Happy Lucky's Tea House

The last time I tasted a darjeeling at Happy Lucky’s it was the last picked darjeeling of Autumn, after the Monsoons. It was very rich and tasty.
While I was sitting at the bar tasting that tea, someone mentioned another one…this Monsoon Darjeeling that I hadn’t heard about, and I decided that it would be my next pot of tea on my next visit.

I hadn’t forgotten the name or season. I’d become aware through trial and error that the later darjeelings interest me more than the muscat, first flush ones that everyone else raves about.

I’m all for the gypsy darjeelings cloaked in wet leaves, saturated with a slight smokiness and dripping with the fruits of a golden Fall compote.

I call this gypsy for the brisk dryness that is not like linen but more like the top of your hand across velvet. The tea tastes almost peachy and nutty…then floral, changing to brown sugar toffee. No, this isn’t a darjeeling that is too sweet, but is pleasant.

I sat and cupped my hands looking at the honey liquor, bending over my cup and going back to the sweet fruity/floral aroma over and over again with great pleasure.
Surely, I thought, this tea would become astringent as it cools. It must. But, as I waited that prediction didn’t ring true, I was wrong and glad to be incorrect. No tannin or acid or turning into meh’ as we like to say here on Steepster.

I do like this Monsoon and the other late darjeeling tea’s. They appeal to me because of my love of darker tea’s with malt,smoke and rich complexity.

I remember that today is 9/11 and I will remember to serve others in memory of them and all those innocents who suffer in the World (I know I’m one of many who do the same)!

This week’s trip to my Tea Pub was one where I order a
pot of tea (I’m always looking for a new tea to try and write about)
and then pull out a packet of one of my own treasured tea’s
for my tea server friends to try. (These employees are super mega educated about tea!)
I ordered this Darjeeling and sat at the tall bar watching several
of my friendly servers take the last of my sample packet of Summer Tieguanyin and gradually pour all 18 steepings.

It’s funny to watch the whole tea serving and drinking from a bar stool. The Gaiwan was ready and the pouring began.
Eyes rolled around and primordial sounds arose as my friends enjoyed
the exceptional Oolong tea. It was amusing (I know I laughed).

My tea was more interesting and delicious than I expected also.
Harvested after the monsoon season, this darjeeling is a ‘no flush’…because it’s at the very end of picking. It has no muscat flavor, no astringency or acidity.
For an hour or so, my tea friends and I chattered on about what was making this tea so sweet? We ended up talking about beer, then grains and grain sugars and the closest flavor to what we were tasting in the tea was Grape Nuts.
Yes Grape Nuts cereal, which has a barley sugar that tastes good. (One other person said there was some kind of stone fruit but we could never decide on that. INCONCLUSIVE!)

I drank a whole pot of tea. Then I asked for a refill.
(Looking for stone fruit)
An odd thing happened with the second pot.
The leaves smelled soapy. Not bad soap, not Irish Spring. More like the musky warm soap scent left on a man’s skin, very light and pleasant.
(Well OK then, who just woke up?!)

The tea didn’t taste like soap but like Bergamot. Strange.
As the tea cooled, the soapy scent and Bergamot flavor drifted away as if they were never there at all.

I am such a fortunate person to have a place like this to go and have a good time, taste tea and share the tea I have. What a blessing. Without this place, I would have far less contact with people face to face. This is why I hope the tea culture in North America grows. For the tea we all love…sure, but for more places like my tea pub (Happy Lucky’s and in Boulder Ku Cha) to exist for hospitality.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBX1Mjf Finally found a picture of the place!

The last few visits to my tea shop I had been told about Water Sprite Tea but for some reason, had gone on to a green tea and an India Oolong.

Today, I remembered.

Granddaughter Schey drove me to Church (I sold my car) and Sunday afternoon is the best time for tea in town.

When we walked in the door of Happy Lucky’s, there were three servers (PRO’S) in their bright red and maroon Cambodian silk shirts grinning widely in a friendly “Hello” as though we were family. (Schey loves tea there as much as I do!)

“I’m ready for the pillow tea today”, I said. "Ah, the Water Sprite. You won’t be disappointed, " said Eric and all agreed.

Sundays are quieter in the shop usually. We sit at the tall bar to chat and watch tea being created for ourselves and others, sharing tips and information about tea. I’m a talker!

