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Backlog from Dark Matter 2016

Yesterday I drank this while studying for this week’s finals. I haven’t had time to sit and thoroughly write reviews, but I have been jotting down notes on the various teas that I’ve been drinking. Unfortunately, I have a short explanation of this tea….

Dark roasted oolong with a sesame, nutty, mineral, and slight floral notes. I enjoy the deep complexity of a roasted oolong tea. The Indonesia Harendong is as complex, unique, and satisfying as I expected it to be just by the way the dry leaf had smelled. I will be purchasing this one in the future.

Note: I was a little biased while trying this oolong. Oolongs have a special place in my heart, since they are what made me into the tea enthusiast that I am today. However, I did find this altogether enjoyable, and will love to have more eventually.

Note: I had started drinking this after my 8-9 cups of 2005 CNNP Aged Ripe. Therefore, I was a little tea drunk from the morning session.

Anyway, I had about 5 steeps from the sample via Dark Matter 2016. I must say that overall these teas have been pleasing. This one was especially great. Then again, I’ve liked a majority of the teas that I’ve tried from Verdant thus far.

My notes during the session:

First steep: 5s—Nutty, chocolaty, sweet roasted oolong flavors. The mouthfeel is nice. The flavors remain in the mouth for a while after the first cup. I think this’d be a great substitute for chocolate, that is, when I desperately need “the fix.” Unfortunately, this is a small amount of tea, but would definitely considering buying more.

Second steep: 15s—Less chocolate, more oolong notes. The roasted oolong flavor really comes out in this cup. Reminds me of a Taiwanese oolong a friend had given me a few months ago. Really has that nutty quality to it. I’m picking up a hint of squash(?) or raw pumpkin(?) in the tea. Still very sweet.

Third steep: My wife, who by all means is solely a coffee drinker, is wanting a cup. Her thoughts are, “A bit astringent . A bit grassy, yes? A bit woody? Somehow sweet. Nothing much here—kind of light.” However, I asked her whether or not she had tasted the nutty/chocolate notes. She had given it thought, and considered that “it did.”

I was pretty tea drunk this morning, though; therefore, my notes are a scattered mess. I did write in caps, “THIS IS TEA, RIGHT? MARIA THINKS THAT I’VE REALLY STARTING DRINKING….” I recommend this tea. The one downfall to it is that is doesn’t last too long. I had a total of 6 steeps before the flavor dispersed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFHFTTOA-4W/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFHGtZGg-9C/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFHI2Vzg-0p/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1 (Tea Drunk)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFHoxH7g-3B/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1

I really needed this tea today. Thankfully, I received this in a recent swap with CWarren…

With that said, I’ve always liked Genmaicha. There’s that rice crackers wrapped in seaweed flavor—which was a treat often shared by my Japanese friend who’d bring them over to the States when she visited—therefore, drinking this is nostalgic (https://www.snackinn.com/jfc-nori-maki-arare-rice-crackers-seaweed?gclid=CjwKEAjwgbG5BRDp3oW3qdPiuCwSJAAQmoSD4Zq_Zdr9PyeSqnjngkzJpVQ8N4bPcCF66E7eadd49BoCA5_w_wcB). I enjoy the heaviness of the rice in this, where the sweet rice/nutty flavors jump out; however, the base really is alive in this blend, too. I guess this is the type of tea where I’d opt for this versus eating heavy salted foods.

When I worked at Teavana a while ago, I’d grab Genmaicha before I’d head into the food court. Unfortunately, after drinking Genmaicha, that I felt was “okay,” I grew tired of drinking it. Now this, I could drink often. Perhaps it’s the Matcha that gives it the robust greenness to the tea, or perhaps it’s the large quantity of rice added; whatever it may be, I like it. I could make this a daily drinker, and will consider buying more in the future.

PS. I had a total of 5 steeps with this. I felt that it could’ve gone 6-ish, but I don’t like pushing green tea any further than that. That’s when I have a tendency in burning the leaf.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFEtELmg-08/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1&hl=en

I’ve been terribly busy these past two weeks working on papers, studying (I have taken 1/4 tests that are due this week, before finals next week), and Statistics assignments; therefore, I’ve mostly been brewing this oldie but goody. I’ll hopefully gather my sanity back next week, and will get going on reviewing more teas. Anyway, that’s it for now. Time to go crazy!!

