Tea and biscuits

December 20, 2020December 20, 2020

20 December F&M Darjeeling FTGFOP

In tea as in wine, challenging growing conditions often yield the most highly prized specimens. This champagne of teas, harvested from the foothills of the Himalayas, is one of the highest-grown teas, delivering a subtle Muscatel taste.

Tasting Notes:The champagne of teas, our Darjeeling Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe Tea – an incredibly high tea grade – is harvested from Himalayan bushes more than a century old. Smooth and drinkable, it is a perfect partner to sweet desserts like cheesecake or trifle.

I honestly don’t have the vocabulary for the way Darjeeling smells. Once you know it, you can’t forget it. Before I discovered Earl Grey I was in love with Darjeeling.

The taste is smooth. It has a honey like flavour (the one that was missing from the Royal Blend). The mouthfeel is slightly dry with a smooth finish.

I don’t think it tastes like Muscatel. But let’s find out what the internet says…

Describing Muscatel

Muscatel is an elusive taste found in some Darjeeling teas, most likely second flush teas. It is very hard to describe the taste in words, but it is easy to recognize the taste once you are familiar with it. James Norwood Pratt goes as far as saying that in tea, muscatel “denotes a unique muscat-like fruitiness in aroma and flavour.” Rajiv Lochan, owner of several tea gardens in India and CEO of Lochan Tea Ltd remarked that muscatel is “very difficult to describe but it is something extraordinary and rare.”

Check out the link for how people describe the taste. I’d say the aftertaste is more like “I ate some grapes hours ago and haven’t brushed my teeth yet so the flavour sort of lingers”.

This cup gets 5 out of 5 fancy grapes. Hipster Wife?

When I think back on my life and how long I have been a tea drinker, I am surprised actually that I don’t have a more evolved palette for tea. I have had a few really good Darjeeling teas in the past. Nothing stands out though.

I really liked this cup. It was mellow to me and I was mellow when I drank it. I didn’t catch any of the elusive muscatel flavoring.

Totally unrelated to it, when I was growing up (In California) Muscatel is often named for streets or a call community in Fresno. So when I hear it, it cracks me up because we bought my Girl Scout uniform from a place off Muscatel.

That makes it sound a bit shady. “We got it from this place offa Muscatel.”

Anyway, it’s a good cup of tea. But it doesn’t scream Christmas to me, and to be honest its just boring. Maybe that’s a good thing though.

5 out 5 Muscatels.

December 19, 2020December 16, 2020

Adagio Day 19 Gingerbread

Premium black tea from Sri Lanka flavored with sweet gingerbread. Both Gingerbread men and women agree: this unique tea is the perfect addition to any house (gingerbread or regular). A comforting old-world treat, delicious in any season. Warm and cozy, perfect sweetened or not.

Black Tea | High caffeine | Steep at 212° for 3 minutes.

Ingredients & Lore: Blended With Black Tea, Natural Gingerbread Flavor, Cinnamon, Orange & Ginger

Americans may like Asian foods with a hit of ginger root but we LOVE it sweetened in cookies, cakes, tea breads, and pies (pumpkin, anyone?) Can you imagine the holidays without gingerbread cookies or a decorated gingerbread house? Ginger is available fresh in its root form in the produce market (make sure to smell it for its shape is similar to ginseng and the more orangey turmeric)! You can also buy it powdered or granulated for baking or cooking. The root itself can also be cooked and rolled in sugar for a spicy candy.

I’m going to kick this off with my random rant against gingerbread houses. You can’t eat them. You’ve touched them all over. You’ve likely licked your fingers and kept touching the hard cookies and the candies and the icing… *shudder* You probably did this as a fun project with children. Children who are not good at hygiene. I’m a mom and an aunt. I know kids. Ew. Perhaps y’all will come around to my way of thinking after this pandemic and give up on your gross food art.

Let’s question the ingredients… shall we? “Gingerbread Flavor” would be what exactly? Why not blend black tea with ginger root and spices. Maybe look for a natural molasses flavor? Who makes these decisions?

