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In the pouch, this smelled great (fruitcake in a cup) and I succumbed to temptation and picked out some dried fruit bits to chew on in great anticipation while I prepped this. I mean, fruit and peppercorns? Cool!

Steeped…maybe not so much, maybe I should’ve let it go a little longer. Spice hints with no fruit. I don’t sweeten often, but tossed in a sugar cube and that helped a bit. I may have been better off eating it raw :)

Still, I believe I owe thanks to Doulton for the opportunity to try this one…I’m pulling out some winter-ier samples that I tucked away for lower temps.

Just a comfy old favorite to match my Saturday morning-at-the-writing-desk ratty jeans and baggy Mizzou sweatshirt. The grenadine scent this morning makes me think of fruitcake…which makes me hungry for fruitcake…which makes me shake my head because if I’m that ADD this early in the morning, it’s going to be a LONG way to 1200 words….

This is really nice. Leads with the sweet blueberry and ends with a little green tang.

As I was slurping this out of my Tervis Tumbler (best travel mug in the world; you can taste what’s in it instead of just the lid) I was thinking this is far too fine a tea to waste on a gloomy, cloudy Thursday morning.

It smells great, both dry and in the cup. I could just stick my nose in the pouch and leave it there. It steeps up golden and malty and honey-ish…no flavoring or additives, just great tea.

Then again, maybe this is just what I needed on a gloomy, cloudy Thursday morning.

I think I’ve finally mastered this one: make sure water is nowhere near close to boiling and barely let the bag get wet. No bitterness this time around and the pomegranate is nice and fragrant.

Made a pot of this yesterday for consideration and review for itsallabouttheleaf.com. I guess the sign of a really quality tea is that even when you leave the leaves overnight, make a second steep rapidly and distractedly on a Monday morning, and drink it with cherry Pop-Tarts, it’s still noticeably excellent.

Darjeeling and pop-tarts. There you go, breakfast connoisseurs.

Up way too early on a Sunday morning, bitter cold wind chills…called for hunting socks and something with a little heft to it. Husband and I were discussing the fact that, although most hot teas are served with a temperature variation of no more than 20 degrees, when you’re cold down to the bones, you crave dark, stout, thick teas. They just make you warmer.

Ta-da! An empty tin! One down … uh, others to go. This has been an enjoyable tangy, feed-sack grainy, staple tea for cloudy fall days, though I was never brave enough to try it with milk. Just seems like the milk would “clabber up” and sour (as Grandma Jenkins would say).

Full review with my thoughts on medicinal value is up at www.itsallabouttheleaf.com, but here’s an excerpt:

My sample was a little powdery; found some whole chamomile buds, but the concoction looked mostly like something you’d sprinkle on a roast chicken. Steeped to full recommended capacity, the lemon-mint essence that is the lead-in to most herbal nightcaps is okay.