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Hi Everyone!
I wanted to take a moment to reflect back on the challenge. Originally I was going to drink a new blend every day for 30 days, but clearly I only lasted for 17 days. A few things caused me to end the challenge early. First, my family and I got COVID after Christmas. This meant that I was drinking Throat Coat Tea with honey everyday for a solid week. Obviously this interrupted my plans to drink new blends. Second, I realized that it was becoming a chore. I started the challenge in order to work my way through the sample teas, but also as an incentive to write blog posts. This challenge resulted in me posting more often in a month than I have in the past two years so it feels like a success. I think I can keep up the blog posts, not daily but more regularly and consistently, without forcing myself to drink a new blend every day. I want to be able to have tea I feel like in the morning again, rather than forcing myself to pick a new one. I also want to enjoy my tea without having to focus on mouthfeel and appearance and all the other ratings. I just want to be able to drink the tea I want, when I want it, without worrying about whether it's bright or not. Anyway, I just wanted to update and reflect on the challenge instead of just stopping at Day 17 without an explanation. Hope you all enjoyed hearing about new tea blends! I'll be posting again later this evening (not about tea).
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 Hello and Welcome to Day 17 of the Tea Series Challenge! This morning I have a bit of a headache. I do this thing, sometimes, where I sleep with one hand fisted under my head. Most of the time there’s a pillow in between, but sometimes there isn’t and I say that I spent the night slow-punching myself. So my tea is something somewhat simple, with flavors I know already I really like. Hopefully my head will relax and it’ll be just the thing I need this morning. I was about to say we should get on the ratings and then realized I should say what the tea is. This is my headache interfering with my usual protocol. Today’s tea is Lemon Vervain, “A full-bodied steep, complete with the taste of lemon and mint.” There, now the ratings:  Appearance/Color
It is a yellowy brown, or a brownish yellow? There’s maybe a slight greenish tint as well. Aroma The lemon is prominent but the mint is there as well, just slightly under the lemon. Flavor It’s subtle. There is lemon and mint and a general flavor of tea, but none of it really jumps out at me. That’s really nice today because simple is what I wanted. Body or Mouthfeel I think I can tell what they mean by “full-bodied” but I’m not sure I could describe it more than that. It’s sort of, deep maybe? There’s depth to it. Astringency/Structure Or maybe deep and depth go in this category? Aftertaste/Finish The aftertaste for this blend is basically a fainter taste of the initial flavor. Conclusion It’s a pleasant tea, and exactly what I wanted for today. I’m looking forward to drinking the rest of it, which puts it ahead of some of the other blends I’ve drunk during this series.  Hello and Welcome to Day 16 of the Tea Series Challenge! Today is the first day of 2025, for me anyway, and I thought I would keep with the cherry theme. My tea this morning is appropriately named Cherry Amour, “A fruity blend of apples, berries, hibiscus and licorice.” I haven’t even had any of it yet but I can tell already, just from sitting next to it while it steeps and cools a bit, that it should be really good. This is a short one today apparently, so . . . ratings!:  Appearance/Color
Similarly to yesterday, it is a pinkish cherry color, though perhaps a little darker than yesterday’s. Aroma I’m sitting next to the tea and can already smell the cherry. A closer whiff makes the hibiscus and general fruitiness more apparent. Flavor It hasn’t steeped as long as yesterday’s tea, but it is still a bit sweet. The cherry is there but it’s blended well with the other flavors which, as promised, include fruity tones and hibiscus. The licorice might be there but it’s difficult for me to separate it out. Body or Mouthfeel It’s smooth but a bit watery, not very thick, as well. It’s also still quite warm so I’m taking small sips which makes it hard for me to really tell. Astringency/Structure It’s bright, a bit sweet. At this point I’m keeping this section only out of habit and consistency/continuity. Aftertaste/Finish The main aftertaste is a bit of a general fruitiness. Conclusion It’s a good tea blend. I like the smell and the taste. I’m glad it’s not very early due to the sweetness, and that it’s not steeped as long. I can tell that I burnt my mouth just a bit, but that’s my fault, not the tea’s. I would definitely drink this again, perhaps with some of the sugar cookies still left in my kitchen from the holidays.  