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An Ode to Tea challenge – Q

I was hesitant to finish this!  I loved keeping the last steep session around for the name alone.  This might be one of my favorite tea names ever.  Qing Pin!  Such a play on words.  But I only had so many teas for ‘Q’ so it was time to drink this up.  I wasn’t expecting much with the flavor due to the age…. but it’s still delicious!  Oh how I love Chinese black teas.   Before, I didn’t really say anything substantial other than it reminded me of Laoshan black, which isn’t my favorite.  I wouldn’t say this tastes like Laoshan black now.  Black teas don’t really taste like this anymore, so I’m surprised it is so gooood.  Three solid strong steeps.  Depth without bite or astringency. I’m GLAD it was hoarded! Raising the rating from an 82.  Also having an OLD Bao Zhong today and I feel like oolong also doesn’t taste like this anymore… maybe I’m on to something.
2021 sipdowns: 50

An Ode to Tea challenge – R

Sipdown!  I REALLY need to get to trying a few of these other neglected teas that Meowster sent me ages ago.  I actually cringe while thinking of them, the teas patiently waiting.  I finished this one though?  A nice thick, strong breakfast blend – tasting slightly of tomato soup and pumpernickel bread.  Nice to try it!
2021 sipdowns:49 (This + 52Teas – Gingerbread House genmaicha)

An Ode to Tea challenge – S

Another I assumed would be a sipdown, but next time.  Since this is cheating (for my personal sipdown challenge), I should really be finding another appropriate lettered tea that IS a sipdown for each letter.   I wanted to drink this lovely tea while fresher anyway.  It’s so delicate and fluffy!  Like a healthy cotton candy, maybe lemon flavored.   A very unique white I wouldn’t mind stocking up on.  Uping the rating from 84. Thanks again for introducing me to it, SkySamurai!

An Ode to Tea challenge – T

From derk a while ago!  Thanks very much!   I have had this lovely oolong a few times now, and not only is every steep session different, but it seems I can’t describe any steep session!  I feel I have failed oolongs all of the past year.  Anyway… here is my sad note for this as it’s a sipdown.  The leaf here says “roasted” but it seems like a dark green oolong to me.  Flavorwise, whoa is this starchy both sipping it before and after eating cinnamon rolls.  I would have thought the starch of the cinnamon rolls would have overpowered the starch of the tea – not so!  It seemed more noticeable after.   Otherwise the flavor is very sweet and mellow – I definitely don’t notice a roasted quality (which is perfect for me!).  
Another steep session, that starchiness wasn’t there at all.  Just a light, sweet, slightly fruity oolong.    It was never “roasted” tasting anyway.   And it was delicious always!  Just impossible for me to describe.
Steep #1  // 1  teaspoon for full mug // 21 minutes after boiling  // 1 minute steep
Steep #2  // 3 minutes after boiling //  4 minute steep
Steep #3 // 12 minutes after boiling // 2 min
2021 sipdowns: 47

oh a haiku for haiku day: this took me seconds to come up with, what a pro I am:

Oolong is a treat
Never guessing the flavors
I drink it anyway

An Ode to Tea challenge – U

I went through my entire tea list for ‘U’ teas and only have three!  Wow.  I thought this would be a sipdown, but no, AJRimmer sent me a lot.  I think many of these teas for this challenge might be sipdowns from AJRimmer, as two serving amount swaps are enough for me to try a tea twice. :D  However, the last note said I wanted to try this again and remove most of the hibiscus from my serving.  I did, and the flavor doesn’t leave much!  Even with  a steep of a few minutes, the brew is a pale pink and the flavor is mildly fruity.  Not worth it, really.  I might as well just steep this up when I want to drown in hibiscus and leave the hibiscus in (or remove half?)  I think it’s my least favorite of the hibiscus blends from Teavivre.

Sidenote: anyone else a fan of Fear the Walking Dead? I watched this week’s episode last night and NOOOOOOOO. My favorite character! I won’t spoil anything though. I like to watch the heartbreaking shows while I’m already heartbroken, and I had just been watching the news before that with the necessary protests and hearing about the 45 mass shootings in America in a month! Unimaginable. There definitely should be a protest about that as well. So sad.

An Ode to Tea challenge – V

I honestly believed this would be a sipdown when I scooped it out of the package.  Nope, next time.  It was a perfect tea for a cloudy, blustery day anyway.  I guess I never realized a “london fog” requires milk which I never tried.  So I tried it.  Must have added too much milk, as then I was only tasting milk and this is actually a stronger tea for the milk to take it over. I prefer it without milk – strong lavender and bergamot.

Thanks very much, AJRimmer!  Seemed a good day for a chai.  However, this seems much more like one of those cinnamon orange blends.  The orange is most apparent, and then the cinnamon takes over, which is also very sweet because of the sugary bits here.  The especially lovely sweetening ingredients in the description say “brown sugar pieces” and “golden caramel pieces”.  YES to those.  I wouldn’t say the glitter was very glittery… more like murky.  I saw plenty of coriander in the blend and some fennel, but wasn’t really tasting them.  I really wish more of these unique spices made a presence in the flavor. It was Cinnamon and Orange all the way.I do like a cinnamon orange tea but was expecting chai.  Possibly this should have been named differently.   Not bad though!
Steep #1 // 1 1/4 teaspoons for a full mug // 28 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 min steep
Steep #2 //  just boiled // 5 minute steep

March Mad(Hatter) Tea Tournament! Round #4
This is honestly not really the teas I thought I’d end up with. I guess it’s good to have a reminder to revisit teas.  And fun to compare teas.  Much like one of my favorite things, the arbitrary Tournament of Books, is about comparing two random books.

Match #1  52Teas – Spiced Cucumber Melon  VS. Teavivre – High Mountain oolong
A perfect blend up against an oolong that was never really a favorite and lacked distinctive notes.  Winner:  Spiced Cucumber Melon

Match #2  Octavia – Berry Mocha Truffle  VS. Tealyra – Parisian Sparkling Wine
Another tough one.  Both great blends!  But the lovely black tea that accomplishes what it’s trying to do perfectly wins over the herbal that accomplishes what it’s trying to do perfectly.  Winner:   Berry Mocha Truffle

-————————————————————FINAL MATCH  -—————————————————
52 Teas – Spiced Cucumber Melon       VS.     Octavia – Berry Mocha Truffle
I didn’t see this final coming!  This has been so fun.   Of course two flavored teas make it.  What can I say, I like what I like.  Both the ultimate of flavor combinations.  One a green tea base!  One a black tea base!  The Berry Mocha Truffle is a lovely chocolate berry blend, but is it the best of its kind?  I don’t think so.   The 52Teas might be a bit faded now (I just noticed it’s five years old) but when fresh this is unbeatable!   It’s magic!  Some ingredients here shouldn’t even work for me!  My original note mentioned a tea magician created it.  It’s a unique one and memories of these teas also help. Winner:  52 TEAS -  SPICED CUCUMBER MELON!!!!!!

An Ode to Tea challenge – W

Sipdown!  About time.  It was a good one while it lasted (for years and years).   Rooibos, tulsi, chocolate and peppermint.  Mostly tulsi now.  Not a bad thing.  This isn’t very hard to find sipdowns with letters, as I have an email draft containing last-session-sipdowns.
2021 sipdowns:  46

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge Wednesday, April 13th: National Peach Cobbler Day #3

The no caff option for Peach Cobbler day!  Opening a fresh pouch of this guy.  Has a very large fragrance and taste of almond / marzipan now which is VERY out of place for this blend.  Very weird and can’t say I’m happy about it.