Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Canton Tea Co's Mi Lan Dan Cong Oolong

Because of the delicacy of this oolong, I decided to brew this in a gaiwan with short infusions. First, while I heated the water, I took a look and smell of the dry leaf. Opening the pouch, I bring it to my nose and inhale deeply. The scent is sweet and heavy. Complex, because the heaviness and "darkness" in it seem to be along a different track than the sweetness, which seems to spiral through the tea, never settling in one place. The leaves look dark, twisted, and almost fragile. I rinse the leaves and prepare to begin.

The first steeping is for 30 seconds, and produces a deep and sweet smelling liquor that entrances the nose. The flavour mimics the scent, with a floral profile and a dark flavour reminiscent of a Formosa oolong. A sweet aftertaste sits on the tongue and coats the inside of the mouth. Immensely potent describes this steeping well.

I eagerly steep the leaves again. This steeping is much more subdued. The various elements are well-pronounced. This tea is very delicious and is quite the joy to drink.

By the third steeping, the aroma has become lighter and more vegetal, while maintaining its sweetness. The sweetness of flavour, mingling with the newly developed vegetal flavours, bursts in the mouth quite pleasantly.

The fourth steeping seems to have leveled out the flavour profile. It tastes much like the third steeping. I resteep the leaves again and decide that I am not going to get any more transformations from this delectable tea. 

I will continue to steep these leaves until they give out, but this has so far been an excellent experience. 

I give this tea an 85/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.





Photo credit to Canton Tea Co.
This oolong can be purchased from Canton Tea Co's website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Yet Another Writing Sample (YAWS) - Or Lack Thereof

Sorry, folks, travels have kept me away from the computer and this blog. For this week's YAWS, I decided to share this snapshot from my desk, offering a hint of things to come...


Would anyone care to hazard a guess as to the inky contents of the two boxes (or as to the pen in the photo, though that is quite a bit easier)?

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of De Atramentis Sapphire Blue Ink

Another nicely shaded ink from De Atramentis, though this one is not scented, as many of the De Atramentis inks that I review are.


This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Lego Chess - Custom Boards

Lego and chess. A fabulous toy and a fabulous game, both with very rich histories. In the past, Lego has already taken the two and combined them in fabulous sets. Easily customized with a user's own figures, these were fantastic and a great addition to Lego's product lines. I especially liked the themed sets. However, when I began playing and experimenting with chess variants, I quickly realized that the fancy, raised boards in the official sets would not be easily modified for some variants that involve boards of greater size than the standard 8x8. Thus did I craft a very simple 8x8 board...and add option rows and columns! Onward with playing chess variants on 8x10 and 10x10 boards!





Next up - it is time to craft some sets of chess pieces! Themed, perhaps? Maybe more boards in other color combinations!

Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Tazo Calm Chamomile Tea

Here I am on another Tea Review Tuesday, reviewing what - in my opinion - is one of the least mediocre teas, produced by Tazo. I shall not go into talking of the others at this moment, the focus is on this one. As this is an herbal blend (and not technically a tea), I am not as off-put by the fact that it is bagged. Indeed, many bagged chamomile blends taste quite as good as their loose counterparts, since there are no full leaves to unfurl.

Upon opening the bag, I oddly smell spearmint - not chamomile - first thing. Hmmm, how strange. The ingredients on the package only list chamomile, rose petals, and "soothing herbs." As their website reveals, one of those herbs is spearmint leaves. Mystery solved (except for why the spearmint smells so strongly!) The taste of "Calm" involves a lot of flavors. As per the website, the herbs are quite a few things, all of which play their part in the taste of this blend. Thankfully, the chamomile presents its flavor above all the others - very good. The spearmint takes a back seat and the lemongrass laces the edges. Floating through the middle, somewhere, are subtle notes of rose and lavender, just barely present.

My main problem with this blend - everything tastes a bit flat, like the ingredients are old or something of that nature. 

Tazo could have done far, far worse than this blend, and I quite like that they seem to have spent the effort to craft it well. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate it a 76/100.






