Violin in C Sharp

  Dry and in the bag, the orange essence was STRONG on the nose, and that worried me a bit because it smelled oily and fake.  Thankfully, once the leaf was wet the fake orange smell vanished as though it had never been there and all I could smell was the Assam.  Also, the liquid was clean with no trace of oil floating on top. It brews up very dark, which I adore in my black teas.  The first sip wasn't complex or layered at all - it was pure hit you over the head Assam.  It took me a few sips to acclimate my palate to taste anything past the Assam.  This is NOT a complaint though, because it's high quality Assam.  The first flavor I got past the Assam was the Ceylon.  I was about half a cup in before I noticed the heather in the mid note - but once I noticed it, I couldn't un-taste it.  The orange peel was far milder than I would have liked because I did get a bit more tannin in the finish than I prefer and orange peel often mellows that out. ...

 In case you didn't know - I am a big Star Trek fan - especially Next Generation and DS9.  Picard is, in fact, my very favorite Captain.  I mean, how could he NOT be?  So, when Plum Deluxe targeted me with this fan blend, I tried to resist buying it.... and was successful for all of 30 minutes. If you are looking for a traditional Earl Grey - this is NOT your cuppa.  If you don't like pecans, this is also NOT your cuppa.  If you are a fan of Lady Grey blends and you enjoy pecans - then look no further, this is the cuppa for you! The black tea they've used in the blend is a little dry on the mouth when taken straight, but it takes cream VERY well.  The cornflower is just as prevalent in this as in a Lady Grey blend, but I quite enjoy that added floral touch.  The Bergamot is not as strong in this blend as in a traditional Earl Grey, but it is present and as always, adds depth to the mid notes of the blend.  On the nose and on the tongue, the m...

 When I opened the package, the immediate nose on the dry tea blend was very strong and very sweet plum.  When the water first hit the leaf, the plum faded into the background behind the suddenly very strong clove, but as the leaf opened the aroma became more bergamot and blackberry.  It was a very interesting progression. The plum is present both on the top note and the final note, and I enjoy that it is a tarter plum than some other teas I've had with plum who go instead for the cloyingly sweet side of the plum.  The tarter plum pairs nicely with the nice assam that they've used in this blend. For as dark as the brew turned after the 5 min steep, I expected more tannin and bitterness, but instead the end note is a mix of clove and citrus peel with a milder less tannin filled finish.  I think my favorite part is that in the mid note when my mouth is full of the liquid, I can really taste the nutmeg and the mallow flower which is not a combination I would have t...

 Today I decided to try out the second blend in the Republic of Tea gift sample box - the Chai. Now, those who know me know that I have rather high and specific standards when it comes to chai.  For me, the spicier and pepperier the better.  This particular blend is not peppery, but I can taste the spice blend. On the nose, before steeping, what I smell most is actually the orange peel.  After steeping, the nose is mostly the chinese star anise and the cardamom seeds. Flavor wise, the orange peel and cardamom make up the bulk of the flavor and I actually taste them more than I taste the actual tea.  It's a nice mellow tea - but I enjoyed it much more after I stopped thinking of it as an actual chai. I was surprised by the lack of color that came in after the full 5 minute steep - but I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed the mellow spicing and the not too strong black tea flavor. Final thoughts - it's nice and pleasant.

 It's been nearly two months since I was in the mood to try out one of my new blends from August Uncommon Tea.  When searching through my cupboard this morning for what I wanted to drink, however, this blend called out to me. I've been in the mood for smoky teas of late - but I wanted something more complex in flavor than a Lapsang or a Russian Caravan, and the write up on this made it seem like it would fit the bill. When I opened the bag and took a whiff of the blend, I immediately wondered if I had made the right choice and worried that after brewing I might have to throw the entire pot out.  Why you ask?  Because the nose on this blend before brewing is ALL CHERRY ALL THE TIME.  I feared from the scent that I was going to have a pot of tea that tasted like cough syrup. As soon as the water hit the leaf, my fears didn't dissipate, but instead changed.  The initial hit of water sent up a scent something akin to the scent of pipe tobacco and turned my stom...

For Christmas, my mother gave me a tea sample set from Oliver Pluff & Co., which is a small blend company out of Charleston, South Carolina that seems to specialize in historical blends.  The sample set she gifted me was "Teas of the Boston Tea Party" - blends created to recreate as closely as possible the tea blends dumped into the Boston harbor in the 1700s before the American Revolutionary War. Needless to say, as a tea nerd and a history nerd, this gift set appeals to me greatly and I have been super excited to try the blends.  The blends come in little test tube like containers that sit in a little cherry wood display.  It's a very nice design.  It also comes with a little card that describes each blend.  This time, I decided to dive into the Lapsang Souchong. First off, when you open the little test tube, the aroma of the blend hits your senses like a big ol' mac truck of SMOKE. Of course, since this is a Lapsang, I expect the smoke - but this particul...

 I was gifted with a beautiful hand curated collection of teas from The Republic of Tea and this is the first flavor I'm trying from the collection. First off, before we even get to the tea itself, I have to comment on the packaging.  The feel of the super slick wrapper is tactilely satisfying to a surprising degree.  I seriously stood there while the water boiled after I'd taken the tea bag out and just rubbed the two sides of the wrapper together - only my kettle beeping brought me out of it.  It was lovely. So, the package says to only steep the tea for 30-60 seconds.  I tried the tea after 60 seconds and while the fragrance of peach had fully infused into the water, I didn't find any actual flavor.  Now, I know for a fact that my palate is far more keyed to Green, Oolong, and Black flavors - but still, it just tasted like water. I decided to give the steep a bit more time and did a full 3 minutes as though it were a Green.  The result was that I co...