Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Noodler's Firefly Yellow Highlighter Ink

This week, for our final yellow ink review in November, we have a special ink, which can be used in fountain pens and refillable highlighters, alike. However, I would not recommend writing with this one, unless your reader has a black light by which to read it! (I did test, and it is UV-reactive.)

Below, I have included both the original scan and a digitally-darkened scan to showcase this ink.

Original scan

Darkened scan

I hope you enjoyed our month of yellow inks! If you have any suggestions for new inks to review, please feel free to submit them via the "Questions or Comments?" tab, above, or via this link.




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.

New "Ink Review Index" for Your Perusal!

Want a quick way to browse the ink reviews that have been featured in the past on Built from Ink and Tea? Check out the new "Ink Review Index" page in the navigation tabs at the top! Organized by color family and brand, each ink is linked to its latest review (in the case of multiple uploads). You can also access that page, here.

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Upton Tea Imports' Mango Indica Black Tea

 

Surprisingly, we have never featured a tea from Upton Tea Imports, here on Built from Ink and Tea. I find this very unfortunate (and entirely my fault!), given that Upton Tea Imports sources a great many teas and tea blends from around the world. Today's blend mixes black tea, actual mango bits, sunflower petals (mostly for color), and some artificial flavors for a slightly-tropical tea blend that reminds me of summer (a nice follow-up to last week's review of the Imperial Breakfast Summer Blend).

Boiling some filtered water, I measure two teaspoons of the tea blend into the filter of a two-cup teapot (one teaspoon of leaf for each cup). When the water finishes, I pour it over the leaves and let it steep for four minutes. The dry leaves smell of sweetened mango and light black tea. Brewing, the tea's aroma lacks such heavy sweetness, but the mango and black tea blend together well.

The first sip of Mango Indica tastes of pleasantly-flavored black tea. This bring a smile to my face. As much as I enjoy heavily-flavored, fruit-centric teas, I often find that the fruits (and other flavors) entirely overwhelm the tea base. Mango Indica puts the flavor of the tea in the forefront. Mango flavors wreath the black tea, complementing what tastes like a light, Indian leaf. Four minutes of steep time was perfect to craft this smooth, easy-drinking cup.

I could see this making a delicious iced tea. The mango proves quite refreshing, regardless of whether the tea is brewed hot or cold. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate Mango Indica a 95/100.




Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Upton Tea Imports' Mango Indica is available from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2015, Built from Ink and Tea.

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

Three of four for yellow inks in November! Be sure to look for next Thursday's post, where we review a special yellow 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 Verdant Tea's Imperial Breakfast Summer Blend

Though summer is over, here, our memories of it still remain, like half-remembered dreams upon waking. While musing and reminiscing, what better companion is there, than tea?

The Imperial Breakfast Summer Blend from Verdant tea offers a lot to contemplate. Now archived (and no longer sold), Verdant has released their recipe, allowing us to know the composition of our cup. Chinese black teas are blended with a touch of Wuyi oolong, and very small portions of shou pu'erh and Bai Mu Dan white tea are added. This should be an interesting one to brew! Not-quite-boiled water will be poured over two teaspoons of leaf in a twelve ounce mug and steeped for three minutes.

The finished cup is highlighted by dark amber coloration...and very strong aromas. Bold might be a better descriptor for this tea. While the Chinese black teas are definitely noticeable, it is the Wuyi Big Red robe oolong that gives a unique edge (or more than an edge) to the tea. As of yet, the pu'erh and white teas are not lending much to the aroma.

The flavors underwhelm me at first. My sip starts juicy, yet with little flavor, and it finishes dry, yet flavorful. The little flavor in the beginning is edged with black tea astringency. The longer I let the tea sit in my mouth, the more different flavor notes come forth. The taste of oolong has been darkened greatly by the other teas, yet it is still pleasant and flavorful, once it comes out. White tea flavors (from the Bai Mu Dan) and oolong comprise the aftertaste, which lasts quite a while. The pu'erh does not make an obvious appearance, though it is likely lending an earthiness to the overall flavor.

On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea blend an 81/100. The aftertaste was great, the body was so-so, and the beginning was disappointing. Given that this blend is no longer for sale, Verdant has kindly shared the recipe on their website, for personal use, so you can try blending and brewing your own variation!