Hello and Welcome to Day 15 of the Tea Series Challenge! I’ve been writing these so far in December, with the idea that I would write one a day until I had thirty total posts. The Preview post would then go out on January 1, tomorrow as I’m writing this, and then the rest of the posts would last until the 31st of January. This post will be scheduled to go out on the 16th of January, which falls short of my initial goal. I’ll keep writing these posts through January, but at this point I wanted to ask anyone who’s been reading these: Are you interested in more tea reviews? Or is this becoming boring content to read 15 days in? Let me know in the comments if you have an opinion about it. For today’s tea I thought I would go somewhat festive; it is the day of New Year’s Eve. So my blend today is called Cherry Cosmo, which promises to be “Bright pink and fun-loving with the taste of cherry and berries.” Sounds perfect for New Year’s Eve morning. So, moving right along, ratings:  Appearance/Color
I don’t know about bright pink, but it is definitely a cherry color with pinkish tones. Aroma I can smell the cherry, and a bit of the berry, and I’m now just realizing I’ve put it in a mug with the word “merry” on it and I really shouldn’t be able to accidentally rhyme like this. Flavor Sip one is very fruity. It’s been steeping for probably about 10 or 15 minutes at this point (oops?) so that’s probably part of it. It’s pretty good, but perhaps a bit sweeter than I was expecting. Body or Mouthfeel It’s fairly smooth, but the sweetness is somehow making it hard to tell. Astringency/Structure Sweet, and a bit bright, definitely fruity Aftertaste/Finish The sweetness fades a little after swallowing so the aftertaste is more fruity. Conclusion I like this tea, and it is definitely a “fun-loving” tea good for celebrating the end of 2024. I think next time I would try harder to remember to not let it steep for as long. It really is almost too sweet.  Hello and Welcome to Day 14 of the Tea Series Challenge! So lately my sister, who has been trying new teas with my nephew, has been raving about “the apricot one.” The teas they’re trying are from the same company that produced my sampler boxes, but I’ve really only been using the yellow box because the orange box is just herbal teas. I’m at the point now, though, where the yellow box pretty much has black and green teas. This is fine except for a morning like I’m having today. Today I am craving herbal tea, so I opened the orange box for the first time and found the tea she’s been so enamored of. So today’s tea is Apricot Amaretto which claims that “The taste of juicy apricot and almond pair for a refreshing infusion.” It is cold, rainy, and windy outside so I’m hoping for something that reminds me of better weather. I’m also hoping it lives up to the hype from my sister. So, ratings time, and let’s see how it does:  Appearance/Color
It’s a deep reddish brown color. I don’t have much else to say about it. Aroma It is fruity and almondy scented. Remmeber when I wanted the flavor of my mother’s almond cookies to be in the cherry marzipan tea? I think, I hope, that this will come closer. It certainly smells like it might. Flavor So I’ve just taken my first sip and it’s the fruitiness of the apricot that hits first. That stays around but the almond comes up after to join it. I’m not blown away really, but it was a really good first sip. Body or Mouthfeel It’s very smooth in texture. That actually probably hit me even before the flavor did. Astringency/Structure It is kind of bright, but grounded as well if that makes sense. Most of the time, when I write this section, I am very aware of how much I don’t know about this section and probably tea in general. Aftertaste/Finish The apricot is definitely the first flavor, and it does stick around, but ultimately the almond is the flavor that finishes the sip. In terms of aftertaste, both stick around. Conclusion So the tea is half gone in the time it took for me to write the previous three sections, which was approximately five minutes. My sister was right, it is really good tea. I find that I am very glad that each box has duplicates of the teas so I can drink this one again.  