Okay… again I’m delaying this cup. Let’s drink!

Smells sus. Like rooibos.

Steeped it smells like black tea. Okay. Good. Maybe…

Thank GOD it doesn’t taste like it smelled dry.

The black tea is good. Not dry or bitter. The flavouring is there, but not overpowering. It doesn’t quite smell like molasses and ginger. In normal times I make soft gingerbread cookies and gingerbread loaves. The best parts are the dark molasses and the freshly grated ginger root. And I like to add a dash of black pepper.

I have to say this tea is nice. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 iced, soft gingerbread cookies.

December 19, 2020December 16, 2020

19 December F&M Gin & Tonic Tea

Enjoy a G&T without the consequences. We’ve combined green tea with real juniper berries and handpicked botanicals including coriander, fennel and lemon balm to create our refreshing Gin & Tonic Tea topped off with fresh lime and cucumber. All that’s missing is the gin itself.

Every silky tea bag is specially packed in an envelope to be enjoyed anywhere at anytime.

For something cool and refreshing this summer, try this tea iced. Simply brew your tea for 3-4 minutes in a jug or teapot. Once it’s double the usual strength, strain and pour over a jug of ice. Add more ice if required and decorate with fruit pieces. All that’s left is to get sipping!

Green Tea (54%), Liquorice Root, Juniper Berries (11%), Gin Flavouring (5%), Sweet Blackberry Leaves, Coriander Seed, Lime Peel (3%), Tonic Flavouring (2%), Angelica Root, Bergamot Flavouring

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/gin-tonic-tea-15-silky-tea-bags

Because gin isn’t something I keep on hand, enjoy my photo of amaretto in my etched glass 221B Baker Street carafe and Sherlock glasses. My other bff and brother of my heart is a skilled etcher. He turned a very boring (and stupidly expensive) set of Tiffany crystal tumblers into a set Sherlock silhouette collector items. And he made me this awesome carafe to coordinate.

It looks like they only offer this one in silky tea bags.

The bag smells like juniper and licorice. While steeping it has a slight citrus scent (hello lime peel and bergamot flavouring).

It tastes like lime and juniper. The licorice is subtle and adds sweetness. Overall this cup is mellow and slightly sweet. Absolutely full of flavour. As the cup goes on the lime comes through strong.

I don’t think I’ve ever had gin. I know I’ve not had a gin and tonic. As I can’t drink bubbles, it won’t be something I’ll ever have.

December 18, 2020December 16, 2020

Adagio Day 18 Rooibos Nutcracker

Rooibos Nutcracker

(AKA: The tea Kara Hates)

How suite it is! Limited-edition holiday herbal features rooibos with fruit, nuts, caramel, and cocoa. Smooth, rich flavors offer natural sweetness and depth. This is the ideal blend to sip by the tree, on a snowy winter’s evening.

Herbal Tea | No caffeine | Steep at 212° for 5 minutes.

Ingredients & Lore: Blended With Rooibos Tea, Apple Pieces, Cocoa Nibs, Natural Caramel Flavor, Marigold Flowers, Natural Hazelnut Flavor, Blue Cornflowers & Natural Chestnut Flavor

A must-see holiday fare for generations, Peter Tschaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” is a ballet with charm, sweetness, and surprise that never fails to delight, especially when the wooden soldier comes to life. The ballet is an adaptation of the 1816 Christmas story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. What better way to extend the joy of the theater than to sip this toasty rooibos with apple, hazelnut and chestnut flavors, creamy caramel and an edge of cocoa. Its pretty with a sprinkling of marigold petals and blue cornflowers are sure to send everyone to dreamland. P.S. Santa will love it!

My nutcracker collection is in storage in the basement and I am NOT getting them out

Rooibos. FML. Before we drink this let’s get random.

For reasons I don’t understand, I have a nutcracker collection. Perhaps I was hot for Baryshnikov as a young teen. Perhaps I was caught spinning around the living room listening to Tchaikovsky while helping mom decorate for Christmas. I honestly have no idea. But my mother decided that I needed to collect nutcrackers.