From the 2016 Dark Matter series.

I’ve been playing video games all weekend since I’ve caught up on homework, so I was trying to avoid “serious” tea sessions. However, after reading a few reviews, I figured it’d be time to try this. Unfortunately, I hadn’t written much while giving it a go. I was most likely preoccupied this afternoon when drinking it.

1st steep: Not much happening. Very light nutty/roasted note. Heat water to 195F instead of 175F (I must’ve thought, “Smells like Genmaicha, so I must brew it at a lower temperature”).

2nd Steep: Really tasting that oolong base. A little bite of sesame seed laced with roasted honey (?).

85% Recommended.

That’s all I had written. So, that’s all I’ll write now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BE32bH8A-5K/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1

P.S. I had finally beaten Uncharted 2 yesterday. I must say that this game series is quite enjoyable.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE0wK19A-6d/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1

I found this hidden in the back of the tea cupboard, so I decided to have a couple of cups before bed. I’m brewing this in a Gaiwan, which seems to be working out well with this tea. However, this review may be incoherent, due to my inability to mentally and physically function after 9 P.M. My bedtime’s usually around 9-9:30 during the week, since I have to be at work by 6 A.M. on a daily basis, and I get up at 4:45-5ish depending on how well I sleep; thus leaving at 5:30 to make the 30 minute drive to work. This is late for me (11 P.M.), but it’s the weekend, so I’m trying to live a little….Heh.

Anyway, this tea is pretty good. I like to have it when I’m trying not to munch before bed, or whenever I rediscover it in the back of the cupboard. My wife purchased this about a year ago, whilst exploring the Discount Outlet. I think she got a pound of it for roughly $5-6 which is a pretty great deal. It’s very fruity, and the mulberry comes out nicely. There’s zero astringency, and unlike other Green teas (which this tea is labeled as), you can leave it to steep around 5-6 minutes—there seems to be zero effects to the tea as far as astringency goes.

I’m nearly 3/4 of the way through, but I keep it far back in the cupboard for nights when I want to go to sleep, but can’t. However, now I must go to sleep.

P.S. This is a super sweet tea on its own; therefore, there is no need to add sugar. I think when the sun comes out again, I might make this as a sun tea.

P.S.S. Here’s the wet leaf (https://www.instagram.com/p/BE2TDwUg-6j/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1). It reminds me of cooked spinach.

Backlog

I had this on Thursday in the afternoon. I didn’t have much time to write about it, but I did record a message on the phone, reviewing the tea. There wasn’t much that I said about the tea, expect that it tasted like “old fruit that was sitting out too long; however, there’s an odd sweetness to this tea.” The “old fruit” flavor remained as an aftertaste that was almost unsettling. I usually like Zhena’s Gypsy teas, but this wasn’t one of them that I had enjoyed.

Well, today I’ve finally had a moment to sit and drink tea; to contemplate my life. The last couple of weeks of college are nearly complete (4 classes left until I complete my Education major, and then can continue onward for another year, to become a certified middle-grades History/English teacher!), my wife’s car is on the verge of falling apart, we’re waiting for our caseworker to get a hold of us to set a date for the home study, and we’re eager to have our children out of the terrible foster system—and into a loving home—where Mom & Dad will give them the best that we can give them….

Okay, that was sentimental….

Anyway, I’m currently drinking my third cup of Liquid Proust’s ‘A Dark Kitchen Sink.’ As of late, I’ve been wanting to eat everything candy and/or ice cream. However, I need to resist the temptation, and just pluck from the cupboard, these types of tea that I purposely have for these stressed induced situations. Fortunately, this was in there—and what a treat! If I were to close my eyes at this moment, I could say that you’ve watered ice cream down (particularly a Turtle sundae) by a whole lot, and reduced it to a simple drink; to which I’d say,

“My, oh my, what a fine treat! Is this hot watered down ice cream?”

Then I’d hear, “No you dope, it’s simply the best damn dessert tea that you’ve ever had.”

