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Afternoon and post-workout tea……

This one is such a reward type tea. I had set in my mind that I was going to fix this after my workout and it was great motivation to get me going. Usually, that is the toughest part. Just getting started. And you don’t want to undo all the good you have done by treating yourself with something high in calories. I love chocolate and coconut. I like to think of this one as Mounds in a cup. Mind you, it is still very much tea, but the chocolate and coconut flavors in this one are a real treat. Plus, who doesn’t feel great when you can tell your core is getting stronger by the day? The road to a better life is built on one good choice after another, and I feel a tea like this is an easy good choice. Thank you, Emeric Harney for blending this one!

Usual teapot method.

PS…. I would still send out a few more samples if anyone is interested. The rest is for me!

Tea of the afternoon…..

I think this is tea #5 from my Lupicia Happy Bag 2012. I have Jardin Sauvage and Nilgiri FOP to go.

Let’s just say the one or two times I have tried puer it was quite disasterous. I am pretty sure I was supposed to rinse that one and then steep for drinking, so all I tasted was dirt. I have to say, this tea is far from my distant memories of my puer tuo cha fail so long ago (probably only about eight months ago, LOL!) This one tastes earthy, but not of just earth, if that makes sense. I actually find this incredibly close to what coffee tastes like. It has a richer, fuller mouth feel than most black teas, and after the first several sips, I kind of get that settling feeling in my stomach that so many have mentioned. Very interesting. Puer with training wheels! There are hints of fruit with this one, and it is very pleasant. All in all, a good, happy surprise, but now I can’t wait to try the Chocolate & Strawberry one I ordered!

15 oz Mug, 2 actual tsp tea, 3 minutes freshly boiled water. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the morning (thanks to the recent review from Jim Marks…)

I had nearly forgotten about this one. But it is the perfect version of lapsang souchong for me. The smoke is light and homey, and it really warms me up on a cold morning. I did notice my tin getting low, so I had better add it to my Upton list!

Usual teapot method.

Tea of the evening…..
…..And a little experiment. I may be sorry for drinking a tea even with just a little caffeine this late, but it is the weekend. I am hoping my system can tolerate a jasmine pearl this late at night and not suffer insomnia from too much caffeine too late at night…..

I am really liking jasmine tea, lately. I have one that is a straight jasmine green and a few that are pearl jasmine like this one. I love the light floral notes in this type of tea as they are very relaxing. This example is very good. It definitely ranks up with the best I have tried (which really is only about three…..) I would consider purchasing when I cannot find a comparable tea on the market at a better price. This one comes out to about $5 an ounce. It resteeps very well. My second pot full (yes, I am incredibly hydrated after two 24 oz. pots of this!) was just as good as the first.

24 oz. teapot, just over 4 actual tsp tea, 175ish water, 3 minutes steep #1, 4 minutes steep #2. No additions.

Tea with Lunch……

This tea is loose leaf and was brought back from a trip to India by my neighbors. Today I was just looking for a basic taste to go along with my fast food chili. (My daughter and I were out at training for volunteering at our local animal shelter and needed to pick up a quick lunch on the way home…..) This works well. I purposely used lighter leaf than normal and a shorter steep time due to the blend being mostly CTC tea. Good solid tea. Very smooth flavor, and just enough Assam to taste very good (sometimes Assam is a little over powering for me…) The liquor is very dark, nearing that of coffee. I have to say, it is definitely a good, reliable, mealtime blend. The taste does not seem affected by what you are eating.

24 oz. teapot with 3 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 1 1/2 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Backlogging a tea of the afternoon……

I got a sample of this from thepuriTea during their Black Friday sale. I am not disappointed in this one…probably the best passionfruit tea I have had. It would be wonderful iced. I do feel that it tastes kind of close to the Lychee from Harney that I have on hand in a large bag, so unless I need to add things to my cart for shipping, I probably won’t purchase this one any time soon.

Tea of the afternoon…..

…..After shoveling the driveway. I was looking for something to make me forget the snow for a little while. This definitely works. I like that the green is mild, the coconut flavor is most prominent, but I have to say the ginger might be a deal breaker for me. I guess the jury is still out.

Tea of the morning……

I am always dragging by Friday morning. I need a swift kick in the pants to really get going once the kids are on the bus. (They get on the bus at about 6:30am…..way too early to be heading to school IMO, but it is probably good to have this kind of challenge in the grand scheme, something that gets us out of our comfort zone a little.) It is also snowing pretty hard and I am preparing myself for some snow removal….around here a few inches of snow does not shut down the schools, but we are getting more over the course of the day. Luckily, it is a little too windy right now so I can enjoy my tea.

Very smooth, chocolatey, slightly smokey, but then there is a little kick at the end. Kind of like the electric jolt I needed this morning. Other Keemuns are just overall too smooth and relax me too much. This one is perfect for mornings when I need that little extra boost.

Usual teapot method.

Second and third steeps….

Man, by now I am floating! I should have made this in my mug instead of the teapot! The second infusion (at 4 minutes) was very similar to the first. the leaves were barely starting to open. On the third steeping (at 6 minutes) I am getting more of a spearmint flavor. It is light and quite nice. This is so going on my list, just because it is so interesting!

Post-workout tea……

This one is interesting. They describe it as a “rock” tea in that it really does kind of look like little rocks instead of little balled up green leaves. I am no expert on green tea, but I thought this one was interesting (and I had two small samples that thepuriTea sent with my last order so I made a whole pot). I find it slightly vegetal and there is a hint of something minty, and even a hint of ginger at the end of the sip. It is really settling my stomach (you know that pit in the stomach you sometimes get at the end of a workout? Although you can’t really call what I do vigorous by any stretch…..) The stranger thing, on the first steep, I really did not notice the leaves opening much. We will have to see what happens on the second steep. All in all, a fun and different experience…… More later….