Spring Cleaning

For me "Spring Cleaning" is a dreaded deed tied to the season, reminding us at least once a year that our houses (and warehouses) deserve some TLC. And today was the day in our warehouse.

We just launched 22 new loose teas sold in bulk online earlier this week. So today we sorted, organized, labeled, shelved, arranged, and rearranged our warehouse to make room. The upside, beyond having an organized warehouse, is trying all the teas that we hadn't had a chance to try yet.

For me, this included Cocoa Mate - a really smooth & roasty cup, not the usual grassy mate I'm used to. And the subtle chocolaty flavor (given off by actual chocolate chips!) blends well with the flavor of the roasted mate - the super dark leaves of yerba mate pictured to the left - yumm!!

Curiosity finally got the best of me, and I also tried a Chrysanthemum Green Pu'erh Tea Brick (aka tuo chas). This is a cool looking and unique tasting brew that comes all balled up in compact little brick (perfect for tossing in your purse for taking tea on the go) . Just be forewarned that when you bust one of these guys out to steep on the road, you'll look nothing short of a tea geek. So be prepared to explain what the hell you're drinking. The history of tea bricks is as old as the history of tea, tied to the Silk Road and the spice trade between India & China. Here's a list of our other pu'erhs - some aged green & some aged black, however, this is our only one in brick form. Here's some more background info on pu'erh, so that your tea geek knowledge can be up to par with your tea geek tea selection. Drink up, and enjoy!