By Golly, Ollie!

  • Finding Elegance in a Cup of Assam

    Finding Elegance in a Cup of Assam

    Assam tea is a staple in my stash. No specific vendor, no specific estate— just something labeled “Assam” that produces a consistent, stick-to-your-ribs malty tea, which I dress up with milk and sugar. It’s never been anything special, but it always offers a certain kind of comfort— especially on cold winter mornings. Enter the Harmutty Estate Assam STGFOP (which is just a fancy way of saying “the good stuff”) from Chado Tea. It has challenged every experience I’ve had with Assam tea.

    The Harmutty Estate Assam appears to be small, uniform leaves, that are fine, curly, and charcoal-brown colored. I also noticed plenty of downy, golden buds scattered throughout the bag. The dry tea smells sweet and malty— just what I would expect from an Assam— and, after tossing the leaves in a warm vessel, I notice the smell of raisins, too.

    But, this is where my experience deviates from all of the Assam teas I have tasted. On a whim I decided not to add milk and sugar like usual. (Really, I should be waiting to dress up tea until after tasting them plain anyway, but old habits and whatnot.) Instead of a malty and fairly astringent cup of tea demanding to be tamed with milk, the Harmutty Estate Assam was smooth and malty with aromas of dates and raisins. It was rich and full-bodied, and while it could certainly stand up to milk and sugar, I was perfectly content to sip without any additions to the cup.

    I re-steeped the leaves a second time, and I found the tea still flavorful. It was malty, for sure, but any fruit aromas dissipated into something floral (but fleeting).

    I always considered Assam tea to be the “meat and potatoes” of the tea world— hearty but nothing fancy, yet always suitable for delivering warmth and caffeine in the morning. But, the Harmutty Estate Assam is something more. Its sweet, fruity aromas made it feel elegant, like something I might serve at Afternoon Tea.

    For all of the Assam junkies out there— which Assam teas are your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

    Already tried the Harmutty Assam from Chado Tea Room? Why not check out these tasTEA recommendations:

    Disclosure: the Harmutty Estate Assam was provided to me free for PR purposes. My thoughts and opinion of this tea are ever my own.

  • Five Earl Grey Teas to Keep You Cozy

    Five Earl Grey Teas to Keep You Cozy

    When I first started my tea journey a decade ago, I was most excited about tasting Earl Grey. I thought this simple blend of black tea and bergamot oil was the kind of thing tea connoisseurs and true tea heads sipped. I was ecstatic when I found a box of Twinings at a World Market! I thought I had found loot, though I would soon discover Twinings lined the tea aisle in every grocery store. My initial perception of Earl Grey is laughable now, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart and room in my tea cabinet for this blend. I find a special sort of comfort in the tea, especially as the temperatures start to drop, so here are five Earl Grey blends I’m keeping cozy with this Autumn.

    Lavender Earl Grey from Seafoam Lavender

    Lavender Earl Grey from Soafoam Lavender is a blend of black tea, lavender buds, and bergamot oil and extract

    I love a lavender-scented Earl Grey. (Especially when they are sent from the very best, far away tea friends– thanks Jann!) This soothing, floral blend always makes me feel a little more proper when I sip it, and I like to pretend I’m sitting in a little English garden instead of my cluttered kitchen in Michigan. This blend from Seafoam Lavender is especially nice because, while flowers can be a tricky and over-powering ingredient to work with, Seafoam Lavender found a perfect balance, and neither the bergamot nor the lavender compete with each other. This is a blend I like to sip on the greyest of days to remind me Spring will come again.

    Vanilla Creme Earl Grey

    Vanilla Creme Earl Grey from California Tea House is a blend of Assam, Ceylon, Nilgiri tea, bergamot oil, vanilla bean, and cornflower petals.

    A vanilla flavored Earl Grey, like a lavender Earl Grey, frequents my stash. The warmth of the vanilla is a perfect contrast to the bright and citrusy bergamot. Most Vanilla Earl Greys that come into my collection are blended with vanilla flavoring, but this blend from California Tea House has actual vanilla beans in it. This one is perfect to warm up with after coming out of the cold, and is it just me? Or does this one taste slightly boozy but in the best way, too?

