Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Noodler's Lexington Gray 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 Bigelow's Apple Cider Herbal Blend

An herbal blend that imitates another popular hot drink - interesting! This week on Tea Review Tuesday, we are taking a look at Bigelow's bagged Apple Cider Herbal.

I steeped my bag of this tisane in eight ounces of just-boiled water for four minutes, unsure of how strong it would actually brew. The aroma is exactly like packaged hot apple cider (I have never personally had fresh hot apple cider). Juicy and spicy, the cloves are especially noticeable.

Without sweetening it at all (though the package suggests that it should be sweetened to taste), I find the steeped herbal blend to be pleasantly and adequately sweet, just from the included ingredients. The flavor begins predominantly apple-centric, followed by some citrus notes. The clove is light and does not taste as strong as it smelled, originally. Four minutes was the perfect length of time for steeping. This really is a tasty cup.

The cup tastes smooth and very close to packaged hot apple cider but without the overload of sugar. Bigelow's Apple Cider is a delicious hot beverage for your winter evenings, completely caffeine-free. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tisane a 94/100.


Bigelow's Apple Cider Herbal 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 Diamine Graphite Ink - Re-reviewed

Diamine Graphite Ink, re-reviewed with new pens.

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 Upton Tea Imports' Mélange Noël Christmas Black Tea

Mélange Noël Christmas Tea, a fancy name for a seasonal blend. In French, it loosely translates to a "Christmas blend/mix." And this shall be our tea to drink, this week!

The ingredients list - a blend of black tea, cardamom, cloves, vanilla, rose petals, and citrus peel reminds me a lot of Peet's Winter Solstice; though the inclusion of rose petals, here, could add an intriguing note to the flavor. The loose leaf smells so very spicy. And yet, the vanilla smooths the scent and adds a hint of sweetness that reminds me of a spicy candy.

Four minutes of steeping, using just-boiled water over two teaspoons of loose leaf, results in our aromatic pot of tea being complete. Sniffing the cup that I just poured, it definitely seems that the black tea base has come to the forefront. The first sip...light flavor hits my tongue first. Slight astringency from the black tea slides over the sides of my tongue. As I taste the body of the tea, very light - not sweet as the dry leaf suggested - vanilla notes come forth. Overall, the spices are a lot less intense than I had imagined them to be from smelling the dry leaves. The aftertaste leaves a touch of cloves, vanilla, citrus...and rose petals...on the tongue. Interesting how the rose petals arrive now in the flavor. Certainly, with such strong ingredients, they were in danger of being overwhelmed. But they all combine very well together.

This tea surprised me with how light it tasted. It does make a great winter drink and goes down very smooth. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this offering from Upton Tea Imports an 88/100. And yes, the flavors are definitely different than Peet's Winter Solstice.



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

I Ink Therefore I Am

Here on Built from Ink and Tea, we dedicate our time to sharing our thoughts on products, helping you discover new items, and putting offerings to the test. For us, pens and ink are a lifestyle, and we have opinions what we use. The choices we make when refilling our pens, affect how we feel about that pen and how we use it.

You will start to occasionally see posts from us, tagged with "Ink/Think". These will not be regularly scheduled but will be prompted by our refilling and wanting to share that unique feeling of a freshly-filled pen with you! We hope you enjoy them and invite you to leave your thoughts in the comments section, below.

"As described in a post on the Montblanc fineliner body hack, I have been using Montblanc fineliner refills in my Pilot Metropolitan rollerball, and the experience has been great. Recently, my medium Mystery Black refill ran out, and I replaced it with a broad Amethyst Purple refill. Depending on your paper, the broad tip can be really broad and bleeding. On this Rhodia pad, it does just fine and presents a decently large line. The color, I like, but I cannot see myself using on a daily basis. Funny how this page started darker than it is now. Unfortunately, swapping to this refill has actually led me to use this pen much less than before."

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Noodler's Polar Green 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 Adagio Teas' Rooibos Berry

Contemplating this week's review, I had just returned home from work, and caffeine was the last thing that I needed. Noting this rooibos from Adagio in my review queue, I knew it was the perfect drink for the evening.

Pouring two cups of just-boiled water over two teaspoons of the rooibos blend, I let it steep for five minutes. The dark red brew that resulted was very aromatic. To me, rooibos already has a bit of a berry aspect to the aroma, but the smell of this blend, which includes strawberries, raspberries, and "natural forest berries" took that to another level entirely. Now, I am not sure what "natural forest berries" entail, but they had to have made this blend even better.

