Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Pilot Juice Dark Red Rollerball Refill

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 Siciliano's Market's Burrough's Blend Black Tea

Making a cup of tea this morning, I found a sample of some black tea from Siciliano's Market that I picked-up on my last trip to Grand Rapids: Burrough's Blend. This mixture of black tea and coconut has an aroma that promises smooth flavors and natural sweetness without any fruitiness.

I brewed a teaspoon and a half in twelve ounces of just-boiled water for four minutes, enjoying the smell of coconut that wafted from the cup. Once the steeping was done and the cup had cooled enough to drink, I took a sip and let the coolness of the coconut roll over my tongue. The blending with the black tea had been very well done, and the tea itself - not too malty or heavy - provided an excellent backdrop to coconut.

If you happen to find yourself in Grand Rapids, be sure to stop by Sicliano's Market. Burrough's Blend is definitely worth trying. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate it a 4.



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Siciliano's Market's Burrough's Blend black tea is available at their store in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You can find more information about their store from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
You can read more about my Personal Enjoyment Scale, here.
Text is copyright 2016, Built from Ink and Tea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Pilot G-2 Red Rollerball Refill

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 Rishi Tea's Pu-erh Classic Tea

Today's tea for review struck a bit of an odd chord with me. I quite enjoy pu'erh; it is my favorite variety of tea. But when a tea company suggests using 1 tablespoon of tea per 8 ounces of water for brewing that is not gong fu-style...I have to wonder as to why?

Rishi Tea's Ancient Pu-erh Classic came with these exact instructions for brewing:

Water Temperature: 212°F (boiling)
Leaf to Water Ratio: 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces
Steep Time: 5 minutes (1st infusion), 6 minutes (2nd infusion)

These were the instructions from the side of the tea container. Now, thankfully, on their website, they also have instructions for using a gaiwan to brew, and those instructions seem more in line with traditional pu'erh brewing. That is not to say that pu'erh has to be brewed in a gaiwan (versus Western-style with an infuser, less leaf, more water, and more time), but the issue I take with their brewing instructions is the use of so much leaf for Western-style brewing. Of course, with that much tea being used, the drinker will certainly be able to get a second infusion, but a good quality pu'erh should be able to withstand multiple infusions, regardless.

For my tasting, I used a 12 ounce mug, which per their instructions would require 1.5 tablespoons of tea (4.5 teaspoons). I rounded down to 4, but I did steep for the recommended 5 minutes for the first infusion. The result? A dark, dark brew that looks thick - a familiar sight to me of heavily-steeped pu'erh.

I neglected to mention that, while my tea steeped, I took a moment to smell the dry leaf. It reminded me of a young shou pu'erh with a bit of natural sweetness that suggests a lack of age. The same aroma was represented in the cup, once prepared.

Having finished the long steep, I tasted the finished brew. The flavors were definitely the rich, earthy tones of a ripe pu'erh, but they also tasted young and thin. These aspects were not unpleasant, but Rishi's Pu-erh Classic does not provide top quality leaf. But the price was not high either, so as an introduction to pu'erh, this offering might be ideal.

However, contemplating the accessibility of pu'erh to new drinkers, I think that there are a lot of other young shou pu'erh options with which to start. And those can be found at similar or better price points. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate Rishi Tea's Pu-erh Classic a 3.

Note: On their website, Rishi has an "Ancient Pu-erh Classic" but does not have just a "Pu-erh Classic" listed. The tin I purchased made no mention of "Ancient," so the link to purchase, below, leads to Amazon. Given the price difference between the "Ancient Pu-erh Classic" on Rishi's website and the tin on Amazon, I am under the impression that these are different teas.



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Rishi Tea's Pu-erh Classic is available from Amazon, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
You can read more about my Personal Enjoyment Scale, here.
Text is copyright 2016, Built from Ink and Tea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Pelikan Dunkelgrün (Dark 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 Teavivre's Monkey Picked (Ma Liu Mie) Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea

As is my custom with many oolongs, I chose to use a gaiwan in the tasting of this tea. Something about the methodical pouring of dry leaves, rinsing them, watching them begin to expand, and putting them through multiple steepings of gong fu-style brewing is, in a way, calming. The rinsing reveals that this tea is quite nutty and perhaps a bit fruity in aroma. I eagerly begin the steeping.

A pale yellow liquor results from the first infusion. The smell is very intensely oolong. For a first, short steeping, I am actually surprised - pleasantly so. The flavor is developing, but more than just a weak infusion. It has body and character - that much I can already see. The nuttiness, which I had detected in the smell from the freshly-rinsed leaves, shines through the flavor a bit. as well. I turn on some music that is completely at odds with tea tasting (electro house), and I somehow find it conforming to my tea session.

The second steeping I find to be nutty, creamy, and well-rounded in flavor. The color remains the same, and the leaves have opened wide. The smell is smooth and very aromatic.

In the third steeping, the most flavor (thus far) reaches my tongue. It would seem as though the flavor truly has gotten bolder over the course of this steeping. The slightest hint of vegetal leanings is present, but really takes a backseat to the other delicious flavors. I am certain that this tea has a few more steepings in it, and it makes for a really nice tie guan yin that is worth tasting. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate it a 4.



Teavivre's Monkey Picked (Ma Liu Mie) Tie Guan Yin Oolong is available from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
You can read more about my Personal Enjoyment Scale, here.
Text is copyright 2016, Built from Ink and Tea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Lamy Dark Lilac 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 Teavivre's Black Tartary Buckwheat Tea Whole Embryo Tisane

And now for something completely different - Black Tartary Buckwheat Tea Whole Embryo from Teavivre. To clarify, though, this is actually not tea. According to Teavivre, these are Black Tartary buckwheat kernels, a grain grown for making teas (or, more properly, tisanes). Buckwheat tea is totally new to me, and I am excited for the experience. Time to try it!

I steep two teaspoons of the black buckwheat kernels in twelve ounces of just-boiled water for four minutes. The dry buckwheat...smells like cereal. A lot like Cheerios, in fact. Hmmm, I think, okay, so I am going to be drinking cereal? The smell is comprised of a lot of grain notes, which carry a slight sweetness to them.

When my steeping finishes, I remove the kernels (I almost wrote "leaves") and breathe-in the aroma rising from my cup. I find it hard to get over the fact that it smells a lot like hot Cheerios. And yet, my brain tells might that might not be a bad thing, so I wait for the liquid to cool a bit and then take a sip.

I have never tasted a tisane like this. The warm cereal notes roll over the tongue. Tinges of sweetness add a special note to the flavor. It actually tastes quite good. In some respects, I find it as soothing as the chamomile that I enjoy in the evenings, while providing a good balance of sweetness that more mellow than a rooibos.

While this might not replace my normal tisanes, I think it is a great option for those looking to incorporate more caffeine-free blends into their tea routine! On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this black buckwheat tisane a 4.



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Teavivre's Black Tartary Buckwheat Tea Whole Embryo is available from their website, here.
This tea was provided for my unbiased review by Teavivre.
You can read more about my Personal Enjoyment Scale, here.
Text is copyright 2016, Built from Ink and Tea.

Stained Fingers on Thursday - A Review of Montblanc Nightfire Red Rollerball Refill

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.