Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Diamine Denim Ink

Does it look like denim? Oh yes, it does.

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.

Fountain Pen Day 2014 Approaches!

Fountain Pen Day 2014 is nearly upon us!

Taking place on November 7, 2014, Fountain Pen Day marks a celebration of writing instruments and an opportune moment in which to promote these tools that we enjoy so much. Information about how you can participate is available from the official Fountain Pen Day website, here, including ideas on how to celebrate. I know I will definitely be writing some letters on the 7th. How will you celebrate?

P.S. Built from Ink and Tea is even featured on the list of blogs supporting Fountain Pen Day (listed as Create Write Drink)

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

Long-time readers of this blog may recall a tea review from last August, which covered Lupicia's Lanikai black tea. That tasty tea had come to me packaged in a box of two tins - the Lanikai and this, the Palekaiko. Palekaiko is another Lupicia Hawaii-exclusive blend, and, while Lanikai aims for a sweeter touch, the addition of ginger to Palekaiko takes it down a spicier route.

In a twelve ounce mug, I use just-boiled water to steep a teaspoon and a half of leaves for three minutes. Breathing in the aroma, I can smell the ginger, sharp and hot, over top of dark, warm passion fruit notes. Between the ginger and the passion fruit, there is not a lot of black tea smell, but it is there with the fruit. The three minute steep results in a cloudy reddish-brown brew. The aroma is now heavier with passion fruit. Interestingly, the ginger smell has greatly diminished.

With the first sip, the fruit flavors roll across the tongue. I had thought that the Lanikai blend was quite smooth and figured that this Palekaiko would be less so, due to the ginger. However, I was quite wrong. The thick, warm taste of passion fruit is tinged by ginger, but the ginger only adds a bit of heat and a small bite of spiciness to the initial taste. Aside from this, it in no way overwhelms the senses or dominates the flavor of the tea.

One observation I had was that, even after three minutes of steeping, Palekaiko seemed like it could have given more, if I had steeped it longer. This provides an interesting contrast to my experience with Lanikai, where I felt I should have steeped it for a shorter time.

Overall, I certainly enjoyed Lupicia's Palekaiko black tea, and I would rate it an 86/100 on my personal enjoyment scale. While it is not available from Lupicia's website, it may be acquired from one of Lupicia's store locations in Hawaii. Now, I think I will go try a cup with five minutes of steeping...

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

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Noodler's Baystate Blue Ink

At last - a review of the infamous Baystate Blue ink! Were it not for the various downsides of which one hears (such as the ink dissolving parts within the pen, which I have seen happen though not to my pens), this would be an amazing blue to recommend. I personally use it in a dedicated pen, just in case of any issues.

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 Tao Tea Leaf's Organic Ginger Pu-er Tea

Warning: the following review is of an extremely delicious tea!

As I am sure I have mentioned before, I quite enjoy pu'erh tea. Ginger also happens to be a favorite of mine, and when I received this tea from Tao Tea Leaf, I was ecstatic to try a combination of these two wonderful flavors. The dry leaves exude an earthy pu'erh aroma, though not very rich. Then the spice of the ginger hits the nostrils with a sharp but pleasant bite, as though breathing the aroma of a pepper. Softer sniffs at the mixture of dried ginger and pu'erh leaves reveal a spicy sweetness to the blend, coming from the ginger, which goes well with the woodsy smell of the pu'erh.

Using a gaiwan, I first rinsed my leaves with just-boiled water, then steeped them for thirty seconds. The first infusion produced a milk chocolate-brown cup that was clear and moderately bright (the slight dullness probably came from the infused ginger). Its aroma is far more subdued than that of the dried leaf, and it literally smells like ginger-scented pu'erh. I did not find that the pu'erh was very forward, nor the ginger, and they both balanced each other well. But the balance tastes fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first steep. The ginger lends only the slightest amount of heat to the tea, and that is not unpleasant.

On the second steep of thirty seconds, the tea steeped a darker brown, but equally clear and moderately bright. This time, both ginger and pu'erh flavors were more pronounced and expressive, leading to a richer-tasting cup. Even with the more forward ginger flavor (compared to the first steeping), the heat was still not unpleasant. In fact, it seemed that the heat had diminished slightly, while the ginger flavor was stronger.

Over the next several steeps (longer at forty-five seconds), the tea maintained its balanced expressiveness. The third steep was a bit sweeter with the ginger. The fourth steep brought even flavors of ginger and pu'erh. Finally, I poured water over the leaves to let them sit for a long steep. I really enjoyed tasting this tea. The combination and balance of ginger and pu'erh were spot-on, and I applaud Tao Tea Leaf for doing so well in blending. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea a 97/100.



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Tao Tea Leaf's Organic Ginger Pu-er is available from their website, here.
This tea was provided by Tao Tea Leaf for review. The review was otherwise unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2014, Built from Ink and Tea.

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

The small sample I had was a fun ink, something different to try in the pen.

