We are on Day six of this Holiday Countdown! With each day that passes, I get to sample a different tea – I hope you’re also enjoying a cup of awesomeness too!
For today’s holiday “inspiration”, I chose an ornament I made a few years ago for a 12 Days of Christmas Swap. I had a huge stash of these oval “paperboard” coasters (I still have a bunch of them somewhere) that I had bought to practice making Zentangles on and one day, I sat there and feeling uninspired by Zentangles but very inspired by paisleys (I love paisley), I decided to start decoupaging on the coasters instead. I first put down a layer of sheet music, (I may have layered it with newspaper too), and then I put a colorful paisley design napkin over that and after the glue was dry, I started painting in the paisley design with shimmering paint. I added a few rhinestones on it and then I put eyelets on the top and bottom and added the hanging ribbon and the fringe (which I made too). It was a fun project.
I think that going back through these pieces is starting to dust off the creativity again. (I hope!) In the meantime, let me tell you about the tea that Teanzo sent me for the sixth day in this Advent Calendar!
Darjeeling
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
With its muscatel finish, Darjeeling Tea is a pleasure to sip and savor. Grown in the picturesque tea gardens of the Himalayan Mountains, Darjeeling tea, also known as the “champagne” of teas is a highly sought after treasure from India. Darjeeling tea matures slowly at high altitude, producing the fine Darjeeling muscatel flavor exclusively found in this region.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a lovely tea to be sipping on this afternoon! I was very happy to see that Darjeeling was the tea for today!
This Darjeeling has a very pleasant and crisp flavor. It’s sweet and fruity. Muscatel! I taste that grape-y, wine-like note that starts off tasting a bit like black currant and then morphs into a stronger grape note. The finish is sweet and dry, but it’s not overly dry. It’s more like the light, dry sensation you might experience if you were drinking wine.
As I continue to sip, I pick up on notes of flower. Subtle and sweet, it is a different sweetness that I taste from the fruit notes and I like the dimension that these floral notes bring to the cup.
I also find that as I continue to sip, the body of this tea changes somewhat. It started out rather light, but as the tea cools – or as I sip? – not sure which! But as I continue my journey with this tea, I find that the body seems to develop somewhat and there is a more substantial texture to the tea now than when I first started sipping it.
What that suggests to me is that this tea would make a stunning iced tea. I don’t generally recommend a Darjeeling tea as an iced tea because I feel like most Darjeeling teas tend to lose *something* as the tea cools. The flavor is just not as spectacular when the tea is cold versus hot when it comes to Darjeeling teas. Most Darjeeling teas, that is! This one, however, this I would be happy to drink either hot or iced and I’m intrigued that the tea becomes something different as it becomes cool.
A lovely Darjeeling – I would recommend this one highly to those who are new to Darjeeling. It makes a nice starter Darjeeling because it’s nearly as astringent as some Darjeeling teas can be. I’d also recommend this to Darjeeling enthusiasts who are looking for the ideal iced Darjeeling!
No. 6 – Bai Lin Congfu Black Tea from Joseph Wesley Black Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Joseph Wesley Black Tea
Tea Description:
Made strictly from the early, fresh, tender, and young buds of the Da-Bai tea cultivar, Joseph Wesley’s Black Tea No. 6 showcases the sweet, smooth and slightly toasty characteristics of China’s famous Bai Lin Congfu black tea. This tea is sweet in taste and beautiful in construction with a delicate array of golden-orange buds and a distinct fuzz showcasing the skill used in the complicated hand-crafting of this tea. With notes of caramel and cream, Joseph Wesley’s Black Tea No. 6 is an enduring way to reenergize in the morning, afternoon, or before a night out on the town.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmmmmmmmm! Yes, this tea: No. 6 – Bai Lin Congfu Black Tea from Joseph Wesley Black Tea warrants nine m’s. It’s that good.
The dry leaf is beautiful. The leaves are dark brown with lots of golden tips. The aroma of the dry leaf is earthy, and the fragrance of the brewed tea is also what I would describe as earthy. There is relatively little here in the fragrance that hints at the flavors that will be experienced with the first sip.
It is incredibly smooth. No bitterness whatsoever. Just smooth from start to finish, and it finishes with a slight dryness that intensifies slightly in the aftertaste. And it’s sweet, and the thought that comes to mind when I think of the sweetness is a warm, silky caramel. So smooth and rich and sweet. It almost tastes like I’m drinking something that I shouldn’t be drinking because it tastes that good, you know? Kind of like licking the mixer blades after you’ve made a chocolate cake, you know you shouldn’t eat that raw cake batter, but, it tastes so good that you just can’t stop.
There are hints of sweet fruit in the distant, with notes of wood, leather and earth that are a little less distant, with a haze of smoke that sort of films over these flavors just a little bit. Further obscuring these notes are the incredibly decadent sweetness of the cup. As the tea begins to cool, I pick up on some creamy notes as mentioned in the above description.
A truly remarkable tea. Put simply … I think I died and went to tea heaven. If you like black tea – you’ll love this. And if you love black tea, I caution you: you may become obsessed with this one.