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i should be drinking this out of porcelain shouldn’t i.
yes definitely porcelain.

i love lapsang. and even more i LOVE lapsang blends.
i will treasure my sample of this until the last cup.

this is the first cold brew i ever consciously made as a cold brew.
i usually just end up with half drank cups and occasionally chose to refrigerate them instead of dumping them out.
i will definitely cold brew more of my herbals during the summer.

do you ever feel like all of your rooibos and herbal teas are really just basically the same tea with just one ingredient taken out and another added?
i’m kinda starting to feel that way.

(except for cocomint cream. you are a unique snowflake to me.)

okay, you have no idea how long i have had this sample and have been avoiding drinking it. not only am i not really a chai fan. but i really hate the design of the little sample tea sachet package. i went to art school —snob! and in my opinion it’s super ugly.

basically i had very low expectations for this tea.

so, um, i don’t hate this tea. let’s leave it there are call it a rooibos victory.

Breaker by Low
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY8OUjxzBhs

this tea is nice. smooth and pumpkin-esque. i definitely taste the nutmeg and cinnamon. it’s a cute flavor? i know that’s a strange descriptor. but i don’t feel very moved by this tea. not sure why. i just find it very nice is all.

i am doing everything in my power to NOT register for the Pike’s Peak Marathon in Colorado.
“Starting … at 6,300 feet and gaining about 7,750 feet before reaching the finish line or turnaround point at around 14,050 feet, the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon will redefine what you call running. In fact, many runners spend a great deal of time walking.”
why would i even consider this if i don’t even like running on hills?
please god help me.
(yes i have googled things like “Pike’s Peak death”, “Pike’s Peak dangerous” and “Pike’s Peak horrible”)

so yes, i mentioned yesterday that i had a tea log organization project going on. and last night i deleted over 150 tea logs that had no notes. i’m sure there are more to delete too. but before i can, i have about 30 teas that i need to drink again and write proper notes for first. …….. i know who am i kidding?! i don’t write proper notes or reviews!! i mean seriously, looking through my log last night, my reviews range mostly from posting someone else’s poetry, to nerding out on tv or fan fic, to complaining about the weather, and then maybe saying the tea has coconut in it. ….my most verbose reviews are really just me flirting with the fictional character the tea is named after.

i’m so glad the rest of you properly review tea so i can learn from you! …. and also so i can then be lazy about it and constantly indulge my flights of fancy!

i’ve been really into oolongs lately. but was putting off re-trying this tea. something about the orange scent was so strong i’d always think “but where’s the oolong” and put it back on the shelf. but after it’s been brewed it’s not so bam-in-your-face. to me, it IS however more orange than caramel and creme . in fact i can tell the creme is there but i think the caramel has left the building with this cup.

i like it but i’m probably not going to buy this again. i have about two more cups left to decide.

a song by The XX has been in my head for days

Crystalised
You’ve applied the pressure
To have me crystallized
And you’ve got the faith
That I could bring paradise

I’ll forgive and forget
Before I’m paralyzed
Do I have to keep up the pace
To keep you satisfied

Glaciers have melted to the sea
(Things have gotten closer to the sun)
I wish the tide would take me over
(And I’ve done things in small doses)
I’ve been down onto my knees
(So don’t think that I’m pushing you away)
And you just keep on getting closer
(When you’re the one that I’ve kept closest)
Go slow

i love when i open pandora and it just knows that i wanna hear The Smiths.
i love being able to walk to work and still be on time.
i love that it’s 50 degrees out and i have a midday errand to run.

