Hello Steepsterites!
Long time, no see.
I haven’t been around here for… 8 months or so, judging by the date stamp of my last post. So why the absence? Well, to be entirely frank with you, forum wank. At the time when I stopped coming here there had been a number of petty little arguments and other rounds of controversy on the board, one following the other. I got fed up and lost interest. This period of time was significant because anything going further than a heated discussion has been very rare on this site indeed.
So time for a break and a break I’ve had. I’ve enjoyed it, but it seems my tea-interest has changed in the meantime. I’m not sure I’d say it has waned, but definitely changed. I still prefer a decent quality leaf and I still brew it loose in the pot, but I’m buying much less, keeping less in the house, and have also come to appreciate the simple convenience of the bag now and then. GASP SHOCK HORROR!!! I know, Steepsterites. But really, once you no longer feel the need to analyse and consider every sip, but would rather just have something warm and satisfying to drink, you tend to start leaning more towards convenience. Don’t worry, I haven’t sunk so low as reverting to Lipton’s Yellow Label or anything of that ilk. I primarily have herbal teas in bags, with the very occasional exception if it’s a decent brand and an interesting sounding flavour. Such as that Nutcracker Sweet from Celestial Seasonings that I remember many people around here being very fond off around Christmas. I’ve even started drinking way more coffee than before, due to this fantastic espresso pot for the hob that we bought in January and Husband buying a coffee grinder, so we can have coffee with ultra-freshly ground coffee. It’s fab!
I can’t really promise that I’ll come back to regularly visiting the site. Maybe I’ll have a peek in now and then. Interestingly, I seem to have gained a lot of new followers while I’ve been dormant. Not sure how that works, but then again, I’m here now so, hi! waves
So why am I back now? Well, Steepsterites, Husband and I have spent a lovely week in a rented summer house in the South of Denmark. Understand that this area of the country is culturally very much coffee country. This was reflected in the summer house which had not one but two coffee makers and a sufficient amount of coffee cups to serve twenty people. At least!
For tea drinkers? Bit of a waste-land, and the forced creativity that followed was what made me think of you lot.
The house had no kettle. Not an electric one, not one for the hob. No kettle whatsoever. Okay, we had a sauce pan.
The house had no teapot. None. Hm. There’s a ceramic bowl with a handle and a small spout.
The house had no mugs. Loads of coffee cups, though…. The lack of mugs was for me the most dire. Coffee cups are fine for coffee, but for tea they’re rather small. Local charity shop to the rescue, where we bought two mugs and donated them to the summer house when we went home.
So, Steepsterites. Go to your kitchen. Cuddle your kettle! Pet your pots! Hug your mug! These things are pure luxury!
…
Now, this tea I’m drinking. My long break from this site has caused me to lose some of the tasting routine that I had built up before. I can probably still taste more nuances than someone who has never tried analysing a tea flavour, but some things are no longer as clearly different from each other as they once were.
As a consequence, when I drink this tea, the first thing that comes to mind is simply ‘this is very nice’. And then I try and think about some details and I feel a bit lost. There’s a familiar note here, how did I usually describe that? Another note there, is it more grainy or malty? I think I’d describe this as a fairly malty and somewhat grainy tea. It has a good body and a long aftertaste, and now I just sound like I’m trying to write a wine label. I’m so not used to this.
In the end, though, it’s a highly satisfying Taiwanese tea, and with a name like this, how can you not love it?
…
So, what’s new with you lot?
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welcome back! I feel you on not needing/wanting to analyse everything. I think i can finally get to a place where i have my favourites and occasionally i’ll branch out. :) no tea bags for me though…unless i’m travelling haha. Hope your summer has been awesome!
Thanks! Yes, I think that’s where I am as well. I’ll make an order when we’ve actually run out of breakfast-type teas or flavoured ones in general or that sort of thing. Not ‘ooh I’ve got nothing nut-flavoured, must order seven different ones stat!’ I’m down to a breakfast type/Asssam, two or three flavoureds, an EG and some Keemun plus a few odds and ends. And I’m fine with that. :)
Welcome back ;)
Thanks. :)
Sometimes bagged black teas really do the comforting trick. I like drinking Red Rose Earl Grey during the colder months. /whistles not sheepishly
Yes, it’s just so uncomplicated. And these days, to be honest, if you pay attention you can actually get a decent quality teabag. It’ll never be as high quality as loose, obviously, but it doesn’t have to be floor sweepings either. I look mostly for flavoured in bagged form. There was a place in town where they had a good selection of Clipper, but alas they don’t seem to have as many as they used to. Sadly they’re no longer carrying the assam with vanilla that I’ve got a box or two of at my parents’ house.
Pickwick in Denmark was one of my first tea loves.
Eh, Pickwick is sort of on par with Lipton in my opinion. I’d rather go for Twinings, really. Or Clipper, if I can get it. Unfortunately the selection of either is limited.
Yes, but everyone starts somewhere.
This is true. I have actually always preferred Pickwick to Lipton, even way before getting into tea at all. Couldn’t tell you why.
