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Tea of the morning…..

…And a lesson in water temperature. I had my kettle set for green tea and made up my tea this morning without checking the dial. Once I started pouring the water into my pot, I realized my mistake and tried to compensate with a little bit longer steep time. While it is not bitter like I thought it might be, it is not nearly as strong and satisfying as when I actually brew under the correct parameters. I am bummed, but I will drink it. Lesson learned.

For this pot, I rate it at about 70. Usual teapot method with the exception of the temp being 180 and time being about 6 minutes. Tea FAIL on my part!

ChOTE…….chai of the evening…….

I was looking for something cozy and sweet because I have an intense sweet craving right now. This will certainly help, and it won’t keep me up. Yum! I will be looking for a rooibos chai in the future that doesn’t have as much anise flavor, but this is still good.

Usual pan method with a minute added onto the initial water/chai mix step…..

Day #9 of 24….and tea of the afernoon.

I received this sample from my Harney dealer….I mean the lovely ashmanra. Thank you again for all the fun things to try out….

This is lightly floral and cherry scented. Really, pretty good for a green. It turns out I like them quite a bit more than I thought I would, and my taste for them is growing. I also like that they don’t require any additions for me. Good, but I still prefer the Tropical Green.

12 oz water, 1 sachet of tea, 180 water, 3 minute steep. Straight up!

Day #8 of 24…..

This sample comes to me from aisling of tea. I can’t believe I did not get around to trying this earlier. Maybe I was suffering from hibiscus worry…… Thank you so much for our swap eons ago that definitely fed my David’s Tea addiction! Now they ship for $5 for orders under $50, which so helps in just putting in an order to try things, in comparison to the $20 it used to be…..

This really is pretty good. It really does taste a bit like juice or a fruit lemonade. I can see kids really liking this one! A gateway for the younger generation……?

Mug method with a 7 minute steep time and twice the blend.

First tea of the afternoon…..

I need to try this so I can be sure it is something I need in my cupboard. Turns out, it really is. The thing I cannot get over is the price. It seems so much more affordably priced than any other milk oolong out there. I have to admit that I rather enjoyed the Milk Oolong from American Tea Room, but the price is a little scary.

I have to agree with other reviewers about the sample packaging. While it is cute, and I feel that the samples are secure, there is the matter of how to store them once they are opened. Luckily, I am a motivated sampler of teas, so I figure something out. I am not sure others would feel the same way. I did get a great deal on the samples, and I caught a free shipping deal, so in all, I am very happy with my order.

Buttery and smooth without much of a veggie taste, just like I read in another review. I can drink this straight up and rather enjoy it. Now I just need to decide how much to buy….

15 oz mug, 180 water, 3 minutes, about 2 tsp tea.

Second tea of the morning……

Wow. This is the one. It is much smoother than Hao Ya B, but still roasty, and more intense on the dark chocolate notes one typically gets with a Keemun. More roasty than Keemun Mao Feng, so this one would be my morning Keemun, and KMF for afternoon. There was a slight price jump from Hao Ya B to Hao Ya A (about $1 per ounce), and to me it was worth it. I have spent more on teas I did not care for, and this is worth it at $5 an ounce. Perfection!

Usual mug method….

First tea of the morning…..

I think I need to start calling myself ’Keemun Queen" instead of SimplyJenW. Truly, Keemun is my kindred spirit in tea. (Except that our relationship is kind of cannibalistic in nature since I am to the point where I consume it for survival!)

This is really good. Not as smooth and light as Keemun Mao Feng, but more in your face….a coffee drinkers kind of tea. I definitely get more cocoa and roasty notes than English Breakfast or F&M Keemun, and it is definitely their more intense counterpart. Now to decide if this one is going into the cupboard or if it will be Hao Ya A. Tune in for the next cuppa…….

Usual mug method…..

Day #7 of 24……

I received this sample from the ever gracious ashmanra. Thank you so much for sending me a huge pile of samples for Harney that I wouldn’t have gotten to as soon, if at all. I am actually enjoying this broadening of my tastes.

As a realtive noob to green teas, I really like this one. I even drank it straight up. And it is certainly going on my next Harney order. I get the light tropical flavor of pineapple with the light grassy (I am sure I am supposed to call this vegetal, but it is simply grassier tasting than the black tea I usually drink, and it is a pleasant grassy…..) Very easy to drink. And obviously a good place for me to start with greens. It is refreshing and light, which I can see getting used to very easily.

15 oz mug, 175 water, just over 2 tsp tea, 3 minutes. Straight up!

Day #6 of 24……

And a lovely sample from DaisyChubb. Thanks so much, Lady!

This one does have a sweetness and a light raspberry flavor. I wish I could say that the tea base complemented the flavors well, but it did not. I think they need a smoother, sweeter base to be able to get the most out of this flavor combination. It is good, but it could be so much better. Perhaps I will try a shorter steep time and see what that does for it.

Mug method (2 tsp. tea, boiled water, 4 minutes. Very much required sweetening.)

Tea of the afternoon…..

I am needing a huge pickup this afternoon. So far this is helping a little, but there is always so much to do in December….. I love the malty cocoa-eyness of this one. It also makes me want to try a few more Yunnans…..

Steeped by the usual teapot method.