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A vintage treat—this one has been stored well and sealed until this morning. First taste after a 5 minute steep was a surprise. Much sweeter than I expected for a Darjeeling, even a little cereally.

After cooling, the sweet backs off a little, but still good.

Did a pot this afternoon and let it go the full recommended five minutes. The mild sweetness I got when at three minutes is now downright rich and almost milky-creamy, but it’s making the oolong base a little more bitter than I care for. All the same, this is a really, really good pastry-ish tea.

Next time I’ll put time right in the middle zone and expect nothing but awesome.

I waxed poetic about this elsewhere, so I’ll make this comment concise. Straight-up, no nonsense quality Ceylon—a cup with clarity that’s just so good it doesn’t need to call attention to itself with flavorings or other bells and whistles.

Hoping for the same sort of clarity this morning. Many words to write before I sleep. Deadlines are no longer looming; we are two weeks post-loom.

This particular tin was a little elderly, so it may have just lost some muscle, but when I made a cup this morning, there sure wasn’t much “ginge.”

On the other hand, with a little half and half, it turns into liquid graham crackers. Paired with the right munchie, I think this still has some possibilities.

I tried this without consulting any previous tasting notes and, evidently, steeped it on the light side (I don’t generally leave oolongs more than 2-3 minutes). So what I was tasting was surely on the light side—-I was thinking caramel and thoroughly enjoying it.

Now I’m reading that this nice sweet little additive is chestnut. Obviously, I wouldn’t recognize a chestnut if it exploded in the Yule log fireplace and bonked me on the head. But now that I’ve made its acquaintance, I’m looking forward to getting to know it better. Can’t wait for a revisit with correct steeping time!

Page 232 of Ye Olde and Flaky Tea Drinker’s Companion (I made that up, don’t look for it on Amazon) states flatly that when the morning temperature dips below 20 degrees, nothing but PG Tips will antifreeze you. Who am I to argue.

No real maple syrup in the house, but a drizzle of Aunt Jemima made it almost as good as pancakes.

Swap from a work friend … not impressed. It’s still fresh and conditions may change as it cools, according to other reviews, but there’s just a whiff of cherry. Not enough for me to call it flavored black tea. Hinted at black tea, maybe.

Review up: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/2557/tea-review-boston-tea-pineapple-paradise/

(It was written, as you’ll see, quite a while ago — but if you’ve got a bad case of the December blues and need something to lift the clouds a little, maybe a little tropical “vacation” might be in order.)

This one hasn’t been stored well or wisely—just in a baggie, but even so, it’s got a nice smooth black tea base and medium-strong vanilla flavor. Not cloying, just gentle and pleasant. I suspect it’ll blend well with lots of odds and ends.

Joy to you today. Yeah, even on a Monday.