100
drank Ocean of Wisdom by Samovar
244 tasting notes

Yesterday, I drove home to NYC to spend the day with framily. It’s a 1.5- to 2ish-hour drive (depending on traffic), so I prepared by packing two water bottles (one still, one fizzy) and two mugs of Ocean of Wisdom. I was actually in the mood to try something different, but was plagued by doubts: what if something didn’t agree with me and I was far from home? Better to play it safe, and my safety blanket tea is definitely this one.

I enjoyed half of the second-steep mug on my way up, which was mostly a strong clove-and-ginger brew. This time, I sliced some fresh ginger into my infuser, so it is from there that the strong ginger bite came. Upon reaching New York, I parked the car and went to meet my friend, leaving my beverages in the car.

I returned to the car at around midnight. By this time, my tea had been exposed to 45F/7.2C temperature for about 13-14 hours. I have never had this blend cold before, so I was a little hesitant to try it. I decided to finish my half-drunk mug, first; the tea was cool (not cold) and was actually quite good! The ginger felt especially lovely in my throat, which had experienced more talking and laughter in several hours than it generally does in a month.

The tea in the second, as yet untouched mug was tepid. Finally, I found a shortcoming (ha! if one can call this that) of this perfect tea: it’s best when hot, good when cold, but “meh” when lukewarm. This is understandable; I can’t think of many (any?) things that are actually good when lukewarm. I had a bit of it and put it away in favour of my fizzy water. I figured I’d just wait for it to get cold and then drink it.

Aside: Have I mentioned, lately, just how much I love my mug? 13 hours in perfect autumn weather, and still the coldest the tea got was “cool.”

Another aside: You know how I’ve been looking for a smaller, spill-proof mug because my 16oz/~475mL ones are just too big for tea tasting/drinking at home? I finally found one! Not on Amazon, not at Target or Bed, Bath & Beyond, but at my supermarket, of all places! I’m so thrilled, I can’t wait to make my next cup of tea. =)

Bonnie

Liked your adventure!

Nik

Thanks, Bonnie. =)

TheTeaFairy

I like tea tasting by accident, when you happen to like it in a way you didn’t intend to try in the first place! Just like your tea mug it seems, finding the right thing at the wrong place :-)

Nik

That’s true! I seem to have a bias against cold tea, for some reason, which makes me reluctant to try it more often. On the other hand, I have zero problem trying to turn every tea into chai. :D

Sil

you come over to my place and make chai out of all my tea…then i’ll come to yours and cold brew all your tea! :)

Nik

Sounds like a plan, Sil. :D

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Comments

Bonnie

Liked your adventure!

Nik

Thanks, Bonnie. =)

TheTeaFairy

I like tea tasting by accident, when you happen to like it in a way you didn’t intend to try in the first place! Just like your tea mug it seems, finding the right thing at the wrong place :-)

Nik

That’s true! I seem to have a bias against cold tea, for some reason, which makes me reluctant to try it more often. On the other hand, I have zero problem trying to turn every tea into chai. :D

Sil

you come over to my place and make chai out of all my tea…then i’ll come to yours and cold brew all your tea! :)

Nik

Sounds like a plan, Sil. :D

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

2012.10.07: I hear people like to understand other people’s ratings, so here’s a loose guide:

01-29: Dear God, why.
30-49: I’ll finish this cup, I guess, but no more.
50-59: Meh.
60-69: Decent. Maybe I can blend it with something else and make it better.
70-79: Heeey, this is quite good!
80-89: I love it, but I’m not in love with it.
90-100: Permanently resident in my Happy Place.

Update: I have steeped, and it was good. =] Still a tea-ophyte, though.

This is a tea site, so I feel like “well, I’m Indian” should be enough of an introduction. Because, I mean, it’s kind of in my genes, right? But the fact of the matter is that I’m an absolute tea-ophyte.

I’ve just discovered a world beyond Celestial Seasonings. I’ve just discovered “sachets” instead of “normal” tea bags and bought my first loose tea sampler. I don’t get the whole water temperature and steep time thing yet, nor that if I want to get a yixiang tea pot, I’d need one for each type of tea. I have this infuser ball thing, but I haven’t used it yet.

Don’t cringe, but right now I’m still just boiling water and pouring it over a teabag, adding some sugar, and drinking a nice, hot cuppa. I’d like to learn more, I think, and I’d like to train my palate. I figure participating in this community is the best way to do that.

So ya. Hi!

Location

South Jersey, US

Website

http://about.me/bleepnik

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer