Sipdown no. 13 of April 2019 (no. 62 of 2019 total, no. 550 grand total). A sample.
Another single serving Bana pu erh sample. I rinsed with boiling water and let it sit for 15 minutes (actually more) and then steeped in the gaiwan at boiling for 5/5/7/7/10/10/20/30/40/60
It is similar to the Purple Tip of yesterday, in that it has a sort of a smoky/dusky aspect to the aroma and flavor. I didn’t find the mouthfeel as oily, and the color is a bit different — pale yellow with particulate matter in it for the first couple of infusions turning to a darker gold-apricot.
I kept going back and forth between the Purple Tip and this one as to which I like better. The do have similar aromas and flavors. Just when I’d convince myself that the Purple Tip was richer, though, I’d have a steep that made me think this one was — and just when thought that this one was a lot more smoky than the Purple Tip, a steep would reverse that impression.
It has a lot of the same character, at least to me. I consistently taste butter/white chocolate/cocoa in sheng. This one also had a coffee note in the third steep that I think came from the combination of smoke and cocoa.
But it also has a sort of a cool, menthol aspect to the aftertaste which I didn’t get with the Purple Tip. It leaves a very soft feel in the mouth.
I had this while trying to binge watch the original Dr. Who through a trial with Britbox. I’ve watched some Dr. Who from time to time, never religiously, though I watched all of Torchwood and quite liked it.
But now I’m going to say something certain to provoke strong reactions. I am not enjoying the original first season much at all.
First of all, I know it was 1963-64 but the production values are pretty awful. The acting is like strong amateur acting, not really professional. The writing is ponderous. It goes on and on and on about a very simple plot point and then some woman screams, and then it goes on and on again. Not much substance.
I’m also not liking the directing — the cave men speak perfect 20th century English! So do the other folks from other planets.
Indeed, I found the first series with the cavemen borderline unwatchable. The second, with the Daleks is sort of campy and has fun moments, but for the most part, also ponderous.
I feel kind of sad that I feel this way. I had such high hopes.
Maybe it will get better. I hope so.
Flavors: Butter, Cocoa, Coffee, Menthol, Roasted, Smoke, White Chocolate
Yeah they definitely stretched those plots out far too long in order to try to make each last 4-6 episodes. Still, there’s always at least something to appreciate in an episode – maybe humor, philosophical moments, or world building. It’s probably most enjoyable to watch a little at a time, as it was originally aired, but I totally understand making the most of your free trial!
There was a time that Twitch.tv streamed the entirity of Classic Who and I just jumped in and caught bits and pieces of different serials, which worked well for me, because I was more interested in just seeing the different personalities of each Doctor and learning the different companions from the back history. I’ve seen all the seasons chronologically since the 2005 “reboot” and most “New Whovians” have started into the series that way. You kind of have to be a fan of campy, low-budget cheesy sci-fi films, the kind that are riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000/Rifftrax to go back and still appreciate the origins of Doctor Who. Even when I got into it at the first 2005 season (Eccleston) I had a hard time with the premier episode and asked my friend, who grew up watching Who, if it was “supposed to be cheesy”; when he said yes, I loosened up a bit and gave it a few more episodes. I found the episodes after the 2005 premier were much better than the first one and then I got really into it. I now go to Doctor Who conventions!
That tea sounds quite interesting!
There is an explanation for the whole language thing, but I think it’s explained much later.
I ended up tanking my Britbox trial subscription. I made it through several more Dr. Whos, but at the end of the day I decided I wasn’t really going to invest the time to watch them all. Instead, I started binge watching Orange is the New Black, which I never thought I would like. It’s how I felt about Breaking Bad — why in the world would I want to watch something about a women’s prison? How depressing, right? But it sucked me in and it’s funnier than I expected, albeit in a dark way.