2891 Tasting Notes

drank Pink Ceylon by Kandula
2891 tasting notes

The Easter Elephant came (he’s WAY better than the bunny because he can sneak in and out undetected as big as he is) and left this in my kitchen!

This gets off-the-scale wacky cool points for the color alone. PINK green tea. Box recommends a very low temp (I actually used a thermometer and kept it around 160) and short time (2 min) and by golly, it’s pink! Website tips you off to the trick, there’s just a bit of hibiscus in there, but you can’t see it in the pyramid teabags, and you can’t taste it at all. Pink!

Now, as for flavor—I’m still working on it. I used a clear mug for the christening cup because I wanted to watch the color, and the mug is oversized, so when it was full, I didn’t taste much but dishwater. (Nifty pink dishwater, mind you.)

The Kandula folks say each pyramid bag is good for 2-3 steeps, so the second time around, I didn’t top off the cup, did 2 more minutes and got some really nice flavor. Light, fresh hay. Second steep color wasn’t as pretty, more of a pale rosy beige.

So, if I don’t overdo on the H20 next time, I anticipate a lovely balance of color and flavor. This has been fun to play with! (Thank you, Easter Elephant. I will never forget how thoughtful you are.)

Indigobloom

LOL the Easter Elephant… love it!
So this is a green Ceylon?? Cool!

Ninavampi

Do you know if the Easter Elephant can make it to Ecuador? So far only the Easter Llama has come…

gmathis

I’m not sure if Easter Elephants can fit on a plane—even in first class ;) He did, after a little begging, tell me that he does his shopping, of all places at TJ Maxx (never found a stitch of clothing in there I cared to pay for, but fast becoming one of my favorite unusual tea sources).

Here’s the link to the Kandula site: http://www.kandulatea.com/Shop.aspx?id=103&t=kandula.pink.tea.bags.15&r=&rb=0&ret=?p=pink.tea They also advertise an ivory tea that sounds kind of intriguing.

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drank Tower of London by Harney & Sons
2891 tasting notes

Happy Easter! Forget the eggs…may you find Joy today instead!

The more I drink ToL, the more I like it, and the more I like it, the more I’m puzzled, because bergamot is not usually on my preferred flavorings list, and there it is, right smack in the list of ingredients. Can’t detect it for the life of me. I guess there’s just so much good fruit-n-honey going on, the berga-meister just doesn’t assert itself much.

Ninavampi

Happy Easter and Joy to you too!

ashmanra

Happy Easter!

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After a month of temps dancing 10-20 degrees above normal, we’ve plummeted back into a wet, raw, typical early April day and I am chilled to the bone.

This not-quite-coffee with a little sugar and milk is hearty enough to stick to your ribs and warm you a bit.

(Hope it warms up for tomorrow—thinking about my poor, skinny little fifth graders who will insist on wearing their sleeveless Easter dresses to church regardless of the weather and will show up with frostbitten little arms and legs :)

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drank Iron Buddha by Lipton
2891 tasting notes

A rare just-the-two-of-us excursion for hubby and me yesterday. Springfield, MO. Home of THE Bass Pro Shop (for you outdoor enthusiasts) and a plethora of yummy used bookstores. Lunch at Zio’s…chicken manicotti that’ll put you in an alfredo coma.

And since I spent all my discretionary fundage on books, when we hit the Seoul Oriental Market, I couldn’t not try a new tea, but it had to be a Cheapster. So at $2.15 for 25 bags…why not?

Very little English on the box, so it was a mystery steep. And a nice one! This is a really pleasant bagged oolong. Given oolong-ish parameters (< boiling, about 2 1/2 min), it has a golden oak furniture finish and tastes uncannily like Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit.

Azzrian

Woah what an odd combination – juicy fruit and oak?? LOL I kinda want some now!

gmathis

Clarification—oak refers more to the color than the flavor. I have a candy barrel I use for an end table that I was staring at when I wrote that. But for a cheap bagged oolong, it’s surprisingly tasty.

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Cookies for breakfast!

At least that’s what this tastes like—those fine little tea biscuits that come in tins. And for a such a light tea, the sweetness stays on your tongue an amazingly long time. Enjoying mine straight up, but I’m thinking a little milk would make this spectacular.

Fine stuff. Not for hurry-up mornings. Enjoy this one on a Good Friday as you watch the fog lift from Turkey Creek and revel in a morning of cool spring sunshine while you listen to a sparrow sing. Count your blessings while you drink it. (This leisurely tea moment made possible by the always-thoughtful and encouraging ashmanra.)

teawing

Thats a fine picture you have given us today…cloudy and Friday rush for me.
Glad someone is taking in a fine morning and a good cup of tea.

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drank Clipper Gold Loose Leaf by Bewley's
2891 tasting notes

This time, I let Clipper Gold just barely shake hands with the water (2 min), and it was still sharp and wakey-uppy, but I could taste the subtler notes (burgundy/fruit) and my tongue wasn’t numb ;)

Shorter steep time is a plus when you oversleep and you’re dashing around to get out of the house, huh?

ashmanra

Look at you! Finding that silver lining! :) I am happy to hear you got a little extra sleep, sorry you have to rush, though.

gmathis

Well, maybe I should be a little more accurate. Alarm went off as usual, eyes opened, the rest of me just loitered longer than necessary.

teawing

I dozed a little too long myself this morning, no cup for the ride, had to wait till I got to work for my first one…Yorkshire Gold is doing the trick though :)

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drank Chance Combinations by Custom
2891 tasting notes

Holy Basil/Tulsi + chamomile (2 parts tulsi to 1 part chamomile)

I’m discovering that tulsi is a really nice and versatile base to lots of herbal combinations, especially for a clumsy alchemist like me. Its sharp lemony flavor nicely balances with chamomile, which doesn’t adapt to much and always tastes like chamomile.

A good evening unwind and very inexpensive when you buy both in bulk.

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drank Earl Grey Melange by Custom
2891 tasting notes

Funny…now that I’m far enough along in my tea journey to be at least a little discriminating in what I like and don’t like…standards go completely out the window when temps warm up and I need iced tea. My guideline for cold tea … aaah, that’ll do; whatever!

This bits and bops mixture from the lovely Jacquelinem fits the “whatever” category very nicely. I’m not much of an EG fan, though I try to be. But the bergamot, which annoys me hot, is cooling and refreshing after an afternoon in the fridge. Will be a nice fridge standard.

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This is another one that needs to be treated gently, or it’ll grow muscles and walk off without you. I think I slightly overdid/oversteeped, but even with that said, this has a nice fruity background note that adds a little sophistication to the morning Assam kick.

ashmanra

Yep. When handled with kid gloves this is one of my favorite Assams. I use a lower steep temp and time and add milk and sugar and then we get along juuuust fine!

teawing

shouldn’t the fact that this is “Irish” be a signal that it might need…special treatment?
:)

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Bio

Steepster “geezer;” tea barbarian who has no systematic method for storage, preparation, classification, or rating; lover of strong unleaded builders’ tea. Never quite grew up—I cut and glue, play with Legos, design kids’ curriculum, and play with fifth graders every Sunday.

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Southwest Missouri

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