Writerly Bundle #8: Sagacity, Flaming Red Hair, and Brandy Oolong

Welcome to this week's Writerly Bundle! A post where I hope to inspire you with three of the world's greatest things: music, words, and tea. 

Happy Easter, everyone, and happy very late Saint Patrick's Day! Since St. Patrick's Day has not long ago passed, I thought this post would be fun to have a Tolkien-Style merry-making theme.

The Word:

sagacity

noun

1.) acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment.

Example Sentence: Imbibing brandy does not induce sagacity.

The Song:

"Flaming Red Hair"

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
by Howard Shore

Since we're talking about brandy aka alcohol, I thought a drinking song appropriate, so I have here a piece from Bilbo's 111th birthday in the Shire where much ale was consumed. This piece is very snappy and happy with lots of fiddles, clacking sounds, and cheery flutes. It makes me bounce and sway every time I listen to it. This is perfect for a fantasy or historical novel for a merry party scene! 

The Tea:

Brandy Oolong

(I couldn't find a description of this tea on Bingley's Teas so I'm going to use this description from Octavia Teas so you get an idea of this tea)
This exceptional, competition-grade oolong is composed of tealeaves rolled into dark, lustrous little pearls. When brewed, its rich, caramel color is similar in appearance to a fine, aged brandy. Tremendously complex flavors of roasted brown-sugar, molasses, nutmeg, raisins and figs evolve into a lingering, caramelized-honey persistence in this sophisticated cup. Often a favorite among connoisseurs, oolong tea is rich in antioxidants and metabolism-boosting properties.

How I found it: Bingley's Teas was generous enough to give me a lovely box of samples for review! I discovered them because of Sara Letourneau over at Bibliophile's Reverie!

Be sure to read the Emma's Perfect Match, Lizzie Bennett's Wit, and Anne Elliot's Hope blend reviews!

The Tea: In my last review, I basically went on a long rant about the complexities of oolong teas for half of the review. This is one of those exception teas I was talking about and this tea is delish! It is one of the best oolongs I've ever had, even over Alishan Jin Xuan and that's saying something.

Brandy Oolong has a similar nature to a black tea yet it's a green tea. Trippy I know. It brews into the golden color of brandy from which it gets its name. This smooth and rich tea isn't alcoholic in the slightest, but it does have subtle malt flavors. It tastes sweet like honey or brown flavors, a caramelized flavor, if you will.

Serving Recommendations: I steeped this tea 195 F for three minutes and added sugar though the tea is so sweet itself the sugar is hardly even needed.

How much is it and where can you get it? This tea is available at the Bingley's Teas website. You can get a 60 g package for $16.95. This amount makes at least twenty cups of tea, so you get your money's worth. 

So how good is it? This is a really great tea! One of the best oolong experiences I've had. Four stars!

Bonus! If you are a first-time Adagio customer I can send you a $5 giftcard! Ask in the comments for details! (This is no joke and no catch I seriously can. It's part of the amazingness of Adagio Teas)

Have you seen or used this word before? Have you heard this piece before? Have you tried this tea? Have you seen or read The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring?

Click here for last week's Writerly Bundle!

If you liked this post, come back every other Tuesday for book reviews; Friday for tags, character interviews, and link-ups; Saturdays for writing advice and life updates; and Sundays for the Writerly Bundle which includes a new soundtrack piece, vocabulary word, and tea review!