    Winter Earl Grey from DAVIDsTEA*

    Winter Earl Grey from DAVIDsTEA is a blend of black tea, pink peppercorn, white tea, natural vanilla flavoring, natural creme flavoring, blue cornflowers, bergamot oil, and natural orange flavoring.

    This seasonal blend from DAVIDsTEA is similar to the Vanilla Creme Earl Grey, but the creme factor is dialed way, way up. This blend also includes orange flavoring alongside the usual bergamot oil, which add an extra layer of soft and sweet citrus. Oh, and did I mention there are also pink peppercorns in the Winter Earl Grey? They add an interesting peppery element, which makes this blend one of the more unique Earl Greys I have tried. I find myself reaching for this one the most, right now.

    *At the time of writing this post, the Winter Earl Grey is not available on the DAVIDsTEA website. I happened to snag a bag early because I am a Frequent Steeper. Keep your eye out for this one though. It’s worth tasting!

    Earl Grey Bella Luna from Adagio Teas

    Earl Grey Bella Luna from Adagio Teas is a blend of Black Tea, coconut, blue cornflowers, natural coconut flavoring, natural bergamot flavoring, and natural creme flavoring

    This is one of those blends I forget about because it only fits in the back of my tea cupboard (out of sight, out of mind). But, anytime someone mentions it, I’m crawling on countertops and dismantling perfectly stacked tins of fandom teas to reach for it. The Bella Luna Earl Grey is a brisk but indulgent coconut creme-flavored Earl Grey, and it is only available during the full moon.

    Winter White Earl Grey from Harney & Sons

    Winter White Earl Grey from Harney & Sons is a blend of white tea, bergamot oil, and natural flavoring

    Sometimes a girl just wants to sip her Earl Grey in the afternoon but also still wants to fall asleep at a reasonable hour and not three o’clock in the morning. For that, Harney & Sons offers an Earl Grey that is blended with white tea instead of black tea. It’s a little softer and a little sweeter, but it still hits the spot when I’m craving that pop of bergamot.

    If you follow me on any of my other channels, you may be surprised to find this white tea blend on my list. I am too! But, I love the soft citrus flavor of the bergamot oil, and it pairs well with the subtle floral and sweet grass aromas of the white tea. Like the Lavender Earl Grey, the Winter White Earl Grey makes me feel a little more proper. Like, I’d like to sip it while reading Pride and Prejudice along an idyllic riverbank in the English countryside.

    Are you a fan of Earl Grey too? Tell me about your favorite Earl Grey blends in the comments!

  • Butterscotch Chai from DAVIDSTEA

    Butterscotch Chai from DAVIDSTEA

    Following my Celebration of Autumn with DAVIDsTEA YouTube series, I couldn’t resist placing another order with the company to buy more of their Pumpkin Chai and Salted Caramel Oolong. Then, I found myself tempted by several new and re-released chai blends because who doesn’t like warming up with a spicy chai latte when the temperatures start to drop? Butterscotch Chai. Baked Apple Chai. Maple Chai. Cinnamon Bun Chai. How is a lady to choose?

    The answer: She doesn’t. She lets her husband choose, and when he selects Butterscotch Chai, she’s quietly disappointed he didn’t choose Cinnamon Bun Chai.

    I can see small pieces of amber-colored rooibos mixed with large chunks of tropical fruits, whole green cardamom pods, sugar crystals that look like gems, and small flakes of blackberry leaves and ginger root. The blend is a feast for the eyes, as DAVIDsTEA blends usually are. The scent of the dry tea is buttery and sugary sweet cardamom, but I don’t think it smells much like butterscotch. Once steeped, the blend produces an orange-colored liquor that reminds me of butterscotch pudding and smells like sweet cardamom and spiced wood.

    Tasting Notes

    There are elements of this blend that I really appreciate. First, I love the spiciness of the Butterscotch Chai. The inclusion of black pepper adds a satisfying heat factor to this tea that has me going back for more sips. Also, DAVIDsTEA delivers on the “butter” aspect of butterscotch in a way other brands have not achieved. Seriously, I am in love with their natural butter flavoring. It’s subtle. You may even almost miss it. But there it is, right at the end of a sip– a slab of unsalted, melty butter coating the tongue. I noticed the same flavor and sensation in their Maple Syrup Oolong, a blend inspired by maple syrup drenched buckwheat pancakes, and I think it is spectacular attention to detail.