This tea can be purchased in Starbucks stores or from their website, here.
Photo credit to Starbucks.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.

Monday, July 22, 2013

A Review of The BrickGun Book!

Here it is, folks! As promised, a review of another great offering from No Starch Press! You may recall me hinting, earlier this month, at new content to come on Built from Ink and Tea that would include such a review, and here we have it. Released in May of this year, The BrickGun Book by Jeff Boen takes a close and hands-on look at a genre of Lego modeling that is definitely not geared toward the typical young Lego audience. As the book warns, these models are not suitable for children under the age of twelve. That said, let us take a closer look at the book itself!


The author, Jeff Boen, begins with a short history of how he came to build model guns from Lego, which provides a nice background and lead-in to the instructions themselves (which comprise most of the book). Included in The BrickGun Book are instructions for building the BG22, 92FS, Desert Eagle, 1911, and Mac-11. A couple of these models have special additions. The BG22 has a removable magazine (complete with visible Lego bullet!), and the Mac-11 can launch rubber bands. That one of the models actually fired something impressed me, greatly. However, the other models are by no means just static creations. The BG22 has a movable slide, switchable safety catch, and working trigger. The 92FS, Desert Eagle, and 1911 include all of these features, plus a moving hammer that can be cocked. Not only does the Mac-11 fire rubber bands, the instructions seem to suggest that up to five rubber bands may be loaded at once.


After going through the book, the pictures of the 1911 model impressed me the most, complete with the look of the wooden laminate grip. The build itself took some time, but everything was very well explained. Next, I think it would be very cool to try one of these models in some other unique color - dark green, perhaps, or a bright red - just for fun.


One of my greatest difficulties with this book lies in the style of binding. The binding itself is excellent; however, it is most easy to use Lego instructions when they can lay flat and open with ease - something that the binding on this book was not aimed to do, especially when near the beginning or the end. Thus, I found, while building, that I had to prop the book open, placing weights on either side to spread the pages, which was a bit annoying, when it came time to turn the pages. (Yes, an ink bottle proved to be a nice page holder.)


The instructions themselves are incredibly clear. In some instances, I felt myself wishing that the instructions in Lego's booklets were as easy to follow. Mostly, I could see this affecting a younger or newer group of Lego builders, whose experience, with the various pieces and how they fit together, was perhaps not as advanced. Of particular note is a section in the front of the book, describing how the instructions are laid out and how best to read them. Preceding each section of instructions, a parts list provides quantities, suggested colors, descriptions, and even the official Lego part number for each piece that will be needed in the model. This alone takes the instructions to a higher level of technicality than Lego's own manuals - a necessity when you are dealing with parts that do not come prepackaged together. For myself, it allowed me to fully prepare for building, being assured that I was not going to be scrambling to find an essential piece, after beginning.



Lego enthusiast? Handgun enthusiast? Realistic model enthusiast? Check out this book. It is definitely worth your time. If bigger guns are more your thing, be sure to check out LEGO Heavy Weapons, also available from No Starch Press.

The BrickGun Book, by Jeff Boen, is available directly from No Starch Press and Amazon.com. If you are looking for even more cool BrickGun instructions, Jeff Boen runs the website, BrickGun.com, where he sells kits that include all the pieces necessary to build the models, featured in The BrickGun Book. Additionally, his website offers fantastic wallpapers, a disc of all of his BrickGun building instructions (including some not found in The BrickGun Book), and some free instructions. I found these free instructions to be very cool, as they mainly show how to build add-ons, such as laser sights, flashlights, and scopes for the BrickGun models!

(Note: I now have a tag, below this post and on the right sidebar, for all of the posts involving books from No Starch Press! Check it out and take a look at other great Lego books, which I have reviewed.)

Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

How to Fill a TWSBI Fountain Pen with a Syringe

In my estimation, the fountain pens made by TWSBI are fabulous, right down to and including their ability to fill from TWSBI inkwells with no mess! However, what if you are trying to use an ink sample with your TWSBI pen? Ink samples that are one or two milliliters or less can pose a difficulty in transferring from vial to pen. However, Ana at The Well-Appointed Desk has written an excellent set of instructions on how to best utilize a syringe for filling your TWSBI with ink. I have personally used this method on many occasions, and I definitely recommend giving it a try. Enjoy!




