149 Tasting Notes

I had to kick my daughter off the computer (she was editing a wiki), just so that I could log this tea quick…
This was a sample that MissB sent me in a box of awesomeness… I was honestly a little hesitant in trying it because I didn’t think that I liked milk oolongs. I’ve tried only one, admittedly, but it just was not my thing…
Well, here is an example of tea being fantastically unpredictable at times, because I absolutely love this tea. love it.
I’m using a porcelain gaiwan and doing short steeps, and am loving each and every cup I’m getting.
I’ve never had a tea like this before, where the leaves were rolled up into little balls, but with this sort of powdery exterior… really looking more like pellets than rolled tea.
The tea is quite sweet…very sweet finish. And, I do get a hint of stone fruit there…
So glad I tried this today!

Ok….letting my daughter back on the computer now. :D

ETA: In my hurry, I forgot to say THANK YOU to MissB (geesh! how rude of me!).
Also, I read the other note for this tea, and I am picking up on a ‘licorice root’ sort of sweetness… hmmm.. I wonder if that’s actually added to this tea?

OMGsrsly

I’ve read that the ginseng can have that sweetness as well. I find ginseng tastes like dirt, though, so I’m not entirely sure about it. :)

OMGsrsly

Oh, I though it was a ginseng oolong from your description of a powdery exterior. Interesting.

DeliriumsFrogs

It probably totally was a ginseng oolong! lol It says “milk oolong”, but if you go to the website, it says ginseng… and i have no experience with ginseng.
So, that’s what the powdery exterior was?!?

OMGsrsly

Yeah! I haven’t tried one, but I’m curious. :) They do look really neat.

DeliriumsFrogs

I googled, and the tea most definitely looked like a ‘ginseng oolong’. How fun! Thank you so much, OMGsrsly! I had no idea that’s what I was drinking. I definitely did like it…and it gave infusion after infusion. Actually, I’m going to set my gaiwan aside and try to get more out of the leaves tomorrow. :)

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It’s Saturday, and that, in itself, is quite wonderful.
But, on top of that, I’ve got a cup of this right now. :D
ifjuly sent me some of this (she supplies me with the most wonderful teas… That woman, I tell you…), and I’ve been loving every cup of it that I’ve had.
It’s sweet, and bright, with notes of honey and fruit. This is definitely one I’d like to have around…
Seriously…I can’t stop sipping to type. ;)

http://i.imgur.com/UzOsEjP.jpg

(and yes…that is a Santa mug… still. lol)

TeaTiff

Oh this is soooo good! I hope H&S has this as their loose leaf assam again sometime soon. My tin will have to last until then.

OMGsrsly

I love your photos. :) (And I’m still using my Halloween mug, so Santa is fine!)

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Oh my GOODNESS is this going so well with my red cabbage and weisswurst for lunch! The bite of this tea is just utterly fantastic with food… nomnomnom…
Baked some brownies (David Lebovitz posted an incredibly gooey looking recipe on his facebook page today) for my husband, and already have two loads of laundry done.
I’m sitting here, drinking this fantastically malty tea, listening to some podcasts and just really liking this Friday. :D Cheers, everyone!

boychik

I was just drinking it, I swear .

DeliriumsFrogs

Oh, I love that! I can pretend that we were drinking it together… like a long distance tea party. :D

boychik

Yay. We could schedule sometime ;)

OMGsrsly

I am cooking cabbage and (rinsed) sauerkraut and farmer’s sausage in the oven. I’ll have to keep in mind this tea when I eat it!

TheTeaFairy

Such an uplifting review, thanks for the smile :-)
(Love this tea!)

Mike

I’ve been thinking about getting this one…you talked me into it! :P I’m trying to get through my current growing collection a little bit, but, when I buy more, this is going to be on top of the list! :)

DeliriumsFrogs

Oh, I love it. I hope you do, too, Mike! :D

Mike

Thanks! I’m sure I will! I love a good Assam! :)

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drank Earl Grey Cream by Zen Tea
149 tasting notes

Drinking this right now, and it’s absolutely perfect. I had planned on adding cream and sugar to it, but after taking the first sip, I decided to forgo those plans, since it’s so creamy as it is. :D
My kids are watching the earlier episodes of Naruto Shippuden, which I’d watched years ago. Each time I revisit that series, though, I’m reminded how fantastic the soundtrack is… I found myself searching for a specific track after hearing it, remembering that it was one of my favourites… The only version I could find, though, had english dubbed voices going over the music. argh!
Anyway, this tea is really lovely for today… creamy and bergommoty and just plain great…. the perfect companion to anime soundtracks and knitting projects. :)

Flavors: Bergamot, Cream

Red Fennekin

Sounds like a great tea for a great day :-)

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Having a cup of this while I try finishing the knitted scarf for my husband that was SUPPOSED to be a Christmas gift, but I just didn’t have time to knit (and, this double seed stitch, while super easy, seems to take me longer than other patterns have…)…..
I love the brightness of this tea, along with that brisk lift at the finish. It’s not my favourite Darjeeling I’ve had (and, admittedly, I have not had too many…), but I really do like this tea. I swear I was picking up an almost cinnamon thing going on, but it was fleeting in each sip…enough to make me feel a bit of spice in the note, though.
Really lovely.

