Silk Road

I’m drinking my last serving of this, the one I bought maybe 5 or 6 years ago. It still tastes good, although a bit dusty, and I’m wondering how the new stuff will compare! The puerh is in the background, isn’t fishy, isn’t too strong. The cinnamon is there and sweetens the tea. The citrus (which I could still smell when I scooped the tea out this morning!) elevates it beyond a simple cinnamon tea.

This is definitely a comfort tea. I used to drink it every day at work, when I had a contract position at an office that resulted in me responding to maybe 2-3 phone calls and up to 10 emails per day. Yeah, that was a simple job. I listened to a lot of podcasts, and drank a lot of tea. Here’s hoping I can find another contract like that once I finish in April, so I can focus on my theory class and my research assistant/admin work in my off hours. Yes, I will need the three jobs to pay my student loan back. The numbers frighten me!

My last little bit!

So of course I’m having it hot on a bright sunny day that’s apparently the beginning of Spring. So yay!

It’s pretty good, but there was a bit of dust that I got into my scoop and ended up in my steeping basket, so it’s more marine-y than usual.

Definitely a tea I need to get again. I like it more than the Sublime, I think. The cherry is just… yum.

Yep. Delicious.

Soon I’ll need to make another trip to Victoria (probably stay a couple nights with friends) to go tea shopping, walking in the park, have tea, etc.

Soon.

Another green tea tonight. I always forget to reach for my green teas, and it’s sad because they’re the ones that need to be enjoyed right away. My goal is to drink 1-2 green teas a night when I’m home, to give them some extra love.

Tonight, this one is delicious. Sour, definitely. Cherry, so good. I added a small piece of rock sugar to bring out the flavour more, and it’s delicious this way. It’s a little like sour candies, except it’s not candy… :) The green tea base is pretty nice as well. It’s fairly green (lovely description there, self) but there’s not too much vegetable or grass or seaweed taste. Just enough so I know it’s a green tea.

Ice brewed this overnight, and am doing a second brew now.

1 tsp tea in my gravity infuser, filled with ice, then placed over a big mug overnight. It smells SO good, the cherry coming to the front. Sadly, the overnight brew is a bit bitter. Do I have the proportions wrong? Was it just a bad idea to leave it overnight? Maybe I should have put it in the fridge. The drips from the second brew are delicious.

Thank you, ShayneBear for suggesting this. I’ve seen the method everywhere since you mentioned it, and finally decided to try. It may still be chilly, but the sun is calling for loads of iced teas.

I had forgotten how good this tea is, and am now kicking myself for only picking up a small tin. Oh well. I can always ‘borrow’ some from my BFF, who got a refill for her ginormous tin. :)

This green tea is so smooth and delicate. The “sour cherry” is reminiscent of sour cherry blasters, but MUCH more delicate and floral. It’s excellent both hot and iced, although the flavour comes out a bit more as the tea cools. If I had more, I’d bring some to work as this tea is perfect just on its own.

I made this to bring to work this morning.

Ugh.

Objectively I do like the smell and the flavour of these roasted oolongs, but it was just too much. Which is interesting because a lapsang souchong is generally fine in the morning.

I think this one needs to be relegated to shorter steeps at home and not in a travel mug. I also think I should focus on the super green and floral oolongs, as I seem to like them a lot more.

Ooh! I haven’t had this tea in a while! Such a delicious after work treat, along with some caramel apple. Even though I’m just a temp, they got me one too! Chomp chomp, om nom nom.

First mug of this one made at home. 1 tsp tea in 16oz water. I made it in a mug then dumped it into a travel mug to take on a walk. The perfect end to a big (late!) brunch with my brother.

I decided to try another Big Red Robe to compare to Verdant’s Anxi Fo Shou. Wow. Such a difference. The 5 minute steep was amazing. 1 tsp in 2 cups of water. Light, toasty, roasty black tea of deliciousness. Yes! My BFF likes the 7 minute steep better, which is similar to Verdant’s 2 minute steep. So I’m getting this one and she can have the other. Perfect.

I found this to be unbalanced with the bergamont overpowering. London Fog or Mandarin Spice greatly preferred.

This is quite a dark roast for a Chinese oolong – more like what I’d expect from a Formosa oolong. The leaves have an oddly oily-looking appearance although the tea doesn’t have any additives.

Flavour-wise it’s a bit disappointing, it could be that I just need to steep it longer but this cup comes across as rather flavourless at least compared to other dark oolongs that I’ve tried. It’s lightly toasty but it doesn’t make an effort to be much of anything else. I’ll fiddle around with this tea before I rate it, I think.

This is an exceptional tasting tea in my opinion. I put about three level teaspoons in my unbleached cloth filter that sits inside the teapot-and poured boiling water over the leaves, which unfurled to create a rich honey tasting; strong and malty cup of tea. The leaves before brewed, I noticed, are green and black with golden buds throughout.
I love this black tea from China-it is wonderful for breakfast as well as with deserts!

Tea of the afternoon here. I woke up from a nap a little while ago and was thinking about going out for coffee. Instead I ended up making a tea. : )

This was part of my haul from Silk Road in Victoria last year. Traditionally I’m not really keen on bergamots, but the vanilla and fruit flavor makes it pretty tasty. I think there is something a bit “soapy” about the bergamot here that I’ve noticed before in Earl Grey.

I got this at the Silk Road teas in Victoria. It was part of their black tea flight and I really liked this blend the best which is surprising since I’m not a fan of bergamot usually.

I think it’s the bergamot/vanilla mix that I like here. It reminds me a bit of Paris from Harney and Sons but is somehow creamier and smoother. I tried the Vanilla blend by Silk Road and I liked it too. This is a very nice bergamot based tea. I am enjoying it with some almond milk this morning.

This tea has a lovely jasmine flavor. Very soothing.

This is one of my favourite chai teas. I like this blend even better than Silk Road’s other chai made with black tea.

This reminds me of the classic green tea served at sushi restaurants. The toasted brown rice lends a nice flavour to the tea.

I was not a fan of this tea. I don’t think the rooibos and rose petal flavours complimented each other well.

I’ve been drinking this tea quite often in the evenings before bed. It has a lovely lavender flavour that is not overpowered by the mint.