Tuesday, August 19, 2014

jasmine silver needle white tea from teavivre.

jasmine silver needle white.

The folks over at Teavivre were kind enough to send over a few samples to try! Considering how hot it's been ... I opted to start tasting the teas they sent with a very refreshing Mo Li Yin Zhen. The leaves are long, unbroken, and pale in color. Upon opening the bag you're immediately hit with the scent of delicate jasmine.

mo li yin zhen.

The tea when brewed is a very pale yellow and crystal clear. In the past my experience with jasmine teas have been limited to miscellaneous green teas in the form of jasmine scented pearls. Those teas were far more cloying, astringent, and unforgiving if you steeped a moment too long. For that reason I generally avoided jasmine in my teas. This tea is far more gentle than the ones I've tried in the past. The white base is delicate and light on the palate, and the jasmine is not overpowering. When you first sip you'll find that the jasmine fills your sinuses with sharp white floral notes, but then it softens and you get to experience the white tea base. Delicate, slightly nutty, and delightfully sweet. Wonderfully light for a hot summer day like today.

This jasmine silver needle white tea is perfect for someone who loves jasmine but struggles with finding the right balance between the tea leaf and flower! It is a well balanced floral tea that does not rely on heavy jasmine to mask the faults of the tea base. It is high quality all around and a very enjoyable brew!

Monday, August 4, 2014

never looking back.


Gosh, I am one stressed out gal right now! What a lot of people don't know about me is that I am someone who micromanages their life to ridiculous degrees. As much as I like the idea of spontaneity it is simply something that doesn't suit me most of the time. I plan things out weeks in advance. I make reservations for everything.

I'm also a creature of terrible habit. Once I fall into a comfortable cycle I am weary to change anything. It's lead my life into something of a melancholy standstill. After having to give up my cozy cottage apartment I quickly realized that life doesn't care one bit about comfortable cycles and it will derail everything when it gets the chance. And you know what? That's okay. The events following the start of the new year kicked my butt, but it gave me the drive to improve my life drastically. I did a couple spontaneous things that have already paid me back tenfold with happiness. I started to stop caring about being comfortable and started caring about living my life.

With that said, I made the decision to go back to school. What will I study? Hell if I know right now. I got ahead of myself and started trying to plan out the next 2-4 years of my life to ridiculous degrees and became overwhelmed completely. I had to tell myself: "Danielle, stop, just go where life takes you." I'm hoping to get into classes for spring semester with credits transferred from my old college. It's actually a hilariously terrifying prospect -- returning to school after so many years of being disillusioned. Here I am doing just that, though! Eek!

I'm making sure that I always have something to look forward to and work towards from this point forward. :)