Cameron B.

Pictures of the scarf, please! :D

Fjellrev

In a way, you’re stretching Christmas out. :)

DeliriumsFrogs

I am always one for stretching Christmas out. lol
Here are some pics of the scarf (it’s super simple, and nothing fantastic… just a plain ol’ thing for keeping one’s neck warm. lol)
http://i.imgur.com/qrtoSiH.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/VF1bNsU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2770u0U.jpg

I wanted a stitch that didn’t scream out “KNITTED ITEM OVER HERE!”, since it’s for my husband…. I, on the other hand, am all over those types of items, especially in the form of leg warmers. ;)
http://i.imgur.com/2770u0U.jpg

DeliriumsFrogs

(and, I have no idea why that last image posted twice in my comment…. :p )

Anlina

Leg warmers are the best.

That’s a beautiful scarf.

Cameron B.

I love the seed stitch! And the color. :)

Fjellrev

That is so beautiful! I wish I could do something that intricate. Nice colour too.

DeliriumsFrogs

Oh, you could Fjellrev! Knitting is one of those things that seems intricate, but when you do it, you realize everything is basically just 1 type of stich, done different ways. And, if my clumsy fingers can do it, anyone’s fingers can. :D

Red Fennekin

I agree with the others – that’s a really beautiful looking scarf and a great looking stitch! It looks so neat and “professional”, if that makes sense…! XD

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A whole pot of this…because I can surely drink that entirely on my own without getting sick of it. Oh, do I love Malachi! Very subtle hints of cocoa, malt, and honey make for a delicious, ‘decent’ cup.
I’m taking down my Christmas tree today. I know, it’s almost February, so I seem sort of nuts, but it was a fresh tree, and it’s looked SO LOVELY all through January. Looking so lively and festive, I couldn’t get myself to take it down any sooner… it’s only just starting to look droopy now.
Plus, there’s just something about the holidays that makes you feel like you’re pressing a ‘pause’ button on life (for me, at least…)… I guess my reluctance at moving forward is indicative of my desire to avoid responsibility. Christmas lights are just so twinkly! “Hey, look at these lights! Don’t worry about the fact that you need to find a drywall repair company to fix your ceiling and closet from the roof leak!” lol
So, sipping away, I shall put away ornaments, and try to act more like an adult. :p

Anlina

I think one year my family had our tree up till April, but that was more a combination of procrastinating and being stubborn.

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I could’ve sworn that I’ve logged this before, but it’s not popping up, so maybe I didn’t…
Anyway, I’m going to start out by saying that I did this totally wrong, having been away from puerh for some time (I did longer steeps than usual…)….
Rinse
15sec steep: Raisins and vanilla, and of course, plum pudding (I always say that, but that’s what I always get :) ). Oh man, is this good. Slight mineral tang right before that smooth, steamed pudding finish. Hints of walnut, I’m tasting, too.

Feeling kind of stressed out today, just because life is like that sometimes. But, sitting here by a window, with sunlight hitting the snow outside, sipping this absolutely wonderful tea, my spirits are being lifted immensely. :)

30sec steep: As usual, I am in love with the colour of the second cup. Dark and gorgeous, this cup is everything the first cup was and more. The aroma is pure bliss, with a taste that’s more nutty than the first, along with an addition of a browned butter note, accented by caramel. The finish is like walnuts, complete with the hint of bitterness from their skins.

I am so glad I decided to have this tea; I feel like my soul needed it. :)

30sec steep (again… like I said, I did this all wrong…): Caramel-y and sweet, with the same intense colour as the second steep. Nutty and so very delicious.

I’m going to keep drinking this, but I’ve run out of time to log my steeps. Thank you, boychik (who sent me this sample. I’ve been thinking about you as I’ve been sipping), for my extended tea meditation. It was perfect. :)

Fjellrev

Hope the stress will subside (without having to drink tea, of course)!

Red Fennekin

Eh, it’s not wrong if it produced a lovely tea that you enjoyed :-) I’m glad the tea made you feel better (though like Fjellrev said, hopefully the general stress goes away too)!

DeliriumsFrogs

Aw, thanks, you two. :D tea really does always help.

