Pilgrim's Rest Tea Shoppe

well, now, this is NOT what i was expecting! while i’d usually consider most oolongs i’ve tried to be light, ethereal, floral, this one is none of those things. not that this is a bad thing, mind you. i went ahead and rinsed once, since i was suspicious of the dry leaf smell (which is not light, ethereal, or floral, but instead earthy, sandy, soil-y. but not in the pu-erh soil-y way), so my second and now third steepings of this are quite deep, reddish-brown colored, a beautiful tea really. the flavor is definitely not based in the scent, the way other oolongs are or can be. this one i just what it is. down to earth, honest-to-goodness, tea. no bitterness, this is quite smooth, which just a bit of astringency making it quite nice. not as heavy as a black tea, not as earthy-mushroom-y as a pu-erh, just basic. i quite like it, although i like others quite a bit more, so i’m not sure i’ll replace this once it runs out.

LOVELY! a chai without nutmeg or whatever spice it is that i cannot stand. this is a lovely tea, the underlying chai actually being quite rich, dark, deep, heavy and lovely. the spices are there, but not overwhelming – this is pretty good without milk and sugar, and absolute cozy fluffy warm heaven with milk and sugar! perfect winter’s morning cuppa.

my goodness, i have had this for quite a while! found myself craving it, delighted myself by still owning it, but skeptical on yumminess due to age of tea…STILL TASTY!

ahh, i accidentally over-steeped this by a few minutes, and now it would rival ANY coffee out there in terms of strength and blackness. loving this! too bad i’m almost out…

ahhh, i needed this. excellent choice for a cold day with too much computer work. perfect sippin’ tea, creamy and delightful to the last drop.

this JUST came in the mail, right in time for my afternoon tea! i haven’t had an EG Creme before, however this is the smoothest EG i’ve ever had. must be the Creme! this really is an extraordinarily tasty cuppa, and the mouthfeel is just delish. it’s not as fruity/bergamot-y as, say, twinings, and it’s definitely lacking the citrus-y that Lady Greys tend to have. this is a GOOD THING, mind you.

this tea in general = A Good Thing. yum!