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As long as I have been a devotee of Constant Comment, both leaded and unleaded versions, I’ve always had it straight up without additives. Brought a couple of bags on a road trip and to mask potential hotel water weirdness, I added a little tub of their coffee station half and half. The orange rind and spices still rise to the top, but this makes my favorite soother even a little more soothing. A blessing…it’s been a long day!

Celebrating our favorite kind of introverted Thanksgiving today…instead of one giant, exhausting feast, we’ve made a treat, put our feet up; baked another, put our feet up; ate a humble lunch, played with crafts and Legos; put our feet up… The finale—a Chex Franken-mix—is finishing up in the oven during the last half of Dead Poets Society.

While we wait on the timer, I decided to invite this old friend for a holiday visit; a Twinings version of Constant Comment: black tea with cloves, spice, and orange peel. With CC, the spices knock first; Twinings leaves them pleasantly in the background. Very comfortable and tasty.

Not sure from whence this came, but I didn’t buy it for myself since everybody at work gives me their lapsang leavings after their first cup. In this case, I’m not sure the original purchaser got past the first sniff, considering the pouch is practically full.

I steeped my first cup wimpy (little leaf, lotsa water), which is my preferred lapsang strength. Very drinkable. The proprietors mention some pine/fir notes in their particular blend, and I caught them (mildly) in the first two or three hot sips. Less so now that it has cooled. I think I’ll be able to double up on the leaf next cup, although their 1 full tablespoon to 8 ounces of water recommendation seems to be a little overkill.

For a while, finding the decaf version of this tried-and-true favorite was hard, but it’s a pretty easy grab off local shelves this season. It’s a pretty fair echo of the original—the orange and spice mixture is unchanged. All that’s missing are the deeper notes from the caffeinated base tea. I’m sure I’ll be spending plenty of quality time with this box as winter approaches.

An unopened carton of this concentrate was passed along by a coworker who didn’t think it tasted like she expected. So I set the bar pretty low…

…and jumped over it by a mile! I used 50-50 skim milk and half & half (does that make it half of half & half? or a quarter?) with an equal dollop of the concentrate, whisked away, and threw it in the microwave. Delicious! Chai purists would probably note that there isn’t enough cardamom or anise in the spice blend, but neither of those are my favorite lead notes. Honey and cinnamon are in the forefront here, so what I’ve got sitting next to me in my favorite hand-thrown mug is pretty much eggnog.

Not sure what I’m enjoying more…the beverage, the pleasantly murky weather that makes it comfortable to drink seasonal stuff, or a little quiet time with my feet up to contemplate it.

It’s easy to forget (at least when you’re two spits away from the memory care hallway) whether you’ve tasted or reviewed seasonal teas…but when you revisit a good one, it’s like the first time all over again.

Especially with this little gem. Twinings has perfected the pastry/cookie aspect. Not too sweet; no doctoring with sugar or milk needed, although I’m thinking a little dairy could enhance it nicely.

Perfect for a dank, damp, foggy, chilly afternoon.