3238 Tasting Notes
This was a tea party tea yesterday. My guest liked it very much, and I think it is a good tea, very much like Tower of London, a little less similar to Paris. As it cools, I don’t enjoy it as much because it begins to taste a little soapy to me, but while hot it is very fruity and good.
I went to the no kill shelter to deliver some donations of dog food, and came home with an American Dingo and her three puppies to foster. This on top of two gatherings at my house today and tonight, and another tomorrow. I am still in my jammies and the onions made me cry til I couldn’t see. It is time for a cuppa by the tree!
This is so much spicier than I remembered! I definitely have the toasted flavor, almost burnt toast but not in a bad way, but in addition to the spicy hint of cinnamon I feel like I am getting black pepper today. Maybe I am just extra aware of the toasty notes. Delicious, satisfying, very different, and much needed. No additions, not to oolong….ever!
Hmmm, not black pepper. Maybe seriously toasted walnuts!
Ooh, I love American Dingoes! They are so cute as puppies!
Awwwwwwwwwww. I hope to hear about them and their antics. Kind heart! <3
The pups were less than 24 hours old when we brought them home, they are so cute! There is a fat little white one with a brown spot who has already been named Samwise Gamgee by my girls. He is the fat hobbit who nurses the most!
We must have Hobbits on the brain! My coworker’s finches just had babies and I am going to adopt two! If they are two boys I’m going to name them Merry and Pippin! Two girls Charlotte and Emily (Bronte). I would like a same sex pair so no more babies will come!
They sound so precious, and have the best foster mom imaginable! :)
Aw, I love those birdie names! Perfect! Have you seen the Hobbit trailer yet? Looks awesome! :)
Yes! I burst into tears about half way through!
This is another honeybush sample sent to me by the delightful Jenn!
I have a wee bit of dry, scratchy throat going on and wanted something hot and soothing but caffeine free. I don’t eat a lot of raspberry anything, but I do like raspberry filled Godiva chocolates, so I thought I would give this a go.
I steeped for five minutes. I think in future I would go a bit longer. The aroma is very berry-ish and somehow reminded me of Marco Polo. The taste is very fruity, partly from the honeybush base and partly the flavoring. I am really thinking “candy” now. I wanted it to be a bit stronger so I added a little less than a teaspoon of sugar to my 22 ounce pot. This is definitely warm and soothing. Somehow, I am not getting the cream cheese. I wonder if milk would bring that out more? But overall, a very good honeybush tisane! Thank you, Jenn!
I am not even close to being ready for Christmas, two gatherings this week, lots of cooking, and still shopping to do! We were gone for twelve hours yesterday shopping out of town. My back hurts from being hunched over all day making the remaining 62 cards out of 102 that I made for my husband to give at work. I seriously needed to relax tonight! I thought this silver needle tea sent to me so generously by ThePurrfectCup was just the thing, so I asked youngest to brew up a pot for me! I am so glad I did.
Pandora radio is serenading me with Chinese flute, the lights are out, the tree and candles are lit. Now I could fall asleep! But first I plan to enjoy this WHOLE POT of tea!
This is so smooth and soothing. One year ago I could not have appreciated something so light but now I find it a delight. The tea is naturally sweet and there is no bitterness at all, no drying of the tongue. There is a light nutty flavor hiding in there, no grassy taste, and not really buttery. Just a soft, lovely cup (or three) of tea. And I even have some leaves left for another cup or two later this week!
Thank you, C! :). You should be getting some tea from me any day now!
Today was the family trip to the big city mall for Christmas shopping. We left home at seven am and got back about 12 hours later! There may have been a bit of eating out during those shopping hours…
Got in bed and went OOF! Tummy too full of fatty food to sleep well. I knew what I needed to do. I hopped up and got out my gaiwan and put the kettle on. This sample from Teavivre will save the day!…um, I mean, night!
This time I washed the leaves. My first steeps were noticeably darker, inky black, in fact. I resteeped immediately several times, pouring each steep into a larger cup. As I sipped, my poor overextended, overtaxed tummy started to rumble happily and the yucky feeling disappeared as the puerh worked its wonders. This is a nice, mild puerh that is very smooth. I can’t imagine ever adding anything to a puerh. They are what they are supposed to be, for me, and they make me feel better when I have overdone it with fatty food.
I agree that this would be a good puerh for the puerh novice. Woodsy, earthy, mild, not fishy, and nicely soothing. I would love to try some of Yeavivre’s other puerhs, and will probably put one or two not my order.
Thank you, Teavivre and Angel Chen!
Our final tea for tea party today was Golden Monkey. We serve this one at least half the time because it is guaranteed to be a great pot of tea. I am nearly out of my second tin of tis, and I am rather excited to open the new one to see if there is a big difference in the two harvests.
This was the first tea served at tea party today, and was it ever well-received! I was unsure how my guest would like it, because she hasn’t cared for smokey teas in the past. She loved it! My youngest daughter is a big fan of this one, so this is another Upton tea that Doulton sent to us that will have to be kept in the cupboard. Smooth, light, golden, nice body, and lightly smokey, this goes wonderfully with afternoon snacks.
