Organic Blue Mountain Nilgiri

This Saturday was definitely tea party material. It was a lovely week; the sun was out, and it reached nearly 60 degrees on Friday--a spring boon in frigid Boston. And, of course, two days later, as the steady supply of dirty snowpack melted almost completely, the snow falls yet again--a fresh 8 to 12-inch supply on the way.

I suppose I shouldn't moan too much, I certainly have my fair share of tasks to undertake, and a snowy day only makes it easier to sit still in front of a laptop computer and whisk up journalistic moments of ingenuity as well as masterfully crafted graphic design projects, courtesy of Adobe's Creative Suite 3. However, I'm definitely going to need some caffeine to make the magic happen.

Enter TeaSpot's organic, fair trade Blue Mountain Nilgiri. These deep black-brown leaves hail from the Nilgiri Mountains of India. The dry leaves have aromatic overtones of apricots and berries.

I steep my Blue Mountain goodness with boiling water for three minutes--I'm a wimpy black tea drinker, and any hints of bitterness (which usually come with a longer steep time) leave me nonplussed. The leaves, after being steeped, smell not unlike a freshly kicked-over pile of wet fall foliage. Earthy, subtle, releasing memories of fall days in fleece jackets, riding on the leaf sweeper.

The tea tastes steamy, if that's even possible. A light sweetness lingers on the front of the tongue, which is also reminiscent of its scent--apricots and berries. It's very smooth, and only lightly tannic. I am fairly positive that this tea will be the bridge builder between me and the black tea world that I have always been too timid to jump into. I'm an oolong girl, through and through. But Blue Mountain Nilgiri, I raise my cup to your subtle deliciousness.