What-Cha

Had a bit of a sloppy Gong Fu session with this during class today; it was a little tough to pay attention to both the infusing tea and what my instructor was saying. Plus, preparing everything on my tea tray/lap whilst sitting on my bed and not at a table probably didn’t make things any easier.

I liked the infusions I did though: my attention was focused else where but I remember the nutty, roasty notes quite clearly as well as the slight taste of ash/char which eased up later into the class/with subsequent infusions and instead show cased lighter notes of cinnamon and vague fruity notes. Or maybe the fruit notes weren’t vague, and I was just focused elsewhere. That’s totally a fair assumption.

I still haven’t written notes on last week’s tastings/class (the notes are buried in my queue somewhere – I’ll probably write about it tomorrow), but today’s class focused on the things that have to be legally included/declared on commercial tea packaging in Canada and on Nutritional Labels. Honestly, it was a little boring and hard to give my undivided attention as that information doesn’t really capture my interest strongly and isn’t information I’ll probably use on a more daily basis…

And next week is the final for this module! No cupping this time around, but I do need to design a tea related product in the next week for my final project. So far, I’m leaning on a ‘mock line’ of Tea Infused Soda since I feel like I can pull from personal experience making tea pop, and I know some of the Canadian consumer statistics we looked at discussed “ready to drink” teas as well as the sales of tea in relation to soft drinks. My logic for choosing “tea pop” as my product being that I can appeal to both the soft drink market and the tea market.

We’ll see though…

I love Rou Gui and the reviews I’ve read for What-Cha’s have all be positive so I thought it was about time I bought some to try for myself. Usually, I like to do Gong Fu sessions with Rou Gui and I’m sure I’ll try this that way eventually, but when I showed this to my mom what she said was that it smelled like it’d be good cold; and since she so rarely weighs in on how I prepare the teas I share with her I decided to honor her suggestion and make my inaugural tasting a cold brew.

I have to say, this was definitely an interesting blend to me. One of the things I most like about drinking Rou Gui Gong Fu is the progression of flavours and drinking a cold brew with an extended six or seven hour steep time really makes that progression of flavour blur together. So, I tasted qualities I think I normally would have in the first few steeps of a Gong Fu session as well as ones I probably only would have noticed in the last few infusions.

The most obvious taste was, of course, the sweet flavour of cinnamon. I find ‘cinnamon’ has such a varied flavour; it can be spicy like you’d find in Chai or very drying (have you ever done the cinnamon challenge?) or it can have this lovely pastry/baking sweetness. Of all the ways cinnamon can express itself, I definitely get the latter example here.

Other dominant flavours are honey, wood, leather, and floral notes. Maybe just a hint of cream as well. It’s a weird contrast between bold flavour notes and delicate ones too; the overall affect is a medium bodied, smooth tea with a very rich, thick mouthfeel and clean taste with a pleasant, lingering finish. One of the nice things about cold brewing this is that I got to skip the more ashy/char notes and biting astringency that usually accompany the first few infusions of a Rou Gui; but I still got leathery, wood notes! No additives are necessary. In fact, they’d probably detract from the taste more than anything else.

If there’s one thing I’d have liked to see which I didn’t it’s more of a fruity note – but maybe that’ll come out more when I inevitably Gong Fu this.

I might be going to the zoo tomorrow, how fun! It is a big might, see my local zoo sends out these coupons that allows two people free entry one day on a few randomly selected months, and September is one of those months. I am a bit stir crazy, but it seems every time I go out my ‘condition’ gets worse, exacerbated by my already annoying social anxiety, so now I am phobic of leaving the house. Fingers crossed, I want to go to the zoo, it is one of my great joys. Now if only the somewhat tiny ‘chainstore’ version of the local aquarium would give out free passes, oh I would spend all day with the fishes!!

So, tea time! Today I am talking about What-Cha’s Vietnam Wild ‘Mountain Mist’ Silver Needle White Tea, a White Tea from the Assamica varietal, plucked from possibly up to 800 year old trees grown in the Yen Bai Province of Vietnam and harvested by the H’mong Ethnic People. This fancy tea was sourced by Geoff Hopkins of Hatvala, a company whose mission is to spread the word of Vietnamese teas, something you guys probably know I am a fan of. The aroma of the gently fuzzy needles (they have a slight curl to them) is a fascinating blend of sweetness in the form of peaches and green melon, green in the form of cucumber and a touch of celery, and a hint of smoke. The name Mountain Mist is fitting, the aroma is light and airy, crisp and clean, with a wispy hint of distant hearth fires, it is evocative of the environment it was grown.

