I just woke up from an epic long nap, I say epic because it was five hours long and I am not really sure that counts as a nap or just a short sleep. Said nap was needed after helping Ben’s grandparents with getting ready to move, and the scorching almost 100 degree heat really wore me out, not that I have been sleeping well lately due to said heat, the heart monitor, and just general sleeping problems…so that nap was so welcome. Since I had been playing a bit of Ark (yay new update, boo leeches) my dreams were filled with amusingly mundane swamp adventures, like making sure the plants were fertilized. Fun times!
You know what, I hate the heat…in fact if you have been reading this blog for a while you probably are well aware of this. Luckily I live in a time of refrigeration and ease of cold-steeping, and that is what I did with today’s tea, Watermelon Baozhong from Liquid Proust Teas. First off, props to Andrew for actually using dried watermelon pieces rather than just flavoring, granted I love me some watermelon candy, but I like the real thing even more. Which can I point out that up to three years ago I loathed all melons with a burning passion? Now I love watermelon, this still weirds me out, but also makes me happy because I always felt so left out during the summer. The aroma of this tea with its big ol’ leaves and big ol’ watermelon chunks, is pretty darn sweet. Creamy notes of hyacinth and lilacs blend with crisp lettuce and surprisingly juicy watermelon. He used Beautiful Taiwan Tea’s Baozhong as a base, and that tea smells wonderful, so it is no surprise that it blends really well with the watermelon since it is one of the sweetest Baozhongs I have sniffed.
After letting it sit in my fridge for a bit, not only was the watermelon slice massive after rehydrating, the aroma really ramped up the watermelon too, blending watermelon and flowers and a tiny hint of dried basil. Weird but it really worked, reminded me a bit of a salad I had once with watermelon and basil leaves, a fantastic combo!
I feel like I am drinking the very embodiment of a summer picnic! Juicy sweet watermelon, sun warmed grass, lettuce, basil, blooming flowers, and a touch of mineral at the finish to of course call in the inevitable rain that arrives at picnics. The only thing missing is ants…or chiggers…and I am ok with those not being around. It is so refreshing! I love how it tastes like an actual watermelon and not a Jolly Rancher, and I love the way it blends with the Baozhong. Another blend well done, Liquid Proust Teas continues to impress me, and wow is it nice to have a summery tea to enjoy in this heat! Also, I was able to get a resteep, something I pretty much never get from cold steeping (except on occasion Jin Xuan or heavily rolled oolongs of that nature) it was lighter the second time around, but still quite refreshing and tasty.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/06/liquid-proust-teas-watermelon-baozhong.html
As a melon lover, I have to get me some of this :)
I cut the watermelon to be long since the leaf is :), glad you liked it that way