Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

Backlogging.

I think it’s been awhile since I’ve had this. Do I like LeafSpa’s Goomtee Darjeeling better? Or is it that I just have not very much of this one left? I need to drink them back to back and see maybe. Okay, I just looked at my tea backlog list and saw that I did. But I don’t remember. So I need to do it again.

Backlogging.

Last Saturday morning, I skipped the farmer’s market to sleep in. When I woke up, I enjoyed two mugs of Napal while reading the newspaper.

Accidentally blended with A&D EG this morning.* Not good.

Backlogging.

My Monday morning cup. With honey. Yum. No second steep.

Backlogging — the day after the previous tealog early this past week.

Super icky throat, painful ears. I’m sure I’m getting a cold. I sooth myself by using the last of the Tupelo honey in a cup of Napal. I think I am not able to enjoy the taste of this combo as much as I usually do. No resteep.

Since there will be no more tealogs until yesterday, I should mention that I never got a cold. I woke up the next morning feeling completely fine. It was super odd.

Backlogging. Early afternoon Wednesday.

Napal and Tupelo honey seem to have become my comfort tea. Forgot to add more leaf and steep again.

Napal and Tupelo honey is just so good and comforting! When I woke up this morning with a still slightly upset tummy and a bit of a headache, I knew this was what I had to have.

Backlogging. Two days ago. Sunday evening.

On the recovery side of a headache, I badly wanted a black tea even though it was already late afternoon. Immensely comforting with Tupelo honey. This was just what I needed.

2nd steep: 5 min.

The husband requested (black tea, I described a few to him, he picked one) this last night before dinner before he went to work on night shift. I drank the 2nd steep with Tupulo honey after dinner. OMG good! Wonderful, wonderful combo. The distinctive taste of the Tupulo honey married perfectly with the floral complexity of the Napal. I could not sip it fast enough. I will be doing this again.

2nd steep. Pinch of fresh leaf.

Stuffed up and puffed up by allergies this morning, I did not want a super strong black. Napal delivered a nice floral drinkable cup of black tea.

2nd steep: 5 min, 205° F, pinch of fresh leaf.

Despite waking up this morning feeling tired, I didn’t want a tea with much bite so I chose the mellower Napal. I don’t think I used enough tea leaf so both steeps were on the weak side. I kept getting floral today and thinking violets with a honeyed sweetness.

I had a yucky headache last night which is all got today but I think is the cause of the continuing tiredness into midday. I might have some Yunnan after lunch for a bit more of a caffeine punch. Massive backlogging of teas from the past week will be coming later as well.

2nd steep: 5 min, 200° F, more than a pinch of fresh leaf.

Backlogging.

Yesterday morning, the husband and I shared a pot of Napal with homemade apple, raisin, and spice oatmeal. Delicious.

2nd steep: 4 min.

Backlogging
Napal looked at me this morning and said no more yucky black tea for you today now that you’re feeling more perky. What can I say? He basically told me I had to drink him. Then he went a bit floral on me. He was a most lovely golden brown color today though. 2nd steep: 4 min and a pinch of fresh leaves.

The Napal continued its successful quest to please my taste buds. It is a bit drying at the end of each sip yet there is an underlying note of candied, think olden days confectionery type candied, in this steep. Perhaps I will only steep it for 4 min on the 2nd steep next time.

I went to my cupboard intending to have a nice ordinary cup of DFT’s Ceylon. I needed the caffeine, it was regular, nice, and easy. But then the Napal looked at me and said, “You drink me. You drink me now.” I looked at it and complied. It was right, it was bolder, stronger, and perhaps tastier. I think I need to add a pinch more of fresh leaves and steep a 2nd cup. The Napal concurs.

Two yummy cups of Napal this afternoon. I think I’ve decided that I like the Napal better than the Ceylon among the Series 1 teas, with the Dragonwell being my favorite by far. Green teas used to be my least favorite before the tea thermometer.

Like yesterday, 1st steep while planning my day, 2nd steep while studying. I used a little less fresh leaves in my 2nd steep, about 1/4 tsp maybe, then yesterday’s Ceylon and found this worked quite well for perking up the flavor of a 2nd steep of black without making the tea bitter due to the longer steeping time (6 min today).

