Party King (Formerly Thranduil)

Oh, Thranduil.
You taste very elvish and earthy and perfect for your character, but I’m very happy that I’ve finished off the last of you!
You were a joy to be with, but alas, you weren’t my favourite cup of tea. Goodbye, and maybe I’ll be united with some of your friends in the future :)

i’m not really a green tea girl. i drink them and i’m always looking for one that helps it all click for me, but i don’t seem to have found it yet.
the apricot is nice, the vanilla gives it a smoothness, but for me it’s ultimately just too light. i drank most of it but i didn’t finish the cup before it got cold. then i put a plate over the mug to protect it from cat mouths and just added some hot water in the morning before i gulped it down.
it’s an appropriate tea for Thranduil, but not for me. (maybe my sister will like it :))

I use a steep and go mug during the week, and this is a bit bitter for that.

My favorite of the Teas for Travelers sample! I’d never tried hojicha before, and I tend to prefer steamed greens to roasted greens, but the smokiness of the tea blends so well with the apricot and citrus. Just awesome! The rest of the sample set was dwarves (and Bilbo!) which are largely black teas, and while they’re pretty great, I think I should branch out into her elvish blends if this is an indication…

It is just barely past midnight here but it feels like 2am to me. A couple of hours ago I actually dozed off while sitting upright with my laptop on my lap, my television on, and my bedroom light shining bright above me. It wasn’t until my laptop started sliding that I woke with a start and realized what had happened. I guess its just one of those days so I will try to get this tasting note out before I actually pass out for the night.

I made this in my carry mug, just because, and so luckily, despite being made hours ago, it is still hot (well warm since it was brewed in 175F water for 2 minutes) Yay for thermoses!

First thing I noticed was this tea has a strong apricot smell. That’s certainly a good thing. As for taste, I didn’t expect much but this is really flavorful. Wow. The first sip was vegetal but in the best way possible – creamy yet fresh and verging on corn/hay/wheat territory. That doesn’t sound quite so appetizing but it works. As I continue to sip however, the apricot takes over while blending perfectly with the vegetal base. At the end of each sip, I notice the roastiness of the hojicha which is just enough to keep things interesting while not taking over the blend. All of this is woven together beautifully by a rich vanilla sweetness. Honestly, I had no interest in this blend apart from its namesake but now I could see myself actually wanting more of this in the future. Thank you Roswell Strange for forcing me to try this by sending me a sample because this isn’t one I would have picked up on my own. 173.

In other news, the carry mug tipped over and some of the tea spilled out onto my leg. Given the tingling sensation I now feel, I can confirm that the Davids Carry Mug is indeed successful at keeping tea hot. Anyways, good night steepster! To bed with me…

- I think this is far better hot than cold
- It was vegetal and roasty almost on a 50/50 level
- Vanilla was still present and it sweetened everything and added depth of flavour
- And unlike the CB I could taste juicy apricot! Lighter, but present.
- There was an almost indescribable elegantness to this
- Felt like an accurate representation of the character to a fairly good degree