I have a disease of acquisitiveness. I lusted after having some of Harney & Son’s pretty tins in my collection. Now, I am also an anglophile, and I wanted the English Breakfast tea H&S makes that is “the original tea the English drank”, so that meant it was the 100% Keemun. So, I get to my local grocery today and they have both the pretty tin (20 sachets, 1.4 oz) for $7.49, and the plain black tin (Loose, 4 oz) for $7.19. Well…I don’t like the polyester sachets, right? Non-biodegradable and all that. And I was faced with a choice: a pretty tin and less tea for more money, or more tea at a better value?
Sigh. I’m growing up. I bought the loose tea. Because in the end, it’s all about the tea.
I’ve had Keemuns before, some of them decent, some sour and undrinkable. This one is pretty good. It has a smell and character that puts me in mind of Chinese grocery stores. There is a bit of a tang to it, something sort of vinegar-y. I will play with this one a bit and see what I uncover.
