313 Tasting Notes

100

OH MAN.

Pollution is bad, guys. For reals. So last Wednesday, my husband and I flew out to Los Angeles for a long long weekend of dorky social and mayhem. He’d never been to America, let alone LA, and I’d been a fair few times now, but MAN, it is full on. I’d be exhausted regardless, but I’ve never felt the smog quite as much as we did on this trip. I don’t know if it’s my age or it was just really heavy right now, but just being outside and breathing in, you immediately get this hit of something nasty grating against your airways. I’m used to the black snot you get from a day out in London, but this was HARDCORE. The only place worse that I can think of is Beijing. Now that we’re home, it feels like something crawled down my throat and died. Otherwise it was fun, even though my anxiety was in full swing because weather/people/too much everything.

So I kind of didn’t want to caffeinate myself once we got home yesterday, as we flew out Monday afternoon and landed Tuesday morning, and I really wanted to get a good night’s sleep to try and iron out my crumpled circadian rhythms. Had this with lazy takeaway Singapore noodles and catching up on the cooking shows we’ve missed since last week.

This is just sweet and lovely, like sweet strawberry jam sprinkled with lavender. The vanilla gives it a round warmth, and the lavender is fresh and present, but doesn’t steamroll over everything else as lavender sometimes does. I feel like this would be good cold too, but I super needed warmness.

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90

I am dismayed. I was having a wee wander round the Whittard website looking for some bits, and this one was nowhere to be found! Say it isn’t so, Whittard! This tea is THE ACTUAL BEST THING :(

Now I am sad. I will have to save the half a bag I have left for special occasions. It’s just so cosy and the most perfect cookie flavour, just soft and subtly nutty-buttery, and perfectly sweet. So sad. :(((

Sil

Oh Noes! Email them?

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52

Hmm.

Ok, so I impulse-bought this on the way into the office because the only thing I’m keeping permanently deskside at the moment is a pair of oolongs, and neither go with milk, and sometimes you just want something milky, and it was Monday morning, and I was weak.

I’m sure I should have checked the ingredients before buying, because I sure as heck don’t see any chunks of spices in this, as I’d expect in a chai – whole cloves, bits of cinnamon bark, ginger pieces, cardamom seeds, whatever – and the ingredients list reads “black tea, vanilla, spice, and syrup flavourings (26%).” Huh. Syrup flavouring?

Bananas. Oh my god, what’s with the bananas. This is the second time I’ve had something that calls itself a chai that my brain just tastes as lightly spicy bananas. Like, straight out of the bag I get this REALLY strong whiff of bananas. It smells like the tupperware of banana oat muffins I ate my way through last week. There is no mention of banana on the ingredients list. Why am I getting banana?

There’s a coffee shop in the city centre that does gorgeous coffee and lovely loose-leaf teas from a local company I’m normally fond of (indeed, their Bombay Chai has added bay leaf and tastes like it’s got whole spices in it) but I suspect this might well be what the cafe uses for their vanilla chai latte, because the banana-ness is identical.

Because it tastes like it’s supposed to be a banana tea when I drink it too, either that or somebody stuck a banana in the tea leaves and let it ripen. I’ve done it as per the package directions, hot and very milky, and it’s a bit sweet and creamy and there’s some spicy warmth, but not really any specific spices I can pick out. Maybe the syrup flavouring is uncannily like banana? I have no clue, but as a banana tea goes I’d probably still go for Bluebird’s Monkey Chops or Banana Bake from T2. And I wasn’t looking for a banana tea today, I was looking for a chai, so this is disappointing on all counts. It’s drinkable inasmuch as it’s sweet and milky and not wholly offensive, but man, it’s otherwise just kind of weird.

Twinings, no.

Memily

Hahahahaha oh Twinings. Bless.

Fjellrev

Omg that banana chai has come back to haunt you.

Sami Kelsh

Seriously, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy D:

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100

Wow, I totally forgot I owned this one. I pulled it out on a whim when nothing else appealed to me, and man, it’s FIT. I brewed it a little longer than I’d intended, as my husband is under the weather and I got caught up in giving him a feel-better cuddle for like 5 minutes and forgot my tea was brewing. And it’s fine! I haven’t had a Darjeeling in ages, and this is so nice. It’s so fruity it’s like I chucked a handful of raisins in the mug.

Contrast this with the bagged darjeeling that I had at the office that was bitter and tannic after like a minute and left me with a feeling in the back of my throat as though I’d been sick… no, there’s no comparison. This stuff is GOOD.

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100

Comfort tea time. Oh man, I am so sick. Currently sitting dizzily at my office debating whether it’s worth sticking it out to the end of the day, or calling it quits to go home and rest. I’m figuring the former, as I’d really rather take tomorrow as a sick day when someone else is in the office, as she’ll be there to cover anything urgent and I won’t be grossing her out being all sweaty and snotty. I wouldn’t be so concerned, were it not for the fact that I’m going away from next Wednesday for like a week, so I feel a certain duty to try not to leave a huge backlog before the plane’s even taken off.

My husband bought one of those BB-8 droids that we can drive around using an app on his phone. It’s ridiculous how much that chubby little droid makes my heart do backflips. Like, I say “who’s a good little droid?” in my puppy-voice, and BB-8’s like “beep beep beep beep!” and nods. BB-8 IS a good little droid.