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 Tao Tea Leaf's Vanilla Mint (Shu) Organic Pu-er Tea

This morning's exciting review covers a brand new (to me) pu'erh for which there is always much rejoicing at Built from Ink and Tea. We love our pu'erh, and getting to try new pu'erh is a treat. The company from which it came, Tao Tea Leaf, primarily focuses on Chinese teas, and this vanilla mint-flavored shou pu'erh is no exception. Having taken what appears to be a young, ripe pu'erh and added vanilla bean and mint leaves, the result is an smooth and refreshing beverage.

I begin by adding leaves and just-boiled water to my gaiwan for a quick rinse. While the directions for this tea make suggestions for a western brewing style, I have chosen to prepare it in a gong fu style with a gaiwan in an attempt to bring out even more flavor over time. As I pour the water over the leaves again for their first, thirty-second steep, the aroma wafts from the gaiwan to my nose. It is intoxicating, smelling strongly of mint. Sweet, smooth notes from the vanilla temper the sharpness of the mint. As the first cup of pu'erh is prepared, my only concern lies with just how much the mint will dominate the flavor of this tea. Too much mint would defeat the purpose of having vanilla and pu'erh in the mix!

The first steep (left) and the second steep (right)

The first sip puts aside all of my concerns. The mint flavor hits immediately and with strength, but is smoothed by the vanilla. The vanilla enough sweetness the tea goes down easily but not so much that it tastes sugared by any means. Quickly, cup one is gone, and I steep the second cup. In the second cup, the mint and vanilla are more balanced. While not overwhelming, the mint had been fairly strong in the first cup. Now, the two are evenly spread throughout the flavor. And how is the pu'erh? Its earthiness makes for a good base to these two natural flavors, vanilla and mint. I would have been okay with the pu'erh flavor being stronger than it is, because the flavor is not very prominent. Mostly, the pu'erh can be tasted in the aftertaste and if one seeks-out the earthiness below the cool mint.

By the third and fourth cups, the mint and vanilla flavors have diminished. They are still present, but now the pu'erh has come forward and reveled in its earthiness. This cup tastes delicious. This is the cup for which I was waiting. All three flavors are now balanced, and, while I would not call the pu'erh "rich," it is earthy enough to provide an excellent addition to the flavor profile. I highly recommend this tea. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate it a 95/100.


Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Tao Tea Leaf's Vanilla Mint (Shu) Organic Pu-er is available from their website, here.
This tea was provided by Tao Tea Leaf for review. The review was otherwise unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2014, Built from Ink and Tea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin Ink

Another installment from the "Warden's Ink Series," Bad Black Moccasin contains properties that help make it more forgery-proof than the standard fountain pen ink.

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 DavidsTea's Secret Weapon White Tea

Recently, the weather has quite warm, where I live. On top of that, work (no, not writing for all of you!) has been heavy. Stress on the mind leads to a strain on the body's immune system, so I was looking for something to boost my body's defenses on this Tea Review Tuesday. DavdsTea's Secret Weapon white tea is not a new offering of theirs, but this is its first time being featured here on Built from Ink and Tea. Taking into consideration all of the above, I will be reviewing it both hot and cold. Enjoy!

I began the adventure of tasting the Secret Weapon by preparing two mugs. One was a twelve ounce mug with slightly more than two ounces of the tea blend in it. The other was a two cup mug in which I placed three ounces of the tea blend. The latter mug will be steeped longer and used for the iced tea. Heating the water in an electric kettle until I saw bubbles the size of shrimp eyes, per traditional Chinese methods for boiling water, signifying my preferred temperature for the water I use on white tea. The suggested steep time is four to five minutes, so I set a timer to five minutes for the steep of the cup to drink hot.

Five minutes provides a solid length of time for the steep of my hot cup of tea. From the DavidsTea website, I had read the somewhat-eclectic group of ingredients including Bai Mu Dan white tea, goji berries, cocoa nibs, and licorice root. The licorice root sold me, and yet, taking my first sip, cocoa immediately manifests itself. But the aroma! Hints of the white tea provide a background to a delicious and aromatic mixture of berry and cocoa. The licorice root is there, but I wish it were more present. Going back to drinking, I wish the same thing. All together, though, these flavors merge well, and I find myself drinking the cup faster, spending less time to savor the flavors. The aftertaste is cocoa again with a hint of berry and licorice. I wonder, if this tea would be improved by having less cocoa flavor, which seems fairly dominant.

The hot cup

The iced cup has been steeping for a solid twenty minutes. Straining the leaves from the tea, transferring the liquid to another cup, and adding ice, I give it some time to chill. When it is ready, and I lift the mug for a drink, I immediately notice that the aroma of the goji berries is stronger than in the hot mug. Likewise, their flavor has become more prominent. The previously-almost-overwhelming cocoa is less-overwhelming, now, with the growth in strength of other flavors (especially the goji). When steeped long enough, it would seem that Secret Weapon makes a tasty iced tea!

The cold cup

While I sometimes balk at the mixtures and combinations that DavidsTea crafts, I believe they have done a great job with their Secret Weapon white tea blend. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate it an 85/100.

Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
DavidsTea's Secret Weapon white 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 Private Reserve Foam Green Ink

Following last week's review of Diamine Meadow ink, this week's review covers another green. This time, we look at Private Reserve Foam Green, an ink that seems rather ethereal.

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.