Rabs Send Message

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act I scene 4

“Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and
some have greatness thrust upon ’em.”
Twelfth Night, Act II, scene 5

Meet Malvolio in tea form. If you don’t know him from the play Twelfth Night, then you should know that he’s a pretentious prig. Back in the day my college did a version of Twelfth Night where it was set on an alien planet and Malvolio was portrayed as a Vulcan. It was a brilliant concept and should help you picture how I view this tea.

The tea packet gave no hint as to what it contained beyond black tea. I sniffed the packet and was confused. I had absolutely no idea what I was smelling. Something kind of fruity? But not really fruity. The blend was quite striking to look at: different sorts of leaves, little seeds(?), and pretty violet and orange petals. I steeped it.

I got the scent of Assam (Woohoo! My Keemun/Assam/Ceylon trilogy did seem to help me figure out black teas better), and the fruity smell was still there, only it seemed deeper. I realized that this tea contains some green tea as well when I looked at the steeped leaves. I sipped. What on earth was this tea?!?!? It’s somewhat fruity (I couldn’t identify the fruit, but it seemed familiar), on the verge of being bitter, and I was at a loss. This tea was utterly alien to me. So I hopped on the webs and looked this puppy up. Wow. Culinary Teas really breaks down its tea with loads of info!

Assam! I was right! ::does happy dance:: Oh, but there’s Ceylon too. D’oh! Gunpowder and Lucky Dragon Hyson. Hmm…I haven’t enjoyed Gunpowders so far and I haven’t the foggiest on Lucky Dragon Hyson. But that might explain the bitterishness. Oh – the fruit! ::facepalm:: Black currants! I can only think of one time I’ve had black currants in my life: it was this bizarre candy my dad brought me after he returned from a business trip. I forgave myself for not knowing that one.

So why Malvolio? This tea is so full of it. It seems pretentious. But you know what? I absolutely adore the character of Malvolio. He gets some of the best laughs. I actually enjoyed the complexity of this tea and knowing that there’s green tea in there I lowered the temp to 190 on my second steep. The flavors were much much better/smoother. I’m actually thinking that this would be an amazing cold brewed iced tea. I can’t say that I love this tea, but I think it has the potential for greatness. It just needs to be put in its place first. NE

When I purchased my Rishi iced tea pitcher I wanted to also pick up a specific tea made for icing. After checking out a few other Steepsterite reviews of Rishi’s iced teas I came to a halt at this one. Oh Cha! started her review of this tea with “FRUIT LOOPS!” That’s all it took to get me to purchase this. And I’m glad that I did.

I opted to do the hot brew method (which is all I ever did at the cafes I had worked at) and when I pulled out the spent tea bag I smelled it: FRUIT LOOPS! Oh Cha! really nailed it in her review: Fruit Loops, a scary thought, but a good thing in reality. There’s a bit more lemongrassy tang to this, so next time I plan on seeing what cold brewing will do for that aspect. I can also really pick out the jasmine, but only if I tell my mind to think of this as tea and not Fruit Loops.

I can’t imagine having this every day, but I can see craving it. Especially in the summer. NE

I’m going to hold off rating this until I actually brew up an entire pot. I tried my gaiwan with this and was shocked and how shredded the leaves were and there were also a lot of stems. At times it tasted a bit soapy. So I’m thinking that jasmines aren’t the best teas to drink with gaiwans if they’re green tea based.

This is the final tea on my “Basic Tea Trilogy” tasting. I almost hyperventilated while smelling each tin of leaves. I kept going back and forth between Keemun and Assam. After recovering from my dizzy spell I decided that Keemun almost had a cocoa smell. Assam was more planting soil-esque.

When I was pouring this the smell was like “Oh hai! Remeberz me?” I know that I’ve had this tea as a base for at least one other tea – it was so recognizable. The one I know for sure is Golden Moon’s English Breakfast where it’s a mix of all three of my trio plus Darjeeling.

So in my trio we’ve got a fairy, a gnome, and I’ll call this a troll. Not a typical troll, but more like the one in Neil Gaiman’s Troll Bridge. It seems really earthy and with a bite. Only a smidgen of sweetness. This is the most distinct “mouth feel” that I’ve had – I can’t get the feeling of having a fine layer of earth coating the inside of my mouth. It’s nicer than what it sounds like. I know that I’ll be able to recognize this one from now on.

I’m on my second steep – it’s like a different tea. The bite is almost completely gone. I thought that this tea had given up too soon. But there’s still the pleasant taste of soil, but more smooth and sweet. NE

Overall I’m really glad that I bought these three teas to try and that I did them all in a row. However, doing all of them together one time was enough. I shall enjoy them each from now on occassionally, but I don’t think that I’ll reorder any of them once the tins are empty. Oy – I feel utterly black-tead-out for the day.

Tea #2 of my “Basic Tea Trilogy.” Um, this is “deeper” than the Ceylon. It’s like the Ceylon is a flittering fluttering fairy that sprinkles sugar on people’s tongues. Keemun is an earthier gnome that bestows more of a carmelized sugar sort of sweetness. I think that as of now I’d be able to pick out a Ceylon easier than a Keemun. I think I get why Keemun’s such an excellent base for tea blends. It’s got depth without being overpowering. NE

In an attempt to understand black teas better I purchased a tin of Ceylon, Keemun, and Assam from Teas Etc when they were on Select. Inspired by __Morgana__’s side-by-side reviews I thought it’d be good for me to go through these teas today before delving deeper into the Shakespeare box since there are many good black teas in there.

