A Moment to Savor & Focus

Tea is an easy thing to take for granted - especially when most days I brew a cup in my trusty travel mug and race out the door to work, barely tasting it as I sip it while focused on whatever project I happen to be working on that day. Interestingly, if it's a tea I'm not overly fond of, it takes me longer to finish, but I still really never notice the flavor unless I consciously stop and make a point to take note.

And then there are the lovely late nights when I brew a cup before going to my desk to write. It's a completely different experience - my writing is a job too of course, but it's one that leaves room for taking note of flavors and nuances that don't often reveal themselves in my rushed daytime cups. Interesting how that works, really. I could brew the same tea at six in the morning and again at eleven at night, and it would taste and affect me in completely different ways due to my mood and environment.

The other day, I was trying to make room in my tea cabinet for a new pot my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas, and thinking about how rarely I use any teapot at all. Teacups occasionally come out for those evening and weekend cups, but I honestly can't remember the last time I brewed tea in a pot. Which is sad, considering all of the lovely pots and gaiwans I have to brew in. I normally use a stainless steel steeping basket of some sort, whether brewing in my travel mug or in a teacup, and it's only for ease of use and clean-up.

Again with the rush, rush, hurry, hurry. 

Last year, I carved out a weekly tea time for myself, and promptly let it go as quickly as it came. Why? Plenty of reasons, none of them "good". It's not that I don't drink tea daily anyways - I do, faithfully. It's just the dedicated time for mindful sipping that's been left in the fannings, so to speak. And when I look at my schedule and try to slip it in somewhere, I find myself...unwilling.

Some would think it might be time to just give up and consider tea another mundane part of the daily ritual at this point, and I suppose that's a valid option, but I simply don't want to. Tea, in my opinion, is a beverage uniquely suited to making us step back and pause for a moment during even the busiest of days. And that's what I plan to experiment with beginning this week.

The task is simple. With each cup of tea I drink during the day, I'm going to jot down at least one word to describe the flavor in the very first sip I take. More words are fine if I have the time, but one solitary word is the minimum. At the end of the week, I'll post my thoughts along with the teas I've been drinking - it will be either very dull or interesting, considering I tend to drink the same tea for several days in a row before switching.

It is my hope that these momentary pauses to savor and focus will infuse the average day with something...more, and that it will be a calming influence on an otherwise rush rush lifestyle.  

If not, no harm done, right?

When you brew your next cup, take a moment and consider the one word you would use to describe it. Feel free to post it here in the comments if you'd like - I'd be interested to know.

If you aren't brewing a cuppa today...why not?

Reviews Return January 8, 2012

Tea, anyone?

I've said before that I was going to reopen Tea on Tap, and then never quite got around to posting reviews. A lot of that stemmed from not having a quick, easy way to handle photos, and some from the fact that I just wasn't as organized as I used to be. But I've been writing reviews here and there for awhile now, taking photos with my tablet and using Evernote, my new favorite cloud storage program to keep everything organized.

I also have a new thermo-pot (see previous post), that makes it quicker/easier to make a cuppa late at night, so I've been drinking more tea lately (ie, more than just my normal cups at work), and more variety as well. All very good things for me, and excellent review fodder as well.

So Sundays will be the "official" tea time around here starting this week, with new reviews scheduled for the next six weeks to start. Sunday is also "story time" at my author blog, The Variety Pages, so if you'd like a short piece of fiction to read while you're enjoying your cuppa, I'll be posting links to that each week as well (and vice versa). This week's story just happens to feature tea as a prominent part of the plot, which is fun, I think.

I may post randomly at other times - I have some new teaware I'm dying to show off, but reviews will always be on Sundays. I'm looking forward to posting again, and I hope you'll join me.

Oh! I almost forgot! Adagio graciously sent me two holiday samplers this year, and I'm giving one away right here. Watch for the contest announcement next week for your chance to win!

