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Ashmanra shared enough of this for me to have it three ways: super high-octane overleafed unleaded, a baby mild second steep, and one properly tended cuppa.

Either way, I was a little surprised to see such small leaves from a classy F & M selection. Not quite PG Tips CTC size, but close. Which resulted in plain old British breakfast tea without much subtlety—just like me and just like I like it. Very smooth, not much bite, very drinkable straight up without additives—although I added a dried orange slice to the baby mild steep and it was delicious.

This one doesn’t need an essay—just mild and naturally sweet. Best with the bag left in.

Battling a mild case of the Janu-weary blues—you know, the kind that makes you want to gnarf a whole box of Russell Stover cream centers…so in the interest of health and waistline, I limited myself to a cookie and a cup of this really nifty, chocolate-y, nearly completely guilt-free goodness. A little half and half elevates it to the satisfaction level of a cup of cocoa with figgy aftertaste. Recommended if you’re grumpy. Recommended if you’re not.

You know how, when you near the end of a tea tin or packet, there’s more than you really need for one cup, but not enough for two? Not wanting to be a wastrel, I put all of the last of my leaves in a DIY filter bag and grabbed my biggest work mug. Turned out very nicely. My first review highlighted the rye toast aspect, but this morning, maybe due to the added strength, it reminds me a little of a good keemun with apple peel as well.

Next time I can see my way clear to invest in an Upton order, this one needs to be on it.

Not setting up a new entry for the Donding (Dong Ding with a typo?) Oolong since I don’t see it on the Teamaze website, but I think it’s still available at the storefront—we grabbed a tin at the shop just before Christmas.

Teamaze shines at flavored novelty teas, but my husband took a shine to this plain oolong with a really nice toasty personality—a little reminiscent of kukicha or possibly the genmaicha I had yesterday (of course, that could be sensory echoes.) Any floral essence takes a backseat, which is why he prefers it.

Nice, light, and warm on a solid gray snowy afternoon that makes my toes cold.

Nice day in: little snow outside; enough to be pretty but not enough to be inconvenient. A little productive writing, a slightly cleaner bathroom, beef stew for lunch, sixty-seven loads of laundry (well, maybe only forty-two). I am, however, done whether the housework is or not. Treating myself to a little time to enjoy a selection from my Palais des Thes tasting sampler.

Genmaicha may be one of those teas that are always going to taste like genmaicha; however, this tin was beautifully fresh and fragrant. The green tea is sharp and bright like fresh spinach, and the rice scent makes me want to go stick my nose in a box of Rice Krispies. A light and gentle change of pace from the heavily flavored and spiced stuff I’ve been leaning on all month.

I’m missing some dear friends from Tennessee this morning; been way too long since we were able to sit down and sip together, so I’m raising a long-distance Nashville Tea cuppa in their honor. This is a nice blackberry maple blend; better when you go easier on the leaf than the label recommends (1 tablespoon to 12 oz was a little too strong). I would swear I’m tasting a little coconut, too, but it isn’t on the ingredient list…must be the “brittle pieces.”

After a week of burned-out tastebuds, I’m weaning myself off the decongestant and spicy stuff and decided to try something a little subtler this morning.

For a Yunnan, which I’ve characterized as perky and zingy in the past, this is pretty sweet and mild. Other reviews mention honey and hay notes—I get the honey more than hay. There’s not quite enough heft for me to classify this as a breakfast tea strong enough to suit me, but I did get two reasonable, smooth steeps out of the leaves.

This tea is positive proof that I would like bananas if they weren’t so fiber-y and slimy :) I like dried bananas. I like banana flavoring. I really like this Bird & Blend blend! The combination of banana, vanilla, and calendula is sweet and pleasant without all that icky peel and pith.

I made my first tumbler with the leaves in a DIY paper steeping bag, and then due to absent-mentia, had to make a flying run back to church to retrieve a lost item (long story). I took the tumbler with me, but by the time I returned home, the cup was getting a little bitter. Easily fixed—-and actually much improved—with a little vanilla syrup and milk! Tastes like a milkshake now.

On Tea and Cocoa Day, one of my favorite 12-year-olds asked if I had brought some banana tea. He asked me about it again today. There’s just enough left for me to send him a sweet and kid-friendly sample of my sample! So double thanks to AJRimmer for the double-duty sample!

Oh, so nice! This leans sharply to the maple side of the name and is creamy and pancakey—more so than Celestial Seasonings’ version which compared to CuppaGeek, now comes off a little thin and artificial.