Alternate History: 1930s-1960s

Well, I think it's time for some new posts, especially since it's been a while. Today's post isn't related with tea at all, but I thought it is an interesting scenario. It's for a new history project, which is essentially just a what-if video about a turning point in history. My topic is the Pacific Theatre.

This is what I'm thinking (if it isn't stated here, I either failed to mention it or history continued as normal):

Early-mid 1930's: The Manhattan Project scientists, namely Einstein and Fermi, reach the US by ship. Hitler, knowing the intelligence of these men, convinces the US to deport them and arrests them when they return to Europe. He plans to use them to create the atomic bomb, in preparation for war.

Late 30's: Hitler secretly launches the Munich Project using the best scientists in Europe to create an atomic bomb. Scientists who refuse to cooperate are executed or tortured. While this is happening, he signs a pact with the Soviets and launches his invasion of Poland. Japan is fighting the Soviets in China (Khalkhin Gol).

1940: After Poland, France is invaded by Germany and defeated. Hitler decides to only attack airfields and communication lines (the Blitz or bombing of cities never occurs). As a result, Germany is able to gain air superiority and win the Battle of Britain. Hitler launches Operation Sea Lion, and invades Britain. 

1941: German troops establish a beachhead and begin the blitzkrieg in Britain. The US (or FDR), due to their alliance with Britain, declares war against Germany and reluctantly sends troops to fight in Britain. With the Americans, Britain is able to stop the German advance. A stalemate occurs.

1942: The Munich Project is completed. Hitler, wanting to break the stalemate, decides to give the atomic bomb to the Japanese in order to force the US to surrender. The Japanese, with no official declaration of war, flies the bomb over the Pacific ocean and destroys Pearl Harbor and surrounding cities. Due to low amounts of public support for the war in Britain and fear of more nuclear destruction, the US surrenders to the Axis powers. They withdraw from Britain, and months later, Germany conquers Britain. Japan begins their own production of atomic weapons. Because the Allies are never able to focus their forces on any other fronts (Britain is too occupied with protecting themselves, the US surrendered/never really wanted to go to war), the Pacific Theater never officially happens. There are some skirmishes with Russia over border areas, but it never breaks out into full war due to a pact. Japan conquers most of East Asia and begins expanding westward. 

1943: Hitler begins his invasion of Russia from the west. Japan invades Russia from the southeast, from China (which had been fallen previously, due to no support from the Allies). Without support from the British or Americans, the Soviet Union surrenders within the year. Japan controls the Eastern half of Russia, and Germany controls the West. World War 2 is officially over.

1943-1950: The Axis begin world domination via spheres of influence or direct control. Germany controls all of Europe, most of the Americas, part of Africa, and the Western part of Russia. Japan controls almost all of Asia, from Australia to the Middle East, and the Eastern part of Russia. Italy controls only part of Africa.

1950s-1960s: Tensions rise between the two growing superpowers- Japan and Germany. This culminates in war for resources/territory in Russia. The German-Japanese War for Russia begins first with clandestine operations, then direct conflict within the country. The war ends with Russia's destruction- Japan attacks with their own atomic bomb, and Germany responds with a hydrogen bomb. Japan is unable to keep up in an atomic arms race with Germany, and surrenders before nuclear holocaust. A large portion of Russia is destroyed before Japan withdraws. Peace agreements are signed: Russia becomes fully controlled by Germany, and both sides agree to never use atomic weapons again after seeing the destruction that they can cause. Tensions stay high, but no conflict of that magnitude ever occurs again.

1960s+: Japan and Germany become world superpowers with very large spheres of influence; Germany in the west (Europe) and Japan in the east (Asia). Italy becomes a second rate power with only a small amount of territory in comparison. The Americas are shared between the two superpowers. The Cold War/Vietnam/Korea never happen on the scale that it did in real life, due to somewhat similar governments (fascism). However, proxy wars still occur.

And that's all I got! The project only asks for 20 years after the war, so there's that. 

Day 100: Good Morning

Brand: Lupicia
Type: Black
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Dark brown/black, very small CTC tea with small, curled leaves
Color: Dark brown/amber; clear
Smell: Earthy, somewhat like puerh (the fishy smell), smoky
Recommended with/as: As is, milk, sweetener
Rating: 7.5/10

Tasting notes and thoughts:
Apparently this is a blend of African and assam tea, but to be honest, it tastes more like a light puerh-black blend rather than an assam. This is because the assam seems to be masked by the African tea, which gives it a much stronger earthy and somewhat bold taste. It doesn't really have the sweetness or creaminess of other black teas, and to be honest, is a bit bland on its own. It is, however, very astringent and somewhat malty.  It does make for a good breakfast tea though, since it's not bad when milk and honey are added. Overall, it's a pretty basic black tea, but it's not my cup of tea. I'd try to write more about it (especially since this is the last review), but there isn't really much that sets this apart from others, and I have to do more studying for the AP bio test.

