Coconut Oolong

It is with profound sorrow that I announce.... the last of my Coconut Oolong by Tsaa Tea Shop.

Coconut Oolong by Tsaa Tea Shop

This tea is sublime. It is a warm hug from a dear friend. It is a magic carpet ride through the clouds. It is a lullaby that sings you to sleep. It is world peace. It is pure bliss.

I fell in love with it at last year's Toronto Tea Festival. I stupidly bought a very small sample packet and then had to carefully ration it to make it last as long as possible. I've been using it sparingly... kind of like your grandmother's fine china that is 'too good' for everyday use.

This is the last of it. The end. Enough for one cup. I almost wanted to lick the bag, just to get every last particle. Weird because I'm not even a fan of coconut!

Opening the bag, it smells like toasted marshmallows...and coconut. The smell alone gives me a buzz. What do they put in this stuff?!

The first sip is smooth, nutty, and sweet. It's like drinking warm silk, if that were possible. I take my time sipping this one...It makes my brain hum, and every muscle, nerve, and sinew instantly go all loosey-goosey!

Luckily, the Toronto Tea Festival 2014 is coming up soon! I intend to seek out Tsaa Tea Shop...hunt them down and buy this priceless gem in the largest, most industrial size available! **Note to Tsaa...Bring Lots!!

Da Hong Pao

Da Hong Pao from Tao Tea Leaf

Well, now you've done it! Started a new blog. Not like you have a gigantic paper to write or anything....

So, here it is....my new blog about TEA! Why on earth would I, at this moment, decide to start a new blog about anything, let alone tea?!

P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.I.O.N. 

That's why!

And... I love tea. I mean... I LOVE TEA! No cappucino for me! No pumpkin spice latte! Pop, Diet Pop, Cocoa, Coffee, Espresso, Nescafe, Starbucks, Timmies, Folgers and Juan Valdez....Who needs em?! Just gotta have tea!

Here's the deal. There are currently 55 different kinds of tea in my cupboard! I don't even know how that happened! About 30 of them I've never tried. Every time I try a new tea, I'm going to write about it. If you like tea, you can follow along. If you don't care, I don't care either. This club is for tea-lovers only.

First post: 

Tao Tea Leaf's  Da Hong Pao (also known as 'Big Red Robe' according to Wikipedia) is an Oolong with attitude! I was in the midst of analyzing some particularly boring data for my excruciatingly boring research project when I felt I could use a swift kick in the butt to get myself going! Usually when I need a mid afternoon burst of energy, I brew up some "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.", or a nice strong chai. But today I really needed something STRONG! This little sample has been sitting in the cupboard for a while, and I've been a little intimidated by it. I expected it to be STRONG, and that's not usually what I want.

Upon opening it, I knew it would work. Now I'm no 'tea sommelier' (although it sounds like a delicious career), so I'm just going to tell you my uneducated impressions right from the gut.

This tea smells strong, dark, musky, woody, and dirrrrrrty! It smells like the black earth that hides deep under the roots of thousand year old oak trees. Exactly what I needed! The strength and endurance of an oak tree....

The taste was dark and earthy, rusty and musty, with that classic Oolong oxidization. And I mean that in the best way. I wanted the power of the earth. I got it. Two cups got me through my data and I felt like a warrior!

This tea comes from Tao Tea Leaf  in Toronto. I purchased the sample from http://teafestivaltoronto.com/

I am not a paid sales rep. I just love tea and want to talk about it.