It’s no secret that I have a large tea collection. I’ve drunk down several of my teas in the last few weeks, but because there’s so much tea left, I declared a tea buying hiatus at the end of last year in order to finish what I have.
In no particular order, here are a few current favorites in my collection:
Cara McGee’s TARDIS blend at Adagio. This tea is a fruitier and toned down Earl Grey. I’m a sucker for Earl Grey, so this one’s a winner. It’s just… good. A little familiar and then there are the blackberry and vanilla tones to remind you that yes, you’re drinking something new. This tea is my comfort in a mug. And yes, you do get an extra ounce of tea when ordering because the TARDIS is bigger on the inside.
Organic Hot Lips at DAVIDsTEA: This is a green tea with a kick, but in a chai way. It has all my favorite spicy things in it: cinnamon, peppercorn, and chili pepper. I got a small pack of this when visiting a San Francisco DAVIDsTEA and now I’m wishing I got more because of the tea buying hiatus. This tea is great for stuffy noses and other times you need a kick.
Organic Golden Monkey from Red Blossom Tea: This could be a daily tea for me. It’s a light black tea that doesn’t come on too strong or too sweet. This tea is everything I want in a straight black tea. Bonus: I can resteep the leaves a few more times and the tea still tastes great.
Grand Shou Wild Leaf Lincang Pu-Erh 2006 from Red Blossom Tea: I know, two teas from the same company. But this pu-erh is so good. It’s earthy like you’d expect from a puerh, but not so earthy as to be alienating (like stronger puerhs can be). This tea was one of the first puerhs I’ve had, and it won’t be the last. And if you don’t brew it at least five times, you’re doing this tea a terrible disservice.
Foxtrot by Adagio: This one isn’t technically a tea at all, but that doesn’t stop me from including it. This is by far my favorite herbal tea. Foxtrot is a blend of chamomile, rooibos, peppermint, and a tad of vanilla. It’s slightly sweet and a wonderful nightcap.
Honorable mentions that aren’t in my current tea collection include Verdant Tea’s Laoshan Black and Adagio’s Cha Cha herbal blend.
What are your favorite teas?