Photo property of Built from Ink and Tea.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Yet Another Writing Sample (YAWS) - A New World

Entering the world of vintage pens...


Reviews to come. Sorry for the smudges!

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Noodler's Ottoman Azure Ink

Here is another fabulous ink from Noodler's that I much enjoyed using and reviewing. This is one that was recommended to me, but that I would not have otherwise thought to try. I am glad that I did!


This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Lipton's Kericho Estate Tea

A couple of months ago, I reviewed one of Lipton's "premium" offerings, their Darjeeling, of which the only premium aspect seemed to be the label design. As I had picked up a bag of this Kenyan black tea at the same time as the Darjeeling, I made it a goal to review them both, eventually, even just for the sake of warning you all away from them (or perhaps finding a hidden gem). Previously, I had said that I would review this tea a week after the Darjeeling, but I simply could not bring myself to do so.

Compared to the Lipton Darjeeling, this one...tastes like Lipton Yellow Label with strong coffee or earthy tones. I love pu'erh, so I am no stranger to earthy tones, but these just make it taste "deep," rather than giving it any sort of complexity. When it is first sipped, there is barely any taste at all. As the tea passes over the back of the tongue, rough bitterness follows, leaving the mouth feeling like it is coated with a slightly chalky feeling. Quite frankly, this tea is not worth the money being charged for it, nor is it worth time to describe further its poor qualities.

To find one redeeming quality, I would say that I would gladly drink this tea over the Lipton Darjeeling, if those were my only two options. However, it should be pointed out that the Lipton Darjeeling is one of the worst teas I have ever consumed. On my personal enjoyment scale, I rate this tea a 20/100.



This tea is available from various online retailers.
Photo credit to ebay.de.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

New Lego Books from No Starch Press and BrickCon

Some of you may remember the review that I did, some time ago, of The Lego Adventure Book from No Starch Press. I just found out that this book and others from No Starch Press will soon be available in German! How cool is that?
Photo credit to Amazon.de
Additionally, No Starch Press' Unofficial Lego Technic Book is also now available in German. Both can be purchase from Amazon.de.

Speaking of No Starch Press, expect another review of one of their recent offerings, coming soon to Built from Ink and Tea!

In other news, registration for BrickCon 2013 is now open, so if you love Lego and will be in the Seattle, Washington, USA area between October 3rd and 6th of this year, I highly recommend checking it out.

Yet Another Writing Sample (YAWS) - Feeling a Bit Stubbish

"Some weeks make you feel a bit stubbish...flat, but still classy!"

Sorry for the smudges!

This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Friday, July 12, 2013

A Review of the Lamy Al-Star 2013 Matte Black Special Edition Fountain Pen


First Impressions (8)
The pen looks really slick - really, really slick, but the cap oddly sticks out to me like a swollen sore thumb. This is not a fault of this edition but of all Al-Stars. Simply put, the cap looks too chunky to me. The body appears slicker and goes really well with the clear section and black nib.


Appearance (8)
Looking at the cap by itself, it has a nice design with the large and curved clip complimenting the rounded, cylindrical cap. By itself, the cap appears to be of an okay size, though looking at the top end reveals what I believe to be the source of the aforementioned chunkiness - the folded-over aluminum. Certainly, this must add a bit of thickness, as compared to the molded plastic of the Lamy Safari.

Lamy has done a nice job of keeping the body thickness to a minimum, even with the use of the aluminum. This did make the inside have a few troubles with the converter-holding “fins,” as will be discussed later. In my opinion, Lamy should have stuck with engraving the full letters of their logo on the barrel, as with the Safari, rather than just the outline of the letters.

I always appreciated the clear section of the Al-Star and the Vista, but I feel it looks all the better with the matte black barrel. Speaking to that in particular, it looks great! The matte black and shiny black accenting of the clip look quite nice, and the clear grip looks great with the matte black barrel. Choosing matte black as the special edition color was an excellent decision, and I think Lamy will find these to be in high demand.

