ryan m Send Message

Smooth, warm vanilla-ness. the vanilla tastes natural & assertive – not artificial and rude. the black tea is stout without any bite or bitterness. yummy and comforting, esp for a melancholy afternoon.

Marco Polo, aka The Gateway Tea.

Before I knew Ceylon from Snapple, I tasted Marco Polo …and a life-long romance with tea was born. Scented teas don’t have the power over me that they once did, but I still get weak-kneed and watery-mouthed at the smell of Marco Polo.

A powerful tool for converting the nonbelievers.

this is fantastic. i’m tempted to say this tea tastes sweet. but it’s more like Dragonwell flirts with sweetness. the tea walks up to my sweet-sensing tastebuds, winks, and say “How yooo dooin’…?”

good stuff.

Black Currant – a good friend after a lil too much Friday night fun.

picked up a tin at the nearby Peet’s. took it home, heated water to 185 & steeped 90 seconds. results scored a high decent. it’s made with middle-grade sencha, the bummer properties of which were masked by nutty riceyness. i prefer genmai cha from our local tea dealer (Halcyon Tea’s has less rice, better leaves), but Peet’s still hit the spot.

*btw – wasn’t sure whether it’s OK to talk up Businesses that sell tea. sorry if i broke any rules.

i’m newish to tea so i don’t have the language down just yet.

that said, i love this tea. it has all the great assam qualities: it’s bold and rich. it tastes malty. it delivers a robust caffeine dose. hands down my favorite black tea right now.