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
The recipe for Verdant Tea's Imperial Breakfast Summer Blend can be found, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2015, Built from Ink and Tea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Diamine Sunshine Yellow Ink

Continuing our yellow inks in November!

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 Snow Day Herbal Blend

Have you ever wondered what it would taste like, if you could have a drink made from York peppermint patties? Snow Day, one of DavidsTea's winter 2015 seasonal blends, makes for a good approximation - at least as far as herbal blends go! And yet, I found it to be so much more. Mixing dried peppermint leaves with white chocolate, dark chocolate, sugary sprinkles (this is starting to sound like a cupcake, rather than a tisane), and cocoa beans, this blend sounds like it is going to be intense. Time to get steeping...

For herbal blends, I like to steep them strong. Since peppermint can sometimes make for light-flavored blends, I steep Snow Day for a full seven minutes, using just boiled water. (There were two teaspoons of dry mixture in my twelve ounce mug.)  The aroma coming from the steeping cup is fantastic. York peppermint patties define the smell of this tisane, while cocoa nibs lend an earthy background, and I cannot wait to learn, if it tastes the same way that it smells!

Yes, it does. At least, my initial sip of Snow Day reminds me exactly of that iconic candy. Yet, it is more than just minty chocolate flavors. The body, comprised of the peppermint, stands-up well to the myriad of chocolate and cocoa notes. In contrast, they complement the mint in such a way that it seems accented and sweetened, not overwhelmed or subdued. With all of the seemingly-sweet ingredients listed on the package, I had been worried that the cup would be too sweet, but I am instead finding it to be rather pleasant and complex. Interestingly, the flavors do not entirely meld, and the balance between the sweetness of chocolate, earthiness of cocoa, and sharpness of mint shifts, as the liquid moves across the tongue.

DavidsTea has done a great job of crafting a delicious herbal blend with surprising facets and depth. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate Snow Day a 95/100. I highly recommend that you give it a try, if you enjoy mint "tea." It may surprise you, as it did me.



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
DavidsTea's Snow Day is available from their website, here, and in DavidsTea retail stores.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2015, Built from Ink and Tea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Diamine Yellow Ink

Recently, I realized that Built from Ink and Tea has never reviewed any yellow inks. With that said, we felt that to make up for lost time meant needing to review a group of yellow inks, so all of the ink reviews for November will be yellow, finishing with a special yellow ink on the 26th!

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 Banana Nut Bread Fruit Infusion

DavidsTea features a new tea, each month, as their Tea of the Month, and the honor for November goes to Banana Nut Bread, a fruit infusion that had been discontinued and then brought back by popular demand. To me, this blend sounds like it would be difficult to replicate the bread aspect without actually including bread or wheat-based product in the mix.

As this blend does not contain tea, the recommendation is to steep it for four to seven minutes, using just-boiled water. Normally, I try to steep halfway between the recommendations, but for this blend, I decide to steep for a full seven minutes to get the most intense flavors possible.

While my tea steeps, I shake the bag of fruit blend and inspect the contents. While I did not get any dried banana slices in my bag, I saw that there were many in the container at the shop. Pieces of date and currant are prominent, and the mixture is filled with a plethora of chopped almonds, which seem to flavor tea better than walnuts (despite walnuts being traditional to banana nut bread).

The aroma is spot-on. Doughy, full of ripe banana smell, and sweet; this cup smells like breakfasts from my childhood. And the taste? Initial impressions are that it tastes very sweet. This is noticeable from the moment the liquid touches the tongue. The sweetness does not negatively contribute to the flavor, but it seems to be a bit sweeter than I recall banana bread. The body of the flavor maintains the bread and bananas combination impressively well. In fact, it almost perfectly matches the aroma. The sweetness melds with the other flavors and provides a very smooth cup.

I really did not think I was going to enjoy this. It intrigued me with its uniqueness, but I figured it might just be another strange attempt at emulating food (like a pineapple bacon rooibos I once tried). DavidsTea did an excellent job of crafting this one, and it might just be the cup that satisfies, next time I have a sweet tooth. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this an 86/100.

Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
DavidsTea's Banana Nut Bread is available from their website, here, and in DavidsTea retail stores.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2015, Built from Ink and Tea.