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Sometimes one just needs a stern tea. Pu-Erh Chai is that for me. I like the strong black liquid, the spices and the salty, musky taste combined with the strong black tea. It helps me get up and do what must be done.

I felt like a tea that smiles back this morning and Mango Tango is it. It has a fresh fruity smell and taste (but it is not excessively flavored or excessively sweet). The black tea is mellow in the right way and blends very well with the mango and passionfruit. It’s all smooth, rounded edges. Nothing sharp. Just a happy tea for a happy morning.

I’m nearly at the end of the Sinharaja. I’ve ordered a much larger supply this time. It is so good!

I love this tea. I drank a few cups today and was pleased to note that the second steeping was also quite nice. The leaves are also pretty both wet and dry.

Beautiful pale green tea with a delightful fragrance of roasted rice. It has a light vegetal taste that invites small slow sips as one inhales the almost coffee-like toasty fragrance. Very soothing.

A slightly cloudy green-tan liquid with the hypnotic smell of rose petals. Despite its sweetness it has a slight bitterness that is unpleasant. I think the bitterness is actually coming from the rose petals rather than the tea. The tea itself is submerged under the rose petal taste. Not one of my favorites.

Pretty pale green color. Slight smell of turpentine but it tastes ok.

Developed more turpentine as it cooled.

I know. Today was supposed to be Oolong Day. I was supposed to sit and experiment with steep times and temperatures of the various oolong teas. It was supposed to be a sophisticated, elegant day. I’d even though of planning our trip to the Art Institute of Chicago as I sipped.

What happened? We decided that today would be a good day for a hike and geocaching adventure through a swamp. That’s what happened. My beloved said, “Don’t worry. It’s been cold enough to kill off the mosquitos. Besides, it’s mid-October there won’t be any mosquitos.”

No mosquitos, hah! I am covered from head to toe in little itchy bites. I don’t want to appreciate my tea while reviewing artistic possibilities. I want my tea to appreciate and love me. If it could kiss my mosquito bites and make them better, that would be ideal.

It is worth it. It smells warm, creamy, spicy, and sweet. It smells like it wants my mosquito bites kissed. Made this way the cardamon comes into its own with a sweet fruity smell. The cinnamon makes it taste like a cookie, the perfect emotional salve. And the taste? Divine! Each layer of cocoa, cardamon, tea, and cinnamon takes over my palate briefly revealing depths within and then retreats for the next flavor star.

This is my very favorite black tea. It is very difficult to over-steep and doesn’t get bitter and it is very low in tannins. It has lovely chocolate and carmel notes with a slight toastiness. It is definitely a comfort tea for me.

I started out with this tea this morning. It turns out that I was over-steeping it and the water was too hot previously. Today it was light and grassy with a slight nuttiness. A pleasant experience overall.