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I cannot believe the last time I reviewed I hadn’t even had Lily yet! She is now 16 months old! Harder to find time to review but of course I’m still drinking tea. Appreciating it more now, I think. Not taking for granted those moments of stillness and calm that are a rarity as a mommy. It’s the best though, it really is. My girl is my world.
Alright now! Miss Lady Grey.. I think I’d had this before but I can’t remember what I thought of it. It was on sale so I picked it up while grocery shopping yesterday.
Pleasantly surprised at the strong flavor! I’ve had quite a few weak earl greys that especially don’t hold up well to milk and sugar. This one sure does! I think I was expecting Lady Grey to be lightly flavored with bergamot but rather the base isn’t as bold and heavy letting the citrus shine through beautifully! The fruity flavors take the front stage and that’s what I wanted! Yum! I had this last night as well as this morning it’s so enjoyable. I actually put a dash of vanilla extract in it last night and I loved the vanilla citrus combo. They should make a vanilla lady grey! One of my new favorites :)

Anatomy ultrasound went great! We are indeed having our little Lily and everything looked perfect. :) So exciting.

As it steeps it smells kind of sensual and sexy! I want this in a perfume or candle or something. And the flavor is so juicy! I’ve been thoroughly impressed with both Butiki’s tea bases and flavorings. I’ve been through quite a few bad experiences with artificial melon flavors/scents. This and Republic of Teas Honeydew have been the best melon flavors I’ve encountered.
The cream seems to be more prominent in the scent while steeping, which I really enjoyed. Tea is an experience to me. Inhaling, sipping and the aftertaste. And you can tell Butiki creates their teas for the complete experience. I enjoy this with a pinch of sugar to really bring out that sweet juicy melon flavor.

This has been my favorite Butiki Tea I’ve tried! I must say I’m a HUGE fan of melon! Honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon..mmm! Like my obsession I had with Davids Teas Watermelon tea.. bought pounds and pounds of that stuff a year ago! And if I had the money I’d be doing the same with this tea! But I’ve got a baby on the way :) I’m already 21 weeks along, can’t believe how fast the pregnancy’s going! This Thursday I’ve got the second ultrasound to make sure it really is little Lily! But everything’s been good, she’s really starting to dance around in there! And I’m still craving lots of asian food! Made crab rangoons the other day for the first time and I was surprised how easy they were to make!

Hope everyone’s 2013’s going great. :)

OH I also need to add.. my husband doesn’t really like melon but he loved this tea! Weird, huh.. It’s THAT good. haha.

Konacha (粉茶?) or Bud Tea is a type of green tea, composed of the dust, tea buds and small leaves that are left behind after processing Gyokuro or Sencha. Konacha is cheaper than Sencha and is often served at sushi restaurants. It is also marketed as Gyokurokocha (玉露粉茶?).

My package arrived from veryasia.com. Stocked up on some boba and thai tea and threw this on my order for the heck of it since one of the sushi bars I go to offers Yamamotoyama. For a cheap tea bag this is nice! A strongly flavored, not bitter, satisfying, no hassle green tea.. I’m in!

Second trimester and I am craving asian food like no other! Have a bowl of pot sticker filling marinating in the fridge for tomorrow, rolled out a batch of home made won ton wrappers and just enjoyed some cold soba noodles with sesame oil and soy sauce. Can’t wait to make some bubble tea, they only offer it at one place here in flagstaff and it’s ridiculously expensive for a sickeningly sweet drink made with overcooked boba.

I’ve got lots of teas to backlog. Times have been busy, will post soon!
<3

just made some creamy oatmeal with this! I’d actually never put tea in oatmeal before. Quite yummy. I found an extra box of this hiding in the back of the cupboard so I’m finding ways to use it.

So today I found out I’m actually farther along in my pregnancy than I thought. I had my first ultrasound and found out my due date is probably closer to June 9th then June 23rd. Wow!

And it’s most likely a girl! Which is what me, my husband and mom all had a feeling about. Sounds like little Lily’s gonna be a gemini!

Ohhh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy! Just like yesterday this tea title really fits the moment.

My first appointment went great! I love my doctor and everyone at the office. And most importantly my doctor said everything looks great! I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time today! Man that was surreal. I teared up immediately. Tomorrow I have my first ultrasound!
What an exciting time. I’m so relieved to finally get to the doctor and hear that everything’s great.

Judging by the reviews I have a good feeling this tea’s recipe has been changed. I found it quite enjoyable, as did the hubby. Definitely not watery and actually quite packed with flavor. It tastes like RoT read their old not so good reviews and majorly oomphed up the volume. To me the old reviews sound like they’re describing Constant Comment from Bigelow. This tea is definitely far from that. It smells and tastes quite complex, with a good black tea base. There’s all sorts of spices going on in the cup with a nice citrus note and some things I can’t quite put my finger on! I’ve got another sample bag left so I’ll go another round with it soon. It’s definitely a cup full of holiday cheer!

This name is fitting. I’m sipping this in bed trying to calm down as my first appointment with my ob gyn is tomorrow. I’m 13 weeks. My husband’s snoring away and my doggy’s asleep on his new bed. I’m excited and anxious and nervous. I’m just thinking about so much. This is my first. And I have no idea what to expect.
This tea is aromatherapy. I’m breathing in the combination of lavender and chamomile and thinking happy baby thoughts.

Blasting Skyrim music and playing with power tools. While sipping tea of course.

My Harney order arrived today! I ordered Hot Cinnamon Spice, Paris, a sample of Soho and I received a free sample of Organic Green tea. It’s been so long since I’ve had Harney! My husband had never tried any of their tea so that was exciting. I made up a big travel mug for us to share while we ran some errands. We’re cooking dinner for his Mom tonight. Meatball subs and waffle fries. Mmm.

So on to Soho. I was really excited to try this one. I expected it would be similar to Paris, sans hazelnut with the addition of coconut and vanilla. I also thought it would have a floral note from the amaranth petals.

Dry leaves smell heavily of chocolate liquor. That’s really all I’m getting.
Once submerged in boiling water a light note of creamy coconut hits the nose followed by milk chocolate. That’s what’s really different about this tea so far from Florence. This is more of a milk chocolate, even though I taste the same chocolate flavoring as in Florence.. maybe it’s the coconut and vanilla combined with the chocolate that creates a creamy milk chocolate sensation.

Without any additions I didn’t find this tea very impressive. My husband and I just tasted a mildly astringent tea. A good tea none the less, but sugar brings out the chocolate and milk brings out the creamy coconut vanilla flavors. Once the temperature cools it really starts to get yummy. I think this one is like Florence also in the way that it kind of grows on you. I thought maybe this would have a floral note from the petals but their purpose seems to be aesthetic. I wonder if this would be good with a few rose petals thrown in. I’ve never had Harney’s Valentines blend but I wonder what that would be like mixed with Soho. Valentines blend is chocolate and roses and Soho is coconut, vanilla and chocolate. Sounds like it’d be interesting. I’ll have to try it sometime or at least get some rose petals to toss in.

backlogging.

The hubby and I have been enjoying the sample of this one that I recently purchased from a local herb shop. He’d never tried a lapsang souchong before. I love opening him up to the world of tea! This is a pretty nice lapsang; steeps up a copper penny hue, not overly smoked. Although I do enjoy lapsangs a bit smokier and intense.