Into my steeping vessels the leaves went, it took a while for the water to permeate the fuzzy trichome sheath turning the leaves plump and green. The aroma of the wet leaves is an even blend of cucumbers, green melons, watermelon rind, and smoke. It leans more towards cooling vegetal than sweet. The liquid smells sweet and refreshing, blending melon rind, honeydew, and cucumber.

The first steep is intensely cooling! That is very refreshing, starting in the belly and spreading out to my fingers, remind me to keep this stashed away for next time I have a fever! It is very light and clean, reminds me very much of rain water in the mountains. The taste starts with gentle smoke and then moves to melon and peaches with a finish of cucumbers and distant flowers. It is almost effervescent in its lightness.

I went for a second steep, the aroma has a stronger smoke note and a crisp barely ripe peach note as well. It is still potently cooling, though not quite as much so as the first steep, the taste has a slightly astringent edge to it this time, while still being light and airy. Sweet peach, smoke, and melons mix together, with a slightly gentle smoke aftertaste. This was quite the unique tea!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/09/what-cha-vietnam-wild-mountain-mist.html

I read not too long ago that drinking too much Yerba Mate can give you mouth cancer because of the roasting process that uses smoke to dry the leaves. I like Yerba every now and again, so I’m choosing to ignore that. But, if that sort of exposure to the roasting process does indeed cause cancer, it makes me wonder about this tea. This tea is like drinking a campfire. I’m not that much of a hypochondriac, but I fear if I made a habit out of this tea, I’d be riddled with cancer in short order. All kidding aside (ok, I’m not kidding that much really), I am having a hard time finding anything other than smoke and char in this tea. I do love a heavy roast TGY, but I’m not sure about this one. I will adjust my brewing parameters and revisit it though. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time user error was the cause of me not getting the best out of a tea.

Ok black tea. Nothing really special about it.
A bit bitter.

Ok guys, tomorrow is the big day, I go to see a Neurologist, something I should have done a long time ago. With luck they can do something about my seizures and headaches tomorrow, if not, well, life carries on and I shall adapt, as I always have. I just realized that made me sound quite deep and introspective, oops! Bah, enough of that, last night while playing Terraria I killed Plantera three times, I am quite pleased with myself. Tonight I am taking a break from Terraria to work on something else, maybe, the siren’s call of gaming might overwhelm me.

Before my last What-Cha order, I noticed that Alistair had added a bunch of Yunnan teas, especially those oh so tempting fuzzy golden ones, so I got a bunch of samples to try. Also China Yunnan Simao Golden Needle Black Tea, I took a gamble and bought a full sized pouch, something I very rarely ever do, I learned earl on in my tea loving life that samples are the best way to go (except with Puerh, that is a very rocky road there!) because sometimes you buy a larger pile of tea and end up stuck with something you don’t like. I would have been very shocked to be disappointed by this tea, I have had Simao black/red teas before, and it was sublime, Simao has a certain something that makes for a happy me. The aroma of the fuzzy golden needles is rich and sweet, ah, so distinctly ‘Yunnan’ to me, notes of molasses, yams, roasted peanuts, caramelized sugar, cocoa and a fun finishing note of plum. I love how these different Yunnan red teas have similarities and yet each one has its own unique flair, this one makes itself standout using stronger roasted peanuts and plum.

You know, there is a reason that the fuzzy teas from Yunnan are my go to morning tea…and occasionally afternoon tea, they are just so yummy! I only ever had one I didn’t like and that was because there was something wrong with it, but that is a different story. This is story of some needles that have been thoroughly steeped! The aroma of the soggy needles is intensely rich, like whoa I need to sit down that is rich, strong notes of yams and malt blend with cocoa and caramel. It is very sweet, mouthwateringly so. The liquid is rich with notes of cocoa, roasted peanuts, honey and malt, I am filled with anticipatory glee.

Ok, now that I am mostly done drooling, it is time to enjoy the fruits of my steeping. The opening steep is smooth and sweet, and a touch gentle. This is not a first steep that is a bold intro, this is a gentle beginning to a story, like the difference between Mass Effect 1 & 2’s opening. It starts out very sweet, like honey and a touch of caramelized sugar, this moves to toasted peanuts and molasses, and finishes off with lingering yams.