    But then, the blend starts to fall apart for me…And, okay…I’m not going to lie. A major factor in this is because what I was really searching for was a tea that tasted like liquid Werther’s Original, but I’ve jut found out those are caramel-flavored and not butterscotch-flavored. My whole life is a lie. Instead, the blend is buttery sweet with a subtle bitterness and flavor that I associate with molasses followed by a hint of cardamom.

    And while on the subject of sweetness, between the sugar, the fruit pieces, the sweet blackberry leaves, and the stevia extract, Butterscotch Chai was too sweet for my personal tastes. I think to get the full Butterscotch Chai experience, you need to drink it sweetened. However, I think the degree of sweetness is such a personal preference, so I would have much preferred to add my own sweetener. I also don’t love the flavor of stevia. I don’t always notice it imparting flavor in a DAVIDsTEA blend– the Vanilla Cappuccino blend comes to mind. But, I did notice it in the Butterscotch Chai.

    Interestingly, turning the Butterscotch Chai into a latte (or just adding a spot of milk), which is how I usually sip my spiced chai, doesn’t work for me either. It cuts down on the sweetness, which I appreciate, but it also mutes the flavor in general. The spice is still there, but the buttery flavor that makes this blend unique is missing.

    Overall, Butterscotch Chai from DAVIDsTEA is a miss for me, but it reminds me of those awkward breakups that start with, “it’s not you…it’s me…”. (Has anyone outside the movies actually ever heard that line?) I went into this experience looking for a certain flavor profile, and the Butterscotch Chai wasn’t it. The cloying sweetness and flavor of Stevia didn’t help either. This blend actually tastes quite similar to another one of DAVIDsTEA’s sugared and spiced rooibos blends– Monster Mash– so, if you’re already a fan of that blend, Butterscotch Chai might tickle your tastebuds.

    Oh, and what did my husband think of this blend? He genuinely liked it! But, when I told him Werther’s Original was caramel and not butterscotch, he said he needed to start his life over.

    What spiced chai blends have you been keeping warm with this Autumn? Let me know in the comments!

    Already chaied tried Butterscotch Chai from DAVIDsTEA? Why not try some of these tasTEA blends?

  • Five October Favorites

    Five October Favorites

    Normally, I am of the ilk that says, “I’m glad to live in a world, where there are Octobers”. But with election day looming overhead, Oliver having more sick days than school days, and always feeling behind the eight ball at work, I just sort of feel…burned out. So burned out that I replaced my tea rituals with cups of coffee because I’ve needed something stronger to power through this month. I always try to sit back and reflect on all of the good things that happened during the month because perspective always improves my mental health, but this month was tough…so, here goes:

    Celebrating Four Years of Marriage!

    Four years of marriage kind of sneaked up on Jon and I. We had a low-key celebration which included having an Ollie-free afternoon, enjoying a restaurant-cooked lunch in the socially-distant safety of our car, and indulging in some much-needed retail therapy. I think it’s been two years since I’ve been shopping? And the only pants I had were pre-pregnancy pants, which means I’ve spent the last two years sucking in, haha!

    We followed that up with a Friday Date Night a week later. After tucking Ollie into bed, we enjoyed a livestream performance of the new Puscifer album while sipping mead and sparkling Malvasia Bianca from Caduceus Cellars.

    All of Oliver’s New Words

    During my last Five Monthly Favorites, I mentioned Oliver was starting speech therapy, and three months later, his language is exploding. It has been so interesting to hear the words he learns and uses. He’s mimicking everything right now, which is anxiety-inducing considering Jon and I historically have had…colorful language. But, right now, he’s obsessed with making animal sounds (especially horses, sheep, and frogs), practicing letters of the alphabet, saying “hello” and “goodbye” to the cats, and telling mama and dada to sit.

    All of the Tea Mail

    Okay, even though I’ve been drinking mostly coffee, I’m still buying and receiving all the tea! Recent additions to my stash include Ollie-friendly blends from the kind folks at Little Rituals, breakfast blends from some new tea companies, like Us Two Tea and Prairie State Blending Co., and of course, I may have indulged in a few blends from DAVIDsTEA (because I really did need more Salted Caramel Oolong and Pumpkin Chai in my life) as well as the Adagio Teas Wicked Teas and Advent Calendar.

