What is in your cup?

[astra]

Fourth cuppa.
Rooibos raspberry&vanilla

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Too right! This dentist was wonderful! She first numbed my gum with a topical anesthetic, then using a warmed liquid injected sloooowly. First time in my life that the administration of anesthetic was completely painless. The rest of the dentistry was just as pleasant. Only the after effects of trying to eat my dinner caused any problems, and those were mostly to do with laundry...

Now, as sensation is returning, I can enjoy some iced tea... through a straw!


Stitchawl

heh heh... reminds me of the Bill Cosby routine; "my lib! my lib id on da fldoor!" seriously hilarious if you ever get a chance to watch it!

[astra]

Fifth cuppa.
Lunch time
Yorkshire Gold.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

heh heh... reminds me of the Bill Cosby routine; "my lib! my lib id on da fldoor!" seriously hilarious if you ever get a chance to watch it!

Chocolate cake for breakfast is my favorite

[desertblues]

Usually I pour myself a cup of Arabica-coffee at 7 o'clock, which lasts me through the day; cold and all.
Today I've a liter of sparkling water on my desk, mixed with non-sugared raspberry sirup, as I ate some salty stuff last night.

I always grab a small raisin bun for breakfast.

[beppe]

Finally I started on my experiences.

This morning I tried the Ceylon. Washed the cup as Stichawl suggested. Measured the temperature of the water, and seeped it 3 minutes. Put away the tea for next seeping.

Ceylon. Best cup of tea I ever had. So agreeable, smooth, lightly perfumed, no tannin. Salty and acid on the tongue (wine tasting reactions). Maybe faintly flowery. A shadow of peppery aftertaste, but so light. Invites big sips. Fantastic. I am no expert at all, but I enjoyed the cup mightily. I will try my other black teas and see if they are better. But as things are, with this tea I could go all the way.

Second seeping. More tannin, less flavor, less color. I learned.

This afternoon I tried the Gunpowder. Open the package and it found that is wonderful to look at. Prepared it with usual the usual care and got a fantastic cup of green tea. Rich in subtle herbal flavors. Very interesting. Both while warm and when cold.
I am drinking the second cup, smoother and fuller than the first one, less green and more, how to say it, more yellow?

[astra]

Nice observations beppe

Sixth cuppa.
Pai Mu Tan.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by beppe

Finally I started on my experiences.

This morning I tried the Ceylon. Washed the cup as Stichawl suggested. Measured the temperature of the water, and seeped it 3 minutes. Put away the tea for next seeping.

Ceylon. Best cup of tea I ever had. So agreeable, smooth, lightly perfumed, no tannin. Salty and acid on the tongue (wine tasting reactions). Maybe faintly flowery. A shadow of peppery aftertaste, but so light. Invites big sips. Fantastic. I am no expert at all, but I enjoyed the cup mightily. I will try my other black teas and see if they are better. But as things are, with this tea I could go all the way.

Second seeping. More tannin, less flavor, less color. I learned.

This afternoon I tried the Gunpowder. Open the package and it found that is wonderful to look at. Prepared it with usual the usual care and got a fantastic cup of green tea. Rich in subtle herbal flavors. Very interesting. Both while warm and when cold.
I am drinking the second cup, smoother and fuller than the first one, less green and more, how to say it, more yellow?

And the obsession begins....

Enjoy your jurney. There are so many wonderful teas to try. I normally resteep all of my teas. Some of them, like Oolongs, I will put a fresh teaspoon into in order to up the flavor on the resteep. One of the reasons I resteep is that the second pot will be decaffienated which my Doctor tells me is good for me (winks)

The color changing on the second cup is not a surprise. The first steep removed a decent amount of the oils and things that give each tea its unique flavor and color. It sounds like you prefered the second cup of the gunpowder green to the first cup.

I am on my second pot of Rooibos Vanilla. So cup 4 of the morning.

I went digging through my tea cupboard at home and brought in plenty of rooibos to refill low tins at the office. Hopefully I can hold off on on ordering new tea for a while longer.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Chocolate cake for breakfast is my favorite

haha! I brought you into this world, I can take you out of this world!

[astra]

Seventh cuppa.
Pai Mu Tan, resteepped sixth cuppa.

Off to Tesco's, then sizzler with a shot Glefiddich and half pint of bitter shandy.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by astra

Seventh cuppa.
Pai Mu Tan, resteepped sixth cuppa.

Off to Tesco's, then sizzler with a shot Glefiddich and half pint of bitter shandy.

To morrow afternoon I will try my white tea and let you know. to morrow morning i will choose between Keemun or Assam. Ah the choices one has ...

[astra]

Originally Posted by beppe

To morrow afternoon I will try my white tea and let you know. to morrow morning i will choose between Keemun or Assam. Ah the choices one has ...

What white tea do you have?

Eighth cuppa.
Pu-Erh aged.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by beppe

To morrow afternoon I will try my white tea and let you know. to morrow morning i will choose between Keemun or Assam. Ah the choices one has ...

Go for the Keemun in the morning. Assam is more of an afternoon tea.
I usually choose a breakfast tea that includes Keemun in the blend.

I like your assessment of the Ceylon tea! It really is an excellent drink when you can make it with loose leaf tea. Unlike the rest of you folks, I don't care to re-steep black teas. The only ones I will do that to are oolongs and greens.


Stitchawl

[beppe]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Go for the Keemun in the morning. Assam is more of an afternoon tea.
I usually choose a breakfast tea that includes Keemun in the blend.

I like your assessment of the Ceylon tea! It really is an excellent drink when you can make it with loose leaf tea. Unlike the rest of you folks, I don't care to re-steep black teas. The only ones I will do that to are oolongs and greens.


Stitchawl

You are magic. yes you are. I made my morning cup with Keemun instead of Assam as planned. Before seeing your post

Very good. Better than Ceylon even, except for the slightly bitter after taste.
About Ceylon. I understand it a little better (what it means is that I remember). The flavor goes up instantly very nicely when I sip it, over the tip and side of the tongue, but when it reaches the top it sorts of flattens out.

Keemun is more localized as flavor, in a way more discreet (compact?), but it keeps high and intense all the way. The bitterness is gone and it leaves a nice, vaguely spicy souvenir. Next time I'll make more than just one cup. To be studied more in depth. I never had anything like that before. The after taste keeps changing yet. Mind you this is the first thing I put in my mouth this morning. Very persistent.
Now I will try to re-steep it, just for knowledge acquisition.

Re-steeped. Not bad. A little more tannin. Still a great cup. The flavor structure is the same and it's tint also. Bitterness comes earlier. Spiciness is there yet, around the edges of the tannin. Mouth is cleaner because of the tannin that makes it more rough. Not bad at all. First cup is more alive and deeper. The absence of tannin in the first cup is a big plus.
Overall I rate this Keemun marginally superior to the Ceylon I have. (But I will continue enjoying a cup of Ceylon once in a while, just to remember its charm and to change my mind once more).

[beppe]

Originally Posted by astra

What white tea do you have?

Eighth cuppa.
Pu-Erh aged.

I do not know. He wrote White tea on the package. If i decide to buy more i will ask him of course. But I changed my plan of action a bit. I will keep drinking gunpowder until I understand it better. I realize that there are subtleties that would be wasteful to neglect just to touch all bases as fast as possible. So I prefer to stay on the Gunpowder until it does not surprise me anymore.
For blacks it might be different as I am a bit more familiar with them and I got the impression that they are somewhat simpler to understand in their more aggressive flavors and aromas.