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To follow the bacon sandwich with worcester sauce. Mmmmmm.

The phone rang and I managed to overbrew it. Slightly bitter, but still drinkable. It’s a very forgiving tea

Nice and strong. Needed it after getting home late from the gig last night

Sometimes you just need instant gratification.

Experimenting with a stronger brew, and it’s much more effective. It feels wrong to drink an Assam in the evening, but a man’s gotta do… Maybe I’m hoping for an Ovaltine maltiness before bedtime

It’s taken me a while to get Darjeelings. And drinking tea without milk. It’s been an exploration and an education. I’ve had this Badamtam for a long time, and don’t drink it that often. But I’m really starting to enjoy it for a late afternoon brew. It’s light in colour, but not in taste. There’s a greenish astringency to it that gets to you. I think it’s a 2nd Flush, but can’t remember and it’s not on the website any more.

I really like this. It took a while to get into it. For the subtleties to come through. But it’s great for mid-morning or early afternoon. It’s well rounded but not overpowering. A good, solid cuppa!

Bought this after the success of the lapsang souchong. This is not as good. It’s not large leaf for a start, but the main thing is that the taste is a bit flat. Not enough malt for my liking. So, drinkable, but not exciting…

I had always shied away from lapsang before, but really enjoyed a Smoky Russian Caravan I had bought over the web. I happened to be in Waitrose and spotted this. Large leaf tea, cheap (£1.20/packet), why not give it a try? I’m really impressed. It does smell (and taste) of bonfires, but there’s a sweetness there too. Lovely, and it makes me want to try a more expensive one at some point to see if I can taste the difference!