Other notes:
Welp, it's finally over!

But before I talk about THAT, let's see talk about how my day went. The main thing is that I finally got the balls to turn in my own writeup to AP Bio, and you know what? I feel good about it. Although I felt like shit at the time because my lab group is really pissed at me (and understandably too- I didn't tell them anything), I feel like they had it coming. They expected me to pick up all of the hard work and writing (stat analysis, graphing, the bulk of the writeup mainly), and since I didn't, they had nothing to turn in. I also admit that I should have done it earlier, since this was terrible timing (the guy who sort of screwed us over on the science fair + made me pick up all of his work the whole year has 2 AP tests and this super long writeup to do) and it would have spared me all of this grief. But, what's done is done, and I'm glad I finally stood up for myself- it's good that the AP bio teacher and my other science fair partner stood up for me since I'm terrible at doing this stuff. I didn't get to do the speech for history class (so that's tomorrow), and all of the other classes were pretty average. After school, I ended up talking to you know who for a while, which was pretty fun too. Right now, I'm just procrastinating on homework and studying since I just woke up, and trying to debate if I should still present the science fair stuff on wednesday at the street fair (especially after what happened today and I do have the AP Bio final the day after).

Anyway! For this project. Here's some stats:
1. I skipped only two days (once because I accidentally slept in, and the other because of family problems)
2. I had about ~600 pageviews (probably all bots, honestly)
3. Since I had an average of 3 teacups each day, which is around 2 cups (I'm being generous here), I've drank 200 cups of tea. 200 cups is about 1600 fluid ounces, and since 1 fluid ounce weighs 0.0652 pounds, that's around 104 pounds. I've pretty much drank almost my entire body weight in tea (which probably isn't good, considering the drought).
4. The majority of my views were from the US, with some in China, Sri Lanka, Russia, and Great Britain. Most of these viewers used chrome as a browser and macs as their OS.
4. I'll probably make up more and mention them in other things as I go on.

And for posterity, things that I've done over this 3 month period that I'm proud of are:
1. 2nd place in Botany for my first science fair (Biofuels: The Effects of Electricity on Algae Growth)
2. Actually started dating someone (and I really like her, too)
3. Kept my GPA at 4.0-4.06, and am doing great in AP Bio (it's turned out to be one of my favorite classes)
4. Gained a new found respect and love for classic movies (Ikiru, goddamn)
5. Learned a ton of stuff about tea and in general (how to make authentic chai!)
6. People actually celebrated my birthday this year (and I got an awesome tea set/tray in it too- thanks!)
7. Piano recital (played one of my favorite songs for that)
8. Sort of got some extracurriculars? They don't start until summer, so I can't really say for sure (Fencing club/classes, volunteer work at CAX)
9. History project was decent (grades aren't up for that, and I'm kind of disappointed that it got destroyed; working on it was pretty fun though- except the writing); pretty much most projects in general
10. Well I did try 100 different teas and got better at tea tasting (tip for next time: change the grading system since what I have isn't that good)
11. I'm still alive too, which is a plus (there was a surprising number of shitty days I've had, but I didn't really know I usually have this many since I haven't wrote it down before)
12. A ton of other stuff that I can't remember right now but are probably important (just social things I think)

Well it's been an emotional roller coaster, but thank you if you've read this. For the people who came here for actual tea reviews, I'm sorry that this was mostly about my personal life; I was mostly just looking for practice in taste testing. It's been fun, and I'll probably start doing serious reviews now if I can- I do have that milk oolong to review still, don't I?

I'll end this project with one of my life rules, since I haven't posted one in a while:
You almost never end up where you expect to be in life; just go with the flow, and make sure you enjoy it along the way.

Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Finished!

Day 99: Kilimanjaro

Brand: Lupicia
Type: Black
Brew Time & Temperature: 2 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Dark brown, small CTC leaves
Color: Dark golden-orange; clear
Smell: Earthy, malty, a bit smoky
Recommended with/as: As is, milk, sweetener
Rating: 8/10

Tasting notes and thoughts:
Shoot, it's pretty late today for this review so I'm gonna rush it (11:30). Anyway, I thought this was a pretty average black tea. It's a nice in-between, without being too strong or too weak. However, it isn't too complex- the main flavor is mostly just earthy. However, by the end of a sip, it lightens up and becomes a bit malty with a very, very subtle sweetness. It doesn't linger much on the mouth after drinking, but it does make the throat a little bit dry. Overall, it would make a good breakfast tea with milk or in a blend, but there isn't very much to it. I do like how it tastes on its own, however.

