Present Joys

Earl Grey Supreme. I always like to have an Earl Grey in my cabinet, but lately I’ve just been buying Upton’s perpetually-on-sale “Earl Grey Crème Caramel” blend. I’m kinda tired of it, so this time around I just got a normal blend.

Samovar OP-A Blend. This is some kind of new Upton blend. They claim it “can be infused for a long period without becoming bitter”, which intrigued me. It smells like a Keemun, and I’m thinking it’ll replace the Keemun in my weekly routine. At least for a while.

Singalila Estate SFTGFOP1. I always like to drink Nepal/Darjeeling-style tea on tuesday and thursday mornings! This is something new that should fit into that category nicely.

China Oolong Se Chung. I haven’t had oolong tea in my cabinet for a while! I’ll probably start taking this to school on monday and wednesday mornings, in place of the flavored green teas I’ve been drinking.

China Lapsang Souchong. I always like to have a lapsang souchong around for saturday mornings. I haven’t had a good China souchong for quite some time! I’ve been drinking the Formosa variant for the past few months, which has a much smokier flavor, so the China stuff will be an interesting change.

Organic Pai Mu Tan. I like drinking a plain white tea on friday mornings, since I don’t have to go into school that day and can usually spend more time on delicate brewing. I don’t think I’ve had any white tea since the spring, though, so this will be nice. Can’t go wrong with a pai mu tan.

It’s been three months since my last tea order, and I’m just about out of what I have! Time for some new summer teas. The theme for this order is low maintenance! Most of these teas will admirably take a beating. I can make a pot at 10am and finish drinking it at 5pm when it’s cold. Unfortunately, that’s how I roll in the summer.

Season’s Pick Keemun BOPF. “Season’s Pick” is code for “on sale”. I always like to have Keemun around, and since I bought a high grade last time, I figured I’d opt for something coarser this time around. Cheap Keemun is good cold, which is perfect for summer.

Lapsang Souchong. Until a few months ago, my cabinet was never without some kind of Lapsang Souchong, and I’d drink it every saturday morning, no exceptions. This february, I decided to take a little break from it. But I have missed it a lot and will be very happy to have it back in rotation.

No.1 Tippy Orthodox GFOP Darjeeling. I’m really not a Darjeeling connoisseur but this is a pretty safe bet. The most expensive tea I ordered this time around, but one of the least expensive Darjeelings.

Rose Congou. I ordered some of this last spring (originally discovered an alternative to Lychee tea) and really enjoyed it. It’s a somewhat astringent black tea with dried rose petals (which really do add a lot of flavor). Freakishly inexpensive: $3.90 for 125g!

Yunnan TGFOP. I haven’t had any Yunnans for a couple months and I’ve really missed them. This tea is unique among the rest of what I ordered because I’ll always put milk in this one. Good for when I want to pretend it isn’t summertime.

Summer Blend. According to my logs, I haven’t had this since aug 2009. It’s a great, refreshing black tea with juniper and bilberries. Really unique and delicious, but very sensitive to over-steeping.

I just got a new tea shipment from Upton Tea Imports, my favorite source for tea! It’s been just about three months since my last order, so I was in dire need. I tried to keep it pretty modest, though. Six new bags.

Gu Zhang Mao Jian Organic. A China green tea which I’ve never tried before. It sold out right after I placed my order, so I’m glad I was able to get some. If the flavor grabs me when I try it, I will report back.

Pai Mu Tan Imperial. I’ve always got to have some China white tea around for friday mornings, whether it be Silver Needle, Shou Mei, or a Pai Mu Tan. I just ran out of an old berry-flavored Pai Mu Tan—I ordered it on a whim and was pleasantly surprised, but even so I will be happy to have something naturally-flavored for a while. The Imperial part means the leaves are bolder, which is always a plus for me.

Season’s Pick Earl Grey Crème Vanilla. It’s still on sale, and I always like having some Earl Grey around to drink on sunday afternoons. The crème vanilla flavor was a little hard to get used to when I first tried this tea, but I quite like it now. The dairy flavor seems to cut the bergamot’s acidity. Good for long, unattended sunday afternoon steeps.

Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong 2nd Grade. Because I haven’t had a good, fresh tie-guan-yin in a long time, and I want to start taking it to school on mondays and wednesdays. The second grade part is because I don’t like tie-guan-yin quite enough for first grade!

Golden Nepal (Kanyam Estate). The last time I had a Nepalese black tea was years ago, and I don’t think my palate was quite mature enough to appreciate it. I’m quite excited about this new stuff; it was the first tea I drank of this new shipment and it’s delicious. Like a Darjeeling, but heartier. Have you noticed a theme here? I originally thought I’d take it to painting class on tuesdays and thursdays, but after realizing how delicate it is, I think I’ll just drink it at home. I’m currently taking a Golden Yunnan to painting, and the Nepal lacks the Yunnan’s brisk maltiness, something I can’t afford to give up when I’m painting!

China Keemun First Grade. The best of Upton’s standard Keemuns. I am becoming quite a Keemun connoisseur (I’ve still got two almost-finished Keemuns in my tea cabinet at the moment) so I figured I’d treat myself to the good stuff. And when you really think about it, 125 grams of good quality Keemun for $7.40 is cheaper than most any other beverage you could drink, short of tapwater. Tea is the best.