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Last week was busy and this weekend has been even busier. I had wanted to get to part 2 of the house organizing project this weekend but it will have to wait. The good news is that the worst of the closet organization is done. I can find my shoes now. LOL.

I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. It was hermetically sealed in its shiny gold packet. The dry leaves smell very lightly smoky and have a mouthwatering breadiness.

I would call the color closer to a dark amber beer color than copper, as I don’t see much pink in it. The liquor is clear and smells divine. There are very definite cocoa notes in this, with the breadiness of the dry leaf as an undercurrent. Chocolate croissants! The smokiness smooths out in the steeping so it’s just a mild hint around the edges. I can see what they mean in the description about the floral notes, but I wouldn’t have identified them as that. I might have said honey, only a bit fresher and less heavy smelling.

The flavor is pretty much just like the aroma. It’s a smooth tea with no sharp edges, and a rather soft mouthfeel that leaves behind a fresh coolness in the aftertaste. It’s chewy without being as hefty as most other teas I’d describe that way.

It’s really lovely.

Flavors: Bread, Chocolate, Cocoa, Honey, Smoke

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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