Until Sunday, happy sipping...

Dusting off the Cobwebs

A couple weeks ago when I opened the door to my teaware and puerh cabinet to get a big teapot for iced tea, the scent of those lovely tea cakes wafted out and practically begged me to sit down for a gong fu session (no, that's not puerh above, that's the Kukicha I was drinking last night - it's old, and I think I'll toss it and start fresh). It was an interesting week, and the tea thing was just one in a series of events that really made me stop and think. For the past two years or so, I've been hyper-focused on getting my writing career jump-started, and it was a good thing for me at the time. I've started my own boutique publishing company, published several books now with more on the way, and feel good about the direction that's taking. I've "settled in", so to speak.

But I need more out of life than just writing & books. I need to explore other interests, and enjoy a variety of experiences in order to be completely happy. And for me, one of those things I need to experience is tea.

I never stopped drinking tea, of course. But lately my tea consumption consists of a quick travel mug brewed twice daily (morning & noon) on my way out the door to the day job. I've fallen into somewhat of a rut, drinking the same teas day in and day out - good teas, of course, but it's certainly not a "mindful" exercise, and much of the nuance of flavor gets lost in the shuffle due to the circumstances. This makes me a bit sad, and I miss the days when words like "peppery" and "earthy" and "vegetal" came to mind at the merest sniff of a particular brew. It's not really about the words so much, as the fact that tea should be an "experience", not just a beverage to help me wake up and get me through the day.

So I'm dusting off the cobwebs here at Tea on Tap, and will begin posting reviews, tasting notes & teaware musings again starting next week. I'm still working out a posting schedule, but I should have something regular in the next week or so. In the meantime, I've started redecorating a bit, and have posted my review policy, a shiny new calendar and my standard disclaimer in the tab bar at the top of the page. I have a few other things to put up there as time permits. And I have a couple orders of tea on the way that should be here soon.

I was kind of surprised (and incredibly flattered) by the amount of page views this blog still gets on an average day even after being "closed" for a year and a half. So while I'm reopening predominantly for me, I'm happy to have whoever is still around along for the journey, along with any newcomers who happen by.

Join me for a cuppa? :-)

A Quick Note...

...to let you know that I've joined Steepster, finally. There's a link to the left where you can find me there, if you so choose.

I know - I said I wouldn't post anymore. It's hard to pass a blog (in this case, I was fixing the twitterfeed & reviewing some tasting notes while preparing tea orders), and not post *something*. Blogging is addictive... ;-)

Four Twitter accounts is just too much (didn't know I had that many, eh?). I've deleted my Tea On Tap account because I wasn't posting to it anyway. Feel free to follow my main account (also linked on the left) if you'd like...it's mostly writing related, but my Steepster updates are there, as well as the occasional tea-related tweet. I do follow and list tea people back, of course.

You can use the labels at to the right to search for specific reviews, etc. Interestingly, I use my own reviews when ordering tea (as I was doing today) to remember the differences between teas. That's the danger in sampling *everything* (still fun though).

I was thinking of all this today because it's ordering day. For anyone interested, here's what I ordered (linked to reviews where possible):

From Adagio:

Yunnan Noir
Keemun Concerto
Golden Spring

Interestingly, my reviews for Golden Spring and Keemun Concerto were less than stellar, but I find myself enjoying them both now. Fickle palate? Or different harvests...

From Harney & Sons

Valentine Blend (roses & chocolate)
Irish Breakfast
Florence (chocolate/hazelnut)
Lapsang Souchong

From Teas, Etc

Perfectly Passionate (hmm...flowery citrus, very smooth & sweet)
Pink Grapefruit
Raspberry Tart

(Don't mind the name differences - they seem to have done some renaming here and there)

From Andrews & Dunham

Series 2
Series 4

Happy Sipping!

Closing for Good

Yes, my poor, neglected, once popular tea blog, I'm closing you down for good.

It's not you, it's me.

