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It appears my little sample of “tea you’d drink with a granny after taking her to the Walmart” has gone missing, along with the sturdy reusable bag it was probably in, whose last use was probably a few weeks ago.

So I’m having an imaginary cup of this classic orange spice black tea in a slow moment at work.

Bah!

Teabg

The bergamot nuances I get in the regular Earl Grey are lost to orange. The two tastes blend well. A somewhat serious disposition peaks from behind the sunny face. Overall, a lighthearted tea.

US teabag version.

Much better than the English Breakfast. It doesn’t hold a flame to the memory of their tinned leaf I had 25 years ago but it’s good enough in a pinch. Rather drying and woody! I get hints of lime-cream swirling within the surprisingly complex bergamot taste.

A tisane I’ve had in years past; giving a new box a go.

This time around, I can taste more than turmeric. The honeybush and/or rooibos come through a bit with honeyed sweetness and a woody, dry texture. Vanilla is soft and mild. I suspect cinnamon and cardamom round out the flavor but they are separately imperceptible. Overall, this tisane is mild, fairly thin and watery.

This is a heavy roast yancha which seems difficult to come by these days. The roast is well done, and if this tea is from 2020, it’s had plenty of time to mellow. “Dark forest chicory-carob-mulberry” sums it up well. Plenty of texture between smooth and velvety, almost syrupy, and barky rasp. No fuss here just full flavor and aroma without a demanding aftertaste. I did several sessions at 6g:100mL but 5g does as well.

One of the first gifts my boyfriend gave me. He’s a good man that knows how to shop for a good tea.

As a housewarming gift, Kiki gave me a nice glass teapot from HomeGoods that included a few flowering teas. Spring snuck (do you say sneaked or snuck?) in this weekend, so why not give one of them a try. Gosh, I don’t think I’ve had one for 12 years, since my dad sent me an awesome Numi flowering tea giftbox.

Directions say to brew with boiling water for 5-10 minutes but I can’t bring myself to do so, recalling how the Numi balls would become bitter. So 185F, enough to get the ball to unfurl. The flower tower isn’t standing upright; it’s definitely a leaner.

The tea itself is drinkable, mostly mineral with light cooked green bean taste and a hint of butter. It is so heavily perfumed with jasmine and maybe rose?, though, that I’d only be comfortable serving this to a matronly patron of Crabtree & Evelyn. A little peach hides behind that gigantic perfumed schnoz.

For me, it’s a fair complement to the sunny, windows-open day but not something I would buy. Much too strong and artificial.

The second half of 2024 and moving into 2025 has been tough. I lost my sense of self, my sense of humor, hobbies, interest in tea. Everything has been off-center but my boyfriend helped me from shifting too far into the gnarled grip of depression.

It took me six months to finally sign up for the 6-week course at the lumber yard-converted-to-studio-space, but on Wednesday, I had my first introduction to pottery outside of making one lonely and lumpy pinch pot tea cup in an Environmental Lit class in high school (I didn’t realize until years later how much that class effected the trajectory of my life). Starting off with another lonely and lumpy pinch pot, I felt the slow release of all the stress and struggle that was trapped in my body. I felt true calm and freedom for the first time in months. I can’t wait to go back next Wednesday.

This tea, like the process of molding clay with the hands, aids in shifting the self into a centered state. So grateful to be able to experience its unwavering character with each bowl.

When I used to make kombucha, I’d do a second fermentation with freshly juiced pineapple and ginger that turned out so good it was nearly perfect.

GT’s was the only game in town back then

(when they got tagged by one of the ABC government agencies for the alcohol content. All their product was pulled nationwide and now commercial kombucha brewers are subjected to scrutiny. In the U.S. you have to be 21 to buy GT’s “Classic” flavors whose alcohol content might be greater than 0.5%. I don’t know of any other widely available brand in the Bay Area that gets you carded.)

and I always wondered why they never made kombucha with pineapple juice. They do have Golden Pineapple now, but not back in the late 2000s.

That said, Pineapple Tepache is incredible! If you can handle the tiniest bit of heat, try this invigorating blend of pineapple, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and habanero. For my tastes, it is perfection.

U.S. teabag version not good. Any kind of milky addition added to cover the paper taste, whether it’s from the teabag itself or stale leaf, destroys whatever other flavors try to emerge.

Deep and dark malt and oats. Handled eggnog like a champ. Probably the only way I’d drink this Irish Breakfast should it land in my hands in the future.