Formosa Ruby #18

This is a great morning. This is my tea. The leaves on this one were very big. It kind of looked like a long leaf Formosa oolong (usually I have the cheaper stuff that is in smaller leaf form). It does brew up with a complex mix of flavors even though the color is surprisingly light. This time, I kind of get chocolate with a slight hint of cinnamon. I will definitely rebrew. This tea was not even on my order at Angelina’s. I purchased something quite a bit less expensive that was out of stock, and the owner subbed this one for me. This guy knows how to handle this type of thing, so I know I will purchase there again at some point, and it will probably include more of this particular tea! He drew me in!

For breakfast, I made the famous cheese toast with mustard. What can I say, it was absolutely delish. I had Italian bread, a garlic flavored mustard from Trader Joe’s (my favorite mustard), and finely shredded sharp cheddar. Yum!

2 tsp in 8 oz.

Fantastic tea. A smoother, sweeter tea than I would have expected at this price point. It’s kind of like the Harney and Sons Formosa Oolong I like, but with more body. It’s lighter than the Fujian blacks I’ve tried.

I think I’m going to have to come up with a 3-tier system for the teas I like. I’m starting to realize there are a few teas in the $2/oz range that I consider good enough (and inexpensive enough) to drink often — as in daily, teas in the $5/oz ballpark (like this one) that are good for once every couple of days, and teas in the $10+/oz range that I can indulge in maybe once a week.