I've found another love - not to replace you with, but one that I have more passion for, more desire to spend time with, at least for now. I've failed to give you what you need, and our relationship is suffering for it. Tea will be a constant, continuing presence in my life, but no longer a focus.

Dear, gentle readers, I beg your forgiveness for leaving you like this. I'll be deleting my @teaontap twitter account as well, because three is really just too much. If you'd like to keep in touch, my main twitter account is @VarietyPages, or friend me on facebook. Tea isn't a prominent topic on either though, I'm afraid.

I am pursuing a career as a romance novelist, and in the ensuing months/years, my life is going to be pretty hyper-focused on that as I work at both my day job and getting published at night. It's not glamorous or even remotely easy and who knows what, if anything will come of it, but it's what I've decided I want, and thus, the trimming of this blog for more writing-related pursuits.

The only question now, is should I leave the blog here, with an archive of review links for reference? Or do I delete the whole thing, as if it never existed?

If you have an opinion, now's the time to voice it. I'll take suggestions until Dec. 28th, then either post review link lists or take the whole site down on Dec. 31st. I'll still be following all of the tea blogs I currently follow no matter what, and hopefully even have more time to leave comments.

Thank you for your company over the past few years. It's been a wonderful experience.

Back to the Journal

I know - switching format again isn't cool, or kosher, or a good way to run a blog. But frankly, I can't keep up with this monster I've created. Yes, I know it's my own fault, I started it (all of them - I have 4 blogs, for anyone who's wondering *why* I can't keep up). Now I have to figure out how to deal with it. I can't even begin to say how much I enjoy blogging, but when it becomes stressful, I have to step back and reevaluate. There's no point if it's just adding pressure to my life.

This blog started as my own personal "journal" of tea drinking, steeped in the guise of reviews. I was both flattered and astounded that so many people would want to read my little notes on tea (this blog was pretty popular once upon a time, not to brag - it was just shocking). I think I let it go to my head, and then when I couldn't keep up, I bailed. Then I revamped, trying to turn it into something that would "give back". A noble idea, but just too much with all the other things I have going on.

So I'm reverting this blog back to what it started as. Just a personal tea-drinker's journal. I may post formal reviews, I may just post my thoughts about what I'm drinking on any given day. I may wax painfully poetic about tea and life at times (those times are bound to be boring, I'll warn you now). I'll probably post about teaware and tea parties and tea at parties occasionally, but it will all be random, as any journal is. The only thing I'll commit to is posting at least once per week, to maintain a record of my tea drinking for myself and anyone else who might be interested. I may post more sometimes, it just depends on the day and whether I feel compelled to make note of what I'm drinking. No pressure.

I've also removed all advertising from the blog - I wasn't making any money from it anyway. All links you might find here from now on are commission free, and to companies I personally buy from and highly recommend to anyone looking for a good cuppa tea.

If you're interested in what I'm drinking on any given day and maybe a quick note about them, follow me on Twitter @TeaOnTap. I post there most weekdays, unless I get super-busy at work.

I'm drinking the new Adagio Chai's this week, as well as some fall teas from The NecessiTeas. Notes on those coming up...

Chai Reviews, and Interviews

Last week was a super-busy week...sorry for the lack of posts. And as you can see, I didn't get my review done for today either. I know, slacker!

I've also been slacking on setting up interviews, which really is just lazy on my part. Those three companies to the left that expressed possible interest have still not returned their interview questions - I'm sure they're either busy, or annoyed that I post negative as well as positive reviews, or both. In any case, I'll get some emails sent out to tea bloggers, and see what we can come up with for next week. I'd really like to host some interviews with authors of tea books too, but I need to read the books first. I'll get to them eventually - I think they'll be most interesting. Have anyone you'd like to see an interview with? Or questions you'd like to see answered? Leave me a comment or email me. I'm always open to suggestions.

