New Snow and Vintage Oolong

This street is in Durlach, Germany. The houses are from the 1600s, built into the old fortified wall around the town. The curve of the street is a result of following the bends of the wall.


Snow, beautiful snow, snow all over, mounds of snow, snow up to my ears, snow on my tail, so much snow! About 2 feet of it, sculpted by the wind into drifts and hollows, with one great big one where the kitties are wont to play. Hence, snow up to my ears! The sun is out, however and already the snow, at least off the roof, is melting.




You know I just got some tea from The Tea Spot and of course, I can't wait to try the one new to me – Vintage Oolong. So, even before my wake-up cuppa I brewed some in my small gaiwan. It smells wonderful in the canister – a deep, fresh tea scent, with a good whiff of floral. Not too sweet a floral, more like a sweet one crossed with maybe zinnias. The tea is lovely little green balls with a bit of stem attached. I brewed it at about 190 degrees for about 2 minutes – long enough for the leaves to begin unfurling. As it brewed it smelled like lilacs, but again, not overly sweet, with deeper more solid notes underneath. The taste, ah, the taste. Lilac, with a bit of peach all on top of something toasty and solid, not really woodsy or vegetal, but with some body and heartiness. The flavor is mild, but not delicate. Just very very good. When I am done putting this blog up I am going to have some more, as the Tea Spot says you can get up to 7 infusions from one serving.


The Tea Spot, by the way, are those smart folks who use interlocking tins with double tops, so your canisters not only stack, but keep your tea nice and fresh. The other tea I purchased was a canister of their Bolder Breakfast, which I reviewed before. They sent me a sample with my order and I'll be trying that soon. I love it when companies send samples, especially if it is something I probably wouldn't buy myself. This one is called Blood Orange Smoothie, a Rooibus
herbal tea, supposed to taste like an Orange Julius. Gosh, I haven't had one of those in Years. So, even though I am not a fan of Rooibus, I am eager to see if it does call up memories of that wonderful drink.