Zen Tea Jazz and Sci Fi Books Send Message

I steeped this tea according to directions. I steeped it for 2 minutes at 190 degrees F in a porcelain teapot of 24 oz of water ad 4 tsp of green tea.The toastiness was very prevalent but was perfect. It did not overshadow the green tea but smoothed out the green tea where green tea tends to be a little bitter if not careful at times. I love the toasty aroma and how well the tea went down very smoothly. I paired this tea with a wild greens and kale salad topped with diced vegan chick strips and a poppyseed dressing. The tea and wild greens/kale salad paired well with the green tea bringing out a beautiful meal accompaniment. I made a 24 oz pot so I drank the remaining pot of tea after my salad was done. The tea holds well without a meal. The smoothness, toastiness, and slight vegetation of the green tea was perfect.

A Wellness herbal tea that is similar to an Ayurvedic Yoga Tea but about double the additional herbal ingredients. It has the ginger, rose petals, black pepper, and cinnamon of a traditional yoga tea minus the cardoman and cloves. I steeped it per the directions at the higher steeping time of 10 minutes using 4 tsp in 21 oz of water using my glass tea pot. I had this before bed and decided to go a similar traditional yoga tea preparation of adding milk (I used a non dairy milk-Almond milk) and honey. The tea was very relaxing and prepped me for a restful night sleep after a long work day and week. I tasted hints of tart apple and some rose petals but not too tart. The cinnamon, eucalyptus leaves, and pepper were faint. The lavender was what I am sure placed me in slumber land in no time . I highly recommend this tea for a “get ready for bed and a restful night sleep” tea. You may want to try it without milk and honey/agave but I think this slightly tart tea needs the milk and honey/agave to mellow out the tartness. I lit some Frankincence Incense as I drank the tea, played my Buddhist Chant CD, and inhaled the beauty and calmness this tea evoked before going to bed.
Tea Ingredients: Apple pieces, fennel, China bamboo tea, ginger pieces, orange peel, carrot flakes, cinnamon pieces, blackberry leaves, eucalyptus leaves, black pepper, rose petals, white rosebuds, basil, raspberry leaves, lavender blossoms, marigold blossoms, beetroot.

I like to think outside the box when pairing tea with food. I steeped this tea according to the directions for 4 minutes at 212 degrees F. The tea was like a dry red wine with hints of raisin more reminiscent of a dry Cabernet and a light almost unnoticeable smokiness. I accompanied this tea with a Pizza dinner rather than my usual wine accompaniment. The pizza was a mushroom, spinach, garlic, and white cheese with oregano and hot pepper sprinkled on top – made at home. The tea was good like a nice dry red wine paired with this pizza. If I was to pair this almost wine-like tea with a Jazz album, I choose Duke Ellington & John Coltrane ’s 1962 collaboration which I own on vinyl. The album is spicy, smooth, hip, and cool and so is this tea.

Thsi is the best China Lapsang Souchong Black Tea that I have tasted so far. It is not just the smokiness which was reminiscent of my hubby and I camping and backpacking on one of the Appalachian Trails that gets me, it is the meditative state that it puts you in. I mean, I felt so relaxed and meditative after drinking this tea.

I tried this tea alone after a long day at work, and it relaxed me and put me in a state of meditation as though I just finished my daily 4:30 AM yoga practice.

I also tried this tea with a meal of a vegan BBQ Mushroom sandwich of saute mushrooms and onion in a spicy homemade BBQ sauce that I made at home. I placed the BBQ mushrooms and onions on a hard toasted roll with a topping of a coleslaw marinated in apple cider and sugar. A southern BBQ sandwich but veggie style that paired perfectly with this tea. The BBQ sauce and the smokiness of the tea reminded of a summer outdoor BBQ with family and friends. A perfect tea alone to meditate or to pair with a fun BBQ meal.

The tea was smoky like a China Lapsang Souchong Black Tea and reminiscent of a campfire; but, the smooth texture and smooth feel on the mouth going down as you drank it rounded out the smokiness and added a slight butter texture mixed with a little smoke. Believe me the slight smokiness and butteriness paired well to establish a smooth tea. I like to experiment in pairing my tea with food and as I said we purchased donuts. I had a coconut donut and a pumpkin crème filled donut with this tea, and the smooth and buttery texture yet smokiness that gave the tea a nice strong breakfast tea melded perfectly.

I forgot to mention that we also watched an episode of Star Trek Enterprise on Netflix this morning as we relaxed to a breakfast of tea and donuts :) Something about a smoky tea and sweets just melded perfectly with Star Trek, aggressive aliens, and the sweetness of some of the crew members to make a situation come out perfect :)

A beautiful brisk and meditative 7 AM 6 mile walk this morning to start my day. The sun was just starting to rise and the sky was colored in orangy streaks and hints of gray as the evening mist and fogginess from last night’s summer humidity subsided to a beautiful sunny Sunday of clear blue skies.

After my ritual Sunday 6 mile walk of 1.5 hours, I headed back home to a waiting hubby and dogs . My husband timed me perfectly to get the kettle started for my morning tea pot. I chose ESP Emporium’s Nilgiri Thiashola SFTGFOP1 Organic Black Tea.

A somewhat dry but nicely strong tea that has a wet earth, slight pepper, and raisin taste and after note at the first sip. I paired this tea with a meal of scrambled tofu and Kale greens in a slight curry seasoning along with potato tots, buttered toast and jam, and vegan sausage. The nicely strong tea held up with this hearty Sunday breakfast that seemed as though I was drinking a strong Scottish Breakfast tea and traveled to an old village English café for a Sunday hearty meal.

If I can bring in a book character with this tea to enjoy the tea and meal, I would bring up the Psychlo Terl of the book Battleship Earth by L. Ron Hubbard. Terl is strong and earthy like this tea, hence his time on earth as an invading alien. Terl would love a hearty meal with a strong drink to match.

Resteeping note:
I resteeped this tea for a second time later in the afternoon. I kept the earlier leaves in my tea pot (I used a two pot method earlier in the morning, steeping in one tea pot and pouring the tea in another teapot to reserve the leaves in the first teapot for a second infusion) after this mornings tea and breakfast. I resteeped for double the time and notes of butter and a smooth raisin note came out. The butter was very prevalent at the second resteeping. It was smoother and not as dry as the first steeping. Even better the second time around :)

“The aroma of the dry leaves was fruity and to me almost a white peppery scent. After brewing, the flavors were so awesome. I felt as though I was drinking champagne with nuts saute in butter. A very buttery taste on each sip. Loved every cup and wanted to steep more. AWESOME!”