The aroma of the second steep is a blend of malt and caramel, a touch of distant smoke joins in as well. It is still a very smooth tea, but it is less gentle this time around, I would go as far as to say this tea is now full bodied. It starts with sweet honey and toasted peanuts, then it moves to rich malt and molasses. Like before the finish is lingering yams with just a hint of smoke.

Third steep! The aroma is less sweet, more like yams and squash with a touch of smoke and peanuts. The taste is surprisingly (or not so, really) not as sweet, full on robust and rich, strong notes of yam and roasted peanuts, with acorn squash and a touch of molasses. The finish is malty and honey sweet, that sweetness lingers for a while. This is what I want as a wake up tea, it starts gentle and finishes with an oomph, by the time the robust mouth explosion starts I am fully awake and ready to enjoy the intense tastes rather than the light nuances of wakefullness. And now, to decide if I am going to work on my research project…or play Terraria.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/09/what-cha-china-yunnan-simao-golden.html

Sipdown (117)!

Totally forgot that I still had any of this left, but I found the little sample package over the work week and cold brewed it. I was hesitant to do so because I thought I wouldn’t have enough leaf left for a flavourful cold brew but I have to say that the opposite was true and this turned out to be one of the more flavourful cold brews I’ve prooduced using a pure tea.

Strong, abundantly fruity notes dominated. It was like some kind of very harmonious mash up of Bartlett pears, citrus notes (primarily sweet lemon), and other fruity flavours like green grapes? Very robust, juicy and natural flavours that complimented each other fully and which I found weren’t overly sweet either. Also, just a wee bit floral too.

In fact, I liked this cold brew so much that I shared a sip with my brother because I knew he wouldn’t be able to believe that he was drinking a tea without any flavouring in it. What I didn’t count on was that he’d actually enjoy the cold brew so much that while I was at work he finished the last half of it, sans permission to do so of course. Initially I was mighty pissed because I enjoyed this so much but then I realized that him doing so was perhaps the highest form of praise he could have given.

And I was right; he didn’t believe it was unflavoured. He was sure there was some kind of sweet lemon/citrus flavouring used.

When I placed my last What-Cha order, Alistair thoughtfully hand picked out this as an extra sample for me to try. It’s definitely a very interesting looking oolong, visually it reminds me of another very lightly oxidized oolong from Camellia Sinensis I tried not all that long ago; the same kind of pale silver/green tea leaves with a fine fuzz and down on them. They both remind me strongly of moonlight! But I don’t have expectations this will taste all that similar given this is from Nepal, and the other tea I’m reminded of aesthetically was from Darjeeling.

I found the cold brew I made was so interesting, with a very diverse range of flavours! The immediate and obvious ones to me were floral notes, sweet hay/grass notes, and a fruity flavour that reminded me a little of white grapes/white wine! It had that very slight sourness/acidity that wine has, but softened and contrasted by those other dominant flavours. Once I scratched the surface with the more obvious flavour notes I also noticed notes of citrus, almost a grapefruit-like flavour but also a touch lemony which probably contributed to that little bit of sourness and acidity I initially attributed to the winey/grapey notes.

Also interesting and different, I tasted a note that reminded me strikingly of the green ‘peel’ part of a cucumber? Just in that it was vegetal, crisp, refreshing and juicy in that cucumber sort of way – but with that very slight bitterness that comes with cucumber peel over cucumber ‘pulp’. In this case that bitterness is just present enough that it becomes a very pleasant quality. The overall feel of the tea is this fruity, fresh ‘Spring time’ kind of drink that reminds me of April showers, and helping me Grandma in her flower garden when I was a little kid. The presence of both sweeter fruit notes and more green/vegetal ones creates a very refreshing flavor.

So overall, this actually did end up tasting a little similar to that Camellia Sinensis Darjeeling! Not exactly the same, sure, but comparable anyway. I wonder why that’s so; possibly the terroir shared between both growing regions? Or possibly the way the leaf itself was processed. Either way I find that kind of fascinating and it’s something I’d be interested in learning more about.

I look forward to a hot cup, to see how the flavours change.

an amazing tea!

when i smell the leaves dry, they smell like grass and veggies.

when i smell the leaves wet, they smell floral and like veggies.

when i look at the brewed tea, it looks light and yellow.

when i smell the brewed tea, i smell apricot, sweet and floral.

when i taste the brewed tea, i taste apricot, sweetness, floral and veggies.

i rate this tea a 100 because i like the taste/aroma

many thanks to amanda’soggyenderman’wilson for this lovely tea!

