The Devotea

With boiling water, a different flavor profile comes through. Less herbal, more nutty. Or almost kind of like bread. Leaning towards bitterness, but not there. Still getting a bit of sour tang in back of mouth, seemed to be more of a problem with shorter steep times. Boiling water with longer than normal steeps seemed to produce good flavor. Body still not particularly impressive.

The aroma of the dry leaves was mostly vegetal, maybe a little herbal. Once they were wet, the roast was the main smell. The flavor of this tea was herbal and had a very noticeable menthol-cooling effect in the mouth, at least for the first five or so steeps. The flavor was also vegetal, moreso towards the end of the tea. The body was not particularly notable. The leaves seemed pretty beat-up upon inspection, though I didn’t look at them too closely. A tasty tea, and the first I’ve had with such a noticeable cooling effect. Looking forward to sessioning this tea some more.

Sipdown (133)!

Thank you VariaTEA for the sample! Just based on the name I would have assumed this one would’ve been a flavoured blend but I guess it’s not. That’s cool though.

The description said this was built for milk/sugar – I don’t add sugar to my tea, but I can definitely do milk! So, that’s how I prepared this one. It definitely takes the milk well; that’s for sure. I think it’s a little monotone though; I’m almost entirely just getting malt and while it’s tasty, it’s not satisfying. I’m at the point where, with straight blacks in particular since I’ve had more of those recently, I need to pick up multiple flavour notes to stay interested. Otherwise, things kinda start to feel repetitive even if the teas are different. I think that’s why, as a generalization, I’m still more captivated with favoured teas right now and why I drink way more of them.

Also; I’m having a hard time focusing on writing my tasting notes tonight – Tre had a date tonight which I’m assuming must have gone well because I came home from work at 10:30PM (their date started at 6PM for reference) and I can very clearly hear girly laughter coming from Tre’s room. It is now fifteen to midnight and they have yet to emerge.

Good for him – hopefully the success of tonight will cheer him up a little and make him stop feeling miserable about his love life (especially since we saw his ex today – she came in to my store to buy stuff with her current BF). However, they could try to be a bit quieter…

EDIT: I just ordered a pizza, but before I placed the order I knocked on his door and asked if he wanted me to add anything for them. They opened the door and were just hanging out on his bed (in the dark). But hey, at least they have the courtesy to not fuck while I’m in the house?

But hey; how come I don’t get an introduction! He got an introduction to Tyrell…

Thank you Cavocorax for the chance to try this tea. It is enjoyable and pairs beautifully but milk but I think it is a touch too bold for my tastes so I don’t think this will be joining my cupboard anytime soon. Still, it was fun to try. 168.

So Cavocorax snuck this into a box of teas she gave me and tbh I have been putting it off because for some reason I thought it might be astringent or harsh. I am guessing either the name or the fact that it is recommended to be served with milk and sugar is the reason for my thoughts but I decided it was time I tried this out. Now that I am drinking it, I realize I had nothing to fear. It definitely is more brisk than what I usually go for but at the same time it is smooth and has a nice hint of honey sweetness at the end of each sip. I added a touch of skim milk as per instructions but realistically it didn’t really need it. Thank you Cavo for sharing! This tea is good, and I will enjoy my sample though I don’t know if this is something I will seek out more of once its gone.

SSTTB #14.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m out of cream and having this with almond milk, or what, but nope. This is very drying, and the spice flavours have blended together to be quite licorice-y, with a bit of burnt flavour. IDK.

If I really needed another chai, I’d try it again once I got some cream, but this one is going back into the box for someone else.

Had the last bit of this from the SSTTB this morning, with a splash of milk. I still quite like this one, I do find that when taken occasionally, bergamot and lavender do go together quite well. :)

I spent the day out with my mom, and did some, umm, shopping. I got a yoga towel (it’s sticky! and also it’s more grippy than my mat, so I don’t slide everywhere!), nail polish (Spa Ritual! Woo!), tights, 4 t-shirts ($5 each, so yeah), a sweatshirt material maxi skirt, and groceries. Haha. Oh man, I didn’t need to spend all that money. But most of that was on my to-buy list, so I feel pretty good about it.

SSTTB #6.

A really nice earl grey! It was more floral because of the lavender, but the orange helped balance that out a bit. Nice and sweet, and took cream really well. Just what I look for in an earl grey.

Definitely a tea I’d consider picking up if I were to do an order. Unfortunately, I have limited myself so I probably won’t keep it. (Besides, there’s Paris in the box! My favourite EG of all.)

Thanks Sil for sharing this with me! It WAS strong so I added milk and maple agave to and it was really delicious that way!
(161)

Cup of the morning graciously offered by the lovely Terri Harplady.

Oh, me and Terri, we do love our black teas don’t we?

Haven’t checked if they ship to Canada yet and if shipping is reasonable, but I’m this close of placing an order…

It had me at Persian Princess, what a pretty name!

It’s supposed to be a blend. Not much info on it, except for that sugar cube thing, nice fun fact. Not going to try it though, I know it takes a special kind of hard sugar and really, who needs it?

Cause this tea is so naturally sweet, I wouldn’t dare add anything to it!

It’s rich, malty and full bodied…Assam and Keemun maybe? Slightly earthy with hints of smoke.

I used the whole sample in my brand new 24oz mug…so big, it’s like drinking directly from a tea pot ;-)

FABULOUS BREAKFAST TEA!!!