I have a lot of chai samples right now - all the new ones from Adagio (thank you, Adagio for finally selling chai!), and one from two leaves and a bud. This week, we'll do the Masala Chai's starting tomorrow. And I'm throwing an extra review in on Weds. to make up for the lack of interview. We'll look at Adagio's new Black Dragon Pearls, which are rather intimidating, but way cool (and tasty) too.

Stick around - lots of good stuff to come!

This Week in the Teasphere

What's new in the world of tea this week? Let's see...

News

The Fowler Museum at UCLA is excitedly announcing a new exhibit called Steeped in History: The Art of Tea. It will be on display from August 16th through November 29, 2009, and sounds absolutely spectacular, judging from the press release. The teapot to the left is one of the items that will be on display, a Bianchi teapot by Carlo Landi circa 1840.

The exhibition will combine art from three continents that spans centuries to explore the history and culture of tea. If you love tea, tea culture and history, a trip to see this exhibit would be a wonderful vacation. Sadly, I won't be able to make it down there, but if you're going, I'd love to hear all about it, and see pictures!

For more information, contact Beatrice Eyales, UCLA Fowler Museum, Marketing and Communications Dept.

In other news, I received a note from Tom McLaughlin this week about the new Wikiteadia community he's building. Here's the crux of what he envisions for the site, from his email:

"I'd like Wikiteadia to be a bit different - a not for profit, completely unbiased site with tea information, specific tea reviews, tea company reviews, and most of all an active community. "

I think this is a great idea. And since it's starting off fresh this week, we all have the chance to submit articles and reviews that will help make it a comprehensive resource and community for those of us who are passionate about tea. Consider submitting something to the site, and supporting this important project.

Blogs to Visit

Walker Tea Review: This blog gives tea lovers a completely new way to taste tea, with video guidance to walk you through the whole process. Order your teas, get the video on the scheduled day, and you're ready to go!

teatunes: Aside from my initial cringe at the lack of capitalization, I've found this blog to be not only informative and unbiased (blogs that post negative reviews as well as positive have my undying respect), but also extremely amusing. These two guys are excellent writers, and while I'm not much of a "tunes person", their tea posts should be marked "do not miss". Check 'em out - you won't be sorry.

Twitterers to Follow: Rather than listing them here, I'll go ahead and do the #FollowFriday thing on twitter. My followfriday reccomendations are general done by RT's (re-tweets) of my favorite posts throughout the week, so follow me, and watch for the #followfriday hash tag!

Something Fun: Kreativ Blogger Award

I received this award from Colette over at A Buckeye Girl Reads a couple weeks ago, and ungrateful wretch that I am, haven't gotten around to acknowledging it until now. Shame on me.

So Colette - thank you so much for honoring me with this! I'm so glad you enjoy the blog, and feel it worthy of an award. :-)

As with all awards, this one has a few requirements, which I'm happy to fulfill. The first is to list seven of my favorite things, the second is to nominate seven other blogs to receive the award.


So here are seven of my favorite things:

1. Tea! (of course)
2. My husband.
3. Reading/writing
4. Dogs
5. Fresh snow, when I can watch it falling from inside with a cup of hot tea or cocoa.
6. Seventy degree weather with a light breeze.
7. All of the wonderful people I've "met" online through my blogs or other avenues.

And seven blogs well deserving of this particular award (in no particular order):

Joie deTea - for posting on a variety of tea subjects in a whimsical, down-to-earth style.

39 Steeps - for the amazingly creative way he pairs photos with tea posts and reviews.

Gongfu Girl - for posting such interesting articles in a creative way, with wonderful photos.

Tea Nerd - for both a creative name, and intensive study on all faucets of tea brewing.

Tea Guy Speaks - for his uncanny knack of finding creative (and bizarre) tea-related items, videos and general information all over the web, for as long as I can remember.

Haute Whimsey - for an overall joy of life, a love of many things, and excellent taste in shoes.

