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additional notes: Just a note to say, at six years old, I did not expect this tea to age so well. A surprise, because when I originally tried a sample from a teabox, I thought it was terrible because of the age of the tea. I acquired this sample because it was in the holiday box, so now I’m glad I was forced to give it a second chance! It would definitely be a S&V restock, simply because it has aged so gracefully. (I have quite the list forming.)
2024 sipdowns: 28

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #7 -March 14 – Pi Day and Einstein’s Birthday  

Had to go with a cake tea for all those Steepster bdays!  I hope everyone with a March bday has or had a great day!  As usual, I’m about a month behind on reading tasting notes, so probably won’t get to wish you well on your own day!   This tea is hanging on strong somehow, with a best by date of 2013.  Yowzers.   Next time will be a sipdown of this particular pouch.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #6 – Your tea with the longest name  

Thinking of a tea with a long name, I thought of this one which always made me laugh at how absolutely specific and long the name is.  So I’m glad to finish it for this prompt today.  A touch of flavor remains in this old tea, but it was never my favorite to begin with. 
2024 sipdowns:  26

Album:  Raze Regal & White Denim Inc
Song:  Don’t Laff – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpYl6j5PkhI

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #5 – An evening tea  

I think a no caff- chai is a cupboard staple for nighttime drinking, so this one was acceptable!  Hopefully last night was one of the last colder nights for the year.  That wind was fierce.  Fun fact: one of my oldest teas around here looks to still be available!
2024 sipdowns:  25

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #4 – A breakfast tea

Never could tell why this was a “breakfast tea”.  But now in my scoop, I’m seeing tiny pieces of something… I wonder if whatever that is contains caffeine? Maybe the Ashwagandha or Gurana? And maybe I didn’t get these tiny particles in a scoop previously and just had the bigger pieces in the infuser? I think it’s hilarious they changed the name of the blend to LIGHT breakfast boost. Still ain’t a breakfast blend IMO! Helpful tasting note, I know.

Album: Tiny Ruins – Ceremony
Song: In Light of Everything https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAvaiIoMnXE

Note to self, regarding my huge aged tin of this: use TWO teaspoons for a mug or you are wasting your time and tastebuds on a bland cup of tea.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #3 – March 8 – International Women’s Day

Had to go with a Butiki tea today for this prompt!  I hope Stacy is succeeding even more at whatever she is doing now, than when she was as a tea genius. (I would probably know what Stacy was up to if I followed any social media other than Steepster, but here we are.)   If Stacy ever wants to start blending some tea again, I will be first in line and she can take all my money.  Anyway, this is an ultimate favorite I like to occasionally break out, with its spectacular base and perfect flavor combination.  I have a couple steep sessions left, to treasure in the future and I feel very grateful for that. Somehow for a tea I enjoy only once in a while, will pair best with the new Glasser album.  She hasn’t had one in ten years! 

Album:  Glasser – Crux
Song: Clipt   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Ift8eoISE

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #2 – A floral tea

I realized as I was unwrapping the tuocha to finish this today that there is “flower” in the name, so I’m counting it for this prompt!  The flavor isn’t much, isn’t spectacular, so I’m glad I’m clearing it from the cupboard. 
2024 sipdowns: 24

Album: Will Johnson – No Ordinary Crown
Song:  Along the Runner (No Ordinary Crown) -   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwByxoDfsks&list=OLAK5uy_nwHzFgnwPcCNu4vVxRilt5eLqmJB3CWNM&index=1

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – March 2024 Tea #1- Your tea with the shortest name

Oo, I like this prompt.  It required some thinking!  I’m guessing at six letters, this is one of the teas with the shortest names.  And it’s a good excuse to dig it out of the stash.  It’s such an interesting looking leaf!   Wish I had enjoyed it in its prime, but it isn’t bad now.

Album: GRETA – Portals
Song: First Weeks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuTUT-D4tIg

If you didn’t see my rant a couple weeks ago, they made these tuochas on the new batch I bought, they didn’t taste the same.  This time, I was attempting to cut one mini tuocha in half, to steep with a full tuocha (for 1 1/12 tuochas) but it was too much of a pain/ made too much of a mess, without actually splitting in half, on the verge of injuring myself, so I just threw TWO tuochas into the infuser, just for this session!   The second steep is DARK.   Throughout all the steeps, I would say even with two tuochas, none of the steeps quite had the COMPLEXITY of the previous 2022 purchase of the bigger tuochas, which is odd, as two of the smaller ones are definitely much more leaf than one.  So I’m wondering if the leaf might be slightly different, and it isn’t just the size of the tuochas that matters here.  Drinking two tuochas was certainly better in flavor than just one!  But again, not as good as the old batch, either way.  So not sure if it is worth it to steep two together in the future?  A fifth steep for 15+ minutes had some nice depth to it, at least…
Steep #1 // TWO tuochas for medium sized mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 7 second rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 11 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 10 min
Steep #5 // just boiled // 15+ min

Album: Helena Deland – Goodnight Summerland
Song: The Animals – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo_c7NJxWe8
Bonus Song: Bright Green Vibrant Gray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA12STWhAZ4