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Today is my birthday, and my present to myself was to brew an entire carafe of this for breakfast.

This wonderful tea has filled the place in my heart and my cupboard that was previously occupied by Upton’s currently unavailable Panyang Bohea Supreme. That insanely cocoa-y tea had become a minor obsession, as I compulsively checked the New Arrivals section of Upton’s site almost daily, knowing full well that, barring a miracle, it would not be restocked until late fall. If ever.

Zhi’s Gong Fu Black is, so help me, the identical twin of Panyang Bohea Supreme: rich, naturally cocoa-y to the max, little to no astringency. To me this is the pinnacle of what Chinese black teas, particularly Fujians, can be. And because it is readily available, I am able to stop my frantic stock-checking, relax and enjoy a pot of it whenever I like.

As I take stock of the many blessings in my life, I must include this remarkable tea among them. Thank you for restoring my mental health, Gong Fu Black! And a million thank-yous, Zhi Tea, for offering it!

A big thank-you to JacquelineM for allowing me to have breakfast with the queen!

I easily recognized the Keemun lending a tiny whiff of smoke and reminding me of Harney’s excellent all-Keemun English Breakfast. I picked up on the Yunnan too, adding a touch of peaty warmth and roundness. But I confess I had to resort to a tasting note from the Harney folks to find out what else was in here: Panyang Congou! When I took a sip without milk, that made sense to me — this blend has that slightly honeyed taste I associate with Panyang Congou.

All in all, an excellent choice for breakfast. I’ll bet it would make me just as happy at any other time of day, too!

This summer I’ve been drinking Ceylons with breakfast, as a lighter, more heat-friendly alternative to my usual burly Assams. I am finding them just as satisfying in their own way.

This Kenilworth is my current favorite. I ordered it thanks to a semi-negative review on Upton’s site, from a reviewer who was looking for a lemony Ceylon and was disappointed that this one was instead a biscuity Ceylon — though he found it excellent and gave it five stars anyway. That B-word jumped out at me, and I thought, “That’s exactly what I want, a biscuity one!” The tea lives up to that billing. It’s like the tea equivalent of a Social Tea cookie. (I can’t do a side-by-side test, since I’m severely gluten-intolerant, but I ate enough Social Teas in my youth that they linger in my sense memory.)

I love things that serve more than one purpose. Vanilla Comoro is one of these things. It’s perfect when I want a satisfying cup of tea after dinner. But, as I discovered today, it’s also perfect on a Sunday morning when I’ve slept in and have already roused myself with a little Chatsford pot of China black and am still craving more tea but don’t want to be bouncing off the walls in another hour. How about … a pot of Vanilla Comoro? Yes, that’s the ticket!

Thank you again, Jacqueline, for introducing me to the loose-leaf version of this tea. And thank you, Harney and Sons, for getting a pound of it to me in two days!

Epilogue: I am about to brew another pot of Vanilla Comoro as I sit down with my crocheting and enjoy a quiet Sunday evening.

This has become my nightly after-dinner tea! The prospect of running out was so horrifying that I had to order a one-pound bag yesterday. I can sleep better a) drinking this toothsome decaf tea and b) knowing that more is on its way! :)

Thanks to JacquelineM for allowing me to sample this in the loose form! Make no mistake, the sachets are quite enjoyable, but a cup of this brewed from loose leaves has a special richness. It’s worth it for the aroma of the dry leaves alone — absolute heaven! I am enjoying this cup all the more knowing that it won’t keep me awake even though it’s already 10 pm.

I’ve been conserving the precious few leaves of this I have left, now that it’s “currently unavailable” and it may be months before I can get more. But today is Easter, so I celebrated by brewing up 12 ounces of PBS, which I am savoring a small cup at a time. It’s a bigger treat than a chocolate bunny or a marshmallow Peep!:)

I had tried and loved a Nahorhabi from Upton during my intensive sampling of Assams a few months ago, and that one is now unavailable. So I was thrilled to find this tea at the Harney shop recently. I reserve it for weekend mornings so it’s a special treat and I won’t burn through it too quickly.

Like its Upton counterpart, this Nahorhabi is one of the smoothest Assams I’ve tasted, with the least tannic bite. Finding it was a particularly happy event because my stomach has been having trouble with tannins lately, which bodes ill for my future enjoyment of black teas in general and Assams in particular, not to mention some of my other favorite comestibles: red wine, dark chocolate, berries …. This development has prompted me to shorten my steep times, straining the brew into a thermos before the tannins come out in force, as well as to seek out mellower teas.

This is a long-overdue tasting note for Golden Monkey, which I purchased on my first visit to the delightful Harney tearoom in Soho.

The first couple of times I tried this one, I felt like I didn’t “get it.” I picked up on a mild sweet-potato note, but that was about it. No caramel, no richness. Then one day at the office, I brewed a big travel mug of Golden Monkey. I used a generous amount of dry leaf and the water that came out of the Keurig coffeemaker. Much better — lots more flavor, and even some of that elusive caramel, revealed itself!

My lessons from this experience: For my taste, this tea should be measured generously and brewed at about 192 degrees F, which is the water temperature produced by the Keurig machine (thank you, Google!). And let it enjoy a longish bath in the hot water.

Part IV: Halmari CTC BOP (TA 27) vs. Nahorhabi Estate BOP CTC Cl. (TA 18)

The long-delayed fourth round! This time it’s two single-estate teas going head-to-head. With their more impressive pedigrees than previous competitors, I imagine they’re donning elbow-length white gloves instead of boxing gloves.

Dry leaf: Both teas are CTC (crush-tear-curl) process, so they take the form of tiny rolled-up balls rather than leaves. The Halmari has more of the “Grape Nuts” appearance that many of us associate with CTC teas; the Nahorhabi tea balls are smaller and less perfectly round. The Halmari has a subtle aroma of lightly toasted bread. I did not discern any distinctive scent in the Nahorhabi.

When the two teas were brewed, the Halmari produced a liquor that was lighter and browner; the Nahorhabi liquor was deeper in color and had a more reddish tone. (Note: In this round, the teas were brewed with 8 oz. boiling water rather than the Showdown standard of 6 oz. I’d like to pretend there was a rationale for this, but the truth is that I just forgot to stop pouring. :)). Accordingly, I added a little less almond milk to the Halmari.

When tasted, the Halmari had a pronounced biscuity flavor that was quite pleasing. The Nahorhabi had a somewhat richer, maltier character. Interestingly, when I drank the longer-steeped dregs from the brewing vessels (Pyrex cups) after downing the “official” test cups, the Halmari tasted more bitter.

In this (highly subjective) decision, I give the edge to the Nahorhabi, for its deeper color (I’m a sucker for that reddish hue), more complex character and greater tolerance of oversteeping. I think it would be an excellent choice for anyone looking for a morning Assam that is full-bodied but not at all harsh. The Halmari would be my pick when I’m seeking that distinctive biscuity flavor; I can see it working well for afternoon tea. It might also be the better choice for someone who drinks Assam without milk (a concept I have trouble grasping :lol). Just be sure not to let it steep longer than the recommended three minutes.