Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of De Atramentis Black Roses Ink

The name of this ink had intrigued me enough to get a sample to try. If only the look of the ink was as pleasant as the aroma!

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.

Blogging on the Run - The DavidsTea Fall Collection Is Here!

At my desk I sat, cleaning my email inbox after a long day at work, when I saw the email from DavidsTea, announcing the release of the 2014 fall tea collection. I stopped what I was doing, looked at my day planner (where I expected to see a notation of the release), then looked back at the screen, specifically the computer's clock. 8:15 pm. The local DavidsTea boutique closes at 8:30 pm.

I was not planning to miss the sampling of two of the new releases.

Grabbing my review notebook and Pilot Decimo (currently inked with Organics Studio's Jules Verne), I ran out the door and sprinted down the street. No doubt the two Tea Guides were a bit thrown by my hurried entrance to their store. However, they still had samples left! Here are my quick thoughts on "Yes we Cran" and "Maple Sugar."

Yes we Cran
The bitter/tart beginning immediately smooths with a touch of sweetness. The aftertaste contains a touch of spices and maintains a pleasant berry flavor. "Yes we Cran" is an herbal blend.

Maple Sugar
Smelling like fresh apples and maple syrup, this blend surprises the drinker with a cinnamon-laced hit of sweetness in the foretaste. The warmth of the maple dominates the body of the tea, and apples meld with cinnamon to compliment the edges. Surprisingly, the apple flavor mostly disappears in the aftertaste, and only a hint of the spices remains. Cold, this blend tastes a bit watery and weak, but it definitely holds better flavor, served hot. "Maple Sugar" is a black tea blend.

All five of the new teas and herbal tisanes of the fall collection are now available in-stores and online, including the Sweet Apple Cider herbal blend, which I had the opportunity to review early, last week. (Read about it, here!)



This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2014, Built from Ink and Tea.

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Teavivre's Organic White Peony Tea (Bai Mu Dan)

With three organic certifications, a harvest time in the recent past, and several related awards, Teavivre's Organic White Peony Tea brings an impressive resume to your tea time. It certainly maintains an excellent nose, which I first noticed upon opening the package of leaves. A deep breath and the aroma of fresh camellia sinensis (tea) leaves hit my nose. In the background lay some floral notes, but this smell is light and unoxidized with no maltiness and little green vegetal scent. Recommended to be steeped for one to five minutes at one hundred, ninety-four degrees Fahrenheit, I prepare my cup and leaves for brewing, pour over the hot water, then set a timer for three minutes to see what results. (The ink reviews in the background of the photos are for the near future!)

If you are familiar with the aroma of the leaves of bai mu dan and the resulting brew, the aromas rising from my cup would be familiar to you, yet they seem to have a strong streak of freshness throughout them. In general, I find white peony tea (which does not contain peony flowers) to be very full of body, and this brew is no exception. Three minutes was a very sufficient length of time, as the tea is full without any astringency of which to speak!

The golden-orange color is bright and attractive. Each sip begins almost gently then blossoms with flavor, as the tea covers the tongue. The aftertaste is pleasant, clean, yet still full, and it lingers in the mouth. Lending presence are the light floral notes, which mainly shine in the aftertaste. This is absolutely one of the better bai mu dan white teas I have tried. I believe that the freshness of the leaves adds a lot to the experience, and I highly recommend trying this one sooner, rather than later. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea an 84/100.

Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Teavivre's Organic White Peony Tea is available from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2014, Built from Ink and Tea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of De Atramentis G. F. Haendel Ink

Many people have said that De Atramentis Haendel (or Handel) and De Atramentis Petrol are the same ink. Find my review of De Atramentis Petrol, here, and judge for yourself. To me, Petrol looks a bit less turquoise and more green. (Less blue and more grey, perhaps?)

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.

A Special Tea Review - DavidsTea's Sweet Apple Cider Fruit Infusion

Good evening (or morning, depending where you are) and welcome to a special review of DavidsTea's Sweet Apple Cider fruit infusion. This fruity tisane will not be for sale until August 27 (along with the release of the DavidsTea Fall 2014 collection), but it was available, as a free sample, to members of the DavidsTea Frequent Steeper program with any purchase - today only. Read-on to see if this is a tea you want to try at the end of August!

