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Time to show some love for one of the workhorses of my current cupboard. I drink it often for breakfast and usually blend it with a bolder, maltier Assam. But yesterday I had an upset stomach and drank only ginger tea, so this morning as I warily re-entered the world of normal food and drink, I steeped the Banaspaty solo and let its fruity mellowness soothe me.

I’m almost out of my beloved Bohea, but I’m able to enjoy it nonetheless, secure in the knowledge that another 400 grams is on its way (packed immediately and shipped within hours of my ordering — yay, Upton, for so clearly understanding the nature of tea dependency!). I’ve settled on five minutes of steep time and a heaping tablespoon of dry leaf per cup. Soon I’ll be able to measure it in grams with a pocket scale that’s also on its way (yay, Amazon!) and be sure I’m not wasting a single precious leaf.

Yesterday I attempted a second steep with the wet leaves left in my French press — not something I normally try with black teas, and, as it turns out, not something I’d recommend with this one. All the cocoa-y flavor went into the first steep, and the liquor from the second tasted rather flat. Oh well … you can’t blame me for trying to get a little extra mileage out of my favorite!

This is the first Yunnan that I’ve drunk within memory, so kindly weigh my context-free impressions accordingly. I expected and got a certain earthiness from this, as well as the peppery quality associated with Yunnans (white pepper, not black). What took me by surprise was the faint “fuel” note. You know how foods fresh off the backyard grill can take on the flavor of not only the charcoal briquettes but also a bit of the lighter fluid used to set them aflame? That’s what I’m tasting here. I imagine I might find this enjoyable on a winter day, finding it warming and restorative in the same way as a sip of brandy or cognac. But winter is seven months away, and until then, I’ll keep warily experimenting with this … and probably blending it with teas that don’t taste quite as flammable.

I tried the blending trick with the China Black again this afternoon, and the results were again delicious. The steep time is a little tricky, since the China Black is supposed to steep for 3 minutes and the Mao Feng can soak for up to 8. I settled somewhere around 5 minutes. I used a bit more of the Mao Feng this time; perhaps I am (very) slowly building up a tolerance for smokiness!

I was struck this time by the mouthwatering aroma of the dry leaves. I stuck my nose into the bag and inhaled deeply, and felt compelled to do it again and again. The scent reminds me of chocolate licorice (those brown Twizzlers that are sold in the disappointingly smaller bag than the other flavors).

I think I am going to make up a little bag of my special blend and take it to work with me so I can enjoy it any afternoon I choose.

I’m kind of wimpy when it comes to smoke notes in tea. I want there to be just the slightest suggestion of smoke, if any … like the trace of tobacco you’d barely detect in the elevator after getting into it an hour after your pipe-smoking neighbor had gotten out. So this tea by itself is a bit too smoky for me. However, yesterday I made a two-cup pot of Organic China Black FOP and blended in just a pinch of this, and it was a revelation. Those few leaves of Keemun Mao Feng elevated it from a satisfying brew to a sublime one.

Sunday morning and a French press full of Bohea Supreme … what could be better? Although I confess I’ve gotten so attached to this tea that I haven’t been reserving it solely for weekend use, and the level in my 200-gram bag is already getting distressingly low. This morning I’m getting a honeyed note from this, more than a cocoa one, maybe because I measured out a little less of the dry leaf. It’s nice to know my favorite tea still has unexplored dimensions.

Nailed it!:) This morning I’m finding this tea so satisfying that I haven’t even gotten around to eating breakfast yet. (Note to self: Approach Upton with book proposal for “The Bohea Supreme Diet.”)

Ah, what a pleasure to share a quiet weekend morning with Bohea Supreme again! This mellow tea calls for a generous measuring hand and a longish steep, but in my enthusiasm I might have gone a tad overboard with both today. There was still no bitterness, but the cocoa flavor was a little less prominent than before. No worries; I’ll get it right tomorrow!