Killing Time - for going wherever the posting bug takes her, even if it's a difficult or painful subject. And for maintaining a positive attitude overall.

Thanks again, Colette!

Tea & Life: Tea On Tap - Revised

Greetings, and welcome to the revised version of Tea On Tap. My own experience with tea and tea culture has "evolved" into something much larger than simply reviewing teas, and it's my hope that the new format here will be informative, interesting, and entertaining. Naturally I also hope that it will encourage people to steep themselves in tea culture, if you'll excuse the pun.

To me, the culture surrounding tea is something special. It's not just the community, though that's a big part of it. It's not just the beverage either. It's everything together - leaves, water, teaware, preparation, history, mindfulness and people, all coming together in a symbiotic relationship that promotes peace, health, and thoughtful living, even in the midst of chaos.

Sometimes it's difficult though to see how all of those things can fit into a normal, everyday life. Stress, deadlines, family drama and even housework can take over, leaving little time to enjoy the slower, more contemplative state that a cup of tea can foster. Learning how to find tea culture in small moments throughout the day is what I strive for, and what I hope to share on Mondays with the new "Tea & Life" Topic.

On Wednesdays, "Tea People" will be featured in a weekly interview of tea companies, bloggers, and anyone else I happen to come across with an affinity for tea. And Friday's "Tea On Tap" posts will feature a roundup of interesting blog posts and articles for the week, as well as a log of my tea drinking for the week. If I should come across a tea that stirs me to a review, I'll post those occasionally on an unscheduled day.

On Sundays, "Tea Tales" will feature a new piece of tea-themed writing to enjoy with a cuppa, either short fiction or poetry. If you would like to submit work for possible inclusion, send me an email with the piece included in the body and I'll get back to you within a couple of days. I'll post a link to your web site or blog, and you'll retain all rights, of course.

I'm excited about this new format - please feel free to comment or drop me a line at any time, and thank you for sharing this journey with me.

Correction & Tea Contest

First off, Georgia, I have to apologize. I said you won Dragonwell tea, when in fact, it was the Ceylon tea up for grabs. I do hope that's okay - please email me if not, and we'll work something out. So sorry for the confusion!!

Lastly, thanks to those who took the time to comment about the "ID That Tea" contest. Since it doesn't seem to be too much of a problem with contestants, I'll continue with it this month, and post a disclaimer. New photo to be posted Friday, to win another tin of tea at the end of the month!

New review tomorrow - stay tuned...

ID That Tea: Winner!

Congratulations to....Georgia, from Notes on Tea! You are the winner of this month's "ID That Tea" contest. If you'll email me your address (jdebree8@gmail.com), I'll get your tin of Dragonwell from Andrews & Dunham sent out this weekend.

Thanks to everyone for entering - the correct answer for last week's photo was Emerald needle, a green tea, rather than a darjeeling or white. Sorry Nathan!

Now for an important question. Not being particularly fond of the idea that someone might take offense to contest results (not this time, but at some point in time), I'm asking for everyone's opinion before we continue. Are the photos I'm posting of sufficient quality to allow for an informed "guess" as to which tea might be portrayed? If not, I can do one of two things:

1. Discontinue the contest.
2. Post a disclaimer on each post.

I do this same type of contest on another blog, but it's random items, so vague answers are perfectly acceptable. But we're talking about tea here, and I'm worried that people may say "well I could have guessed that if the picture were clearer, or the color better, or..." I'm sure you get my drift.

So please let me know your opinion on this, and I'll figure out how to proceed from there. No, I'm not going to take a photo class just for clearer tea pictures.

Congrats again, Georgia - I know you're going to enjoy this tea!

ID That Tea

Can you ID this tea?
Just for fun - every Friday I'll post a picture or pictures of a tea (wet and/or dry leaves, sometimes the brew). Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to leave a comment and tell me what kind of tea it is (black, white, green...oolong, puerh, etc). Everyone who guesses correctly will be entered into a drawing to be held monthly for - a tin of tea, of course!

