Day 17! How many of you have finished your shopping?
Me either.
Today’s artwork comes from Jeri Aaron from the last 12 Days of Christmas Art Swap I was in (I think it was from 2012). She “stuffed” a holiday mitten with a Santa Stuffy. I think it was originally created to be a broach or something like that because there’s a pin back on it, but, it’s kind of big for a broach. (At least for me.) But, I really liked it and so I decided to make it a wall ornament for the holidays. I hang it along with the stockings to add a little bit of color to the place where the stockings are ‘hung with care.’ (We don’t hang our stockings by the fireplace. We hang our stockings on the wall next to the front door in the living room.)
Anyway, this was a fun little gift to receive. It seems like with these exchanges, most of the people are focused on making tree ornaments (myself included!) so, it’s nice to get something just a little different and unexpected like this. It’s a fun gift.
Today’s tea was also quite fun and festive!
Cranberry Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
Delicious black tea with cranberries is a holiday delight. Cranberry Tea makes a wonderful gift for a holiday host or a great stocking stuffer.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The appearance of the dry leaf is really pretty, lots of little red safflower petals and a couple of big chunks of freeze-dried cranberries. The aroma of the dry leaf is black tea with a berry note.
I brewed this the same way I’ve brewed most of the teas in this wonderful Advent Calendar from Teanzo, in my Kati Tumbler. I poured the contents of the sampler pouch into the basket of the tumbler and added 12 ounces of boiling water. I let it steep for 3 minutes.
The brewed tea has a sweet smell with notes of berry and black tea. I let the tea cool for a few minutes – a few minutes cool time is really essential to getting those flavors to pop!
Tasty! The sip starts out surprisingly sweet: sweeter than I expected since this is a cranberry tea and cranberries are usually quite tart. But as the sip progresses, some of those tart notes come forward to contrast with that sweet start. It’s almost a jammy start. It’s sweet and quite pleasant.
The mid-sip is where I notice most of the tartness of the berry, but the sweet notes in this tea help to soften the tartness so I’m not experiencing a pucker with this tea. I also get just a hint of berry tingle in the aftertaste.
The black tea base is smooth. No bitterness nor is there a strong astringent tone to the finish. Some astringency, not a lot. The black tea seems to complement the cranberry well.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable tea and I’m glad that it was included in the Advent Calendar!
Oolong # 17 Jade Pearls First Flush from Tea Mania
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea Mania
Tea Description:
Oolong # 17 Jade Pearls First Flush is picked by hand and rolled. It’s well known for its distinctive flavor and fragrance notes: a little bit orchid and a hint of lily of the valley. Oolong # 17 Jade Pearls First Flush is only picked in the winter. The slow growth in the winter helps to develop the complex flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh … NICE! This is a truly LOVELY Oolong from Tea Mania! The second tea that I’ve tried from this company, This Oolong #17 Jade Pearls First Flush is solidifying my opinion of this company which is – quite simply: they offer great teas!
This Oolong has a lovely floral quality to it – it is both flowery in aroma and in taste. I taste notes of orchid and hints of honey that evoke thoughts of honeysuckle. It’s a very gentle tasting tea … and while some floral tasting Oolong teas can come across as sharp, that’s not the case with this tea. It has a very subtle, soft approach, and it’s smooth from start to finish. Very little astringency.
The texture is also smooth and soft, and it has a delicate broth-y character to it – think of a comforting bowl of chicken broth when you’re feeling under the weather … that’s the kind of texture I get from this tea: soft, warm, comforting.
And because this is a top-quality Oolong, I was able to get a whole lot of infusions out of one measurement of leaves … this is the kind of tea that you want to spend all afternoon with, just allowing the teas to slowly unfurl as you enjoy the soothing liquid they produce. I found that the flavors became stronger with the third and fourth infusions, and then by infusions number five and six, I noticed that the flavors seemed to become more unified and seamless. Every new cup of tea became a new adventure … each cup lovely and delicious … but presenting itself in a new way for my palate to explore it’s complexity.
