Violin in C Sharp

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...

I have a few friends who swear this stuff is even better than sliced bread - and of all the powdered chai latte mixes that I've tried, this IS the best of them. The powder dissolves enough that you don't get the grainy powder feel in the tea as you're drinking though, it does need to be stirred constantly as you drink or there will be gloop in the bottom of your cup when done - and even with stirring, it can sometimes be im possible to avoid the gloop. The spicing is soooo nice on this. They put enough spice in this that you can taste it even through the creamy aspect of the latte. As far as storage goes, with other brands of powder if I don't use them up quickly enough, or if I store them someplace where it gets to hot or cold the entire package becomes one giant lump of hardened powder that isn't salvageable. Such is not the case with the TJ version. Over time or with extreme temperature changes it can seize up and turn somewhat brickish in the container, but it...

I oversteeped this on my first try of this blend and unlike some teas, it is NOT forgiving of an over steep at all. It gets VERY tannic and harsh. I suggest about a 4 min steep for this for best results. Right off the steep it’s a bit harsh and dry in the mouth. Sugar, cream, and even honey taste weird stirred in- like you’ve added ingredients to a recipe that were never intended to be there. However, if you add a splash of whiskey you solve the mystery of the missing ingredient and this blend opens up, unfolds and becomes a delicious cross between a cocktail and a hot mug of tea. The orange peel really starts to pop and the smoke in the tea highlights the barrel flavor of the wood in the whiskey that you add. I experimented with several types of scotch and the smoke brought out each and every type of wood flavor- it was fascinating. Verdict: NEEDS whiskey, but is then a delicious way to warm up in cold weather

I usually LOVE Jasmine Green tea milk teas from boba/ milk tea places..... I was hoping this would capture this flavor in a pre-mix bottle version so that I could have it at home without going out. ........ It does not. I've had milk teas before that get their milkyness from milk powder and they're ok... but apparently they were black teas and not green... and with no jasmine. I say this because the milk powder overpowers the green tea taste in the initial sip and then on the aftertaste, the jasmine combines with the milk powder to create an aftertaste that is.... soapy. It's not as bad as a lavender or violet candy as far as soapy aftertastes go.... but it's damn close. Verdict: ...... nope.

The description self identifies it as "a woodsy oolong" which is deliciously on the money. The currant does interesting things to the oolong. When you add jasmine to oolong I find that it lightens the flavor - especially lifting the end note and to date has been my favorite way of cutting out the weird somewhat bitter aftertaste a straight oolong can carry on the end note. The currant in this does the same thing as jasmine in that it gets rid of the oolong bitter end note - however the currant doesn't lift the flavor the way jasmine does. Instead, the currant deepens the flavor profile of the oolong closer to that of a black tea and in this blend really heightens the earthy/woodsy flavors. The result is that I feel very earthy goddess sitting in the forest as I sip this straight off the steep with no sugar or cream.

This is the tea blend from Uncommon that kept getting advertised to me and made me curious enough to order from their company. The idea of Black Tea with a Bourbon flavor intrigued me. I'm not sure there is a bourbon flavor here, but there is wood and some smoke and some burnt sugar and some buckwheat and chicory. It's dry in the mouth and while normally that would make me suggest a touch of cream, cream muddles the complexity of the flavors here. What DOES work to temper the dryness without muddling it is to add just a dash of whiskey. With the whiskey, this becomes a delicious sipping tea that warms oh so pleasantly. Verdict: tasty and worth the impulse buy

Disclaimer: sorry vegan and lactose intolerant friends - this powdered mix does contain milk. Ok, safety warning out of the way - on to the review! Some mornings I wake up with a stomach ache due to one thing or another (like this morning) and on mornings like that, this stuff is liquid gold (no pun intended). It is just soooooo good! It settles my stomach PLUS has a good amount of ginger spice kick to it, so it cuts through the gunk in the back of my throat when I'm sick or preparing to sing. The honey is well balanced with the ginger spice, so it's a fabulous mix of sweet and spicy and the powdered milk adds a delightful creaminess. It's non-caffeinated so I enjoy it at night on the way to bed too. Verdict: I re-order this stuff pretty damn regularly because I drink the hell out of it on a pretty regular basis.