    MyTeaPal App

    There is a new app that has many tea lovers making heart-eyes. Jenn over at Tea Leaves and Tweed recently wrote about the app in her post, Blending Technology and Tradition, and several of my other tea blogging friends have raved about the app as well. It’s not released to the public yet, but since I was subscribed to the MyTeaPal newsletter, I was granted early access, and OMG I’m so excited to use this app. Right now, I have taken on the arduous task of cataloging my entire tea collection in the app, but I am so excited to start using it for tea tasting notes, and I am especially interested in the Flavor Dictionary!

    The Last Day at the Park Before Oliver Got Sick…Again

    Most October days are overcast and rainy here in Michigan, but we had a sunny and crisp day recently, so instead of driving Oliver home from Jr Preschool, we decided to walk home. (My village may be rather boring, but the fact that we live within walking distance from both the school complex and the library brings me joy). We enjoyed seeing everyone’s Halloween decorations as well as trees of red and orange and yellow. I swear I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Fall colors this beautiful. Oliver also stomped on every crunchy leaf and and jumped in every puddle.

    We stopped to play at the park between our house and the school, and I think Oliver spent an actual hour going down the one slide. Then, we meandered over to the other park down the road, and Jon met us there shortly after. We traipsed across soccer fields and baseball diamonds, and we ran up and down a giant hill. (Of course, more sliding ensued). Eventually, it grew too cold for my jacket, and I had to lure Ollie home with the promise of spaghetti for dinner.

    Honorable mentions include: Beating Dragon Age 2 | Tony’s Chocolonely bars | Voting by mail | First to Love by Blaqk Audio | Finally having a workspace that isn’t at the kitchen table | Decaf Coffee because it forces me to reach for a cup of caffeinated tea | My new crockpot | Listening to Oliver talk in his sleep

    What are some of your October favorites? Let me know in the comments!

  • Armchair Travel And Rooibos Cinnamon Apple from Adagio Teas

    Armchair Travel And Rooibos Cinnamon Apple from Adagio Teas

    Love it or hate it, 2020 has been a year of armchair travel. When everyone was stuck at home due to shelter-in-place orders, many turned to sharing old vacation photos as a way to feel a little less cooped up. I have managed to avoid that trend until now, thanks to the Rooibos Cinnamon Apple blend from Adagio Teas, which transports me to an afternoon spent picking apples in Ohio.

    The Rooibos Cinnamon Apple from Adagio Teas is a blend of red rooibos, apple pieces, cinnamon, natural apple flavor, and natural cinnamon flavor.

    The dry leaf consists of small chips of rust-colored Rooibos accented with dried apple and cinnamon pieces, and it smells woody and sweet with a subtle apple scent. Once steeped, the blend produces a vibrant red-orange colored liquor, which smells inviting– juicy apples warmed up by subtle cinnamon.

    The tea tastes like fresh, juicy apples and newly cut wood. The spice of the cinnamon is not as pronounced as I would have preferred but instead offers a subtle, earthy aroma. I also notice that the Rooibos used in Adagio’s blends has a sort of boozy quality about it, which whether intentional or not, makes this blend taste a bit like hard cider.

    Whenever I sip the Rooibos Cinnamon Apple, I am instantly transported to the Lynd Apple Orchard in Pataskala, Ohio. During our visit last year, we meandered among rows of trees and picked Fuji apples in late Autumn sunshine, which always seems to glow a bit more golden this time of the year. Ollie had just learned to walk that week, but he preferred to sit contently in the grass snacking on fresh apples the size of his face.

    Have you indulged in a little armchair traveling this year? Let me know where you explored in the comments!

    Already tried Rooibos Cinnamon Apple from Adagio Teas? Why not try one of these tasTEA blends?

About the Blogger

My name is Jackie, and I am a millennial / mother / Michigander / blogger / wannabe runner / accountant / local library enthusiast / gamer, kinda. This is a personal blog, which means I’m not entirely certain what you’ll find here, but it will definitely not show up on the first page of Google search results.