In no time a nice big clay pot of Water Sprite Tea was ready.
But first, what was done to prepare the tea?
A tea wrapped pillow is about 1.5 inches by 3 inches (some are a bit smaller) in a square or rectangle shape and wrapped in white paper like a present. One package is unwrapped for tea, placed in a clay pot and steeped in 190F water for 1-3 minutes then the tea is poured into another clay pot for serving (the pillow doesn’t fit into baskets or filters…too big!). (You could brew using 2 mugs at home)

The tea was sweet and floral with a lovely cooling in the mouth which I’ve tasted in Taiwanese Oolong’s but never in Chinese Oolong’s.

This Chinese Oolong was very light with no astringency or dryness at all even when the tea cooled.
Layered under the delicately sweet floral flavor was a hint of vegital green bean that you would normally associate with a green tea.
The flavors were interesting and made me want more and more cups of tea.

I was told that 7 steepings or more were to be expected. We had 4 pots full and there was little fading of flavor.

I purchased some of these dreamy little pillows for sharing with Schey and my other grandchildren.

I may not be able to get to my favorite tea shop for a week or so because I have someone who wants to buy my car tomorrow.
This is a good thing and will lift the burden caused by medical bills off my back.
I’ll find an inexpensive old car to hobble around in and be OK.

In the mean time, off I went to HAPPY LUCKY’S to be HAPPY with some
TEA!
It was just my luck that 3 of my favorite tea server friends were there at the same time! It wasn’t too busy in the shop, so it was like a party for me (maybe not for them though)!

I don’t think the people who work at Happy Lucky’s know just how much they mean to me and other customers as well.

While I was sitting at the bar watching customers wander in and out ordering tea, I noticed a regular customer that I had seen before who comes in for a daily matcha. Andy vigorously whisks the matcha powder with concentration and care until it froths to the perfect consistency…then hands the foamy bowl over and it’s gone in three or four splendid gulps.
Another young woman was matched with a custom Chai Latte…just for her (my server friend laughed and commented to me how he loves to pick out the right tea for the right person).

It was Andy who stood at the tea wall with me today while I sniffed tins of green tea. I picked the most expensive one. It smelled so savory.
He said, “Try the Lu An Gua Pian, it tastes almost the same and costs less…and I like it a lot myself.”
I picked up the tin to sniff and thought it smelled quite similar to the first tea but was just a darker pine green color.
I decided to go with his suggestion and ordered a clay pot full of tea.

When Andy took the basket out of the pot and presented the wet leaves they smelled so good. I kept saying that they smelled like lunch. I know that sounds stupid, but they smelled like something you’d want to eat. SAVORY and salty bright dark green leaves so vegital and spinachy, green bean, artichoke, blah, blah, blah…good that you think of it as a meal!

I took a sip of tea and before the liquor hit my mouth I could taste it from the savory scent. Oh, it was so good! Wet and juicy too! The tea was light and salty but never bitter or acidic.

As the pot of tea cooled down, the feel of the tea became a little dry on the tongue but never bitter or astringent. The aftertaste lingered for a long while. That is as it should be.

Much later, I added a little raw sugar before the pot was empty and the tea was delightful and enchanted with the kind of taste you get from anything you do in a culinary way with sweet and savory dishes. Yum, Yum, Yum!

This was a great pot of afternoon tea.

As I was leaving the shop. I made a comment about how grateful I am.
It wasn’t missed.
I was about to open the door and I heard,
“Thanks for reminding us to be grateful Bonnie, we need to be mindful of that every day.”

(Little do they know that it’s they that made me mindful of being grateful at that moment… by their kindness)

This evening it’s COLD outside! Burr!

Last night one of my alarms began to beep. I thought it was the carbon monoxide alarm so I changed out all 3 batteries. Still, the beeping continued.
I kept fiddling with it for a few hours, charging batteries and trying them again until I discovered the beeping was coming from my smoke alarm on the 9 ft. high ceiling. That alarm was too tall to reach without a ladder. Beep, Beep, Beep!

Finally, hours later, the beeping went dead!

Today I called my son-in-law to come with a ladder to change the battery and he was in and gone in less than 5 minutes.

Beep, beep, beep.

Right away the beeping began again.
It appears that I need a new fire alarm, and I’ll have to put up with this stupid beeping until tomorrow afternoon when MR. son-in- law can return to disable the bleeping device.

I’m getting edgy!

