A surprise box of Upton samples appeared in my mailbox this afternoon. Oh, Claire. You really DO love me. A better friend, there is not! /yoda
I started with this Darjeeling blend. (Mug infuser also courtesy of Miss Claire. I’m starting to feel like this box may as well have contained samples of smack, a needle and instructions.)
Holy crap, boiling water is really hot. Did you know that? I like my tea plain most of the time, so I had to wait around for five minutes or so while it cooled down enough to sip (instead of just dumping in some milk or whatever). It had a nice mellow baked pumpkin-y smell, and something else I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe some kind of flower. Faint. Overall the fragrance was pretty BIG! and very pleasant. Once it cooled off, I could taste a little of that in the flavor as well.
When it was really hot, the flavor seemed light. The cooler it got, the more I could taste. Now, it could just be because I’m coming from a pot-a-day coffee background, but I always think tea has a delicate flavor. Subtle, especially when compared to the grassy-brick-to-the-face that is a Burundi dark roast. So I’m not sure how strong this is on the spectrum of tea. It tastes good and flavorful and bright.
The second brew still has plenty of that pumpkin smell I like and the flavor is great. I might actually like it even more the second time around…makes me wish I had a spiced pumpkin cupcake to go with it.
Oddly enough, my mother came home and requested I bake a jelly-roll pan of pumpkin cake. After she ices it in the morning I can have a little pinwheel slice to go with it. Perfect, maybe?