OMGsrsly

I agree, steep it how you like it. :D I’ve been steeping till the colour looks like something I want to drink, which means wildly different and random times. Works for me!

DeliriumsFrogs

OMGsrsly, it’s funny you mention that, because while I was steeping, I’d peek and think, “that’s the colour I want, right there!”…but then worry that it wasn’t following the right ‘directions’. haha I’m such a dork sometimes…

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I’m the type of person that reaches for a rooibos at night, and basically only at night, as a decaf option. So, this tea always leaves me sort of feeling like, ‘when do I fit this into my tea time?’, since there’s the black tea element.
Upon opening my tea drawer, this pouch was staring at me, so I figured I’d make a cup.
The blueberry is nice, and I like that there are whole dried blueberries in the tea, but the rooibos really pops out, and for my weak nose, sort of squishes the blueberry into submission.
There is a nice cream going on, but like I said, this is a rooibos to me. It screams rooibos, every time I lift my cup to my nose….which would be FINE, if I wasn’t conditioned (self-conditioned, I admit), to drinking rooibos as a nocaf option.
So, there’s nothing wrong with this tea; it’s the tea it says it is, all proud as can be.
It’s just not one of my favourites, due to my own inner confusion over rooibos.

Flavors: Blueberry, Cream, Rooibos

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95
drank Ruby Pie by Butiki Teas
149 tasting notes

I am, at this moment, sipping on my very last bit of this that I had squirreled away. I couldn’t wait any longer and had to brew it up today.
If I didn’t have a big Butiki order in the future, there would be tears dribbling into this tea cup (and that would be a shame, because I don’t need salty tea right now…. that makes me think of Owls’ “Tear Water Tea”… I love that story…).
But, I’m holding those tears back so that I can enjoy the beauty of this blend.
Really, Stacy is a painter with tea leaves… she composes with flavours and writes with scents and tastes.
This tea is brilliant.

and…since I couldn’t help myself and had to take a picture:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205215007481980&set=a.1040679384459.7535.1449788231&type=3&theater

Butiki Teas

Gorgeous pic! :)

boychik

beautiful

Red Fennekin

Lovely photo and lovely cup – sounds like a lovely tea, too! :D

DeliriumsFrogs

Oh, thanks everybody! It felt like a really special tea time today. :)

OMGsrsly

I love that photo… And I have a jonesing for that cup now! I need more yellow and gold tea cups. ;)

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As I was making my daughter’s breakfast this morning, she was setting up our episode of Sailor Moon Crystal on Crunchyroll, so I grabbed this sample sachet out of my tea drawer for a quick cup of morning tea.
Sitting down to this epic, drama-filled episode (seriously, this series is opera-like, compared to the original…), I was finding myself feeling quite underwhelmed by this cup.
Honestly, it tasted pretty watery and insipid to me.
As the cup cooled, however, the flavour became more present, turning into a pretty drinkable cup of tea.
I even steeped for a second time, so the cup held enough interest to warrant that.
While I wouldn’t purchase this on my own, I didn’t feel the need to dump it out, either.
It was just ok.

Fjellrev

Sailor Moon and tea sounds like a good time!

DeliriumsFrogs

Oh, it is! :D

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Bio

Oh, tea….
you’ve taken over my life, but I’m ok with that.

I’m pretty new to the tea scene, only drinking tea bags most of my life, but my friend ifjuly really got me into it (that sounds bad…). Butiki, Harney, and Verdant seem to be my ‘go to’ places to order from, but I LOVE trying new teas and companies. The variety is partly why I love tea so much…you can’t possibly get sick of it.
Well, that, and the transporting aroma of each cup…. I love that. It’s why I love wine, and tea does it just was well.

Really want to learn about different tea vendors out there, and about tea in general… it’s all so interesting to me.
I’m really excited to be part of this community and learn from all of you.

I don’t usually sweeten or add milk to my teas, so my notes are based on that….also, the rating system kind of throws me—I’ve always been horrible with giving number ratings to things, so don’t take those as set in stone (Honestly, I usually don’t even use the numbers…).

Everything in my cupboard has at least one serving left in it…I try to keep it updated. :) (I actually just added all my sample sizes to my cupboard, so MOST of the tea in my cupboard is of that ‘sample’ size…)

random info: music and art are pretty important in my life… i also thoroughly enjoy nerdy things like video games, anime, knitting, Doctor Who (the 10th is my favourite…), A Song of Ice and Fire, and random cartoons and such…. and i love, love, love to read. :)

I’m married to my best friend (I’ve known him since I was 15….we were totally going to be in a band together. It was going to be HUGE…), and we’ve got three kiddos. They’re pretty neat, too, even if they try to put sugar in my Verdant tea when they drink it….

Location

Rochester, NY

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