84

This morning it is rich and smoky and malty and sweet and borderline chewy and all kinds of complex. And very good with half of an unadorned banana bread bagel (onion or garlic or salt is ordinarily about as far away from plain as I’m willing to go with bagels, but the BF bought these and the kids were going on about how great they were so I had one and they were right). And I just realized I’m still writing in the mode I used for my writing exercise of last night, with all the and and or connectors. LOL. Fortunately I haven’t been doing that in my emails for work.

I’m really tired. I didn’t sleep well and I think I was over-caffeinated, so today I’m going to make an effort to stop the caffeine by 4 p.m. or so and try to get to bed early. Daylight savings time. Ugh. It will put a crimp in my tea-drinking style, but I need the sleep.

Don’t read this part if you don’t like to read about medical ailments. ;-) Over the past week I’ve developed a rash of some kind on my foot. I have attempted self diagnosis via the internet and I believe it to be dyshidrosis, which can be brought on by stress, and apparently by inhaling dust if you’re allergic to dust. (And I did get a big whiff of dust during the weekend before last’s cleaning project.) Or nickel. (Does tea have nickel in it?) It looks awful, though it doesn’t feel that bad. I am not sure whether it’s going away. If it doesn’t go away by the end of the week, it’s medical appointment time. Great, just what I need.

caile

Hopefully the rash will go away quickly!

__Morgana__

Thanks, caile!

boychik

feel better. BTW shu at night and i sleep like a baby(probably tea drank)

__Morgana__

Maybe it wasn’t the shu that kept me up, then. I was ready to blame it.

boychik

Really, I had sleep prob before but since I started drinking shu 3-5 steep just before bed it knocks me out. Do you want me to send you some samples( it’s not swap I need nothing in return)

__Morgana__

Aw, thanks. But I really do have a ton here already. :-)

boychik

Admirable;)

Sami Kelsh

I get a similar rash issue on my index fingers (random) triggered by hot weather. It’s annoying as heck, but eventually goes away on its own. I’ve yet to find any treatments that speed its disappearance besides avoiding situations that trigger it, which can be nearly impossible, depending on the cause. I’m probably not helping! Just mostly wanted you to know that you’re totally not alone.

__Morgana__

Thank you, Sami. Are yours little tiny blisters? That’s what I have.

Hello.Kiki

If it’s itchy hydrocortisone usually helps. Calamine is another good one.

__Morgana__

Not really itchy, which is weird. You’d think it would be…

Sami Kelsh

Yep, that’s what I get too, Morgana. It’s been okay for the past few months, but I’m not looking forward to summer. Especially when the blisters start to weep.

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Comments

caile

Hopefully the rash will go away quickly!

__Morgana__

Thanks, caile!

boychik

feel better. BTW shu at night and i sleep like a baby(probably tea drank)

__Morgana__

Maybe it wasn’t the shu that kept me up, then. I was ready to blame it.

boychik

Really, I had sleep prob before but since I started drinking shu 3-5 steep just before bed it knocks me out. Do you want me to send you some samples( it’s not swap I need nothing in return)

__Morgana__

Aw, thanks. But I really do have a ton here already. :-)

boychik

Admirable;)

Sami Kelsh

I get a similar rash issue on my index fingers (random) triggered by hot weather. It’s annoying as heck, but eventually goes away on its own. I’ve yet to find any treatments that speed its disappearance besides avoiding situations that trigger it, which can be nearly impossible, depending on the cause. I’m probably not helping! Just mostly wanted you to know that you’re totally not alone.

__Morgana__

Thank you, Sami. Are yours little tiny blisters? That’s what I have.

Hello.Kiki

If it’s itchy hydrocortisone usually helps. Calamine is another good one.

__Morgana__

Not really itchy, which is weird. You’d think it would be…

Sami Kelsh

Yep, that’s what I get too, Morgana. It’s been okay for the past few months, but I’m not looking forward to summer. Especially when the blisters start to weep.

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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