Lestrade Blend

I tried this at a higher temp and longer steep time and really didn’t care for it as much. For me, the perfect temp is somewhere between 200-180F at 3-4 min.
The flavors are leather, nuts, smoke, and general manliness. This fits the character perfectly and I actually enjoy this on special occasions.

okay so if you don’t wanna ever have to consider or think about fictional characters having gay love moments then scroll away now!!!
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because i read a story once in which Greg knew Sherlock when he was young and in college and kinda a mess with drugs. and Greg saved him from lots of law problems. Sherlock’s brilliance being obvious and even more blinding when compounded with youth. and Sherlock being anti-social and friendless even more alienating when compounded with youth. and in this story young Sherlock seduced the pained and haunted detective. making them kinda forever grateful and changed and connected through a familiar understanding of i knew you then when things were so ugly and we were islands.
we were islands.
and that is my Lestrade.

the new series has him with a strained warmth that more vintage versions of Sherlock Holmes don’t quite embody.
and i love modern Lestrade so so much.
also this tea does smell kinda like the idea of his well used car/leather shoes/stubbled face/old coffee cups.

it’s the rare and strained warmth of a sensitive BAMF.

Because Lestrade is my faaaaave.
I needed some waking up to do and the last time I drank him, I couldn’t sleep till 3 or 4 in the morning. It’s noon right now so I’ll be fiiineeee.
I really like Lestrade. Smoky and musky gooood.

This was one of my favorite blends from this Adagio fandom series. It has great sturdy flavor and stands up well to multiple brewings. It’s smooth. I can’t detect hazelnut as a separate note.

It smelled stronger than expected and appeared darker than expected. Again a mix of things I’d never tried before, I liked the second cup better. And as always, I added a bit of sugar to it to counteract the kind of smokey, nutty tastes. I may add a little milk next time too. Overall it’s not bad. Not good for my sweet tooth cravings, but good for just a strong tasting, “solid” tea.

This truly is a very manly tea— not to mention the perfect character tea for Greg Lestrade. Hazelnut and pu erh taste wonderful together, deliciously earthy and nutty, and gunpowder green tea rounds out the flavour nicely.

This is the manliest tea of all time. I brewed it way too long this time so I’ll halve the time next time, but with cream and sugar it’s still quite nice. Plain I felt like it was going to make me grow a beard, it was so manly! This tea makes me think of being out all day in the pouring rain, getting soaked to the bone, and then getting back to your log cabin, changing into soft, dry clothes and having a warm, strong cuppa to wake you up and warm you up. Incredibly comforting. Love love love.

This is one of Cara McGee’s Sherlock fandom blends. It’s the one I was most hesitant about, since Gunpowder and Pu’Erh are both (to my mind) acquired tastes. I used 1 tsp of leaf, and gave it approximately 2.5 minutes in boiling water. Water temperature with black/green blends is always something of a trial and error process for me, so I went by eye and took out the leaves once the liquor was a medium brown. The scent is typical Pu’Erh – earthy, with a slight whiff of horse manure.

To taste, the first thing that makes its presence known is (of course) the Pu’Erh. It’s milder than I anticipated, but still a distinctive flavour. The earthiness is its most prominent feature, and it’s reminiscent of compost after it’s been warmed in the sun. A wholesome, natural kind of flavour, and deeply savoury. There’s also a smooth nuttiness, which complements the earthiness really well. The Gunpowder is far less of a feature than I thought it might be. There’s a slight dankness in the aftertaste that I’ve come to associate with this variety of green tea, but it’s mostly absent on the whole. As the cup cools, it develops a light astringency.

As a fandom blend, I’m fairly happy with this one. Greg comes across as a wholesome character, keen to see the best in people. His job seems to weigh on him a bit. The Pu’Erh does a good job of capturing the wholesome aspect, brightened by the hazelnut, and the dank, almost damp-tasting Gunpowder could suggest something troubling underlying. I appreciate the thought that clearly goes into these blends; the choice of teas, the flavours, and the meanings they might have. It makes for an interesting drinking experience, especially if you’re familiar with the Sherlock series.

See my full review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2015/04/27/greg-lestrade-custom-blend-adagio-teas/

A robust tea that makes one think of leather and smoke. But don’t let it frighten you off; it’s got plenty of heart. This tea is full of gruff flavor between the pu erh dante and gunpowder. The hazelnut is faint among the presence of the other two teas, but the blend is comforting in a way that reminds you of curling up in your father’s armchair, wrapped in a well worn flannel shirt.

Description from Adagio: leather… a distinguished, if tired blend. Yep, I’d say that’s pretty accurate. There’s something nutty and… old… it’s just not my thing, although I could see my Dad having wanted to drink this as he smoked one of his pipes. Yep, that’s what this tastes like — hazelnut tobacco, the good kind. (Is there a good kind?)

Anyway. Not for me. Anyone else like this sorta flavor? I’ll send it along.