96
drank Milk Oolong by Bon The Place
6105 tasting notes

I cannot focus at ALL today. I slept badly and am facing a huge decision in probably the next few days… whether or not to stay here and commit to a PhD in an area which will be extremely challenging for me, which also means that I won’t be done school until I’m over 30… Gah. Major decision stress, on top of the fact that I’m supposed to be finishing my Masters project by April….

Anyways… drinking some of this in the hopes of finding some sort of answers?? Or at least, a way to focus and make some progress on work… I’ve been sitting here for nearly an hour and a half and all I’ve managed to do is drag a few calculations down an Excel column, and trim a substantial number of split ends… Well, at least this tea is delicious and reliable. Sigh.

(Yep, sorry, hardly a tasting note at all, just a life rant. Bleh.)

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Dinosara

If you need someone to chat with about the decision of entering a PhD program, PM me. Not sure what your field is, but I’m a PhD student myself finishing my program now (and desperately hoping I get a job for next year).

Sil

moar school! shudder I hope you’re able to figure things out and, if nothing else, enjoy some good tea while trying to come to a decision.

TheTeaFairy

This kind of dilemma requires lots of reflexion and thinking, Good luck on your decision Kittenna…

OMGsrsly

I’m over 30, just finishing my undergrad, and thinking about doing a Masters. ACK! Finishing school late truly isn’t a horrible thing. It might mean you’re competing with much younger folks in the job market when you’re done, but your maturity will give you an advantage.

Anyways, it sounds like a perfect reason to drink more tea.

Indigobloom

awww hugs
I hope you sort out your school issues soon. And not to be selfish or anything but I do also hope you stay within driving distance of Toronto :D

Kittenna

Thanks guys! I’m just so up in the air right now…. I’ll get some more facts in the coming days and will undoubtedly be given a deadline as to when I have to make the decision by. Can’t wait…

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Comments

Dinosara

If you need someone to chat with about the decision of entering a PhD program, PM me. Not sure what your field is, but I’m a PhD student myself finishing my program now (and desperately hoping I get a job for next year).

Sil

moar school! shudder I hope you’re able to figure things out and, if nothing else, enjoy some good tea while trying to come to a decision.

TheTeaFairy

This kind of dilemma requires lots of reflexion and thinking, Good luck on your decision Kittenna…

OMGsrsly

I’m over 30, just finishing my undergrad, and thinking about doing a Masters. ACK! Finishing school late truly isn’t a horrible thing. It might mean you’re competing with much younger folks in the job market when you’re done, but your maturity will give you an advantage.

Anyways, it sounds like a perfect reason to drink more tea.

Indigobloom

awww hugs
I hope you sort out your school issues soon. And not to be selfish or anything but I do also hope you stay within driving distance of Toronto :D

Kittenna

Thanks guys! I’m just so up in the air right now…. I’ll get some more facts in the coming days and will undoubtedly be given a deadline as to when I have to make the decision by. Can’t wait…

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Bio

I have always been a tea fan (primarily herbals and Japanese greens/oolongs) but in the last year or so, tea has become increasingly more appealing as not only a delicious, calming drink, but as a relatively cheap, healthy reward or treat to give myself when I deserve something. I should clarify that, however; the reward is expanding my tea cupboard, not drinking tea – I place no restrictions on myself in terms of drinking anything from my cupboard as that would defeat my many goals!

My DavidsTea addiction was born in late 2011, despite having spent nearly a year intentionally avoiding their local mall location (but apparently it was just avoiding the inevitable!). I seem to have some desire to try every tea they’ve ever had, so much of my stash is from there, although I’ve recently branched out and ordered from numerous other companies.

I like to try and drink all my teas unaltered, as one of the main reasons I’m drinking tea other than for the flavour is to be healthy and increase my water intake without adding too many calories! I’ve found that the trick in this regard is to be very careful about steeping time, as most teas are quite pleasant to drink straight as long as they haven’t been oversteeped. However, I tend to be forgetful (particularly at work) when I don’t set a timer, resulting in a few horrors (The Earl’s Garden is not so pleasant after, say, 7+ minutes of steeping).

I’m currently trying to figure out which types of teas are my favourites. Herbals are no longer at the top; oolongs have thoroughly taken over that spot, with greens a reasonably close second. My preference is for straight versions of both, but I do love a good flavoured oolong (flavoured greens are really hit or miss for me). Herbals I do love iced/cold-brewed, but I drink few routinely (Mulberry Magic from DavidsTea being a notable exception). I’m learning to like straight black teas thanks to the chocolatey, malty, delicious Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea, and malty, caramelly flavoured blacks work for me, but I’m pretty picky about anything with astringency. Lately I’ve found red rooibos to be rather medicinal, which I dislike, but green rooibos and honeybush blends are tolerable. I haven’t explored pu’erh, mate, or guayasa a great deal (although I have a few options in my cupboard).

I’ve decided to institute a rating system so my ratings will be more consistent. Following the smiley/frowny faces Steepster gives us:

100: This tea is amazing and I will go out of my way to keep it in stock.

85-99: My core collection (or a tea that would be, if I was allowing myself to restock everything!) Teas I get cravings for, and drink often.

75-84: Good but not amazing; I might keep these in stock sparingly depending on current preferences.

67-74: Not bad, I’ll happily finish what I have but probably won’t ever buy it again as there’s likely something rated more highly that I prefer.

51-66: Drinkable and maybe has some aspect that I like, but not really worth picking up again.

34-50: Not for me, but I can see why others might like it. I’ll make it through the cup and maybe experiment with the rest to get rid of it.

0-33: It’s a struggle to get through the cup, if I do at all. I will not willingly consume this one again, and will attempt to get rid of the rest of the tea if I have any left.

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