Forte Ruby Red Herbal Tea

I'm trying to use up some of the herbal teas that nice folks give me as iced teas since our summer seems to be interminable. The Forte red herbal tea is a lovely, very cinnamon-flavored tea that went nicely with pasta for dinner. 

Novel Teas

Oh dear, fellow tea lovers, I cannot believe it has been a year since we last had tea. It has been a strange time and I have found great comfort in drinking our favorite teas this year. I did not seek out any new teas to try until recently, as my stash of Adagio Brigadoon Breakfast has been whittled down slightly.

In June, my sister sent me Novel Teas. This delightful Ceylon bagged tea has a different literary quote not he tag of each bag. I have enjoyed tremendously both reading the quotes and sipping the delicate Ceylon tea. This is great gift item for the book- and tea-loving person in your life.

 

Oliver Pluff and Company East Indian Tea

I was in Boston earlier this year, and of course I had to visit the Boston Tea Party Museum. I didn't have time to eat at the tea room associated with it, But I did tour the museum. And naturally, I bought tea.

Oliver Pluff and Company East Indian tea is alleged to be the same blend of tea that was one of the tea varieties tossed into Boston Harbor that fateful night in 1774. It's a robust tea, somewhat malty but without the depth of an Assam. It's very hearty, and would make a good tea for a coffee drinker to try.

We served it for elevenses here on the patio with homemade blueberry cornbread. A delicious and decidedly unsweet morning break that was delightful.

 

As mentioned previously, I visited Elmwood Inn Teas last October. Ever since, we've been enjoying Kenya Safari at breakfast. This is a strong, deep, black tea, very robust. It would be a good choice for a coffee drinker looking to try a tea because of the strong depth. I've read that Kenyan teas are grown in a soil with a high mineral content, which presumably accounts for this flavor profile. I've also read that because of this, Kenyan teas have a higher antioxidant load than teas grown elsewhere. Regardless, this is a great morning tea because of its vigor, which meant we paired it with slow oats and blueberries for breakfast. 

A Visit to Elmwood Inn Teas

This autumn I visited my sister, who moved to Kentucky last year. Imagine my delighted surprise when I discovered she is not far from the wonder Elmwood inn Teas. What a beautiful shop, and yes, I did buy 4 teas while I was there (sis bought on2). The store has a lovely, calming atmosphere. The one tea I've tried so far is delicious (yes, review coming soon). I cannot wait to visit again. This time I'll make sure there is more room in my luggage for souvenir tea.

Teaism, Dupont Circle, Washington D.C.

 

I was recently in Washington D.C. for a conference, and had a delicious lunch at Teaism, Dupont Circle. Teaism is a small chain in the greater D.C. area. My lunch was fantastic: tea-cured salmon and flatbread, with a pot of Assam. Beautiful to look at, and delicious to eat. 

Simpson & Vail Nigiri Korakundah Estate Organic FOP/FBOP

 

This was the most delicious tea I've had in a very, very long time. Outstanding, rich flavor, brisk--perfect. This is a terrible photo, but I needed to snap one real quick because I was too impatient to drink it to make it look pretty. Maybe I'll replace the photo, but I won't replace the tea; this will now be a permanent part of my morning tea lineup. 

Harney & Sons Tower of London Tea

I am delighted I came across a tin of Harney & Sons Tower of London tea recently. It's described as "...reminiscent of Elizabethan preserves, flavorful and tempting." I agree, it's delicious and quite appealing. The aroma of the sachet was a little strong, which worried me, but the taste was more subtle than the fragrance. Tower of London is a blend of Chinese teas (the Harney & Sons website does not say which Chinese teas, but I am a fan of Chinese blacks) with dried black currant, oil of bergamot, and honey. For those who do not like Earl Grey tea, the bergamot in this blend is barely noticeable, but the tea is overall sweet. I have been experimenting with adding a smidgen of local sugar to bring the honey notes to the fore. I haven't tried it black yet, but have been adding a splash of milk, to which it stands up well. Smooth, silky, slightly sweet, yet strong, this is a good afternoon tea but is strong enough to start the day.

This morning I served Tower of London with Noosa vanilla bean yogurt topped with pomegranate and toasted French baguette slices with butter and Mrs. Bridges' strawberry preserves. 

