762 Tasting Notes
My morning cup! The doctor put me on a strong course of prednisone in preparation for my surgery on Thursday. I still can’t smell, but the nose has opened up a bit and my head feels 10 pounds lighter. I wanted one more cup before sending the remainder to another Steepsterian. 4 pearls in 8 ounces of hot, not boiling, water for 3 and a half minutes. Delicious. I can sort of taste something. It gives me excited hope that a month from now I’ll be able to really taste tea!
I left the windows open last night, so it’s cold in my apartment this morning. It’s supposed to be quite hot later, so I don’t want to close them yet. I’ve got a shawl around my shoulders and a hot cup in my hand. So coazy! I love mornings like this. I also had a few squares of dark chocolate with bits of pear and almonds in it to enjoy iwth my tea. If only I had today off this would be the perfect day!
I made this into iced tea. O M G! It is good that way! My mom and brothers were over for supper tonight. My mom always says she likes iced tea, but what she really means is she likes those presweetened powdered ice tea mixes from Lipton and Nestea. I served this with supper and she was polite, but I could tell she didn’t really care for it. Sometimes I wonder how I came from that woman. Not intending any offense to those who enjoy Lipton powdered tea, but to me those are just so fake that I can’t bear it.
Anyway, I still have several servings of this to drink, so yay!
Preparation
The iced tea of choice around these parts is pre-mixed Red Diamond tea that comes in a gallon jug and tastes like the plastic. Blecccccch!
Bleccccch is right! I just cannot understand why people drink that stuff! I suppose it’s convenient, and probably a lot cheaper. But I’d rather spend a little more and take the time to set something to steep before bed.
I will—when nothing else is available—drink Gold Peak bottled or soda-machine tea; it’s not tainted with so much citric acid you can’t taste it. Do you have McAlister’s Delis in your part of the world? They’re known for their tea and it also tastes like real tea.
Never heard of McAlisters Delis! I have sometimes gotten a 16 oz bottle of Lipton’s Real Leaf Raspberry tea from the case at work. It’s pre sweetened, and cold, and tasty, but I consider it more of a non carbonated soft drink than tea! I guess I have no business looking down on anyone else’s drink of choice.
What a beautiful day out there! (except for the wind, but it’s North Dakota, so what can you do?) Last night I put a few tablespoons of this tea into the strainer thingie of my DAVIDs’ ice tea carafe and let it sit over night. I like it! t’s mild, and slightly sweet on its own, very refreshing after unpacking dusty books. I may have uder leafed it though. Hard for me to know for sure, but it tastes even milder than I expected. On the other hand, its cold and refreshing even if I should have used more tea. think I’ll get a lot of use out of that iced tea caraf this summer!
Preparation
For the large size (just about 8 cups) I usually use 3 generous tablespoons. But I mostly steep fruit teas to make “juice” so it’s probably different with teas that actually contain tea. :)
I’ll keep that in mind, OMGsrsly I finished about half of it, then added a tablespoon of a What-Cha black to it. It’s steeping now, so I’ll try some tonight when my mom, two of my brothers, and my sister and her daughter come to supper.
The past few days were rotten at work. But I got through them. Shew! And I fought through my income tax forms (I owe lots of money. Yay. Not.) so I brewed a 2-cup pot of this tea to comfort myself. I actually over-steeped it slightly. It’s still good though. I am putting myself on a very strict tea diet. NO MORE tea purchases until late summer/early fall. Between the $800 vet bill and moving expenses, I can barely pay my taxes. I’m trimming every bit I can off the budget for the nest few months. I have plenty of tea though, so I really doubt I’ll feel any pinch.
Tomorrow is supposed to be quite warm, like 74F (is that about 24C?) I am going to get my DAVID’s iced tea carafe out and cold brew some tea for the late afternoon. Now, I just have to decide which tea to ice.
Oh no, I hope everything will work out financially. I can’t imagine how stressful that must be.
Thanks! Really, it’s okay. I had put money aside for taxes and the move, and if it wasn’t for the poor kitty and the upcoming surgery I would have been fine. I’m still fine, really, but the “spontaneous fun” portion of the budget will be empty for a few months. I rarely drink hot tea in the summer, so I’ll get a chance to use up lots of tea making it iced. Then in the fall I’ll be ready to order more!
