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Mmmm. Good, clear, authentic fruit flavors. Needs a muffin to go with it.

There’s just something about January (in this case, the fact that they’re remodeling at work and we’ve been stuffed into temporary quarters with absolutely no natural light and bulbs the strength of a flickering match) that makes me crave sugar in any configuration, in obscenely large quantities.

Thus, I’m rummaging through my stash for the sweetest, stickiest flavored goodies I can find. This is tops in that category, and the decaf feature is definitely a bonus. Now if I could just stick to the tea and leave the dessert & candy alone…

Sometimes, fine dining and home cooking options notwithstanding, you just need a couple of McDonald’s single hamburgers to scratch the dietary itch.

In like manner, fine tea options notwithstanding, sometimes you just need something old-shoe common to drink. This is it. Grocery store tea, little half and half, there you go. Of course, it doesn’t have the flavor depth of all our good stuff, but it is fresh and warm and no-fuss. All pluses on this last day of vacation before (sigh) real life resumes.

I’m still working on forming an opinion about pu-erhs; I don’t think I don’t like them, I haven’t yet landed on the flavor profile I like best.

But this one may be close to what I’m looking for. It’s light without the peaty, mucky taste I’ve come to associate with pu-erh. In reviews, I’m seeing flavor comparisons all over the map-minty, peachy, mushrooms (yuck, those sound nasty together, don’t they?)—and I’m not sure I noticed any of those, but it’s was lovely and cereally.

The fact that I was able to enjoy it my cozy chair with the sun on the back of my neck and a comfort read under my nose (Winter Solstice, Rosamunde Pilcher) for most of the afternoon yesterday may have improved the taste somewhat as well.

As I expected, this improves with the addition of a little half-and-half. Sugar cookie sweetness.

My opportunities to visit and procure stuff from Trader Joe’s are few and far between, but tea-wise, their house brands seem to be consistently decent and consistently inexpensive.

May you find a few minutes today to recall the sweet spots (there were some, weren’t there?) of 2011. Be blessed, friends!

Christmas continues. We’re finally opening up the last boxes of salvaged stored goods and our DVD of Notting Hill survived the storm. (The brownie scene is our favorite.)

So in honor of the occasion, I made a pot of this Notting Hill for breakfast and a morning of writing. Nothing new to add other than I prefer it on the lightish side; hints of smoke suit me far better than a cigar-infested cloud of smoke flavor. A good solid—masculine?—breakfast tea.

I messed this one up - forgot how chintzy the Golden Moon sample packets were and did one cup’s worth of dry leaf in a two-cup pot before I caught my goof. Therefore, what I got was ultra-light with a little hint of grassy sweetness instead of the mellow, pineappley vibe the description teases me with. Pooh.

Golden Moon, be proud of your tea, yes, but put enough in your samples I can actually decide whether I like them or not! (Thank you for the opportunity to comment.)

I’m picky about chai … so many of them taste like strong, raw spices straight out of the rack with no tea underneath. This is a really nice exception. You can taste the Assam and the spices are accentuating, not overbearing. Little sugar, little half-and-half made for a little pleasant late afternoon break.

I love the Steepster community because most of you will understand the wonderful state of Christmas well-being created when one drinks from a Tardis mug, a gift from my son (the call booth DISAPPEARS when you fill it with hot water!) and watches the Weird Al Yankovich Al-pocalypse Tour on DVD, interspersed with brief sessions trying to manipulate my new Perplexus puzzle. Tea geek paradise.

The well-being, unfortunately, wasn’t caused by the tea itself; it was just the first bag I grabbed to try out the Dr. Who mug. No particular flavor stood up for me to take notice if it, just a tarty-citrusy amalgamation.

Happy Christmas, wonderful cups of tea, and joy to you all. I was reminded at last night’s Christmas Eve service, with candle wax drizzling down my hand and tears drizzling down my cheeks, that joy has been here all along—I just forget to look for Him.

We started a new Christmas tradition last year—now that the teenager tends to sleep till mid-morning, Mom and Dad let him and we go out for breakfast at Denny’s at the crack of dawn.

So this morning, I took my own teabag with me. (Another out-of-town find; I can get it locally, but it was a lot cheaper at Whole Foods. ) And I’m glad I did — I think this is, on my sliding and wishy-washy rating scale, the best Tazo in their current line-up.

Cocoa and orange are the predominant flavors, but the ingredient list also mentions lemongrass and chicory along with the black tea. Whatever blending voodoo Tazo does do with this works wonderfully well. Reminds me of those little chocolate-covered orange cordial sticks (weren’t they once branded as Walking Sticks?) that you could only find at the drugstore.

Our nice, bleary-eyed college-aged server brought me a mini-pot of hot water along with my cup and one bag held up pretty well for two big steeps.