I have played a lot of video games in my life, and I have been driven to fits of rage by many of them. Something that my dear fiance and I share is a tendency to get really ragey at our games, we just show them differently, where he is likely to just yell at a game, I take a page from the RageQuit book and get really imaginative with my vitriol. I bring this up because few games have made me rage as much as Terraria. Seriously, I hate the boss fights, I can have myself kitted up and buffed to the extreme and it never fails, I die at least half a dozen times before I get the ‘trick’ to killing a specific boss. Of course then I proceed to farm it mercilessly, giggling at my godlike power the whole time. Oh man, or that one time when you are mining and accidentally hit the TNT button instead of the pickaxe button and blow yourself up. It. Is. MADDENING! But I also love it because I can be a dark elf with a hoard of spider summons with a pet dinosaur who rides a unicorn while wearing feathery wings, gypsy robes, and a Spartan helmet. Skills.

Today’s tea from What-Cha is a funky little number, Thailand Sticky Rice ‘Khao Hom’ Oolong Tea, hailing from Thailand, this tea takes Jin Xuan and scents it with Nuo Mi Xiang Nen Ye, an herb from China whose leaves smell uncannily like sweet sticky rice. Used quite a bit with Puerh, (if you have ever seen sticky rice Puerh, this is the herb used) and I will be honest, mixed with Shou Pu, I find it utterly repugnant, usually because it is mixed with the really low grade fishy garbage and those are two things I do not want mixed. Ever. So I was really curious to try it in something else, specifically the glory that is Oolong. The aroma of this tea is something else, I advise not sticking your nose into these leaves, sniff from a distance because wow is it strong. Super sweet sticky rice notes with sweet cream, rice pudding, coconut milk, and an underlying almond nuttiness. So much sweetness, it is a little overwhelming.

So the first time I tried this tea I made the mistake of brewing it when I had a headache, one whiff of those brewed leaves and I needed to lie down, something about sticky rice scented teas make me feel really ill and dizzy if I have a headache (which is often) so I waited for a day when I had no headache to try the rest of the sample. It was a good idea because whoa, it is super strong, very sweet notes of rice pudding, caramel, flowers, green beans, grass, spinach…it is a bit of a cacophony, though oddly it blends well together. The liquid is more subtle thankfully, though not by much. That sticky rice scent is strong and sweet, notes of coconut milk, almonds, and rice pudding mix with a creamy underlying floral note.

I thought for a second, this could be one of those sensory overload things that happens to me with certain smells, so I got Ben to sniff it and he thought it smelled mild and sweet, where I thought it was like being face planted in pudding. The longer I sniffed it, the more I started developing a headache…oh dear. So, enough being nervous, I tasted it, it is smooth and sweet, and surprisingly cooling for an oolong. There are strong notes of cream, rice pudding, orchids, and warm milk. This moves on to caramelized sugar and a nutty aftertaste. There is however something ‘wrong’ about the rice taste, not wrong as in toxic or something like that…wrong as it tastes like rice but doesn’t. Like how stevia leaves are sweet but don’t taste like sugar, so when used as a substitute you can tell, it is uncanny and hard to process for some reason.

Second steep, the aroma at this point has permeated my tea area, which I am not entirely happy with. The taste is milder on the rice front, more of the underlying orchid and creamy notes of the Jin Xuan showing their color. The finish has a nutty rice note that lingers for some time. I called it quits after this steep sadly, the taste was quite pleasant, but the smell of the leaves was way too intense and killing my head, not to mention I spilled some on my tea table and just can’t get the smell out, whenever I get a whiff of it I am slammed with vertigo, it is safe to say that my sensory weirdness could not handle this herb. Clearly if I try to drink this tea again, I should do it with a nose plug, or maybe store the leaves in another room. It is a pity I had such a negative reaction to the aroma, the taste was really quite fascinating.

For blog and photos (and a link to a page entirely in Chinese about the fancy herb): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-cha-thailand-sticky-rice-khao-hom.html

A sample from Roswell Strange. I’ve never tried a Silver Oolong before, so she’s certainly pushing my tea boundaries with the samples she included! That’s the joy of swaps, though. I love getting to try new things, and especially things I’d never have thought of! I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it approximately 2 minutes in water cooled to around 170 degrees. The resulting liquor is a very pale green, almost colourless.

