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You know I am feeling Fall when I start craving this tea. Yum. Very happy with the way it tastes. I have to admit that the tea itself looks a little different than past versions. All of the little orange pieces are more uniform in size and smaller than they used to be. The tea is still everything cinnamon on steroids. Now if I can just find some pumpkin spice things, I am set! Well, maybe some Oktoberfest beer, and, ooooh, real chai sounds good, too!

I do brew this by the cup anymore…..I can’t risk the flavor getting in my next pot of black tea!

Tea of the morning……

I finished my first tin of this. It is remarkable. The leaves are gorgeous, and it makes a great pot of tea. I only imagine this could get better by a different kind of brewing. Perhaps someday, I will try this gong fu style. I have all the equipment, but I also have too much lazy.

If I continue to brew western, I am not sure my premium black teas get the attention they deserve. For western brewing, I seem to have a sweet spot of about $20 per 100g where my overall enjoyment kind of tops out. This is definitely a splurge kind of tea, and I will definitely enjoy my last tin. However, I am not sure it is worth the splurge for me.

This has been very good for me….to force myself to really drink up what I have. I am actually drinking the good stuff, and really getting a chance to compare it to my everyday teas. A really good exercise in better tea fund management! ;)

Tea of the morning……

Hmm. I like this one a great deal. I think I like it better than even the golden tip and the balin gong fu I have been drinking lately. Man, I am turning into a cheap date…….

Notes of roasty cocoa-ey goodness with a heavier mouthfeel and just yum at a great price point. THIS will be a rebuy!

Usual method.

Tea of the morning……

I haven’t had much to say lately since I have about the same 6 teas in rotation for now trying to drink some things up. (I actually think I could live with about 6 teas in my cupboard at this point.) I have emptied about two smaller tins, but unfortunately, I probably have more of those teas that are still sealed. This one has definitely been more appealing the last few times I have brewed it. Still not sure it meets its price for value, but I will certainly love drinking what I have left. (Yes, come to think of it, I could definitely live with about 12 teas in my cupboard.) I have a list that I keep of teas that I will rebuy and this one is always on that list, and then off. We have kind of a volatile relationship. (Hmmm. I think I need at least 24 teas in my cupboard at any given time…..) We will see where I am once I get through the rest. I do have quite a bit of this one on hand. (Who am I kidding? I will probably have close to 40 or 50!)

Anyhow, this is a good cuppa. I like how the cocoa notes in this one are slightly roasty. Prepped the usual way.

Iced tea of the afternoon……

I think this tea is past its prime. This really does not surprise me, as it has been around these parts for over a year and a half. Flavored teas just kind of lose their oomph after a while. Maybe I need to stick to a year or less from here on out. I know a fresher batch of this would be appealing, but this one falls under ‘harder to obtain’ and is not worth the stress. It is also a great reminder to drink up the tea when it is fresh.

Still, it makes a great iced tea!

Tea of the morning…….

I really like this one as a first of the morning tea. It is a blend of Keemun and Assam from what I remember, and the Assam just kicks it up a notch. I am not a huge fan of Assam on its own, but I am a big fan of Keemun. The other thing that is fantastic about this is its reasonable price. I can get a pound of this for the price of 100g of my favorite Tan Yangs. This is my favorite morning blend.

Usual method.

Tea of the afternoon……

I love a snail tea. This is a tea I like to have at least one version in my cupboard. I just checked and Upton does not have this any more, so when I finish up my 100+g of this, I will be looking for a new vendor. I don’t need a top of the line black snail tea, and I could be talked into just getting a new black pearl tea. Do I need both? Probably!

I just took an inventory of my black teas. 1700g just in stash that does not include the tins I am working from. Wow, I am in shock. I get about 14ish pots from 100g, and I drink about 1.5 (sometimes one, sometimes 2) pots a day. That is almost 160 days of tea. Not counting the 1000 or so grams in use. Clearly, I don’t need to buy any for a while. Yikes. Flavored teas are much lower in abundance here, and I am to the point where I drink most of them iced.

This is good, and I love it. A few more pots before opening the last 100g. Sheesh!

Usual method.

Tea of the afternoon…..

Golden Monkey is definitely one if my first tea loves, but it is not one I reach for often for some reason. It is one of those teas that I can’t seem to give up, though. Every time I have it on the list to drink and not replace, I fall in love with it all over again. I do need at least one Golden Monkey in my cupboard at all times. Even if it is just to drink it all at once thinking I am over it, and then immediately buy more. I don’t crave it, but I can’t quit it, either!

This is a good one. Cocoa, honey, sweet potato. I know there are subtle differences from each vendor, but I am not so sure that matters too much to me anymore. I just buy it where I am shopping, whether that be Teavivre, Upton, Harney, etc. There are only a few teas I will go out of my way to buy. I guess I am getting lazy.

Usual method.

Tea of the morning…..

I hope to get a second pot in today, but we shall see. This one is always good. I maybe have 75 g of this one left. And it has a harvest date of 2013. Need to drink it up!

Sweet, cocoa, honey, with just a slight bit of astringency that I don’t remember being there before. Still a favorite.

Usual method.

Tea of the morning……

I have quite a bit of this. Close to 200 grams open, and another 100 sealed. I was looking over my spreadsheets (come on now, we all need to admit we do this!) and since my first purchase of this tea, the price has doubled! While I do like it very much, I am not sure the return on this one meets the price tag anymore. I always considered it more of an everyday tea, and it is getting near in price to my absolute favorites. Life is too short to skimp on the tea! There is a significant change in my rating because for me, value does come into play for overall rating.

A hint of earthiness, cocoa, a good mouthfeel, but not anything super wonderful. I will happily drink what I have left, except that I might gift the unopened portion. I am unlikely to buy more at current price.

Usual method.