Light of Day Organics

From Daylon R Thomas!  Thanks so much!   I misspoke the other day when I thought the Charleston Tea Garden was the only American tea grower.  NOPE.  Here is a lovely leaf grown in Michigan — it looks plenty gold in color, yet looks more crumbly than I usually see.  The appearance almost reminds me of Zhen Qu (which I dearly miss.)   I first tried this tea a week ago, using a teaspoon and a half in a mug, but I just didn’t think that was enough leaf.  So here is a note for two teaspoons. I don’t love using two teaspoons, as this is a pricey leaf (that I’m very grateful Daylon decided to share!)  but sometimes two teaspoons is necessary and I think there IS a huge difference in just that 1/2 teaspoon of leaves.  It’s richer this time around, while never being astringent, even with a ten minute steep on the third:  starchy, with a bit of cocoa, malty, sweet and light in flavor while still having a deep colored brew.  Though it’s hard for me to describe, I would say it DOES taste like a tea grown somewhere atypical, not a typical terroir that I would be drinking, so it’s interesting the flavor is different from a Michigan tea!  Very glad I was able to try this.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 2 min after boiling // 3 min steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 10 min steep

Daylon, your sample is threading like silk into this beautiful summer morning. Somebody put their full attention and energy into this tea.

This Michigan-grown leaf gives me great hope that one day I can grow and process tea here in California that, like this oolong, rivals the depth, complexity and longevity of fine eastern teas.

Thank you, Daylon. I can’t express enough gratitude <3

Overpriced, but complex Gong Fu so far in 15-20 sec increments going up each time. The style leans more into a Baozhong, but the taste is a little bit closer to a Tie Guan Yin. Orchid and dense vegetal florals are the most prominent note about the very light smell and taste of the tea. Like the black, it’s got a cedar profile that sneaks into the orchids, especially during steep three. It’s also long lasting and has a little bit more vegetal and fruity build up towards the end.

Unlike Taiwanese teas, this Michigan made tea is more floral than it is fruity, but it’s a different kind of vegetal that I notice in more Chinese teas. I’m half tempted to put peony in the florals for the notes. The later notes are also more complex whereas the earlier notes are softer and more floral. It’s forgiving, but some complexity can be lost when I push the tea too far.

So far, it’s certainly stands its ground in taste and complexity against Taiwanese and Chinese teas. In terms of price, I hesitate more. I got this one to try out Michigan Terroir and support a cool business. I prefer the black tea a little bit more even if I prefer the softer profile of this one. The black tea stands out a little bit more overall, so I’ll see if I change my mind as my snobbery fluxes.

Simply put, I like this tea and impressed by the tea, but I’m not sure if it stands out enough from its predecessors to justify the price.

I’ve barely touched this tea since that last note. Actually, I’ve been pretty bad about my unflavored blacks. I’ve mostly finished my Taiwanese ones, and then try my others and end up not finishing them passed steep 2 or 3.

This one was an exception because I got a vanilla note today more or less flash steeping a bunch of leaves at 15 second with the malt, cedar, and slight woodsiness. There was a little bit of cocoa steep two at 20 sec, but mostly malt. I got bored after the third steep since I was mostly getting malt. It does stand up better than some of my other Yunnan, Assam, and Chinese Blacks overall.

I gotta figure out how to get rid of the many blacks I have. There’s a few I’ll still keep on hand, but there’s too many I’ve had since 2019 and have not touched. I’ve gone through my oolongs fine, yet this particular type of tea and my white teas have sat there in a box pocket drawer unopened and shuffled around every two weeks. I’ve gone through my flavored teas and oolong so much faster, so I’m going to try to narrow my purchases for next year. I’m buying a house after all, so I need to be more frugal, and less impulsive. Namely, but actually finishing the teas I have.

Michigan Grown and processed Black tea.

Yeah, this one stands up against many Yunnan Blacks. I won’t go into too much detail, but it was long lasting western. The profile is extremely close to a Bai Lin or Golden Monkey Picked Yunnan black. The flavor leans heavier into anise, licorice, and cedar, with malt and cocoa in texture. I do think it’s overpriced, but it stands out. I’ll have plenty to play with, and I don’t regret trying it. This note is a placeholder for now.

Almond Oolong comes from a Michigan based company, and my preferred selection at the dearly passed Grand River Coffee. The tea base was unique to me, being close to a Wu Yi rock but peachier. Turns out it was a Shui Xian, and I apparently love them.

