Bolder Breakfast

Sipdown!! (207)

This cup comes to me via Sil (thank you) however, I actually briefly owned this tea after ordering a sample prior to my realization that I don’t like pu’erh. I never ended up tasting that sample though because I discovered my dislike for the earthy base before it’s arrival and thus I promptly got rid of it in a swap.

Nonetheless, Sil was generous to share so the least I could do was give it a taste. So I brewed up a cup and my fear grew as the strong odor of pu’erh took over as I rinsed the leaves. Luckily, that didn’t transfer into the flavor as the pu’erh is very subtle. Alas, so is the chocolate which means all I am getting from this is a mediocre black base with a slight hint of chocolate at the end of each sip. Not for me but now I know for sure so thank you Sil for the chance to try something new :)

a good tea.
i drank this in the shower on Saturday morning.
literally in the shower.
and then i spent time trying to find a bit by the comedian Kyle Kinane online so i could share it with you. it’s about drinking beer and listening to your ipod on shuffle in the shower. but i guess it’s only in his current live show at the moment cuz i couldn’t find it online.
thank you cavo again and again.

I really love this tea, even though the puerh flavor is somewhat overpowered by the black tea flavors. I found that, contrary to pretty much every kind of tea I have had, this one actually tastes better the longer you steep it. I discovered this on one of my busy, scatterbrained days when I left my tea steeping and completely forgot to remove the infuser after the customary 5 minutes I usually allot for black teas. It had been steeping 15-20 minutes and I thought “Oh no, it’s ruined. It is going to taste so bitter!” To my great surprise and delight, however, that was not the case! In fact it tasted so much more rounded, rich, thick, and bold, and silky. I loved it. So now that is how I regularly brew this tea: steeping anywhere from 15 to even 25 minutes. (Yes, it’s practically lukewarm by the time it’s ready, but it tastes so good I don’t care.)

My friend from Colorado gave me this tea and told me that she had employed a longer steeping time as well. She said she and her mother would even let the tea steep while they headed off to the gym, and then they would enjoy it when they got back!

A good cup for first thing in the morning. Definitely could use it to replace my morning coffee if I make it a little stronger.

I was apprehensive of this blend, but I really wanted a strong breakfast tea this morning. This did not disappoint! The deep amber tea was full-bodied, malty with a sweetness, and elusive chocolate notes. The chocolate did not overpower the aroma or flavor but added to the rich complexity of the brew.