Welcome home. You have been missed. I don’t get on here nearly as often as I should either. Circumstances preclude large (or any) tea purchases and I rarely write more than once about the same tea. Anyway, good to see you here again and I hope you pop in more often now.
Thank you. :) Oh, did you know, by the way, that little tea cafe in Århus where we met up has closed? They only have their (unreasonably expensive) webshop now.
Noooooooooooooo!!!!! Won’t somebody think of the children??!!!!!
That’s a real shame. I liked it there. The world needs more quality tea shops.
When they wrote about it in their newsletter it sounded like they were planning to reopen on a different address, but didn’t have one yet. That’s a good while ago now, though. I suspect the location by the river was just far too expensive for them.
I can imagine their market is not large enough to cover the cost of such a location, even with their tea parties. It’s a shame that they have not opened somewhere else though.
I still get their newsletter, so I’m sure I’d have heard if they had.
I’ll have to check next time I go to Aarhus, although that is not likely to be for a while now: I need to start saving for the big Viking conference in Reykjavik in 2018. It will take me three years to save up enough! :)
Welcome back! I have been bad about coming here and recording my notes, too…though I try to avoid the discussion unless it is a thread that someone mentions to me, such as Butiki Teas Custom contest, or something. Other than that, I can skip the petty drama there and just focus on what I like here…drinking tea, and sharing my thoughts with those who are interested in what’s in my mug at the moment. :)
Thanks. :) I know, staying out of there is what I probably should do, but I have hard time doing that. I get curious, you see, so sometimes it’s better to just completely remove the temptation rather than go and look at something which I know will most likely irritate me.
I think if I do end up using the site regularly again, it’ll be in a far more relaxed and occasional sort of way than it was before. I’m not really interested in going back to the sort of obsessiveness where I couldn’t bring myself to try a new tea if I wasn’t in the mood to write about it. I still, 8 months later, have to sometimes remind myself that I’m actually allowed to drink my own tea and don’t owe anything to anybody in relation to it.
I’ve been off here for much longer, but it caught my eye today, so I came and saw your post. I feel like I can’t read comments anywhere on the internet any more, soooo much hate and useless comments, which is sad because I used to learn a lot from the comments, they were relevant and informative! I didn’t know about the fighting here, it’s a shame really. We just love tea and want to share our love with other like-minded people. “It’s a tea thing, you wouldn’t understand.” No need for anger or hateful comments creating all sorts of drama. By the way, I have always loved your tea reviews! :-)
Also, although I may be a little bit of a tea/food snob, I feel like if there is a bagged tea that has a great taste that puts a smile on your face or the scent is relaxing, then go for it! Just like every once in a while, I love a double cheeseburger from McDonalds. Sometimes you just want it down and dirty! haha
Yes, it’s a bit like that. I sometimes catch myself looking at comments on news-articles and it’s generally pretty headdesk-worthy. There are some really peculiar people out there! I know I shouldn’t scroll down that far when reading the news, but sometimes I just can’t stop myself. What happened on the boards, though, I think were all pretty much isolated instances that just happened to happen almost at the same time. It seems to be all back to normal now.
As for the snob thing, I think it’s sort of a learning development. In the beginning, I knew nothing and just wanted to try as many different things as possible. Then I learned a little and became ultra-picky about a lot of things. Now I’ve learned a good deal more and am more comfortable in my choices, more familiar with my preferences and have relaxed a lot on a lot of things. It’s all a journey towards zen. :p
Exactly! :-)
Welcome back! I completely relate to your post. I still sometimes feel paralyzed to try a new tea if I don’t have time to write about it. But then I remember that’s why I have so much stale tea in my cupboard because I don’t often have time to devote to this site the way I used to. I’m slowly trying to change my ways and just enjoy drinking tea. Life is too short.
Yes, I’m trying very hard not to fall back into that particular trap. It was only a few weeks after I’d stopped coming here that I noticed my tea drinking habits were changing, falling back to a much more relaxed level, although I still had a few problems making myself drink the stuff I hadn’t tried before. A little while after that I had rather a substantial clear out of old teas. A couple of months of Steepster-break made it much easier to look at each objectively and decide if I was ever going to drink it, if I was going to enjoy it if I did drink it or if I should just toss it now. Afterwards, I could move things together from four drawers into two. It felt amazing! And to be honest, I only ever really look in one of them.
welcome back! I feel you on not needing/wanting to analyse everything. I think i can finally get to a place where i have my favourites and occasionally i’ll branch out. :) no tea bags for me though…unless i’m travelling haha. Hope your summer has been awesome!
Thanks! Yes, I think that’s where I am as well. I’ll make an order when we’ve actually run out of breakfast-type teas or flavoured ones in general or that sort of thing. Not ‘ooh I’ve got nothing nut-flavoured, must order seven different ones stat!’ I’m down to a breakfast type/Asssam, two or three flavoureds, an EG and some Keemun plus a few odds and ends. And I’m fine with that. :)
Welcome back ;)
Thanks. :)
Sometimes bagged black teas really do the comforting trick. I like drinking Red Rose Earl Grey during the colder months. /whistles not sheepishly
Yes, it’s just so uncomplicated. And these days, to be honest, if you pay attention you can actually get a decent quality teabag. It’ll never be as high quality as loose, obviously, but it doesn’t have to be floor sweepings either. I look mostly for flavoured in bagged form. There was a place in town where they had a good selection of Clipper, but alas they don’t seem to have as many as they used to. Sadly they’re no longer carrying the assam with vanilla that I’ve got a box or two of at my parents’ house.
