’t expect them so quickly!

JustJames

there’s a new sherlock out? now i’ll be up, lol. i was up for different reasons.

Veronica

It doesn’t premier here until Jan. 19. Sob!

TeaLady441

I… may have cheated to see it sooner. :p

Shmiracles

i started and ended my day with a sherlock inspired tea! they go so well together! and the episode is super re-watchable.

Sil

i finally just watched the last episode from last season…i’ve been holding on to it…waaaaiting…

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81
drank Strawberry Oolong Tea by Teavivre
15061 tasting notes

While it’s well known that i’m not a huge fan of oolongs, this is one that i like a bunch. The strawberry cuts the oolongy taste out of the picture and makes it a refreshingly delicious cup of tea. It’s never something i’ll want all the time, but i for sure want this in my cupboard every now and then. I love that the strawberry isn’t overwhelmingly present and it’s not the least bit artificial. great tea teavivre!

boychik

i like it iced

Sil

i’ll have to try that!

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91
drank L'Hiver (Winter Tea) by Fauchon
390 tasting notes

every new tea vendor brings with them a new romance. sometimes it takes awhile for a meeting of the minds…. this blend represents that compromise between fauchon and i. we’ve had a touch and go seduction, me often wondering if i was a bit mad because everyone loved fauchon and i was just kindof… there. however, no longer.

mint, maybe rosemary essence? mallow root or something soft like it. the blend itself had little tufts in it, like snow, bits of lightness.

very light, very fresh, an overall elixir no defined winter punch screaming ‘spearming’, ‘peppermint’, ‘white chocolate’, an overall picture of winter skaters on the rideau canal, shivering forms at the top of the tour eiffel…

what’s this is see behind my review page… this is a white tea? i had hoped this would happen, but was losing hope.

i am very impressed.

thanks MissB!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec
MissB

I love this tea. Someone else asked me to grab as much of it as I could for them (blanking out as to who on here), because they loved it so. I have to agree! It’s delightful. So glad you enjoyed it too!

JustJames

thank you for the treat!

Sil

yeah…for a white tea…this is pretty tasty heh

TheTeaFairy

I like the idea of calling a new relationship with a vendor a new romance :-)

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94

This is so beautiful my oh my oh my.

This first steep brews up a lovely champagne color and is primarily a sweet green oolong with highlights of jasmine.

The second steep (4:00) is where there really opens into a beautiful bouquet. The color becomes slightly warmer and deeper. The rose becomes the dominant flavor, but the other’ still play in the background. It’s lovely and immersive without being perfumey or artificial, and it manages to be strongly flavored while still being delicate.

The third steep (5:00) smells more of lavender and tastes more of it too. While the rose is still a dominant flavor, the lavender matches it in presence. There’s a really gentle jasmine flutter at the tail of the sip.

This tea is elevating me to a place of calm, and zen, where things are all teddy bears puppies and butterflies. I just want to get lost in this cup forever.

Thank you Short Sorceress!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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86
drank Oriental Beauty by Butiki Teas
15061 tasting notes

i love cleaning up things! since we’re both sick today, we’re having a relaxing day of watching tv, cleaning up little messes around the house, playing games, napping etc… it also means i get to putter about drinking teas that spring to mind like this one. days off are the best!

Anna

Cleaning up the little messes is so rewarding.

Kamyria

I wish I had little messes… My house routinely gets destroyed during holidays… lol

Sil

haha we need an over haul as well but today was the little things we could accomplish like putting the bookcase in order, organising my filing etc..

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85

This is more of a tasting note for me to rant and complain, so feel free to skip on by if you don’t want to read about it.

So I do not get at all why companies think that when you are sick you want yellow dye # whatever and massive doses of sugar to help you feel better. I would figure the all natural route would be the way to go. By the way, all you “all natural ingredients” companies, any type of colour dye # whatever is not a natural ingredient. Just saying.

I made basic noodle soup (powder and noodles from a packet), full of dye and sugar. I don’t think neon yellow soup broth is why I want to eat this right now. Same with the neocitron I rarely drink but am giving a chance today, I don’t need my mouth to pucker from the amount of sugar in it. Let’s be clear, no one drinks this because it tastes good. Anyway, jeez!!!

So I am drinking a cup of neocitron at the same time I am drinking this tea. The lemon flavoured aftertaste of the neocitron actually tastes pretty good with the oolong. I may have to try to add some lemon next time I brew this tea. I am finding the oolong to be not too bold, there is just a slight orange blossom flavour. Not too chemical tasting which I find some orange blossom teas taste so that is a plus today.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Fjellrev

I don’t get that either. Slightly off-topic, but that reminds me of a conversation I had the other day with my mom about bought soups. Packed full of sodium and chemicals. I feel sad for people whose only idea of soup is that kind of stuff.

I only tried Neocitron once and it didn’t seem to do anything. But I hope you’ll nevertheless feel better soon!

Lala

I really wanted to make homemade chicken soup but didn’t have the ingredients and wasn’t in any shape to go out. So I had to settle for what in the cupboard. Ha ha. I am feeling better today than I was yesterday. I just have to watch how fast I move.