Because the cap is wider, it was necessary to increase the size of the attachment point from the cap to the pen - in this case, the ring between the section and barrel. To me, it looks bulky and awkward. It also is one of the problems I found with using a matte black body. Having that ring, the cap “jewel,” and the barrel “jewel” all made from matte black plastic causes them to stick out in a manner that I do not find attractive.



Design/Size/Weight (8)
The size of the cap is one aesthetic point that was directly influenced by the design necessity (a functionality factor, rather than form). I think I have discussed it sufficiently in the appearance critique. One design point to which I had promised to return was the internal fins, holding the converter. The Lamy Z24 converter has small pegs that should be gripped by the fins, when the converter is installed. However, it appears that these holes (in the fins) were not cut large enough, causing the fins to spread slightly, when the converter is installed. The result of this fin spreading is that the barrel does not screw onto the section smoothly.

The grip poses an interesting design problem for some. The triangle shape forces the user to hold the pen at a set angle, which does not work well for writers, who rotate their grip. Additionally, the grip cutouts have slightly sharp edges, which may cause discomfort for some.

Size-wise, the Al-Star is a comfortable fit for my large hands, posted or un-posted. However, I wince at the sound of aluminum-on-aluminum, every time I post the cap, even though it causes no visible scratching of the barrel.

The weight is also comfortable, being light with a solid feel. This by itself is not much different than the heft of the Safari.


Nib (6)
Ugh, the Lamy Z50 nibs are incredibly hit and miss. When I first started using this pen and nib, it was the wettest Lamy EF I had ever used, putting down a line that was more akin to that of a fine western nib in my estimation. However, even over the course of this review, it grew drier and drier, sometimes not even starting to write, until halfway through the first stroke of a new word. Manually adjusting the nib helped some, and it certainly improved the consistency.

As to the nib itself, it is a stiff nail. This is to be moderately expected from an inexpensive, steel, extra-fine nib that is hit and miss. While this one is not horrible, I have tried worse EF nibs...on cheap Chinese pens. At least this nib does not sing or tear up the paper.


Filling System (8)
The filling system of the Lamy Al-Star matches that of the Lamy Safari, taking proprietary Lamy cartridges or Lamy converters, of which there are several options, all of which must be (typically) purchased separately from the pen at most retailers. The converter, especially the Z24, is an excellent investment for the Al-Star, opening the user to a multitude of ink options.


Cost and Value (8)
While the approximate retail cost of USD 37 is a good bit higher than that of the Lamy Safari, it is understood that this extra cost is coming from the use of the aluminum (versus ABS plastic) for the body. Just as with the Safari, opinions vary on the value of such a pen. In my opinion, getting this special edition with a converter, for the same cost as some places sell the standard Al-Star by itself, was a great deal. The pen by itself could be a great value, if only the cost was lower.

Safari Charcoal (top); Al-Star Matte Black (bottom)

Conclusion (8)
(7.7/10 actual)
Great pen? No. Good pen? Potentially. Great looks? Definitely. If nothing else, if you like the looks and can find a good deal, I recommend buying it!

Safari Charcoal (left); Al-Star Matte Black (right)

Safari Charcoal (top); Al-Star Matte Black (bottom)

Safari Charcoal (top); Al-Star Matte Black (bottom)

Safari Charcoal (top); Al-Star Matte Black (bottom)

Safari Charcoal (top); Al-Star Matte Black (bottom)


Thursday, July 11, 2013

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Waterman Havana Ink

This week, I decided to mix things up a bit with a review of a brown ink. Dark and solid is its shade.


This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Adagio Teas' Gingerbread Black Tea


My first impression of this tea was "Wow! What an aroma!" My second impression was "This is definitely something new and pleasantly different." The tea in question was Adagio Teas' Gingerbread, a black tea that was very different than other spiced black teas of my past tasting.