Pickwick in Denmark was one of my first tea loves.
Eh, Pickwick is sort of on par with Lipton in my opinion. I’d rather go for Twinings, really. Or Clipper, if I can get it. Unfortunately the selection of either is limited.
Yes, but everyone starts somewhere.
This is true. I have actually always preferred Pickwick to Lipton, even way before getting into tea at all. Couldn’t tell you why.
Welcome home. You have been missed. I don’t get on here nearly as often as I should either. Circumstances preclude large (or any) tea purchases and I rarely write more than once about the same tea. Anyway, good to see you here again and I hope you pop in more often now.
Thank you. :) Oh, did you know, by the way, that little tea cafe in Århus where we met up has closed? They only have their (unreasonably expensive) webshop now.
Noooooooooooooo!!!!! Won’t somebody think of the children??!!!!!
That’s a real shame. I liked it there. The world needs more quality tea shops.
When they wrote about it in their newsletter it sounded like they were planning to reopen on a different address, but didn’t have one yet. That’s a good while ago now, though. I suspect the location by the river was just far too expensive for them.
I can imagine their market is not large enough to cover the cost of such a location, even with their tea parties. It’s a shame that they have not opened somewhere else though.
I still get their newsletter, so I’m sure I’d have heard if they had.
I’ll have to check next time I go to Aarhus, although that is not likely to be for a while now: I need to start saving for the big Viking conference in Reykjavik in 2018. It will take me three years to save up enough! :)
Welcome back! I have been bad about coming here and recording my notes, too…though I try to avoid the discussion unless it is a thread that someone mentions to me, such as Butiki Teas Custom contest, or something. Other than that, I can skip the petty drama there and just focus on what I like here…drinking tea, and sharing my thoughts with those who are interested in what’s in my mug at the moment. :)
Thanks. :) I know, staying out of there is what I probably should do, but I have hard time doing that. I get curious, you see, so sometimes it’s better to just completely remove the temptation rather than go and look at something which I know will most likely irritate me.
I think if I do end up using the site regularly again, it’ll be in a far more relaxed and occasional sort of way than it was before. I’m not really interested in going back to the sort of obsessiveness where I couldn’t bring myself to try a new tea if I wasn’t in the mood to write about it. I still, 8 months later, have to sometimes remind myself that I’m actually allowed to drink my own tea and don’t owe anything to anybody in relation to it.
I’ve been off here for much longer, but it caught my eye today, so I came and saw your post. I feel like I can’t read comments anywhere on the internet any more, soooo much hate and useless comments, which is sad because I used to learn a lot from the comments, they were relevant and informative! I didn’t know about the fighting here, it’s a shame really. We just love tea and want to share our love with other like-minded people. “It’s a tea thing, you wouldn’t understand.” No need for anger or hateful comments creating all sorts of drama. By the way, I have always loved your tea reviews! :-)
Also, although I may be a little bit of a tea/food snob, I feel like if there is a bagged tea that has a great taste that puts a smile on your face or the scent is relaxing, then go for it! Just like every once in a while, I love a double cheeseburger from McDonalds. Sometimes you just want it down and dirty! haha
Yes, it’s a bit like that. I sometimes catch myself looking at comments on news-articles and it’s generally pretty headdesk-worthy. There are some really peculiar people out there! I know I shouldn’t scroll down that far when reading the news, but sometimes I just can’t stop myself. What happened on the boards, though, I think were all pretty much isolated instances that just happened to happen almost at the same time. It seems to be all back to normal now.
As for the snob thing, I think it’s sort of a learning development. In the beginning, I knew nothing and just wanted to try as many different things as possible. Then I learned a little and became ultra-picky about a lot of things. Now I’ve learned a good deal more and am more comfortable in my choices, more familiar with my preferences and have relaxed a lot on a lot of things. It’s all a journey towards zen. :p
Exactly! :-)
Welcome back! I completely relate to your post. I still sometimes feel paralyzed to try a new tea if I don’t have time to write about it. But then I remember that’s why I have so much stale tea in my cupboard because I don’t often have time to devote to this site the way I used to. I’m slowly trying to change my ways and just enjoy drinking tea. Life is too short.
Yes, I’m trying very hard not to fall back into that particular trap. It was only a few weeks after I’d stopped coming here that I noticed my tea drinking habits were changing, falling back to a much more relaxed level, although I still had a few problems making myself drink the stuff I hadn’t tried before. A little while after that I had rather a substantial clear out of old teas. A couple of months of Steepster-break made it much easier to look at each objectively and decide if I was ever going to drink it, if I was going to enjoy it if I did drink it or if I should just toss it now. Afterwards, I could move things together from four drawers into two. It felt amazing! And to be honest, I only ever really look in one of them.