Mrs. Hudson Blend

I had such a wonderful day! I had a long walk in the canyon and my husband purchased me a copy of the Dhammapada. I’ve noticed that I have not been drinking many of my black tea blends; this one in particular. I think that this is largely due to the fact that it was pretty low key. The flavor is mainly sweet almond and slight floral notes. The black base is also very evident in this one. I always am cautious not to oversteep this one.

“There’s another bedroom upstairs, if you’ll be needing two bedrooms.”
“Of course we’ll be needing two bedrooms.”
“Oh, don’t worry. We get all sorts ‘round here. Mrs. Turner next door’s got married ones.”

i’ll be honest. this cup of tea is really very good.
i’m not sure that the half-a-sample-tin i’m splitting with moraiwe will be enough. it’s basically just assam and almond tea. simple.
and yet it tasted like old quilts and warm cookies. so warming and cozy when i brewed it first thing this morning! maybe i’m extra sensitive and susceptible first thing in the morning, but i’m still looking forward to another cup tomorrow :)
and i’m gonna have it with tea biscuits then too!

2014/02/06
finished my sample up as i packed up tea swaps to mail tomorrow. there was something i really liked about this tea and if i keep considering it for weeks to come, which leads to buying some of my own or at least getting more in a swap, i wouldn’t be surprised.

I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would, considering I love almonds, assam, and flowers. Should have had it with biscuits ;)

This is lovely! I really like the combination of almond flavour and the floral notes from the osmanthus. It’s fragrant and sweet, but not overwhelmingly so— a perfect match for Mrs. Hudson. Definitely one of my favourites so far.

Sipdown 58/375 – and that’s the last of them. My cupboard should be up-to-date now.

I love Mrs. Hudson, but this tea was never my favourite (nor was it my least favourite). It was nice and all, but the almond flavour just seemed a bit lost to me. Sure, it tasted slightly biscuit-y, but I always just kind of wanted more from it. Still, it’s going on my wishlist because I want to give it a proper review.

Additional notes: Had to drink a Sherlock tea today as I was planning on watching the last episode of this season (or was it forever?) today. This season was cray cray. I just loved how the seasons were each set up, very well done overall, even the adrift Abominable Bride episode tried to solve Moriarty’s return while still leaving a question. It’s been a fun ride all these years. I NEVER usually sit in front of TV and flip through channels randomly (I usually know what I’ll be watching) but I think it was very much fate when I found the very first airing of the very first episode all those years ago. I know Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson have bigger careers now, but I wish they would keep the show going for a few more years. It’s something special. I remember hearing that Cumberbatch never wanted to be on lunchboxes, so I hope he doesn’t let those lunchbox projects stop Sherlock. (Though isn’t Sherlock probably on a lunchbox by now? Should be!)
This tea is better than I remembered, it’s a little syrupy now, unlike Mrs. Hudson’s badass middle episode of the season this year. I’ll raise the rating from a 68. Next time this will be a sipdown, but I’m hoping Sherlock the show isn’t a “sipdown”!!

I felt like I needed a Mrs Hudson last night, but this tea was the closest I could get. Strong, comforting, sensitive. I used 1 tsp of leaf and gave it 3 minutes in boiling water. I added a splash of milk.

This tea is straight-talking. The Assam is the main component, and it’s quite robust, with a strong edge of malty sweetness. I can imagine it being a little rough around the edges without milk, but fortunately I pre-tamed mine. The second flavour that emerges is almond. It’s not strong, by any means, but it contributes the delicious flavour of cookies, and it works perfectly with the assam base. It’s a simple tea, but a delicious one, and I can see myself returning to it fairly frequently.

As a fandom blend, I think it characterises Mrs Hudson pretty well. Warm cookies and comfort blankets, reliable and straightforward. Strong, yet sensitive. The exotic floral of the osmanthus even captures the slight hint of the unusual in her background, although I didn’t find that I could really pick it out. Still, a minor complaint. I love Mrs Hudson – character and tea.

Mrs. Hudson, you smell like delicious noms, but you’re actually kind of plain and sharp, aren’t you? The dry leaf has an amazing almond sugar dessert aroma, while the liquid steam is full of raisins, malt and almond. The actual flavour is something else.

This assam nut tea is easily flattened and drowned out by milk, but somewhat nippy without it. I think I prefer it without the milk- at least the talons to the tongue keep me occupied, and they come armed with almond cookies! There’s also a juicy note that seeps out for the finish. There’s no denying this tea has a lot of life.

As with other Indian Assam varieties I’ve come across, I think I’d rather drink this alongside some yogurt. I like my tea a little tamer than this!

EDIT: Steeping this at 200F for a couple minutes yields more hospitable cookies, and less attitude. I miss the lack of raisin prevalence however.

Had a cup today before packing up the rest – blew it though by oversteeping. Ah well.

Brewed this up to go with my late night snack! I was in the mood for a really salty treat, like pretzels or tortilla chips. All I have is popcorn though, so kettle corn it is! I didn’t think my usual fruity tea would go along well, so I reached for this one out of my sampler. It’s still like I remember it, malty with that bit of almond that isn’t too strong. Added just a bit of sugar and it’s a perfect pairing!