Terri, I knew our swap meant trouble :-)

Those two tigers are head to head and create magic in my cup this morning!

Thanks to the wonderful and very generous Terri Harplady, I finally get to experience what Devotea is all about.

I chose this tea first cause with the name, I assumed it would be a good tea of the morning. If this stuff is an accurate representation of the company, well I am impressed!

The smell first. My grandfather was a farmer and worked really hard. At noon, he would come to eat lunch and my grandma always prepared a nice pot of strong black tea with sugar for him, just the way he liked it. The aroma took over the whole kitchen and I loved it so much as a child. My grandpa would let me have a few sips, winking at me.

The smell of this tea just reminded me of those special days, and I am already thankful for that…It’s super fragrant.

It says “a blend of Indian and Chinese teas” in the description…Assam for sure, and I am assuming Yunnan cause this tea offers boldness and mellowness at the same time.

First I taste a “bang” from the Assam and a light astringency, but I immediately get some comfort and softness from the earthiness and sweetness of the yunnan, (if that’s what it is).

There’s a very light touch of smoke in this tea, and though I’m not a fan of that usually, in this case it’s not offensive, it rather brings all the flavours together.

I am delighted I got to try this wondrful tea, thank you so much for choosing it for me Terri :-)

Sil knows I’m experimenting with unflavoured teas, so she’s been super helpful sending me tons of teas to experiment with. Thank you! :D (219)

This was a nice assam – slightly malty, with a little bit of tobacco – but oh, so smooth. I didn’t even need to add milk or anything to it! I need to drink a few more of my loose samples down, and then it’s time to dive into my Lord Petersham bag!

Oh man, this is so strong! I ended up adding milk to it just so I could sip away at it, and it tastes like smoke, and ash, and dark black tea. I was ready to fall asleep so we’ll see how zippy this makes me!

Then it’s time for Orange is the New Black!

Thanks Sil! 225!!!

revisiting. This is a perfect Assam. very smooth. no additions needed. i would call it elegant. it was comforting. no astringency, no bitterness. perfect !

http://instagram.com/p/yM2EDtBwoF/

This is my cup of tea. Bold strong malty but no bitterness or astringency. No milk or sugar for me. probably if you steep it longer it may need some additions. Some wine notes. this is so good, i gulped the cup less than a minute.
1tsp 205F 3min
Thank you so much Terri HarpLady for sending me such fine teas

Morning cup. Sample came from Terri HarpLady – thank you.
This tea is very fine and smooth, feminine. I think it would be great as afternoon tea. Not robust, gentle kick of caffeine. No sugar for me. But I remember drinking tea with sugar cubes when I lived in Russia. The sugar has to be like rock, that it wouldn’t dissolve quickly but give just slight sweetness. It’s a peasant way of drinking, they didn’t have any desserts.
Thank you so much Terri for introducing me to such fine teas, I enjoy them a lot

Breakfast tea. Nice bold malty, something I would love to drink in the morning. It’s my 3rd tea fr Devotea courtesy of Terry HarpLady. I have to mention that all the teas I tried fr them are very finely crafted quality teas.
Thank you so much Terri for a chance to try these wonderful teas.
PS Two Tigers is still a leader. 1910 is a runner up
PS1 Sil, it does have some smoky notes, probably from Keemun.

This is a sample from Terri HarpLady – thank you.
This tea, it’s a breakfast tea . It’s 8:30pm and I just felt like I need something strong. It’s bold blend, malty and sweet , with citrus coming fr Ceylon. Some roast and nuts fr Chinese teas. As it cooled some astringency creeps up, but it’s pleasant. I like it a lot. I think I like Two Tigers more. Unfortunately for me Two Tigers are retired. Bring it back,please!

this is a sample from Terri HarpLady – thank you.
Afternoon tea. yes, i needed that cup not to fall asleep, it gloomy outside. I wish i could nap. this is how i felt before my cup of Two Tigers
http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi00YWVmYjk3ZGQwNTQwMjFm
But this tea is amazing. its the best of the both worlds: Chinese Black and Indian Black.
This tea is incredibly smooth and sweet with some smoky notes. I love smoky teas. this one is not harsh but rather welcoming to put all flavors together. Like a final touch. lovely tea. Goes to my every day growing shopping list.
Thank you so much Terri for the opportunity to try this wonderful tea.

Another one from terri, that is still really tasty, but just slightly less so than the other couple i’ve had. This one leaves an after taste in my mouth that i’m less a fan of. HOWEVER, i wouldn’t turn this one down, nor would i discount the possibility of picking it up again because i can see it being just what i need on cooler winter mornings :) strong, smooth with a little reminder left over of what i was drinking heh. thanks terri!

mmmm i figured that i’d better start my morning off with a few cups of bold/stronger tea. I’ve got to go wedding dress shopping today and i need something to get me through it. I hate this sort of thing, though i’m sure i’l have fun with my friend and her 6 month old lol those bridal ppl have no idea what they’re in for! thanks again to terri for sharing this one with me. I think i’d be likely to pick this one up again in the future. I still love lord petersham, but this is a pretty tasty one as well

Another tea from this morning, but sadly, there is still a little too much left in this sample to burden cavo with…but maybe tomorrow! haha. This was a good strong cup for me this morning, and if it’d had sugar cubes i totally would have held one between my teeth while drinking it, JUST BECAUSE! Thanks again to terri for sending me all these lovely teas. I’m certainly looking forward to placing an order with the devotea in future because of them :)