Mum thinks we need to collect things. (looks around at all my Pagan statuary and art… oops) When I was a baby it started with spoons. Christening spoon. My first sets of baby spoons and forks. And then spoons from places we went. Family would travel and bring me back spoons. I hate them. But people put a lot of effort and love into the collection, so I have this heavy sense of guilt when I think of getting rid of them.

She also gave us a small gift every Sunday of Advent. A paper calendar, an ornament, holiday socks… something to mark the countdown to Christmas. Then she got it in her head that we needed to get a gift on Epiphany. And I got nutcrackers. For decades. They are wrapped in bubble wrap in a big bin. I also can’t get rid of these for the guilt.

https://nutcrackerballetgifts.com/products/soldier-pride-nutcracker-in-rainbow-colors-waving-rainbow-pride-flag-12-inch

I’ve had many mothers of Jewish friends ask if I was sure I wasn’t Jewish with the all the guilt I have. One friend’s mom decided to take me under her wing and I spent a summer going to the country club with her, sitting poolside drinking diet cokes and gossiping about her friends kids… who I went to school with. It was all very weird.

Can you tell I’m reluctant to make this cup?

SIGH. let’s go. Big girl panties on. We can do this.

Out of the bag it smells nutty. Like hazelnuts. While it’s steeping it smells … unpleasant. The nutty smells are in the back. The smells up front are of burnt paper.

Sipping… help… it smells nice (surprise!) but still like burnt paper. It tastes okay – a bit like caramel and nuts. The apple and cocoa are not coming through.

Woah. I drank the whole mug. It was… not terrible.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. LOL

I’m giving this 4 out of 5 pairs of Baryshnikov’s tights.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/232216924507853514/

December 18, 2020December 16, 2020

18 December F&M Chai

Fortnum’s Chai Loose Tea is made following an ancient recipe where black tea is infused with Indian herbs and spices to produce a warm, soothing drink that will satisfy and please. Enjoy this luxurious blend with a dash of milk for an experience truly exquisite.

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/chai-tea-250g-loose-leaf-caddy

Tea, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Cumin, Coriander, Star Anise, Fennel

Hmmm… the spices here aren’t strong. “Tea”. No kidding. “Black tea”. Again, no kidding. WHERE DID YOU GET THE LEAVES FROM?? THIS IS IMPORTANT INFORMATION.

Steeped the smell of the spices is still not strong. There is an almost turmeric scent. That might be the cumin. It smells like a curry blend and not the usual spice mix I am used to in a chai.

What spices are in a curry powder? Generally turmeric, chili powder, coriander, cumin, ginger, pepper.

This is different, it is neither bad nor good based on my previous experiences with chai.

I might prefer this for it’s total lack of cardamom.

Half way through this cup there is almost a honey taste that comes through. This is so nice I don’t want to add dairy.

5 out of 5 Indian Goddesses for this gem!

December 17, 2020December 16, 2020

Adagio Day 17 Earl Grey Bella Luna

Earl Grey Bella Luna brings the light of the full moon to your cup. Robust Earl Grey shines with familiar bergamot notes, highlighted by a soft glow of coconut and cream. Rich, bright, and well-rounded, this tea is not to be missed… but it only rises once a month, so don’t miss out!

Please note – we operate on EST. This tea is available for 24 hours the day of each full moon. We kindly ask customers in timezones other than EST, to please account for the time difference when purchasing. Thanks!

Black Tea | High caffeine | Steep at 212° for 3-5 minutes.

Ingredients & Lore: Blended With Black Tea, Coconut, Blue Cornflowers, Natural Coconut Flavor, Natural Bergamot Flavor & Natural Creme Flavor

Once in a blue moon is a term used to describe something that doesn’t happen very often. In reality, a blue moon can happen either when there is an extra full moon in a year (which happens every 2.5-3 years) or whenever there is a second full moon within a single calendar month (sorry February), so they might not be as rare as you think. But blue or no, there is one word we can always use to describe our favorite satellite: beautiful. Hence, the name of this equally beautiful tea, Bella Luna.

