Tea Notes: Aphrodite
Jun. 27th, 2022 03:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hrjSo when I mentioned that I'm attracted to "floofy flavored teas that betray my lack of culture" this is the sort of thing I'm talking about.
Bingley's Teas (the one that does the Jane Austen themed blends) - "Aphrodite: A gift from the Goddess of Seduction". Assam black tea, almonds, sugar, cardamom, rose blossom, vanilla
212F for 5 minutes (as recommended) but with black teas I don't use a strainer so the steeping goes on and on
The loose tea has a strong almond scent, less strong on the rose and vanilla notes. I usually sweeten black teas, but since I noticed that this one says it has sugar already in the mix I tried it plain today. In the cup, the almond aroma is still predominant, though it's less so when drunk. The added flavorings are very faint in the steeped tea -- it's basically an ordinary black tea. But you still get a nose of almond if you breathe in prior to drinking. The added sugar in the tea blend is unnoticeable, so I went ahead and added sugar as usual.
# # #
I stopped posting birdwatching notes when the number of new species dropped off. So I may not have mentioned that I regularly get nuthatches at the feeder, which isn't a species I think of as a "bird feeder bird". I've currently let the feeder get low, since it's high summer and there are plenty of food sources. The hummingbird feeder gets the occasional visitor, but I don't seem to have any "regulars" this summer.
My most recent backyard naturalist addition is the discovery of several carpenter bee nests. The first one I noticed was in one of the logs in my outdoor firewood pile. This perfectly round hole "drilled" into the end of the log, with a trail of sawdust beneath it. I'm a bit less enamored of the nests I noticed a couple days ago in the cross-beams of my grape arbor. I may go ahead and stop them up to see if I can discourage the practice, since structural integrity is a bit more important there. They can chew up the woodpile to their heart's content!
Bingley's Teas (the one that does the Jane Austen themed blends) - "Aphrodite: A gift from the Goddess of Seduction". Assam black tea, almonds, sugar, cardamom, rose blossom, vanilla
212F for 5 minutes (as recommended) but with black teas I don't use a strainer so the steeping goes on and on
The loose tea has a strong almond scent, less strong on the rose and vanilla notes. I usually sweeten black teas, but since I noticed that this one says it has sugar already in the mix I tried it plain today. In the cup, the almond aroma is still predominant, though it's less so when drunk. The added flavorings are very faint in the steeped tea -- it's basically an ordinary black tea. But you still get a nose of almond if you breathe in prior to drinking. The added sugar in the tea blend is unnoticeable, so I went ahead and added sugar as usual.
# # #
I stopped posting birdwatching notes when the number of new species dropped off. So I may not have mentioned that I regularly get nuthatches at the feeder, which isn't a species I think of as a "bird feeder bird". I've currently let the feeder get low, since it's high summer and there are plenty of food sources. The hummingbird feeder gets the occasional visitor, but I don't seem to have any "regulars" this summer.
My most recent backyard naturalist addition is the discovery of several carpenter bee nests. The first one I noticed was in one of the logs in my outdoor firewood pile. This perfectly round hole "drilled" into the end of the log, with a trail of sawdust beneath it. I'm a bit less enamored of the nests I noticed a couple days ago in the cross-beams of my grape arbor. I may go ahead and stop them up to see if I can discourage the practice, since structural integrity is a bit more important there. They can chew up the woodpile to their heart's content!
no subject
Date: 2022-06-28 01:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-28 03:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-28 05:31 pm (UTC)As for "lack of culture," it is OK to like what one likes, floofy tea blends included!
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Date: 2022-06-28 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-28 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-28 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-28 06:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-03 05:55 pm (UTC)HRJ, I love your tea posts. Please feel free to keep sharing, because I need to go tea shopping and appreciate the ideas! I came here to recommend rooibos with vanilla. This is the essence of floofy tea, but super delicious!
no subject
Date: 2022-07-05 11:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-11 02:03 am (UTC)