I soothed my nerves and drank this beeping beautiful tea.
This was so good and roasty, a tasty fruity Darjeeling Oolong that’s a little peachy but not too sweet.
I really love Autumn tea’s (this tea reminds me of Autumn).
They’re comforting with the taste of the liquor left from baking peach or apple pie. I’ve made lots of pies for contests and when I bake an apple pie especially, I always add a little brandy which this tea reminds me of. It’s light but smooth and fruity.

No more beeps though, I’ve had enough!

My adventures at Happy Lucky’s Tea House never end!

Today, before the afternoon rains cut loose from the heavy, swirling, Steven Speilberg cloudy sky, I ducked into my favorite tea house for a pot of tea adventure.
Happy Lucky’s has a large wall with a zillion tins of tea. I haven’t gone through every tin yet, so I usually stand before it with a quizzical look on my face until one of the knowledgeable tea experts comes to stand and stare with me. (They never rush)
After a minute or two, I ask “What’s new?”, or "Do you remember what I haven’t tried?, or like today, “I want an Oolong that would appeal to a black tea lover, what do you recommend?”
This is how I landed on Kali Cha, an Oolong from India that’s a Darjeeling Oolong. The leaves are roasted in a long tunnel roaster then the leaves are rolled. The result is a cocoa smelling small dry leaf.

A large Clay pot was prepared. When ready the basket of wet leaves smelled very strongly like roasted chicken with marijuana in the background. (just saying)
The liquor was harder to smell the aroma because the wet leaves had been so pungent.

I took a slurp of tea.
It was such a different tasting Oolong. Roasty and cocoa, dry all across my tongue without being very astringent and cool like the feeling of mint. I noticed saltiness and fruit but could not tell what kind of fruit it was. My opinion was swinging one way and another….
dry peach…no…raisin…no…dry prune…no.

As the tea began to cool, there was even more mellowness and eventually a little creaminess in my mouth.
I had settled on a flavor of sorts. 90% bittersweet chocolate, black current with raw brown sugar and camphor not in taste but the cool feel ever so slightly.

I decided to take some of this Oolong home for my stash because of the contrast with other types of Oolongs. It would make a good member of my tasting line-up and was appealing to me as a Black tea lover with it’s toasty and complex cocoa personality.

As I skuddled out the door with my little bag of tea…cane in hand, the droplets were plunking on my head and the scent of water and dust on the warm pavement was exciting. I love my town.

Thank You Bonnie for this sample

This is my third Lapsang Souchong I have tried (previous were bagged from Choice Teas and Twinnings)

I made a small pot from the sample Bonnie sent.
It’s the weekend – and weekends are for loose teas.
I boiled some water, and put the sample in the pot.
The pot makes about 2-3 cups of tea.

I didn’t hesitate to add a splash of milk and two sugar packets, from previous Lapsang Souchong experience.
For breakfast, I’m eating a smoked sausage to complement this tea.

I enjoy Lapsang Souchong’s in the morning, as a first tea.
This tea was strong, had flavor, and was smooth.

I’m going for Lap Band Lapsang surgery to fix my slouching problem I have today. :)

I googled “happy luckys tea house”
and got:
http://www.happyluckys.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/happy-luckys-teahouse-and-treasures-fort-collins

Thank you Bonnie for this sample ;)

This is a tea that need multiple tasting “sessions” to “explore it further” or “get it”!! It is a complex tea that is very smokey on the forefront or your taste buds, then changes to the typical “black tea” taste, while leaving behind a very pleasant smokey aftertaste that can linger on the palate for 5-10 minutes!! While accomplishing all these feats at the same time, it has a very silky mouth feel that is easily discernible! Even though I am not a fan of “Black Teas”..this is a very well made tea, that can easily change someones mind to the possibilities that Black tea can offer to the palate :)

Song Pairing “Seashell” By Skylab http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhIN-4NXFXA

Thanks to Bonnie for this sample ;)

This tea had a very light smokiness that was very mild with a very silky mouth feel. It was very easy to drink..in a comforting and familiar way!! The very light roasted flavors, reminded me A lot of roasted sesame seeds!! A pleasant tea to be infused at any time of the day ;)

Song Pairing “Seashell” By Skylab http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhIN-4NXFXA

This is a superb LS. Many thank yous to Bonnie, who supplied me with my fix. It is greatly appreciated. All my previous tasting notes still stand. It is everything good about an autumnal camping trip, the smoky fire, the barbecue flavour. All that and more. But, better yet, in addition to drinking it today, I made some LS chocolates this week and have been scoffing those alongside the pot of LS. Yum! The LS works well with dark chocolate, producing a smoky flavour that two friends thought was like smoked Bavarian cheese. They came back for more, so success then. This LS wins on yet another count.