Really, this is a top-notch tea. If you like floral Oolong teas … this one should be at the top of your MUST TRY list!
Organic Oolong 17 from Driftwood Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Driftwood Tea
Tea Description:
Organic Oolong 17 is considered to be Thailand’s finest tea. Oolong 17 was developed from imported Taiwanese stock and, given Mae Salong’s similar altitude and climate, is highly comparable to the quality and taste of high mountain teas grown in Taiwan.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this Organic Oolong 17 from Driftwood Tea has a strong vegetative aroma. It’s really quite fragrant, smelling almost like a cross between steamed spinach and kelp.
I brewed this tea in my gaiwan, giving it a quick 15 second rinse and then proceeding with the infusions, starting at 45 seconds and adding 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion. I combined the first and second infusions to create my first cup … and it is marvelous! Sweet and buttery, but not so much “creamy” buttery, but more like the taste of butter. It has a smooth texture, but not really a creamy texture.
It has a light vegetative taste … lighter than I expected given the scent of the dry leaf. It is also lightly floral and just … really sweet and pleasant!
The second cup (infusions 3 and 4) is a bit sharper than the first … with more distinct floral tones and less of that buttery taste that I noticed in the first cup. There is more of a tangy astringency in this cup than in the first cup.
My third and final cup (infusions 5 and 6) is very much like the second cup. The floral tones have emerged very distinctly now. This is no longer buttery, that ‘heavy’ buttery taste has lifted to allow the complexity of the cup to come through. This cup is very refreshing: vegetative and floral.
A very nice Oolong … and it is one I’m really glad I got to try. This one is quite different from the “usual suspects” … in fact, if you’re an Oolong fan, I’d recommend putting this on your to try list because it’s just different enough from other Oolong teas out there – it’s one that you should definitely try!
Mt. Hood Vanilla from Townshend’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Townshend’s Tea
Tea Description:
A crisp black tea from Sri Lanka with the added flavor of smooth vanilla bean. A gentle everyday hot tea, or a smooth and quenching iced tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this more than once, but I do love Townshend’s Tea. I often refer to it as a “Starbucks” for tea (because, let’s face it, when it comes to tea, Starbucks falls flat) because it has that same comfortable, lounge-y kind of feel, in fact, I find it more comfortable/lounge-y. And not just because of the tea. The whole vibe there is much more relaxed. Sort of like tea itself. Sure, tea has caffeine, but because of the polyphenols in tea, you get a gentle, steady delivery of the caffeine to your system instead of that coffee jolt.
Photo from Wikipedia. Click on the pic to go there.
And while you do have to be in Portland to take in the relaxed atmosphere of Townshend’s Tea, you don’t have to be in Portland to enjoy their teas. They sell their teas online! I ordered this tea online because I was unsure when I’d be able to visit their store, and I really wanted to try this tea. Mt. Hood – while I’ve not been there, but hopefully will visit soon! – it is something that touches me daily with its breathtaking views. On some cloudy days, it appears to be floating in the clouds. On clear days, it looks so cold yet beautifully serene.
The first time I tried this, I found it a bit lacking in something. It was still very enjoyable: sweet, creamy and smooth. But, I felt like it was missing something. I wanted a stronger black tea base. And while I am now drinking from the same package of tea that I had tried that first time, I am finding this cup to be more satisfying than it was the first time around.
Even though the black tea is still not as bold as I think I’d like it to be, I am discovering more of a malty tone today than I remember tasting previously. It’s still sweet, creamy and smooth … and this malty note adds a nice dimension and a more satisfying mouthfeel to the cup. I guess I just needed to try it again … maybe I didn’t use enough leaf last time. Who knows?
It was good the first time, but now it is REALLY good! I’m really enjoying this. It makes a great tea to enjoy in the afternoon. It’s not quite strong enough for a breakfast tea, unless you are looking for something a little more gentle for your mornings. A beautiful tea that celebrates some of the beauty of Oregon.