The leaf is an intriguing prospect. It’s a little twisted and downy-looking dry, and the buds are a fairly variagated grey-white-green. Wet, they’re a much lighter, brighter green in colour, with a flash of orange at the stem, and the odd touch of brown on the leaves themselves. It’s actually possible to unfurl the leaves to see their full extent. They’re on the small side, but it’s intriguing to observe how they’re twisted up to form the dry version of themselves. The wet leaf smells absolutely amazing – very “green”, almost in a seaweedy sort of way, with a touch of pine and a strong mineral undertone (like wet stone).

To taste, this is an entirely different prospect. The first thing I noticed was the spiciness, which tingles on the tongue. It’s not quite cinnamon, but that’s the closest I can get in terms of description. It’s a felt spiciness – a sensation – more than a taste, if that makes sense. Warming, rather than hot. I’m also picking up strong notes of hay, a touch of floral (which puts me in mind of pears, as I associate those with a floral flavour), and a whole lot of maltiness. That’s odd to me, in such a pale tea that’s mostly reminiscent of green in many respects. I can taste pithy, mildly bitter orange zest at the very end of the sip, and a touch of white grapefruit. It’s interesting to end on such a tangy, fruity note after the sweetness of the mid-sip. It’s a vibrant contrast, and one I actually like a lot more than I could ever have anticipated. If I saw it written down, I might think “ugh”, but in practice it’s strangely poetic. I can feel a warming spiciness at the back of my throat long after I’ve taken my last sip. It’s a truly intriguing cup.

I’m really impressed with this one, and I’ll certainly be having a good look at What-Cha on the strength of this sample. It’s good to know that there are still teas out there than can surprise and delight, even after having tried so many over the last few years. This is the best journey I’ve ever been on. Thanks again to Roswell Strange for sharing this with me.

There are a lot of things I could say to start off today’s blog post, but they can wait for a later day, today’s intro is something special. It is my two year Tea Blog Anniversary! It seems pretty crazy that I have been rambling about tea on my blog for this long, and that all of you are still hanging out with me on my corner of the internet. I have met some wonderful people and of course tried some awesome teas, found many favorites, and turned into a real teaware hoarder. Thank you all for reading my rambling, it means the world to me.

Since, unless my mind deceives me, it is Wednesday, meaning the day I review a tea from What-Cha, in my probably very silly attempt to review all the teas. Looking at India Bihar Doke ‘Black Fusion’ Hand-Made Black Tea, hailing from the much talked about Doke Tea Gardens in Bihar, India, run by the Lochan family, pioneers of the tea world! Trying teas from the Doke Tea Gardens has been pretty high on my to-do list for a while, because they are much loved by fellow bloggers and tea sippers, plus I really like their mission of treating the people and the land like they are precious, bravo! Eyeballing the leaves, they are really dark and quite pretty, I am a sucker for curly dark leaves, oh who am I kidding, I am a sucker for leaves! The aroma is delectable, malty and spicy, like curry without the heat and turmeric without the earthiness, a touch of floral notes, and a very sweet finish. That finish is one of stewed raisins and plums with molasses, it is like a malty compote!

Into my steeping vessel the curly leaves go, to make their transformation to plump and not as dark leaves. The aroma of the soggy leaves is malty and molasses sweet, with a definite spice which is hard to pin down, it is like saffron, turmeric, and curry…but not, it is more like you are smelling a blend of them from a distance. It is maddeningly hard to pin down in my olfactory memory, I wish I could create a scent photo album for referencing in just such occasions. The liquid has a note that I have not smelled in what seems like forever, sumac! There are also notes of molasses, malt, spice, and a touch of raisins and peanuts.

The tea is really quite vibrant, like a sky at sunset, the kind that won’t scare away sailors, but where you know there are wildfires somewhere. The initial sip starts brisk and strong, this tea has a presence that makes you sit up and pay attention, maybe I got it wrong and this is a story sunrise color! The taste starts with notes of malt and raisins, this transitions to sassafras, that maddeningly hard to place down spice (ok, you know what, it is Spice, there, a nice Melange heavy tea for the Navigators) and a touch of sumac adding a lemony note at the very tail end of the midtaste. Then it moves to creamy stewed plums and molasses, which moves into the aftertaste and lingers. I really like how this tea has a brisk boldness to it while also having depth, a lot of times teas that wake you up are focusing more on having oomph than subtle nuances. As someone who does not really drink a lot of breakfast teas and tends to go for the subtle teas to gently shake me into wakefulness, I could see myself really craving this tea on those mornings I want the extra mouth punch while also being treated to a dance of tastes in my mouth. I can see why so many of my fellow bloggers go gaga for Doke if they are half as good as this one!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-cha-india-bihar-doke-black-fusion.html