Sipping this while seasoning my new Yixing travel tea tumbler. Thank you hugely to Bonnie on both counts. It’s sweet and very smoky. It makes me feel good. I love it. Thank you, Bonnie.

Sample from Bonnie. Many thanks.

The dry leaf is smoky. It reminds me of a winter’s day in the mountains. The campfire is burning (as is dinner, probably), the skis are stacked for the time being and the sun is out. Or maybe it is the smell of the smokehouse with racks of meat hanging in the rafters being cured. It really is that sort of smell. Very strong but utterly lovely.

Drinking the tea, it is smoky, sweet and there is depth to it as waves of flavour break on my tongue. In some ways there is too much going on for my fuddled brain to sort it all out. It is fantastic though. As I drink the tea a beautiful lethargy comes over me. I am calmer and more relaxed. It is also somewhat cooling. It’s odd really. I feel kind of spaced by this tea but not in any unpleasant way. I have thoroughly enjoyed this tea and I’m off to make more right now.

I haven’t been on steepster in a while, I apologize for that. It’s been hectic. Our littlest came down with a stomach bug & during that time I wanted to stick to the teas I know well rather than try anything new. I wasn’t in the mind frame, nor did I know if I would have time to sit and thoroughly explore something unfamiliar!

I have tasted this tea before, but one of the kids ran off with my tasting notes which had been scrawled on a scrap of paper that was apparently very interesting. So here I am now, tasting it for a second time & pretending it’s the first haha.

I’d like to thank Bonnie again for the lovely samples she sent me! (and Stacy too- I will be pulling those out of the cupboard this afternoon!)

I have found in my recent exploration of teas that I am quite fond of pu erh and this is no exception! Rich, earthy and silky it is so far the best pu erh I’ve tasted. Granted, I haven’t had a LOT of experience with pu erh but nonetheless this is definitely delicious. I even had my husband try a sip (telling him first not to sniff it because I knew the barn-y aroma would deter him!) and he thought it was quite good! That’s a big compliment coming from someone who hasn’t really had hot tea outside of the couple times I’ve had him try it (and isn’t sure if he likes it yet) :)

Sample from Bonnie. Thank you, Bonnie.

It’s citrussy with a golden orange liquor. It leaves me feeling calm and happy. There’s a hint of something else at the back of the flavour but I cannot for the life of me think what it is. It’s clearly a very nice Darjeeling and I really should learn to drink it, not inhale it. Oops. That hurt a bit. Ok, better now. Let’s try again. Yes, it is smooth and easy to drink. It’s what I expect of a Darjeeling. Not my absolute favourite Darjeeling but definitely worth trying, if you have not already.

This weekend I stopped at my tea pub to specifically pick up this Moroccan Mint tea as a base for my own homegrown mint that I have in pots on my patio.
I love to fix the traditional Middle Eastern sweet, hot brew now and then if someone drops by.
While in the shop I taste tested a pot. The mint was just right and minty enough to drink when my own stock of fresh mint runs low. Furthermore, the mint isn’t bitter (mint can be bitter if dried incorrectly or if the blend is not the right type of mint) and the gunpowder is mildly smoky.

Last night, my granddaughter Megan needed a break from her 5 brothers. She came to spend the night with buddy Grandma.
This morning was the opportunity I was looking for to try out my Moroccan Mint/home grown mint in a pot with lots of sugar.
(I cut down on the sugar by doing a 50/50 mix of splenda and sugar)

First I placed 2.5 TB tea in my brew basket in a 32oz glass pot. Then while the water was coming to a boil, I went to the garden and broke off 2 long stalks of fresh mint, rinsed, tore it with my hands to release the flavor, then put it in with the tea. The water was poured over the tea and steeped for 3 minutes.

Two mugs of deep golden liquor were poured, steaming with the scent of sweet mint. Megan and I hovered adding lots of sweetening until the right high level of sweetness was reached to balance the mintiness.

This is how this tea is meant to be. Hot,very sweet and sipped slowly on a hot day by the pot.