Alright, there’s a huge nutty flavor which comes from the whole pecans within the tea. There is definitely a nice black tea flavor after the third steep that jumps out a little (from the description, I’m assuming that’s from the Golden Pu-erh needles); which gives it the sweet cocoa note. The honey gives it a nice caramel note, too. I mean, I could list the ingredients that I try, but when I go about reviewing a tea that way, I get sidetracked, and then my review turns to mush.

I will just say that this is GREAT, remarkable, extraordinary, amazing, astonishing, astounding, sensational, stunning, incredible, and unbelievable! Buy it. Try it! Drink it! It’s liquid ice cream! What could be better?

P.S. Today’s tea soundtrack comes from the Japanese instrumental rock band, MONO, “Hymn to the Immortal Wind.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbnhjsDI_ho

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEtV9Q8g-zd/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEtYZMog-5H/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEtbjtMA-xP/?taken-by=s.g_sanders1

I wanted to start drinking the Liquid Proust teas which I ordered last week. I know that there are so many teas that I have yet to try, but I’m slowly getting there. My tea drinking is most common during the weekend, since I work early in the morning, and I don’t dedicate my time to serve tea in anything other than the Ingenuitea or in a sachet. I prefer having at least an hour to devote to the craft, as well as writing on the typewriter and/or working on homework. Fortunately, the school year is nearly completed (25 days!), so there’ll be more time during the summer to have tea.

(Side Note: I try my best to give honest feedback on teas, and the best description of the flavors. Considering that I’m not as familiar with a lot of different flavors as some folks, I try to explain it as best as I possibly can. I will let you know that I’ve never tasted jackfruit, so my notes may not be the best to look at when considering the tea.)

Anyway, this is a pretty solid tea.

First steep: a lot of the base flavor (raw pu-erh), but there is a subtle note of the jackfruit.

Second steep: the raw pu-erh is coming out of the liquid, but the jackfruit gives the tea a sweeter note, which takes away the slight astringent notes. However, there is a “meaty” aftertaste which lingers in the mouth for a few seconds. There seems to be slight floral notes, but I’m not sure if that’s the jackfruit or the raw working itself into the flavor.

Third steep: The “meaty” flavor disappears after the third steep; the raw is really works itself into the flavor. There seems to be zero astringency to the tea, and it is still slightly sweet.

I’m still working on the tea, but after 3-4 gaiwans worth, I start to pace myself for the remainder of the next couple of hours. I like to savor the flavor, so I’ll drink more as I write my Lesson Plan for my last education course this Spring before I transfer to get my English/History Education certification, starting this Summer-next Spring. This semester has had a hold of me, but I’m nearly done. I have a few papers and exams to finish, and I’ll be done. However, there are still 3 weeks remaining. I figured that I would get the tea review in now, while I can focus on the flavor, before drinking it while multitasking, and forget everything about the tea.

I’ve been wanting to finally start drinking/reviewing the teas from the Dark Matter 2016 series; therefore, I decided that this would be a good one to start my day with before heading to the Asian Market in Cleveland, Ohio. My wife and her friend had planned this mini trip a few weeks ago, and were hoping that I’d go, too. It was pretty swell, if I must say so. We ate plenty of great food, as well as ventured throughout the markets there.

Anyway, the tea was okay. I’m not too into black teas anymore, unless they’re flavored or have cream/sugar in them. The aroma to the dry leaf was pretty splendid, though. It had a nice malty, rum, sweet—almost vanilla—scent. However, the flavor was alright. I gave it three steeps before quitting.

Overall, the tea was pretty malty with a nice rum aftertaste. I just prefer something other than a black tea. I think this would’ve been better Western style brewing, for 3 minutes, with a splash of cream. However, it wasn’t something that I’d consider unique enough to want more of.

Side Note: I was able to try some solid Asian cuisine: Beef and Tripe Soup (
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEjLDnjg-yc/)

Some lovely pastries from Koko’s Bakery (
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEjR0B2g-18/)

And came home with plenty of tea and snacks for the week (https://www.instagram.com/p/BEjhgiqA—E/)!