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Rushing a review of this this morning. Have to leave in ten minutes…

It’s a very nice base, and a good caramel flavour. Not incredibly strong, but not weak. The flavouring includes caramel chips, and overall it rounds out to a very nice desert cup. The smell overtakes the actual taste a bit, but I am sipping it while it’s still rather hot.

Picked up Kakuzo’s The Book of Tea from my library. Surprised it had it, actually. It’s a wonderful little book about culture clashing and life. Yes, and tea. It’s a sort of rambling description comparison, which I have to admit I always enjoy reading. I think I’d like to buy this after I finish it. If I can find anyplace that sells it. It’s an old book. I need to stop checking out books and read the ones I’ve already got, though. Honestly.

Dan, watched Watchmen last night—should be able to bring the dvd back into the shop today. It was pretty good.

As it cools, the caramel becomes more prominent, but mixes with the tea very well. It’s got that caramel mouth-feel. Bet some sugar would bring this right out. I like it how it is, though.

This is the other tea I picked up there. I believe he described it as a blend of many black teas, including vanilla and pomegranate. So naturally, it smells of Monk’s Blend. Well, Monk’s Blend with Assam.

The leaves are a mixture of orthodox and CTC, like Cream Irish Breakfast’s.

They list their steeping instructions as 2-3 minutes. I did four instead. Mild tea, makes me think of a slightly malty monk’s blend (Assam? Mild? I suppose it’s their tea ratios). This is definitely more of an afternoon blend. Nice, though. Liking it more than the Ice Wine, but I think that one might just require some special attention to steeping parameters.

The vanilla and pomegranate are definitely more hints in the background. But I think they compliment it well. Assam’s a bit drying on the tongue, but that’s to be expected.

Sipping this out of my brand new Dalek mug, which I picked up for ten bucks from Golden Age when I was headed back from Granville Island. The bus was passing it. I couldn’t NOT stop. Of course, I get in there and someone’s completely cleaned out the Doctor Who comics. NewWho I could understand, but there was NOTHING in Classic either. Just two division tabs with nothing between them. Sob. The only figures they had were Four and Newly-Regenerated-Five, as well as “Rassilon” (I ought to punch RTD) and the freaky-faced robotics from series five’s second episode. I thought for sure they’d have a 11-Doctors-Hundred-Dollar-Set stashed away, but alas. No Pertwee action figures for me.

Sitting at home drawing the Shalka Doctor comic, and contemplating my Oz and ComLit projects.

Was gifted a sample. It’s nice. It’s not AnD’s, but it’s likeable; I might have to pick some up after I run out. There’s hints of Keemun in amongst the smoked teas—which aren’t very strong, but they mesh well.

I’ve been on the lookout for a good ice wine tea. Seems only proper as a Canadian. I’ve already got maple.

I had a Baroness Grey while I was there, but wasn’t too pleased with it. Picked up fifty grams of this and their House blend as I left.

It’s very mild. The tea, I mean—it’s oddly tasteless. Difficult to describe—I’m not getting a hot water taste. Almost kind of soapy. Which probably isn’t good. The notes of wine are there in the smell (sans alcohol, which is normally all I can smell or taste whenever I try to consume liquor), and there are sweet notes as I sip. Very odd.

Mellow, though. Reminds me of chamomile, even though this is SUPPOSED to be black tea.

Edit: Tea’s gone cold now, and it’s a soapy but grapy taste. Huh.

I opened this tin today to find that there was not even enough to provide a proper layer to the bottom of the tin. I let out a pathetic little sound at this. I’ve practically been rationing this since I got it. That’s quite a while ago, now—it’s getting on in age, and I really should finish it.

How will I go on once it’s done? With it’s perfect tippy golden leaves and precise ratio of smoke to tea-taste, and no charcoal, just deliciousness. I’ll have to branch out after this and find my next smoky tea. I’d like to try the rest of The O Dor’s, but I doubt I’ll find my plain perfect smoky tea there—they’ve just got a lot of interesting smoky blends with fruit.

Black Dragon?

I’m still trying to find a good tarry lapsang to taste too.

At any rate, this hit the spot this morning. Still delicious.

Sipping this again. Only steeped at two minutes, and it doesn’t taste too much different—although it’s been a while, so who knows.

It’s definitely green, I realize. But roasty, so that there’s a good vegetal taste under a barley and/or cooked rice sort of note. I like it.

Sipping this again, I’ve been getting this tinge of bitterness that’s sort of synthetic and reminds me of decaffenation. I know it isn’t, and the sharpness also makes me think of Darjeeling. Also, there is definitely Keemun in this; I’m getting that very slight breath of nut and smoke I personally associate with it.

Anyways, flipping through Kusmi’s teas as I drink this, I’ve concluded that Kusmi’s unflavoured blends have many more strongly disappointed reading notes compared to their flavoured’s. From my (meagre) experience, they definitely seem to put a little more effort into their flavoured blends.

This isn’t BAD, though. It’s a little sharp, but also goes well with orange. I’m beginning to run low on it, and I doubt I’ll get it again—I’d rather try some of Kusmi’s OTHER teas—although I hate that their tins are so permanently decorated. If I want to reuse it, in my obsession I’ll have to tape over all the pre-existing labels.

Hot banana just smells bizarre. This was gifted as a sample during my latest visit (I was there when they carried in a new shipment, and this was one of the new teas included). I don’t know if I’m liking it. Dry, the smell was just “dried banana” (my dad used to dry fruits). Again, brewed, hot banana smell. It’s just odd.

The taste of the banana is very mild—barely there. It does come back in the aftertaste a bit, and there’s a natural sweetness that lingers. I probably won’t buy it, but I’ve got a good sized sample to play around with.

Edit: There was another, odd, drying taste that I thought might be the tea base, but no—or well, maybe it is—but it reminds me of banana peal. Definitely.

Can’t do a detailed review because I’m about to fly out the door. In a hurry.

I got the “oak” she described in the smell, but didn’t get it right away in the taste. It’s cooled considerably since then though, and I’m getting something that could be described as a strong oak, perhaps. The tea is a very solid Ceylon overall though. I haven’t had a bag of just Ceylon in my cupboard for a while, so this is nice.

This smells delicious. Like candy—sour jubjubes or something. It makes my mouth water.

It’s giving me a craving for jelly babies.

Brewed, the smell isn’t AS strong but still there enough to make me hungry. Sniffing it more closely, I’m getting notes of Assam in there. Most of the tea descriptions for this tea note Ceylon and Assam as the base.

First sip is tart and sweet, and mixed with strong Assam notes. No bitterness yet, but Assam can tend do cause it at five minutes steep time, so I’ll probably consider reducing the time somewhat in the future.

The strawberry-lemon isn’t as strong as the smell, but it works because with the Assam-Ceylon as the base, all together it’s a very nice, “classic” taste. Screams British almost. In a good way. I think I’d like to liken it to a Lady’s Earl Grey (without it being Lady Grey).

Starting to get a bitterness from the Assam. It’s enough that the strawberry and lemon take a back-seat. Still very enjoyable, though.