545 Tasting Notes
Backlogging. Last Saturday morning.
We got some not entirely unexpected bad new last the night before. So I let myself sleep in some and have a mug of chai, which is a bit of a treat for me. Made stovetop method, it was spiced and yummy. Again, the cardamom was way overpowering. I didn’t check my previous tealog before making it or I’d have known to use less green pods.
1 cup water. 1 tbsp natural cane sugar. bring to boil. 1 rounded tbsp chai tea leaf. simmer 6 min 30 sec. 1 cup almond milk. bring to boil. turn off heat. let steep 10 min.
Backlogging. Thursday morning. (This is the end of the very long backlog that has kept piling on itself as I tried to work my way through it.)
Mixed with equal parts of Ceylon and EG in hopes of recapturing an earlier tea blend full of deliciousness. It did not quite work as well.
Preparation
Backlogging. Thursday morning.
I actually felt like I needed (and wanted) more black tea after drinking two mugfuls of LiberTea’s Breakfast Blend. I had just typed my tealog the night before for the second steep of my Ceylon and EG combo that I randomly decided to add the Tiger to as my bit of fresh leaf. So it was fresh in my mind how much I liked the surprising outcome of that mixing. So I decided to try to replicate the effect on purpose. I used one third each of EG, Ceylon, and the Tiger. Good, but not anywhere near what happened last time. I did not resteep.
Preparation
Backlogging. Wednesday morning.
Before I tried the Ceylon and EG combo, I had tried the Tiger and EG in several ratios and decided they worked well enough together. So I tried them again then. They did not work as well as I remember them and I was not inspired to resteep.
Preparation
Backlogging. Tuesday afternoon.
So I wanted a green and I didn’t really know what one I wanted exactly but I like this Dragonwell so that was it. As opposed to feeling like it’s been awhile since I last drank it, it actually has been awhile since I last drank this. I made a smaller size cup and the leaves are big so I thought I’d used an appropriate amount but I wasn’t totally sure. When the tea was lighter than usually, despite trying a higher water temperature for the first time, I knew I hadn’t used enough leaf. It was still tasty but after two steeps I stopped instead of making my usually three.
2nd steep: 5 min.
Preparation
Backlogging. Monday morning.
Since I didn’t have a special tea to celebrate my 30th birthday the previous day, I decided to have one the next day. I really like this Bai Lin Gong Fu and I only have a limited amount. I love the way the dry leaves smell and it tastes different from any other black I have. Despite increasing the amount of leaf I used last time and being happy with it, I felt again this time that I could have used more leaf (but not as bad as the first time I made it when I really needed more leaf). Still, SO GOOD!
2nd steep: 3 min.
3rd steep: 5 min.