I really don’t know if I’ll be able to write a decent note about these teas. This is my first and all I can say is that it’s a basic black with a slight sweetness. Its a bit more complex/deeper than Golden Moon’s French Breakfast, but would I have guessed that this is an award winner? Probably not. But I think I now know what Ceylon tastes like and that’s the main point of purchasing this. NE

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act I scene 3

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date . . .
Sonnet 18, 1-4

This tea is both a sonnet and is sonnet-worthy. I know that Doulton is married to this tea so I am incredibly grateful that she’s willing to share! I shall merrily be this tea’s mistress and woo it with poetry and all of my feminine wiles.

I really didn’t know what to expect in regard to this tea. With Doulton’s love and the name “Black Dragon” (the name alone is a natural 20 in my book!) I was thinking that this might be the smokiest tea on the planet. Well, I had another think coming! This is the loveliest smoky tea that I’ve ever had. The smoke and the sweet earthiness are so beautifully balanced. It’s like I’m drinking the new growth after a forest fire. It’s like drinking summer.

I highly recommend this to anyone who’s intimidated by smoky teas. It really highlights the best parts of Lapsangs. I think that Life in Teacup’s LS will be my LS when I need “oomph” and smoke. I can see this becoming a daily “must-have.” It’s absolutely lovely. TG

My “cat sounds” Lapsang Souchong rating: this tea made me purr!

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act 1 scene 2

“As merry as the day is long.”
Much Ado About Nothing Act II, scene 1

This tea is a comedy: Much Ado About Nothing. This was the play that I had my light bulb moment with Shakespeare in that his works are meant to be seen as plays and not just read in school. It was during Benedick’s humorous soliloquy in the garden where I found myself cracking up and realized that I was understanding the play. I was having such a great time unlike when Shakespeare was forced upon me in high school English classes.

Thus far I’ve avoided teas with any sort of chocolate in them. I really don’t care for chocolate just like I thought that I didn’t care for Shakespeare until I saw a live play. Apparently I’m fine with cocoa in tea! It’s so different than having a piece of chocolate. And these flavors are so wonderfully playful. The vanilla starts to get a bit pushy, but the caramel and cocoa seem to be doing a fine job of saying “hey nonny nonny” to both the tea and vanilla. It’s like the enjoyment of watching Beatrice and Benedick quibble and fight while all the time knowing that they’re perfect for each other. But this tea is much smoother than any of the relationships in this play. Ultimately this is a delightful dessert tea that I must always keep on hand. TG

Doulton’s Shakespeare: a Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act I scene 1

For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In complement extern, ’tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at. I am not what I am.
Othello Act I, scene 1, 61-65

Today my Shakespeare prize that Doutlon created arrived to a standing ovation. I am rather overwhelmed by her generosity and will definitely “pay it forward” in the future as soon as I can put together something even half as lovely as what she did. There’s even a lovely handmade knitted tea cozy included – I’ll create a flickr account just so I can post a picture. It’s so perfect for my teapot Tim! There’s a beautiful block print card featuring a scene from Julius Caesar with a handwritten note. Thank you so much Doulton!

Now, to the toughest part: choosing the very first tea. After oohing, aahing, and squeeing over all the samples I knew the one that would persuade me. The one that I’d been avoiding because I knew my heart might break once this series was sold out. Caravan by A&D.

Throughout these “Shakespeare” tasting notes I’m hoping to label each tea either a comedy, tragedy, history, sonnet, or character. This one’s a character and one of my favorites: Iago. Here’s the persuasive bad boy whom I love to hate (and vice versa). I really didn’t think I’d find him so soon into this box if ever. This is different than any smoky tea that I’ve had so far. Most smoky teas remind me of campfires. This is not a campfire. This is the remains of a forest fire that happened at least a year ago. It’s rugged and masculine and it makes me jealous. I do not want to share this tea with anyone. There’s so little of it for such a short period of time and it brings out the irrational MINE feeling.

I think that I won’t fall into the same trap that Othello did. Or at least I hope that I won’t. I feel like I’ve finally made peace with all “limited edition” teas and am willing to have my heart broken when they’re gone. I shall openly wear my heart on my sleeve and be willing to have the jackdaws peck away. No ulterior motive. No jealousy. I just want wonderful tea while it lasts. TG

Happy May Day/Beltane to all! This has been a beyond marvelous day for me: I tried this tea with my new gaiwan and am loving it, and most importantly Doulton’s Shakespeare box came!!!!! I’m just so overwhelmed with tea joy at the moment. But I do need to review this tea before I move onto the amazing box-o-Shakespeare (and it truly is amazing).

Speaking of amazing: this tea is beyond amazing. I’m so glad that I purchased my new kettle and first gaiwan just for this tea. It’s worth it. I’m on infusion #8 and it’s still going strong. I wait until there’s only about 1/4 of liquid left in the cup and then add more water, stir with the lid, and then commence sipping.

Steep 1-3 were all consistent and good. I didn’t feel “FLOWERS!” like other notes I’ve seen, but more like “Spring Meadow” right before the flowers get boisterous. Each subsequent infusion started to do the wonderful “oolong morph” that I highly prize, and on steep #7 it turned into the best sweet floral oolong that I’ve ever had. I’ve mentioned how some oolongs will feel like their sweet yumminess infuses into my tongue? Not only is this tea doing that, but I can feel it all the way to my stomach and that’s a new and unique sensation that I’m loving. So far this is my favorite oolong hands down. I thought that I’d never give a 100 to any tea, but here it is. I will lose my mind if I ever run out of this tea. TG

ETA: It finally started to fade on steep #10.