The dry leaves smell sweet; the vanilla and cream flavors are very forward in the aroma. I steep the 5 grams, approximately two teaspoons, sample in a twelve ounce mug of just-boiled water for about seven minutes. Wafting scents of crisp apple reach my nose, along with a touch of spicy cinnamon. As the name of the tea promises, the aroma more-than-hints at sweetness in this infusion.

The taste...let us begin at the end with the aftertaste. Faintly, the aftertaste is of hot apple cider. While it is not as strong of an aftertaste as actual cider, the difference makes sense, given the mere infusion of fruit in this drink. The body of the infusion is like fresh apple juice, smoothed with vanilla, which does not feature as prominently, here, as it did in the aroma. As for the foretaste...my initial impression is strange. It, the taste, reminds me of how Play-Doh smells. Analyzing that flavor, further, I determine that this is due to the creamy mix of vanilla and apple, a flavor combination with which my palate was entirely unaccustomed.

Yet, do not allow my odd first impression to cause you to turn away from this blend, as it is well worth your time. I quickly grew fond of it and wanted another cup, but we shall have to wait for next week! On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this a 76/100.

Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
DavidsTea's Sweet Apple Cider Fruit Infusion will be available in-store and online at DavidsTea.com, starting August 27, 2014.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2014, Built from Ink and Tea.

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Steven Smith Teamaker's Blend No. 55 Lord Bergamot Black Tea

When instructions on preparing a tea direct the drinker to steep for five minutes with just-boiled water and "if possible, play a little opera softly in the background," I take their light-hearted directions with a healthy dose of fun. Thus it was that I placed a teaspoon of loose leaf into my Finum infuser inside a mug and filled it with the heated water, as the opening scene of Gounod's "Faust" began to play. What an experience of tea ceremony! The opera was allowed to play-on, even as the timer rang, and I lifted the basket of leaves from the mug.

The Steven Smith website claims that this blend has "flavor somewhat superior to the traditional Earl Grey." The aromas of mixed Ceylon and Assam are touched by very gentle citrus. Truly, the smell of this infused tea does not remind me of Earl Grey in my experience. When I start sipping No. 55, the complexity of this not-Earl Grey surprises me. I say it is complex due to the different flavors, which I notice as separate but cohesive. It is at this point that I "lose myself" in thoughts and tea. When my mind returns to the present, half of the mug of tea has been consumed - a sure sign of enjoyment. All too quickly, the rest is gone, and I decide to make a second cup.

Was it superior to Earl Grey in flavor? I suppose that such a judgment would be based in part upon the quality of the Earl Grey. That said, the flavors of Lord Bergamot were incredibly enjoyable, and I might pick this over an Earl Grey in the future. The steeping of the second cup was accompanied by a scene from "La Boheme." On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea an 88/100.

Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Steven Smith Teamaker's Blend No. 55 is available from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2014, Built from Ink and Tea.

The San Francisco Pen Show Approaches!

Have you heard about the San Francisco Pen Show? This international gathering of exhibitors will be taking place next weekend, August 22 through 24, 2014, in Redwood City, California.

The list of planned exhibitors contains some big names, and there are several seminars planned. If your pens need tuning or repairing, Mike Masuyama, John Mottishaw, and Greg Minuskin are confirmed to be in attendance. However, I highly recommend that you seek them out, early in the day, and get on their list, as they have a limited amount of time in which to work and the waiting lists tend to fill very fast.

More details are available via the pen show website, here. I plan to be attending the show on Saturday and would love to meet any of you, who will be there. Send me a message via Twitter or the contact form, and we can plan on it!

Now the only dilemma is deciding whether to attend the calligraphy seminar or the handwriting seminar - both at noon on Saturday!

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Organics Studio's HMS Beagle Ink

Part of the Organics Studio "Darwin" series of "evolved" (fast-drying) inks, the "HMS Beagle" ink is named after the ship on which Charles Darwin sailed to the Galapagos.

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.

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Teavivre's Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013

Today, I would like to share with you a very interesting tea that I have the privilege to try: Teavivre's Fuding Shou Mei white tea. What intrigues me so greatly about this tea is the form in which it arrived and is sold: that of a (tea) cake. Previously, the only tea I had ever seen compressed into a cake was various pu'erh, but Teavivre's website mentions that - due to the bulk and large size of white tea leaves - these are compressed to make them easier for transport. This compression may also allow the tea to mellow and mature.