Yes, it's been three years since I last posted. There have been deaths and illnesses and dramatic changes that have dominated these past three years. I have drunk lots of tea, hot and iced, facing these challenges. I confess to having bought 4 years' worth of Adagio Brigadoon Breakfast in 2020, to tide me over to when it's offered next in 2024. So while the blog may have been quiet, the tea drinking and the sustenance and contemplation offered by a quiet moment with a tea cup has sustained me through many difficult times. 

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.

Teaberry's Vanilla Cookie

This morning we enjoyed a brisk and breezy patio breakfast. We felt like celebrating such fine weather, and what better way than to drink a tea that is almost like dessert? Teaberry is our favorite tea room of all time, and we bought this sample on our last visit there. We can't recommend Teaberry's Tea Room highly enough--delicious food, delicious tea, and gorgeous venue.

Vanilla cookie is a sweet black tea blend, with hints of vanilla, that rolls across the palate. Not an everyday tea for us, because it is a bit on the sweet side, but a lovely scent and a smooth flavor.

Steve Smith Teamaster Churchmouse Winter No. 512

We were very excited to visit Churchmouse Yarn and Tea on Bainbridge Island a few months ago, and yes, we bought both yarn and tea. Yesterday, in honor of the winter solstice and the arrival of winter--finally--in the desert, and our 27 degrees Farenheit temperature, we celebrated with Churchmouse Winter No. 512, blended by Steve Smith Teamaster.

We loved this tea: strong yet smooth, a perfect blend of Yunnan. Assam, and Ceylon. The marketing describes it as having a hint of summer fruit, which we found to be an extremely subtle tinge of sweetness--delightful. No. 512 is one of our favorite teas, and one of our best recent tea discoveries. The perfect tea to warm up with on a blustery winter's morning or after a tromp through frosty fields. This will be a permanent addition to the pantry shelf.

Adagio Brigadoon Breakfast

We love old movies here in the parlor, and are especially fond of musicals, and especially musicals with Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire. Imagine our delight to find a tea last year named after one of our favorite movie musicals, "Brigadoon."

We purchased some Adagio Brigadoon Breakfast in 2016, but like the town itself, our review disappeared. Like the fictional town, it's reappeared when least expected. Adagio has created it's own niche with marketing gimmicks like fandom blends and Earl Grey Bella Luna, only sold on full moon days. Brigadoon Breakfast is the ultimate example of these gimmick teas, available only on Leap Day. And dang, if we didn't fall for the gimmick, and dang, if it we didn't like the tea.

Despite the gimmick, it is a lovely blend of Assam and Keemun teas, two of our favorites here in the parlor, made more aesthetic by the addition of Silver Needle. We were very fond of Brigadoon Breakfast and were very sad when it disappeared into the mists. We are Tommy, wandering the heather and missing what we had so briefly. We will definitely procure a larger amount of tea come 2020 so we can stash some for movie viewing and early mornings when the mist seeps around the heather. Or as close as we can get to that daydream in the desert.

Yes, we fell for the gimmick because in this instance, the tea was very good. If you like a strong, hearty tea, you'll like this one. Sip it while watching Brigadoon and humming "Bonnie Jean."

Peet's Breakfast Blend Tea and Specialty's Coffee Shop

Some coffee shops do tea better than others, and Specialty's in Seattle is one of them. They serve Peet's Coffees, well known in the northwest and now available even in the desert, and their own tea. The Breakfast Blend was strong yet smooth, and a perfect way to kickstart a long day. Best part--they put two tea bags in my medium-sized tea so it was good and strong. And I loved the urban decor--open, accessible, modern.

Minor quibble: why do so many baristas insist on filling a tea all the way to the top of the cup, so the hapless tea lover has to pour off water into the garbage bin if they want to put milk and sweetener in it? I spilled tea all over the counter and myself trying to close the lid after adding honey and skim. What a waste of deliciousness.

Twining's Organic Breakfast Blend

Twining's Organic Breakfast Blend is a lovely, mild, and very smooth black tea blend that is perfect for both the first cuppa the day or a mid-day pick-me-up. The blend of Assam and Kenyan teas (which I realize I really like) is perfect for milk and sugar lovers but robust enough to drink black. And for those who are concerned with how their tea is grown and processed--organic, which we love.