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If you get tea at a shop or restaurant in Ireland, this is most likely what you’ll be offered. It also lines the shelves in plentiful supply at every grocer, Spar, or Dunnes. So of course, I’ve had plenty a cup now in almost a month in Ireland.

Do I love it? No. Yet I get why it’s so popular here. It’s a solid, robust tea. It stands up to oversteeping impeccably, and it’s definitely tea, as opposed to coffee (that foreigners drink). As an Irishman informed me before I came here from Canada: our tea is strong and dark, you must have it with milk or it will rot your stomach.

Good call. And so, I enjoy at least a pot of this daily, pretending I’m a local until I open my mouth, and enjoy the conversation that invariably ensues over every cup.

Currently in an AirBnB in Limerick, Ireland, and this is the non caffeinated option for the morning. It’s bright and cheery, although I get little ginger out if it. Mostly lemon in the background, and a thickness I can’t place. Won’t go out of my way to have this again. Still a nice cup.

Can’t add any details on my phone, so boiling water, one tea bag, 12 oz cup, rating of 70.

Shared a bit of this and then decided I needed to try more without reading previous notes. This time around — shorter steep, almost all ginger, barely any leaves — and it’s much more palatable. Very ginger-y, without any bite (odd). Getting zero orange sadly, and there’s barely any puerh in here. Meh. It’s okay. I’ll be okay finishing it, or sharing the rest. Won’t restock.

Funny that I’ve sent this to others and have yet to try it. For months! Smells amazing, like a creamy chocolate treat. Tastes more like cream than anything, which is lovely, but I want the chocolate, dammit!

First steep: 1 minute. Beautiful Yunnan, really standard, a bit disappointing because of the cost and time to get it home. (I literally bought a new bag just to bring home pounds of tea).

Second steep: 1 minute, 30 seconds. Still a standard Yunnan, but less chocolately and more honey-d, dry. A touch of hay. Not sure if I’ll keep on steeping this. Boo. Still tasty, just now WOW tasty.

Mind you, I do have a sample of their $74/oz black… maybe that’ll cheer me up!

Interesting tea. Can’t for the life of me remember where I grabbed it. Cranbrook, BC I think, in one of their amazing health food stores. Yep, that was it!

Smooth, creamy, and a touch spicy. This doesn’t work at a higher temperature, and I do prefer it hot vs. cold. Grabbed a bigger tin of it the last time I was in the area, and so glad I did!

Grabbed more of this (after jump32659 send me some initially) when I was in San Francisco a few months back. I LOVED it hot when I made it. Sweet and tangy, really in-your-face flavor. Now that it’s cooled though? I’m getting green tea first, then only a hint of the flavor that initially seduced me. Dammit!

Measured the tea exactly: 2.5g for 12oz. which I realize now was less than it should’ve been. Ah well.

Not getting a lot of cacao or cocoa in this at all, other than perhaps in mouthfeel. I do get the mint – it’s soft and velvety, and surprisingly buttery/thick for a while tea. It’s okay, in that it’s a lovely tea, just not as billed.

I needed to enjoy this more today, the second steep left over from last night. So I added a teaspoon of Verdant’s Chai Spice to the mix, brewed it again, hoped for the best. Is it good? Yes. Better than before? I’d say so… but nowhere near as good as it was. Boo. Reducing my rating.