3238 Tasting Notes
This was my second tea at tea party today, and is one of my youngest daughter’s favorites. I doubt I would keep it in the house except for her, but it was very good today with the rich foods we were eating. The little bite of the Assam was a nice foil for all the rich food and cut the sweetness instead of getting lost. I would normally drink this with milk and sugar, but on tea party day I take everything sans additions except the most astringent teas, which would get a wee bit of milk.
This was my favorite tea at tea party today! We had fudge pie with fresh, lightly sugared strawberries and two Kerrygold cheeses, Dubliner, and Ballyshannon. I started with Vanilla Comoro because I thought the vanilla goodness would be excellent alongside the rich chocolate of the fudge pie. It was delicious! I may have to make another pot of it to really get my fill!
I had a bit of the first steep and a whole pot of second to serve to a guest. I had been a little fearful of serving oolongs to someone who always adds milk and sugar to tea, as oolongs need to be drunk pure to me. But they are so beautiful just as they are!
I noticed this particular guest has quit adding milk and sugar until after the tea is tasted, and she loved the oolong last week and this week. In fact, it was her favorite today! Se admitted that the English Breakfast we had would be excellent for waking up in the morning, but she preferred the flavor of the Dan Cong! Hooray! I love it when people start liking new things, although she drinks ALL kinds of tea anyway. She just hadn’t had oolongs before.
I did notice that this Dan Cong becomes more floral as it cools, which I found perfectly lovely!
Thank you, again, QG!
This tea came to me courtesy of Quiltguppy! I have been looking forward to trying these oolongs, but oolongs are a tea that I like to drink when I have a little time to pay attention, stop and smell the aromas, and sit quietly with the cup…even if just for a few minutes. I just can’t rush oolongs!
This oolong does not disappoint. Though one review said it was scented with osmanthus, I don’t get strong floral flavor, so it is not an artificial taste to me. I am not terribly familiar with osmanthus, though. Even though the tea is a medium-light color, it has plenty of taste and heft. There is the slightest dry tingle on my tongue, so astringency is very light. It has warm, nutty tones.
This is a delightful oolong! Thank you, QG!
Since I had to drink disappointing tea at lunch I made it up to myself by having something wonderful after. This is similar to Golden Snail, but more refined, and reminds me of Emperor’s Red. Since it has chocolate notes, I had it with Lindt Dark Chocolate Bar With A Touch of Sea Salt. Only two squares, though, I couldn’t eat a whole one at once! Okay, maybe I could, but I know I shouldn’t! Nice walnut flavor at the end of the sip. This is sweet and smooth, no additions needed, though I have had it with milk and sugar and it was breast that way as well.
Preparation
I am attempting to get a handle on the tea tin storage problem, which means it would be really great to get rid of all the tins I don’t care to have hanging about. Since no one was drinking this and we have a lot of tea we really like, I decided to 86 this ne by making a cold brew pitcher to finish it off. I left the leaves for two whole days but it isn’t bitter. It is as unspectacular cold as it was hot. On the upside, I now have an empty tin to fill with something I like!
Preparation
Sandy, I had this with a BANANA SANDWICH! (Sandy thinks it is weird that we eat banana sandwiches – sliced banana in wheat bread with mayo. Doesn’t everyone eat this? Even Elvis liked it with peanut butter.)
I like banana with nutella and sometimes if I have it I’ll add marscapone cheese. But, I’ve never heard of eating banana with mayo.
My father had a terrible fear that his children would choke on food or balloons, so until I came of age my banana was mashed in mayo with a fork. When I was about seven years old, I was allowed to eat circles. Naturally, blowing up balloons was out of the question and popcorn was rare. I think I was twenty when my dad asked if we could share a popcorn at the movies!
We’ll have PB and banana sandwiches, and I’ve also eaten Nutella with bananas (not in a sandwich, but maybe next time!) I’ve never eaten bananas with mayo before. My husband is like your dad and is terrified that the kids will choke. However, he will let them eat popcorn and other stuff, he just hovers while they do.
Maple almond butter & banana and Nutella & banana, yes. Peanut butter and mayo… not so much. Although, my father’s family would eat peanut butter and sweet pickle relish sandwiches. Grossed me out every time.
After being on the road all day taking eldest daughter to the airport in Raleigh, NC and then shopping, shopping, shopping (not buying, looking and getting ideas at antique shops for an upcoming project and getting new running shoes for hubby) and drinking Coke, I was fantasizing about tea by the time we were on the way home eleven hours after we left home. (On a related note, did you know that if you buy the glass bottle Cokes at Sam’s that are 12 ounce instead of eight and they say Hecho en Mexico, they have sugar instead of HFCS? I know, I know, just sayin’)
I wanted real tea, tea that would grab me and make me know I was alive! Tea that could hold up to cheese toast with mustard without wilting, yet not require additions. This is what I decided on while hubby was driving, having no idea of the raging tea lust going on right beside him.
I opened the tin and gasped. SERIOUSLY? Am I really drinking that much Golden Snail? (Answer: yes.). But the rich chocolate aroma hit and I swooned. It was just like holding a dark chocolate candy bar in my hand. Oh joy! Lots of nummy noises later, youngest and I are on our second pot, cheese toast devoured, doing same to a bowl of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese cubes.
It is so good to be home.
Preparation
A friend sent me some sachets of this tea a couple of months ago and I never tried it. It is nearly 3am and I have to get up early tomorrow to drive my daughter to an airport over an hour away and I simply can not sleep! That is something that hasn’t happened in a while. I made this is hopes that it would soothe me right off to slumberland, but it doesn’t seem to have done much. The warmth did soothe a slightly irritated feeling throat, but unfortunately I can’t that I see much difference between this and the cheap stuff I bought at the grocery a couple of years ago. The flavor is bright and almost minty, which I suppose is what they call the green apple flavor. I suppose if I drank this often I might develop a deal taste for it and crave it, but as it is, it isn’t doing much for me. Perhaps I need to find out the name of the wonderful chamomile Jacqueline mentioned!
Preparation
I’ll send you some fairytale tea :) It has chamomile, oatstraw (which is also pacifying) and a few other calming herbs in it. I think it’s tasty, too!
here is the description so you can see the herbs: A delicious drink for children and adults. A delightful and inspiring infusion blend full of flowers & fairy magic; perfect for bedtime stories. Aroma: Light, effervescent, with floral notes. Taste: Lively and refreshing, a subtle citrusy flavor. Liquor: Medium golden. Properties: Traditionally used to encourage calming.
Contains: (all organic) Calendula flowers, Red Clover flowers, Lavender flowers, Chamomile flowers, Lemon Balm, Catnip, Spearmint, Skullcap, Thyme, Oatstraw, Lemon peel and a pinch of Stevia.
I really could have used that last night! Sounds lovely…
I’ve had similar experiences with chamomile. It seems to be a favorite among many (including my grandmother), but on its own I find it rather bland and disappointing. Not to mention, I’ve haven’t had much success with its supposed calming properties. The blend Jacqueline recommended from Mountain Rose is excellent. The spearmint (prominent flavor to me) always pairs well with the
apple and floral notes of chamomile.
