I know we can't all have the same taste but I honestly don't understand why this seems to be popular with everyone except me! It's a Lapacho with Orange and Vanilla - all three individual ingredients I really like, but altogether it's really not doing it for me. In fact 'plain' Lapacho is one of my favourites: woody, slightly spicy and just a little bitter. For me the additional flavour just gives it that icecream-y vibe: #notafan
Another afternoon at Backlit so a flask full of Darjeeling Makaibari FTGFOP is my #teaoftheday. Traditionally Darjeelings are black (fully-fermented) but this is unfermented (green tea). Also uncommonly this tea is a result of organic production so it's doubly unusual. Hand rolled and sun dried leaves from the oldest estate in Darjeeling, brewed at 85°c for 3 minutes produced a bright amber liquor which managed to be earthy and zesty at the same time
Today is Qing Ming Jie in China. In English it's called Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day. This Lanxi Mao Feng green tea is only picked within a 45 day period before the festival so.I picked it for my#teaoftheday Only one bud and one leaf are plucked, then hand-rolled and 'baked' to prevent fermentation. Prepared at 80° and brewed for 2.5 mins, the wiry leaves produce a delicate yellow-green cup which is soft and grassy. Really delicate, but still with plenty of character.
Today's #teaoftheday was an English Breakfast tea courtesy of First Tuesday at Antenna. I love tea and drink gallons of the stuff, it was hot, wet, and hit the spot. If I had to be critical it was unremarkable and inoffensive but sometimes a teabag in a mug is exactly what's called for.
I'm lucky to have some lovely tea friends. As a result, today's tea of the day is one which was sent to me as a gift with a magazine called Global Tea Hut. It's called Temple Mist and is a Mao Feng green tea from Wu Liang mountain in Yunnan. The dry leaves smell super grassy. When brewed (I used 80°c) it's initially quite savoury but by the time I'd finished, it had developed a natural sweetness. Absolutely lovely.
Day 98 in my #yearoftea takes me to one of the most popular beverages in South America . Yerba Mate is made from crushed holly leaves and is an integral part of that continent's culture. Traditionally it's brewed in a hollowed gourd and bombilla(metal straw) and passed around the assembled friends. It tastes like charred wood: bitter and smokey and would definitely be described as an 'acquired taste'. I added honey and much preferred it that way. Although it's a herbal tea, it's caffeinated so not ideal for a night time drink.
At the end of what feels like quite a long week, I had a need for a 'normal' tea (for the benefit of non-UK readers, that"s one with milk) . This one's only just back in stock after an absence of a few of months. A Kenyan Broken Pekoe, robust and full of flavour - malty with a really rich aftertaste. I've yet to try a Kenyan tea that I don't love and this is no exception.
