My tea of the moment is East Frisian, a hearty and robust tea from Harney and Sons. (I am not paid to write that sentence). It is warm and filling; the kind of tea you want when it’s raining outside. It stands up to milk and sweetener – warm the milk while the tea is steeping and add a spoonful of demerara sugar and roll it across your palate. I think it’s sublime and comforting and it reminds me of being in London with a crispy roll and a pat of butter for breakfast.
Is it overkill for October in Los Angeles? October is notable for hot days and warm nights and if I lived near the coast there would be early-morning-low-clouds-and-sunshine-later-in-the-afternoon. The San Fernando valley doesn’t get that cold in October, but Fall has arrived. A native can scent the change in the air, a hint of crispness, a lack of smog. The hills begin to appear in sharp relief in October and by November the valley will be glorious.
But it’s the first week in October and I savor my mug of East Frisian, straight. 4 minute steep. The tannins burn a bit but I feel my shoulders straightening and my brain waking up. I’m glad I moved to this tea a few weeks ago. It is just what I need, and what more could I want in a morning cuppa?
Corgi and a Cuppa Tea 