Hello and Welcome to Day 13 of the Tea Series Challenge! So, full disclosure, I have been writing these posts, so far, in December. Yesterday was Christmas and I got some lovely tea and mugs, so today you get some pictures of the mugs I received. The picture above is a mug from my mother. It comes with a loose leaf strainer and I think it’s super pretty with lovely colors!! Today’s tea is pictured next to it even though I didn’t use this mug today. It just felt odd to not have today’s tea in one of the pictures. The picture below is the mug my nephew got me. I love the shape of it and the size. I really should have used it for today’s tea, just to match the name of today’s blend, but it hasn’t been washed yet. Getting to today’s tea, I wanted something simple and robust for the morning after Christmas and so I chose English Breakfast tea. There’s not much else for me to say about it other than the ratings, so let’s get to it:  Appearance/Color
In a white mug today, the tea is a deep reddish brown. I only steeped it for about 4 minutes (I know, 1 minute less than the recommended 5), but it’s still really dark. Aroma Tea!! There’s really no other aroma I can smell, and the tea aroma is just so reminiscent of what I think of as the base tea smell that I don’t really have another word for it. Flavor Similarly, the flavor here is black tea. Since I didn’t over-steep it there’s no bitterness. Body or Mouthfeel Several sips in, the only way I can think to describe the mouthfeel is that it’s a little watery but also smooth. Astringency/Structure I think it’s fairly light actually, despite being a black tea. There’s no backing away from the flavor, which is what I think I meant earlier when I used the word “robust,” but it’s not earthy really either which would make it taste heavy to me. Aftertaste/Finish Again, it’s pretty much just tea. Conclusion I got what I wanted this morning, which was a really decent English Breakfast tea. There weren’t really any surprises and it was just really pleasant and simple to drink.  Hello and Welcome to Day 12 of the Tea Series Challenge! Today I went with a more simple and classic green tea. So classic, in fact, that I made sure to time the steep and stick to the timer. My tea this morning is a “Jasmine Green,” a “Rare, exceptional Chung Hao tea, scented with jasmine flowers.” The words “rare” and “exceptional” made me a little nervous, and are part of why I haven’t chosen this tea sooner. I was really nervous about ruining it somehow, which is why I decided to stick to the timer so well. Sometimes, even when I use the timer, I have a habit of walking away to do something else and I’m not always there exactly when the timer goes off. Today I stayed close and watched it like a hawk. That tea bag left the water as soon as the timer told me it should. Spoiler: the tea isn’t bitter at all! I am perhaps more excited by that than I should be as an adult who has been drinking tea for decades. Anyway, moving on, ratings time:  Appearance/Color
So I made green tea in a green mug. What really stands out is how yellow-brown it is. Aroma The jasmine is a prominent scent, although I would never call jasmine a strong or intense aroma. Flavor The flavor and taste is really about how the aroma is; the jasmine is in every sip. At the same time, it is also very definitely a green tea. Body or Mouthfeel As is usual for green teas, or at least my opinion of them, this is watery and not overly smooth or soft in texture. Astringency/Structure What really shines through here are the floral tones of the jasmine. Aftertaste/Finish Some of the jasmine remains, but so too does the general sense of green tea-ness. Conclusion When I chose my tea this morning, I wanted something more subtle and not overly intensive. This met my expectations, without being bland, which was a pleasant experience this morning.  Hello and Welcome to Day 11 of the Tea Series Challenge! I am continuing with the vanilla theme, and chose Vanilla Peach for today. A black tea, it is “Warm, indulgent and richly fragrant with tropical coconut.” I actually am feeling pretty awake, but I felt like the sturdiness of black tea. I also have a good amount to do today so a little extra oomph couldn’t hurt. I loosely timed the steep, which is to say that I forgot to time it and then panicked before figuring it had probably been 3-5 minutes. My husband, who tends to have a better grasp on time, agreed. So it’s probably fine. Alright, ratings time:  Appearance/Color