Morrissey, i know you are a maybe-racist, but you are also endearingly nicknamed a “prophet for the fourth sex” and i think you would like this maple sugar tea. please have some with me. it’s dark and sweet and just a little bitter. and i’m pretty sure it’s vegan. (Bring It On Down To Veganville!)

it’s probably a little bitter cuz i over steeped it a tad. or over leafed it? it was one of those scenarios where you have just enough tea left for either 1 cup and a mini cup. or 2 weak cups, or 1 strong cup. like a scoop and a smidgen of leaf left. (probably should have saved it for a random blendo cup oh well)

Tea Guys teas are nothing like David’s Tea teas. the scent of the teas are often so strong it almost hurts, and the flavor is always very tea forward. here i smell the maple very strong, but mostly taste the strong black base first. this is a good thing! no fluff or mirrors or artificalness. just maple maple maple and tea tea tea.

now let’s dance.

What Difference Does It Make?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7MN5aJBQVs
All men have secrets and here is mine
So let it be known
For we have been through hell and high tide
I can surely rely on you …
And yet you start to recoil
Heavy words are so lightly thrown
But still I’d leap in front of a flying bullet for you

So, what difference does it make ?
So, what difference does it make ?
It makes none
But now you have gone
And you must be looking very old tonight

this time i brewed this and actually drank it :)

this tea is delightful. basically it tastes like pineapple water, or like the pineapple coconut water i buy but minus the coconut? i don’t really taste any peach or appley notes, but maybe they’ll come out next cup. it’s light and breezy and not too sweet and not too sour. this will be a summer mid day tea i’m sure. one vote for yum!

this morning i had the iced version (leftovers from the previous night), and again i was reminded that i’m not really an iced tea person. i end up feeling like all the flavors go hollow and are missing that spring in their step. i will continue to try chilling my tea as the seasons change and check if i still feel the same. i’m sure eventually it will click.

came home from work, skipped the gym, and organized my tea a little instead. nothing big. just putting some new bags in tins and labeling them. having a small part left over of ‘exotica’ and trying to cold brew for the first time. sorting some small amounts to take to work with me for future use. and brewing up a few herbal tumblers to drink for the night.

this is one of the teas i need to finish up. it’s not a very spring type of tea. and i like it enough. and turmeric is good for you. and we all know carytown teas has a REALLY GREAT track record. but basically i’ve had enough of this tea for now. mostly a lemongrass and turmeric blend. it’s good. i’d TOTALLY buy it again.

A post from 10 months ago that i put under the wrong tea!::::
ICED! actually a lovely iced tea. for sure! who would’ve thought! (I’m experimenting with all of my teas. whether they seem iced friendly or not.) i’m not brewing them traditionally either. i just brew it like a normal tea, 4 cups at a time, and then let it cool and put it in the fridge. then if it’s really hot out i can use a few ice cubes, or i can also just have it in a normal glass without ice. this tea was better when i watered it down a little with some ice. it brought the turmeric zing and made the ginger taste a little sweeter.

i brewed this at 10am and just rested the lid on top of my timolino. and now it’s still too hot to drink.
not complaining!! maybe i should buy stock in timolino. or go work for the company. or get a timolino tattoo.

this tea is F-ing awesome.
it has a wonderful teeny tiny amount of sweetness.
so glad I got it.

(i was a dance major in high school and college. for perspective, i was so serious at the time that i almost went to Julliard.)
last weekend i took my first dance class in over 15 years.
it was mentally hard cuz i’m not used to memorizing combinations and i was very anxious, but it was also surprisingly doable physically.
during the class i was stressed and being hard on myself but i knew i was gonna have to experience my baggage in order to get through it and do it. hello dance baggage. whomp whomp.
but it wasn’t nearly as haunting as i thought it was going to be. and i feel so excited for the next class.
it was a Horton style class. and i hope to go for months and months to come.

wow i really should drink more of this.
i really like my two bold green blends from Davids (this and African Mint) but they tend to always be put second in line to my other teas. i can’t explain why. but maybe today’s sips will be the wind of change.
i spontaneously went out for some beers last night so having green balancing teas like this are obviously a good idea today. lemony and fresh. i bet this will also be a good iced tea. and even though i tend to prefer my teas hot, this one still has spring written on it’s leaves.