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The first of many teas I received in a swap with our beloved QuiltGuppy (who, yes, she may be a tea pusher, but I know it is about her love of tea and wanting to share the experience with kindred spirits). Thank you for your generous heart! And the awesome tea, of course!

I had really been wanting to try this one. It is a white tea blend, so not typical of what I normally drink. And for a white tea, I have to say it has the most complex flavor profile that I have sampled. I did slightly sweeten mine, just enough to bring out the vanilla, coconut, and almond. I do taste all three flavors, and I love that the vanilla or the almond (two flavors which can easily overpover others) are light enough that I still can detect the coconut. This blend works because it is all light, and really does blend well with the lightness of the white tea base. If I were a steady white tea drinker, this would definitely be high on my list. But, alas, I love the tea of foreigners and barbarians (remember that the Chinese mostly drank green tea, and made their black teas for foreigners and barbarians.)

My morning tea. I love the punch in this one. It definitely is not like anything else I have (I have mostly Keemuns and Fujian blacks). This is a Yunnan and Assam blend, so it must be the Assam? I have not had much Assam, so I might have to look into other varieties. Anyway, this is great for waking up. But I think it is time to move on to something a little more mellow. I hear my Keemun Mao Feng calling…….

My last sachet of this (for now?). I am trying to decide what to do. I love this, but I am not sure I love it 16 ounces worth. It is kind of funny, because the tins sort of work out to be around 36 cents for a double cup (the sachets make 12 oz) and the loose does make it a little cheaper.

If I were to buy the pound, is there anyone who would want part of it? It works out to be about $1.50 per ounce, and I might ask that you pay around a dollar for shipping. I am just looking at my options right now….I am not sure I will go this route. I can always buy the sachets for a while.

Update: It sounds like they will be able to get it at the Millerton Shop!

I am not very good at picking out the flavors of Darjeelings, yet. It may be getting close to time for another round of palate training! I do think the bergamot is light, and there might be a light hint of vanilla. It is good, but not a keeper for me.

Finally, I get to try one of the standards (at least in the US) for English Breakfast thanks to teawing….thank you for the generous Twinings sampling, by the way! I jumped directly from so-so bagged tea right into loose leaf in my tea journey, so I missed getting a chance to try some of the better bagged ones. I also find it interesting that there are some bagged teas that I like quite well. And this is one of them. It is always good to have something on hand that will travel easily as loose leaf can get a little messy.

This really is very good for a bagged tea. I liked this one without milk, but slightly sweetened. The tea itself is pretty basic, the flavor is rounded and smooth. It works for me, because I tend to gravitate toward good basic tea lately.

My stand by. I love everything about this tea. And it will always be in my cupboard.

The perfect blend of rose and black tea base. Not to mention an incredible price. Resteeps well.

This was my iced tea of the day. I have to say, the peppermint and lemongrass with the ever so light touch of hibiscus make this a truly refreshing iced tea. No additions. It ranks incredibly high on my list for an herbal. It kind of made me feel full, and I must look into that some more…….. School is out in three days, and it is time to get back into a better routine. This tea might help make it easier to improve the quality and quantity of the food I am eating, which has been less than good during the last, crazy weeks of school.

45 oz For Life teapot, 4 heaping tsp. Vitality , boiling water, 9 minutes, cooled to room temp and iced.

Not great, but not terrible. I think I have come to the conclusion that Upton is not my first choice for flavored tea. Hot it was a fine berry tea. It was kind of nice to have both blueberry and strawberry flavors going on. By the time it had cooled enough for iced tea, it had turned slightly bitter. I guess it could have been my brewing.

A Yunnan that fits my usual tea profile. This was very good. The leaves are a large percent golden, and long and curly. They brew up into a lighter version of the typical Fujian blacks I drink. The taste is smooth, and sweet, with a light smokiness that fills out the base. It is not as full tasting as darker deas, but still lovely and satisfying.