85
drank Shanti by The Simple Leaf
1112 tasting notes

After my week of work tea divine decadence (jasmine! violet! cherry! chestnut!) I decided to have a plain green today. I got a very nice sized bag of this free with my Dawn order. Thanks Simple Leaf!

This tea smells SMOKY!!

It tastes earthy and smoky, the slightest bit asparagus-y, but I like it! It’s not my usual “profile” at all, but it’s really nice after days of sweetness and refinement. This tea would be excellent with a meal. As it cools, it is a little less smoky, a little more asparagus-y and slightly sweeter.

2nd steep: (3:30) Nice! It’s more subdued and very delicious. I don’t know if I prefer the first or second steep! The first one is so interesting, but the second one is very harmonious. I am wishing I had a bowl of rice with salmon and bok choy (yeah – I know! specific!) to go with this tea!!

3rd steep: (4:00) Sweeter! even less smoke. I am so full, but I think this tea could go on to yet another steep (but I won’t save my leaves because I have dark chocolate covered graham crackers for my afternoon snack, and that would be an awful pairing!!). I wanted to mention it though, because if you are having guests for a meal, you can keep on refilling your teapot at least 4 times imo with this tea.

Look at me – evolving!! ;)

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

I love evolving teas!

JacquelineM

…and evolving tastes! Hurrah!

LadyLondonderry

Your fantasy food pairing on the second steep sounds great (though I might swap out the salmon for some broiled eel, which is deliciously smoky itself!

JacquelineM

LadyLondonderry – I haven’t tried eel yet, but I should since I am evolving at present !! :)

__Morgana__

Yay for evolving!

AmazonV

eel is delicious! try it as a sushi so it’s only a tiny bit – it’s a cooked sushi don’t worry

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Comments

Cofftea

I love evolving teas!

JacquelineM

…and evolving tastes! Hurrah!

LadyLondonderry

Your fantasy food pairing on the second steep sounds great (though I might swap out the salmon for some broiled eel, which is deliciously smoky itself!

JacquelineM

LadyLondonderry – I haven’t tried eel yet, but I should since I am evolving at present !! :)

__Morgana__

Yay for evolving!

AmazonV

eel is delicious! try it as a sushi so it’s only a tiny bit – it’s a cooked sushi don’t worry

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Bio

I love to cook, bake, read, paint, knit, do needlework, and garden. I need my coffee, but I LOVE my tea. I work at an Art School, and attend a large public university doing post-bac work (my BA is in English). I’m interested in the liminal spaces between art and craft, the academic and the practical, the individual and community, and the old and the new. I’m currently exploring these ideas through the disciplines of education, literature, history, and psychology.

I enjoy writing tasting notes, but have decided not to numerically rate teas as of 9/14/10. For an explanation, see my looooong tasting note about Mountain Malt from the Simple Leaf.

My favorites:
Chinese black teas
A good “milk and sugar” English style black
Earl Grey (classic, and in all variations!)
Vanilla teas (classic, and in all variations!)
Jasmine, Rose, Violet and other froofy, flowery teas!
An Occasional Oolong
Flavored Rooibos
Herbal Tisanes

Location

Collingswood, NJ

Website

http://jackiemania.wordpress....

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