1473 Tasting Notes

100

So my biggest love is candy cane hot cocoa. It is my favorite thing this time of year. A few days ago I was craving it and so I asked the wife to make me a cup of peppermint tea and then add cocoa to it. It was okay, but the peppermint was way too strong and sharp, not sweet and mellow like I wanted. So tonight, as I got ready to head out in the rain, I made a cup of cocoa and dropped in two bags of Candy Cane Lane and a drizzle of vanilla agave.

Success! Oh man, this is good. I wish I hadn’t made it in my timolino three hours ago because it is still blazing hot when I just want to chug it. The bags have been in the cocoa this whole time and it isn’t bitter at all.

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92

So I just had the BEST REALIZATION EVER.

This is the fruity rooibos I measure all other rooibos by, but as far as I’ve seen, English Tea Store isn’t readily available in Canada. But guess who will be in the States for Christmas?

I am so stocking up. I love this tea, it’s fruity and strawberry-y and wonderful. I have yet to find another rooibos I love as much as this one.

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70

So I accidentally let this cool all the way down to cold and it was the best mistake ever! It’s a tasty blend, but I can’t quite figure out how to describe it. It’s cinnamony, but not really, nutty, but not really, orangey, but not really.

I give up. It’s good, alright? XD

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51

Blegh. Cold, this is an improvement, but not much of one. Cold brewing brought out the lemon, and of course it is stronger than my pitiful cup yesterday. Still, this is no tea I care to restock.

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98
drank Coconut Oolong by DAVIDsTEA
1473 tasting notes

For the last week or so, I’ll think a coconut oolong sounds really tasty, but by the time I actually go to make tea, I’ve moved on to something else or forgotten all about the coconut craving.

But today I remembered! And it smelled so good as it steeped, flowery and buttery and delicious. It is sweet and creamy and delicious and coconutty. I had forgotten how yummy this is. The flavor doesn’t overpower the oolong, they simply work well together. The wifey loves coconut oolongs and now I see why. I should have this more often.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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100

I woke up early this morning and needed something to help that waking up process along, so of course I reached for my favorite breakfast tea. And it is perfect, as always.

Every time Davids comes out with a new batch of perfect/nordic mugs, I always find one I “can’t live without” which is why we have 15-16. The thing is, if my wife and I are both home and both in a tea-drinking mood, by the evening we will find ourselves completely without any mugs clean. There is well hydrated and painfully hydrated, ha!

I only bring this up because I am trying to talk myself out of Davids color changing deer mug. Honestly, I wish it wasn’t color changing, because that makes it a huge PITA. My color changing whales mug barely lasted a month before the whales began to peel. On the other hand, I have a color changing tree mug from ages ago that has survived just fine.

I unno. Maybe the holiday teaware will present me with a better option.

This has been Tea Reviews That Have Nothing To Do With The Tea. This is aisling, signing off! Tune in next week when I discuss Bubble Teapots in a review for Ginger Sparkle. Good night, everybody!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Dustin

I was just looking into color changing pigments today! I wonder if the maker switched brands and that is why the whales peeled? I hope they fixed it because I got my brother to pick up one of their Halloween color changing mugs for me! Did you ever put it in the dishwasher or always hand wash?

Daddyselephant

Always handwash. Seriously, it sat in my sink for 5-10 minutes and the whales began to just fall off. I was so sad. DAVIDsTea came through as usual, though, letting me replace it with the non-color changing one. Since then, with my color changing tree and my gold leaf elephant perfect mugs, I wash them out as soon as they are empty.

Dustin

Thanks for the tips! Gold leaf sounds gorgeous on a mug! I wonder if I could do that at home.

Dustin

Oooooooh, nice!

Dustin

They should do more in gold leaf!

Daddyselephant

I know, right? But that was Spring 2013, so they may have decided it wasn’t worth it or something, because that’s the only gold leaf I’ve seen from them.

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85

I’m feeling a bit of a wheeze when I breathe and I’ve been coughing more than usual, so I figured a cup of this wouldn’t be a bad idea. It’s soothing and calming and wonderful. I don’t know if I could survive winter without this in my cupboard.

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81
drank Raspberry Royale by Bigelow
1473 tasting notes

I am always surprised by the tastiness of this bagged blend. I threw four bags into a pitcher to cold brew for a day or two and it is wonderful. I could have used another bag, but next time. After my last two tea fails, this is a wonderful change. It is what it says on the package, a raspberry black, but one I am ever so fond of.

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51

After falling in love with DavidsTea’s Apple Custard, I remembered this blend hidden in the back of our cupboard.

Full disclosure: This tea is over three years old.

When I opened the tin, I really did not like the smell, it smells too citrusy, like Lime Fizz. But I remember adoring this blend, so I’m giving it another go.

It’s…bland. I should have let it steep longer. But it’s okay. Not terrible enough to throw away, but I feel it would be lovely as a coldbrew. But seeing as how it’s taking me over three years to finish off what I have, I don’t feel the need to get any more.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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So my brew last time was weak, so I over leafed and over steeped this and oh my lord was that a mistake. The smell is nauseating, like Christmas threw up in my cup.

It’s bad. It’s so bad. I’m not going to rate it because I may have just screwed it up, but it is awful.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 12 g 12 OZ / 354 ML

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Profile

Bio

Formerly aisling of tea, now you can call me ele .

“You can forgive a murder, but never a mistake while preparing tea.” Chinese proverb

Labels? Here you go: Femme, Wife, Lesbian, Homemaker, Happy. Don’t forget tea fanatic!

New label as of May, 2015: Diabetic. I’m using tea to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings and keep me hydrated without hurting my system or messing with my blood sugar.

Ah, tea. My love for you is ever changing. At my last update, I was all about the rooibos and now I hardly drink it. I only occasionally had an oolong and now I have one just about every day. I’ve learned the art of resteeping and coldbrewing and kombucha. I have a lovely little tea pet named…well, I haven’t decided on a name for him yet. I also have five! live pets, a tabby cat named Rosabella Francis (Bella for short), a ginger cat named Orange Julius Pekoe (Pekoe), a white and grey cat named Earl Jean Grey (Earlie), a tuxedo cat (and the only boy in the house) Prince Erik Darien Darjeeling (JiJi) and a red foot tortoise named Da Hong Pao (Pao). So if you see me referring to my girls, I don’t have kids, just animals.

As for tea, I love oolongs, herbals, and black tea. Since I am no longer working, I no longer feel the constant need for a mate energy boost, though I do still reach for it from time to time. I also drink less matcha, though I do throw a spoonful or two in when I’m making smoothies. Most of my tea I drink coldbrewed, and since I discovered coldbrewed rooibos was giving me headaches, I’m drinking less and less of it. Straight pu-erh is not a thing I enjoy, but there are a few flavored blends I like. Greens are still too finicky for me to bother with hot, but they make great cold brews.

I am by no means a tea purist. I greatly enjoy flavored teas and I put stevia in all of my teas. It’s just how I do.

I think I’m going to name my tea pet Mr. Turtle. Even though he’s a tortoise.

Location

Scarborough, ON

Website

http://aislingoftea.wordpress...

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