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Last tasting note from my Christmas present – yes I am very slow ;-)

The lemongrass is fairly prominent in the aroma, along with some other scent in the background. Not really sure about this one… but pleasant. Maybe it reminds me of lemsip a bit :-)

The flavour is relatively uncomplicated; the fresh lemony taste is present but not overwhelming. Fades to leave a nice citrus tingle in the mouth. A good cup on a fearsomely cold day like today.

So this is the last of the samplers of Rooibos, as mentioned… I don’t think I’ve found anything to tear me away from my love of the quince rooibos, although the caramel and lemongrass ones are good, and nice to have on the shelf. Now I have to stop being lazy and write notes for the other black tea I’m drinking and haven’t mentioned!

So – one of the remaining rooibos blends that I got from Angrboda. This one is a little exotic… the leaves themselves are interspersed with many twigs, small berries, and other oddments. Rather reminds me of a forest floor, or possibly the insides of a vacuum cleaner. ;-)

Smell and taste-wise, it’s a bit of a riot. The orange definitely comes through, as does some bite from the pepper/chili, which dominates the aftertaste. Not sure where the rooibos itself has got to, possibly quivering in a corner somewhere.

All in all, it’s interesting, but probably a bit too interesting. Perhaps one or two of the flavours on their own could work well, as it is, it’s a bit overwhelming. Anyway, it’s certainly not boring ;-)

So… confession time.

I don’t normally drink loose tea. Or rather, I didn’t until now. Back when I lived in the UK, I would drink bagged exclusively, and this carried over when I moved to Denmark, in the form of several large boxes.

However, as time has gone on, my stocks have dwindled, and Angrboda has introduced me to the varied delights of loose tea. So, this is me taking the plunge, having run out of bagged tea entirely, and bought a stack of loose to keep me going. Will I be able to operate loose tea brewing at 7am? Only time will tell…

So, this is my first attempt at brewing Lapsang Souchong in some sort of basket contraption what goes in the teapot. First impressions – these leaves look funny; smell great; I wonder how much…?

Maybe this is a slight understeep – the smokiness is only barely detectable in the aroma. There’s a note of it in the taste, along with some mild astringency. Overall, a nice refreshing cup, and a non-disaster to start out my loose tea experiment with! :-)

More interesting rooibos variations from Angrboda. I’m diligently reporting them, but very slowly, due to drinking them very slowly.

Aroma is very caramel-y, as one might imagine, initially very sweet, with a more malty smell persisting.

Upon tasting, the flavour is fairly well balanced – I’d been somewhat concerned the caramel would drown everything. However, it plays quite nicely with the rooibos… if anything maybe it’s a little subdued. Nicely lingers on the palate. There’s the usual problem of tiny rooibos leaves getting everywhere, but such is life ;-)

So… ages ago one of the things in the Box of Random Rooibos I inherited from Angrboda was some quince rooibos. I think there was only enough for one pot, which apparently I then forgot to log, but I enjoyed it a lot. So it was very nice to find a bag of this in my Christmas stocking, so to speak (along with others, to be detailed later)

So. Aroma is quite strong and fruity, and presumably quince-y, although I’ve never met one in person. Certainly you will be aware if you have some of this in your tea cupboard, let’s say ;-)

To taste, I would call it very smooth, if that makes any sense, and the quince flavor lingers very pleasantly on the tongue, after an inital burst of sweetness. A nice and relaxing rooibos, I would say.

Mystery tea/tisane. Found in bottom of box of random rooibos I was given by Angrboda, about enough for one pot, wrapped in cling film and labelled “durban”. Apparently this is a town in South Africa, so possibly this is the point of origin.

Smells of something apply or peary, albeit faintly. Taste is not as strong as I was expecting. In fact, maybe this is plain rooibos. Any pear smells may be from cohabiting in a box with some very fragrant neighbours :-)

Anyway. Not a bad choice for winding down after a rather trying journey on public transport. Goodnight Steepsterites.

So. This is the last of a tin of rooibos that I inherited from Angrboda… it also represents a bit of excursion for me, which is to say, loose tea.

So, I’ve quite enjoyed this stuff. Being rooibos, it’s quite small pieces*, and I lack any kind of filtering equipment, which takes a little getting used to. However, it’s quite fresh-tasting, with some faint citrus flavour kicking around in the back. Not a particularly complex taste, but a nice change of pace from black tea.

There was of course another, smaller tin of rooibos, which was really excellent, and naturally this only contained enough for one pot. And I didn’t log it. I can only apologise, and perhaps try to obtain further supplies.

As for the loose-tea experiment, well, perhaps I can see myself pursuing it a little further. I may try some loose-leaf black in order to see if I think it’s worth the extra effort over the dreaded teabags ;-)

Ugh. Rough day, lots still to do. The answer – Lapsang Souchong, or “Warrior’s Tea”. I used to drink this while playing arena, hence the nickname.

Hmm… I’d say it was fairly neutral in flavour, but there’s a hint of a malty aroma, and somehow a piping hot cup of this seems to focus everything a bit more. Great for getting on with things, I hope ;-)

Earl Grey. This is strongly associated with high tea for me, for historical reasons. But here I am, drinking it for lunch, with cheese and bread. Heresy.

Still, it’s a nice cup drunk black, and the astringency (heh) tackles the rather cloying cheese I’m eating quite nicely. 3/5 chainsaws indeed. :-)

Morning cup of tea, inadequately steeped due to impatience. Drunk with milk.

The funny thing about English Breakfast is that there’s a taste in it (woody? maybe it’s just tannins) that I don’t remember from drinking tea for breakfast in England. I’d prefer that it wasn’t there, but nevertheless, a decently strong, milky tea is required as the first tea of the day, and this does the job.