graceatblb Send Message

I was surprised by how much I liked this. It has the pumpkin pie spice to it but with a little grassiness. It should not work in all logic but it does. I also like how it is heavier on the cinnamon than the clove. Clove is one of the reasons I hate pumpkin pie.

I also expected Davids matcha to be bitter for some reason but it is not at all.

GABA Oolong is like Milk Oolong’s older hipster brother. It has that same grassy sort of creaminess to it but it is more assertive with the bitter finish. Not unpleasant at all but a little too floral for my tastes. I think I have to be in a specific mood for this one as I prefer darker oolongs or milk oolong.

Black Gold is one of those teas from Mandala that I bought but never opened. Terrible. But it probably slipped through the cracks when I was on a pu’er kick.

I tried to brew this one in short steeps around a minute or so but this one was made for the morning. A good old kick in the pants before work. A long brew produced one of the best black tea experiences I have had in a long time. It’s malty. It’s chocolaty. Sort of sweet but sort of bitter at the same time. There is a molasses like sweetness to this tea. This will be my every morning tea.

In rediscovering my love of tea, I decided to try one of the teas I first bought when I started my tea journey back in 2012. Big Leaf Sheng was my first try with raw pu’er and I loved it. It was a kick in the face of camphor and smoky goodness. I am interested to see how this has changed in the four years since I bought it.

1st Steep-30 seconds-
So much more mellow than I remember. Still has slight camphor and smoke but much calmer. More sedate. Less aggressive than I remember. Very little fruitiness.

2nd Steep-45 seconds-
There is the apple flavor. Big red apple. Crisp. This tea has matured well. It has become more sedate yet more complex. Just realized I am drinking 10 year old tea. That was one of 2012 Grace’s dreams.

3rd Steep-1 minute-
Camphor is back. Mixed with apple. So pleasant. More creaminess in this steep.

4th-1 minute 45 seconds
And there is the assertive tea that I love. A kick in the face of camphor and crisp apple. A bit of honey on the finish.

5th Steep-2 minutes
Apple and pear. Starting to mellow. It’s leaning more on the creamy side. Getting a bit of honey in there.

6th Steep- 2 minutes 30 seconds
Honey and a little bit of cream.Less fruity. Very smooth.

7th Steep-Overnight
I intended to brew this one for 3 minutes but I fell asleep and it brewed overnight. I drank this one iced while at work. Very fruity. Almost pineapple. Still smooth. I really do feel sad that I have to let this tea go.

Overall-I still love this tea. It has matured over the years in such a beautiful way. When I bought this cake it was full of punch.A little intimidating. But it has matured and calmed down. It’s less chaotic. More refined.

I have been away from tea—and Steepster— for quite a while. I missed everyone here and am happy to be back to my tea loving ways. I am incredibly sad that this tea has been retired. I just used my last bit at work. It gets better as it ages—as pu’er is known to do. More chocolaty and creamier if that is even possible. It gave me that happy tea drunk feeling while at work. I am not exaggerating by saying I would give up just about anything to get more of this tea.

I brewed my last bit of this one today. I’ve been craving pu’er in a big way and I missed it and I have been slacking with the tea brewing. I just did one steep so far and, for some reason, this time the brew is very weak. It’s very lightly woodsy and a bit nutty but a bit bland. I am going to try a longer brew time for my next steep. Maybe the leaves have to open up a bit more.

I tried this one before and loved it. I am a fennel and licorice fan. I made it iced this time and the sweet and spice of the chili pepper really work well together with a bit of honey and orange zest. I am pretty much the only one who liked it though. There are apparently few fans of fennel and licorice in my life. It’s odd considering my Grandma made us all drink a tea similar to this when we were sick.

I also just discovered—I’m so behind in tea and everything else—that Davids doesn’t make this one any longer. I am going to have to try to blend it myself. Now to find bulk fennel seed, licorice root, star anise and dried chili peppers.

I just drank my last bit of this fine tea. I didn’t really want it hot for some reason so I decided to make it iced. I’ve never really tried that with a sheng before but it turned out perfectly. I took it on a run with me and the minty, slightly smoky kick was just what I needed. Managed to run to the library and then run home with an overstuffed bag of books—they were having a book sale and I am weak. I blame Wild Monk not for my book hoarding but for the energy to run home with a 10+lb bag of books.

I just ordered more—darn sale— so I decided to finish off the last of my sample. It’s like seeing an old friend again after a long time. You miss them, you know they are there if you need them but you just never get around to calling them. That’s how I feel about this tea. I love it so much and I know I have a cake waiting for me but I feel better waiting to drink it. Does that sound crazy?

It’s still my favorite gentleman’s shu after all this time. It’s creamy milk chocolate with a nutty background. There’s also a heavy cream-ish taste in the background. So nice. Like hot cocoa. I’m totally okay with having bought 4 more ounces of this. So okay.

I didn’t know this when I posted my last note about my Phatty Cake but I had hidden a piece of it from myself. My Phatty Cake is now an ex-Phatty Cake. It’s pining for the fjords and I am all sad. Still delicious though.