One of my best tea memories is drinking this tea with my friend Randa in San Francisco for hours and hours. The pot was full of mint leaves, always refilled with more and more water and the bowl was always full of sugar.http://flic.kr/p/cyh4kw

The Moroccan Mint tea was perfect this morning with my granddaughter, providing an experience that I hope will be a special memory for her also.

Megan’s comments:
The tea was sweet before adding sugar but got so much better with the sugar added.
My tongue stung a little but I liked the feeling.
The tea was creamy. (She noticed that and I didn’t…good for her!)

Drank this again today at H.L. with Granddaughter Megan and
had the awesome Ginger Cookies!!!
As always the companionship of Megan was the best…and her reaction to the malty tea without sugar paired with the soft ginger cookie was
such a treat to see. “Wow, this is sooooo goood!”
“I know, I know!”
“Who would have thunk that the tea without sweetening and the cookie would be heaven?!”
“Wow, grandma…this is great!”

And the experiences keep racking up. The lessons of life that a little pot of tea can cheer the heart and warm up a conversation.

I introduced her to all the tea Pro’s at Happy Lucky’s. Me beaming with pride of course.

I stopped in at my tea pub again today…but I had a reason to drop by!
I had been to the doctor and was wilting from lack of tea! It was 3:30pm and I hadn’t eaten since 6:30am or had any tea (worse than no food) for many hours. So you see…? I had to!

Things were busy for a bit. I’ve become so familiar a face that after a few minutes at the bar, I began to say “ahum…hum..yoo hoo…I’d like to have tea today…” I got a smile, which happens with friends and I didn’t mind.
I wanted something new and different to drink. A dark and hefty tea.

Andy suggested China Golden Pagoda. “Oh,you’ve never had this? You’ll like this one,” he said with confidence.
“What’s that?” I proclaimed as Andy put the large tin of tea up to my nose to smell. Um, it was malty with hints of cocoa.
He pulled out some dry cones of tea that looked like smaller versions of Hershys Kisses. All pointy and fat bottomed. He said that each was hand tied. Looking closely I could see string lacing each into shape.

This tea was so cool!

When the steeping was done, Andy lifted the brew basket from the pot and handed me the wet leaves. They were brown sea urchin looking bundles. The scent was smoky and malty.

The liquor was reddish golden light brown.

When I tasted the tea I first noticed a dry splash of tannin across the roof of my mouth that was exciting. It felt like a dry sheet and wasn’t bitter or unpleasant. The flavor was malty but not smoky and had a yammy cocoa flavor sweet enough to drink straight.

I wanted something with this tea to kick it up a notch! It was good…but I wanted more.

In a glass case by the cash register were some goodies which I usually avoid. Today, I hadn’t eaten so I didn’t care about my diet!

I spoke up and asked for a large Ginger Molasses Cookie.
Do you have any idea what that Ginger Molasses Cookie tastes like with Malty, yammy, cocoa tea? Oh My Goodness!!! It was such a fantabulous paring! So, so…..to the zillions good!

I bought and ounce of the tea. (And I got a sample of Jasmine Silver Needle) And someone else took care of my pot of tea…Thank YOU!!!!

A side note.
I was talking with the Happy Luckys guys…about the Original Disneyland Main Street. The architect was from Fort Collins and Main Street U.S.A. in California is modeled after the buildings in our town.

The Firehouse (which is where Happy Lucky’s is located even down to having a firepole still inside) is where Walt Disney had his office.
It is the exact copy of where go to I drink my tea.

When I left with my little bag of tea, I walked around Old Town a bit, watching the crowds strolling about on a warm Friday night. People sitting at the numerous outdoor cafe’s and listening to the street musicians. A tuba trio, guitarists, a band, the outdoor pianos located around town. There’s a sidewalk sale going on with people shopping, sale tables and flowerpots filled to overflowing with color everywhere. I stopped in Savory Spice Shop to pick up some powdered Maple Sugar for my Lapsang Souchong tea, a Whole Spice Chai packet, and some Hickory Smoked Black Peppercorns. Then I stopped at the cheese shop for Powdered Tea encrusted Cheese with Bergamot and a strong Welsh Chedder.
Now I’m hungry!
Off home to watch a movie.

You might look around at this peaceful town and think there are no troubles in the World. It does seem like it. I wish it were so.

Thank you Bonnie for this sample!

