Monday TeaDay 12/22/08 Blending teas.

[Chip]

Welcome one and all to TeaDay. Won't you please share what is in your cup today?

Yesterday's poll results indicated that a lot of responders were buying more than 90% of their holiday gifts online, not too surprising since we are an online communiTea. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. With all the talk lately about "Signature Blends," have you created one, more than one, many, ... none ... or maybe just created your own blends for your own enjoyment? Please share.

I am looking forward to sharing TeaDay with everyone. Bottoms up.

[xuancheng]

I haven't gotten around to doing any of my own blending, but plan on it.

I drank a pot of Huang Guanyin (黄观音） today. Huang Guanyin is an Oolong varietal from Wuyishan. I actually think this particular one is a blend of a few different varietals, so it shouldn't really be called Huang Guanyin.

[Victoria]

I have created a Signature Blend for my own use. I may change it though, my tastes have changed quite a bit since I made it.

I hope to have much more tea today than yesterday!

[omegapd]

The closest thing I've come to a Signature blend is mixing a decaf teabag in with some of my "real" tea to cut the caffeine content. So, no real blending here.

No tea this morning. I'm off work and couldn't sleep. I need to head back to bed or this whole day off will be shot.

Later,

EW

[olivierco]

No blending here. I might however do some someday with japanese greens.

Yunnan golden tips with my breakfast.

[Vulture]

I have created a Sig blend and also like to blend things at home. Including the infamous Ovaltine incident.

Not drinking anything right now. Kinda been off tea this month, just been busy and not in the mood.

[Jack_teachat]

No signiture blend here, however I do occasionally blend sencha and fairly low grade gyokuro about half and half just to give my sencha a little gyokuro hint! I tend to drop the brewing temperature a few degrees but nowhere near as low as if I were brewing straight gyokuro.

Yunnan Gold this morning.

Jack

[Salsero]

Sometimes I blend leftover bits so as not to waste them.

Bi Luo Chun from Dong Ting mountain in Jiangsu Province

[chad]

I enjoy blended teas but haven't worked up any of my own.

Lover's Leap pekoe this morning.

[auggy]

I've blended some at home but not found anything that I've really wanted to share. Not that it has been bad, just not special enough, if that makes sense. Though I probably will do something w/ Valentines - I don't really enjoy it straight but really like it blended so the next time I order some, I will probably make a blend to make it easier on myself to order (if that makes sense).

Castleton silver tips 2nd in my cup this morning. My throat hurts today. I think I'll be downing lots of tea.

[Riene]

The closest thing I've come to a Signature blend is mixing a decaf teabag in with some of my "real" tea to cut the caffeine content. So, no real blending here.

Same here.

Golden Monkey in my cup this morning, which is interesting with the evergreen tree aroma behind me. I think there's about one more cup of Golden Monkey tea left...will have to place an Adagio order again soon.

There are worse things to be addicted to aside from books and tea.

[Smari]

I've created signature blends and did some other blends for my own enjoyment. The signature blends I made, I usually get them for friends and family for that personal touch as a gift.

No hot teas all weekend due to surgery (a bone graft around a tooth) on Friday . Only had iced raspberry sangria tea this morning. Hopefully, after I get these stitches out, I can drink hot stuff again. I'm already tired of just ice cream, pudding, and icees.

[olivierco]

Houjicha karigane with my lunch.
Kaboku sencha is next.

[kymidwife]

Signature blends are actually what brought me to Adagio and Teachat. I was drinking lots of flavored teas at the time... particularly one I got hooked on at the much-maligned Teavana called "Sweet Cranberry Black". I was searching for cranberry teas that might resemble this one, for perhaps a better price, and then I got interested in exploring other vendors in general when I saw all that was available in the online tea world.

I've made many signature blends, both for my personal use and as gifts... and received some very good ones as gifts from friends here. When I first found Adagio, I bought loads of sample tins... and with those, I have been able to explore blending. It's been lots of fun, and they do make great personal gifts. My latest endeavor is to learn to do my own label artwork, because I am so impressed with how creative and skilled others have been with their labels. I'm mostly drinking unflavored tea these days, but I do keep a few signature blends on hand for iced tea and for dessert teas for myself or guests.

I was delighted and amazed that one of my blends broke into the top 10 this past week... #1 Freakin Twilight Fan. Figures that my most popular blend doesn't even contain any tea and is themed around vampire lust, LOL. Speaking of which, I need to take my hot cup of Oolong #40 and go crawl under a blanket and read alittle "Breaking Dawn"... book 4 of the Twilight series.

Happy Tea Day all...

Sarah

[Victoria]

Busy day today trying to get all the year end stuff caught up.
In my cup this morning Tao of Tea Blue Nilgiri.

Have a nice day everyone!