So obviously I’d be remiss if my massive hoard of tea didn’t include something inspired by BB-8’s sweet personality. It’s a blend of black and fruit teas, with sprinkles and fluffy tufts of raspberry leaf, and it smells like a punnet of fresh sun-ripened raspberries kissed by the faintest sprinkle of cinnamon. It starts with the vanilla, quickly joined by raspberry with a juicy finish. It’s not unlike a raspberry jam sponge with a touch of cinnamon for warmth, or maybe a buttery linzer biscuit. And it’s decaf, so it won’t rattle the nerves of slightly anxious little droids. Or me, when I’m already twitching from the caffeine in the Day Nurse I’m taking to try and retain a semblance of human-ness.

ashmanra

My son has a BB-8. Adorable! And I hope you feel better soon!

Fjellrev

I freaking love BB-8 so much and have been so tempted to get the little Sphero mode—which I’m guessing is the one you have—but damn, it’s so expensive.

And now’s there’s a BB-8 tea. Gah!

Really hope you’ll be feeling better soon instead of it dragging out.

Sami Kelsh

We lucked out and my husband got a gift voucher from work for Christmas that was valid in a shop that was selling the BB-8s, as we’d never have afforded the lil’ munchkin at full price! SO CUTE.

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90
drank Strawberries and Cream by T2
313 tasting notes

TERRIBLE NEWS: I’ve had a sore throat for the last 3 days, and had to leave work early on Thursday. I must be coming down with the man flu my husband’s just getting over, so won’t be able to make reliable assessments on tea for a few days. Everything kind of tastes like I-feel-like-I’m-going-to-throw-up.

But this is still a good tea, and having it warm is nice even though I’d normally cold brew it. I ain’t got time for that. Mmm, strawberries.

Fjellrev

Noooooo, hope you’ll feel better soon!

Rosehips

Oh no! Feel better soon!

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86

It’s so weird in Oxford right now. Like, it’s grey and dreary and drizzly and blustery, but the temperature’s gone above 10, so I’m bundled up for the wet and wind, and end up sweltering by the time I get where I’m going. So weird. But at least I’m wearing my Star Trek: TNG cardigan (in science blue, but of course) and thus I feel fabulous.

These weird blustery days are calling for warming teas, so I went for one with bonfire in the name. It’s toasty and buttery and warm but not quite cooked apple, and it’s got a really pleasant character.

Fjellrev

I freaking love that you have one of those cardigans.

Sami Kelsh

I got one of the last ones in stock, I think! Honestly took ages trying to decide which colour uniform to wear. Which Starfleet colour are you?

Fjellrev

Although the blue is tempting symbolism-wise, I’d have to go with red! Someday, I’ll get a dress, something like this: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1c62/

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98
drank Aussie Wattle Breakfast by T2
313 tasting notes

Ughhhhhh.

Ok, so I got an email from my colleague basically chewing me out for not yet having entered a bunch of stuff into our new database, which I’d planned on catching up with today. Email’s from Friday afternoon, when I’m not in the office. GREAT. Spent most of today freaking out about how my team will think I’m incompetent and want to fire me and all that scary jazz and stress that OH MY GOD my perma-fatigued, brain-foggy, suddenly-overweight self does not need in my life.

Like, I’ve been working here for a few months now and I swear to Gosh I can’t afford to be fired from the university because it’s basically the only employer in town, and nobody’s paying me to write.

But this tea is one of my favourites. It’s all pleasantly almondy cinnamony warm Australian goodness.

Fjellrev

Oh no, I’m sure it will be ok. I wish they would be more empathetic. There are so many hours in a day to do everything you need to do.

Sami Kelsh

Right?! Oh well. It’s possible I might be sent to York on a training course in March, which I can then fold into the weekend and basically have the uni pay for my train fare to spend a few days with friends in a beautiful city. It’s not all concerns and database poop… :p

Fjellrev

I hope the uni will follow through with that for you! Sounds like a nice chance to get out of where and switch gears for a while.

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90

So I’ve been prescribed an iron supplement for about a month now, and it’s seriously cramping my style inasmuch as I have to be really careful eating and drinking around it – for some stupid reason, tea inhibits its effectiveness, and so does dairy. TEA AND DAIRY ARE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT FOOD GROUPS TO ME, WHYYYYYYYYYYYY

So as a result of this I’m trying to find herbals and rooibos teas I can drink early and late in the day that won’t interfere with my attempt to see whether the iron tablets will be enough to make me not a complete wreck. This one’s a no-brainer because a) it’s rhubarb, which is one of my favourite tastes; and b) it’s Bluebird, and their teas are reliably delicious. So this one went down a treat as always last night, all creamy rhubarby goodness in harmony with the taste I like about rooibos, and none of the sickly medicinal-ness that I don’t. Win!

(Also, feel free to recommend me your favourite rooibos/herbals, as I’mma have to increase my arsenal of them if this iron thing ends up being long-term. Help me, Steepster hive mind, you’re my only hope!)

Evol Ving Ness

I like African Nectar rooibos and Citrus Camomile from Mighty Leaf.

Evol Ving Ness

And yuck with these restrictions. Hope this passes quickly.

Sami Kelsh

Thanks muchly :)

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86

I had to drink something reliably scrummy to get the memory of last night’s pumpkin spice out of my taste buds.

This one is so good, though. I was so wary about the prospect of banana tea, and yet it’s SO GOOD! There’s no suggestion of that nasty banana artificial flavouring (barf) and it tastes instead like creamy banana chips baked into banana bread, that melds so nicely with the base. I love it with milk, to bring out the creaminess of the banana. I love it so much. How is this such a comforting taste, I don’t know, but it is. Oh man. Good.

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My Time Lord name is the Brewmaster. Currently working on People Of Who, an exhibition of portraits of the people who made Doctor Who happen. Professional dilettante. Literary enthusiast, frustrated sometime writer. Knitter of things.

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