155 Tasting Notes
This is Butiki’s version of an English Breakfast tea. EB is generally not the sweet spot for me but this tea is. It has far more complexity than your usual EB. It is more medium-bodied and something I believe I prefer in the afternoon rather than as a morning tea. There is a bit of malt from the assam, a bit of sparkle mid-tongue from the darj and a nice, grounded bottom from the keemun to balance it all out. Overall, this tea is about balance to me. As it cools, there is a delicate, pretty floral waft up into my nose and really pleasant sweetness. My overall impression is that this tea is sweet and lovely with a bit of bottom and a bit of sparkle. Like LaVern Baker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-s_TTKlIGE
This is happy tea.
More on my blog : http://mizzprissy.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/the-black-lotus-butiki-teas/
Preparation
For my second round of Sunday morning tea. This. Still magnificent.
Preparation
I’m not generally a lapsang souchong fan. At all. Says so right there on my profile. But this one. The usual Joseph Wesley excellence.
First sip was a revelation. A lapsang exists that I like!! This does not taste like I just licked an ashtray. It is full and complex with my favorite malty note at the front. There is cocoa midsip with a deep fruit, plums? toward the back. All the way back is the roasty barley bit that I love, all with an underlying but subtle tobacco bite that makes this really interesting.
More on my blog: http://mizzprissy.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/lapsang-souchong-joseph-wesley-black-tea/
And here is its song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeyL1yVY_6Q&feature=kp
Preparation
Ooo, that sounds wonderful! Lapsangs are an interesting lot: they’re SO good when done artfully, but so easy to get wrong!
I don’t generally like them. This one is great.
I like that you include songs :)
Tea almost always makes me hear a song. Not every single time, but most of the time. Some people taste colors. I taste music. I’m glad you like it :)
The Blackbyrds? Very cool! I’m sitting with a buddy in Detroit who loves that song and now can be found with a very large smile after listening to your musical selection. However, he calls your Walking in Rhythm, and raises you a: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5J54RVZjYs (appropriate on this Memorial Day, no?)
HA! Awesome :) Don’t get me started….but here’s some Curtis Mayfielfd just because: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVANQheoRUw
A LONG hot steep of my beloved Special Dark is assisting with my recovery from that fuzzy-headed-not-quite-a-hangover feeling brought on by one too many lemon drops last night. I’m starting to feel a little more human.
Flavors: Chocolate
Preparation
This appears to be my 50th note. So for this wee milestone, I chose the Golden Monkey tea of my dreams.
The chocolate malt aroma tendrils are a preview of coming attractions. There is a deep sweetness, almost roasty like brown sugar or really dark caramel (like Fran’s caramel) and a nuanced and perfectly balanced mellow maltiness that sends me straight to purring satisfaction.
It’s like a deep tissue massage with Otis Redding (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIlWjhci01U) playing in the background while I melt into a puddle of blissful contentment.
This is perfect tea. More on my blog:
Flavors: Caramel, Chocolate, Honey, Malt
Preparation
I steeped two teaspoons of these cute little curlicues in about 15 ounces of boiling water for four minutes. And then…..Hello great big fat HONEYMOUTH! So sweet and thick tasting. There is a roasty grain bit. There is chocolate and there is malt. All pleasure-buttons for me. There is a little floral waft at the end it’s a sweet floral, like sweet peas. And honey, it is silkysmooth. Like Al Green. How is it possible I only ordered one ounce of this?
More on my blog: http://mizzprissy.wordpress.com/
Flavors: Chocolate, Honey, Malt, Roasted Barley
Preparation
What’s your fave so far of the WP teas you’ve ordered?
We seem to have pretty much the same impressions on this tea :-)
I placed my second order earlier today and got another ounce of this among other things, oops. I’m way over budget this month, summer will have to be all about sipping and nothing about spending :-(
@whatshesaid – I still have a couple I haven’t tried yet. But so far, I would have to say the Golden Orchid, this one and the Ailaoshan. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna have to suck it up and spend the $ on the Port too.
@TheTeaFairy – I’m so ridiculously far over budget. I was a miserable failure at the Hiatus thread. I need help.
I did it, I ordered the Port actually. Triple oops. I reordered 4oz of Ailaoshan, and could not resist the description of Huang Zhi Xiang Phoenix oolong. Golden orchid was sold out, sigh. I will have to be content with the one ounce I got for now.
Yummmm
I’m probably gonna order the Port. Then I really need to quit. Except for some pu-erh.
Lol, We obviously both need help. Any advice whatshesaid, or are you as hopeless as we are?
We are all hopeless… ;) !
Oh Yes ma’am! I’m gonna go ahead and put the song first because I’ve listened to it three times in my headphones while drinking this tea and the combination is sending me to the happy place: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPP8w0wMRgQ&feature=kp
Silky smooth and sumptuous, there is chocolate way up front. Then gooey melty caramely deliciousness. With a very slight malt toward the back and deep roasty fruit at the end. I also get an almost winey updraft into my nose as I swallow.
This is full of win and I will have some as long Brenden supplies this new habit. Near perfect. As usual, more on my blog:
Flavors: Caramel, Chocolate
Preparation
Oh this sounds amazing! I am adding it to my list for the next order to WP.
I’m so excited to try these WP teas if only my flippin’ order would get here!
It is so so good. I LOVE this one.
@whatshesaid – you will be soooo happy when it does.
@Sasonator – it’s amazing.
Haha, perfect song as usual MzPriss, glad you liked it as much as I did :-)
Such high hopes I had for this tea. All y’all love it so much. I like it fine. I just don’t love it. It is slightly too bright to be a tea I love and the smokiness to me went a little too far in the creosote direction at the back of the sip. It’s not off-putting, but I like a smoky flavor a bit rounder, more mellow and a bit less sharp.
More about it (and its song) here:
http://mizzprissy.wordpress.com/
I’m going wait to rate it because it could grow on me.
First tea of the morning since I got home from NYC yesterday afternoon. The trip home was HELLTRIP. I climbed into bed and stayed there.
I’m having a nice, comforting cup of this. It is making me very happy. It’s also a sipdown. I probably need more.
I support staying in bed for long periods of time.
I agree! I’d love to curl up in bed right now with a book and a mug of tea.
And that’s exactly what I did – got a book and went to bed. It was awesome.
Awesome!
I’d love to have a day in bed, only getting up to make tea & snacks, & to relieve myself. Sadly, the only time I never have a day like that is if I’m sick.
It hardly ever happens for me and it was just what I needed to recharge my batteries. My energy level was getting really really low.
Hi There-Would you mind PMing me? I can’t seem to message you.