Seven Cups Qimen Caixia (Sunrise Keemun)

We love a strong, malty tea in the parlor, especially for breakfast. One of our local tea rooms, Seven Cups, offers a delicious keemun, Qimen Caixia, harvested from Anhui Province. It is a lovely red when steeped, with a mild fragrance. We've been enjoying it a lot, but have only one quibble--we have yet to get multiple infusions from it (or any other tea, for that matter). It just might convert a die hard coffee drinker.

Adagio Yunnan Jig

This is one of our favorite teas here in the parlor. Adagio's Yunnan Jog is strong and full bodied. It's supposed to have flavors of cocoa and pepper, but we confess we didn't identify those. It is smooth, full, rolling over the tongue with a robust strength and slight astringency that wakes you up and girds your loins. Yup, Arthur Conan Doyle, whose exploits we read while drinking yunnan jig, would have approved. Perfect for mornings, afternoons, and tales of murderous intrigue.

Adagio Assam Harmony

Adagio Assam Harmony

We love a good assam tea in the parlor. Rich, bold, flavorful, assam teas stand up to milk but are strong enough on their own to convert coffee drinkers. We've drunk both Assam Melody and Assam Harmony from Adagio, and find that the slightly pricier Harmony is the stronger, bolder tea. We didn't quite get the note of raisin that's supposed to be there, but the robust maltiness of Harmony was very pleasing. This one goes on the reorder list.

Care True Black

Sometimes you need a quick cuppa, without the usually enjoyable fuss of using loose leaf yea. That's why we'll never be tea snobs here in the parlor. The latest bagged tea we're trying right now is Care True Black tea, distributed by Numi. Numi teas (loose and bagged) are a favorite here, and we hoped Care would live up to Numi standards. We're pleasantly surprised. Care is an extremely affordable organic tea (words not always found in the same sentence) with the added bonus of being fair trade (we always love fair trade) and non-gmo, with another added bonus of having a very pleasant taste and aroma. Smooth, subtle, not strong (we'd never use the word robust), this a lovely, mild cup whose flavor is made more enjoyable by all the other good things that surround it. We love the way tea makes us relax and feel, and we love when a tea manufacturer cares about the planet as much as we care about the taste of the tea we're sipping.

Tazo Iced Citrus Bliss

It's iced tea time here in the desert. Well, actually, it's always iced tea time, anywhere, as far as we here in the parlor are concerned. We have sampled several of the Tazo iced tea blends, and especially enjoyed Citrus Bliss. We usually don't bother to boil the water; we just let cold water brew the tea, even if that takes a little longer. Perfect with grilled fare, nachos, or a sweet dessert.

Steven Smith Teamaker No. 512 Churchmouse Winter

A recent vacation to Bainbridge Island included a visit to Churchmouse Yarn and Teas, where we bought yarn and, of course, tea. We've spent the past two months enjoying Steven Smith Teamaker No. 512 Churchmouse Winter, because winter in the desert can bring freezing overnight temperatures. That's when a strong, hot cup of tea is perfect. This blend of malty Assam and brisk Ceylon with smoky Yunnan is perfect for such a night, smooth and hearty. It's a tea that will warm any hearth. It was perfect with oatmeal and blueberries on a crisp, cold winter desert morning.

Tea of Life English Breakfast

An unfamiliar-to-us bagged tea, Tea of Life was a smooth if uninspired blend. The mellow breakfast blend stood up well to milk and honey, and while it may not have zinged our taste buds, we found it a more than adequate companion at our breakfast table. This would be a good tea to introduce to non-tea drinkers, as it was not astringent nor did it have a strong tannin taste. On the plus side, it was very affordable, and we always like teas that are in a tin that allows for maintenance of freshness.