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Happy New Year! Chin up, eyes forward, and on we go!

First cup of the new year was new to me—another entry from Atlas Tea Club: Sunstone Black. As always, I’m a little leery when the leaf recommendation is huge—in this case, per the packet, 5 teaspoons to a 12 ounce pot. I have mugs that size and there wasn’t quite that much in the hand me down, so I dumped it all and plunged in.

As expected, it was heavy and smooth, but strong. Lots of stonefruit, a little honey vibe, but no cocoa as advertised. There’s enough left in the mug to reheat with a little milk. We’ll see if that mixes things up.

Finally got to fill in my gap in my “If You’re a Steepster, You Really Need to Have Tried This” list, courtesy of Michelle. I’m seeing some reviews that call it eggnoggy, and I get that (nutmeg lover here; I think I’m detecting some) and some that call it snickerdoodly, and I get that, up to a point, but snickerdoodle recipes vary. Mom’s had cream of tartar in it, which added a little sharpness to the cinnamon.

Regardless, it’s pleasant straight up, seasonally on point, and once we replenish the half-and-half, will be great with a sploosh.

Performs exactly as advertised. Strong java, subtle maple, and mighty tasty. Thanks, Michelle! There’s a Trader Joe’s we sometimes hit on our Wichita runs … this will go on the “hunt it down” list next trip.

Michelle broadened my tea horizons today with a surprise package including this un-coffee-in-a-bag, and as the temperatures dropped to my standards for “almost needing coffee,” it was perfect timing. I thought Teeccino pretty much owned the coffee-alternative line and didn’t realize TJ had ventured in the same direction.

For those of you familiar with Teeccino, I’d say this is most closely aligned with their plain, unadorned French Roast. Recommended steep time is 3-5 minutes. At 4 minutes, it was plenty strong and maybe just a hair more bitter than Teeccino’s straight-up stuff. Milk would have been a fair addition, but after several days of too-readily-available Christmas candy, a little bite was a welcome change of pace.

Ashmanra tucked a bag of this inside a Christmas card…I saved it especially for the first day of “winter’s back.” Teens this morning and just barely 30 in the sunshine this afternoon justifies pastry, don’t you think?

I didn’t try this side by side with the Twinings Gingerbread Joy I’ve been gloating over all season, but they’re similar. If Gingerbread Joy replicates gingerbread made with buckwheat flour, Gingerbread Festival uses regular cake flour—just a touch lighter, like the gingerbread loaf our Starbucks used to serve.

The only dairy under the roof at the moment is skim milk, which turned it kind of a funky brownish green color (Pantone 787A3F; I checked :) but it added enough creaminess to make the cup into a lovely afternoon snack.

Another Atlas Tea Club hand-me-down: Mr. Lin’s Ruby 18; Taiwan. When adequately leafed (I botched the first cup; too much water) and a slightly longer steep than the packet recommended (4 minutes, not 3), if I wasn’t reading the provenance, I wouldn’t have pegged it as a black tea.

It has a lovely red-gold color, and to me, presents the same fruity elements as a good Darjeeling. Some reviews mention menthol afternotes. I might be picking that up in the scent of the cooled cup.

Even though my tastebuds aren’t picking out all the flavor nuances that are reportedly in play, I can still confirm that it is high quality, sophisticated leaf.

Winter’s on its way back—expecting a 40-degree drop between Sunday and Monday, so it’ll be back to the heavy-handed stuff shortly.

But in the meantime, it’s barefoot weather at 7 p.m.; screen door and windows open, and I’m still temporarily in the mood for lighter fare.

This is a nice, ungoofable jasmine green tea that meets my inexact steeping standards. It’s stayed well-preserved in its tin for a couple of years, still leads with sweet jasmine, doesn’t get too bitter if my attention wanders away from the cup. It deserves more airplay than it gets.

Merry, wonky, upside-down Christmas! Normally by this time on Christmas afternoon, I’d be settled in the rocking chair doing something to evoke warmth—crocheting, cradling a hot cuppa, snoodling up under a blankie with a cozy movie … but it’s 78 degrees on the garage thermometer, we grilled steaks outside, and a neighbor down the street is power-washing his truck in shorts and flip-flops. Normal for y’all down South, but unheard of in Missouri!

Wasting weather like this would be sacrilege, so I took a good book, hiked up the street to the neighborhood park, and read a couple chapters in their glider swing before walking back home, by which time I had actually worked up a sweat.

Fortunately, a Christmas treat from my son was waiting in the fridge: a 4-pack of Royal Milk Tea, in beautiful little cans that remind me of Blue Willow china. Rather than tasting like sweet tea with milk, it tastes like sweet milk with tea, or a vanilla tea milkshake. Timely and appropriate for the day!

Hope a little joy sneaked up behind you today, too.

A friend who recently retired received a year’s subscription from Atlas Tea Club … several pouches a month with little information postcards describing the provenance of their small-batch, single estate teas.

She shared some leftovers, including a very nice Malawi Orange Pekoe. Long wavy leaves longer than the teaspoon. The tea description waxes poetic about its hints of raisin with a honey and graham cracker finish. Even fighting a cold, I did get hints of all three. Looking forward to a revisit whed I cad breedth.