This was by far one of my favorites, having the distinct, natural notes of the almond. It was oddly flowered up by the clover and added a weird dimension to the Shui Xian, which is a darker oolong but a light cup. I re-steeped it ten times when I had it in 16 ounces, being about a tablespoon when drinking it. This also made a great latte that wasn’t too dark nor too light; it was nuanced yet so simple.

Drinking one cup now brings disappointment and nostalgia. I wish Grand River Coffee didn’t close. Many graduates came there flooding the shop with computers and intellectual conversation. It was my refuge from the snow and for my studies. Now, I have but a memento in my cup. Fortunately, I know where they wholesaled, and I can continue the memory.

My only complaint are the smaller leaves. The bigger ones where taken with the whole clovers laving scrap left over, and a second cup entirely different from the others I’ve had.

I had this in a restaurant the other day, if you like cinnamon you’ll like this tea. It’s not overwhelmingly spicy, it’s a smooth cinnamon. Lightly sweet so it doesn’t need much added to it.

A very pleasant, well-blended vanilla tea (though I confess, I can’t really taste the Chrysanthemum). The Assam base means there’s a bit of astringency to this if drunk plain. I thought it was fine with just a bit of honey, but G found it a little too harsh, so added some milk.

I find that good vanilla teas have a very different character with milk than without. Without, they’re fruity and complex, making me think of the tropics vanilla comes from. With, they become sweet, creamy, and dessert-y (even with no extra sugar).

I think this was the tea that convinced me Earl Grey’s could be tasty; it was certainly the first creamy one I had. It also made a tea convert of G. Having it with a bit of honey today as well as milk – which is totally cheating – but hey, I’m sick. And it is delicious. Also, as always for LoD, 100% organic.

Sweet, creamy vanilla and a mild black tea make a base for the tang of bergamot (and a dash of lavender). I already wish I’d bought more.

2.15 g to 8oz water, 2nd steep at 5:00 also good

This is the cinnamon tea that begat all cinnamon teas for me. With just cinnamon, cloves, apple and orange pieces and rooibos as ingredients, the taste is simple and clean but delightfully spicy. If you like Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice, or Celestial Seasonings’ Cinnamon Apple Spice, you should really try this. It’s easily sweet enough to drink plain, and caffeine-free, so makes me a nice bedtime tea.

At around $6/oz, it’s a more than I’d usually pay, and sadly not for everyday drinking (for me), but considering it’s
*fair trade
*locally blended by hand (local to my hometown in Michigan, that is ;)
*100% organic (and I’ve spoken with the owner and know just how careful she is about organic sourcing)
it’s money I’m happy to spend when I can.

I usually steep 1tsp/8oz water twice, the first steep 4-5 minutes, the second around 10.

Stovetop chai day! Also catching-up-on-backlogged-tea day :) but this one is current. And delicious, and warm; it’s 12˚F out here with a windchill of zero – sweet and spicy tea is definitely called for!

Treating myself to a stovetop chai this evening. It’s been hard to find time to log teas lately, but I am still drinking them! I love all the spices in this one (the picture is quite accurate, there are huge chunks of cinnamon and maple sugar).

I have a job! (happy dance) Or at least, I will, as soon as the background checks are finished. Since this is news worth celebrating, I decided to make the last bit of my Honu Chai on the stovetop.

It tastes like victory.

This is my favorite chai, largely because it has a variety of spices (and there are big chunks of them, as in the picture) but no pepper! The ginger is also on the mild side – cinnamon, cardamom, and clove are the strongest spice flavors. I also love the bit of sweetness from the maple sugar. I think it’s the maple that gives this a really sweet fragrance in addition to the spice, too. The black tea isn’t a strong flavor, but it gives a backbone to the spices, so that the overall impression is of a strongly flavored tea (much more so than spices alone – I’ve tried). I would drink this all the time if it wouldn’t destroy my budget.

I’ve never managed to oversteep this (and I steep it like regular black tea, 1tsp/8oz, 3-5 minutes), but I might not notice because I always add milk. Seriously though, so much love!

This tea is named perfectly. I love brewing a cup on Sunday mornings, and enjoying the Bourbon vanilla infused tea. The Chrysanthemum is a nice touch to the taste, and is supposed to have detox qualities. It brings a nice laid back tone to my Sundays.

This is the company that turned me on to creamy earl greys. They did a cupping in my town, and she served the tea iced. I was a convert right away. I have tried many since then, but there is something special about her blend. The flavour of vanilla is subtle, and the bergamont is just right.