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For part of my Christmas my son put a program on my computer called Kerbal Space Program. You design and launch spacecraft. So far I been able to attain a good circular orbit and today I even made it to the planet’s moon and returned safely. The learning curve is very steep. I have blown several craft up while launching. I have much to learn. I think my son is almost tired of answering questions.

Any way I thought this flavorful tea would go well with amateur rocket science. I brewed 4oz for the first cup. It was light and sweet. The next three steeps I have dumped together and it is much darker and leather. A nice enjoyable toucha.

Using up the last of this wonder white peony today. Not enough leaf for two and a little much for one. In it goes. The room is filled with a fresh grassy hay scent. I over steeped on purpose to amp up the flavor as I have been sipping brisk teas all morning. This is hanging right in there. Not so much melon/cucumber steeped long as it is earthy hay. A great finish to a great tea.

I stayed away from the spice drop candies today to avoid pickle tea :)

Despite being up since 3:00, we barely made it before they cut off breakfast this morning. I don’t even order any more. They just show up at the table with tea. It is cheap bagged restaurant tea but I rather enjoy this simple cup with a bagel.

Starting my day way too early. Can’t sleep. Can’t wake up either. Brisk tea to the rescue. This is so smooth compared to most Assam teas I’ve tried. A very nice morning cup that takes sweetener well.

The end of my sample of this one. It is the low end of Teavivre’s Dian Hong offerings and still blows the doors off anything I can buy locally. A really good everyday black when you just want tea. Of course there is plenty of depth for the times when you want more.

I thought about just copying my blog review but I’ll try not to repeat myself. I enjoyed reading the reviews by others. For some this is highly rose. For some its very delicate. Not being overly experienced with rose tea I have tried enough to know this is a very well behaved tea. I used half my sample and steeped 4 minutes. Zero bitterness. No rough edges. The cup scent has enough rose to make me nervous but the sip is very different. It begins with a wonderfully smooth Dian Hong followed by the rose. Then the two flavors come together, neither overpowering the other. The creamy mix passing into a sweet aftertaste. When the tea base and the flavoring are this well balanced I have to say – Wonderfully done!

First tea in a couple days. My head is pounding and I don’t want to think. This bagged tea came in a cup I was given. Not as tangy as I remember. I certainly would not turn it down but it is not living up to my remembrance. Still it is the yardstick by which to measure other EG’s.

Very cold this morning and a light dusting of snow.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and to those who don’t Merry Christmas anyway. This is worth a listen – Little drummer boy by Pentatonix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ_MGWio-vc

Today I cut the sachet open and freed the leaf. It swells to busting in the sachet. Not nearly so in the Finum. The leaf is pretty with all the petals in it. The tea is very green. The taste is a bit muted at first because I had it with an English muffin with a little blackberry jam. Once my palate was rinsed the fruity tropical flavors come out. I like this one a lot. Very nice.

These pearls have been sitting quietly in the bottom of my press since the wee hours of the morning. Waiting. I, on the other hand, have continued my 2 month long battle with Healthcare.gov. I scrapped my application and started over today as I could never get past the system errors in the old one. Multiple chat conversations with them over the weekend where they finally admitted it was a glitch. They knew about it but don’t know when it will be fixed. So now I finally get to see what is offered. Only two companies in my county. One of them doesn’t even have contracts with the local hospitals or doctors, so it is pointless. The other is better but more expensive. Hardly what any one but an insurance salesperson or a politician would call affordable. Plus I still can’t tell if I have to pay the mega deductible before the doctor visits or prescriptions are covered except for copay. So after the break I get to try again to speak with someone at the insurance office. Moral of the story – if you live in America and have a job with insurance, no matter how crappy, suck it up and hang on to it.

Oh the tea was really nice. I have come to the conclusion I prefer the bolder premium version a little more but just a little.

Wow, did it rain. I don’t know if it is a record for the date but probably close. Feeling kind of blue this morning. It’s almost Christmas and I know so many people who are struggling themselves or have family members struggling with cancer. Others who are just trying to survive financial hardships. Sorry to bring you down this early in the morning but I just got an email that bummed me out.

This tea and a pumpkin Pop Tart are helping to brighten my morning. Malty, grape-y, and now gone.