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Running late so made this double strength, no milk, and that brought out a bitter pecan-hull bang to it that isn’t bad on a below-freezing morning.

A nice ginger cookie sort of balance to it is all I can taste tonight; fighting a wicked sinus thing that has robbed me of my senzus of sbell and taste. Mwugggggh.

This was a travel-bag tuck-in from a recent Tennessee hotel stay. Comfort Suites, to be exact. So we know it’s a food-service grade continental breakfast tea … therefore, I was not expecting much but some warm liquid for my sore throat and cold office. So why am I pleasantly surprised and why am I getting a nice, sweet almond aftertaste?

Then again, it could be dish soap. I actually scrubbed the mug for a change :)

Generally, I prefer rooibos add-ins that are ice cream flavors: chocolate, vanilla, orange cream—-rooibos just seems made for “smooth.” I’ve always thought minty and fruity stuff didn’t blend nearly as well.

However, the lime and lemongrass in this blend complements instead of distracts. Nice decaf afternoon perk-me-up.

Nice evening sit-down with this one; one end-of-package caveat—-it’s not nearly as rich and thick if you use up all the nice caramel/yogurty lumps and leave nothing but the rooibos like I did. Budget those lumps carefully.

Craving a little gentle spice to get the eyes open this morning. This has a great “pie” vibe to it.

A holdover from last year that’s held up pretty nicely. I don’t see it on Franklin Tea Company’s roster this season, but there’s a Hot Cinnamon Spice that I’m guessing is highly similar—cinnamon of the red hot variety, sweet clove and orange rind. I’m tasting all of those here.

Makes a very genteel cup, so I poured into a very delicate and dainty pedestal cup—gold trim and everything—that I hauled home from my parents’ attic Thanksgiving afternoon.

Seems that Grandma, still from an era when ladies had “club” at their house once a month or so and entertained with froofy cakes and servingware, fixed me up with a “flower of the month” set. (Currently drinking from September—Aster.) As a skinny, squirrely tomboy third grader, I had no use for foofy stuff in my room, so up to the attic they went and were forgotten until recently.

I’m still a tomboy—I know Grandma would cluck her tongue at me right now, dressed like a refugee from the DAV thrift store after raking leaves, sipping from her carefully chosen china cups with handles so lacy you can barely thread a pinky through them—but it makes me smile all the same that she might have had a premonition I would need something lovely from which to drink my tea.

I see this name in similar configurations under other tea companies, so I wonder if it’s a house branding of a variety available elsewhere.

All the same, it does have a Creamsicle vibe; sweet orange rather than tart blends nicely with the rooibos. Makes a nice afternoon break.

This isn’t readily available in Southwest Missouri so I was tickled to death to receive a couple bags in a card from a dear friend with better connections. She knew that work stress and life stress were making me “snappish” so it just seemed to fit.

Not a gingerbread flavor; just a nice no-caffeine balance of lemon and ginger, not too heavy on either. Perfect for the night before Thanksgiving when all through the house were thunderstorm and tornado warnings and rain pelting the windows sideways.

And while sipping and contemplating, I gave thanks that despite a difficult year for my family, I am a rich woman. Just count the teas in my cupboard and the blessings all around me. Happy Thanksgiving to you all; may you have a surprising take-your-breath-away moment where you are absolutely blown away with joy and gratitude.