90

Since I am on a strawberry tea thing now apparently.

Now that my tea stash is getting way out of control, I’ve started gathering my smaller bits of tea together by category with the hope that I might be able to actually finish a packet or two and reduce the amount of space my obsession is all beginning to take up.

I need more caramel tea. Smooth creamy caramel tea: burnt, caramelized, dulce de leched, flanned, custarded, all the caramel teas.

I seem to have caramel and toffee, but it is all spiced and chaied. And that’s just not the thing.

This train of thought is not taking me to the reduce-my-tea-stash place. Anyway.

Anyway, so I was going through my small bits of black tea this morning and found myself again searching for a fruit-flavoured choice, as opposed to a spicy or nutty or toffee one.

The last times I have had this particular tea, I seem to recall that the strawberry aspect of it popped more. Or perhaps that was me and my wishful thinking.

I shook and shook and shook my sample bag and still no strawberries appeared. Or maybe they were in little bits in my leaf.

Nonetheless, this is a very satisfying tea. Probably especially so as I have had far too many Ceylon experiences lately and have been craving a tea with substance beyond the flavours. Liberteas has made such a brilliant choice in this black tea base. Every time I have it, I send a silent thank you and blessing into the tea cosmos.

Plenty of coconut, which comes through in both scent and flavour. Layered onto the coconut, there’s a bit of cream going on. A wee ephemeral strawberry hint at the very end of the sip.

Yes, a very satisfying cup. If there were just a bit more strawberry, lovely lovely strawberries….

Flavors: Coconut, Cream, Strawberry

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Fjellrev

I can sure use more caramel tea in my life too. Good call on that.

At least you’re sorting through your stash and have some sort of method in place, lest your cupboard would get even more out of hand.

Evol Ving Ness

The some sort of method is not in place. Yet. However, the idea has landed in my brain and small steps towards making this happen have begun, so yay! My tea fever just started in earnest February 2015, so now is the time to organize teas to use the older ones before disaster strikes. Hopefully, disaster has not struck yet.

LiberTEAS

Sweet Caramel O’Mine is the tea of the week this week – just sayin’

Fjellrev

Those baby steps are better than nothing! It’s great that you’re grabbing the harness now rather than later.

Evol Ving Ness

Grabbing the harness. I like that. The truer thing is that I am fondling the harness, though I hope that I will be developing a firmer grip in the coming days. For me, first, I have to plant the idea.

And yes, I have Sweet Caramel O’ Mine here on standby for the right moment. I have been a bit fixated on strawberry and if not strawberry, then at least red for the moment. My second fixation is on giving a once over to things that are already open, and preferably those which are already nearing their end either in age or in quantity.

The right moment is coming. I am never far from Caramel for long.

Fjellrev

It’s ok, the last couple months have been the best times to make purchases between all the awesome BF and Boxing Week sales. It’s not like you’re buying this much tea all year round.

Evol Ving Ness

Thank you. The not-buying-tea-savings-plan begins at midnight. or earlier if my cc rebells. :)

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Fjellrev

I can sure use more caramel tea in my life too. Good call on that.

At least you’re sorting through your stash and have some sort of method in place, lest your cupboard would get even more out of hand.

Evol Ving Ness

The some sort of method is not in place. Yet. However, the idea has landed in my brain and small steps towards making this happen have begun, so yay! My tea fever just started in earnest February 2015, so now is the time to organize teas to use the older ones before disaster strikes. Hopefully, disaster has not struck yet.

LiberTEAS

Sweet Caramel O’Mine is the tea of the week this week – just sayin’

Fjellrev

Those baby steps are better than nothing! It’s great that you’re grabbing the harness now rather than later.

Evol Ving Ness

Grabbing the harness. I like that. The truer thing is that I am fondling the harness, though I hope that I will be developing a firmer grip in the coming days. For me, first, I have to plant the idea.

And yes, I have Sweet Caramel O’ Mine here on standby for the right moment. I have been a bit fixated on strawberry and if not strawberry, then at least red for the moment. My second fixation is on giving a once over to things that are already open, and preferably those which are already nearing their end either in age or in quantity.

The right moment is coming. I am never far from Caramel for long.

Fjellrev

It’s ok, the last couple months have been the best times to make purchases between all the awesome BF and Boxing Week sales. It’s not like you’re buying this much tea all year round.

Evol Ving Ness

Thank you. The not-buying-tea-savings-plan begins at midnight. or earlier if my cc rebells. :)

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A monk sips morning tea

A monk sips morning tea,
it’s quiet,
the chrysanthemum’s flowering.

- Basho

(1644-1694)

Note to self—-you do not actually need any more tea.

My real tea obsession began in February 2015.

Not, sadly, when I had been living and working in China, though I very much enjoyed sampling a variety of teas during my travels there as well. No, no, that would have been far too sensible.

I am a reformed coffee drinker. I still enjoy a long double espresso with a good quantity or milk or cream from time to time, but for now, tea is my thing. All day.

*note—this is way out of date, so if we are doing a swap and you are checking to see what I like and dislike, mostly never mind what you find below. One of these days, I will update this. In the meantime, check what I’ve been drinking and use your own judgement. I like all the teas. Well, I am open to trying all the teas.

I tend to drink black, green, or oolong tea in the morning to early afternoon. Rooibos or
Honeybush or herbal in the evening. And perhaps some sort of sleepy-type tea in the wee hours.

This year, I’ve been discovering flavoured teas, so it may look like that is all I drink although that would provide a false impression.

Not a big fan of chocolate or mint in teas, but I will try them and, from time to time, have been pleasantly surprised. Also, usually I dislike a prominent cinnamon flavour, if untempered with other things, in teas. Again, I say usually, because there are exceptions.

Also, please note that haven’t quite gotten into the habit of updating my tea cupboard on Steepster, and it is unlikely that I will do this on any kind of regular basis.

I drink my tea black and unsweetened. If there comes a rare moment that I add something to it, I will mention it.

Finally, while I thank large and successful tea companies for tantalizing and beckoning me to the world of tea, I prefer to support independent ventures with real people, real enthusiasm and commitment, and real dreams.

Currently, I am researching monthly tea subscriptions. Perhaps it will keep me out of tea shops.

And here is Shae’s rating scale— which I am using with permission, of course— which more or less describes the way I have been rating teas. I am going to make more of an effort to stay very close to these parameters now.

Rating Scale

1-20: By far, one of the worst teas I’ve tasted. I most certainly will not finish my cup and will likely “gift” the rest to my sweet husband who almost always enjoys the teas I dislike (and vice versa).

21-40: This tea is not good but if I mix it with another tea or find another steeping method I might be able to finish it.

41-60: This one is just okay. I might drink it again if someone were to give it to me, but I probably won’t be buying more for myself.

61-75: This is a consistently good tea. It’s reliable but not necessarily special.

76-90: This one is a notch above the rest and I would gladly enjoy a cup of it any day of the week. I’ll likely be keeping this in my cupboard, but it isn’t one of my all-time favorites.

91-95: One small change and this tea would be perfect. I’ll definitely have a stash of this in my kitchen if you come over for tea.

96-100: No words can describe this tea. It’s an experience, an aha moment. Closed eyes, wide smile, encompassing warmth. Absolutely incredible. Perfect.

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Mostly, but not always, Toronto, Canada.

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