Because this is the first week, everyone who leaves a guess will be entered. Next week guesses will have to be correct in order to earn a drawing entry. The drawing will be held on April 29th, with the winner to be announced on the 30th.

This month's drawing prize will be announced sometime next week - watch for it in the sidebar to the left.

Good luck!

Fujian Baroque from Adagio Teas

Scent in tin: Like sweet chocolate-covered raisins, with just a hint of fermentation
Ratio: 1 tsp leaves: 12 oz. tap water
Steeped: 5 min.@ 212 degrees (boiling)


This tea is smooth, rich, and malty, with almost a “creamy” background note. There is a slight astringency on the tongue, and a light coating left behind that is quite pleasant. The flavor is carries a hint of yeast, almost an “aged” note. It’s a sweeter brew, with chocolate undertones that roll over the palate. Excellent flavor and texture – very luxurious in a dark, nearly opaque liquor. Coffee lovers will probably enjoy this as well.Admit it – you thought it was an April fool’s joke that I was posting again today, didn’t you? :-)

Stop back in on Friday for the first weekly “ID That Tea” contest…

Resuming Posts - hooray!

Yep, I'm back. Probably just once per week, but I miss this little tea blog, and don't want to see it just stagnate away. I have teas to review, teaware to show, and things to learn, I'm sure. I think Wednesdays will be my tea blog days...so look for a new post later this week.

Gifts, Packaging and Travel Mugs

Greetings, fellow tea lovers. Long time no write...

One of my dogs was diagnosed with a fairly serious disease last month, which of course turned into a very costly and time consuming affair to get her stabilized and on the road to recovery. You can read all about it on her Dogster page (scroll down to "her" diary). What does this have to do with tea? Well, nothing, really - just a justification for the fact that I haven't even really been tasting tea much, even though I drink it daily (two travel mugs daily, in fact). There's been a lot of other things on my mind, frankly.

I did get tea for Christmas though - some of the same Harney & Son's Holiday blend that I was giving out, ironically enough. I also got a Republic of Tea "Spicy Chocolate Mint" which is excellent, and a round tin "tower" of "Gypsy" teas that included a Raspberry Earl Grey (a bit on the light side, but tasty), and green, white and herbal teas I haven't tried yet. I love the tin though, and it will be perfect for seed saving when it's empty.

Which brings me to some issues I've been thinking through with regards to my buying habits. I've been trying to avoid unnecessary plastic lately, partically to be more eco-friendly, and partially to avoid any potentially bad health effects from storing/preparing food in plastic containers. This means that I no longer am content to buy tea in plastic storage bags or containers, even if it happens to be better quality (the irony of that is, better quality tea really "deserves" better quality containers anyways, don't you think?). So I'm now limiting my tea purchases to companies that sell tea in tins, rather than plastic or non-recyclable foil packaging. I would prefer to pay a little more for the tin that can be reused and will eventually rust back into minerals and such than plastic which is here to stay forever (and rarely able to be recycled). Plus, I'm not risking the leaching of chemicals into my tea, and subsequently into my brew (as unlikely as that is, considering we don't generally steep tea in plastic bags).

As you might guess, this has severely limited my tea purchasing. Currently I have Adagio (thier tins have plastic lids, but it is hard plastic, and not really in contact with the tea much), Harney & Son's (always premium), and Republic of Tea (much maligned, but I've always enjoyed their flavored teas) on hand. If anyone out there has recommendations for other companies that sell their tea in tins, please do let me know!

Also, I'm looking for a good travel mug to replace the one I use to take tea back and forth to work with me. Anyone have a good "all stainless steel" or "mostly stainless" mug that they are just in love with? It doesn't have to be specifically "for tea" - I brew my tea at home before I leave, and just use a metal infuser I already have.