Jar of what I currently own to show my love for this tea

*tingles with excitement* My second favorite Adagio Earl Grey! Such a lovely treat. It’s been a while since I’ve had a cup of this glorious blend. My go-to Earl Grey is Moonlight (hello… did you see my screen name?)

The creamy scent and flavour – a combination of the coconut and creme – make this such a smooth cup. The bergamot is in the aftertaste. After several sips it sits upon the tongue letting you know it is an Earl Grey. It isn’t quite like an orange creamsicle.

I’m so happy to have a cup I’m familiar with. I hope that people who got this calendar and discover it for the first time become fans.

5 out of 5 full moons every month.

December 17, 2020December 16, 2020

17 December F&M Royal Blend

In this classic Royal Blend notes of Flowery Pekoe from Ceylon uplift the maltier Assam to create a very traditional cup of tea. First blended for King Edward in 1902, Fortnum’s Royal Blend has been popular ever since for its smooth, honey-like flavour.

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/royal-blend-tea-250g-loose-leaf-caddy

Another duplicate. Made a mug instead of a cup today. I can finally taste that honey-like flavour. It’s nice.

Thanks for coming!

Since there was so little to say about this cup again, here is my sarcophagus ready for Christmas.

December 16, 2020

16 December Fortum & Mason Genmaicha

This Genmaicha is a Japanese blend of green tea and roasted brown rice, from the renowned Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. This wonderful savoury and roasted tea is perfect for afternoon or anytime sipping. This Genmaicha is beautifully presented in our miniature Classic World Tin. Brew using our Kinto Kyusu black or white porcelain teapot.

did you know? Genmaicha translates as ‘Brown Rice Tea’ and is traditionally known as ‘People’s Tea’, this expression is from when the price of tea was prohibitively high and with the addition of rice, enabled the tea to be more affordable.

Ingredients: Green Tea (50%), Roasted Rice (50%)

This smells like burnt Rice Krispies. I don’t recall the rice blends we drank before smelling quite like this. Was it Adagio? Popcorn tea, I think.

*Adagio was just like this to me. Burnt rice crispies is totally correct.*

It tastes like rice. It has a nutty flavour. Because the base is a green tea, set your kettle to about 180F.

It’s nice, but not usual. Not a cup I normally drink. It would be easy to drink this every day. It’s not offensive. The flavour is good.

2020 has me happy it’s a green tea and not fruit infusion or something smelling of roses. What is wrong with my tea life?

But, nope. This is just grass water with burnt rice crispies. Why did they make it start with a K? I hate that.

I wouldn’t drink this. I didn’t drink it past the two sips I forced myself to take.

I am not giving it anything because while it’s crap to me, I could see someone who doesn’t hate green tea enjoying this. Even if they don’t like their cereal set on fire. It’s just literally not my cup of tea.

December 16, 2020December 5, 2020

Adagio Day 16 Chocolate Truffle

Like taking a bite out of a velvety smooth chocolate confection, our Chocolate Truffle tea is truly a chocolate lover’s dream. Our rich black tea is blended with cocoa nibs, chicory, chocolate chips, and even a dash of cocoa powder to create our most lusciously decadent indulgence yet.

Black Tea | High caffeine | Steep at 212° for 3 minutes.

Ingredients & Lore: Blended With Black Tea, Cocoa Nibs, Natural Chocolate Flavor, Chicory, Dark Chocolate Chips, Cocoa & Blue Cornflowers https://www.adagio.com/flavors/chocolate_truffle.html

The world of chocolate lovers owes much to Mesoamerican cultures of Inca, Maya, and Aztec, and also to conqueror Hernán Cortés. who returned to Spain from Mexico with cacao beans. Spain prospered, primarily because they figured out how to add vanilla, cane sugar, and spices to make this bitter drink a sweet confection. The Italians, Swiss, and French applied their culinary expertise to the bean, but not immediately for Spain kept cacao to themselves for a century! Like all great things, chocolate couldn’t be hidden forever, and chocolate is available worldwide for its satiny flavor and tantalizing fragrance.

