260 Tasting Notes
I drank this yesterday after some friends and I stuffed ourselves to the brim with food and topped it off with some crazy good chocolate cake. You wouldn’t think that I had room for tea after all that decadence, but you’d be wrong.
I’m drinking it again now, in an effort to wind down from the day and study for my final tomorrow. It’s doing the trick quite nicely. Going for cup number two as I type.
Yeah, I did it. I went for the hard stuff in the morning. You got a problem with that? Whatcha gonna do about it? You wanna step?
I apologize. I’m very tired. Which is why I decided that it was pu-erh time. I don’t drink pu-erh too often, because it’s something I like to spend some time with and I usually go for a second or third cup. [Or fourth. Or the occasional fifth.] That, and it tends to get me a little “tea high.”
Maiden’s Ecstasy is a favorite, for sure. It smells like you’re about to drink a big cup of tree bark and dirt. [That may not be appealing to some of you, but please don’t let that deter you from trying it.] If you have it in a glass mug or one that allows you to see the coloring well, it looks not unlike coffee.
The taste of this is bold and intense, which only grows the longer you steep it. I’ve found that more of the sweetness tends to emerge when you let it sit longer, but it will also intensify when it gets a little bit cooler. Allowing it to travel over all parts of the tongue and linger a little at the back of the mouth will also make the flavor of this more enjoyable. [There’s a dirty joke in there somewhere, but I’m too lazy to find it.]
For me, this is a tea that gets better the longer you let it go, though I don’t think I’ve ever gone past ten minutes on any given steep. I have a tendency to continue re-steeping this until I’ve stripped all the flavor from it because I think it’s just that good. It’s perfect for when you know you’re going to be chatting with a couple of friends for a few hours.
This is a tea that just seems to get better and more complex the more that I drink it. I like to drink white teas in the afternoon or early evening, when I know that I might not want to be running around on a caffeine high for too long. That’s why I’m sipping on this one right now and trying to get some work done. It is subtly flavored, I’ve found that there is more sweetness to the aroma than the taste unless you suck some air over it. It’s one of those teas that lends itself to some slow breaths and concentration. Perfect for quiet contemplation [or trying to remain relaxed while studying].
I’ve grown to really enjoy mint tea for its refreshing qualities, so I was really excited when this one came in the mail and it didn’t disappoint. [I swear, I don’t work for Samovar, it just looks like I do.] The sweet aftertaste that I’m guessing comes from the cardamom and the fennel intensifies deliciously when you take a deep breath after taking a sip.
I can only imagine what this would taste like with some flourless chocolate cake.
Damn, now I’m hungry.
Ruh roh, Steepster. I’ve been away from you for a few days because I didn’t have internet access and I drank a LOT of tea. In the interest of accuracy [and…ahem…the school work I put on hold to log in briefly], I’m only going to write about this one because I am also drinking it currently.
I usually try to set a timer [like this one, that I believe steepster themselves tweeted out – http://steep.it/ ] when I’m steeping something like a green or a white tea, especially when I’m doing other things [like studying or rooting around for things online] and know that I might get distracted. Herbals are ones that I usually let go because I typically like them with the fuller flavor. One time I let this one sit for Thor knows how long and when I remembered to take it out and try a sip the ginger decided that it was going to give me a nice punch to the tonsils.
Since then, I steep this one a little more carefully. It doesn’t take too long to get a nice, deep flavor. [Trust me on that one.] I love just about everything there is to love about citrus fruits. It often is incorporated into my favorite perfumes, shampoos, drinks, and foods. This tea is no exception, and I love that little puff of warmth the ginger provides [when I’m not oversteeping it like mad]. I actually do drink this after yoga sometimes [like the description suggests] and it’s wonderful.
Also, I drank this on a recent evening after some good friends and I stuffed ourselves with tarte tatin [recipe from the fabulous Molly Wizenberg of Orangette, to be found here | http://is.gd/136Ki ], and I think I may have foodgasmed. TMI?
This was more earthy than I was expecting, and the sweetness more subtle, but I’m definitely enjoying it so far. I’m going to try and steep it a little longer on the next cup. Another cup may be asking for trouble because I can already feel the caffeine kicking in, but what can I say? I live on the edge.
A friend and I drank four cups of this last night between the two of us. I used the proportions that was in the video Jesse from Samovar and Kevin Rose made, but appears to be down [was here | http://is.gd/RMKC ]; 2 cups water, 2 cups whole milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons chai. That’s good for two cups and adds just enough sweetness for me, so I don’t mess with it. [You can halve-ish, the proportions if you’re making it for one, but might want to play around with the amount of sugar and/or chai a little bit.] Some instructions can be found here | http://is.gd/RMPn if you’d like to try it out.
This makes my house smell like I want to bite into it. The chai itself is delicious. It obviously takes a little bit more prep than your traditional brew, but wholly worth it. Especially on a rough day.