I do still have several teas at home just waiting for a review - perhaps I'll get a few done here in the next couple weeks.

Spoke Too Soon...

Ah yes - the folly of thinking I can do everything. Especially in the busiest months of the year for me. I do apologize for promising new posts, and then dropping the ball. For a long, long, looooong time. Sheesh.

The truth is, I've tasted a lot of teas since I started this blog. I've spent a lot of money buying teas that I will never have the chance to actually drink up, my stash is so huge. And while I will always enjoy tasting a few teas here and there as they cross my path, my appetite for buying and tasting dozens of different teas per month has waned.

So I'm unsure at how to proceed with this blog. It would be boring to write about (and for you to read) what tea I'm drinking on a daily basis, because having refined my tastes, I stick to a few varieties that I always enjoy for my daily needs, with a few others for special occasions or purposes. I'm not really buying teaware at the moment, partly due to storage issues, partly because I have all I need, and partly just because I have other places my money needs to be going at the moment.

I guess what I'm saying is, I feel like I have nothing to say, at least for now. I do have a few new teas coming to me this month that I'll be happy to write about, but it could be awhile before I order again.

So there you have it. An apology, and more questions than answers. No need to stress out though...if you feel so inclined, I'd love to know what *you* are drinking today...

Revisiting Puerh & the Return of Reviews

Greetings once again, to anyone who may still be lurking around. It's amazing to me that even through my summer absence, I still have visits registering to this site every week. I do hope the reviews and information are still helpful, or at least entertaining.

Naturally I'm still drinking tea daily - how could I not? My TriniTea machine has been invaluable for making tea for work, though I use more traditional teaware in the evenings. My husband recently gifted me with a beautiful green tetsubin pot after a business trip, and I'll admit, it's my favorite at the moment. I'll certainly post pictures of that eventually.

After a nice long break, I think I'm ready to return to reviews. Probably not daily, as I think that's why I burned out before, but weekly or even bi-weekly instead. Perhaps a new tea one day, and a "revisited" tea another?

I opened my teaware cabinet the other day to get a teapot, and the rich scent of puerh hit me full in the face, as it always does (my puerh "collection" is stored there as well). And I thought, what better way to ease back into the analytical spirit than to revisit my puerh collection?

So on Monday, Sept. 15th, Tea on Tap will reopen with a review of one of my puerh cakes, to see if I can taste any differences or nuances since I last tried it. Now if I can just remember where my puerh knife went...

Tea Nirvana

Dear Readers, I think it’s time for me to face the fact that I seem to have reached a sort of “tea nirvana” in my life. After having tasted many different teas and types of teas, I’ve developed definite likes and dislikes. While I will continue to try new teas here and there, I find that I have less of a desire to analyze them, and more of a desire to just drink and enjoy them at this point (which I still do daily). I’ve also reached the saturation point with my teaware – I have a lot of nice pieces, and while there are pieces I’d still like to acquire, my quest to live a less “consuming” lifestyle these days is at odds with those “wants”.

So this will be my last post, at least for quite some time. Perhaps in the fall when the whether gets cold, I’ll feel more analytical about what I’m drinking, but for now, I’m just going to sip and enjoy my tea without worrying about tasting notes and such. The blog will remain as a reference for anyone who might find it useful, and of course feel free to contact me anytime through the comments.

Happy sipping...

Where’s the Tea Review?

I know, I said today. I may need to just ease myself back into this whole posting thing though. Today I’m not drinking anything of spectacular importance, though the Doomi Estate Assam I had this morning was incredibly tasty (and I think there’s a review on it somewhere around here. The Starry Night I’m drinking this afternoon is tasty and vanilla (literally), and I think there’s a review up on it as well.

I’ve been drinking my way through the tea cabinet this past month, not buying anything new, just working my way through all the stuff I tried once or twice, and never got back to. Perhaps I’ll post some updates to teas I’ve already reviewed?

In any case, more tomorrow, I think.