Monstrositea

Well bloody hell I’m an idiot. I feel like I wasted half of this sample by brewing it like a fucking masala chai, because the idea of a stove was all I remembered from the Monstrositea notes about this one. The actual notes—and the truth for a Turkish black—has nothing whatsoever to do with milk but IS all about a stove, so I used my last measly two teaspoons to brew as recommended for 10-15mins over a rolling simmer.

Now, I did this with far too much water for tea, so I barely need to dilute with more water at the end. Still, it’s worth noting that even with a 10-15min brew, this is a smooth tea—no really evident bitterness or astringency.

It was definitely fun to try this at home, yet another reason I’ve enjoyed the Monstrositea boxes.

The light at the end of the sample box grows ever brighter!

The recommendation for this one said to serve it like a traditional chai, steeped with hot milk. I’m not home today so I did a work version of a chai and steamed some milk, steeped the leaves in half milk, half water. A very weak but not awful black. I’ll try to remember to grab some milk on my way home tonight as I have tomorrow off and it’s going to be bloody cold because winter’s arrived with a BANG! And I reckon finishing this sample chai-style while couch lounging will be just the ticket.

Ah, it seems I’ve drank this up without logging and removing from my cupboard. Tsk. It was quite nice seeing the chamomile flowers bobbing away and the honey sachet was a cute addition to the Monstrositea selection for the month, but I rarely drink straight chamomile, I prefer to go for the sleepy tea blends, for fancy reasons.

It’s got the taste of rooibos without the annoying rooibosness. If that makes any sense at all. It doesn’t really, does it?

Finally brought my tin full of Monstrositea samples to my lovely new workplace so I might finally start getting to the bottom of more of them, hooray for me! And hooray for my lovely new workplace! A month and a half and I’m still in honeymoon stage.

Am I just in a generous mood today, or what? This is my second cup of this Monstrositea sample and it’s taking me back to those wonderful adventures I had with my first ever Butiki order and the beautiful straight blacks I got from them. It’s just a lovely, lovely cup.

This is a really lovely solid base tea. Sometimes it’s nice to take time with a plain black—I don’t do it much these days. As mentioned on the Tippity note from yesterday, haha.

Goodbye, you beautiful bastard. It’s fair that you almost destroyed my cooktop on our final rendezvous. Ok fine so technically I was the one to almost destroy the cooktop because I forgot how quickly milk can bubble up but whatEVER.

You were delicious and I’ll miss you. Thanks to Hobart’s weirdo weather for being freezing today on my lazy day off and thanks to me for actually having milk in the fridge for once.

I specifically bought milk this morning for chai but then didn’t really have room for chai later today after eating a bunch of junk food. I did it anyway, because I’m stubborn like that. I think I only have enough masala chai left for another two teapots, maybe? I’ve never been crazy about masala but this stuff made me reconsider. It’s been pretty great to have around.

CHAIDAY CHAIDAY CHAIDAY! I’ve been looking forward to a ridiculous day like this for a while. Cold and under blanket, no plans, back to back movies, and a big delicious pot of masala on my lap, brewed up on the stove. And a wee bit hungover.

I drank a delicious pot of this today. I can’t imagine preparing it any other way than on the stove. I never want to run out of it.

Yesssssss. A blustery day full of rain and my new old corningware teapot bubbling full of chai on the stove. Well played.

WELCOME BACK INTO MY LIFE, BABY BOO!

Perfect timing, too. A chilly cold day today after farewelling my houseful of guests earlier. Curled up on the couch with some catch-up TV episodes and a teapot full of stove-boiled milky chai.

Happy place. <3

Welp, I don’t know if I’m biased because I know this tea came directly from a chai wallah in the heart of India, but I’m pretty sure this is the most deliciously blended chai I’ve ever tried.

Perfect for today’s rainy day. Another from the Monstrositea April box, by the way. I had to wait to get some decent milk from the organic guys at the farmers’ market today and it just so happened that the weather today begged for some chai to be drunk. Apparent temp 4°C at 2pm! Brrrr. I’m rugged up on the couch with a book… wishing I had more chai.

(Almost ruined everything by leaving the kitchen for 2mins, which was the 2mins the pot decided to boil over. Don’t know how I saved it but I did! PHEW.)

Used the last of this last night to brew up some peppermint iced tea with my Turkish cherry tisane. It’s a hot one today. Dang. (I can’t believe my cupboard’s down to only two pages now. I’m a machine.)

Again, I thought I’d made a mistake when I tried a blend of this and Turkish cherry tisane. But then I iced it and I remembered that I love it.

I thought I’d made a mistake buying this because I kept adding it to the wrong teas. But I got that sorted tonight with a short 2min steep with some Sencha. Perfect and fresh.