TJX Europe

Made a cold brew latte with this to use it up, and it was fine. Mild enough that it didn’t bring up bad memories like this tea usually does, haha. It’s the first time I’ve cold steeped in milk though, and while it turned out well I don’t think it’ll be something I do often because it just uses up so much leaf. Pretty happy with my experiment, though.

Tea latte this morning with 3 heaped spoons of tea, because I didn’t sleep well and I want all of the caffeine. To be honest I chose this tea in part because I thought it would work as a latte, but mostly because I wanted to get rid of a big chunk of it. I had 100g of this, and it’s taken me years to work through the tin because it’s just not that good, and it also reminds me of my worst period of anxiety and depression (which I didn’t realise for a long time). I never normally rate teas down, it’s just not how I rate, but for this I think I’m going to make a special exception. I don’t think this tea has ever been an 85. I think I just rated it that way because of biases which I now have the pleasure of not having any more. That being said, I won’t mark it negatively based on association either – right now I would rate it in the low 50s, but I’m going to be fair to my rating system and score it based on what I would probably have given it at peak enjoyment if it weren’t for unconscious prejudices giving me rose-tinted glasses. I did enjoy it before I was sickened on it, and it is really pretty. But when I think back on drinking it even then, I think I was trying too hard to convince myself I loved it. Funny, that. (:

This was one of my Christmas presents last year, and it’s in a beautiful tin. It is usually more of a festive drink, and I have had it often, but I broke it out this afternoon as I’m working and it’s stressing my out. This is a really comforting drink, a nice robust black with some really nice flavouring – the leaf is really pretty too, with chunks of rind and safflower making it look extra festive. I don’t know whether it’s because of the tea itself that I find it comforting and relaxing, or because it reminds me of Christmas, but either way it’s doing the trick right now.

I wish this work would go away ):