Three lovely cups of Napal today. One this afternoon, first steep. Two this evening, second steeps – one was from the husband’s cup earlier. No more tea tonight, although I still want some.

The husband and I started this morning off with a cup of Napal each. A&D DFT Napal comes in a bold orangey-red and brown tin. The tea leaves range in colors from greeny-white-brown to light-yellowy-brown to medium reddish brown to a predominating deep brown. They smell musty strongly tea. The tea is a light-medium yellowy-amber. It smells warm and tea-y. The wet leaves smell a bit of smoke, sweet, and slightly spiced. This tea tastes more strongly than the Ceylon and has more depth of taste as well. I like it a bit more too. DFT is three for three for me. I plan on ordering Series 2 before it sells out. The husband quite like this tea too, saying it was damn fine and he could get used to drinking more tea (in his robe on a rainy morning). The second steeping was weaker but still flavorfully drinkable. I do not think it would take a third steeping.

2nd steeping: 8 min.

So the whole toss in a cup and pour some water over it thing worked out really well for the Dragon Balls yesterday, I thought I’d give it a shot with this one. It was quite yummy, bringing to mind steamed green veggies, maybe asparagus or Swiss chard (♥), but man, a lot of these leaves float! I ate a few (slightly bitter (like turnips) but not bad) and eventually most of them decided to go hang out at the bottom, but ultimately I think I prefer my tea with fewer obstacles.

My tea experience tonight has been brought to you by takgoti and sophistre. Takgoti because she said this smelled like turkey and I’m morbidly curious about that and sophistre because her Ryokucha log made me think of my trip to the Daibutsu in Kamakura where I picked up my first yunomi, so that’s what I’m drinking this out of. A Chinese tea out of Japanese tea cup. I don’t get kicked out of the tea lovers club for this, right?

So, trying to find the turkey smell is first. I’m sniffing but I don’t really find it. Part of me is sad, part of me is thankful. Part of me goes – I can smell briney and buttery when I’m smelling from my nose not in the cup and I can see how that could translate to turkey… or roasted chicken. But this whole sniffing for turkey thing has lead to a lot more sniffing than I’d usually do so my mouth is watering a bit. Paying attention to this tea, it smells really nice. I’ve already mentioned a little salt and butter smell going on, but when I get closer there’s a pretty vegetal smell, too. Not like boiled vegetables but not raw either. Just sweet and green.

Okay, this is really enjoyable tea. There’s a little salt-like tingle on the tip of my tongue that I seem to get from most Chinese greens. Actually, I take that back – most Chinese greens give me a big salt taste. The fact that this is slight makes it enjoyable, not unpleasant. The taste is sweet and green and a little salty and maybe nutty. The tea is not delicate tasting but it’s not overpowering either. Hearty but soft maybe? Anyway, I like it.

I have a feeling if I had last night’s Dragonwell after this one instead of before, it wouldn’t have fared as well as it did. This one is yummy.

I seriously had a dream Monday that I was brewing up this tea. Woke up ready to drink it but sadly, my order had not come. No clue why I was dreaming about this tea though. This is the tea from Series 1 that I expect to like the least. I’ve only had one other experience with Dragonwell and it wasn’t fun. But that has somehow translated to this being the tea I want to try the most. I’m not sure if I am trying to torture myself through tea or if I am hoping that damn fine dragonwell will be happier than the one I had previously.

The leaves smell both grassy/vegetal and a little salty. Makes my mouth water just a bit. Brewed some up and – oh, yes. The is nice. This isn’t even nice for a Chinese green (my least favorite type of tea). This is just plain ole nice. Fresh and a bit buttery with a little not-quite-salt at the end. That not-quite-salt taste seems to be a hint of astringency that hits on the middle/back of my tongue after a sip. That single factor is what can ruin a Chinese green for me if it is too strong, but it isn’t in this tea. It gives a nice counterpoint to the fresh smoothness at the front of the sip.

And now my cup is empty (wow, that was quick) so I get to find out how it resteeps!

ETA: Second steep @ 4:30. Not quite as fresh/butter but still good. Not as great as the first cup, but that might be because I just had some cereal.