donkeyteaarrrraugh Send Message

Southern California summers (which are 9 months long if we’re lucky enough to get a “winter” that seems more like a rainy mild fall to most folks from elsewhere) are enough to kill off any avid black tea drinkers desire to live. It’s hot. I know that many in warm climes there are cultures that thrive on hot tea, but at this, sometimes I’m a failure. The black teas just seems too…..too cloying. (that’s kind of like a granny word, isn’t it? :) ) Too heavy. Too much. I recently fell in love with Teavivre’s Bailin Gong Fu and knew it would be a short lived love affair, with the scalding desert winds only a month away….

Oh Superfine Tan Yang Gong Fu by Teavivre, you are the most welcomed cousin of my cold weather friend!! I am sitting here with a cup, and like so many other reviewers, I looked down and there is nary a drop left…. this is an extraordinarily wonderful tea that takes the gorgeous flavor profile of Gong Fu teas and “summer-izes” it without compromise. The mouthfeel is lighter, the flavors of yam, grains and malt are less intense….and there is a summery note of warmed alfalfa here that rounds out the flavors to make a light but completely fulfilling mouthful of tea. If you are ordering from Teavivre this summer, ask for a sample of this…. the hot, heavy, scorching days of summer shall not conquer my desire for gong fu teas, even during teatime with my outdoor cats. The word Superfine says it all!

Ps: yes, tea with my cats: http://instagram.com/p/n16qIwgnLu/ It is a tea ritual here on my days off.