I dare you to open the bag and inhale this then walk away. Ain’t no way. Dry this smells like a bouquet of peonies. So sweet and pretty. The leaf is equally beautiful with red and brown steaks along with silvery white tips. Once brewed the steep leaf scent is peaches, no grapes, no its orange. Love. The brew is liquid sunshine so bright and golden. The taste is muscat grape and hints of malt. Then it turns into mountain streams that fade into light orange blossoms. I was not in the mood for tea today until I opened this one. Gentle and amazingly complex. A definite winner.

Oh hey, I think my sleep schedule flipped back to being diurnal-ish. Yay? It has its pros and cons, same as all sleep schedules. At least since I got up dark and early this morning I got to watch some more of the Perseid Meteor Shower, watching a few fireballs shooting across the sky brings me great joy. I am somewhat sad that things did not work out where I could not go out to the country to watch the sky, but I got to see some of the show, which is wonderful.

It is time to look at a powerful tea from What-Cha, their Indonesia Dark Roast Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea. This tea had my attention from the name (a charcoal roasted Tie Guan Yin, that is one of my favorite things) and the description calling it powerful, what can I say, I have a type! That type is empyreumatic, also Tie Guan Yin, I am predictable with my love of oolongs. So, the aroma of the tightly balled leaves will knock you off your feet if you are not prepared, strong notes of tobacco, rich molasses, baked plums, loam, and heavy charcoal waft off of them. It is both very rich and very sweet, without the char notes overwhelming.

Into ye ol’ roasted Oolong pot the tea goes, and hello strong notes of coal and smoke, reminds me a bit of incense because it has a resinous quality with a distant floral note as well. Under this smoky and coal is tobacco, molasses, and roasted plums, it is pretty intense. The liquid is smoky and char, like burnt grains, buckwheat and oats, molasses and honey. It smells like granola that is being roasted over a fire, though without the headache. (For some odd reason whenever Ben’s mom roasted the granola for her…well…granola, the smell gives me a migraine and I spend the day in misery. I try to be out of the house on those days, sad because the smell is great.)

Whoa! That first steep is sweet! Surprisingly so, with a strong honey and molasses start with juicy plums in the middle. Over this sweetness is an overhanging cloud of smoke and char, like eating roasted plums next to a campfire. The finish is grainy, notes of buckwheat and oats mix with a finish of molasses, this is some serious granola tea.

The aroma of the second steep manages to kick it up a bit in intensity, strong notes of char and grains, buckwheat and oats, mixing sweetness and granola with a strong punch of burnt. Yes my mouth is watering, don’t judge me. The taste is much less sweet, bringing out the intense char and grain notes I am more familiar with when given a roasted TGY. Notes of walnut shells, oats, buckwheat, actual wheat, and a hint of molasses blend with an explosion of char and gentle smoke.

Third steeping time, the aroma is very similar, not so much sweet, strong notes of grain and char with a very pleasant finish of molasses, the only sweetness in the aroma. Looks like the tobacco and plums rejoined the party, starting off with delicate sweet roasted plums and walnut shells, this moves on to tobacco (kinda fruity pipe tobacco, actually) and roasted grains. The finish is sweet molasses and char with a surprise floral aftertaste. I had quite a few more steeps with this tea, it has a fantastic oomph to it and lasts for a while. I am, however, kicking myself for forgetting to order more, I am betraying my love of the Taiwanese roasted TGY, but I think Indonesia might take the coveted favorite spot.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-cha-indonesia-dark-roast-tie-guan.html

This is an interesting tea. I tried it three times before putting up a review. I’ve never had a TGY quite this dark before, so it was definitely an experience! The first time I brewed it gongfu, followed the brewing instructions (194 degree water, 45 second infusions), but the flavor was lacking for me. Increased the time and still, not much. Second time I did western style in my cast iron teapot, and boosted the temp to 200 for 3 minutes. I thought that because the leaves weren’t unfurling much, that the temp was too low. That didn’t improve the flavor much either. So this morning, I tried again, western style, boiling water, 5 minutes. Tasted after five and added another 2-3 minutes, and perfect.

So I learned a few things: You apparently cannot oversteep this tea, and the leaves are not going to open up or unfurl like a traditional oolong because they are roasted all to heaven and back. Also, it’s delicious.

