Tea for One

I never thought I was much of a tea drinker until Todd brought home some loose tea from London. I don't know; it just tastes more complex, smells deeper and fuller. It could be the more visceral experience of brewing loose tea has me fooled, but I like it. And then Adagio offered samples of some of their teas. I chose decaf teas in flavors that true tea drinkers would probably avoid, but Adagio pulls it off really well, using quality teas as a base for their flavored tea. The citron tea had an earthy, green tea base (and made great iced tea), and the spice and vanilla flavors were black teas with real ingredients, such as bits of cinnamon stick and dried citrus peel.

Especially for the holidays they have some yummy-sounding flavors: candy cane (a black tea with pieces of peppermint candy in it; the above photo is this tea, from their web site), gingerbread, pumpkin spice, chestnut (with roasted chestnuts in a black tea), candy apple and cranberry. They also offer a one-cup tea infuser called IngenuiTea. It's a clear-plastic cup in which you combine enough tea and hot water for one person. When the tea reaches your preferred strength (which you can see easily because the infuser is clear), place the contraption over a cup and just the brewed tea dispenses. I like this better than those tea balls because it's easier to get the tea out at the end. It's pretty utilitarian, though, so if you want something pretty they have a nice selection of teapots, too.

Just add a couple varieties of tea (and maybe some tea cakes) and you have a really nice gift for someone who enjoys a cuppa.