Um… did they just say the world owes so much to a conquistador? *waits for the anti-colonial protesters to start shouting* While it’s true, do we really want to phrase things that way in 2020, Adagio? Don’t the Millennials and Zennials that work for you put a stop to this?

Woah, the Spanish kept cacao to themselves for a hundred years? LOL … My DNA came back Spanish, French and Italian so I feel this in my marrow and can laugh at it.

Dry – smells good. No sus ingredients listed. I’m feeling positive as it is steeping.

Steeped – it smells like a tootsie roll. PLEASE DON’T TASTE LIKE GRANDMA AGAIN.

Sniff – smells chocolaty, but it tastes just like black tea and chicory.

Chickroy gives off a bit of a coffee feeling. I read an article once years and years ago talking about the history of it. The scene was a diner during wartime (WWI? WWII?) and a gentleman ordered a cup of coffee at the counter. As the waitress went to pour him a cup, he said “none of that chicory, I want real coffee”. Turns out, this has been common practice for a long time.

https://www.themanual.com/culture/chicory-coffee-history/

Half way through this cup I’ve decided to add half and half. With the dairy the taste is more like a black tea. The tootsie roll/chocolate is subtle but present with the dairy.

Overall it’s a nice cup. Not overly chocolaty. If you need a little chocolate fix – have a cup of this!

As an addition to this post I thought I’d share my fave vegan dark chocolate recipe. Why vegan? Because it’s one I found years ago and love. Don’t read anything into that. Seriously. I’m not vegan.

1 cup melted refined coconut oil

3 tablespoons cocoa powder (I like Hershey’s Special Dark)

3 tablespoons of honey (you could also use agave or whatever sweetener you like)

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt (I always have kosher on hand. use whatever you like)

cacao nibs (some. I never measure it.)

I whip this up with a wire whisk and lay it out on wax paper on a small cookie sheet. Refrigerate or freeze until solid. Break into chunks and keep in the fridge or freezer.

December 15, 2020December 5, 2020

Adagio Day 15 Honeybush Blueberry Pancake

(So much wtf per cup.)

Staying in? Pajamas on? We have just the tea for you! Juicy blueberries and the yummy taste of maple syrup blended with our naturally sweet Honeybush tea make for a delicious anytime breakfast treat. Settle in and binge watch – Honeybush Blueberry Pancake tea has you covered!

Herbal Tea | No caffeine | Steep at 212° for 5 minutes.

Ingredients & Lore: Blended With Honeybush Tea, Rose Hips, Apple Pieces, Maple Flavor, Blueberries, Natural Blueberry Flavor, Blue Cornflowers & Vanilla Creme Flavor

Want a Sunday morning breakfast on Wednesday? Sip a luxurious cup of Honeybush Blueberry Pancake and offer gratitude that this native North American fruit, the blueberry has survived for centuries to be a favorite snack and addition to pastries, but did you know it helps sharpen the brain and fights disease with plenty of antioxidants? Honeybush Blueberry Pancake’s caffeine-free leaves hold a honeyed fragrance and sweet taste enhanced by the flavoring of maple, a pancake staple. Added to that are vanilla creme, delicate rose hips, apple pieces, and of course, real blueberries.

FYI, 15 Dec 2020 is a Tuesday. And we can eat pancakes anytime. It’s freaking 2020.

I really dislike honeybush. Two cups in a row seems excessive.

Oh, this smells really good. The blueberry is strong. Real blueberries and natural blueberry flavor. Alrighty. And it smells sweet.

Steeped the honeybush taste is strong. No me gusto. The maple flavor makes it bearable.

This would be better as an infusion. I’m not sure these ingredients would work with a black tea base.

3 out of 5 blueberry pancakes for this one. Mostly for all the ingredients that aren’t honeybush.

Does it belong in the calendar? Sure. pancakes don’t have a season.

Do I have anything random to say… I won’t put imitation maple syrup on anything. The real stuff is more expensive, but worth it.