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This was one of the first things I picked up on my first re-stock the pantry run to Fox Farm (local health food and goodie store). Price hasn’t changed for months. Just a good, tawny, tasty oolong. And I still haven’t remembered to ask what the brand was…

This is sweeter and milder than many of the keemun teas I’ve had. Generally I associate Keemun flavor with burlap feed sacks and cattle barn scents (a good memory—I’m a farm kid). Those sensory things are present, but not not nearly as pronounced. Still a good basic black tea.

Weather cooperated for one pickup truck load from the farm (it’s been raining on Saturdays like clockwork), so I am now in possession of the microwave stand that is no a longer a microwave stand, but my Mobile Tea Storage Unit!

Because of that, I spent a pleasant hour or so mumbling to myself (my preciouss……oh, look, my other preciousssss……) and sorting shelves by category, and I was unable to unbox some wonderful post-storm gift teas I hadn’t been able to get to yet, including this one.

No mini-chips in this one, my white chocolate piece in this morning’s cup was full size. Appearance is a little milky because of the melted chocolate. Flavor is spot on. Texture—nice and silky. Tasty and well done!

Husband saw this and brought it home today. I have been consistently pleased with anything Lipton has put out in their premium pyramid bag line, and this is no exception. The pineapple is strong and sweet; a little syrupy and a nice complement to really mild chamomile that stays in the background.

Leaving the bag in the mug doesn’t hurt a thing. My 81-year-old dad, headed this way from the farm anyway, thoughtfully filled the trunk of his car with a few of the things we had in storage that he could comfortably lift. One of them was a box of teapots and service items. It is a pleasure to drink from a mug that isn’t chipped or have an insurance company logo on it. If you’re doing that tonight, consider yourself blessed.

Only enough left for a coupla cups, so I was hoarding for a special occasion. Does Wednesday count?

This one is just so good, it makes me smile after every sip. There was a big honkin’ rose petal in the spoonful this morning, so it’s plenty floral, but not chemically or artificially so.

Thinking this would be a good welcome-to-the-world-of-floral tea for newbies.

Doctor wants me to drink more water. (Posted a plea for inspiration for how to zizz up hot water in “discussions.”) Somebody left a bunch of these for grabs, so I dragged one through my hot water about four dunks worth.

I am not a jasmine lover, but this is strong stuff, so it scented/tasted my mug enough I don’t feel like I’m drinking bathwater. I’m thinking that if I let it go prescribed time, it would be so flowery I couldn’t stand it.

Trying to attack my little sample packet scientifically for a complete review for medicinal effectiveness at www.itsallabouttheleaf.com later on, but first impression is that it tastes a lot less nasty than I had braced myself for. Black pepper in a tea—that’s a new one, and on this raw day, it feels good.

Steeped this one on the really light side…minute and a half. Getting a little of the “fruity” advertised in product description. For the price (moderate), it really is a nice oolong.

Official product description references smoky highlights, which I have yet to really get, and I’m about halfway through the package.

That said, it’s very rich with lots of cocoa character. Very stick-to-your-ribbity. Having it with half and half this morning to bolster myself for some manual labor—cleaning and saying an official goodbye to Shabby House. Not much to look it, but it was our port after a storm, and I will remember it fondly. (A little piece of it came with us — the front porch rocking chair is now refinished and in our living room.)

My little packet is from The Tea Table, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a private label of the same stuff.

Heard on Dr. Oz the other day that hibiscus (my tea nemesis most days) is actually good for high blood pressure. So, based on what I expect to hear at my checkup next week, I think Hi and I need to make our peace.

So, rummaging around my bits and bites basket, I found this, and was pleasantly surprised. The hibiscus stays politely in the background and lets the other fruit bits take the credit. It’s very much like an unsugared (as opposed to painfully tart) berry cobbler.