As befits a black tea it is a dark brown. There might be hints of red but it’s hard to tell in a dim west-facing room in the morning. Aroma Vanilla mostly, maybe with a bit of peach and coconut. It smells good and I’m not smelling anything that isn’t in the name or description. So far so good in terms of my expectations. Flavor The flavor mostly lives up to the promise of the aroma. It’s a bit bitter, but that’s my inexact steep time probably. It is also very coconutty, which I’m not overly sure about. The vanilla and peach are there (it’s definitely tropical-ish) but it gets a bit buried by the sheer force of the coconut. Body or Mouthfeel It’s fine. A bit thin, not as smooth as some of the herbal or even green teas. Astringency/Structure A bit bitter, but again that’s likely my fault. A bit bright as well, which might be the vanilla and peach. Aftertaste/Finish Coconut. Just coconut. Conclusion Whether I have liked or felt kind of blah about the teas thus far, they have always been well-balanced. I don’t feel that way about this one because the coconut is so heavy-handed. Maybe it would have been different if I had only steeped it for exactly 3 minutes, but I doubt it. I think, rather than affecting the balance, that would have just made the whole flavor less. It also would have taken away the bitterness, one hopes, so that could help as well. I’ll finish it but, for the first time in this series, I’m not really looking forward to it.  Hello and Welcome to Day 10 of the Tea Series Challenge! I’m still feeling a bit sick but am getting better so today’s tea is a little more adventurous than yesterday’s. This morning I chose a white tea, Vanilla Pear, which promises to be “Rare and exotic with spicy ginger and lemongrass.” Hopefully there’s also pear and vanilla but honestly at this point it’s a toss up as to whether the description matches the name of the blend. I’ll be honest, I don’t have much to say about today’s tea so here are the ratings:  Appearance/Color
It looks mostly brown but with some reddish tints. Aroma I’m definitely smelling some vanilla, though it’s not punching me in the nose or anything like that. There’s also another, mild flavor that I’m having a hard time placing but could be pear. Flavor So there’s definitely vanilla and a bit of pear on my tongue. There’s something underneath that could be ginger (and maybe lemongrass??) but it’s hard for me to tell. Body or Mouthfeel It’s on the watery side and a bit dry. That’s such a contradiction, I think I mean more that it leaves my mouth feeling dry but is watery in texture and feel. Astringency/Structure Does dry come under this category as well? It’s kind of a subtle tea? I wouldn’t say it’s bright or light. Aftertaste/Finish There’s a kind of surprise pear flavor at the end that sort of tackled my tongue. Very unexpected but not unpleasant. Conclusion Overall not bad; it’s well-balanced as always. It’s definitely not one of my favorites, but I wouldn’t have an issue drinking it again. I do feel like I want to drink some water for the dryness though.  Hello and Welcome to Day 9 of the Tea Series Challenge! I am under the weather today so my husband (being amazing) made me tea. He even took some pictures and timed the steep for me! This evening’s tea is Lemon Lavender, an herbal tea, with the description saying “This bouquet of garden herbs and flowers features sweet apple.” Since it is later in the day I wanted something without caffeine that would be relaxing and, hopefully, not keep me up late. Alright, this is a shorter intro since I’m feeling blah so let’s move on to the ratings:  Appearance/Color
It’s a kind of light yellow-brown (brown-yellow?). Aroma What I really smell is the lavender, which is nice since it’s the primary ingredient I wanted for relaxing. Flavor Still lavender, but also lemony which is hopefully good for my slightly sore throat. I had a good-for-colds tea with lemon and honey in the morning so a hint of lemon in my evening tea was perfect. Body or Mouthfeel This had a smooth mouthfeel, which felt good on my throat. Astringency/Structure It was definitely on the brighter side I think. Aftertaste/Finish This is another one of those teas where it just tasted like the tea after I finished drinking. Conclusion This was really good, in part because it matched my expectations pretty perfectly. It also felt good on my throat and, in general, was what I was looking for. I find that I like teas better when they meet, or exceed, my expectations. |
AuthorHi! My name is Julie and I am a teacher in southeastern Massachusetts. In 2022 my husband and I bought a house with a bit of land and decided to implement some homesteading ideas and concepts. I'm late starting this blogging/journaling but better late than never, right? ArchivesCategories |
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