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Today was a special tea party day as our little guest was turning seven! We had chocolate fudge frosted brownies cut into butterfly shapes and sprinkled with colored sanding sugar made by my girls and Ginger Lemon Cremes…from the store! This tea was a delight with our desserts – smooth and sweet, it needs no additions.

I oversteeped – I almost never do that! But even with two minutes over my steep time this tea is delicious. Vanilla Black does not taste like a caffeinated version of Vanilla Comoro. I find it a little more flavorful than Mariage Freres’ vanilla tea.

This was a very smooth oolong with a lovely flavor! I did not not pick up on any bitterness at all. It is very light in color and heft, but has nice body. This is a great cup to enjoy “all by itself” or with something very light.

Though it was quite good, I can not say it is a good bargain! It is very price-y compared to some very good oolongs, like Republic of Tea Wuyi Oolong.

Today was the day! I FINALLY opened my one pound bag of the newly available Tower of London in LOOSE LEAF! If you haven’t tried it, it is very similar to their popular Paris blend but softer with more honey and stonefruit and less bergamot. As I drank this one today, I could easily have believed that I was sipping a very expensive French tea.

I had quite a time finding this tea at first as when I first heard of it Harney was sold out and so was every venue I tried. My sweet hubby went online secretly and googled every little tea shop he could find until at last one had it. He bought it and surprised me with a tin of the sachets, the only way it was available….until recently when I begged Mike Harney to make some loose leaf.

Mike, you did not disappoint. Thank you! Thank you! This was lovely for an early Sunday tea time with hubby. And yes, hubby LIKES this one! It is one of the few flavored teas he drinks, Vanilla Comoro and Vanilla Black by Harney and Marco Polo by Mariage Freres being the others so honored.

Celebrating being two-thirds of the way through radiation with a pot of English Brekkie and an Everything Bagel! Harney’s English Breakfast is not the same as their Royal English Breakfast. Both are good, this one is my favorite. English Breakfast is 100% keemun while REB has assam blended in it.

I like this one with milk and sugar. It has nice cocoa notes and is soothing, smooth, and fairly light. On a “rough” morning it isn’t quite strong enough for me, and I have Queen Catherine instead. But I like this one well enough to buy it by the pound!

I was especially eager for Sandy to try this one when she got back from new Zealand. I was introduced to it by the lovely and generous JacquelineM (who will be getting a box from me soon! I promise! I am packing it today!) and thought it was heavenly. Even hubby likes it, and that is saying something! Milk and sugar turn it into a bowl of strawberries and cream, with just a hint of vanilla.

I was not disappointed in her reaction. Sandy liked it as well as I did, and I am glad because she is the one who taught me the joys of loose leaf and the necessity of having more tea in the house than kinds of food!

Today I had to say good-bye again to my tea buddy as she prepares for six months in Australia. But we will be sipping tea together via Skype! God bless technology!

I am drinking this one almost every morning, but haven’t been logging it – shame on me! I think I will be switching back to the stronger Queen Catherine soon, though this one is a really lovely tea! It is full-bodied and delicious with milk and sugar.

Sandy drank all her tea in New Zealand so she wouldn’t have to ship it home. This was one of her favorites, so when she had sent me a little packet of it, I saved a bit so we could enjoy it together when she got back to the States. I am happy to say that we got to enjoy a pot of it on her last full day before leaving again! It has lovely flavor, and the lime is bright but not overly tart.

A friend really loves this tea and drinks it often. We shared a pot of it tonight for the first time and I found it to be a very smooth tea with no astringency. The vanilla aroma is just right and the vanilla flavor is light with a sweet aftertaste that is very mild. It was a very good tea, but as my youngest daughter (who LOVES Vanilla Black by Harney and Sons) said, “I still like Harney and Sons Vanilla Black better!” And it is less than half the price! Vanilla Black does not taste the same as their decaf tea called Vanilla Comoro, which is sweeter and more of a dessert tea but is also delicious.

It is gray and rainy but not too cool outside. Gracie had a pot of this waiting for me when I got home from radiation, and I had a cookie left from yesterday which my sweet eldest daughter brought me from Panera. It made a very nice morning break!