Fuding happens to be the region in which this tea was picked, while Shou Mei denotes the grade of white tea (a mid-grade of quality). As I prepare to brew this tea, the instructions surprise me. They direct the drinker to steep them in just-boiled water for six to ten minutes. While the timing is not so unusual for a white tea, the temperature of the water most certainly is. I usually steep white teas in cooler water than that to avoid scalding the often-delicate leaves. However, for this review, I shall follow the provided instructions, as the results might surprise me.

After boiling my cup of water and adding it to a table spoon of leaves, I let them steep for seven minutes, unsure about the wide range of time. The tea gave off a slightly smoky, slightly vegetal aroma. The finished cup, after the steep, certainly looks darker than most white teas I have previously consumed. It smells dark, too, and strong - for a white tea.

I take my first sip...and I am surprised, again. Due to the aroma of the wet leaves and the steeped tea, I expected a dark, possibly-astringent brew. Quite the opposite, as my tea tastes a tad weak for my liking. (I prefer my tea to be stronger than most.) Clearly, I should not have doubted the instructions and steeped it for longer! (That will be the next cup.) The flavors...this tea is incredibly smooth. The body tastes a bit brisk, yet it carries a bit of floral presence. The aftertastes leaves the mouth feeling fresh and clean, yet not so vegetal as a new green tea.

Curiosity and enjoyment drive me to prepare a second cup of this tea. For this second time, I use a bit more leaf (one and a half tablespoons) and steep it for ten minutes. The aroma of this second cup is a bit stronger, yet the color remains the same. The flavors, on the other hand, have intensified. I would never think to even hint at the word "weak" in describing this tea. However, "strong" seems to imply a certain "boldness" to the tea, which does not accurately fit. The intensity has simply grown, and the cup has become that much more enjoyable.

On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate Teavivre's 2013 Fuding Shou Mei white tea cake an 89/100. Those who would enjoy this tea include all lovers of white teas, especially unflavored white teas. The cake aspect made this tea especially interesting to me, and it is possible to purchase an entire cake from Teavivre. (See below.)



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Teavivre's Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013 is available from the Teavivre website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2014, Built from Ink and Tea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of De Atramentis Turquoise Green Ink

Need an accompaniment to your emerald or obsidian inks? Try this subtly-shading turquoise!

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.

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Lupicia's Lanikai Black Tea

This morning's delicious tea in the mug is from the company, Lupicia. Their Lanikai black tea is a special blend and only available from Lupicia's stores in Hawaii (and sometimes from Lupicia's website). Combining coconut, pineapple, and vanilla, it sounds like a virgin piña colada; this black tea is all fun and caffeine!

While boiling the water for the tea, I added approximately a teaspoon and a half to two teaspoons of the dry leaf to my twelve ounce mug, breathing the aroma of the loose tea. Dry, it is definitely sweet, and the coconut and vanilla come through strongly. When the water has finished boiling, I pour it over the leaves, releasing an aroma, strong with pineapple and vanilla, almost like a pineapple cake. Three minutes later, I take a sip, and then I take a bigger sip.

First, I must say that I am incredibly pleased that this tea does not taste entirely of fruit and vanilla. While this is not always a bad thing, it depends on one's personal preference. (An example for comparison would be some of the fruit-flavored black teas from DavidsTea, which I would say often lean more heavily upon the fruit flavors.) The black tea shows itself, pleasantly, but also does not dominate the flavor. Second, three minutes might have been too long for the steep. The packaging recommends two and a half to three minutes, and I chose three, since I prefer my tea stronger. This certainly brought forward more notes of the black tea base, along with a touch of astringency. Third, the flavors themselves blend quite well! I get a lot of coconut and pineapple to accompany the taste of the black tea. Then, the vanilla smooths the other flavors and provides a pleasant aftertaste.

If you find yourself in Hawaii, I highly recommend seeking out a Lupicia store and purchasing some Lanikai, if they have it in stock. The blend is well-crafted and provides a pleasant sipping experience without being overly sweet or overly fruity. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea an 84/100.

Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Lupicia's Lanikai is currently unavailable on their website, but may be purchase at their Hawaii retail stores.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2014, Built from Ink and Tea.