Other notes:
-48 HOURS REMAIN-
Well, the recital went okay today (it still feels kinda shitty that everyone there, including elementary kids, can play more pieces, and better than you can, but I guess that's just part of learning). Other than that, though, it was mostly just work and studying for the AP bio exam. My history group got the script and visual set up (and they actually helped somewhat, but I don't really have high hopes for this presentation), and like always, my AP Bio group didn't get anything done on the writeup. So, since I did all yesterday on my own, I'm just going to turn it in with my name only and stop being such a damn pushover (especially since it's the last real lab). I also signed up for fencing classes in June, which I'm pretty hyped about. Anyway, tomorrow is the final day of the project, and I feel kind of sad since it's coming to an end. I did have a ton of fun with it though, and I think I expanded my tea tasting ability quite a bit. I'd talk more, but it's almost 12 and I don't want to post this late.

Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Good Morning

Day 98: Sencha "Omaesama"

Brand: Lupicia
Type: Green
Brew Time & Temperature: Gaiwan method today
Leaf Appearance: Small, broken up dark green leaves; sizes range from broad to thin & grasslike
Color: Dark (but bright), emerald green; a bit cloudy from particles, but overall clear
Smell: Brothy, vegetal, somewhat salty with very light sweet, vanilla notes
Recommended with/as: As is
Rating: 8/10

Tasting notes and thoughts:
Looking back, this isn't really a good tea to use in a gaiwan (especially the leaves in the tea bag). They're much too small, particles get past even my best strainer, and the leaves just get everywhere. However, despite the oversteeping and light bitterness, this is a green tea with a strong umami taste. It starts off with the brothy taste, which soon turns into umami (and also some bitter) notes. It finishes off with grassy, somewhat tangy (and minty?) notes, with the umami lingering in the mouth long afterwards. It's somewhat astringent, leaving the throat a bit dry, but not the mouth. I got about 8 brews out of it, with the taste becoming less bitter and more sweet each time and the color becoming more bright green. Overall, it's a good green tea, but I've had better in this project (also having larger leaves wouldn't hurt too).

Other notes:
-72 HOURS REMAIN-
Oh shiiiiiiiiii- I can't believe I've done this for almost 100 days straight (bar 1 or 2 days). I'd talk more about how I feel about it, but there's work to do (screw this AP bio lab y'know). I'll do it later. Anyway, in short, pretty much all I did today was buy groceries, get the rest of the job application (and talk to the boss there), and work on homework. I'll start studying my ass off tomorrow for that AP Bio final + AP test, and I have a piano recital tomorrow. My first piece is super easy and not really my choice (I was going to play Howl's Moving Castle, but screw the 2nd half of that piece), but I really like my second piece (Schroeder's Failure from Darwinia). Here's to me doing well and actually doing what I set out to do.

Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Kilimanjaro

Day 97: Muscat Darjeeling

Brand: Lupicia
Type: Flavored Black
Brew Time & Temperature: 3 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Mix of dark or light green darjeeling leaves, rolled/curly
Color: Light, golden-orange; clear
Smell: Sweet, red grapes or just grape juice mainly
Recommended with/as: As is, iced
Rating: 7.5/10

Tasting notes and thoughts:
First thought on this tea is that it smells really, really nice, but then again, most of Lupicia's grape-flavored teas aren't that bad smelling (they're pretty close to the actual smell of grapes and not that artificial). As for the taste, I'd say it's pretty close to grape juice. The darjeeling mixes well with the grape flavoring, as they both enhance each others flavor. On drinking, you're met with the earthiness of the darjeeling, which is quickly followed by the tart, grape flavoring (and muscatel from the darjeeling?). It slowly dissipates afterwards, starting off slightly sweet and ending on a light bitter note. It's actually pretty close to real grapes (but not the sweet kind). The aftertaste isn't as good as the actual taste as it leaves a bit of a bitter, sour taste that lasts in the mouth for a really long time. This, combined with the astringency of the tea, makes it very drying to the mouth and throat and gives it a bit of different texture (which in my opinion, isn't that good- I'd describe it as kind of chewy and astringent). Overall, it's a decent darjeeling that has a good flavor, but leaves a feeling in the mouth that isn't too enjoyable. Maybe adding sugar or honey would fix this, but I'm not too sure.

Other notes:
Y'know, today was actually pretty great. School was pretty average again, but after school was fun. That girl and I (it sorta feels weird to call her my girlfriend now, but we're officially dating- we just haven't told our friends yet) went with some friends to Safeway and got some donuts/other food. We ended up leaving them to go hang out on our own in front of the school for a while, and we talked for an hour (?) or so about random stuff. She showed me the Harry Potter books if they were about Christianity (note to self: read the actual HP book sometime), and we talked about stuff from middle school. Man, now I can't wait until next week to do this again since we had so much fun. In somewhat related news, I think the name Lonzo is such a stupid, but hilarious name.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm trying sleep learning in preparation for the AP Bio final + exam (with actual studying too, of course). I don't really know if it'll have any effect, but it's nice to try anyway. This weekend is going to be a ton of work to do (AP bio studying and lab, history presentation, job application, Japanese cooking project, math homework, all that jazz).

Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Sencha "Omaesama"