Found a couple pyramids of tea from Tea Forte while I was packing to move. Decided to have this one tonight. A very dark color in the cup, a rather pretty shade of purple while it’s brewing. I am actually glad I can’t really taste this one. It sounds marvelous, but the flavor is odd. Like it’s trying to be sweet, but instead it’s tart. The sour coats my tongue and throat and lingers even after I dumped the cup.
I enjoy a straight black tea in the morning. Something plain and robust but not bitter. This tea is more mellow than robust, but it is smooth and mild. I don’t get that bitter coating on my tongue after the swallow. After reading some other comments, I followed the brewing directions and made sure the water wasn’t boiling when I poured it into the pot. Really a nice cup! And mild enough to enjoy any time of the day. Glad I tried this one!
Preparation
It’s Easter! I get to ignore the stacks of books piled precariously on the floor, waiting to be organized and put into their bookcases. It’s cold too, so I deserve a delicious, warming tea!
I really love this one. I don’t have very much of it left, so I want to save the rest for after surgery. Without a sense of smell or taste, this tea is smooth, mellow, and slightly sweet. Really a delicious cup. But I’m hoping hard that my sense of smell will be restored at least temporarily so I can taste all my favorite teas, including this one.
I am not looking forward to surgery. It is painful, expensive, and not a cure for nasal polyps. But in the years since my last (fourth) surgery, some new treatments have been developed that may delay the return of polyps. The ENT will be implanting a device that should keep the openings to the sinuses open, so less debris will be trapped in the sinuses and cause infections. Fingers crossed.
That was probably more than you wanted to know! So, to recap, this is a delicious tea!
I hope the surgery goes well. It is so difficult to really enjoy tea without the sense of smell. :(
ok, I’m about to let myself sound publicly lame…. are your sinus issues due to allergies? Would moving help? I have ‘orrible sinus problems when the weeds/trees/grass blooms around here…but don’t seem to have any issues when on holiday to new places….strange, isn’t it? all the same, good luck with the surgery. Is it soon?
Actually, I’m not allergic to anything. I almost wish I was, so we could treat it! About 30 years ago I lived in a basement apartment that flooded. The ENT at the Mayo Clinic told me I had Allergic Fungal Sinusitis. I guess it makes sense. Who knows what kind of fungus and mold I was exposed to in that apartment? This will be my fifth sinus surgery, but the first in 10 years.
Surgery is on April 16, so a little less than a week!
oh gourd, that sounds horrific! I’ve had things I thought to be inconsequential come back and bite me in the butt physically….funny how when we’re young we think if we’re ok now we’re ok forever! I know differently now! Hope all goes well and that technology and drugs have advanced more than you expect!
What a long day! I finished unpacking and sorting a couple of rooms. The living room and kitchen are done! Yes, the teas are unpacked and arranged according to company and type. Two of my brothers and my sister came over around 7:30 and stayed until 10:00, so I didn’t get any more done. It was nice to visit with them in a tidy living room.
I am rewarding myself with a cup of this tea before bed. I suppose I could have gone with an herbal or lower caffeine tea, but I’ve been thinking about this one for a few days and I haven’t had it for a while. It is as good as I remember. A soothing, relaxing cup.
This is the one I pulled out this morning (still haven’t unpacked the tea box; just stuck it in the cupboard for the time being) It was luscious and smooth and warming. It’s been a bit nippy in the mornings in my new garden level apartment, so tea is welcome. I think all this physical labor has worn me down. This morning I was yawning and dragging before my first hour at the day job was over. I needed a pick me up and this tea delivered.
we must be running parallel lines somewhere….I just got my what-cha order today and this was in it!
LOL! I do enjoy the Golden Monkey teas. Or maybe it’s just Fujian teas I like. I have another Fujian from What-Cha. I can’t think of the name right now, but it’s great too.
Oh no, I hope everything will go well up to and including the surgery.
Thanks, Fjellrev! Surgery is Thursday, and it’s an outpatient procedure, so I’ll be sleeping in my own bed on Thursday night, and I should be back to work within 10 days. And hopefully breathing through two open nostrils within the month!
Good luck!! Really hope it works. :)
Thanks, Lindssay!