Violin in C Sharp

In case you hadn't figured it out - NEWS FLASH - I love tea.      Like several other tea aficionados in my extended friend group, I have managed to make my love of tea more than a simple appreciation of a beverage - I've developed my love of tea into a full blown hobby.  I collect different blends, I follow different tea companies and their blend collections the way some hobbyists follow card sets.  I have multiple drawers and shelves full of tea related paraphernalia, I have an electric water kettle that has multiple temperature settings specifically for different types of tea.... tea is a part of my daily life.  When I take a vacation someplace special, I try to find a tea cup to bring home for my collection.  For Mother's Day last year, I took my mother out to a fancy tea house to treat her to a Mother Daughter afternoon tea as a way to mark the celebration of the day. I LOVE tea.      With this in mind, it should come as no surprise ...

  Tea Review: Matcha Au Lait by Nitto A nice level of cream in the flavour - but be careful, if you serve it too hot the main note on the tongue is a grassy one. Thankfully, the grass flavour mellows as the tea cools. There's JUST enough sweetness in the mix that it can be drunk without the need of sweet treats along side so it's a good stand alone sipping drink. Verdict: Very pleasant.

  Tea Review: Kinako Black Sesame Milk Powder by Nittoh This was a sensory head trip for me. The smell and the visual led me to think of creamy sweetness.... but the flavor was savory soy and sesame. I thoroughly enjoyed both the scent and flavor, it was just that my brain couldn’t seem to make the two go together until I told myself I was drinking black sesame ice cream base before the sugar got added and then the cognitive dissonance vanished.

So I tried a new tea this morning - Cardamom Spice (Chai) from "Tea Drops". It's this little sort of pressed cake of loose leaf that you drop into your mug of hot water. I think the concept is a no fuss kurrig without the pod sort of concept. I really REALLY wanted it to be good - because they would be awesome for travel. Alas.... the spice blend on the chai was sub-par to non existent, in fact, it tasted sweet without me putting any sugar in. And that doesn't even begin to touch on the problems. The package says that "this is a loose leaf tea there will be some sediment in the bottom of your cup".... that does NOT prepare you for the mass of GRIT that is a cup of this stuff. I tried to let it all settle to the bottom of my mug, but then I had nearly clear hot water with a layer of tea grit at the bottom. In order to have any flavor, I had to keep stirring the grit up from the bottom to try and mix into the water. I have two more flavours of the drops to try...

It looked tasty- it had such promise..... but my roomie's  description was right on the money- it tastes like watered down baby food. Verdict: no me gusta. Not worth the calories.