Flavor is lovely, no astringency, lightly smoky – surprising actually, I thought it would be more so b/c the leaves are charred black. Sweet flavors of roasted plum and dried figs. The charcoal finish is there but again, not overbearing. I’m not sure what the piece of bitter melon adds to the flavor party, but I did that because the tasting notes recommend it. I also ordered 100 grams for a chance at getting a whole bitter melon, which Alistair generously sent.

In sum, this is a lovely tea for anyone who loves a dark roasted TGY.

EDIT: Decided to see if the leaves had anything left, so I steeped it again for 10 minutes and had a nice second cuppa.

I am food drunk again! It is a thing that happens to me, I eat a big meal and then get loopy, tired, and very much so like I am tipsy. Not really sure why, but I have a full belly, and that is awesome! Just came home from a friend’s birthday, though I have a fierce craving for cake now since the one was not gluten free (obviously, having a GF cake when only one person there has a problem is dumb) and foresee a cake in my future. The real question is what kind, maybe another Matcha chocolate swirl?

Today’s tea from What-Cha is China Anhui Huangshan ‘Yellow Sun’ Yellow Tea, a Yellow Tea that us turning out to be a giant pain to research! See, you look up Huangshan and you get primarily Huangshan Mao Feng, maybe so references to the place, you look up Huangshan Yellow Tea and you get Huoshan Huang Ya, I mean yeah, they are both from Anhui, but still, they are not the same tea! Frustratingly I cannot really find out anything about this mysterious yellow tea, yet, but I intend to devote more time to it at a later day. The aroma of the curly leaves is incredibly nutty, it reminds me of almond paste and sesame candies, combining sweet and nutty. There are also delicate notes of wet hay, sourdough yeast, distant flowers, and a touch of tart cherry at the finish. It is an oddly complex tea that is strange yet very tasty smelling.

Ooh, going to use my super tall gaiwan, I never get to use it because…well…for some reason I tend to forget about it (the shame) which I hope to not do in the future once I unpack all my gear. The aroma of the soggy leaves has taken on a bit of a woody tinge, alongside notes of sesame seeds, and a surprising spiced floral note and fresh tobacco leaves. I am trying to search through my memories, are the blossoms on a tobacco plant spicy, or is it the dianthus my mom had planted nearby? The liquid is fascinating! Notes of sweet nuttiness and gentle spicy mix with cooked broccoli and cauliflower with a finish of chestnut and hay.

So, first sipping time, and…it is really mild. An odd combination of notes that instead of clashing work really well. Starting with delicate notes of flowers and sweet sesame and almonds. This moves to a blend of sweet, wet, hay and greenbeans, and then a finish of wildflower honey and slightly smoked cherries. The mouthfeel was smooth with a touch of cooling similar to a Sheng Puerh.

The second steep brings in notes of primarily sweet nuttiness, blending sesame seeds and chestnuts with a surprising finish of orchids and wildflowers. Again, this tea is really odd yet tasty! It starts out more green this time with notes of broccoli and greenbeans, then it pretty immediately moves to flowers and hay. It has a perfumed like quality where you are definitely tasting more with your nose than tongue. The finish is hay and honey with a lingering fruity note. Again cooling, more so this time.

I am beginning to thing this tea is the result of some tea themed lovin’ between a Sheng Puerh and an Anhui green. The aroma takes on a strong note of hay, along with sesame and a hint of greenbeans. The taste this time starts off nutty again, sweet sesame and almond, this moves to greenbeans and broccoli, and a finish of sweet honey and flowers. There is a lingering coolness that stays around for a while, very soothing. This was an odd yet amazing tea, I love the blend of different notes that you do not necessarily run into together very often.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-chachina-anhui-huangshan-yellow.html

I didn’t drink enough of this tea during the rainy season this summer; it’s usually my stormy weather go to tea and this year I under utilized it…

However, we’ve been having snowfall this last week, and on one of the morning it was snowing I decided to make a mug of this in a travel mug to drink on my trip in to work. It wasn’t the same as having it during the rain, but it still had this highly comforting effect on me that seemed to say “It’s okay, the snow will all melt soon!” and sure enough it had all melted away by the end of the day.

Drank this one yesterday at work.

It tasted exactly like it normally does to me, which is to say it tasted delicious. I’m close to needing another restock of this one – again. It feels like no time has even passed since I last ordered it!

