The Mind and The Heart

Noms. I steeped a cup of this this morning, only to forget it as I was running out of the door. At least I forgot it in favor of my phone, ID and keys, as my dorm has a physical lock this year and not a keypad.

So I came home and made another cup. It’s kind of a standard, solid black tea, only the cinnamon in it gives it something new! That’s the best part of it. I don’t often find cinnamon in teas other than in chais, and usually they’re too spicy for me to enjoy without a lot of milk. But this is very well-balanced.

And I’m kind of dipping Nilla wafers into it, so that’s fun too.

I’m taking advantage of the fact that my roommate is in class to write my essay on Yeats – I’m SO excited to be starting my creative writing class off with some of the best Yeats (or at least some of my favorites), only I fangirl a bit too much over him. I was having trouble not squealing last night. He’s just SO GOOD. And Irish lit is one of my specialties. But oh my goodness. Good tea, good poet, happy Shell.

I have to admit that this tea tastes a lot better when you’re able to mix the ingredients around a bit more. Until moving it into a larger container (instead of the bag) I hadn’t realized how much rooibos was in this tea. It really separates and the flavors are far more balanced this way. It has a really sharp edge to it. This isn’t really a bad thing, but I really have to be in the mood for it.

i forget that this tea is actually two herbals mixed with an irish breakfast. for some reason i always assume it’s 3 black teas and so i don’t drink it as often. but when i do decide to open the tin i’m always thrilled with the sweet vibrant scent. note to self: drink this more.

the irish breakfast is a blend of a hearty black tea from Ceylon that has citrusy notes and a malty Assam. it’s a nice nice base and compliments the other teas in a manly sort of what you see is what you get kind of way. i can see watson slumped in a chair now.

the berry blues tea is made of blueberries and apple pieces and a tiny bit of hibiscus. but since this hibiscus is only a small part of one third of this overall blend it’s barely there. it’s mostly just appley if you ask me. down with hibiscus! sherlock agrees with me, i asked.

the rooibos vanilla chai is a strong vanilla component with ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon pieces, and orange peels. i do so like orange peels in my tea blends. and this is where the spice comes in. i kinda wish there was a tiny bit more spice. like a small smooth bite of ginger. perhaps if i steep it longer at a lower temperature……. !!!oh damn i just remembered that i should steep the adagio blends at a lower temp for 2 min. see THIS is why i need a tea journal of some sort. dangit. (i’d make another cup right now but i only brought one scoop with me to work whomp whomp)

i think this tea has slightly more heart than mind going on. and that’s more than fine with me. it’s what keeps us sane.

sherlock + watson = BFFs4Evah

How have I not done a note on this? I’ve had it at least 3 other times, silly me. This was sent to me by the lovely Michelle.

So, right in the middle of a move to our new apartment. It’s got a lovely balcony that goes all along the back of the place and I can’t wait to get a nice outdoor couch so I can have lovely tea out there in the morning. It’s also got these lovely built in glass shelves as you enter the kitchen and I’ve already told the fiancé that that is for my tea, and when I’m done he can have whatever space is left. ;) His hobbies are not food related so I should be safe. Stopped at my parents house right now while I wait a few days to get the keys and of course my tea came with me. Top priority!

I do love this tea. It’s such a nice blend of spicy and sweet flavors (see description of “spicy and jammy”). They mingle perfectly, love the berry notes and hint of vanilla. The chai is not too strong so nothing needs to be added to make it drinkable (again, I have trouble with masala chai like teas). Will definitely have to add honey to the next cup and see how it does, also maybe steeping a bit longer for the herbals in there. I would definite get more of this.

I was afraid the black tea would over power the blueberry taste. But much like John and Sherlock’s relationship, there’s just a enough room for the berry taste to really shine. It’s a great berry tea without being too overpowering, and just enough vanilla taste. Perfectly John and Sherlock.
Steep Time: 3 min 30 sec is actually best, my iPad just had trouble with the drag thing

Spicy and jammy is the best description of this tea. When you open up the bag it smells immediately like berries with a bit of a sharp edge. Once brewed, it’s amazing. It smells warm and sweet and doesn’t lose the sharp spicy bite. Adding in a spoonful of honey sweetens it up just enough to make it into a dessert tea. However if you pass on the honey, the chai spices blend with the berries beautifully and create a flavour that works for early morning with a blueberry muffin.

Lovely! This was my first loose leaf tea EVER and it was excellent! I love how spicy and full-bodied it is! Simply delicious.

This blend is juicy, berry, and delectable, all among the classic notes of black tea. Not overly fruity and sweet, there’s still the weight of spiciness and black tea, but blended perfectly with some jam-like notes. The rooibos vanilla chai adds just enough spice and variety that it keeps this from being too predictable or decadent. Great to mix up my morning cup.