The tea sample in the baggie smelled good.
This is a watery roasted tea.
The tea tasted and looked like like a watered down coca-cola.
I was very light.
I tried it plain, no milk or sugar.
I drank it before bed.
I made a small pot and used the entire sample.

I googled “happy luckys tea house”
and got:
http://www.happyluckys.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/happy-luckys-teahouse-and-treasures-fort-collins

Overall: Light tea, tastes like roasted “water”, good for sleep
watery, kind of a dud.

Pros: I would like to check out the Happy Luck’s Tea house if I ever go to Colorado.

Swap from Bonnie. Thank you, Bonnie, this is muchly appreciated.

A parcel of tea samples arrived on Monday (it is now Wednesday) containing a large range of teas. Naturally I was excited to try them all out, but I wanted to finish the samples that Teavivre had sent me first because they had been around longer, so yesterday I wrote them up. Now on to Bonnie’s teas. Where to start? I had no preference and all excited me equally, so I picked a bag at random. It was this Gyokuro.

The leaves were a dark green, like pine needles. They danced in the hot water and an aroma of fresh greens wafted up to me as I waited for the tea to brew. Visually this tea is brilliant. So, on to the tasting. Very nice. It is smooth with quite a thick buttery liquor. The flavour is a bit like asparagus to me. It is very pleasant. Good tea. I think that I have enough to try this under ice next time. That will be an interesting experiment.

Whoa- I love this stuff! I’m a big fan of Dragonwell, so I was intrigued with this roasted tea sent to me by Bonnie. Now I want MORE- and was disappointed to find that Happy Lucky’s is apparently all brick-and-mortar, no online sales. Drats. I will definitely be looking for Japanese roasted greens to try now. I love the strong steeping aroma, which reminds me of a forest during a rain, dense with humidity. The roasted quality is what I really relish, but I don’t have the vocabulary to describe the dimension it adds to this tea. I truly look forward to stocking my shelves with this wonderful addition.

An ENORMOUS thanks to Steepster Bonnie for this sample! I was looking forward to trying this blend since my last two experiences with smoky teas were delicious ones!

When I opened the sample packet, my nostrils were bombarded with a powerful campfire aroma. In addition to the campfire effect, I also detected a smell reminiscent of one of my favorite snacking treats when I was a kid – Slim Jims!!!

I steeped this tea at 212 degrees for four minutes as recommended by Steepster Bonnie. The smoky aroma continued to waft from the pot while brewing. The color of the steeped liquid was an inviting amber.

The flavor of this tea is OUTRAGEOUSLY GREAT! It is rich, smoky, smooth, and steady. My tastebuds seemed to detect a hint of bacon in the flavor. There is also a subtle sweetness to this blend that reminds me of my favorite barbecue sauce. The smoky-themed aftertaste of this tea is light, sweet, and easy.

As I’ve said before, smoky foods are in our blood as well as our stomachs down here in the Sunny South. I can’t think of a better way to wash down a big plate of barbecued ribs than with this incredibly tasty tea!

I received this tea from Bonnie. Thank you, Bonnie!

I used to smoke tobacco pipes. I got into it as a qualitative sociologist who needed to study a social group. Along the way I became fascinated with learning about different types of tobacco, and after I wrote my paper I maintained my interest in pipes for a few years, smoking while I graded papers and the like. Then I stopped – got scared for my health.

This tea instantly reminded me of latakia tobacco. And shoe leather. When I first got into tea I started to wonder if one of its draws is its connection to the consumption of tobacco leaves. I loved learning about different tobaccos leaves, their treatment, flavor, aroma and other qualities. With tea I am equally enthralled. This particular tea kind of bridges the gap between Camellia sinensis and Nicotiana for me. Drinking it makes me kind of nervous, as if I’m smoking again. I even feel a little bite on my tongue just as I used to feel as a newbie pipe smoker (though THAT bite came from steaming my tongue half to death). Once I get past the smoky quality of the tea, I detect a smoothness and body that are also pleasantly satisfying. I drank this first mug straight- I’m not sure if I want to alter the flavor with anything.

Do I like this tea? I do. I think I like it mainly because of its uniqueness and the memories it brings forth. I will definitely order some, but I think it will last a long time- it’s not a tea I’ll drink often. I can see drinking it in cold weather- it’s got a warm-you-up quality to it. Maybe it’s the campfire undertone, but I imagine drinking this on the back porch on a cool Fall evening, wrapped in a blanket and gazing at shooting stars.