Fjellrev

Haha yeah, that is the thing. Homemade soup requires ingredients, time, and energy. When I used to live near my family, my grandma would load me up on containers of her homemade turkey vegetable soup and borscht, so whenever I needed some healthy hearty food, I’d just fetch one out of the freezer and warm it on the stove. That seems to be the only way to get good soup when you’re sick!

yyz

My aunt used to brew a earl grey tea bag in neocitron. I onlynhad it once and I was so sick I could barely walk but I remember it making the neocitron taste a little less sweet and medicinal. I prefer to avoid the dyes and additives when possible too! I love either having soup or daal in my fridge in winter. Easy and comforting.

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Happy New Year, everyone!
This morning, I was in pretty rough shape. Doing a little better now. Woke up completely stuffed up (the heater has been working overtime lately since it is super cold out and that has been angering my allergies). I’m also half tired, a little hung over, and my brain just doesn’t want to function properly. I decided I wanted to start off with a gentle tea and opted for this one. The honey notes are so soothing. Normally, I would go with a strong breakfast tea but I wanted a lot of flavor and complexity and a gentle alertness. I’m slowly starting to recover. I had such a wonderful night last night. Normally, we do huge parties at our house but since both my husband and I had been super busy lately we didn’t want the added stress of hosting a big party. Instead, we ended up visiting my best friend in Philly and had a small gathering of just 6. We played games, drank, and then went to the roof of a nearby building to watch fireworks. It was really nice. Here is a pic of me & the hubby on the roof (2 hoodies and a snowboarding jacket and of course, I was still cold): https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1428774404024535&set=a.1402962459939063.1073741830.100006759666084&type=1&theater

I have to go in to work today but I’m currently debating whether or not to visit a friend. They are hosting a Winter Classic party. It would be really nice to catch up with some friends and see the Winter Classic but they do have 2 newborn babies which I’m not sure if I can handle right now. I’m pretty content just chilling here in my jammies, catching up on the internet, and playing my new crystal singing bowl. My husband had ordered a singing bowl for me on behalf of his parents for Christmas but it didn’t make it here until yesterday. I have a singing bowl collection and this is my first crystal bowl. I love this bowl! There is just something magical about singing bowls.

Nicole

I love the singing bowls!!! Don’t have any yet, but I always play with my aunt’s when I go to her house.

Butiki Teas

Nicole-They are so awesome! I find them to be really good at releasing stress and even help with hangovers. If you ever decide to get one, Silver Sky Imports is really awesome. I stalk them on ebay for good deals and they often run 20% off specials on their website, though their ebay auctions are often cheaper than they discount. They have recordings of each bowl they sell, they appropriately package the bowls, and they are very good quality.

Nicole

Oooo… off to Ebay I go! Thanks for the recommendation.

Butiki Teas

Here is a link for them: http://www.ebay.com/usr/silverskyimports. If you want a really good price, it can sometimes take weeks to find a really great deal. :)

Fjellrev

That’s cool that you collect singing bowls!

I hope your allergies will get better soon. Mine have been going wonko too. So annoying.

Butiki Teas

Fjellrev-Thanks. Hopefully, the weather will decide to stay consistent so my allergies can settle down. Sorry to hear your allergies are wonky too.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

I’m one of those people who spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day by myself. I’m probably not the only one…and after years and years, I don’t feel sorry for myself about it.

There was a time when I was forced to be around New Years events that I didn’t want to be around…and I ended up afraid of what could happen to me at the hand of an abusive person.

I’m so thankful in my present life to be safe!

Tonight I put on good music, made some dip and crackers…had a really good dinner too. Worked on my Pinterest Boards.

Now, here we are together…you, my friends on Steepster.

It’s just us with some tea.

If you’re alone like me…make some tea and I’ll tell you how this tea made me feel…how it took me back to another December.

The Story:
Silicon Valley is a new title for the Valley I grew up in.
Once it was known as the ‘Prune Capitol of the World’ not the center of technology.
On one side of the Valley are the small Coast Range Mountains and then the Pacific Ocean.
At Christmas, my children Aaron, Annalisa and I would bundle up and head up narrow Black Road…winding our way through Ponderosa Pine and Redwood Forests..up, up through mountain mists until we reached our favorite tree farm.

The dirt entry off the paved road was perched above the tree farm. As we looked below us, we could see a low ranch house and a big rustic woodshed decorated with Christmas lights, candy canes and stars. A woodfire billowed sweet smelling smoke into the cold, damp air. A hidden machine blew bubbles like snow high into the sky. It was magical!

When we arrived a rotund, aproned Mrs.Claus greated us with laughter, hot cider and ginger cookies…then gave us instructions on how to cut our tree to protect the trunk for regrowth.

We tumbled laughing and yelling through rows and rows of fragrant trees, letting the branches swipe across our faces…rushing off here and there to be first to find the perfect tree.

Such delightful joy!

