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There is absolutely EVERYTHING to love about this cake. The wrapper is gorgeous. Once you open it, your eyes get to feast on a confetti of fabulousness. This cake is so gorgeous, you’ll have a hard time breaking into that beauty. But DO it because a mouth party awaits.

Moonlight Sonata is a blend of The Hobbit’s moonlight white and snow chrysanthemum. When I first heard about this tea, I wasn’t sure I was gonna love it. I should know better by now.

This? Well basically, it tastes like candy y’all. Reallyreallyreallyreally GOOD candy. Like honey flower candy. It is nectary and golden delicious lovely florals. There is some stonefruit, but to me the honey is the thing here.

I’m not generally a white tea drinker or even a lover of the snow flowers – but this combination works so beautifully. And that is the bottom line here – simply EVERYTHING about this tea is beautiful.

I was positive I had written a note on one of my most beloved of shous but I don’t see one here…..

Simply EVERYTHING about this cake is beautiful – no surprise since it’s from Whispering Pines. It is presented in a gorgeous wrapper snuggled inside a handy storage envelope. As lovely as they are – the real beauty comes when you open the wrapper and see the abundance of golden leaves threaded throughout the cake.

After a very quick rinse, the first steep is a little light and carries notes of warm cocoa. This is one of the most accessible shous ever – there is zero funk and no barn or leather (not that barn and leather are bad things in shou – just not present here). This is probably the best shou to ease a new pu drinker into the dark side. It is the shou you give your best friend when you are trying to turn them into your pu drinking partner. It is sweet creamy deliciousness that wouldn’t be challenging for someone who might be a little hesitant – in other words – it’s a perfect “gateway drug” and it WILL get you hooked.

The following steeps are thick and syrupy with a mouth-coating sweetness and the cocoa note becomes stronger. As I steep through, brown sugar, caramel, dates, creamy vanilla and a little mineral background make welcome appearances.

In my distant past, I knew a very charming man I nicknamed Mr. Silk. That guy was smooooooth. I may nickname Huron Mr. Silk as well – it is super creamy-dreamy and almost slinky.

I got 8 or 9 delightful steeps and a nice laid back relaxation – a lovely ride.

This is a special shou and it needs a special song. I really like the Radiohead song “Reckoner”, but it is much better by Gnarls Barkley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUmmsMeHAaE

My session on Instagram: https://instagram.com/p/8yCfFTwx4T/

HIGHLY recommended!

This is so fresh and floral. It just tastes pure like you are drinking in clean loveliness. It is a cup of flowers with a bright green taste and an underlying bit of lychee in the very back of the sip. The leaves are gorgeous, glowing green. This is the Autumn 2015 harvest and my very favorite so far. Love this.

I’ve been drinking lots of oolong lately. I continue to love this. Definitely creamy and nutty with a nice cannabis aftertaste. I find this really comforting and relaxing.

My amazing Teaplet Sarsita provided me with a sample of this. I knew it was her favorite shou and now I see why. It’s DELICIOUS! There is absolutely no fermentation taste left, just a smooth sweetness with a nice wintergreen breeze blowing through it. It’s nice and relaxed and I’m enjoying it very much. Thank you Sarsy xo!

Well allrighty. The Hobbit has been talking about this one for a while now and I have been very impatient to try it. Is it worth the wait? Oh my yes. It is. There is a distinctly malty aroma to the dry leaf. As that is one of my favorite notes in a black tea I am very happy.

The dry leaf is full of gold tips and when you open the bag it smells JUST like a chocolate malt. Not dark chocolate, a powdery chocolate and I want to just climb inside that bag and hang out a while.

I brewed it according to the bossy Hobbit’s very STRICT instructions. 2.5 grams at 200 in 8 ounces of water for exactly 3 minutes. I behaved and I was rewarded with a delightfully malty cup. Lots of bottom here. This is one of the Vanilla Dreams teas and so the vanilla is present. It is the lovely Tahitian vanilla so there is a cherry element, but it’s at the back after a wee bit of a cool down. It isn’t an in-your-face cherry like Cocoa Amore but it is lurking.

It is somewhat widely known that Golden Orchid is pretty much my favorite. This comes really, really, really close to GO for me. Less chocolate fudge and more chocolate malt. It’s got a nice creamy thing going too.

It sings and it has a really nice bass note that makes my bottom wiggle in the chair while I drink it and I hear this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn2PNlhvy8E

This was a lovely gift from my lovely TheTeaFairy – thank you darling for sharing this! I really enjoyed this. It was sweet and dreamy with a nice relaxing, yet not too heavy qi. It seems to be steeping forever. It is sweet and smooth and with slight notes of caramel and dried fruit – the deep kind, raisins or prunes and I like this very very much. I’m very sad it has sold out.

http://instagram.com/p/y2A9hLwx25/?modal=true

Ah, The Mirk. I love this so very much. It is rich and deep and savory. As others have noted, its tastes brothy/soupy. It is definitely reminiscent of mushroom soup, slightly salty and very earthy. But not earthy in a dirty way (although I also enjoy that nice dirt taste as well – but then I’m a gardener).

There is a wee bit of tongue tingle and a nice bit of relaxation, but for me this one is all about the taste. This is perfect for sleety cold day going on outside my house right now. I’m oh so happy to be snuggled in my nook with The Mirk – pure comfort.

Edited to add:

http://instagram.com/p/xrYjVzQx-w/?modal=true

Early morning tea nook party with my Teaplets. I still really love this cup of malty sweetness.

http://instagram.com/p/xrB5Aywx6R/?modal=true