Somewhat funny story though; some customers overheard a conversation between myself and a coworker where I was talking about this tea and describing the rice flavour. They looked so turned off by the idea of rice in tea…

If they only knew.

Morning cuppa!

We’ve got quite a bit happening in the house this morning – both an electrician and the furnace people are here just doing some general maintenance/up keep stuff. I don’t know why my mom decided to schedule them at the same time, but it’s resulted in some constant hustle and bustle.

Finding a moment of zen/peace with my cup of tea in between all the noise has been a little challenging, but if any tea can put me in that calm/peaceful state of mind it’s this one! The silky rice notes and smooth grassy undertones combined with buttery and floral finish has been very relaxing, and even though I’m pulled from my state of calm every now and then by a large ‘clunk’ it’s been pretty solid overall.

This is a queued tasting note.

From the same night I was drinking the Sticky Pudding pearls from Q2T at DT while on shift. One of my coworkers pointed out to me that both teas I brought with me were “Sticky” teas, and we had a good laugh and the completely random coincidence of that.

As always this was delightful; it made me think of the former ASM Zoe though. I always meant to bring her a sample of this one because it’s one we talked about at length and in great detail, and she’s such a hardcore oolong fan. However, I never ended up getting any to her before she moved to BC…

She would have adored it, though.

Also part of my rainy weather tea rotation! It’s one of the two big ones I usually break out for rainy days – the other being Pink Beauty, which I didn’t manage to sneak in today. There’s always the rest of the week though.

I actually started my day with this one: and it was delicious. Very clean flavour profile and well rounded flavours – sticky rice, butter (lots of butter), orchids and other soft floral notes, and a slight grassy green note in the finish that tied in the comforting nature of the tea with the weather surrounding me.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAnDNMdcTJE&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=108

Slow, pensive/reflective and sad love songs for dreary days…

Been listening to a lot of No Vacation this week because they’ve got so many songs that seem to fit this overall feeling. If you weren’t in tea chat over the weekend, you wouldn’t have gotten to witness my semi-drunken meltdown. I had a rough day on top of a really miserable ending to the week and I got home and I just… drank.

Five bottles. No, not like beer bottles – but bottles of somewhat harder liquor. Triple Sec, Kahlua, vodka. I want to make it REALLY clear that I’m ok now and I got it out of my system that night. Passing out blackout drunk at 8:30PM was pretty well exactly what I needed to just sort of move past what was bugging me.

But how do you tell someone gracefully and without ruining the relationship between the two of you that looking them in the face makes you instantly want to have a really, really stiff drink? Working on figuring that out next…

And so lots of pensive tea drinking while sitting out in the rain.

Started my day off yesterday with a big mug of this!

I had yesterday off, and then I have today and tomorrow as well following a tiring six day stretch over the long weekend. Let me tell you guys, retail over the long weekend is not a fun experience nor one I’d wish upon even my worst enemies. I’m taking thee days to drink lots, and lots of tea though!

This mug was pretty much the same deliciousness I’ve come to know, love and expect from this tea: floral components from the base such as these really delicate orchid notes and then the richness of toasted rice as well as that glutinous, starchy and delicious flavour of sticky rice! It makes me sad how quickly I’ve burned through this tea; a restock is definitely in order soon! But as sad as I feel knowing there’s not lots left I also know that’s because I’ve had many great cups.

Instant pick me up tea!

So, my friend James just moved to a new place and Trey and I came over a few nights ago after he’d finished setting the place up as sort of an informal ‘house warming’ type thing because he was so proud of his hard work and just had to show it off. There were many beers consumed in the few hours we were there, but none by me ‘cause I’m still rocking a minor concussion from birthday celebrations.

Instead of Coffee Porter, like they were drinking, I brought a carry mug filled to the brim with this tea! It was pretty well the best thing I could think of for a cozy little get together. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and comforted inside. It’s my happy tea! And actually, I shared the last few sips with James as a sort of “mine is better than yours”/fuck you to the Coffee Porter and he admitted that it was, indeed, better.

+1 Tea!!!

Not yesterday, but the day before I called in sick from work.

Both pots of this were smooth and creamy, with a rich sticky rice flavour. It was just a hint floral (orchid notes) and just a hint vegetal. This isn’t really the most complex tea to be perfectly honest. However, it’s so perfect for what it is. Everything about it just makes me feel at ease and relaxed.

Being sick be damned, this tea makes me feel like I’m at 100%.