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I got a sample of this tea from the generous Ashmanra.

I had been wanting to try this one since hubby is a big fan of blueberry and partial to a nice fruit flavored green as well. The flavor here is pretty light. I wouldn’t say that it particularly reminds me of blueberries. It’s kinda chalky and more floral than fruity.
The green base was not so impressive either. It tastes like cheap Chinese sencha. Harney usually delivers but not this time. It wasn’t awful but I’m glad it was just a sample instead of a tin.
Thanks for letting me try this one out!

I feel like I’ve been sleeping forever! I just keep falling asleep this weekend. I sit down with a book, and next thing you know, I’ve passed out. Does a mild cold really make someone so sleepy? I actually got up at a pretty good time this morning. I took the dogs out, did a bit of laundry, had breakfast, did a bit of garden work.
Then I lay down again for some reason and passed right out again. 4 hours later, I’m awake. I never need to sleep again! I figured I’d better have some tea before I fall asleep again.
This is one I’ve had for a while. Dancongs usually remind me of fall. All cozy and woodsy and crisp. This one is no different. It’s like leaf litter and honey. THere’s a cooling fresh sensation that lingers after the swallow. I may have under brewed this first steep. More to come.

Steep 2:

Yum! I thought I had left this in the water too long, but I think I probably under leafed so it worked out. This steep is delicious. There’s the odd cooling menthol note. How does that get into tea? Sweet lychee and honey. Minimal autumn leaf pile flavor this time. I’m just slurping this down. tasty and comforting. It makes me wish for fall. I’m not ready for summer to be over yet, but autumn is truly one of the loveliest seasons.

I’m sick. :(
I had two different sicks in a row. Last weekend I had a sore throat. That got better and now I’m all sniffly.
Had this classic comfort tea yesterday. I forgot how tasty genmaicha is. Sometimes you forsake your old favorites for shiny new things.

Mmm molasses.
Very tired and emotional today. I just need a break from the world. This is the best tea I have for such situations at work. Wish I could take the day and hike off into the wilderness.
I need to bring more teas in.

I grew this myself! O_O it was off to a really slow start this year. Until I added some organic fertilizer. As it turns out, my soil is awful. So I only got a few blossoms popping up last week or so. Last night I decided to stop just admiring the blooms and harvest a few.
I’ve never been a huge fan of chamomile. It usually leaves my throat itchy and tastes unpleasant. Fresh chamomile though, that’s good stuff! It was all honey with a hint of green apple. And only a barely perceptible itch in the throat. :)
Next time I’ll add some chocolate mint. I wanted to try this by itself first. I’m also curious to taste it dried.

It’s supposed to be summer here but it’s cool and cloudy. Not at all like the NY summers of yore. Yet I decided to cold brew this. It’s nice to have something cold and refreshing on a humid day, even if it is also cool and cloudy. Summer, where are you?

Anyway, if I had been asked to identify the flavors for this tea, I would have come up blank. The best I can say is that it’s kinda desserty. I don’t taste anything specific. Maybe it’s the age of the tea, but it’s been sealed up until a week ago… I dunno. Husband said he liked it even though he initially says it smelled like socks, so I guess we can drink this, but I’m sorta disappointed.

It seems that this tea does not age well. Sadness. It is about two years old though. Where does the time go?
It still has that tasty malty dark bread flavor I love, but it’s bitter-er than I remember.
If you have this tea, drink it fast. It’s delicious when fresh.

My sniff if the brewed tea was like the sniffing an old fire. Smoke and ash.
First sip revealed a mineral oolong like a leaf littered forest. It feels like I’m literally swallowing ashes from a campfire. The warmth of the tea adds to this illusion. I’m not sure yet how I feel about this. I so love the smell of wood fire. Not sure how I feel about eating it.

I’ve decided that I’m not a fan. I really love how well the smoke and ash flavor is captured. It’s like having tea in a burnt down house after a rain storm. I’m a little disappointed not to taste the honey and vanilla people are talking about in their notes. Maybe it’s because I had this sample for so long. :/

Now what to do with the rest of this sample?

To be updated.

Delicious cold brewed. Perfect for a humid day out with the pups. I do find myself wishing there was a bit of tang, but that’s easily remedied with a squeeze of real lemon juice. I gotta try that! I bet it would complement the sweet marshmallowy-ness really well. This is truly one of Frank’s best blends. :)

I love how my thermos still has ice cubes clinking around at the end of the day.

Lastly, congrats Germany!

I made this into iced tea! Delicious and refreshing! The only unfortunate thing is that the cocoa butter from the chocolate chips make unappealing solid fat blobs when the tea cold. I’m also detecting that flavor I associate with artificial chocolate. It’s not as prominent when hot. Either way, this was a nice cool glass on a hot day.

I think I prefer my actual chocolate mint plant as a tea though. More cooling effect.

WORLD CUP SPOILERS AHEAD – Brazil vs Nederland*

On an unrelated note, I was really hoping Brazil would learn their lesson from their last game and make a good showing this time. I felt so bad for them, alas.

END SPOILERS***