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Tea Revv Advent Calendar – Day 12

(originally written November 12th)

Ugh… For some reason, last night I got terrible heartburn, so I ended up staying awake until around 2, then drifitng in and out of restless sleep on the couch until 4, before finally being able to fall sound asleep in my bed. I’m not sure if it was because I didn’t eat much yesterday, but drank a lot of tea? I don’t generally have stomach issues with tea though. Anyway, I’m feeling exhausted because of that and, of course, it’s a crappy dark and cold, rainy day today.

So I really just want to go home and take a nap…

I was somewhat happy to see a breakfast tea in my advent selections today, and hopefully it will perk me up a bit. This is not quite as strong as I would like, especially since it’s a bit astringent. I feel like if a tea is going to be inherently brisk and/or astringent (like Assam) it should be big on the flavor as well. The base tea does have some maltiness, but otherwise is quite plain. I can taste the creamy vanilla flavor, and it’s in good balance with the tea, not overpowering it too much.

This is a pretty good one. I would like a more flavorful base tea, but it gets the job done.

Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Cream, Custard, Malt, Vanilla

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
lizwykys

That sounds miserable! The heartburn, not the tea. What works for me is cutting up some ginger root into thin slices (or shredding) and steeping to make a tea with a bit of honey. It sort of seems counterintuitive since ginger is “spicy,” but it’s a good anti-inflammatory for the stomach / esophagus, and works quite quickly for me. Usually by the time I’ve sipped my way to the bottom of the cup, I feel okay and can go back to sleep. I’m not much of a home remedy person, but Ginger. Yeah. Maybe worth a try. (You can even use just spice shelf ground ginger, apparently, but I haven’t tried this yet.)

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lizwykys

That sounds miserable! The heartburn, not the tea. What works for me is cutting up some ginger root into thin slices (or shredding) and steeping to make a tea with a bit of honey. It sort of seems counterintuitive since ginger is “spicy,” but it’s a good anti-inflammatory for the stomach / esophagus, and works quite quickly for me. Usually by the time I’ve sipped my way to the bottom of the cup, I feel okay and can go back to sleep. I’m not much of a home remedy person, but Ginger. Yeah. Maybe worth a try. (You can even use just spice shelf ground ginger, apparently, but I haven’t tried this yet.)

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Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however. I also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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