I began with a simple steep - three minutes of a teaspoon of this tea in a just-boiled cup of water. The aromas that hit my nose, as the tea brewed, focused mainly on the cinnamon bark and "gingerbread flavor." In a way, I was quite thankful. My past experiences with teas containing cinnamon and orange peel have usually resulted in brews, where the orange is far too strong and the cinnamon very subdued, both accompanying an overly bitter black tea (bitter on account of how long it took to get any sort of non-tea flavor to evolve). With the addition of gingerbread flavor and ginger root, this tea moved beyond the traditional orange and cinnamon spiced black tea.

In Adagio's Gingerbread, orange peel took a back seat in the vehicle of flavor that drove across my tongue with my first sip. Despite all of the bold additions to the tea, I found that the resulting brew was not overly strong, instead containing a pleasant mixture of all of the flavors. Warm cinnamon swirls around the outside of the flavor palate and the ginger root adds a slightly sweet bite to the main part of the body - the Ceylon black tea. The lack of heaviness to the tea helped it go down smoothly, and I found myself drinking it far more quickly than I had anticipated.

This black tea was not especially re-steepable, but I typically do not expect such from black teas, especially flavored ones. For my first few cups (and pots, over several days), I did not sweeten it at all, as it has a bit of natural sweetness. Upon the addition of a small amount of sweetener, I found that more of the orange flavor came forth.

Well done with this holiday tea, Adagio. I will gladly drink it any time of the year. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea an 87/100.

This black tea is available from the Adagio website, here.
Photo credit to Adagio Teas.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Yet Another Writing Sample (YAWS) - Cyrillic Broad Edge

More broad edge samples! As I have recently begun to learn some Cyrillic lettering, I thought I might try my hand at "fancy-ing" it a bit in a broad edge style. The red letter was done with a Manuscript 4B nib, and the other letters with a Staedtler B nib. The paper is a Rhodia dot pad.


This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Lamy Blue-black Ink

Yet another beautiful blue-black! In my book, second only to Diamine Blue-black is this ink and its shades. Enjoy!


This scan was done on an HP Deskjet F4280 at 600dpi.
Note: Because these scans are done with a light emitting printer, actual colors will, more likely than not, be slightly darker than they may appear, here. The colors shown, here, are probably a bit more reminiscent of what the ink would be like under a bright light or if it were held up and viewed with a light behind it.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of English Tea Store's Scottish Caramel Toffee Pu'erh

On the road for some travel, I still desire my tea in the mornings. While this is easily accomplished with a teabag (the horror!) or an infuser basket, accomplishing a gong fu session with a pu'erh provides a slightly higher challenge. Thankfully, this travel gaiwan set from Vital Tea Leaf proves to be most effective - both in saving space and in assisting with the tea making! However, today's focus is not on the teaware but on the tea - a Scottish Caramel Toffee Pu'erh from the English Tea Store.

I can smell this tea even through its package. Opening the package, the smell of toffee wafts to my nose, plus notes of pu'erh a bit of...mint? How odd...mint... According to the English Tea Store, the pu'erh is accompanied by butterscotch pieces and almond. Putting aside the difference between butterscotch and toffee, I rinse the leaves, then begin my first steep. While waiting, I think how fitting it would be, if I was writing this review with Montblanc Toffee Brown ink.

I think that the slight mint aroma came from the pu'erh mixed with the almond, as it is still present in the wet leaves, yet carries more earthy tones. But how does it taste? "Like dessert in a cup." One can still taste the pu'erh, right down the middle of this tea, but the edges are more than heavily laced with a sugary-but-not-overly-sweet combination of toffee- and caramel-like flavors. From a traditional Chinese sense, I would not expect that pu'erh would ever be mixed with any sort of sweet, but the English Tea Store has found a good combination in the mixing of pu'erh with butterscotch and almond.

The flavors of this blend are smooth, and the pu'erh is bold enough to stand out among the sweet tones. I recommend steeping this tea longer than you might a normal pu'erh for the sake of fully drawing out the notes of toffee and earthy pu'erh tastes. I was able to resteep it several times in my gaiwan. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea an 80/100.



This pu'erh is available from the English Tea Store's website, here.
Photo credit to the English Tea Store.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.