3071 Tasting Notes
I’ve written a dozen notes on this one over the years, so you’d think I’d run out of things to say about it, but I continue to discover ways to garnish this chamomile/apple nightie. Last night’s mix ins: a quarter teaspoon of masala chai spice and a driz of honey. So nice!
For the first time in 40 years, we decided not to put up a Christmas tree—not because of gloom and humbug, but because we still have half an apartment’s worth of detritus in the garage and can’t get to the bin. We’ve wreathed and decorated, but to compensate for the lack of trim-tringlers and Who-hummers, I’ve spent the afternoon breaking out some Christmas favorites, this being one of them.
A blend that includes black, green, and oolong is tricky and I’ve botched the recipe before. The tin recommends boiling water; 5 minutes in the cup, but a slightly lighter touch both on time and temp makes it a success. Peachy and a little floral as expected, but the scent reminds me a little of the Christmas pomanders we used to make by sticking whole cloves in oranges.
Enjoying it with feet up and “Christmas in the Clouds” on the TV … think “Hallmark—ish movie with geezers, tribal bingo, and a stubborn vegetarian chef (Graham Greene) at a tribal-owned resort out west.” Perfect December brain candy.
We split the difference between holidays and made a trip to see to the wellbeing of octogenarian mom-in-law earlier this week. One of the perks of that particular road run is the opportunity to shop at World Market, at which I may have gone a little overboard. “We need to grab that because we can’t find it at home” is a stro-o-o-o-ong retail motivator.
So this box sort of just jumped into the basket while we were there. I have recently fallen in love with Twinings’ Lady Grey, which is a highly respectable Earl Grey with a lovely orange twist. The opportunity to enjoy the same flavor profile caffeine-free just puts buttercream on my cupcake.
As long as I have been a devotee of Constant Comment, both leaded and unleaded versions, I’ve always had it straight up without additives. Brought a couple of bags on a road trip and to mask potential hotel water weirdness, I added a little tub of their coffee station half and half. The orange rind and spices still rise to the top, but this makes my favorite soother even a little more soothing. A blessing…it’s been a long day!
Celebrating our favorite kind of introverted Thanksgiving today…instead of one giant, exhausting feast, we’ve made a treat, put our feet up; baked another, put our feet up; ate a humble lunch, played with crafts and Legos; put our feet up… The finale—a Chex Franken-mix—is finishing up in the oven during the last half of Dead Poets Society.
While we wait on the timer, I decided to invite this old friend for a holiday visit; a Twinings version of Constant Comment: black tea with cloves, spice, and orange peel. With CC, the spices knock first; Twinings leaves them pleasantly in the background. Very comfortable and tasty.
Not sure from whence this came, but I didn’t buy it for myself since everybody at work gives me their lapsang leavings after their first cup. In this case, I’m not sure the original purchaser got past the first sniff, considering the pouch is practically full.
I steeped my first cup wimpy (little leaf, lotsa water), which is my preferred lapsang strength. Very drinkable. The proprietors mention some pine/fir notes in their particular blend, and I caught them (mildly) in the first two or three hot sips. Less so now that it has cooled. I think I’ll be able to double up on the leaf next cup, although their 1 full tablespoon to 8 ounces of water recommendation seems to be a little overkill.
For a while, finding the decaf version of this tried-and-true favorite was hard, but it’s a pretty easy grab off local shelves this season. It’s a pretty fair echo of the original—the orange and spice mixture is unchanged. All that’s missing are the deeper notes from the caffeinated base tea. I’m sure I’ll be spending plenty of quality time with this box as winter approaches.