The flavors burst in the mouth, not tangy as some berries taste, but sweet, juicy, and rather smooth. The initial taste is very rooibos-centric, but - as the tisane sits on the tongue - the berry flavor rises to the forefront. A word of warning - this blend does somewhat taste like cough medicine. This could be a major turn-off for some folks, especially those who already feel that the taste of rooibos reminds them of Robitussin.

However, for me, this cup has been a pleasant delivery of flavor, a relaxing and caffeine-free beverage. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate Rooibos Berry a 94/100.




Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Adagio Teas' Rooibos Berry 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 Diamine Ultra Green 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 TeaFrog's Asian Mint Green and Black Tea

As I sat at my kitchen table this morning, trying to decide on a tea to drink before breakfast, the typical questions swam through my head. "Do I want white tea?" "Do I want green tea?" "Do I want black tea?" Well, this morning, I was able to deal with two of those questions at once in the form of TeaFrog's Asian Mint Tea! This tea is a blend of gunpowder green tea and Ceylon Orange Pekoe black tea. Contrary to how it may sound, "Orange Pekoe" is a designation for a high quality tea leaf, not a citrus-flavored blend of black tea.

I heated water as though I were making a green tea, wanting to not scald the gunpowder green tea leaves. Three minutes of infusion later, and I had myself a cup of tea that looked like a typical, light, black tea. Seeing nothing different about it, I took a whiff of the tea. That is when I could smell the smoky, vegetal green tea aroma wafting out of the blend. And they mix perfectly!

At the forefront of the flavor is the black tea. Mild and yet flavorful, it leads this tea blend well. Then the gunpowder comes into the mix for the finish, and, with a smoky roar, sweeps pleasantly through the taste. This was really delicious. I can imagine that a bit of milk would add to this tea, if milk in tea is to your liking. This might become a new favorite for my morning cup! On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea a 91/100.



TeaFrog's Asian Mint Green and Black Tea 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 Bad Green Gator 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 Whispering Pines Tea's Wildcrafted Dian Hong Black Tea

Just as in last week's review, this week features another new (to Built from Ink and Tea) tea company - Whispering Pines Tea. Their handcrafted teas are blended in small batches, often using wildcrafted ingredients (see their article on this concept, here). Today's review focuses on their Wildcrafted Dian Hong black tea.

Per the recommendation on their website, I begin with steeping only a teaspoon of leaves in sixteen ounces of water for three minutes. As they give instructions for second and third infusions, I am looking forward to trying those. The dry leaves give-off a slightly-brassy, fresh grass scent. In some regards, it reminds me a bit of olive oil. The aroma is light, but it has some deep notes in the background, which cause me to draw long breaths of the dry tea, while the other leaves steep. Slightly chocolatey, slightly honey, there is only a touch of malt that I have experienced with other Chinese black teas. Yet dian hong is not just any Chinese black tea.

Other sources suggest that high quality dian hong will have no astringency to it, if brewed properly (which usually involves short steepings). My first sips of this Wildcrafted Dian Hong reveal notes of flavor that I would never have expected from the aroma. Whispering Pines Tea's website mentions the foremost flavor being sweet potato - they are spot-on. Honey flavors edge the body. The maltiness that was noticeable in the aroma is here in the flavor - subtly. The cup finishes with a hint of spice. If those sources I mentioned are to be believed - this dian hong definitely shows its quality. The taste holds no astringency.

During the second steep, a five minute infusion, I contemplate the amazing smoothness from my first brewing. Simply, I find this tea delicious, and I am already looking forward to more. The color of the second steep matches that of the first. The aromas have lightened a bit, but they seem sweeter. Likewise, the flavors are lighter and sweeter versions of their first steep. The sweet potato actually seems noticeable, now, in the smell.

A third steep for eight minutes seems to complete the tea, as the flavors diminish. The aroma is much weaker, now, and the flavors are only a shadow of what they were, originally. Tasting more like flavored water, the tea remains drinkable, yet not nearly as enjoyable.

On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate Whispering Pines Tea's Wildcrafted Dian Hong a 98/100. This tea was delicious, and I look forward to drinking many more cups of it. The flavors were so different than the usual Chinese black teas that I drink, I felt as if I had discovered a completely new aspect of tea that I had never previously encountered. I cannot recommend highly enough this find from Whispering Pines Tea.



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Whispering Pines Tea's Wildcrafted Dian Hong is available from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2015, Built from Ink and Tea.