I often think that this was one of those moments that God allowed me to be a child…as it does now in the retelling of the story.

The Tea:
When I prepared this tea…the use of real Ponderosa Pine with ‘mild’ Yabao in the blend, transported me back those 30 years.
I could smell the sweet, fresh cut fir tree and the sap. It’s a sweet smell. Then, brown sugar, graham cracker…nutmeg and ginger.

Spot-on this tea takes me deep into the WINTER FOREST.

I’m a lover of raw innovation…bold creativity and high standards in blends. No spay-tan flavors to make-a-buck pseudo-tea for me.

One of the memories that lasts throughout your life is scent and taste. Cool isn’t it. All the tea will associate with places and people…woods and trees, love and celebrations.

Evergreen Spice allowed me to become myself 30 years ago with my young children in the Coastal Mountains cutting down a Christmas Tree with the scent of Redwoods and Pine. Spiced Cider and cookies…

How glorious is that!

Blessed 2014 to you all my beloved friends!

A note: Not a critic of real sugar here but I have a critical note for once below:
(No artificial sweetener…none…nada…it changes the yabao into soap so don’t please.)

(Yikes this is review 666 on New Years Eve…good thing that I have no fear! It’s funny!)

cryptickoi

I really like your stories,it is one of the reasons I decided you to follow you…I am alone as well with my cats and my tea,haha…I don’t feel feel sorry for myself about it either…happy new year!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Thanks for the stories and reviews, Bonnie! Here’s to a happy new year! :D

Bonnie

Woo hoo! 2014! I’ll turn 66…choke, sputter! I still have 28 minutes in Mountain Time. Who came up with Mountain Time anyway…most of the Country has no idea what Mountain Time is!
So…a few thousand people most of which can now legally get high in Colorado…live in a time zone outside normal space. For some reason, we’re not as fat as the rest of the Country and we’re pretty happy. Mountain Time.

Bonnie

I don’t drink. Only tea.

Anna

What a great note. Happy new year, Bonnie!

Roughage

Happy New Year, Bonnie. :)

Ysaurella

Bonne Année Bonnie – you’re so right : it’s always better to be alone rather than in bad company.

Bonnie

You are good company my friends!

mrmopar

She’s the best!

Bonnie

Let’s have a party!

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80
drank Dreamsicle Puerh by 52teas
871 tasting notes

Made this one as an iced tea and it is Delicious!

It is all orange creamsicle and no puerh. Just perfect. It is not as creamy as it is when hot, but it is still smooth. There is a bit more peppery orange rind in the iced tea.

I brewed 4 tsp for 2 minutes and then filled up a liter jug with cold water. I added about 2 tsp white sugar to sweeten.

Sil

mmmm i so need to pull this out to try it

Terri HarpLady

ohhhh, this sounds interesting too!

Sil

terri – i should have enough to share at some point.

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77
drank Black Dragon Pearls by Teavana
15061 tasting notes

my new years day plans have been ruined by being sick. So much for getting to drink tea and play board games with friends all day. Might just need to make it up by “forcing” my other half to play games with me all day. Not nearly as much fun as gaming with more than the two of us but i really don’t want to get anyone else sick.

I had a cup of this in the morning. I’m struggling with working today so i may call it quits sooner rather than later.

Anna

My husband claims that when it comes to colds, you’re not particularly contagious when you actually experience symptoms, and you only remain (even slightly) contagious for about three or so days into the cold. So, you know, if you avoid licking your friends’ eyeballs and don’t sneeze on your hands right before you touch the dice, you should be fine. Also I know this doesn’t help at all, and feel better.

caile

Aww Hope you feel better soon!

Sil

yeah, i’ve heard that, but better safe than sorry. one of my friends is pregnant and the other is a school teacher lol

Nicole

I just discovered Carcassone for the iPad and have given up on getting my other half to play with me. :) I hope you feel better soon!

Sil

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH carcasonne! ipad/iphone! yes! yes!

Nicole

Oh… I just realized. We could play Carcassone together, too. :) The internet is such an amazing thing. :)

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83

interesting…. american tea room, what exactly are you doing? if i don’t miss my mark ifjuly is in a sassy mood and is deliberately choosing provocative samples to send my way, lol!!!

first, this did NOT look like an oolong to me…. green curls made me think think of another sinensis. second, it smelled very much like bakery coconut. meh. we would see.

what this blend is is GREEN!??!!!! a lightly roasted tasting green-esque tea, NOT a bakery coconut (the smell was lying) more like a green/fresh coconut! light but nutty. not overpowering…. the coconut has a round taste as opposed to the stabbing sharpness that any green fruit has the potential to have.

there is an indefinable floral that is very mild. as it cools, the coconut itself takes on the toasted flavour.

hmmmmm….. american tea room and ifjuly being sassy in a tree!!!

don’t know if i’d buy, but it caught my attention!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec
JustJames

holy sassy anna!! lol

Anna

I can’t help it. EVERY time someone says ‘sassy’, that’s what I hear in my head. It’s an AFFLICTION!

ifjuly

lololol

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